Am I the only fool who doesn't have Monday off? I actually didn't set foot in the office today, but that's only because I took a vacation day for a doctor's appointment. As I opened the door to his office, I got a call letting me know that the doctor "couldn't make it today." I was then informed that the receptionist "tried" to call me yesterday, but I didn't pick up. I guess answering machine technology (actually voice mail in this case) hasn't reached Jefferson Park yet.

So, when is the next Jen/Matt party happening? Our last hang-out session was a little short.

Jen

What a week.

If you are curious as to how Feast of the Senses went, well, it was a good night. I had to defend the gallery from a crowd of drunk people after the feast ended. Due to the high amount of traffic, such as moving out tables, supplies and whatnot, they managed to come into the gallery and attempt to take/open/drink wine that was not theirs. it was strange being the one who had to tell people that they were cut off - at least at my gallery. However, I ended up getting really drunk as well later that night, yet somehow made it home. So yeah, a good night.

We have finally started getting fall merchandise at the Gap. Crazy you say? It's still June! It's true. Whether you realize it or not, Autumn stuff hits the stores this time every year. And you know what else? People buy it! We've been lucky enough to have a pretty mild summer so far, so when you see cool new long sleeve shirts and new jeans, it's very hard not be excited - that is, if you love clothes. I have to admit, I have found myself tempted by such things, knowing that I probably can't wear half of this stuff until October, or that random cool summer night.

One guy asked me who buys fall stuff in June. I said people who love clothes. Then he asked when we get winter stuff in. I replied October. Then he asks who buys winter stuff in October. First of all, it can be cold here in October. Who doesn't want a new sweater for cold weather? However, I replied, people like to start Christmas shopping early. Stores have early sales to get customers in. He then told me, I buy all my Christmas presents in January when things are half off. This from a man who wears pleated khakis and a short sleeve white button-down shirt. Dork. Okay. I'm being harsh. Why ask these questions if you don't really care about my answers, right?

The moral of my story? Buy clothes whenever the hell you want.

There.

Anyone have interesting plans for the 4th of July weekend? I hate going to the Taste of Chicago - too much over priced foods and crazy amounts of suburbia-fanny-packed-families - but I may have to go see this show.

Otherwise, I know of a cool BBQ on the 3rd. If you don't have plans - you can come with Matt and I.

Jen

If you want to waste close to 2 hours of your life, then go see The Break Up.

In an attempt to get some relief from the heat, Matt and I went to the theater. Our choices at the Davis: Cars, An Inconvenient Truth, The Break Up or X-Men 3. I haven't seen X-Men 1 or 2, I heard that An Inconvenient Truth is kind of like one big power point presentation (although it is supposedly very well put together and also slit your wrists depressing,) and well, you have to be in the right mood to watch an animated movie. We chose The Break-up.

Imagine this. You watch two people you don't know or don't care to argue for 2 hours and then just break-up. You've seen the movie.

Tonight is Feast of the Senses and my gallery will be one of the many galleries that will feature a local chef and either microbrew or winery. Tickets cost $60, however all proceeds go to two funds set up after Hurrican Katrina. Apparently, our chef is cooking peeky toe crab. Do crabs have toes? Anyway, it should be a fun night for all involved. Hopefully.

Jen

The CTA sucks it. Big time.

I know, I know. I should expect by now that I can't rely on the CTA for anything. No matter how early I leave to get somewhere - even an hour ahead of time, I should prepare myself to get to my destination later than expected. Today, I left home for the gallery at 11:15. Now, normally, 45 minutes to get to Chicago Avenue from Western on the brown line is plenty of time. I sometimes even get here early. Ever since they started this brown line construction and renovation, I barely walk in a minute before I start. Today, in combination of waiting for the train and actually riding on the train, my commute was over an hour and a half. How is it so you say? How about this. The train, on Saturday and Sunday comes every 15 minutes. Then, when you finally get on the stinking train, there is always a wait at Belmont, and now, the inbound and outbound train shares just one track between Sedgwick and the Merchandise Mart. What idiots! I'm pissed I have to take the train home. I think I'm going to walk to the red line and go that way. It isn't worth the wait.

