As should be expected I suppose, COVID-19 was surging again with the winter months. This time, however, life went on more or less as normal. Instead of locking down, events continued to happen, but with required proof of vaccination and in some cases masking in Chicago (and I assume other places as well). I only attended one show in January...the mewithoutYOU Brother Sister Anniversary Tour. With the band announcing that the end for them was near, I couldn't miss opportunities to see them. At the end of January, there was supposed to be "Save The Rock-N-Roll" Fest to benefit some local venues which had been rescheduled from 2020 but it got pushed back to April (blog with videos from that night is here) in hopes that more people could attend with fewer restrictions. In February the masking requirements came to an end in Chicago and March most things seemed somewhat like what we once called "normal" and we attended several shows.
The intro was once again created using Motion 4 on a Macbook utilizing some photos from the season. I used the blast effect to bring in the title in a way that felt appropriate with the weather.
The intro was once again created using Motion 4 on a Macbook utilizing some photos from the season. I used the blast effect to bring in the title in a way that felt appropriate with the weather.
01.03.2022
On Monday January 3rd, 2022, we watched Ben Roethlisberger play his last game in Pittsburgh as a Pittsburgh Steeler. It was a victory over the Browns which is how it should be.
01.04.2022
I returned to work on Tuesday January 4th, 2022 from the extended Christmas break. I decided to capture the city view on my commute.
01.09.2022
On Sunday January 9th, 2022, mewithoutYOU played at Lincoln Hall on their Brother Sister Anniversary Tour. It had been delayed from 2020. In hopes to keep from contracting COVID-19, the band and the venue had strict masking requirements along with the vaccination proof. This didn't sit well with some folks, apparently, throwing tantrums on the internet. Everyone but Aaron and Ricky wore masks while playing as well. Unfortunately a few days later, a member of the band or their crew ended up contracting COVID-19 despite their best efforts at mitigation and the remaining dates of the tour had to be rescheduled. Unwed Sailor was scheduled to be the supporting act but they had to cancel due to someone in the band getting COVID-19 right before the tour started. I captured "Sun And The Moon" as it seemed to be the most appropriate song for the tour. I would have liked to have captured the whole show and luckily, Paul Harrison did! I actually did not see him during the night but as evident in the video below, he was indeed there!
01.14.2022
On Friday January 14th, 2022 I decided to drive back to Warren to get in a couple last chances to hunt a deer. I left work a bit early and the drive wasn't too bad. I arrived late evening and once I had my gear prepared, I went to bed.
01.15.2022
I headed into the woods on Saturday January 15th, 2022 to hunt in the single digit temperatures. It was so cold my phone shut off when trying to take a picture to document the day and a quick video clip. My legs and hands were quite cold most of the day. Around noon I saw a couple deer across the stream in the posted area near where I was set up. I kept my eye on the area hoping that the deer would continue toward my direction as it appeared that they were headed but they turned back up the hill away from me. As sunset neared, several deer came running toward me from the direction of the road and really did give me a good opportunity to take a shot. The first deer I got a look at was a spike and therefore not permitted for me to shoot. There was one near it but stayed positioned that the spike was between me and it. As I watched those two and tried to see if I could get a shot, some of the others scattered. One still remained and perhaps gave me a good shot but since I was focused on the other deer, I missed that opportunity. The deer ran then stopped near the posted land and I took a bit too long contemplating taking the shot and it ran again. It wasn't far and I probably should have just taken the shot.
01.17.2022
On Monday January 17th, 2022, I decided to head out to hunt for a few more hours. Warren had just accumulated about two feet of snow and so I had to unbury my car and dig out tracks to drive to the woods. I had the day off due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. My plan was to hunt then drive back to Chicago. I ended up getting out later than I would have liked and didn't see anything. It was very difficult to walk. This was the end of the hunting season for me and I had no luck whatsoever.
