Triscribe

Category: Chicago

  • Chicago Cubs Won the World Series!

    It has happened: after midnight of November 3, 2016, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series!  They did it – they finally did it, after a 108 year drought. That Game 7 was insanely ridiculous – an extra inning, and a rain delay!   The world as we know it has changed; just please don’t let the world go completely crazy and don’t make it the end of the world… btw, and nice fight, Cleveland Indians.

    The World Series was a nice distraction from Election Day madness.

    So, it turns out that there was a reason why we didn’t vote on November 1, the actual first Tuesday of November:  we don’t vote when the first November Tuesday lands on November 1 apparently as a religious accommodation to those who observe All Saints Day.  I liked the explanation from NPR’s Domenico Mantanaro: convenience due to a 19th century agrarian society, religious accommodation, business-related reasons, and politics.  It always goes back to politics.

    Ok, staying away from more politics. On to looking for more distractions… New York City Marathon and getting an hour back.  Enjoy the week!

  • Happy Halloween 2016!

    Happy Halloween! (or for some of us: National Novel Writing Month Eve!). May you have the sincerest pumpkin patch! (to quote Linus, from Charles Schultz’s Peanuts comics).

    Let me get on the soap box for a moment: as we get closer to Election Day, please do not forget to vote. I’ll point to the ABA’s site on Vote Your Voice. This election season has been horrific, but this does not mean that you do not have a civic responsibility. The system is only as “rigged” as it is because we the people don’t take responsibility to do what’s right.

    By the way, that doesn’t mean that you get to vote twice, as with this bizarre story, reported over at Slate about how this lady allegedly voted twice out of fear that her vote was going to be counted for Hillary Clinton. She was so afraid that the system was “rigged,” she self-fulfilled a prophecy by voting twice and rigged the system herself because she was NOT supposed to vote twice.

    Fear is speculative; don’t make  a bad situation worse. Sigh. This would be funny if it wasn’t stupid, assuming this story is even true at all (I’m hoping it isn’t, but…?)

    So, yeah, spooky Halloween all right.

    The latest late October revelation about Clinton e-mails, with its knowns and unknowns, is something that Hollywood couldn’t have written (I think so, anyway, but what do I know?).  I’m disappointed in Americans (the so-called undecideds, anyway) for taking this out on Hillary, when there are too many unknowns about this. Otherwise, let the FBI figure this out, you know, with a warrant. Figure out facts, not speculation, of which there’s too much. I don’t want to hold it against FBI Director James Comey (I’m glad that I don’t have his job).

    But, (a) this is NOT Watergate; (b) you can’t tell me that voting for a Republican candidate who can’t even be honest about his basic charitable giving, or how he treats women, is somehow “better.” And, (c) focus on having a Congress that does its job. Don’t get distracted and don’t let this stop you from voting.

    (as a sidenote: even John W. Dean in today’s NY Times says that the Clinton e-mail situation is not comparable to Watergate, and he ought to know, having been the former White House counsel involved at the time!).

    Frankly, I don’t know what people are thinking. Nothing seems to matter anymore – not that the Republican candidate probably treated women terribly and lied about his charitable donations (as in, he gave far less than he exaggerated about giving). Slate’s Jamelle Bouie said it this way, which I’m very sympathetic:

    The folk theory of American democracy is that citizens deliberate on the issues and choose a candidate. That is false. The truth is […] that that voters are tribalistic. Their political allegiances come first, and their positions and beliefs follow. [….] When it comes to elections—or at least, presidential elections—this leads to an important conclusion: What a candidate believes is less important to voters than his or her partisan affiliation. [….] Simply having the nomination is sufficient to put anyone in firing distance of becoming president, regardless of larger circumstances or events or personality deficiencies. There are still battles to fight, but they happen on the margins and involve a small share of voters. This polarization is so strong, in fact, that it renders the gaffes and incidents of recent elections almost irrelevant.

    So, as much as I’d like to think that people would deliberate (as in, think rationally), they probably won’t. Facts? Nah. Personally, I think it’s barely party affiliation, really, but I’ll concede to Bouie’s analysis that we’re in a pretty partisan condition at this point. So, maybe the e-mails won’t hurt Hillary as far as the election is concerned. But, they won’t help in the long run.

