Our Town

Announcing the First Our Town Photo Contest: Final Reminder!

2012-02-10T17:06:25Z

Attention Chicago Photographers:

Our Town announces our first PHOTO CONTEST.

Theme: Chicago (Take that as you will.)

Judges: Our Town photographer Patty Michels and Chicago wedding and portrait photographer Amy Harkess.

Send Submissions to: Ourtownphotocontest@gmail.com

Subject Heading: Photo Submission. (If you are emailing with a question, put “Question” in the subject line.)

Specifics: You can submit one photo only. Please put your name and contact information in the body of the email NOT on the picture itself. This is a BLIND contest; the judges will not know the identities of those submitting until they have chosen a winner. Please resize the images such that the photo’s longest side is no greater than 800 pixels. Files should be saved as jpegs.

Contest closes at Midnight February 14th.

The winning photo will appear on the Our Town blog!

Ready-set-go!

A writer with an MFA in Creative Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sarah Terez Rosenblum freelances for a number of web sites and print publications. Her debut novel, “Herself When She’s Missing," (Soft Skull press) is available for pre-order here. She is also a figure model, Spinning instructor and teacher at Chicago’s StoryStudio. Inevitably one day she will find herself lecturing naked on a spinning bike. She's kind of looking forward to it actually.
IMPORTANT: the official Our Town site doesn't support comments. Join in the conversation by following facebook.com/OurTownBlog.ChicagoSunTimes and Sarah on Twitter: @SarahTerez

Scott Whitehair Knows What's True

2012-02-08T19:20:18Z

All Photos by Jill Howe

Scott Whitehair believes in the spoken word. Not spoken word as in a sullen Barnes and Noble cashier’s twenty minute poem about her vagina, although who knows, he might be into that. Whitechair believes in the stories we tell each other, their distinctiveness but also their universality. For three years, his reading series “This Much is True” has compelled enthusiastic audiences to pack The Hopleaf. Our Town spoke with Whitehair about the mounting popularity of reading series in general, and what makes his unique.

Our Town What inspired “This Much is True?”
Scott Whitehair About four years ago, I took a solo workshop at The Annoyance Theater with a wonderful instructor, Paula Killen. Still buzzing from the rush of our performance, a few of us decided it would be fun to continue. We were nomadic at first, just drifting around doing random performances in various coffee shops, some of which would attempt to close for the night before our show was finished. Over the years, we lost some original members and gained some new ones, before landing at The Hopleaf in 2009. Our first shows there were populated by close friends, spouses, and people who owed us money. Currently, we get to standing room only almost 45 minutes before the show starts, which blows our minds every month. A lot has changed, but our goal as a group has remained fairly consistent: tell quality personal stories in an inviting, intimate environment. Also, we love bringing guests in on the fun, and have been blessed with some outstanding featured performers from all corners of the Chicago creative community.

OT What separates yours from other Chicago series?
SW Our audiences make this show special. They are, hands down, the best audiences I have ever been in front of. Not only are they attentive and enthusiastic, but they also have a strong sense of community. We do our part by making the show welcoming and accessible. We want this evening to feel like a gathering of old friends, even if it is your first night joining us.

OT In terms of content, how does a spoken story differ from a story meant to be read alone?
SW There is a huge difference between the written word and oral language. Words are just one element of the told story, arguably no more important than tone of voice, gestures, body language, facial expressions, etc. With the written word, the reader is in control of the experience, alone with the text on his or her own time. However, with storytelling, the experience is much more immediate and collaborative. It is impossible for the storyteller to be absent from the equation in the way that a novelist is. I will say, though, that the written word is definitely easier to bring along to the beach.

OT You’ve studied improv—is there an improv element to successfully articulating a story to a live audience?
SW Absolutely. Storytelling is a conversation, and to ignore what you are getting from the audience is to miss the whole point, in my opinion. The connection and relationship between the teller and the audience dictates the flow of the story. Really, a story should almost never be told the exact same way twice, as every audience is going to have different needs and desires, and a unique energy it brings to the table.

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OT Tell me about Story Lab Chicago.
SW Month after month, inspired audience members were approaching me after TMIT, asking how they could start telling their own stories on stage. It was clear that there needed to be an opportunity for this to happen. Story Lab just celebrated its first anniversary, after giving over 70 people a chance to share their stories in an intimate, nurturing environment over the past year. The show is wide open to anyone, with absolutely no experience necessary, and the only requirements for getting a spot are seeing the show and signing up. I believe that everyone can, and should, share their stories. The response has been overwhelming - we are currently booked through early summer.

OT To what do you attribute the growing popularity of reading series?
SW I think there are quite a few reasons why storytelling has been blowing up over the last several years. For one, we are increasingly hungry to truly connect to other human beings, and what better way than to get together in a quiet room without a dozen diversions and just listen to each other. Additionally, as we suffer through a constant barrage of impersonal reboots, remakes, and retreads, it is refreshing to be entertained by the tales of our friends and neighbors, to marvel at the uniqueness of each of our lives while simultaneously realizing how much alike we all are.

To learn more about "This Much is True" visit thismuchistruechicago.com

Chicago Crush of the Month: Sierra Kyles

2012-02-06T18:57:19Z

I’m exhausted. Harboring crushes is not the cakewalk you might think. Grueling stakeouts, expensive tracking devices, plus there are only so may stalking jokes you can make before resorting to referencing Rohypnol and we all know I’m too classy for that. Just when I began to wonder how much longer I could persist, I found Sierra Kyles, February’s Crush. . A young actor/model and filmmaker, Sierra has showed off her androgyny on runways across Chicago. Now a film student at Columbia College, Sierra is producing “The Lies We Tell But the Secrets We Keep” and she looks good doing it!

Name: Sierra "Junior" Kyles
Hometown: Chicago
Profession: Producer/Writer/Model/Actress
Hobbies: Movie Watching, JB Skating, Reading and Cuddling.

Our Town How did you get into modeling?
Sierra Kyles My mentor Milon V. Parker has her own modeling runway show, she asked me to be in it and I accepted. To my surprise, I liked it.

OT It seems your androgyny has served you well. Is that always the case in the modeling world or are you an exception?
SK Androgyny can work against you. It’s more than just looking like a guy, or at least to me it is.

OT Can you give us the inside scoop about what it’s like to walk in a fashion show?
SK Your first time is always scary. Its actually fun, a lot of people don't think they can do it because they are insecure with their bodies. If you get on stage and have confidence in yourself, no matter what you look like the crowd will respect you.

OT You also act. Have you found that being openly queer has gotten in your way at all?
SK If anything it has helped. Because so many people before me had that problem they, are making it easier for my generation. The company that I work for (MVP Productions)-- the founder is a queer and we do a lot of queer films.