I came back in, took a shower then loaded up to head home. I had to navigate through the snowy hills in Pennsylvania. Some areas had very little work done at that point but I pressed on. I passed some vehicles that couldn't make it up a hill or ended up in ditches as I went. The night before I heard on the news that transfer trucks were not permitted to drive on the interstate during the storm. I think that ban might have just ended as I was making it to the interstate. There weren't many trucks driving but a few. There were some off the road perhaps since the night before. In Ohio, some of the areas had a bit worse conditions as the roads hadn't been treated all that much yet. I pulled in a rest area before Cleveland to use the restroom only to find that it had not been cleared at all. There were a lot of trucks pulled off and a path a couple car widths wide plowed out but if I were to have tried to go to the building I would have had to walk in waist deep (or deeper) snow. I'm not sure I'd even be able to get the door open. We carry bottles in the car for emergency toilet use so I utilized the bottle, dumped it, then continued on my way. I really wish I had captured this on video but I apparently did not (as I found during the editing process). Driving through Cleveland during these conditions is always interesting but I made it through and conditions improved further west. Along the way, I passed a convoy of electric company trucks. I made it back to Chicago before midnight after the long and difficult trip.
01.24.2022
I came back in, took a shower then loaded up to head home. I had to navigate through the snowy hills in Pennsylvania. Some areas had very little work done at that point but I pressed on. I passed some vehicles that couldn't make it up a hill or ended up in ditches as I went. The night before I heard on the news that transfer trucks were not permitted to drive on the interstate during the storm. I think that ban might have just ended as I was making it to the interstate. There weren't many trucks driving but a few. There were some off the road perhaps since the night before. In Ohio, some of the areas had a bit worse conditions as the roads hadn't been treated all that much yet. I pulled in a rest area before Cleveland to use the restroom only to find that it had not been cleared at all. There were a lot of trucks pulled off and a path a couple car widths wide plowed out but if I were to have tried to go to the building I would have had to walk in waist deep (or deeper) snow. I'm not sure I'd even be able to get the door open. We carry bottles in the car for emergency toilet use so I utilized the bottle, dumped it, then continued on my way. I really wish I had captured this on video but I apparently did not (as I found during the editing process). Driving through Cleveland during these conditions is always interesting but I made it through and conditions improved further west. Along the way, I passed a convoy of electric company trucks. I made it back to Chicago before midnight after the long and difficult trip.
01.24.2022
A week later on Monday January 24th, 2022, I headed out to work during another substantial snowfall. The video clip is our back door area and yard.
01.26.2022
On Wednesday January 26th, 2022, I left for work with negative temperatures. After work, Elphie made plans to hang with her friend Kat for a few days so I got Falco's Pizza to eat while she was away.
02.01.2022
On my way home from work on Tuesday February 1st, 2022, I encountered a truck that didn't take the turn correctly in front of the neighborhood Target and seemed to get jammed up against the traffic light post. It may have hit other cars as well...I couldn't tell. This was before the next big snow storm really hit so I don't think the weather had anything to do with this mishap.
02.02.2022
On Wednesday February 2nd, 2022, it was Groundhog's Day (again), and it was another significant blizzard. On this day I was to meet a client for a work related thing off site. I got up with plenty of time, unburied the car again, and navigated out of the driveway despite some good drifting that had occurred and got to the meeting site. The client never showed up. I eventually called and the client had been snowed in. He hadn't made any attempt to reach me or my co-workers. I made my way north to work, capturing some clips of the angry Lake Michigan from Lake Shore Drive.
02.04.2022
On Friday evening, February 4th, 2022, I got some shots of the icicles hanging over the steps we use to get to our backdoor. I had tried to keep them intact as much as I could through the winter though it resulted in a bit of a dangerously slick steps...but they look pretty cool!
