yes it is...

On Projection

This is my 'star turn' on Sunday nite

Play for May / This Saturday / I'm going

Hi, all!

I wanted to send along that info for that benefit show that Crankface and I (Liz Bustamante) are playing. We are raising money to fight Kawasaki's disease and theshow will feature bands alternating between two stages at Phyllis'Musical Inn. Crankface and I are also playing music with Ham(Corn Kings) and Processed (Poster Children) but unfortunately the poster's were made before we decided upon a band name. Jabbar.

We'll be playing a covers only set with songs by Devo, The Fall, ElvisCostello, and more. Perhaps I'll see you there.

Take care, Liz

the bottom of it...

the bottom of it...

and

a good letter response to the article

J & B Cup Final / Spetember, 2008 La Grange

Without and Within / Many posts in one

Funny that, again - sometime during the Bears Colts game last week, best bud matt Jenke left my house and didn't return until the A.M. of Saturday morning. That period - m-t-w-f- was marked by a giant uptick in production, sleep, health, and ....happiness........ yet I always be hang'n wit dat fuck. The myth of the eternal return returned late friday after an attempted run @ a Sox game two days in a row.

Da Sox

I'd watched the boys lose 6-4 thursday nite, and I'd wanted to go friday again - something about only being @ THREE games this year and being embaressed @ that paltry total and there not being much time left in the regular 162. That, and the fact that they were giving out free Green hats - I wanna go !! And, the final kicker - one of Gf's workmates had vouchers for 2 free tix, reedeemable ONLY for Friday nite.

So, Gf wasna gonna go, so I called quickly some canidates to see f interested - two Cub fans, a Braves fan, and Processed - I'm just assuming he's a Sox fan. It was Jacob who responded first affirmatively, so I made the arrang's. Wishing we had mobiles, I got to the gate -SOLD OUT !! But they had mercy on me - "Saturday's a sell out as well, but Sunday's game is a go". So I traded the vouchers in for two to Sundays - if that game will be in.

Das Hurricaines

There really was no way of going to Fridays game even if it asns't a sellout - the three or four hurricaines that whirled their way through the New World this last fortweek all ended up in Chicago this weekend. Wow!! Fridays game -and Saturday's as well, were also rained out. For those of you who do not know, they have drenched this area bigtime. I know many have been to the tropics in monsoon season or whatever - but I have never seen rain like this in the middle of the continent ever before. It's stunning. There have been 1/2h breaks from time to time, but it's been almost 48h straight. So, I'm watching Da Bears rite now (cool again this wek so far, huh??). will switch back abnd forth when the Fire come on @ 2pm, and then gear up for the SOx game to-nite - if it gets in.

Da Bible Problem

So, with plans scuppered for a Sox win on Friday nite, I united w/ Jacob - who had been driven down to Comiskey town by another friend . We were supposed to meet @ the seats - I was to will call his ticket - but snce it was as a sellout, I had to wait outside Gate 4 a waiting and a hoping we'd run into each other (repeat, to all,of those actually existing in the 21st century - do you realy expect ME or JACOB to have mobile phones ?? NO!!!!"). We met, decided on a Russian run and a few mixed drinx tite round Western and Belmont - I knew, from reading comminuquies off the telytype -that the Young Guard were rallying that nite, and the afll back position was the Hungry Brain.

Great. Sux no Sox, but frenz are gathering. And a problem.

With both Jacob and Joker - over the years - there have been, um , personality conflicts. NO NO NO, not with each other - but... Lets just say it this way - over the years, I have lots and lots of lovely frenz who I deeply love and their very existence seconds my existence - (I know many have been frustrated by me being frenz w/ scruffy types, but again - Jesus asked me to visit prisoners in prisons, whatever that prison may be. Who am I to say no? Plus, in them they truely hold the keys to escaping my own prisons. You have keys I need to - and yes, you who read this are only slightly less 'slightly less' that my 'prisoner frenz', so don't be talking. In fact, many of my other frenz think that YOU ALSO are one of my prisoner vistor frenz, so watch it, brother..... Just remember, as important as 63d and Mozart -and etc etc etc ) is in mymademyth, Jacob et al is as well) - but lots of times they do not get along well. So, two years ago or so both Joker and Jabob , out of knowhere, got into a confrontation. Bizzare, but then again, I currency in bizzare. I always enjoyed how I blogged about it. Didn't mention the thing @ all, just seperate posts on each friend on something uniquie they pulled a decade or so ago whatever.

