Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Is it Monday yet?

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

links for 2007-07-17

• Whole Foods broadens reach
  A 40,000 square foot Whole Foods Market is going to be the anchor tenant in the newly-opened Center on Halsted in Chicago. Wow.
  (tags: gay chicago)
• Font Bros : Typography Supply Company
  Nice looking retro fonts from Font Bros.
  (tags: fonts)

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Clearing the Cache: July 10, 2007

Gay TV cable channel Logo will host a live presidential debate August 9. Candidates Clinton, Edwards and Obama are on board so far. Did you ever think you'd see such a thing? A gay cable TV channel, I mean?

Chris Jones shares trade secrets of a Chicago theatre critic. The really good ones, like where to park and get grub. However, as one commenter notes, nearly every theatre in Chicago is accessible by CTA trains or buses, so a great tip is to leave the car at home.

There's something that appeals to the obsessive and the transportation geek inside me about mileage running, but I have the impression it's something you don't mention you do at parties.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Clearing the Cache: June 6, 2007

• Chicago's gay and lesbian community Center on Halsted has officially opened. I can't wait to visit. Congrats!
• It appears that the CBS drama Jericho may be coming back after all. Hooray! Now I may actually get to find out how the end of the world ends.
• The cost to stage a musical number on the Tony Awards tops $250,000. Ouch.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

links for 2007-05-22

• Bill Vandervoort's "CHICAGO TRANSIT" Site
  Great collection of Chicago transit ephemera and history.
  (tags: chicago transit cta)

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Playing catch-up

Once again, I'm pleading busy, despite having several hundred things I've been meaning to note here. Please accept these travel-related brevities compliments of the management:

• South by Southwest Interactive was delightful and embiggened; rumors had that attendance topped 5,000 this year. The growth was certainly evident in the attendees and crashers at Break Bread with Brad. An expected 150 guests became 300 before the night was out. All in all, the crowds notwithstanding, it was as ever a great experience and marvelous opportunity to catch up with friends old and new.


• Best discovery of the Austin week: Opal Divine's—the Sixth Street incarnation—where they stock 65 single malts and a decent cigar selection. Fortunately, I wasn't introduced to this nirvana until the night before I left or no one would have seen me all week.


• I'm in New York again this week, concluding a long consultancy, and I'll probably stick around through the weekend to take in a friend's show and perhaps a few others. I'm not sure when/if I'll have space for socializing, but if you've a proposal for drinks or whatnot, be in touch.


• I'll also be in Chicago the first week(and -end) of next month. Same caveats apply.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Where I’m at

Another quick trip to Chicago this weekend: came up last night to meet with friends and lift a glass in a final farewell to an old pal taken away too soon. Staying tonight for Patti LuPone as Rose (and new pal Jessica Boevers as Louise) in the Gypsy concert, third row at Ravinia. Tomorrow, a final visit to Marshall Field and a stock-up at IKEA before hitting the road back home.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Must close Sunday

I'm a little melancholy, as usual, for the end of vacation. This is my final full day in Chicago; tomorrow afternoon I'm returning to St. Louis. It's been odd not being there these past few days, particularly after the big storms on Wednesday and Friday. I miss and worry for my friends, although nearly everyone I've heard from or about seems to be coping well.

Thanks to everyone who's written or called to inquire of my safety. Of course I'm fine all these miles north in Chicago, and the homestead stands, has power and refrigeration and is playing host to a few friends without. The theatre survived more or less unscathed also. Still, I can't wait to get back and see what's up myself after relying on secondhand reports.

I've posted a few more photos from the Gay Games and, particularly, the closing ceremony where Cyndi Lauper was among the many fabulous entertainers. New friends have been made, new places explored and new t-shirts bought. In all, a marvelous week in my kind of town.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Picturing the Games

I'm trying to sift through some of my photos from the Gay Games so far and have posted a few to Flickr. Other Flickr users are tagging their photos gaygames or chicago2006.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

My kind of games, Chicago is…

Greetings from Chicago, and day four of Gay Games VII. Everything so far has been just lovely but for the heat wave, although the temperatures broke last night (along with a few tree limbs) and made way for a delightful, simply "warm" Tuesday perfect for Brad to take in some of the beach volleyball competition. I'll also be on the lookout for a boy to help me get sand in awkward places, if'n you know what I mean.