02.05.2022
https://youtu.be/ylGG1agDuP8
On Saturday February 5th, 2022, I set out to capture with my Canon Rebel T6s the sunrise over Lake Michigan while it was at least somewhat frozen. I assume the middle is not and at least part of the cause for the cloud cover low on the horizon which interfered with me capturing the actual sunrise. I also ran into a couple other issued with this experiment. First, I had forgotten to put a battery into the camera. I had set it up and turned it on only to have nothing happen. I left the camera, hoping no wind gusts would take it out to sea or something and ran back to the car to get the battery and got back. I think the cold affected the battery as it seemed to drain rather quickly. The camera shut off a couple times on me as well. I also found that whatever I had it set to from the last time I had used it (a concert in December, I believe) was causing way too much light in making the screen essentially white. I had to correct that. I captured the city while it was over exposed as well. I was able to get the settings right and the lens focused prior to the sun coming over the clouds. I let the camera run for a while and took some shots with my iPhone 8 as well. I think the audio is very low due to having it set to allow capturing concert audio without blowing out the sound. I probably could have captured this without using the Audio-Technica AT8024 microphone. I took a couple more shots of the city. Where I was shooting from, the Montrose Harbor, the water was frozen there but out in the lake, it was still moving. There was also steam visible. I hoped that the video would show the different conditions going on with the ice, the water, the steam, and all its movement. I captured using the CrossTour CR-900 the pre-sunrise drive and the drive home.
02.06.2022
On Sunday February 6th, 2022, on our way to our grocery shopping at Meijer in Highland, Indiana, we encountered large piles of snow and decided to capture it with the CrossTour CR-900.
02.07.2022
As I drove to work on Monday February 7th, 2022, I was delayed slightly by a wreck on Lake Shore Drive. I could only see one car. I'm not sure if it was a one car situation or if the other drove off or had already been towed.
02.08.2022
On my way into work on Tuesday February 8th, 2022, there were two areas along Lake Shore Drive where work was being one. The first was well marked with cones and and blinking arrow while the next was not marked at all! It also was in the middle of the lanes. I assume that this crew was fixing potholes but certainly could have been a dangerous situation if someone isn't paying attention to stopped vehicles along the highway there.
02.10.2022
On my way home on Thursday February 10th, 2022, there appeared to have been a fire at the Bubbleland laundromat near where we live. As I waited at the light, two firetrucks left the scene. This was the last clip before our trip to Hawai'i.
Forthcoming blog for the Hawai'i trip.
02.25.2022
After returning from Hawaii, I had to scrape the ice and snow from the car to get to work. I decided to leave the clip of that which was automatically captured by the CrossTour CR-900. This auto capture happens from time to time and I assume my scraping and brushing snow causes the camera sensor to believe there is an incident occurring.
02.26.2022
https://youtu.be/758-PJt64k8
https://youtu.be/-qmnuO3-yUA
https://youtu.be/tfbcnGcsfg8
https://youtu.be/ObtGILfIqpg
On Saturday February 26th, 2022, the Dropick Murphys came to town! They played at Radius. It was my first time attending a show at this venue...it's pretty good! It had been a couple years since I had gotten to catch one of their shows (COVID-19 to blame for the most part) and it was nice to be able to see them live in person again. They did several live streams (and would be doing so again on St. Patrick's Day from their Boston show) but to actually be there in person was great! Al Barr was not on the tour due to his mother having medical issues so it was just Ken Casey doing the lead vocals. I captured "Kiss Me I'm #!@*faced" from their set. The Bombpops played before them. For some reason I was thinking it would be the Horrorpops...oops! I captured "13 Stories Down" from their set. The Rumjacks were before them. I believe at least one of the members is part of the Ollie Mob...the singer wore a Flatfoot 56 T-shirt. They are taking Flatfoot 56 on tour with them later in the spring. I captured "Bloodsoaked In Chorus" from their set. The opener was Jesse Ahern. I missed a song or two going through the security but I caught most of his set and captured a song. It was a good night!
02.27.2022
On Sunday February 27th, 2022, we encountered Telly again as we shopped at Meijer.
03.01.2022
On Tuesday March 1st, 2022, it was my mom's birthday and Mardi Gras. At work there were Pazckis to eat and I got my first Shamrock Shake in Chicago (had one in Hawai'i).
03.04.2022
As I drove home on Friday March 4th, 2022, I captured the image of the Ukraine Flag on the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel.