However - w/ Jabob in the Stasser and the possibility of Joker inside, I really had to look in, see if he was there, then enter w/ Jacob. If Joker was there, then it was a return to being 22 again, and he can't be here because he's there and they can't be here because..... 'some because or other'. But the bar didn't hold the Joker this nite - the fortmer great frenz luckily had 100m betwixt them this nite.

Who WAS there? There was Smoky Treats a sittin' when we entered; and later came Guitars, Will'm Randy, Gunners, and finally - X Ray Steve and wife. It was great to hang and jabber and all that. It was the last few hours before Matt Jenke cam back to dominate my conversations and talk all over everything I wanted to say, but in these last two hours, I ran and ran and ran @ the mouth and was fully cognizent that maybe i should let others get a word in edgewise.

Two people will relate. Lent, 1993, Jackson. Think - it's 11.45pm, were chillin w/ the TV, and Hilts is never shutting up. Never. Gallo's some Sunday supper nite, say 1998 or so. Again, same circumstances -maybe not Lent, but same in our context* ... and Gallo eventually yelling "Will you Shut up??"

So, we're @ the table, and my tactful self fell out. Uh, I finally weighed in on that situation. With Love. And I weighed in on another situation. And then another. I hope most peple were not listening, because I had a real lot os opinions, and opinions about people........... It's won't come back to me, im sure, but I am always amused when I 'm in that mood.

I rally should always be in that mood. I'm always telling the kids in class that they own each other other theirbest - why not ...... well, whatever.......But those four days of production and stepping up and announcing , well, @ least my own type or morality towards each other....well, it should be there more.

And, again, comparing myself to Jesus, but there wer many times the people ran that fucker out of town trying to kill him.

..................................

*=context being everything

to look forward to...

http://www.talkinvegas.com/

“Stix” is Hungarian for “gay”

Written by Lazers
Names edited by Hilts

It was another relatively dead night at TC Pub last night. Perhaps it was just the timing, as two star players didn’t arrive until after the trivia game ended (J&B’s Pat and the Bar’s Trophy).



J&B represented by: Chemical Man, Stix, Vaugh and Lazers

The competition: Bar, Porch People, and Jukebox

First Half: News/NFL 2008/Mixed Up

Zach Thomas is currently on what NFL team?

Who is the NFL’s highest paid kicker?

Who was the owner of the pet shop that housed Magilla Gorilla?

Who played Sally Rogers on the “Dick Van Dyke Show”?

Before becoming famous on a sitcom, which actress appeared in commercials for Homemakers?

Some of the “Ladies Choice” challenges picked tonight: Longest Hair, Highest Heels, and Smallest Ears.


Scores at the half: Porch 1440 Jukebox 960 J&B 830 Bar 770

Due to their last place standing at the half, the Bar gets to help pick categories for the second half.

Also of note was the old guy from Porch hitting on Vaughn. She is not pleased, and even less so when let in on Chem’s earlier idea to send the old guy a drink and say it was from her.

Second Half: Entertainment/White Sox/Locations


Octavio Dotel’s first MLB team?

2007 Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama?

As of March ’08, the top grossing animated movie of all-time (from 2004)?

Ehren Wasserman’s first MLB team?

2007 Golden Globe for Best Actress- Julie Christie- what movie?

The furthest east one can be in Chicago is how far east (within 200)?

1996- White Sox opening day LF?

Most complete games in White Sox history- 356- what pitcher?


Benkowski begins a Location question: “If you’re on the north side…”

One of the Bar players: “hahaha faggots.”


J&B has “Ladies Only” choice of “Long Distance Roll” or “Arm Wrestling”. Vaughn says that she arm wrestles her sons all the time and selects that option. The gal representing the Bar whoops Vaughn’s ass. Strong showing for a woman with small ears.



Scores after two halves: Porch 2550 Bar 1930 J&B 1780 Jukebox 1380

Choice of Final Category: 90s Music, 80s Entertainment, or 80s/90s/00s Heavyweight Boxing. Two of three wins wager. All three will win 3000 bonus points.

J&B selects 90s Music and wagers it all.

90s Music:

1993- “Hero”- name the artist?
1996- “You’re Making Me High”- name the artist?
1999- “Have You Ever?”- name the artist?


80s Entertainment:

After Brad Palmer moved to channel 7, who became the morning sportscaster on WBBM- Newsradio 78?
On the “Wonder Years”- what was the full name of Kevin’s girlfriend?
1987- On Q101, Benkowski was the morning sportscaster for Robert Murphy’s show. Benkowski also was the sportscaster for the afternoon show- who was the dj for that afternoon drive?

No team selected the boxing category.

