Happy Thanksgiving

As the final moments of my Thanksgiving tick away, I wanted to share some ridiculously nerdy haikus that I read on the air yesterday. I am thankful for many things - friends and family, a job that makes me happy, my Big Baby Cat - but these four items are in a class by themselves. I hope you've had a wonderful holiday and enjoy whatever the weekend brings.

You hear that sizzle?
That is magic in a pan.
I love you, bacon.

Cozy and comfy
Keeping me warm in winter
Hoodies are awesome.

Wizards, knights and thieves
Save the world on my TV
Final Fantasy

Milk and two sugars
Gotta be Dunkin Donuts
My morning coffee

Rise Against: A Very Delayed Review

I have to be honest: I was the +1 for this show. Paul's a longtime fan of both Rise Against and Alkaline Trio. I'm a relative newcomer. Rise Against was so impressive, and the crowd so passionate, that I legitimately wished I'd grown up in Chicago. I wish I'd gone to the Fireside Bowl and seen these bands when they were young and loud and messy. The first time I saw Rise was at Block Party '05, when Tim smashed his acoustic guitar on the stage in a fit when it wasn't tuned properly for "Swing Life Away." The first time I saw Trio was in July. So yeah, I'm late to the party.

Tim worked the Congress Theater crowd like a pro, being gracious to the opening bands and his hometown and mixing his screaming and singing effortlessly. That wasn't what made the show so great. The mix of old and new songs - mostly old - was intense, and my own sing-screaming made me hoarse the next day. But that wasn't it either. I think it was the crowd, pumping their fists for the anthems, standing silently and respectfully for the heartbreaking new "Hero of War," cheering and moshing and CARING as hard as they could. I go to a lot of shows where people just stand around. It made me feel incredible to be part of that energy.

Other notes:

• Alkaline Trio's set was way too short. I'm glad they squeezed in "Calling All Skeletons," as it's my current fave. They dedicated "This Could Be Love" to "our friend Pete." That would be Pete Wentz, of course, who had become a father less than 24 hours earlier. (No Bronx Mowgli comments here, as every other blogger has already covered every possible obvious joke.)
  
• Thrice covered "Helter Skelter." Paul's comment: "Ten people here know this song. Four are on stage. Two are us." I texted with a listener yesterday who confirmed that he was asked if it was a new Thrice song. Le sigh.
• I missed The Gaslight Anthem and have been soundly chastised for it. I will not miss them when they play Twisted. Promise.
• Paul and I went straight to IHOP after the show. I'm obsessed with their Butterscotch Rocks pancakes. They are delicious day OR night. And now I'm hungry.
  

Billy Corgan at Q101.1

Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin took over Q101.1 from 2 to 3pm on Friday, and I did the last break of my shortened show in front of them. It's been a long time since I felt that nervous behind the mic. Billy's recent antics have been well-documented. What if I said something that offended or upset him? What if I upset the delicate balance in the room, and he refused to be part of the takeover? Everything worked out. My words were a blur about leaving things in their "capable hands" (Jimmy raised his eyebrows at that) and the Pumpkins' 20th anniversary shows. Billy called me "very professional." I stammered, gathered my things and moved away from the board, and my co-workers swooped in with cameras and cables and pages of notes.

It wasn't just the fear of Billy's ire that turned me into a mess, of course. I used to be a huge fan. There's not much that can prepare you for being face-to-face with someone whose music was your daily soundtrack. I've met several of these people over the years, and what surprises me is how ordinary they are. Billy looked taller than I'd imagined, but not as pale. He wore a sock monkey winter hat with long ties that trailed past his shoulders - if memory serves, it looked something like this. He wouldn't shake my hand when I first extended it - claiming illness - but put his hands together as if in prayer and gave me a little nod as I left the room. At first, I wondered if his refusal to shake hands was a rock star quirk, but Saturday night's cancellation has assuaged that fear.