OT As a film student at Columbia College, what movies have influenced you?
SK Training Day, For Colored Girls, The Secret Life Of David Gale, and of course Boys Don't Cry.

OT Describe your perfect day.
SK A twelve hour day working on the set of one of my movies, coming home taking a long bath then hoping in my comfy bed.

OT Relationship Deal breaker?
SK Clinginess.

OT Who was your first crush?
SK Jada Pinkett Smith. Lawd!

OT Why are you crushworthy?
SK I'm a nineteen year old movie producer, c’mon now...

OT Any questions for me?
SK Did I ask you to be in my film or something? Whenever I play back a scene you’re in the background in your underwear.

The Hot Chicago Writer Blog

2012-02-03T22:34:03Z

February's Hot Writer: Rachel Bertsche

My genre: Memoir

My literary influences: AJ Jacobs, Tim O'Brien, Gretchen Rubin, Sloane Crosley, Malcolm Gladwell, David Sedaris.

My favorite literary quote: “When someone you love dies, and you're not expecting it, you don't lose her all at once; you lose her in pieces over a long time -- the way the mail stops coming, and her scent fades from the pillows and even from the clothes in her closet and drawers. Gradually, you accumulate the parts of her that are gone. Just when the day comes -- when there's a particular missing part that overwhelms you with the feeling that she's gone, forever -- there comes another day, and another specifically missing part.” -- John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany

My favorite book of all time: The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

I’m currently reading: Earlier this evening I finished Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close. Tomorrow I'll start The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach.

My guilty pleasure book: The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

I can’t write without: procrastinating for three hours first.

Worst line I ever wrote: "Like getting a 99 on a test. It's almost perfect, but not quite." This comes from a poem I wrote in fifth grade. I thought it was very profound.

Brief Bio:
Rachel Bertsche is a journalist in Chicago, where she lives with her husband. Her first book, MWF Seeking BFF, came out last month. Her work has appeared in Marie Claire, More, Teen Vogue, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Fitness, Women's Health, CNN.com, and more. Before leaving New York (and all her friends) for the Midwest, Bertsche was an editor at O: The Oprah Magazine.

Chicago Theatre: "A Chorus Line" and "Enron"

2012-01-31T22:37:43Z

At eight years old the best reward I could hope for was a chance to listen to my mother’s vinyl copy of A Chorus Line. Years before I had my first opportunity to see a production, I’d memorized the words to every song. My favorite was “Dance: Ten; Looks: Three.” Careful to step lightly so the record didn’t skip, I’d twirl around the living room braying the song’s refrain: “Tits and ass, stage and balcony. What they want is what cha see.”
A Chorus Line was first produced in 1975 and offers a behind the scenes look at the life of dancers drawn to New York, each desperate to find stardom. Based on the anecdotes of actual dancers, several of whom joined the first cast, the show went on to win the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for drama not to mention nine Tony’s.

Last weekend I had the mixed pleasure of revisiting what has become one of my top five favorite musicals. Staged by Aurora’s charming Paramount Theatre, the show is directed and choreographed by Mitzi Hamilton, a veteran of the original London company and the inspiration for one of the lead roles.

“It's my homage to (original director/choreographer) Michael Bennett,” Hamilton tells me. “He created a perfect musical; seamless. [The show] gives the dancer a chance to be in the spotlight. It celebrates their sacrifices and hard work.” Revisiting the show she adds is “like coming home.”

Having only seen Broadway touring productions, my expectations were perhaps inflated. Though Hamilton’s choreography compelled, several vocalists seemed to aim at rather than hit their notes. Still, Paramount’s production boasted several standout singers, specifically Katie Spelman as Maggie. Kevin Curtis (Richie) showed off some eye-popping gymnastic dances moves as well.

At heart however, A Chorus Line is a series of character studies, and if actors are encouraged toward cartoonish, larger than life portrayals, the show falls flat. Though Pegah Kadkhodaian delivered a model Morales, several more minor roles seemed inhabited by women directed to inflate their renderings to the point of caricature. Yet even when imperfect, A Chorus Line remains a favorite; it’s spirit cannot help but shine through.

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Timeline Theatre’s Enron on the other hand could not be less likely to thrill me. I can’t sit still for more than ninety minutes and my relationship to economics is one of fear and avoidance. A nearly two and a half hour play rooted in economic concepts? At best I expected an education, at worst a dry college lecture. Enron certainly educates. The program alone comes equipped with a timeline and set of definitions to assist audience members in conceptualizing the headier economic terms. Yet the moment the show opens with the first of many clever visual metaphors, it’s clear Enron will defy expectations.

A witty, at times absurdist take on the rise and fall of the infamous energy company, Lucy Prebble’s script grounds the company’s actions in character development, right away supplying the audience with insight into how Enron ascended before crashing and burning. Marrying apt metaphor with stirring language, all based in realistic dialogue, Prebble provides Timeline Theatre’s capable actors with meaty roles.

The production itself-- fast, smooth and elegant, explodes with unexpected moments, a fluid fight scene, clever costumes, and seamlessly integrated multi-media. Even scene changes, stylized and intricately choreographed provide a pleasurable diversion. Bret Tuomi as the “Caveat Emptor” espousing Jeffrey Skilling is less iniquitous, more misguided and brings significant prowess to bear. Prebble’s choice to appeal to Skilling’s relationship with his daughter (Caroline Heffernan) as a means to humanize him seems cliché, however Heffernan, appearing via video-screen, does characteristically fantastic work in regrettably brief scenes.

While the show misfired in New York, director Rachel Rockwell’s rendering hits all the right notes. No less cutting for its compassion, Enron’s incisive look at the people who comprise a behemoth contextualizes an epic 1990’s event still eerily pertinent today.

Chicago's Own Koval Distillery

2012-01-24T23:22:24Z

All photos by Kristine Sherred

In 2008 with the economy tanking, Robert and Sonat Birnecker took a chance and followed their bliss. Motivated to create a family business, the couple gave up academic careers to bring the distilling traditions of Robert's Austrian grandfather to America. The result? Koval, an organic distillery where spirits are made and bottled by hand. Our Town spoke with Koval’s National Distilary Ambassador Meg Bell about Koval’s unique products and techniques.

Our Town What makes Koval unique?
Meg Bell Our products are all made from scratch in the Chicago distillery. Each spirit is organic and kosher and does not contain artificial flavors or colors. Our whiskeys are especially unique since they are single grain.

