Having Fun With Easy And Michelle

This is about a funny day from a couple weeks ago.

I spent most of the day with Michelle and her cousin Thing 1 (or 2, I don't remember which twin I assigned which name).

We had fun shopping for the Winter Wonderland. And when we were done, we got Thing 1 a birthday outfit.

Poor Michelle spent a lot of her day driving between Tinley Park and North Michigan Avenue. Basically, a half tank of gas.

And now I'm with Easy and Michelle. We're at this jam session that Easy goes too.

A very unique mix of people come to this thing. Black, white, young, old, doesn't matter. If you like live jazz, this is the place to be Wednesday night.

One thing that makes hanging out with Easy and Michelle so much fun is the silliness that ensues.

That and making fun of strangers. And today, there happens to be an abundance of strangers around merely to amuse us.

At Forever 21, there was an employee there who had the world's largest muffin top. And her hips and behind area were quite narrow. She had on skin tight pants with a belt pulled extra tight. It was as if someone inflated her mid section with a bicycle tire pump.

But the majority of funny people are at this jam session. There is a woman here who Easy and all his friends swear is possibly a hooker.

She keeps making out with this guy who the guys think is her pimp. Michelle and I think he's possibly gay or at best bisexual. It's just his voice and mannerisms. Maybe that's why the guys think he's a pimp. He has the feminine voice of an old school hood pimp.

Then there is this man sitting here snacking on Cheez-Its. Not a handful or a ziploc bag full this man has an entire box of Cheez-Its.

And then there's this incredibly fat man who walks up to him and says, "I don't know you, but may I please have a handful of your Cheez-Its?"

I don't know if that's really what he said, but they didn't seem to know each other and he walked away with a handful of Cheez-Its. And put the entire handful in his mouth at once.

And then there's all the old men who keep hitting on Michelle and me. One is the hand-caresser. Another is the toothless-smiler. Yet another is sir Stares-at-my-boobs.

And then there's a guy who is playing great. He sounds almost as good as Easy, but maybe I'm biased. That's kind of how I felt watching this guy jamming on the saxophone. Funny and mildly enjoyable.

But this guy looks like he came just from work. Michelle and I were trying to figure out his uniform. It's something for transportation.

Maybe you've seen that recent airline commercial with all the people coming out the subway and walking the streets of new york city singing about great fares.

And of course there was Walking Stereotype Guy. He looks like a guy from the hood, specifically Chicago's south side.


He was old but still had corn row braids. Once you pass the age of 23, take those braids out your hair! And he had on a fur coat that was fancier than the coat the woman with him had on. And of course his ears were pierced.
But one thing is certain amidst all these characters, I'm having fun. I always do with Easy and Michelle.

Want To Go Bowling? Of Course You Do

I love bowling. I always have, but most of my friends don't, so it hasn't been a big part of my life since I was with my high school sweetheart who was on the school bowling team (and who left behind a bowling ball, thanks sweetie).

When my parents joined the church bowling league, I wanted in, but I was away at school. Now that I'm back in Chicago, I have the time and availability to join the league. So I'm in. My father goes to practice with some people from our church and I've started going with him occasionally to step my game up. Where do we go? Dolton Bowl, in Dolton, IL. I like this place for a number of reasons.

They've got free parking (I'm looking at you entire north side of Chicago). They've got great prices (I'm looking at you entire downtown of Chicago). They also do a lot of Professional Bowling Association (PBA) stuff that I'm just now learning about. Things like oil patterns that help people train for tournaments and stuff like that.

But they know their crowd. They also turn the bowling alley into a club at 10:30 pm. I believe they do it everyday in the summer, I can't speak for the rest of the year. The place gets overrun with people who can't legally drink yet and the music is sooooo loud. But we still bowl with deeper concentration.

They have food, the simple stuff you can get in a rec place: nachos, pizza, ice cream. They have a small bit of alcohol. They have friendly employees. Because this is Dolton though, the crowd is, in a word, ghetto. If that doesn't bother you, this is the alley for you. They take really good care of their alley lanes, computers, balls, even their bathrooms. Grab some buddies who like to pretend they don't need the bumpers and work on your game.