During the takeover, I thought that Billy Corgan sounded like an articulate and frustrated man who is highly critical of many things, including himself. I appreciated his explanations for his behavior - it seems like it's just as hard for him as it is for the fans that it's no longer 1993 - and intrigued by some of his musical choices. Who'd have thunk that I'd ever hear ZZ Top, UFO and Scorpions on my station? We captured much of the experience on video, and the footage will make it to our site soon. You can hear the audio now on Q101.com. My chance to see the new-look Pumpkins won't come until December 8th. I'm looking forward to it, even though my expectations are different than they might have been 15 years ago.

Meeting Billy Corgan wasn't the only big musical event of my weekend: I went to see Rise Against on Friday night, which was so incredible that it deserves its own entry. I'll get to that later. Otherwise, it's been a weekend full of Mario Kart, beverages with friends, and football. Oh, and pulled chicken sandwiches. My baby makes a mean barbecue.

Mario Kart and Other Awesomeness

Remember that time I bought a Wii? That was a good day. Since then, I've played some tennis and bowling with Paul. I downloaded Super Mario Bros. 3 and remembered how much fun I had playing it back in 4th grade with my best friend Nicky - who is still my best friend now! We're so old. Then today... I bought Mario Kart! It's just as awesome as everyone promised me it would be. So if my blog entries are lacking for the next week or so, it's because I'm jerking my Wii Wheel back and forth in a desperate attempt to win just one more trophy. (I'm a Toad gal, if you're curious.)

Other things that currently make me happy:

• World War Z
• POM Teas - especially the pomegrante/lychee/green tea blend
  
• Glittens
• Ryan Adams telling the Guardian, among other things, that "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, unfortunately with the exception of the Killers." The whole interview is worth reading - thanks to Pop Candy for the find. Ryan Adams is awesome.
  
• Top Chef New York (it clearly can't exceed Top Chef Chicago, but I'm glad it's back and gladder that Stephanie is making progress on her new restaurant...)
  
• This video of someone beating Super Mario Bros. 3 in 11 minutes:

New Watchmen Trailer - Now With Muse!

Since two of my friends sent this to me before 9am, I figured it was only fair to pass it along to you:


To quote Bill, "MUSE AND WATCHMEN?!?!?! MY HEAD ASPLODE!" I concur. The song, "Take a Bow," appears on Black Holes and Revelations. Mmm, Muse.

Bacon, Bacon, Bacon

I just can't ignore a Sun-Times article called "Does bacon get any better than this?" There's no breaking health news here, just different ways to consume and enjoy bacon. Said ways include: Wendy's Baconator (which I have eaten multiple times, not going to lie to you), the improbably vegetarian AND kosher Bacon Salt ("everything should taste like bacon"), and the deep-fried bacon you can find at Risque Cafe in Wrigleyville. You read correctly: DEEP-FRIED BACON. There's country gravy involved. My heart is skipping beats just thinking about it.

Not mentioned in this article: the Grateful Palate's Bacon of the Month Club. I discovered this website last year, when I saw their BLT Candles in a magazine. Ok, ok, it was Rachael Ray's magazine. Sometimes I use her recipes. Leave me alone. ANYWAY. The Grateful Palate has all kinds of bacony awesomeness, including the air freshener you see here. It's only five bucks, and it makes your car smell like bacon! That's AWESOME!

Finally, since it's been stuck in my head the entire time I've been typing, I must share one of my brother's favorite commercials of all time:


I SMELL BACON! :)

Finally, A Return Date For Lost!

For those who have not heard: I bring you the glorious news that Lost FINALLY has a premiere date for its fifth season. Mark your calendars, fellow fans! January 21st, Lost returns! ABC will stretch our viewing time with a two-hour premiere preceded by an hour-long clip show. If you've already gone ahead and marked your calendar like I told you to, you'll notice that January 21st is a WEDNESDAY! It's back to its original day! I don't know why that makes me feel like suddenly all is right with the universe. It's probably because trying to squeeze the on-air versions of my award-winning* Lost recaps into an already busy Friday work day (Girls on Sports/Big Ticket Friday) was a challenge. But now: it's smooooooth sailing.