Gents?

PART II

J&B, without any input from Stix, guesses Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, and Brandy. Okay, you caught me. All of the input came from Stix. He is uncertain about the Brandy answer.

First half answers:
Dallas Cowboys
Robbie Gould
Mr. Peebles
Rose Marie
Shelley Long

Second half answers:
New York Mets
James Spader
Shrek 2
Chicago White Sox
Away From Her
4100 East
Tony Phillips
Ted Lyons

For the Lyons question, the Bar was the last team with a chance at answering, and they select Hangman:
Bar: guesses “C”.
Benkowski: “No ‘C’. The answer is Ted Lyons.”
Bar: “But isn’t his full name Theodore? That’s a bullshit answer.”
It is pointed out to the Bar that there is not a “C” in Theodore either.

Final Question:

Jukebox- 1380- Music- guesses Mariah Carey (correct), Toni Braxton (correct), and Brandy (correct)- wagered 1379 plus bonus- up to 5659 and the short-lived lead.

J&B- 1780- Music- guesses Mariah Carey (correct), Toni Braxton (correct), and Brandy (correct)- wagered 1780 plus bonus- up to 6560.

Bar- 1930- Entertainment- guesses Mike North (no- Benkowski: “No way in a trillion years…bad guess.”), Winnie Cooper (correct), and Bobby Skafish (no)- didn’t catch their wager, but unless it was negative 4631, J&B remains in the lead.

Porch- 2550- Entertainment- guesses Jeff Joniak (no)- Bee Bee (no- Benkowski: “Boy, everybody is fixated on Mike North tonight.”), and no answer for the last one- wagered 1900- down to 650.

J&B rises from the ashes to claim the night’s trivia title.

Missing answers: Rich King and Dan Walker

Next TC Pub trivia in two weeks- September 25th. Thusfar, I am “in”.

LaGrange trivia this Saturday at 7:00 (doors open at 6:00).

Written after rocking to "Hold my Hand" in the morning drive.

I'm a bit of an actor, i'll totally cop to that. I fully understand that even if the town im in is totally deserted, I'm still gonna walk down the street like the World Cup final TV audience is watching me. That old Wilde quote, along the lines of "I put my talent into my work, but I put my genius into my life" (or similar), sorta shines through, in my mind.

But, this post is not Wildian, it's about Hootie and the Blowfish. In being one of three punk rockers in my HS (no fashionisto was I - just the music), I knew that I was listening to shit the other century plus of folk had never heard of. hey, I knew i was kool - why pander lifes complexities when the leather runs smmoth on the passenger seat, anyway?

And it goes the other way as well. I remember a time in the basement 'den' of 1207 Morse, (where many of us lived for years, passing the place down until it was scuttled into a condo in the mid 90's): we were rocking to Zepplin, and some sorta stranger/punker exclaimed "You don't actually like this, do you?" My memory glories in the look that Ph.DhistoryKCprof (we got a name for her?? - Cult Women, that was it.) exchanged.

And then that Uptown place we had on Wolcott. Hootie came on - it was "I only wanna be w/ you". It was Hon and I on the couch, and we exchanged the following item: "I like Hootie - not every song, but..." And, of course, it's kool.

Rocky as well. Longtemps ago - when he was 18 - he told me that he thought it was kool that me, a punker, was also a total Stones freak, beatles freak, etc etc etc... I also like the fact that i pointed out to him that, well, i kinda associated him witht The Who, so what y talking about?

And the Spice girls. That first moment - yes, prefabricated - I heard "Wannabe", i fell for them. Not many other good songs do they have - but I do have seveal of their LP's. So what ya think about that.

Ok, sorry for all the usual Hiltsian self aggrendisement on how real fucking kool I am. We know through the experience of Bloom that we are all superheros. And sometimes superheros need pop music. This Ahab of a Bloom suerly does.

trust me. i'm so kool.

techicho direrto (sic)

So, in every way, this wek I annoubnced to the world that yes, indeed, I am The Man. As in, to parafrase Mel Gibson c. 1980, "If you wanna get odda here, ya talk tuh mee". I wanted to wait and wait and wait, but to quote Napoleon about this context "I may lose a battle, but I'll never lose a minute" : I am now, I am deeply pscyched and excited to say - and I knrew since last year - the head of the girls soccer program @ my school.

I know, I know, no big deal.

But to me - w/50-60 youths to lead - I feel, in my litte patch of this context (and this context only) - I am an officer. And not justa lieutenent. Maybe a Captain. No, Winters was a major. And that's it. MAjor Hilts, to conflate two real military WW@ figures. Or whatever.