I've a ton of pictures in queue, have met some perfectly charming people, have a funny (if slightly odd) story about a P-FLAG poster mom to tell, and a redeveloping sense of body dysmorphia. Fun!

Aw, I kid because I love. The closing ceremonies ticket is claimed by the way, and couldn't have gone to a sweller feller. Thanks to everyone for the inquiries.

If you need me this afternoon, you will find me bivouacked on North Avenue beach. Cheers!

Thursday, October 2, 2003

Suffering through Albee

Suffering? Well, Albee! Despite the fact that my body seems on the verge of succumbing to The Crud™ (some wicked combination of SARS and a head cold, it seems) that's felled several of my students and what seems like half my office, I've decided to extend this weekend's trip to Chicago by a day and catch the press preview of Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? at The Goodman Theatre on Monday night. Aside from the fact it's a remarkable work and that I'm curious to see what Robert Falls and his cast do with it, it'll also be good field research for my next few weeks at work.

And speaking of shows at my place, you've only a week or so left to see our production of Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses. I'm biased, of course, but it's a beautiful production and with no slight intended, I like our take on the show a good deal more than I did the Broadway production.

Tuesday, May 13, 2003

Sodomy Tour 2003

Rogue trip: Sodomy Tour 2003. "Four Days. Four States. Four Infamous Crimes Against Nature."

On March 26, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments regarding Texas'--and, by extension, three other states'--same-sex sodomy law, which criminalizes sexual activity between members of the same sex. The court will issue a ruling by the end of June.

In advance of the Supreme Court's decision, The Stranger sent David Schmader to tour the four states whose homo-only sodomy laws could soon be declared unconstitutional--and to commit some good old-fashioned illegal sodomy for perhaps the last time.

It depends on how you say it: Peter Filichia's theatre-related Tom Swifties.

"Wasn't what happened to Eddie in Blood Brothers awfully lucky?" Tom said transparently.

"On June 7, 1998, Lillias White, Chuck Cooper, and Pamela Isaacs were thrown out of work and Broadway lost a good musical," Tom said lifelessly.

"Ms. Henshall is no longer in Chicago," Tom said ruthlessly.

Cute crooner: Michael Bublé.

No small (travel) plans: I'll be hefting myself onto the big shoulders of Chicago over the Memorial Day weekend, one of three planned (so far) jaunts to the Second City in the next few months. If you'd like to lift a glass with me while I'm there, please be in touch.

Meta: Alas, L'il Gromit's LCD woes seem intractable so, for the near term at least, I'll just be coping with his fluky backlight by applying the "jiggle the handle" method to find the sweet spot where it snaps on. A replacement PowerBook is in my future but, given other near-term obligations, it may be several months off.

Saturday, July 21, 2001

It toddles

A brief update from the road: Chicago is, as ever, lovely and energetic and, just footsteps from my Lakeview hotel, throbbing with activity on this sultry summer evening. I had dinner earlier — a mini-edition of the increasingly popular "Break Bread With Brad" event, perhaps coming soon to a city near you — with a convivial crowd of the city's web elite, wherein we gossiped mercilessly and traded esoteric trivia and ate stuffed pizza and terrorized the remaining restaurant populace with a lightning storm of flash firings from many, many digital cameras.

Three more days in this city of oh-so-big shoulders and perennially snack-worthy men...my professional obligations satisfied, you may call on me at Sidetrack, the convent at which I worship when away from home.

Monday, July 16, 2001

Break Bread with Brad Chicago

Amusement Park Physics: What are the forces behind the fun?

BREAK BREAD WITH BRAD: CHICAGO: Details are forthcoming — my other plans are coalescing, so I'll probably send out eVites later today — but there's still time to join me this weekend in the Windy City!