Also, I must recommend another Lost recapper for you to enjoy while we wait: Rachel, the genius at The Ack Attack. Her recaps will make you LOL OMG, and her Daily Dose of Lost is a brilliant mixture of screencaps and movie/TV quotes. I only wish I could be as funny as Rachel.

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!



*I have never won any OFFICIAL awards for my Lost recaps, but my dad really likes them, which is kind of like an award.

A Comic Question

Beyonce wants to be Wonder Woman. Do you think she's ready for that jelly? If not, who would you prefer? Are you excited or troubled that EVERY SINGLE COMIC EVER MADE is being mined for Hollywood profit? Discuss.

Election Night in Grant Park

24 hours ago, I was returning home after one of the most memorable events of my life: witnessing Barack Obama's presidential acceptance speech in Grant Park. Surrounded by friends old and new, I watched history unfold in my own backyard. Grant Park holds a special place in my heart. Thanks to Lollapalooza, I have watched some of my absolute favorite bands - like Radiohead, Muse, and Pearl Jam - perform mere steps from where Obama's podium stood last night. Those nights were happy ones... but nothing like last night. Last night, Chicago was the center of the world, and thousands of us stood together, smiling and crying at the same time, both proud and humbled to be part of such an important moment.


Like President-Elect Obama, I was not born in Chicago. Like him, I am proud to call this city my adopted home. That pride has never burned so fiercely in my heart as when I looked around the gigantic crowd and saw such diversity, passion, and unity. I couldn't hold my tears back, and I'm having a hard time doing it even now.


My political opinions are my choice, just like yours. We do not all agree, and I spoke to both ecstatic and disappointed listeners today. What I hope - what I truly believe - is that we can now look forward with renewed determination to make our country more positive, unified and strong. One of my favorite lines from last night's speech was this: "[T]hat is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow." As I mentioned to Ryan Manno this afternoon, the credits didn't roll when Obama gave his speech last night. There is more work to be done. I believe we can do it.


One final note. I took the Green Line home from work this afternoon. As I stood to exit the train, an older black couple stood up behind me. The gentleman tapped me on the shoulder and said, "I like your button." My button, attached to my purse, shows a picture of Barack Obama and the word "hope." His companion, seeing the button, said "yes, we can!"

I smiled at her and said, "we did!"

She smiled back. "Yes. We did!"

Hope. Still a good thing, perhaps the best of things, and growing stronger by the minute.

Election Day 2008

To paraphrase a great Jimmy Eat World song, I just played my little part in something big.


And now, we wait.

Brandon Flowers Does Not Care About Grammar

I saw this article about the Killers last week ("Killers' Brandon Flowers Stands Behind 'Human' Chorus, Feathery Jacket"), and I didn't read it. I'm tired of Brandon Flowers. Don't get me wrong: I still enjoy most of the music he and his band makes. I'm just tired of him and his punchable faces. Especially this one:


This morning, Joey O asked me if I'd read the article, and I admitted that I had not. I decided to give Brandon Flowers a shot. Maybe he had some sort of articulate and intelligent answer for the "why the heck are you singing 'are we dancer' in 'Human'" question. Here's what he said:

"It's taken from a quote by [author Hunter S.] Thompson. ... 'We're raising a generation of dancers,' and I took it and ran. I guess it bothers people that it's not grammatically correct, but I think I'm allowed to do whatever I want," he laughed.

So Brandon Flowers ripped off one of the boldest voices in print that we've had in the past fifty years - a writer so influential that he created an entirely new style of journalism - and bastardized his writing by stubbornly making it rhyme with a lyric in a dumb pop song. Brandon IS correct about one thing: he's allowed to do whatever he wants. I will exercise that right by stating that I think Brandon Flowers, while talented, is not NEARLY as talented as he thinks he is.