OT Robert has distilled in both Austria and the US, how do the two compare both in technique and resulting product?
MB I think the best example of this is how Robert makes his whiskey. From his training in Austria and Germany, he distills smoother and takes a tight heart cut of the whiskey. Since this cut of whiskey is considered the best part of the distillate, it does not need to be aged very long. This differs from the way classic bourbons and scotch are typically made. These styles of whiskey distill lower and take a broad cut (more rustic so the distillate has more congeners and fusel oils), hence need to age their spirits longer to mellow this out. Both styles produce a great spirit, but are done in different ways resulting in dramatic flavor differences.

OT What made Koval decide to offer tours and workshops?
MB As a craft distillery and small business in Chicago, this was really important to us. Giving Chicagoans (and those visiting our great city) the opportunity to see how a distillery works up close only strengthens the business and the community.

OT How is your white whiskey different from say, Jack Daniels?
MB White whiskey is an un-aged whiskey. Since whiskey gets all its color and a lot of its flavor from being aged in oak barrels, a white whiskey tastes very different. White whiskey has flavor from the grain it is distilled from, but not the added flavor of aging in an oak cask. Jack Daniels is also white before they put it into a barrel to age.

OT In your opinion is there a particular grain that makes the best tasting whiskey?
MB That's a tough one. They all have such unique flavor profiles, but my personal favorite at the moment is oat in the heavy char barrel. I love that oat is a grain not commonly used for whiskey, and the way Robert distills it is so delicate. It has a creamy feel on the palette.

OT Lions Pride is a big favorite in Chicago. Can you talk a little about how it’s made?
MB Lion's Pride is our line of aged whiskey. We have a variety of mash bills that make up the line - each mash bill is 100% single grain. When the grain is fermented and distilled, the result is a white whiskey. We take our white whiskeys and age them in new American Oak barrels. Some of these barrels are heavily charred on the inside, and some are just lightly toasted. The amount that the inside of the barrel is burned greatly affects how the whiskey inside ages. The toasted barrels provide more tropical or citrus notes, while the heavy charred barrels provide more caramel, vanilla, and dark fruit notes. Koval distill five different grains: rye, oat, wheat, spelt and millet. Each grain is distilled separately and is available in 3 styles: un-aged or White, aged in a Dark Char barrel, or aged in a Toasted barrel.

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OT According to your bio, you’ve loved whiskey from an early age. How early?
MB Well, as a young girl, I distinctly remember the brown and white moonshine in mason jars in the liquor cabinet! Making my father a bourbon and water as a kid was a really special thing. He taught me how to make it and why the water was added to accentuate the taste of the whiskey. Even though I wasn't drinking it, I got to smell it and feel like I was doing something special for my dad. In high school, I worked at the Texaco laboratory where they ran a lot of tests on crude oil. It fascinated me, and the guys in the lab always gave me extra tests to run to satisfy my curiosity. When I think back, the process is so similar to making whiskey!

OT Any whiskey misconceptions you want to address?
MB I guess the thing that always bothers me the most is when people say they can't drink whiskey because of one bad experience! There are so many styles of whiskey, and I truly believe if people experiment they will find the right one. When you take the time to actually taste and smell the spirit (instead of just shooting it), the beautiful delicacies come out. But you have to relax and let it happen. I can't count the number of times someone has tried Lion's Pride Whiskey and said it was the first whiskey they ever liked. They were just waiting for the right one.

OT In March Koval will debut a new whiskey, what can Koval fans expect?
MB This new release is in response to a limited run we did last year that sold out quick. Named after the ward of Chicago where the distillery is located, Lion's Pride 47th Ward Whiskey will be a four grain whiskey of rye, oat, wheat and malted barley. The whiskey is aged in a heavily charred new barrels and bottled single barrel at 94 proof (much higher proof than our other Lion's Pride expressions!)

OT What’s the best thing about being part of Koval?
MB We are really such a family! (Even if we are not all related.) It's exhilarating to be a part of something in the beverage community that is so innovative and new. And, getting to taste whiskey out of a freshly tapped barrel is always a plus.

To keep up with Koval, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Meet The Mary Kay Letourneau Players

2012-01-20T23:55:05Z

Photo by Billy Bungeroth

Katie Rich and Kate Duffy began writing together while traveling the country for The Second City's National Touring Company. Now, along with director Irene Marquette, the two bring their incisive talent to iO Chicago. Billed as The Mary Kay Letourneau Players Present..., their sketch show tackles everything from working-class girls recovering from a weeknight bender, to the fallout from a facially disfiguring monkey attack. Our Town spoke with Rich and Marquette about--what else?--writing and comedy.

Our Town How did you and Kate realize you had writing chemistry?
Katie Rich We toured together for Second City and when we [were] asked to write scenes individually, it got to the point where we were always saying, "We should probably just write this together." I knew any idea I had, Kate could make even better.

OT Take me through the process of writing a scene.
KR Kate and I also do a lot of our writing when we hang out. We will be chatting about something bugging us or something in the news and one of us will realize, "Holy sh*t, I think we just wrote a scene." Our show is a combination of scenes written the more traditional way, getting an idea and sitting down at the computer and banging it out, and scenes created through improvisation during our late night Sunday show at Second City.

Irene Marquette We had a fair amount of lead-time to discover the scenes. After each [Second City] show we talked about themes, individual scenes and characters. Scenes we really liked were transcribed. From there they were altered, improvised again and revised. We ended up with a massive amount of material that we began funneling into what became Mary Kay Letourneau Players Presents... We always knew we wanted to comment on celebrity, tabloid culture and human interest stories and we filtered everything through our belief that "everyone is one or two bad decisions away from disaster.”

OT Kate, ever have nights performing when you felt the audience wasn’t with you? As a performer how do you deal with that?
KR Many nights the audiences are tired, drunk, distracted, Republican, you name it. I like to find one person in the audience who is enjoying the hell out of our stuff and pretend I'm doing the show for just him or her. It's usually an older man who reminds me of my dad. Or a kid that is blown away just to be there.

]]> OT People are fond of tossing around the idea that woman aren’t funny. How would you respond to that?
IM I don’t know, are gay guys capable of being athletes? I think of that Hitchens article as the comedy community's A Modest Proposal. It's like arguing about how those babies actually taste (for the record: raw tofu).

OT What have your experiences been like as women in comedy?
IM Before moving to Chicago I lived in Las Vegas where I understudied for Kay Cannon (now a 30 Rock writer) in the Second City show there. I never recall having a conversation with her about being 'a woman in comedy,’ instead I saw her kicking ass on stage and working hard off. I know that women are a minority but maybe because of Kay's example and women like Susan Messing, Amanda Blake Davis, Nancy Friedrich and Kate and Katie to name a very small few, I never got a sense that we were disenfranchised. This community is full of fascinating, funny women with interesting points of view and a lot to say. As a whole we support and encourage each other. Looking back, Kay taught me by example that in addition to talent, solid work ethic and consistency are invaluable traits that trump a person's sex or gender.