    I wish people could just put aside the pettiness after Election Day and focus on proper governing. But, that’s probably wishful thinking on my part. The gridlock and do-nothing will probably continue and we’ll go to hell in a handbasket. Or maybe a miracle might happen.

    After all, hey, Chicago Cubs won Game 5 yesterday, in the World Series against the Cleveland Indians, preventing the Indians from winning the World Series at Wrigley Field. Who knows what can happen? I’d rather have nice distractions than post-apocalyptic scenarios, though.

    Meanwhile, here’s hoping that this crazy election season mobilizes Latinos and Asian Pacific Americans to be engaged. AALDEF will poll APA voting and watch out for problems.

    First-time voters might feel a little disappointed, since this isn’t exactly an uplifting election, but there are still lots of reasons to vote, as this op-ed by Emma Roller over at the NY Times points out (I liked how the article quoted the people who do not take voting for granted). Here’s a thing: voting is disappointing; it can be exciting, but you don’t always get what you want. Plus, after voting comes governing – and nothing is easy. Don’t take anything for granted. But, hey: breathe!

    BTW, I found this fascinating profile on Ronny Chieng, the Daily Show’s correspondent, on his take on becoming more engaged as an Asian in America, after he did his takedown of the offensive FOX News man-on-the-street bit in Chinatown. (Chieng was a law student in Australia before he went to comedy; apparently, there really is a path other than the law). (h/t Museum of Chinese in America (MoCA)‘s post on its Facebook page).

    In the meantime, FC and family are in California. And the NAPABA Convention 2016 is in San Diego this week (so… stay tuned: I might wind up posting a “Not in San Diego” post the next couple of days).

  • Marching On in March 2011

    Yeah, it’s still March.   But, not yet the NCAA brackets time.  We’re getting there…

    Hat tip from Roger Ebert’s Facebook fan page (yeah, I checked off that I’m a fan – his blog is great writing): the happiest man in America is Alvin Wong, a Chinese American Jew from Hawaii.  Why am I not surprised that the happiest man in America is in Hawaii?  Angry Asian Man also does his acknowledgment of Alvin Wong.

    Interesting blog post on MoCA’s blog – what is in a Chinese-American’s name and the more personal take on the 1882 Exclusion Act.

    Hat tip from AALDEF‘s Facebook page: the Washington Post editorial says that Prof. Goodwin Liu don’t have bad values to be a US appellate court judge.  This fear of his becoming a potential US Supreme Ct. nominee is making his current nomination for the 9th Circuit ridiculously more difficult than it has to be, I’d say…

    Hat tip from NAPABA‘s Facebook page: interesting post on The Huffington Post about the Goodwin Liu confirmation hearing, from Richard Painter, a former Chief Ethics lawyer of the George W. Bush White House.  Honestly, when even a George W. Bush administration ethics lawyer says that Prof. Liu is qualified to be a US appellate court judge, well, it goes to show how this craziness is.

    Yeah, I’m on Facebook way too much…

    The whole Borders in Chapter 11 bankruptcy saddens me, because the Wall Street Borders was pretty much my local Borders.  Plus, Wall Street Borders was essentially the successor to the World Trade Center Borders, so it feels really sad.  Yeah, the mega bookstores did harm to the mom-and-pop independent bookstores and so the e-book reader is the comeuppance of Borders – but I still feel depressed about any bookstore closing.  Time.com has an article on how Barnes and Noble might continue doing better in this climate.

    Over on “Law and the Multiverse,” the folks there analyze on the legal ethics of the She-Hulk.  I had no idea that She-Hulk is a lawyer.  Actually, of the comic book character world, I only knew that Daredevil is a lawyer.  Kind of awkward to think of the legal implications when you’ve a secret identity and have legal ethics to think about.

    Some TV commentary:

    “Fringe” on FOX – umm, I don’t know where the arc is heading for Peter “the ex-Pacey” Bishop.  Which Olivia or which universe will he choose?  Assassin (of – spoiler! – shape-shifters)/psycho Peter was a little over the top.  Peter “I hate my father-umm-which-father?” Bishop was also a little… well, the life of Peter isn’t easy.

    The episode where Peter’s and Olivia’s first meeting as youngsters was an interesting episode – not only for what it revealed about Peter, Olivia, and the two Walters, but also about Elizabeth Bishop, who I think is a missing piece of the puzzle, no matter which Elizabeth of which universe it is.