So, this week I am have actively going after it. I've stopped the girls in the hall when I see them and tell them "Look for freshman and soph who are good. Tell them our team is great. use yr influence to gather these girls for our team." When freshman classes come in to the media center for orientation, I use the last few minutes of class to sell them on the team. I tell them even if they are not very good as 9th greaders, we will make them players by 12th. I'm getting better @ it to - the last class actually clapped after my 4m speel. Lets hope these girls are fit.

I've been to the athletic dept again and again for guidence, been to my old school where I used to coach to talk over some things I need to know (this is my first time running the deal - and am excited about seeing my old school play satuday in LaGrange.), named my J-V coach and asistent coach, and non officially told both MMf and Stopper from the J-V team last year that yes they are now varsity. Funny - M MF had to knw, and it was the first thing she asked. I told her "you know what team yr playing for this spring".

So, yeah, sorry guys, more HS girls soccer talk. Get used to it..

Political action from California/Vito broadcasts

Hi everyone,

I have started a counter-petition to support Oprah against Palin supporters. A false rumor that Oprah has refused Palin's request to be on her show has angered some conservative women and men, who are now threatening to boycott Oprah and have started a petition to force her to interview Palin. Oprah has refused and reminded these people that she decided not to use her show as a platform for any of the candidates, not even Obama, whom she has endorsed. Obama has not been on the show since before he announced his candidacy; Obama, Biden, and McCain will not be on her show before Nov. 4, so why should Palin? Palin supporters are clearly trying to use Oprah to reach women viewers; of course, the idea that Palin is a pro-woman candidate is deeply offensive. And Palin hasn't even been interviewed on any news programs yet! Whether you are a fan of Oprah or not, you have to admit that it is her show and she should be free to choose whomever she wants to have on it.

This seems like just another controversy to distract us from the real issues of the election. The media is already picking up on this fake controversy reporting only on the attacks on Oprah and not the support.

This might seem like a small battle, considering the greater one we face, but we want to beat the opposing petition and support Oprah.

If you'd like to sign, please go to:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/i-support-oprah

Please forward widely.

Thanks!

Vito

West Englewood

Not my place nor time, but a google seach for 63d and mozart ladeled out this to me...

fronchroom

The 62d block of Mozart (pronounce it Moe- Zart, not Moatz -art)had, i think, 35 buildings on it*. One was the massive Shrine -a giant apartment comlpex - well, not that giant - one was a three flat, and the other 33 were bungalows. My love of architecture stems from this block and its setting in the Marquette Park neighbourhood.

Bungalows, I discovered when I read about them in my mid thirties, had a special pronunciation for the large front room (y know, couch, tv, front door): " fronchroom". Hmm, I thought, that's wierd. I mentally pronounced a sentence thusly "I'm going to the front room" and guess how it was naturally pronounced: ya, ya, you guessed, i pronounced it fronchroom.

Funny, being part of that milieu or history. Whenever, I read about the Irish immigrant families in the early 1910's etc etc etc in America, it strikes me sometimes when I think - hey, I fit into that as well - maybe not 1910, but that last massive wave of the 50's (parents came over separately in 1949).

However, lets talk about shit.

Two of my favourite stories of the fronchroom on Mozart. One is simple.

There was a long running room stretch from the kitchen to the front window that when I was young - I'm talking about 6-7-8-9 - and this baseball boy would take a running start from Point West , through the dining room and past the front door (no porch on our bungalow, - it was a side entrance) and going sliding Pat Kelly like into the fronchroom. Obv. it a childs thing, and it only lasted a few years, but I always funnyup when I think of that period.

But a greater story exists. The shit in a book story.

I HAD (Oh please God say I was young) to be very young @ the time, but I had......an accident...... now, I remember this story, so I couldn't have been that young - but I wasn't that old either. However, i knrw enough to have shame taught to me, so I knew I had to hide my creation. Into a book. Under the fronchroom radiator. Hidden.

Mom will dissolve into tears when this story comes up, but my favourite part o'it maybe never happened. Because I am sure that my own creation was discovered by my oldest sister, who discovered it when she....um, slipped on the book and feel down. That's my remembrance - and I'm sure I'm right - but no one else remembers that part o it.

Hmm. When the Battle of the Java Sea mounts the Klaus stage next summer.............

...................................

*=not including garages - that's Gah ragh ez, and not Gare-igez)

The bottoms of it

the bottoms of it

For Rocketzy and Von Spliffoid, from a year ago conversation carried on and about

Shine a light