KR Women are often our own worst enemy. We have to take care of each other and not size each other up. Kate and I have never once looked at one another as competition but [instead as] allies and best friends. When one woman succeeds, we all do. Especially if she is from Chicago.

The show runs Sundays at 10:30 p.m., January 22 - February 19, 2012. For more information visit mklplayers.com

Rory Jobst Talks Pop Culture and Samuel Beckett

2012-01-18T20:43:10Z

I’ve seen playwright and actor Rory Jobst naked, but I’ve also seen the unprotected profundity of his work. His new play, Samuel Beckett, Andre the Giant, and the Crickets is likely no exception, by which I mean it’s insightful, not that Jobst shows up naked in it—though I wouldn’t put it past him. Based on the real life connection between Irish Nobel-winning playwright Samuel Beckett and wrestler Andre the Giant, the show is part of Rhinofest 2012. Jobst spoke with me about his famous father Beau O’Reilly, his influences and even his nude interlude.

Our Town Your work tends to reflect on pop culture. What’s the fascination for you?
Rory Jobst People tend to regard pop culture as a passive thing; it's what you discuss on your lunch break. What you watch or listen to in your underwear. While those things are true to a certain extent, I think that pop culture is way more serious. Trends in entertainment are popular because they reflect the world we are living in. We relate to them on some level. "Write what you know," the old adage says. Well, I know plenty about [pop culture]!

OT Your father is Chicago mainstay Beau O’Reilly. What’s it like to enter the Chicago theater scene when your father casts such a long shadow?
RJ It's definitely something I consider, because we more or less have similar aesthetics. The odd thing is, [theater] is what I wanted to do growing up, and I didn't really even have a relationship with him until I was a teenager. I seemed to have been drawn to this lifestyle independent of his influence. That is not to say that he hasn't had a tremendous influence on my life and work. I even had the privilege of being one of his students in a playwriting class at SAIC [and] he has always been very supportive of my work, offering helpful, honest feedback, and getting me involved in some really cool projects to boot. As far as the Chicago Theatre scene, I've met and worked with some amazing companies and people the old fashioned way: by auditioning a lot and maintaining lasting partnerships. I feel like after about eight years on the scene I have developed a name for myself, and so has my brother, Colm, who has been on the scene for a long time, too. But what matters the most is that we are all supportive of each other’s work, and that has been fantastic.

OT You’re infamous at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago for taking to heart an assignment to reenact a dream and running through the halls naked. As an artist is it important to take yourself out of your comfort zone?
RJ Infamous, eh? I had no idea. And half naked, for the record. That was a very rewarding project, because the nudity just brought a vulnerability to that piece. I would always have these dreams of not wearing any pants, but walking around in public as if it were socially acceptable. I was fortunate to have a more or less positive reaction to it. It didn't feel as much shocking as a very private moment that I just happened to be sharing with about 30 people. I think it is important to be taken out of your comfort zone, not to say that I do enough of that myself. I've gotten very comfortable writing these two person pop culture mash up shows. Actually, for my latest piece, I found that getting out of my comfort zone involved resisting the need to be shocking. For instance, my work usually is chock full of profanity, sex, and violence. I am happy to say that there is not a single F-bomb in this piece!

]]> OT Obviously your show is inspired by a tremendously interesting true-story. (Apparently Beckett, a friend of Andre the Giant's father, drove the boy to school because he was too big to fit on a school bus.) How did you realize you wanted to turn it into a play?
RJ I knew I wanted to write it pretty much as soon as I first heard about it on Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me!; Logistically, the story was perfect for the stage; two characters in a confined space. The setting was also fraught with potential for Beckettesque theater of the absurd. Also, the fact that very little is known about these drives to school was advantageous, because it gave me the freedom to explore these characters anyway I wanted. There was no pressure to be historically accurate. Also, I loved the incongruity of the two characters. One is obsessed with mortality, while one had a zest for life. One was thin, one was big. One represented a highly regarded art form, while the other represented a less regarded form of sports entertainment.

OT Is Beckett an influence of yours? What other writers/performers inspire you and why?
RJ Absolutely. He has had a heavy influence on my work from the very start. I love to write about characters who exist in the real world, but their experience of the real world is slightly distorted. However, they have also have a deep personal relationship with each other and really need each other, which has always been the heart of many of Beckett's dramatic works. Brian Friel also has that ability to theatricalize interactions that characters have and create a world that is both Ireland and a place that can only exist in one of his plays. In terms of language, I love Martin McDonough's black sense of humor, which I have tried to emulate many times. The great screenwriter Charlie Kauffman is so brilliant at incorporating elements of pop culture into [his] through the looking glass fantasies.

OT What are you working on right now?
RJ I've been working on this love story piece about a vegan Princess and this vegan pastry chef, who has a flair for creating transcendent deserts. I'm writing it for three different couples who are all very close friends, and my hope is to have the piece performed simultaneously (literally at the same time, to the minute) in three different parts of the country: Chicago, New York City, and Idaho. That piece is still in its infancy, but I am really enjoying it so far.

For tickets to "Samuel Beckett, Andre the Giant, and the Crickets" go here.

Announcing the First Our Town Photo Contest

2012-01-14T01:54:35Z

Attention Chicago Photographers:

Our Town announces our first PHOTO CONTEST.

Theme: Chicago (Take that as you will.)

Judges: Our Town photographer Patty Michels and Chicago wedding and portrait photographer Amy Harkess.

Send Submissions to: Ourtownphotocontest@gmail.com

Subject Heading: Photo Submission. (If you are emailing with a question, put “Question” in the subject line.)

Contest closes at Midnight February 14th.

The winning photo will appear on the Our Town blog!

Ready-set-go!

Life's Ruff

2012-01-13T20:40:10Z

All photos by Sheri Berliner

Animal trainer Chris Dignan has one mission: to raise awareness about the plight of homeless dogs. A former dolphin trainer at the Shedd Aquarium, Dignan is now the President and Director of Training for The Dog Saving Network (DSN), an organization which highlights the benefits of positive reinforcement training. Our Town spoke with Dignan about training tips, his dog talent show, Life’s Ruff, and all things canine.

Our Town What drew you to animal training?
Chris Dignan You will have to ask my mom! As far back as I can remember I have been interested in animals; dinosaurs, whales and dolphins peaked my interest. There isn't a huge demand for dino trainers these days so whales and dolphins it was!