03.08.2022
https://youtu.be/RhcA8g3S-Jc
On Tuesday March 8th, 2022, Underoath played at Radius in Chicago. Spiritbox was on the tour but dealing with COVID-19 so they were unable to play this show. Stray From The Path and Bad Omens were the openers for the show but I only decided to capture a clip from Underoath. I captured "Pneumonia."
03.10.2022
https://youtu.be/Bf8oEJT8zhA
https://youtu.be/iAfqhBuLOIA
https://youtu.be/sc84TlTDums
https://youtu.be/spzUwJtfvak
On Thursday March 10th, 2022, our friend Little Jessi Dills was playing at Reggies with the band the Von Tramps. Also on the bill were the Dolly Rots, The Run Around and Sweetie. I decided to capture this show using my Canon Rebel T6s with an Audio-Technica AT8024 microphone. I think I had the setting a bit darker than I would have liked but otherwise, I am happy with how it turned out. It was fun to see Little Jessi playing!
03.11.2022
https://youtu.be/CHafEiobEh4
https://youtu.be/DOj1xsjiRnY
https://youtu.be/lLJqQdbmQPU
https://youtu.be/DnJ4N7V_I6U
On Friday March 11th, 2022 I went to the Chop Shop for a ska show. Deals Gone Slack was the headliner. It was a combination of the bands The Slackers and Deals Gone Bad. They played some original music, some covers, and some from each band. Stop The Presses was also on the show and I captured "Dead Man's Party" from their set. The Three Blue Teardrops and The Bama Lamas opened the night. I also captured this show using my Canon Rebel T6s with an Audio-Technica AT8024 microphone.
03.12.2022
After leaving the show at the Chop Shop I captured the Puerto Rico flag installation near Western Avenue on Division. I labeled it at Saturday March 12th, 2022, which it technically was, but it was just after midnight. It's another Atlas Obscura site that I've passed by many times so I figured I'd capture it on video.
03.17.2022
On Saint Patrick's Day, Thursday March 17th, 2022, I captured a "Fat Cat" set up near a construction site at Western and Archer protesting the Lake Shore Plumbing company as I drove to work. At lunchtime, I got my last Shamrock Shake of the season from McDonald's. That evening we watched the livestream of Dropkick Murphys from Boston. It was fun to see while they played with people in the crowd again!
03.18.2022
https://youtu.be/Q8qP3sQf4l8
https://youtu.be/PzRkhGeVkiY
https://youtu.be/6OJ9Xbl8RTY
https://youtu.be/98t3DA8Jfds
https://youtu.be/2huk3IrqkKs
On Friday March 18th, 2022, Flatfoot 56 held their annual Saint Patrick's Day show at Reggies. I captured a newer song called "Mud" from their set. A lot of friends from the Ollie Mob were out for the show! It was good to see them! The Huntingtons were the main support and I captured "No Pool Party Tonight" from their set. 500 Miles To Memphis, Crazy and the Brains, and Evil Empire also played. I used my Canon Rebel T6s with Audio-Technica AT8024 microphone again for this show. I realized after this show that I had the date and time setting wrong in the camera and had to adjust it by about a full day. I had to go back through and adjust the timestamps on the files going all the way back to the purchase of this camera!
03.21.2022
https://youtu.be/-5Z5Z4l166U
https://youtu.be/BpwJKIbqXNU
On Monday March 21st, 2022, it was a nice day. Elphie took advantage and went to the Lincoln Park Zoo during the day. I met her at Renalli's for some pizza before heading to Park West to see Gary Numan. I captured "Intruder" from his set. The opening act was called I Speak Machine and I captured "War" from that set. We got their fairly early and took some seats near the back wall with a bar if we needed for drinks. I rested my hands on that while shooting the video and didn't realize that the bass vibrations were causing my hands to shake making for a very unsteady video.