    Looking forward to the next episode, where the preview suggests that Walter thinks he can bring William “Belly” Bell back from the dead.  Yeah, right, Walter, you crazy troubled mad scientist.

    Of course, none of the foregoing commentary about “Fringe” makes any sense unless you’re a viewer of the show.  Or if you do not mind sci-fi tv shows that cover two universes, and/or you don’t mind feeling blown away with simultaneous confusion and amusement over a tv show.

    Will still catch up on “Community.”  I sorely need a laugh.

    Actually… I think we all need laughs.  The world is too crazy, as usual, what with all the anti-public sector sentiment, political revolutions, continued economic problems, and craziness over Charlie Sheen (sad vs. amusing; Ken Tucker over at Entertainment Weekly posts the contrasting reactions of Craig Ferguson and Jimmy Fallon – it is crazy out there, it really is).

  • Midweek

    Judge Denny Chin nominated for 2nd Circuit! Angry Asian Man posts his comment on it (which includes the White House press release).

    Open House New York    , this weekend!

    The radio transition in NYC on Thursday night, 8pm – WQXR signing off to a new channel, with farewell from the NY Times, as it’s about to be no longer the NY Times station. Stay tuned.

    Fascinating excerpt in Daily News of Soledad O’Brien and her Long Island childhood – and how it was hard to fit in as someone who did not fit in the white majority (but tried to be as Long Island as she could anyway), until she discovered the wider world.

    Fascinating story on the family tree of Michelle Obama, highlighting how rich and complex that is American history and the American identity.

    Food stuff:

    Fried chicken’s now the trend, regardless of regional or national origins. Mmm. Fried chicken.

    NY Times’ Joan Nathan on a Jewish Canadian, David Sax, whose book “Save the Deli” – based on his blog – covers the subject of the delis and Jewish cuisine. Fascinating stuff on what transitions and assimilation – and food – work together.

    Behind on tv viewing. Argh.

  • First Weekend of October

    So, wait – ex-journalists are becoming lawyers? What are ex-lawyers doing? … Hmm, well, no one says that the current economy is making it easy for anyone.

    Atlantic Antic on Atlantic Avenue, on Sunday, in Brooklyn. Not sure if I’ll make it, if I’m too lazy to get out of my end of Brooklyn.

    Otherwise, NY Times does a profile of Boerum Hill, home of the Atlantic Antic.

    As Chicago did not get the 2016 Olympics, NYC gets to remember how we did not get 2012 and empathize (or be relieved; or both).

    Getting into watching “Community” – it still a show that needs work – the need to balance humor and heart is still hard to achieve – but I think I like it. It kind of feels like a non-musical “Glee,” only the women characters don’t feel stupid. In fact, none of the characters (except maybe Chevy Chase – but even that’s not clear) don’t feel stupid; they’re just trying to deal with community college and finding a future. I also like the diversity – everyone’s a little stupid, but not stupid, and get some joy out of something, even Abed, the eccentric Pakistani-American kid, and maybe not so much the Asian American instructor who teaches Spanish (actor Ken Jeong). Still wish the series didn’t conflict with “Fringe” though.

  • More Stuff in November

    “Hawaii v. Illinois” – the battle for Barack Obama as a favorite son. Can’t we all just get along?

    Actually, that headline looked like a college football or college basketball game.

    When the economy tanks, Spam and similar canned meat or meat substitute make a comeback.

    Time Magazine’s Joel Stein wants his readers’ help in naming his and his wife’s upcoming baby. Hilarious reading.

    “Fringe” on FOX has still managed to entertain me, even if it isn’t exactly great tv. I think it’s because the cast is amusing, so there’s much room to improve (as opposed to “Heroes,” which doesn’t seem to want to listen to my advice about focusing on a core of characters rather than becoming a sprawling thing). Anyway, so on “Fringe”: this week’s episode, the boss, Broyles, is all-business but for the creepy-crazy situation about his friend’s heart being engulfed by a Venus-flytrap looking parasite (umm, eeewww!), and Broyles was amusingly confused by crazy mad-scientist Dr. Walter Bishop (Broyles, didn’t you know Dr. Bishop’s a weirdo?).

