TIME TO PLAY! - Halloween 2007

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

My department at work celebrating another good season at 10Pin bowling alley. Thanks to Nick Nummerdor for letting us squat at his work!


Julia showing us how it's done!


Box Office Frank and Julia.


Charniece. Now, before everyone gets on my case and says "Mike, why do you take such terrible pictures." Let me retort with saying " 1) she posed for this and 2) I capture 'moments in time.' Deal with it." But, we all looked like this eatting that really good pizza...


The "moment in time" before she posed...


Jason, Liz, and Jen at 10Pin


Nick, Cliff, Nate, and Megan at BBQ!


Angela and Gracie looking deep into each other's eyes...


AIAChicago's Designight event at Navy Pier giving out awards and premiering their new magazine Chicago Architect, which is my first national publication. And, it's a "magazine," 
not a "zine."


Peter Sagal of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me on National Public Radio (NPR) hosting Designight 2007. He was a good host and I want him to narrate my daily life.


Me as Chucky from the Child's Play Trilogy and the follow ups of Bride of Chucky and Seed of Chucky.


Here is the the bride of Chucky, Tiffany!


The lovely couple.


Chucky and a photo album (Frances) dancing at her house!


Another one of us!


Mary (left) and the red head on the right are Thelma & Louise. They even had a cardboard Cadillac! The baby is Tom Brady's bastard child.


Amanda as the foxy Medusa!


Vickie and Benny McBen Ben as Native Americans. Obviously from a tribe around Milwaukee as they drink Miller Lite...


Vickie, Frances, Ben, and Amanda at Mary's party.


Ronan as MACHETE! If you don't know Machete, you don't know movies. Go rent Planet Terror right now from the Grindhouse movies (it's the good one of the two) and watch the fake movie trailors. According to Ronan, the fake trailor was so popular that they are making it into a feature film!!!


Ronan's brother Cormac as Zoidberg from Futurama. And, by far the most popular costume
 of the night!

 
This is a Jagerbomb! GENIUS!


Machete, Zoidberg, Pippy Longstockings, and some guy with birds on his hat at the Holiday Club.

Good times had by all. It was a fun work party! It was a good Halloween! And, I got my prize from Unity Temple. I had an event out there and won a raffle. What did I will. Here it is: a book called A Guide to Oak Park, a membership to the Ernest Hemmingway Society, and a tea party at Under the Gingko Tree. I've never had a tea party before...

I Don’t Have Time For Instant Gratification

Saw the Simpson's at the Logan Theater twice today for $3. Best deal in the best town. It was a decent movie. Not too different from watching it on TV, but better than most of the movies out there...


Brent, Nick, and his hamburger patty (?) getting ready for another wednesday BBQ!


Cliff cooking up some good stuff and making the rest of the party look lazy with their meager brats...


Frances and Noah at Irazu for some Costa Rican food.


Alice, Frances, and the twins (Andrea & Andrika) at some place on Milwaukee called Timmy McGitty's or Max MacCarty's or some Irish-esque name. Basically, it was a coffee internet, bakery bar...


Whiskey a-go-go at Evan's with Frances and Noah. Alex and Megan were there too, but I have no pictures of them and it was the first time I've met them. Nice people...


Evan is known for his fire safety. That is why he is using a starter log, lighter fluid, and turpintine to get this blaze a goin.'

My B-day is Going To Cause My Broken Back

Thanks to everyone for your b-day wishes. I think I have received more b-day congrats this year than any other year. Probably because MySpace has that b-day feature. Whatever the reason, thanks!

This is one of Noah & Frances' new cats. I believe this is Cinnamon Pop Tart.


And, I think this one is Turnip Bicycle?


Here's Frances in her new apartment with my old painting (Ben Johnson has made a claim)


USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!


Megan and SME at the California Clipper for a kinda b-day, Dustin visiting, need something to do night. We just about took the bar over with all the Muskegon Exiles there.


Noah, Frances, and I at the Clipper.


Frances getting ready for dispute resolution Humboldt Park style. Just like old times in Michigan.


Noah has never looked at Frances so lovingly...