03.22.2022
https://youtu.be/ooC4XNeUXA4
On Tuesday March 22nd, 2022, I made this video highlighting an issue I had with a battery pack purchase through eBay. I made the purchase in October and actually received the battery packs and the accompanying charger relatively quickly. If it didn't come in October, it was early November. Surprising, considering the supply line and shipping issues going on then and still continuing. I needed new battery packs because I purchased a Canon Rebel T6s and found the battery packs for the T6 were not compatible for the T6s. These were advertised as being "Genuine" Canon LP-E17 battery packs and charger. Upon receiving them, I put them in my camera and they worked! I didn't think to test them in the charger that came with them or the charger I already had. The only discernable difference was the writing on the back being in Chinese characters rather than English for the battery packs. The charger also had a wired plug rather than the flip out prong style of the Canon LC-E17 charger.
In February 2022, while on our Hawai'i trip, I used one of these "genuine" battery packs while we were out. That evening when I went to charge it, nothing happened. I tried in both the charger I got with the camera as well as in the charger that came with the "genuine" battery packs but nothing happened. I tried to charge the battery pack that came with the camera in the charger that came from the "genuine" battery pack purchase and it wouldn't charge either.
At this point, I logged into my eBay and found that the return date had long passed. I apparently only had until December. I decided to contact the seller. I took some pictures of the battery packs in the charger. Both the "genuine" ones from the order as well as the one I got with the camera to show that the charger from the order was not functional at all and the battery packs from the order would not charge in either charger that I had. I did my best to explain everything and answered his follow-up as clearly as I could. The seller offered a refund. A week later, the refund was not processed so I reached out again. The seller stated he "wanted" to refund me but couldn't figure out how and wanted me to do something to make it happen. I'm not sure what I could do so I reached out to the eBay help chat. It seemed to be the best option eBay allowed. During the chat and their thanking me for being a long time account holder, the help chat eventually told me to have the seller refund me through PayPal since it was outside of the return window. I went back to the seller with this information only to be told the seller did not have PayPal. I may be wrong, but I believe that one had to have PayPal to use eBay...at least it used to be that way. I went back to the help chat, got thanked again, and tried to find a solution. This time was less helpful...suggesting filing a complaint against the seller. I never did see how I could do that seeing as the return window had closed. It seemed as though I was also told to get the seller on the chat. I don't know how I could do that, exactly. I tried to send proof of the refund offer from the message I had from the seller but it didn't seem to matter. I reached out to the seller again to see what I could do but got no response this time. I went to the eBay help chat a third and final time...once again getting thanked before we could get into the situation. This final chat really was not helpful. I was basically told there was nothing eBay could or would do. They end these chat sessions by saying that they are satisfied with the help that they give...I was not satisfied.
I decided at this point to try PayPal since the financial transaction was through PayPal. I found that the opportunity to dispute was not yet expired. I had through April 2022...six months! I made this video for the reason of this dispute. By this time I had purchased new battery packs that were indeed genuine and from Canon in Canon packaging. I also ordered a new charger...it came in Canon packaging as well. I tested them (as seen in the video) and the battery packs worked in the camera and both chargers while the "genuine" battery packs would not charge in any of the chargers and the charger that came in the order of the "genuine" battery packs would not charge anything.
In the end, I was able to get a refund from eBay through PayPal and I figure they can deal with the seller of the "genuine" battery packs if they see fit to do so. I did send one final message to the seller stating I was able to get a refund through PayPal and that I would not be doing business with him again as it seems what he is selling are not "genuine" but defective. I also was not happy with his lack of response in my attempts to get the refund figured out. He responded then saying he wanted to refund me but just didn't have PayPal and it was too long. I am grateful I was able to secure a refund in the end and that I now have batteries that I can charge! Lesson learned regarding deals seemingly too good to be true...or something along those lines.
While I haven't made a video yet to highlight it but I will, I also purchased a "battery grip" which connects to the bottom of the camera and allows for two batteries to be used to get more shooting time out of the camera. It has worked great!