    Peter, Dr. Bishop’s bright and sort-of-sane son, is still coming to terms that his father experimented on him and that they’re working with the government on weird shit (no kidding, ex-Pacey of “Dawson’s Creek”).

    Agent Olivia Dunham meets up with an ex-boyfriend (who so far seems honorable – maybe he’ll sort of die in the next couple of episodes and also turn out to be a traitor), and she’s still confused by the Conspiracy, for which Broyles tells her “You want answers? You’re not going to get them anytime soon!”

    Hmm. This really does feel like “X-Files”/”Alias”/”Lost” redux here, but it’s forgiveable, because Walter’s a sick combination of crazy and sweet. (“Do you have a mint?”).

    “Law & Order” – also entertaining, mainly because I’m turning into a sucker for good-looking men on the show (I guess I really am that shallow). Detectives Lupo and Bernard have to deal with a mentally-challenged witness to a murder. Lupo was so kind – he’s growing on me as a cute charmer (hmm, and he seems to be still taking his night classes at Alma Mater Law School? Thumbs up!). Exec. ADA Michael Cutter takes on a challenge to bluff the parents of the witness – a little twisted, but apparently DA Jack McCoy approves because that’s the kind of crazy tactic he’d take.

    Bond, James Bond, is back, but various critics seem to want him to be a bit witter or amusing. Hmm. Maybe it is time to go campy again? I haven’t seen it yet, but it is on my must-watch list.

    A strangely entertaining short film that I found on YouTube:

  • Chicago Continued

    A long post to recap on the Chicago trip with the siblings.

    The weekend of the remnants of Hurricane Ike:

    Flooded ‘burbs and their flooded roads made for scary moments (to me, but maybe not to my driver-sibling); certainly made it harder to drive around with no clear detours. (or, at least it seemed strange that folks were golfing while the road was a mess, that much was obvious on the Saturday night we arrived).

    As noted previously, at least we got the pizza…

    Despite the wet weekend, we made it to the Field Museum, and the Shedd Aquarium.

    I thought the Field Museum’s exhibit on Ancient Americans was really amazing and fascinating – it really captured the sense of diversity in America prior to the arrival of Columbus and showed a history as far back as possible. Excellent stuff. Strangely enough, I felt that Sue, the T-Rex, wasn’t nearly as big and exciting as I expected, but quite mesmerizing for what it was – a very complete set of bones of unknown sex (“Sue” was so named because of the paleontologist that found the bones).

    Shedd Aquarium was okay; but I’m never quite one for aquariums anyway.

    We didn’t get to go to the Adler Planetarium since the weather was too nasty – the wind and rain of the remnants of Hurricane Ike made nearby Lake Michigan look ridiculously treacherous; I wasn’t too keen on walking along the peninsula’s path to see the stars – but perhaps another time!

    Near the Museum Campus (where I have to say, besides the weather, it was real easy to check out the foregoing three institutions) was Soldier Field. Granted, I’m no football fan, but really – that’s quite a stadium the Chicago Bears play in. The Greek columns, the modern architecture smack atop of the Greek columns — umm, quite a juxtaposition! And, near the museums? That’s like placing Giants Stadium in Central Park, next to the Hayden Planetarium or something. … come to think of it, that’d be kind of cool, actually. Culture and intellect near the brawn and body – sounds an awful lot like being in compliance with Greek philosophical ideals too… (uh, oh-kay, useless liberal arts background must – be – suppressed…).

    The weather altered our itinerary. The postponed Chicago White Sox game got pushed off until Sunday night with a doubleheader. They won both games, beating the Tigers. Weather got brisk.

    Monday – 9/15/08:

    The Art Institute of Chicago. There’s something so utterly mesmerizing about seeing the actual Sunday on La Grande Jatte, one of my favorite paintings. The American art collection was also pretty impressive.

    Puppet Bike! So cute! They were across the street from the Art Institute. And, if the Wikipedia entry‘s serious (I can’t tell, anyway), something of a Chicago institution. Sort of. If you like Punch and Judy in the form of a kitty and a doggy who hug and dance. Kind of. It made me smile!

    Millennium Park, and the “Bean” (officially “Cloud Gate“).

