Nooooooo.  Just when I was starting to adjust to the 15+ year old 773, Chicago has announced we will be getting a new area code: 872.  That’s right my friends, Marshall Field’s is now Macy’s, the Sears Tower is now Willis Tower, and here comes 872.  RICHIE!  What is our fine city coming to??  Do you really think we are going to get the Olympics at this rate? 

If you think I’m just going to accept this 872 code, you have another thing coming.  I imagine a scene down the road where I meet a really hot, awesome guy.  He gives me his number and it is 872-555-1111.  Guess what amazingly awesome dude who loves the Cubs/Bears/Chesney/the beach/Klinker/Kerouac/Goldschlagger/snow/Chicago, I will NEVER call you. 

I abhor taking calls from 847, 708, and 630 area codes (all suburban), and now I’ll have yet another area code to blacklist.  I do love raging though, so I guess I can thank the telephone Gods for that.  See, there always is a silver lining!

Things I Live For: The Cousin Trifecta, sunless tanners

Quote of the Day: “Being, not doing, is my first joy.” –Theodore Roethke

I was probably 9 or 10 the first time I made a mix  tape — a practice passed down from my dad.  Mix tapes are the greatest things known to man.  A mix CD or iTunes playlist simply does not compare.  There is an art to creating a mix tape; it is a skill you don’t just acquire overnight. 

Every song counts, as you can’t easily skip to the next song like on a CD.  The songs need to flow with a purpose.  There is also the issue of spacing your songs throughout the length of a tape.  You certainly don’t want to make the rookie mistake of having a song cut off at the end of side A.  Also, the name of the tape determines its awesomeness.  My collection probably stands at close to 75, and it is still expanding; I made my first tape of 2009 about a month ago.

Listening to a particular tape is like looking at a picture book from a certain time in your life.  A tape can remind you of a specific event, or just a general time period.  I think it is a great way to document your life– every picture tells a story… well, every tape tells a story! 

Making a tape is a fun, relaxing activity.  I like to list every song I want on the tape, and then go through and arrange them accordingly.  The toughest call is what will lead off Side A, as it sets the tone for the tape.  Do not mess this one up!!!  The rest of the order comes pretty easy if you know what you’re doing. 

Once, I wrote a narrative to go along with a tape I had made entitled “Vagabond Music.”  I think I was under some sort of influence when I wrote this, but it is legendary nonetheless.  Tapes are a great source of creativity!

You get to know your tapes after awhile and subconsciously memorize the song order so you know what comes next.  You know it’s really one of your fave tapes when you expect “L.A. Woman” to come after “Brain Damage” even when you hear it on the radio or elsewhere!

It warms my heart when friends tell me they still have such-and-such tape that I made for them.  (I assume ex-lovers have since burned theirs…)  I appreciate that these friends realize that they possess a unique gift that is priceless. 

Some things that make each tape special/unique:

• The tape cover (or jacket if you will)– it has the name of the tape (unique in its own right).  Also, a certain identifiable pen could have been used, the author of the tape should be distinguishable by the handwriting, there may be various stickers or other decorations, the cover may be faded by the sun, etc. etc.
• Blips in the tape– is a song cut off  too soon?  Does it skip at a certain spot? 
• Is it timeless, or easily put into a time frame?  For example, “Dylan;s Mix” (see below) is timeless.  But there are tapes with telling songs of when it was made, i.e. if it has “How Bizarre” by OMC on it.  (Not that these tapes are bad, it’s just another way to characterize them.  I love me some How Bizarre!)
• If you include artists such as the Dead, Phish or DMB, the chances are you used live versions of the songs, so finding which one you used would not be easy for a copy cat if they wanted to remake the tape based on the song listings

One of the greatest mix tapes out there is one my brother made.  I feel comfortable sharing the list because, for the reasons listed above, you will never be able to replicate it completely.  It is very innocently named “Dylan’s Mix 6/10/00″:

You know this tape is good if I’m willing  to overlook the disastrous addition of a Santana song!!

Yes, I realize it is 2009, but cassette tapes will never be out of style for me!

Pet Peeve of the Day: People who use lighter fluid to start bonfires

Quote of the Day: “Yeah the world would swing, oh if I were king.” –Tom Petty

I love flags.  Whenever I travel, I do my best to find the local flag to bring back.  Likewise when family and friends visit places, they know the only souvenir I want is a flag.  Some I have acquired by purchasing here in the States, i.e. my Jordan flag.  I was at a festival and this man had a whole display of various flags for sale.  I wanted a flag from the Middle East and was looking for Iraq.  He did not have it so I settled on Jordan.  (This is likely the only way I will obtain Middle Eastern flags as it is not on my list of desired destinations…)

One of my favorite flags is obviously the flag for the City of Chicago.  A large one hangs a wall in my house.  While I enjoy large flags, they are not as easy to display as the little handheld ones, thus I prefer those.  But for Chicago, you know I would glady make an exception.

Another favorite is my Amsterdam flag.  The reason this is a fave are twofold.  One, I love the colors and design.  Two, obtaining this flag almost did not happen.  I had looked low and high (holla!) while in Amsterdam for this flag.  I saw it flying everywhere, and on t-shirts– but no flags for purchase.  Finally, when Biggie and I finally found our tour bus after frantically trying to locate it (the time we almost missed the bus Part 1) there was a shop right there that had flags galore.  I dashed in, tossed the lady some euros, got on the bus, and happily fell asleep.