OT Describe your methods.
CD I'm a positive reinforcement trainer. I reward behavior that I like so the dog does it again or train a dog to do what I need him to. Like most trainers, I break a complex behavior into a series of smaller steps and systematically work towards the finished behavior. By using these small steps or approximations, you can teach a dog to do whatever it is physically capable of and it stays fun for the dog throughout!

OT What inspired Life’s Ruff?
CD We had a dog show [at the Shedd Aquarium] for a while about training pets using the same techniques that are used to train marine mammals. Tons of people would come up and ask if they could adopt one of the dogs in the show. The plan was to adopt out the dogs after the show was over so I had to tell people "not now" or "check back in a few months.” I never liked that answer so I started thinking of ways that shows could be used to raise awareness for homeless animals while highlighting the importance of training [but also] as adoption events. I want people to understand that anyone can train their dogs as long as they are committed to the process. Life's Ruff is the first of many new and different shows we hope to produce that can be used to super-charge adoptions while inspiring people to train.

OT You hope to use your Dog Saving Network to change the way the country views shelter and rescue dogs and looks to provide an easy to follow alternative to some of the more popular, aversive training methods in use today. Can you expand on this a bit?
CD I hope to show people what homeless dogs CAN do, when given the chance, instead of focusing on their challenges. There are so many dogs that need homes right now and we, as a country, need to shift our mindset towards making adoption the first choice when looking for a dog. One of the hardest things for me to see is a dog misbehaving and an owner using the excuse of "he's a rescue" or "he's a shelter dog.” Yes, dogs that come from the shelter or rescue system can have behavioral problems but that can be true of any dog, regardless of their previous living arrangements. I want people to be proud of their adopted animals and understand that being a good dog owner requires work, not excuses. Every dog that comes from a shelter or rescue has a chance to become a messenger for all shelter and rescued animals. It's up to the owners to make that happen.

]]> OT Can you talk a little about Show Dog U?
CD Show Dog U is a training group that teaches members, first and foremost to be good trainers and make good training decisions. We also teach dogs to do a bunch of tricks and we then use those tricks in shows or videos to help raise awareness for homeless animals in a creative way. For me, the true power of the group is these are just regular people who care about their dogs, want to learn about training and want to do something to help out homeless animals. I'm very proud of all of the members of the group and I truly admire the hard work and dedication they have all put forth as we build our little start-up!

OT What would you say to someone with his heart set on a purebred?
CD I do appreciate the fact that people are looking for a certain breed but just about any breed can be found in the shelter or rescue system, you just have to look. With otherwise healthy dogs being put down at an alarming rate, I hope people make adoption their first choice and encourage others to do so as well

OT What’s your greatest canine success story?
CD The next one. There is so much work to be done so I measure success in the moment then move forward.

Check Dignan's dogs out for yourself at "Life's Ruff," 2 p.m. January 22 at Gorilla Tango Theatre.

Bikram Yoga: Some People Love it. Others Would Prefer Not to Die in a Gym.

2012-01-12T23:23:22Z

Recently the New York Times published a sort of expose about the yoga industry, an odd phrase considering yoga’s spiritual roots. Yet, as more Americans flock to the increasingly mainstream discipline, yoga has become quite the sacred cash cow, more comparable to Starbucks than say, Buddhism or my own personal spiritual practice, peanut butter-covered spoon licking.

Actually an excerpt from William J. Broad’s book, The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards, the Times piece seems to me provocative in the way of a local news story that promises to “expose the secret killer in your cheese drawer.” In other words, it’s more alarmist than educational.

You can check it out for yourself here (although if you practice yoga everyone you’ve ever met has already forwarded it to you) but beneath the sensational language and terrorizing examples of allegedly yoga-induced injuries, the article basically says the following:

1. More people are doing yoga now than before; therefore there are more injuries.
2. Some yoga teachers are either inept or, intoxicated by that potent mix of open chakras and power, push students beyond their limits.
3. Yoga students both new and experienced don’t have the balls to tell an ersatz authority figure to back the hell off and maybe while they’re at it pop a breath mint. (Yoga teachers really like garlic; it’s an antioxidant, you know.)

As someone who has practiced yoga fairly consistently for five years and was born shouting “you’re not the boss of me” you’d think I wouldn’t be susceptible to the faux dominion of some bendy chick in a Lulumon fur coat. (Lulumon does not actually make fur coats, but the yoga tanks they do produce are just about as expensive. Plus wouldn’t it be funny if yoga teachers wore fur coats?)

You’d think this, but you’d be wrong.

]]> Now, I’m pretty fit. I teach spinning, run a bunch of miles a week and practice Ashtanga yoga, specifically the primary series, a rigorous sequence of set poses that generate lots of heat. Yesterday, after several weeks of frantic email discussions of yoga studio fees, possible fainting episodes, tiny shorts and how the dressing rooms at Target provide the perfect anemic light under which to pick at one’s skin, a friend and I headed to Bikram Yoga Andersonville for our first Hot Yoga class.

(Just FYI, Bikram and Hot Yoga are essentially the same. Bikram is the invention of noted megalomaniac and millionaire Bikram Choudhury. Like Ashtanga, it is a set series of poses. Unlike Ashtanga, Bikram’s litigious founder will come to your house and punch you in the third eye if you try to run a Bikram class without giving him a cut. So, gyms and studios that want to subject students to flesh-searing temperatures (up to 110 degress) without getting sued run classes under the moniker “Hot Yoga.”)

From the outside, most yoga studios look like a serial killer’s apartment, all blacked out windows and winding staircases. Inside however, Bikram Yoga is clean though spartan, equipped like all Bikram studios with gendered dressing rooms and showers. At the front desk, I reluctantly parted with thirty dollars in exchange for which I was granted unlimited Bikram classes for thirty days—a pretty great deal. As I paid I overheard a smooth-skinned brunette confide to the teacher manning the register that she had “anxiety like she’d never experienced” during class. “I had to force myself not to leave.” The teacher said something about “letting it pass through” and “fight or flight” which I didn’t quite catch because I’d jumped out the window. Not really, but in retrospect I wish I had.

Inside the packed studio, I began to sweat immediately. Within what felt like moments, my friend, who also has a regular yoga practice, turned the color of seasick oatmeal. The instructors—it seems there are two in the room at all times—keep a close eye on new students, so one came to my friend’s aid and ultimately allowed her to stumble outside.

“Allowed” is the key word here. Bikram makes a big deal about forcing yourself to remain in the room, breathing through any fear, nausea or dizziness, all of which they say is normal. (On the one hand, this seems a constructive endeavor, on the other; I don’t go around petting poisonous snakes just to learn how to breathe through my panic.)