All this crap after a fare hike. Bitches.

Other than that, my week has been busy. The A/C broke at the Gap, and for two hot and horrible days, I had to work incredibly long and tedious shifts. It was a nightmare. I'm thankful to be in the nice cool gallery today, especially after our training run for the AIDS Marathon this morning in combination with our hot and humid, un-air-conditioned apartment.

Monday we have plans to visit Matt's family in Indiana and hopefully get our very own little A/C unit. What a glorious day it will be.

Jen

Hi all. We we finally have our AIDS Marathon Website and now our blog named Team Go! - the name of Matt and my running team. Hey - is Team Go! a band name? If it's not, I want rights if you pick it up. I kid, I kid.

So, check out our blog, Team Go!: A Runner's Journal and then to make your donation by following these simple directions:

Go to the AIDS Marathon Website
Click on "Sponsor a Runner"
Click on Chicago as our training city.
Enter our runner # which is 9703.

Cool. More interesting stuff from me later.

Jen

The Power of Google: Where 10 Minutes of Boredom Can Take You.

Last night at Four Moons in Roscoe Village, members of this blog and other friends were trying to figure out two things: all of the names of the Thundercats, and the name of the cartoon about the farm animals that was made by the creator of Garfield. (Answers to these questions? 1) Thundercats: Lion-o, Panthro, Tygra, Cheetara, WilyKit and WilyKat. Snarf was the pet and Mumm-Ra was the villian. 2)Cartoon: US Acres.) Of course, when we couldn't figure these out, right away, someone mentioned how they would just "google it" when they got home. Can anyone pinpoint when Google became as huge as it is? Maybe I should ask Google. However, I had another burning question on my mind. (It's not about grapes as nature's popsicle.)

Recently, I was apart of a discussion about who was the better solo musician once they left Genesis - Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel. If you think about it, Phil Collins was really the hit maker of the bunch. Not only did he come out with more solo albums, but he also managed to create well rounded, poppy hits. Peter Gabriel is much more experimental with his sound, and the songs that were hits were very unique. So what soes it all mean?

In an attempt to find some answers, I decided to ask the all powerful being, Google, to see what I could come up. My first google was just "Genesis" to see if there was any interesting tidbits about both singers. It lead me to the Genesis website. Please, PLEASE, go the frequently asked question page for Phil Collins. It is hilarious. Here are some FAQ's about Phil:

How tall is Phil? - Though he hasn't recently measured himself, Phil believes he's around the 5 foot 8 inches mark. However, some suspect he was standing on his tip toes when making that statement!

What musical instruments does Phil play? - Phil is a highly talented drummer who is also able to play the piano, keyboard ...and bagpipes!

How did Phil get that little scar next to his lip? - When Phil was very young, he was going through Richmond Park, and a flock of sheep ran across the road. So his Dad put the brake on and Phil went flying across to the front seat and hit it on the dashboard!

Whomever wrote this just loves exclamation points!!!

Anyway, no answers there. So I asked google: "Who is better - Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel?" and up pops this. Apparently, Genesis "got better" with Phil. This doesn't necessarily answer my question, but at least we know how he feels. I wonder if there is hostility between Peter and Phil?

Next Google "is there hostility between Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins?" and although nothing about hostility was in my top ten, I did find this amazing blog, if that is what it is, from 2003 - which discusses three catergories that the lead-singer-becoming-a-solo-artist can be divided into. It's a great read, so check it out.

I've realized that if you know how to type the right thing into Google, you can get exactly what you want on the first try. I'm still learning the little tricks. In a matter of minutes though, I was amazed at the world at my fingertips. Anyway, for more fun, get "Google Earth" which you can download for free. You will never think of the earth in the same way.