I don’t stop at flags from actual places.  For example, I have 2 sets of banner style flags that I proudly fly: Tibetan Prayer flags and Jolly Roger Pirate flags.  Obviously I fly the pirate flags to warn landlubbers what they are in for.  The Tibetan Prayer flags have set meanings which I love: “Traditionally, prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. The flags do not carry prayers to ‘gods,’ a common misconception, rather the Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all pervading space. Therefore, prayer flags are thought to bring benefit to all.”

The flags I fly to let people know how I roll (i.e. my heritage) are the American flag and the flags of Germany and the U.K.:

I particularly cherish my U.K. flag because it is from my late grandmother who came over to the States from Wales.

Other flags I own that round out my collection are: Turkey (a gift from my parents), Spain, and U.S. Virgin Islands:

I enjoy all the flags I own because of their history (which I won’t go into here since you have access to Wikipedia as well), their design, and what they mean to me, whether it is a time I had visiting that place or another reason I love it (sometimes just the design!) 

Flags on my wish-list are: Australia, the State of California, Conch Republic, France and Greece.  Why I don’t have the latter 2 is curious to me, as I as well as friends and family have spent time there.  I guess that is what the internet is for!  (Note: I am not picky about my flags– they do not have to come directly from the place they represent!)  So the next time you’re on a trip (or the internet) and you need a present for me… think flags! 

Do you have a favorite flag????

Pet Peeve of the Day: Wind

Quote of the Day: “There ought to be a law against you comin’ around — you should be made to wear earphones.” –Bob Dylan

I just want to give a BIG shout-out to my girl over at Bargain Briana because I’m so excited about what I have learned!  I used to absolutely hate CVS because I never got over the whole Osco becoming CVS thing.  But she has taught me the money-saving (and sometimes money-earning) ways of CVS.  Whether you have a job or not, saving money is truly awesome.  Thanks to her site, I got 3 boxes of cereal, 2 Colgate toothpastes, 3 Clean & Clear products, 4 Febreeze products, and 2 CoverGirl products at CVS for $24!  With a little time and know how, you can do the same!  A tutorial is here.

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Biggie and I met an awesome Vietnam Vet at Summerfest named Cas.  He was obsessed with this song… Legendary.

Pet Peeve of the Day: The smell of paint

Quote of the Day: “If you saw 2 guys named Hambone and Flippy, which one would you think liked dolphins the most?  I’d say Flippy, wouldn’t you?  You’d be wrong though.  It’s Hambone.” –Jack Handy

I say a lot of weird shit.  I don’t call anybody by their real names (and if I do it probably means I don’t like you or know you that well), I make up some words, and say some unusual ones.  Here’s a vocab lesson to help keep you on your toes around here:

Vom: Short for vomit.  As used in a sentence: “A shot of tequila or Jameson makes me wanna vom.”

Annoy2k: I am fairly certain Biggie’s friend from college, Marcy, introduced me to the simple “annoy” to describe something as annoying.  I wanted to take it one step further, and the year was 1999.  Hence, Annoy2k, the most annoying of all annoying things.  As used in a sentence: “The Cardinals got DeRosa?  Wow, annoy2k!”

What’s tha date:  I’m not asking you what the date is.  It’s more like, I didn’t hear you/what’d you say?  As used in a sentence: “Wait, what’s tha date?”

Mobile: Cell Phone.  As used in a sentence: “Klinker, where the hell is my mobile?!”

Vale (Bah-lay):  It’s Spanish for ok, yeah, agreed, etc.  I use it quite liberally and whenever I feel like it.  As used in a sentence: “I will meet you there.  Vale.  Vale.  Vale, vale vale!!”

Euro:  No, not my favorite currency.  Urinate.  As used in a sentence: “I just chugged a bunch of water and now I gotta euro.”

Shit’s piece:  I was asking my Italian friend to provide me with some Italian terms and phrases I could use.  (He doesn’t speak English that well.)  So he sent me a list and on it was some Italian term translated by him to say “shit’s piece.”  I thought that was the most hilarious thing I had ever heard.  I knew he meant to say “piece of shit” but goddamn if shit’s piece isn’t funnier and more descriptive!  As used in a sentence: “That weirdo that kept stalking us at the bar was a fuckin’ shit’s piece!”

I also use a variety of Aussie phrases as I love Australians and strive to be more like them:

Jumper:  Basically a hoodie or sweater.  As used in a sentence: “It’s so cold, I better go put my jumper on.”

Runners:  Gym shoes.  As used in a sentence: “I wish I didn’t have a need for runners but I guess exercise is kind of necessary.”

Sunnies:  Sunglasses.  As used in a sentence: “I’m gonna wear my sunnies inside so people will think I’m a celebrity!”

And a term I made up based on Aussie-ness:

Flippies:  Flip-flops.  As used in a sentence: “I love wearing my flippies in the summer.”

I am sure I am forgetting some… but if you’re curious about what something I say means, just ask!  More often than not it’s just some nonsense…

Pet Peeve of the Day: The smell of blown out candles

Quote of the Day: “And she made a vow, to have it all, it became her new religion.” –Tom Petty