Bikram makes such a big deal in fact that although I felt I should check on my friend, I was weirdly reluctant. As I stood there listening to the remaining instructor order me to ‘lock’ my standing leg in tree pose and later, make sure every inch of my spine touched the towel covered mat (as far as I know, both contraindicated directions—speaking of which, Kapalabhat as part of a cool down, are you kidding me?), I snuck looks at the door.

I should go out there, I thought, but they told me not to.
Told you not to? Who? Some woman you just met?
But she’s the teacher!
What kind of person are you? If the Nazis tried to herd you into a cattle car would you blindly follow or resist?

(I’m not comparing Bikram to the Holocaust here; I invoke hypothetical Nazis when making all major life choices.)

Eventually, I located my autonomy, and my friend returned to the studio because she’s brave or possibly insane. (Incidentally, this is the same woman present for my whiskey induced shopping episode which prompted my mother to comment, “Seems like when you and she get together, you take more chances,” as if I was fifteen and succumbing to pressure to cut third period and shoplift feathered barrettes from Claire’s Boutique.)

Bikram yoga has plenty of champions, most of whom could probably beat me up, or at least water board me with their sweat. Malikah Nu-Man for example, an Education Specialist and Herbalife Representative enjoys “the challenge of having to use both physical and mental strength to complete a work out. I feel incredible when I finish and have more energy and clarity.” Claire Reinbold an elementary school teacher and indoor cycling instructor adds “Bikram is only for those who are not afraid to sweat. The heat helps with flexibility and encourages you to drink more water during the day (which I know I never do otherwise) and my skin is at its best with Bikram.”

Malikah Nu-Man, hot even outside of a Bikram Studio.

In defense of Bikram Andersonville specifically, I should also note that another friend bought the studio's thirty day pass and raves about her experiences, then again she’s spent time deployed to Iraq so authority figures and 110 degree temperatures are kind of her bag.

Ultimately, I’m not necessarily out to malign Bikram.

My sinister Spin Instructor headshot which I have never used because I look like I've been caught mid-aneurysm and am also very angry.

As a spinning instructor I know what it’s like to be dismissed as a fanatic and have my workout of choice labeled hazardous and extreme. Then again, when a new student enters my class, I encourage her to leave whenever her body cries uncle. I don’t recite from a trademarked script and I’m pretty sure I don’t have a creepy smile. In the end, maybe it was Bikram’s cultlike ethos that bugged me the most (well that and the fact that to my understanding Yoga should leave its practitioner feeling the same or better, not headachy and sleepless.) I question whether Bikram is truly a detox, a term which to me smacks of snake-oil, or just a dehydrating ordeal. At the end of class, lying on the floor in Savasana, I felt compelled to check the bodies surrounding me for Nike and phenobarbital-laced pudding.

I’m anticipating letters from legions of defensive yogis, but if writing this blog maybe, just maybe helps just one measly person, I’ll know in my heart it’s worth it, even if that person is me and the help is that Bikram Andersonville gives me my thirty bucks back.

The Hot Chicago Writer Blog

2012-01-10T17:57:00Z

January's Hot Writer: Conor Robin Madigan

My genre: Literary Fiction, Poetry, Magical Realism, Parable

My literary influences: Thomas Hardy, G.K. Chesterton, Muriel Spark, Arnold Bennett, John Carey, Cervantes, Boccaccio, Cioran, David Albahari, Leavis, Leonard Michaels, Novalis, Pasolini, Lawrence, Gogol, Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, Zola, Flaubert, Maupassant, Greene, Hulme, Kafka, Lagerkvist, Larkin, Desai, Doyle, Henry Green, Gunter Grass, Nadine Gordimer, Huxleys, Yates, Toibin, E.B. White, Whitman, Joy Williams, Mayakovsky, William Trevor, V.S. Naipaul, Baudelaire, Sherwood Anderson, Saul Bellow, Burney, Calvino, Carver, O Henry, Joyce, Ovid, Robert Penn Warren, Vonnegut, Leon Uris, Ian McEwan, Shintaro Katsu, Eamon Grennan, Heaney, Ellison, Hemingway, Hess, Gaines, Dante, Goethe, Raymond Chandler, Cather, Wendell Berry, The Brontes, Tolstoy, Beckett, Plutarch, Neruda, Orwell, Lessing, André Gide, Maxim Gorky, Mansfield, William Empson, Fitzgerald, Isherwood, Housman, William Golding, Hasek, Graham Swift, Swift, Auden, Conrad, Andrew Motion, Dostoevsky, Eco, Fred Chappell, Cheever, the Hymnal, the Old Testament, Paul's letter to the Romans, Bram Stoker, Thurber, F.H. Burnett, Kundera, Gilman, Athol Fugard, Faulkner, Agee, Joe Epstein, LL Magdalen, Ibsen, Bette Howland, Ondaatje, Andrew Hoyem, James Atlas, Gilbert Sorrentino, Winfield Townley Scott, Melville, Andre Bauchant, Bill Brandt, Robert Liddell, Lionell Trilling, Robert Lowry, Poe, Washington Irving, W. Sommerset Maugham, Robert Louis Stevenson, A. Conan Doyle, Schnitzler, Thyra Winslow, Jack London, H.G. Wells, Stephen Crane, Dreiser, Wodehouse, Franz Werfel, Ernst Glaeser, Louis Pergaud, H.E. Bates, Singer, Strindberg, Shikibu, and others.

My favorite literary quote: ...better be with the dead.../Than on the torture of the mind to lie/ In restless ecstasy. --Macbeth

My favorite book of all time: Riki Tiki Tavi

I’m currently reading: The Old Wives' Tale (Bennett), The Man Who Was Thursday (Chesterton), The Secret Agent (Conrad), Briefing For a Descent into Hell (Lessing), Pure Pleasure (John Carey)

My guilty pleasure book: Guilty Pleasures (Barthelme)

I can’t write without: quiet house (DEAD QUIET)

Worst line I ever wrote: "She was angry at what was becoming a horrible thing to say to him." (A Chapel Pond, '00)

Brief Bio:
I was born in Atlanta, GA. I live in Evanston now, and I work on guitars at Guitar Works, a little shop on Main Street. I'm very close to my family and I tend to enjoy laboring around their homes when I'm not reading, writing or at the shop. Pruning trees, car work, and house repair get me into my writing modes. Labor is a comfort. Cut Up, my debut novel happened April of 2011, and John Carey said of it, "acute, sophisticated, and like nothing I've ever read."