03.25.2022
https://youtu.be/vI1NALKBwyw
https://youtu.be/vcKb502KgVA
https://youtu.be/8kU2MOR1Yko
On Friday March 25th, 2022, I went to the Vic Theatre for a show featuring the Circle Jerks, 7 Seconds, and Negative Approach. It was definitely and old guy punk show! I captured "Live Fast, Die Young" by the Circle Jerks and "Young 'Til I Die" by 7 Seconds because it was funny to me considering they are not particularly young anymore. I am glad that they are still doing it though! I captured "Tied Down" from Negative Approach. After the show on Lake Shore Drive there was a car wreck shortly before I got on the road. A firetruck had to make its way through the stopped traffic. I only saw one damaged car as I passed by.
03.26.2022
https://youtu.be/Jyk_J0ljX_4
https://youtu.be/RfqkIP2Iw9s
https://youtu.be/FVjBNqgB2RE
https://youtu.be/u_khGrDYpgM
https://youtu.be/mHexwJixnrQ
On Saturday March 26th, 2022, we went to Joliet to attend the Powerman5000 show at The Forge. I captured "When Worlds Collide" from their set. Also playing were The World Over, Sun Volume, Programmable Animal, and Bellhead.
03.27.2022
During our grocery run to Indiana on Sunday March 27th, 2022, I decided to take the car through the car wash at the Speedway.
03.28.2022
During my commute to work on Monday March 28th, 2022, There was some sort of roadwork going on and an accident on the Damen exit as I returned home.
03.29.2022
On Tuesday March 29th, 2022, I saw that the "Fat Cat" was out again near the worksite at Western and Archer. This time I believe I got a better shot of it and its sign still protesting Lake Shore Plumbing. I also captured the city as I made my way to work.
Additional soundtrack includes "Sleeping Winter Fool" by Kat Jones, "The Sound Of (Wintry Mix)" by The Bell And The Hammer, "Sunrise/The Song Of The Sun" by Timbre, "Three Below Zero" by Glenn Kaiser Band, and "Sorry" by Flatfoot 56.
Filmed using a Canon Rebel T6s with Audio-Technica AT8024 microphone, a CrossTour CR-900, and iPhone 6 and 8 by Elphie and Joel A. Swanson. Title created using Motion 4 on a Macbook by Joel A. Swanson. Edited using Final Cut Pro on a Mac Mini by Joel A. Swanson.
01.26.2022
On Wednesday January 26th, 2022, I left for work with negative temperatures. After work, Elphie made plans to hang with her friend Kat for a few days so I got Falco's Pizza to eat while she was away.
02.01.2022
On my way home from work on Tuesday February 1st, 2022, I encountered a truck that didn't take the turn correctly in front of the neighborhood Target and seemed to get jammed up against the traffic light post. It may have hit other cars as well...I couldn't tell. This was before the next big snow storm really hit so I don't think the weather had anything to do with this mishap.
02.02.2022
On Wednesday February 2nd, 2022, it was Groundhog's Day (again), and it was another significant blizzard. On this day I was to meet a client for a work related thing off site. I got up with plenty of time, unburied the car again, and navigated out of the driveway despite some good drifting that had occurred and got to the meeting site. The client never showed up. I eventually called and the client had been snowed in. He hadn't made any attempt to reach me or my co-workers. I made my way north to work, capturing some clips of the angry Lake Michigan from Lake Shore Drive.
02.04.2022
On Friday evening, February 4th, 2022, I got some shots of the icicles hanging over the steps we use to get to our backdoor. I had tried to keep them intact as much as I could through the winter though it resulted in a bit of a dangerously slick steps...but they look pretty cool!
02.05.2022
https://youtu.be/ylGG1agDuP8
On Saturday February 5th, 2022, I set out to capture with my Canon Rebel T6s the sunrise over Lake Michigan while it was at least somewhat frozen. I assume the middle is not and at least part of the cause for the cloud cover low on the horizon which interfered with me capturing the actual sunrise. I also ran into a couple other issued with this experiment. First, I had forgotten to put a battery into the camera. I had set it up and turned it on only to have nothing happen. I left the camera, hoping no wind gusts would take it out to sea or something and ran back to the car to get the battery and got back. I think the cold affected the battery as it seemed to drain rather quickly. The camera shut off a couple times on me as well. I also found that whatever I had it set to from the last time I had used it (a concert in December, I believe) was causing way too much light in making the screen essentially white. I had to correct that. I captured the city while it was over exposed as well. I was able to get the settings right and the lens focused prior to the sun coming over the clouds. I let the camera run for a while and took some shots with my iPhone 8 as well. I think the audio is very low due to having it set to allow capturing concert audio without blowing out the sound. I probably could have captured this without using the Audio-Technica AT8024 microphone. I took a couple more shots of the city. Where I was shooting from, the Montrose Harbor, the water was frozen there but out in the lake, it was still moving. There was also steam visible. I hoped that the video would show the different conditions going on with the ice, the water, the steam, and all its movement. I captured using the CrossTour CR-900 the pre-sunrise drive and the drive home.