Places Mentioned In This Post: Dolton Bowl
Neighborhood in Chicago Area: Dolton, IL
Recommendations: 1. if you don't like all the noise, go before the teens show up at 10:30 pm.   2. Eat before you go, the food isn't that good.   3. Ask about the oil pattern on the lane. If you want something special or something normal, you'll want a specific lane.   4. Don't be afraid to switch balls if the one you have isn't working.
Who To Do This With: Friends or on a date

When You're Leaving River Oaks Mall, But Don't Want Hooters or Olive Garden

I've been talking a lot about live music on this blog because that's what I've spent a lot of my Chicago time doing this summer. The place I went to Saturday night is perfect for that. Unlike what I expected, it's very bright in there. That keeps if from having a lounge-y feel. Its really just a restaurant with live music on Friday and Saturday nights.

The restaurant is called N'awlins. That's slang for New Orleans. You can guess the cuisine. Yes, you are right. It's the location you would go to for New Orleans food. I've heard mixed reviews from patrons at the restaurant. If you're not a picky eater, order anything. If you are picky, go eat somewhere else.

If you are a drinker, get the Barracuda. Men and women were loving this drink. I love it because it has everything I love to have in a drink besides champagne. Literally, almost everything. Vodka, peach schnapps, melon liqueur, orange juice, pomegranate juice. I don't know about you, but to me, it sounds absolutely perfect!

And the music was amazing. They played R&B. My mother, aunt, and I would all love the music and we have pretty varied tastes. They did Aretha Franklin, Tevin Campbell, Jill Scott, etc. If you like R&B (real R&B), Soul, and Neo Soul, you would love the group that played at N'awlins. They're called Back 2 Basics I believe. They had electric bass, drums, keyboard, saxophone, and a vocalist.

It was all in all an enjoyable night. The combination of the crowd, the music, and the drinks made it great for me. They have locations in Lansing, Chicago Heights, Dolton, and they're opening one in Calumet City. I haven't been anywhere but the Lansing location, so that's the one I'm recommending.

Places Mentioned In This Post: N'awlins Crab House
Neighborhood in Chicago Area: Lansing, IL
Recommendations: 1. Go on a night they have live music.   2. Talk to the bartenders; they're awesome.   3. Talk to the band and the other patrons. It's a friendly crowd in there.   4. Each person order a different dish and share.
Who To Do This With: Go with a group of friends that you like to laugh with and share food with and meet new people with.

Jazz Music In The Summer, All Over Chicago

Monday, July 12th, I went to a concert at Prairie State University. It was held by the Department of Music under the direction of Eugene Vinyard and Roosevelt Griffin. It was actually two mini concerts: Jazz Pioneers Combo and Extreme Big Band.

I heard about this concert from a friend I've been hanging out with recently. He plays in the Extreme Big Band (and several others as well). But this concert was amazing. The first group was a 13 piece jazz band. They played Chitlins Con Carne by Kenny Burrell to start and Footprints by Wayne Shorter to finish. The songs in between were just as good. My love for jazz music extends mostly to the reaches of what I hear live. So I was in heaven enjoying them playing.

They were followed by a big band. I've always loved big band music. I just love the feel of it. It makes me wanna dance, be romantic, be nostalgic, and just relax. It does all this at once. This was a 23 person band and it was amazing! The music really made me want to get up and dance, but I'm pretty sure it would've disrupted the concert for some patrons. Maybe next time I'll sit in the back. They started with Blues in The Closet by Oscar Pettiford arranged by Mark Taylor and ended with Spain by Chick Corea arranged by Paul Jennings. In between, they took me on a tour of Christmastime, New Orleans, and Frank Sinatra. Their vocalist was superb. I may be biased because it was my friend playing, but I particularly enjoyed the saxophone solos.

This concert was part of a concert series for the summer 2010. They'll be at Velvet Lounge in Chicago on July 18th, Sergeant Means Barn in Olympia Fields on July 23rd, and at Caribou Coffee in Homewood on August 6th. If you're looking for live music with jazz or big band, definitely check these out. And you'll be supporting the music department for Prairie State while you do it.

Places Mentioned In This Post: Prairie State College
Things To Do In This Post: Hear live music
Neighborhood in Chicago: Chicago Heights