Chicago Crush of the Month: Sonny Mott and Erin O’Neill

2012-01-07T16:08:35Z

I’ve been writing The Crush of the Month Blog for over a year now, and in any long-term relationship, there comes a time when you need to spice things up.

So let’s talk about my crush within a crush, my inner sanctum of crushes, the true crush that lies below the false bottom of the crush proclivity you thought you knew.

I get crushes on couples.

In truth, my couple crushes are pretty tame. I find myself fascinated with relationship mechanics, enamored by the way two people become not a crock pot stew of codependence and resentment, but a crisp chopped salad in which the carrots are autonomous but care very much how the hearts of palm feel.

With that in mind I’d like to introduce you to January’s Crush of the Month: Husband and Wife, Sonny Mott and Erin O’Neill

Hometown: Erin-Chicago, Sonny-San Diego

Profession: Erin-Writer/Editor/Marketer, Sonny-Law Student

Hobbies: Erin-Reading, cooking, baking pies, and watching Bravo. Sonny- Law school and [daughter]Lucy.

Our Town: How did you two meet?
Erin O’Neill At the infamous Tom Tom Club in Washington, DC, going on eight years ago.
Sonny Mott I pursued her shamelessly.
Erin This is true.

OT Describe your wedding day.
Erin Which one? Because of Sonny's deployment schedule, we were lucky enough to get married (to each other) twice, so I got both my dream weddings. The first time, we got married at City Hall, then went to the White Sox game--a friend put our names up on the scoreboard, which was amazing-- and met up with friends in a bar to celebrate. The second, we had the big Catholic wedding, in the big white dress, then had the reception in my high school cafeteria (at St. Ignatius). Both were perfect, for totally different reasons, but walking down the aisle, seeing Sonny standing there, holding hands at the altar and exchanging vows meant way more to me than I thought it would.

OT Erin, you’re a writer. Any tips for those looking to freelance?
Erin I hate giving advice [because] I'm a pretty big believer that most of my "success"--if you call not having a job with health insurance success--is luck, timing, and a little networking. Overall, my best advice is to keep reading, writing, and submitting. Freelancing takes an incredible amount of passion, discipline, and hard work, but if you can make it work, it's the best gig going.

OT Sonny rarely reads your writing, why?
Erin I don't write the kind of writing he likes, and it's far too dangerous to my ego to have him not like my writing. I write creative non-fiction; a lot of personal essays about my life and relationships. The last time he read anything I wrote, it was a thinly veiled personal story about a family falling apart in a cabin in rural Michigan. When he finished, I asked him what he thought, and he said, "It was ok. It needed more wolves."

OT Sonny, you served in the US Marine Corps for more than eight years. How was it to transition back to civilian life?
Sonny Bittersweet. You miss the good times and the camaraderie but I enjoy all of the free time with our daughter Lucy.

OT Erin, what was the hardest thing about being in a relationship with someone deployed?
Erin Obviously, worrying about his safety was hardest. I obsessively watched the news, researched the Iraqi conflict, immersed myself in the military community in order to get any word possible. The other hard part was the lack of communication. During his Iraqi tours, we could go as long as six weeks with no word whatsoever. I still remember all the nights I'd hold my breath, after hearing about something on the news, and the elated feeling of relief when I'd get a letter or phone call from him. Sonny's brother is also a Marine and currently deployed to Afghanistan, and I'm hoping this will be the last wartime deployment for our family.

]]> OT Sonny, what’s the hardest thing about being in a relationship with a writer?
Sonny When she sits me down for grammar lessons.

OT What’s your view on the repeal of DADT?
Sonny Port calls are going to get a little more interesting. No...probably not.

OT Erin, you actually had a role in the repeal.
Erin Sonny and I differ on most things, politically. But in 2010, I was invited to attend a military spouse luncheon with General Ham and Mr. Jeh Johnson, who were in the process of meeting with the military community to understand the impact that repealing DADT would have. Sonny not only urged me to go, he actually rented a car to get me back to Virginia from North Carolina, in order to make it to the luncheon. I felt that repealing DADT was an important action for American civil liberties. That our military serves our nation to protect our freedoms, but that many of those who serve weren't free to be open about who they were and who they loved, was the biggest hypocrisy ever. After that luncheon, Mr. Johnson asked me to type up a few of my thoughts, which I did, and when the official report and recommendations were presented to congress, a whole page of my writing was included in the report.

OT Describe your perfect day:
Sonny Family sleep in with Lucy and Finley Doggie.
Erin Definitely. But add in some Mexican, Thai or Indian food, and a Real Housewives marathon.

OT Relationship Deal breaker:
Sonny Fear of spicy food...shows a weakness of  moral fiber.
Erin Packers fan.

OT Who was your first crush?
Erin A kid I grew up with named Mike Raspatello.
Sonny Daisy Duke.
Erin That makes sense; I get confused for her all the time.

OT Why are you crushworthy?
Sonny Burt Reynolds on a bear skin rug.

OT Any questions for me?
Erin Will you please stop throwing your car keys in our fruit bowl?

Want to take a class with Erin O'Neill? Check her out here.

Kelli Strickland on Acting and More

2012-01-03T23:33:09Z

Photo by Johnny Knight

Multifaceted writer/director/teacher Kelli Strickland emailed me from a swamp. Out of town for the holidays, her internet connection was spotty, but Strickland’s opinions came through loud and clear. Star of the much buzzed-about film Hannah Free, Strickland is on the cusp of opening her one-woman show "We’ve Got a Badge for That." A “love letter of sorts to the Girl Scouts,” the show has been performed locally and nationally. Below Strickland shares her thoughts on lesbian films, arts education and more.

Our Town How was your experience filming Hannah Free?
Kelli Strickland It was filmed at a rather breakneck speed but the people who came together to make that happen were a force to be reckoned with. The reception to the story was pretty overwhelming. I still get emails from people all over the world who have lost partners or grew up in a very different time period that tell me that it resonated with them.

OT How do you feel about the category “lesbian films?”
KS Categories are handy and can serve a purpose and inevitably tick some people off. You could argue that to describe any work as 'lesbian' in nature is to contribute to the gay ghetto-ization of a piece or you could argue that there are films made by and for lesbians, and why not label it that? I believe that stories are important. And so long as people are working hard to tell those stories and audiences are benefiting from hearing those stories, call it what you like.