Me and Noah in the pointing game.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIKE! LET'S GO TO A POLICE AUCTION. It was pretty fun, but I thought it would have cooler things like cars, drug dealer homes, couches, and all. They had tons of bikes!


Here are the two bikes we won! Megan's was $30 and mine was $25.


And here's Megan's new bike helmet.

Thanks again to everyone for making a great b-day for me. I hope to see you all soon if I don't see you a lot already at the weekly BBQs. If you do go to the weekly BBQs, I hope to see you tonight! xoxo, Mike

GRAB MY WRIST!!!

Away we go!

MMMMmmmm.... BBQ Brat...


The most beautiful food I've ever helped make.


Ronan, my Irish friend, had his b-day party at Big Joe's during the Turtle Races.


Amanda and Frances at the Turtle Races!


Cormac, Ronan's very Irish brother, at the Turtle Races.


Me and Frances at Turtle Races.


Megan and Ronan at Turtle Races.


Turtle Race.


Me and Megan at Turtle Races


First, I found out Kareem Abdul-Jabaar is teaching martial arts in my neighborhood. Now, Michael Jordan is practicing law in Megan's neighborhood. Who's next? Larry Bird working at Starbucks?


Part of the Ravenswood Art Walk. I don't know why I took pictures of the car museum, but not the art...


I like this weirdo car.


Architectural Artifacts had this with their antiques. It makes me think how much more difficult and different the church would have been if instead of bearing a cross, Jesus had to bear a pool table. Just think about it...

That's it. Much love.

Mike

WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD NOAH & FRANCES!!!

First of, welcome Noah and Frances to Chicago! For those that don't know, Noah and Frances are some of my closest and best friends from Muskegon, Michigan. I use to live with them when I lived in Grand Rapids and played "Jesus Jesus" (drunken dominoes). For those who haven't met them yet, I'm sure you will soon.

Also, not too much to report over the last week as most of my time was spent with the toilet because of the flu.

Also, I signed up for a "Martial Arts" class through the Chicago Park District. It is an Aikido (sp?) class and I've already learned how to properly sommersault and throw a man to the ground. Next week, I will be flying through the air and kicking a man through his chest. The class is $20 for two and a half months.

I officially announce my hatred of all that is X-mas. These decorations at work were put up two weeks ago and I've grown to loath them with the 80+ degree weather we've been having. This isn't about Jesus, this is about insanity.


Talking about insanity, look at this line that I had to deal with at work. I have no idea why people would be up this early on a Saturday if they weren't paid for it. I mean, I'm paid to be up and I still have to decide whether or not it is worth it each week.


Andrew, Nate, Mike, and Nick at Angela, Brent, and Evan's Housewarming Party on Saturday. They have an awesome two story apartment.


Megan, Librarian Girl, SME, and Karli at the Housewarming Party.


Noah and Frances' new apartment. I have no name for it yet. Although, I've been thinking "yellow house." Seems fitting...


Frances and Noah's mom unloading lots of stuff!


My lazy legs up on the stuff.


My lazy body down on the couch.

That's about it. FRANCES AND NOAH!!!

The Little TV Is a Little Little...

You know the drill...

The DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Renegade/Division Festival. Basically, a festival dedicated to hipsters, artists, 'zine makers, and other oddities...


Check out the wares!


My favorite stand: The Postcard Machine is a girl in a fabric vending machine selling cards and beeping like a vending machine. People didn't care what she was selling, just the show.


A DIY PONY RIDE! Something very sad and wonderful about this...


A fuzzy Baroque photo of Wednesday Night BBQ. Welcome to the "Grillin' Experience" Noah and Ryan!


Nate, Ryan, Matt, and Noah after a few brats and beers!


Even Gracie is feeling the pain of glutony...


Nick and Nate with our new roommate (kinda). He's a "couch surfer" like Nick was over the summer. What is couch-surfing? Check out this website:

http://www.couchsurfing.com/

Emmanuel is from France and seems like a cool guy. But, there's something unnerving about having a complete stranger on your couch...


Noah has been staying with me for a while until him and Frances move to Chicago and become my neighbors! Completely awesome. Everyone is moving to Chicago! It's like Muskegon just packed up a U-Haul for everyone I know and sent them down. It's heavenly!

That's it for now.

xoxo,

Mike