2010-01-21

by Colleen

Tha - tha - Tharsday in the Loop. In case you don't venture into downtown Chicago that often, or in case you do but you're blind, let me just say that these Puma billboards are plastered all over the elevated stops to advertise the opening of the newest Puma store in the Block 37 building.

They....drive....me......mad.  Am I on board with selling the idea that some scrawny, tool of a guy can pick up his own entourage just because he wears Puma? or works for Puma? or both?! No. How about the mentality behind his stupid sign - I'm a player, give me a woman, but only one that looks good, cause, you know, I'm a player? No. The fact that he expects to receive a woman plopped down before him just like he would an ipod? Oh inner Gloria Steinem, be still.

So I'm a firm believer of "voting with your dollar", but being a boycott of one of the Puma brand, doesn't erase the fact that I still have to see these boards every time I travel around the loop. Until, this beautiful day when I noticed someone decided to make a little addition to every single board at the Randolph&Wabash stop. Spot it yet?

Oh sweet, sweet grammatically correct graffitist, how I love you so. You just made my evening, times a million. xoxo - Colleen

----

"Umm, clearly I'm interrupting. I feel badly. Let me... What are you drinking?"

"Bad."

"Bad? Sorry... feel...? "
"You feel bad."

"Bad??"

"Badly is an adverb. So to say you feel badly would be saying that the mechanism which allows you to feel is broken." 

"Go. Sleep badly. Any questions, hesitate to call."

"Bad."

"Excuse me?"

"Sleep bad. Otherwise it makes it seem like the mechanism that allows you to sleep..." 

"Who taught you grammar? Badly's an adverb. Get out. Vanish."
-kkbb

2010-01-10

by Colleen

I love this mosaic at the remodeled Fullerton El station. I always see it at night when the station is generally deserted and it just conveys the starkness of the station and winter in general. Maybe I'll like it less in the summer.

2010-01-02

by Colleen

Sometimes you see or feel something and you just know you have to capture it on camera. This was one of those times. I had just come up the stairs at the Addison red-line stop and was waiting on the platform for the southbound el. It was clear, sunny, and insanely cold. The kind of cold that makes the air shimmer, gives concrete that ashy white glaze, brings out the color of each color, and makes everything look more real. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you haven't experienced it. Anyway, Chicago's city government has just been through a year and a half's worth of meetings and hearings about our local sales tax, property tax and income taxes. Tax sales at 10.5%. Raise it to 11%! Lower it 0.25% - vetoed! Reconvene, this time with 2/3rds approval. Lowered! Raise income taxes to 4.5%. And up and down and up and down. Behind the initial legislation to increase the sales tax to 11% was Todd Stroger, and throughout the financial crisis, general local government chaos, and his declining approval rating, he has un-apologetically backed this increase. Something about this clear morning, waiting for the el, the bricks and the light, just all came together to set off this election sign in a way that seemed fitting for this to be the 1/2/2010 picture.