Testing out my new tripod near the Field Museum
Adventures On The CTA
For the first, and hopefully last time today, I had to leave a Red Line subway station because I was afraid of possible asphyxiation.
Does anyone else think this cloud looks like a Star Destroyer?
The Davis movie theater in Lincoln Square
Banning Books in the Chicago Public Schools
The Chicago Public School system sent out an order to principals instructing them to remove copies of the graphic novel Persepolis from their schools. After some uproar from teachers and students, CPS altered the order, and the book will be allowed to remain in the schools, but teachers have been instructed not to teach it to their 7th grade students.
Why was it banned in the first place? Because a page depicted a man being tortured. CPS decided that this was inappropriate for 7th graders.
What is Persepolis about? It’s the autobiography of Marjae Satrapi’s childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini. Through the course of the story, Satrapi grows from a young girl into an adult in an oppressive society that prevents her from being who she wants to be and imposes beliefs upon her with which she disagrees. She experiences the horrors of a country at war with itself and struggles to express her own identity.
The book was adapted into a film written and directed by Satrapi, and animated in the art style of the graphic novel. As an American watching it during a time when our relationship with the Middle East was at nadir, one of the most important themes I took away from the film was that people everywhere are all the same. We all want to live in peace and be free. We may be subjected to propaganda about the dangers of another culture, and that culture’s government may in fact be engaged in vile acts, but that does not mean the populace is the enemy. (Also, we must be vigilant about the acts of our own government; the foreign power most likely has committed some atrocities, but one’s own isn’t free from sin.)
So why would CPS think a story with this kind of message is inappropriate? A story of the desire for freedom in the fact of an oppressive government could not be a more appropriate lesson for our children. Think about all the media marketed towards kids in the 7th grade and how violent it can be. How many films/TV shows/video games with graphic violence have such important, powerful messages?
Empty Bowls Fundraiser At First Slice
The wonderful Chicago cafe First Slice participates in a lot of charity and community outreach. This Friday, they will be holding their 6th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser. Visitors pay $25 for a meal and a ceramic bowl made by local artists (First Slice is connected to the Lillstreet Art Center).
Go for the charity, art, and dinner and stay for the amazing pie.
The Mayans were right, but only with respect to certain bagel joints.
Ominous
A Thank You To All The People Who Made My 2012 Great
2012 is nearly at an end, and despite some very rough patches, it has overall been a great year. And what made it such a great year was the people I surround myself with, family and friends, both old friends and new.
First and foremost, I was reminded that I can count on my family to help me out when I need it most, without judgment or condition. When, on my 26th birthday, I was in need, my brother and sister did not hesitate to inconvenience themselves to give me aid. And when I informed my parents of what happened, they told me they were proud of how I handled the situation once I realized I needed help and and that they raised a son who knew he can be completely honest with them. (They weren’t proud that I’d gotten myself into the situation, of course, but they were proud of how I handled it once I was there.)
My many existing friendships continued to flourish and strengthen this year. No where was that more evident than when I had the honor to see two of my closest friends get married in August. I met the bride during my first year of law school back in 2008 and we became fast friends. She introduced me to her then-boyfriend, at that point having only dated for about a year, and he and I developed a friendship just as quickly. Four years later, I attended the groom’s amazing bachelor party, then had the honor to attend the most touching wedding ceremony I’ve ever witnessed. The couple had a close friend officiate, which made the ceremony extremely personal and emotional.
In 2012, two events occurred that allowed me to meet numerous people that, until previously, I only knew online. Good TVeets Con 2012 brought together many of the people I converse with most with on Twitter, and ended up being more fun than any of us ever thought possible. Four months later, I went on the West Coast Road Trip, which allowed me to reconnect with three friends from college, one friend I met at Good TVeets Con 2012, and introduced me to five more Twitter friends. I remain amazed at how well everyone got along at both events; people came to Chicago for Good TVeets Con 2012 from all parts of the country and everyone instantly got along. On the West Coast Road Trip, old friends and new came together to welcome me to their cities, and everyone got along as if they’d known each other for years.
Finally, this was the year I started taking comedy writing classes at Second City. That experience has been great both because it is helping me hone my writing and storytelling skills, and because it has introduced me to many very funny people. But best of all, in one of my classes, I met someone special…
So thank you to everyone who helped me when I needed it, who gave me moral support when things were bleak, who shared jokes with me and let me bounce ideas off you (a few Twitter friends and I took a running joke and are trying to turn it into a TV show/podcast series called The Whiskey Rebellion; be on the lookout for updates), and, most importantly, made me feel better about myself. I look forward to doing more of the same and many new things with you all in 2013.
Blue sky
Sundown over Soldier Field
Ivy window
Green ivy apartment
Balcony
Old, vine covered house