    The Magnificent Mile. I thought the Water Tower was an interesting landmark. The window shopping was also pretty nifty; funny how I don’t usually feel the same kind of enthusiasm with, say, NYC’s own Fifth Avenue.

    Mity Nice Grill at Water Tower Place – a bit hard to find (lower level, way, way in the back, past this FoodLife (odd place, that one; glad we didn’t really eat there, which seemed more like a glorified buffet, sort of).

    Night view from the John Hancock Center’s Observation Deck. Cool stuff. Great views! Came with an audio tour on an i-pod – narrator: David Shwimmer… Shwimmer? Hmm… well, I’ll give him credit for being a Chicagoan (or Chicagoan enough) for doing it for his city; but they could have given him a better script. Well, that’s just my two cents on that. Entertaining enough!

    Tuesday, 9/16/08:

    Navy Pier. Fun! My siblings enjoyed the Ferris Wheel and the mini-golf. I kept walking along and checked out the free Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows (I know, me geek! — but, pretty windows, even if they’re placed in what was essentially a hall for conventions). Crystal Gardens – very pretty. In between, we enjoyed the architecture cruise, touring the Chicago River to see the sites from a boat that embarked off of the Navy Pier. Loads of stuff in this complex, and amazing views!

    Chicago Cubs v. Milwaukee Brewers, just after the Brewers fired their manager in the middle of their attempt to get to the playoffs (and we thought the Mets’ season had its bizarre inconsistencies?). Wrigley Field – the second oldest ballpark – was pounding with activity (tight space; plenty of people were moving around to get to the concession stands; and people are really hoping that this is (finally) the Cubs’ year).

    Chicago Cubs won, but a nail-biter, as Kerry Wood struck out Prince Fielder (kind of had to root for Cubs since Brewers might affect the Mets’ chances for playoffs).

    Wednesday, 9/17/08 – drove through Chicago’s Chinatown for last minute sightseeing and checked out U of Chicago and the Robie House nearby. Got to NYC later than originally intended. Oh well. [edited end of the paragraph to ensure some privacy; suffice to say – oh,well…. – ssw]

    Other observations:

    Chicago’s transit system… hmm… some of the el’s platforms reminded me of the creepier platforms along our own MTA lines; the whole idea of the el in the Loop — I believe the reason why they took down a good chunk of the elevated subway lines in Manhattan was because of the whole we-need-sunlight business. I kind of came down on realizing perhaps I shouldn’t complain all that much about MTA, since Chicago’s system doesn’t seem all that much better. But, it was serviceable, and goes way out into the ‘burbs.

    Chicago hot dog — it’s a sandwich with a hot dog stuck inside. Personally, I like my hot dogs plain and simple. But, it was otherwise tasty.

    No sighting of celebrities (so I didn’t get to say hi to Oprah), or even a Barack Obama sighting (I believe he’s kind of busy; you know, campaigning and stuff for the biggest job in the world).

    Ultimately, pretty good trip. I like Chicago; but nothing beats NYC!

  • Chicago!

    In Chicago for a vacation until Wednesday. I still want a really great staycation, but this will have to do.

    FC had done the Chicago deep dish (okay, “stuffed”) pizza and the Amazing Race-like escapade. Can’t say that my siblings and I had any Amazing Race; it was mostly smooth, but for weather-related delay, thanks to rain. Atop of that, the Chicago White Sox game was postponed due to the rain. Rain, rain, go away… The deep dish pizza at Giordano’s in Oak Park tonight was pretty impressive, but I agree with FC – you can’t call that pizza (not if you’re a NY’er!).

    Oak Park’s very pretty – amazing architecture for a suburb (well, Frank Lloyd Wright was from here – we barely saw too much of his house/studio, since it was pretty dark tonight; I wouldn’t call it mere ‘burb either; some of it felt very classic and well-tended – plus how many ‘burbs would claim to being the hometown of Ernest Hemingway?).

  • Millenium Park

    Haven’t got my quota of deep dish pizza yet. The Giordano’s near my hotel closed down, so we’re going to try again today. Went throug Millenium Park yesterday — there was this water feature that was very nice, especially because it was so hot. The buffet dinner at the Park Grill was also excellent.

    Chatted with Lui on Skype, but the wireless kept flaking out. Got my Star Wars slurpee, so was happy. We’re going to try to go to Second City tonight.