OT I haven’t seen Hannah Free, so this isn’t a swipe at that film, but I’m pretty critical of most lesbian films. I have this sense that lesbians (even in 2011) are so desperate to see themselves reflected in art that they celebrate even the mediocre. Any thoughts on this?
KS I suppose that an under-representation in media does lead to a celebration of any and all representation. But I hesitate to lay the blame at the feet of audiences for not being discerning enough or even the art makers, for that matter. As your question suggests, that desperation for representation indicates what a dearth of films there were. Film is an incredibly expensive proposition and until recently, highly dependent on the literal and metaphorical green light from people who didn't seem all that interested in telling queer stories. So, yes, I think often the projects were and are homegrown, grassroots efforts – made by those same people who wanted to see themselves onscreen. Changes in the cultural landscape are definitely afoot, however, when a movie like “The Kids Are All Right” can not only get made, but get made with that kind of budget, that kind of cast, that kind of marketing and distribution and finally that kind of reception. Artists interested in telling queer stories, like all contemporary artists, are currently learning how to navigate a new media world where you can get product out and very process is much more affordable, accessible and therefore democratic. I think that's a good thing for storytellers, especially those storytellers who want to tell the stories that the heads of major studios won't. My guess is that we're in the midst of a great upswing.

OT If you could only act in one medium, which would you choose?
KS Theatre, without question. Especially now, when we consume so much of our films, television, music in isolation with buds in our ears and [on] a tiny screen. Nothing can replace live actors with a live audience sharing that ephemeral time together. It is pure, simple and a unifying act in an increasingly divisive time.

]]> OT Can you take me through the process of creating We've Got a Badge for That?
KS I was fortunate to have a terrific director and collaborator in Sharon Evans, who founded the Filet of Solo Festival at Live Bait many years ago and has worked with a number of well-known solo artists. When we began, I had chunks of text but there was little shape and certainly no dramatic arc. Sharon would watch and listen and then give me invaluable feedback: pointing out themes that were emerging, holes in the transitions or logic, encouraging me to write out moments that weren't necessary for the show but shed light on attitudes that I held or opinions I wasn't even aware I had. She did such a masterful job of leading me to places that I needed to be and making me think I had gotten there on my own. That was especially handy when it came to cuts that needed to happen. Because, you know, everything I wrote was brilliant, and there's no way ANY of it could have been cut.

OT You teach acting. How does teaching inform your own acting?
KS Teaching keeps you actively engaged in dialogue and thought process behind the work. And reminding others reminds you about the importance of the basics: listening, staying present, accepting what is given. Also, students are crucial in not letting my opinions and attitudes cement, not just about theatre, but about the world. You have to be more reflective when you know they will ask you why.

OT Why is arts education important?
KS From a pure learning standpoint, studying the arts encourages more complex thinking and is one of the fastest ways to develop significant social and emotional benchmarks in children, like empathy, self-esteem, collaboration. It allows students who don't necessarily excel in test preparation driven classroom cultures to shine. I get real worked up about this one, so I'll leave it at that. But suffice it to say that the prevailing attitude in Chicago Public Schools that the arts are a luxury, disconnected from learning and success, drives me bonkers.

OT Care to share a new years resolution?
KS No resolutions, but I will say that I have a very good feeling about 2012.

"We've Got a Badge for That" runs January 13th and 14th at Raven Theatre.

An Utterly Subjective End of Year Round Up

2011-12-30T02:03:48Z

Enough about you, let’s talk about me. I’m sick. I know this because I watched an entire season of The Office on Netflix yesterday and peanut butter seems disgusting. Normally, I will crawl naked across a thicket of thorns to procure peanut butter. (Well, what does your grocery store look like?) Also, when I stand up, the world seems shot by Twilight’s cinematographer; everything is blown out and too close. Also, people are drinking blood through straws. No wait, that’s just the couch.

It’s in this spirit of slight ennui and total deliriousness that I bring you my Utterly Subjective End of Year Round Up in which I speak in absolutes and you can’t object because this site doesn’t support comments.

Let’s ease into this with something indisputable.

1. Best new Chicago Restaurant: Lady Gregory. Only days after opening its doors some time last summer (I’m too sick to google.), this upscale Irish bar and restaurant already felt like a neighborhood mainstay. Since then, LG has made itself indispensable, providing not only delicious food and homey ambiance, but also holiday movie screenings, special whiskey tastings and a winter coat drive. If you’re in the market for a low-key New Year’s Eve destination, LG promises a live DJ, party favors, champagne and best of all, no cover. What are you waiting for? Go. Order the beet salad and tell them I sent you. They will have no idea what you mean, but they will still bring you the salad.

]]>

2. Best Theatre Blogger: Robert Bullen. I’ve been reviewing fewer plays lately. Guess I just got tired of screaming actors splaying themselves across my lap because the sixth row is somehow halfway on stage. Back when I saw three shows a week and was always muttering about the death of original thought and the foolishness of basing a show around jokes about Eileen Fischer, I found myself in agreement with nearly every judgement Bob made. Not only that, but we were almost always at Jewel Osco at the same time. So now, when I’m searching for quality theater, I turn to The Chicago Theatre Addict. And so should you. Check out his much more official end of year round up.

3. Best Online Vintage Store Curated by a former Chicagoan: La Poire au Jardin Vintage. I know you’ve spent all of 2011 anxiously predicting who might win this hotly contested title that I made up five minutes ago in order to pimp my sister’s vintage store. I’m sick; I do what I want. But truly, Molly Dvora Rosenblum has been my fashion guru since she started choosing her own outfits at age four. I was twelve at the time and habitually paired silky gym shorts with fishnets and a Bette Midler t-shirt. Through the years, her aesthetic choices, equal parts daring and demure, have influenced everyone with whom she comes in contact, ie a lot of cranky Milwaukee hippies—she works at a health food restaurant. Finally, she’s blessing the rest of the world with her handpicked vintage items, now available on eBay and Etsy. If Molly likes it, you won’t look like an idiot wearing it-- words to dress by.

4. Best Waste of Time: I’m sorry, but it’s still the Kardashians. Here’s what I like about them: they love each other and they talk about sex in front of Bruce Jenner. That wedding? It didn’t turn me off one bit. Nope. It made me feel sorry for Kim. That’s right, sorry! For a rich person! So what if she made $10,358.80 for each hour of matrimony? I’d love to look back on a failed marriage and think, well, at least it was lucrative. And no, I don’t blame her for my inability to legally marry. That’s like getting angry at some British dude for hydrating himself when a stranger in an impoverished nation has no access to clean drinking water. The world is an iniquitous place, and each of us has a responsibility to do what we can for those less fortunate, but that’s no reason to pull an Angelina Jolie. Besides, if the gays turn on Kim, what will she have left?

5. You guys, I really wanted there to be five things on this list, but I’ve been sitting upright for like an hour now, and the couch seriously just tried to suck my blood. How about I promise to be less subjective in 2012, you try to tell me I’m a liar but the website won’t let you comment and we all call it a day?