02.06.2022
On Sunday February 6th, 2022, on our way to our grocery shopping at Meijer in Highland, Indiana, we encountered large piles of snow and decided to capture it with the CrossTour CR-900.
02.07.2022
As I drove to work on Monday February 7th, 2022, I was delayed slightly by a wreck on Lake Shore Drive. I could only see one car. I'm not sure if it was a one car situation or if the other drove off or had already been towed.
02.08.2022
On my way into work on Tuesday February 8th, 2022, there were two areas along Lake Shore Drive where work was being one. The first was well marked with cones and and blinking arrow while the next was not marked at all! It also was in the middle of the lanes. I assume that this crew was fixing potholes but certainly could have been a dangerous situation if someone isn't paying attention to stopped vehicles along the highway there.
02.10.2022
On my way home on Thursday February 10th, 2022, there appeared to have been a fire at the Bubbleland laundromat near where we live. As I waited at the light, two firetrucks left the scene. This was the last clip before our trip to Hawai'i.
Forthcoming blog for the Hawai'i trip.
02.25.2022
After returning from Hawaii, I had to scrape the ice and snow from the car to get to work. I decided to leave the clip of that which was automatically captured by the CrossTour CR-900. This auto capture happens from time to time and I assume my scraping and brushing snow causes the camera sensor to believe there is an incident occurring.
02.26.2022
https://youtu.be/758-PJt64k8
https://youtu.be/-qmnuO3-yUA
https://youtu.be/tfbcnGcsfg8
https://youtu.be/ObtGILfIqpg
On Saturday February 26th, 2022, the Dropick Murphys came to town! They played at Radius. It was my first time attending a show at this venue...it's pretty good! It had been a couple years since I had gotten to catch one of their shows (COVID-19 to blame for the most part) and it was nice to be able to see them live in person again. They did several live streams (and would be doing so again on St. Patrick's Day from their Boston show) but to actually be there in person was great! Al Barr was not on the tour due to his mother having medical issues so it was just Ken Casey doing the lead vocals. I captured "Kiss Me I'm #!@*faced" from their set. The Bombpops played before them. For some reason I was thinking it would be the Horrorpops...oops! I captured "13 Stories Down" from their set. The Rumjacks were before them. I believe at least one of the members is part of the Ollie Mob...the singer wore a Flatfoot 56 T-shirt. They are taking Flatfoot 56 on tour with them later in the spring. I captured "Bloodsoaked In Chorus" from their set. The opener was Jesse Ahern. I missed a song or two going through the security but I caught most of his set and captured a song. It was a good night!
02.27.2022
On Sunday February 27th, 2022, we encountered Telly again as we shopped at Meijer.
03.01.2022
On Tuesday March 1st, 2022, it was my mom's birthday and Mardi Gras. At work there were Pazckis to eat and I got my first Shamrock Shake in Chicago (had one in Hawai'i).
03.04.2022
As I drove home on Friday March 4th, 2022, I captured the image of the Ukraine Flag on the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel.
03.08.2022
https://youtu.be/RhcA8g3S-Jc
On Tuesday March 8th, 2022, Underoath played at Radius in Chicago. Spiritbox was on the tour but dealing with COVID-19 so they were unable to play this show. Stray From The Path and Bad Omens were the openers for the show but I only decided to capture a clip from Underoath. I captured "Pneumonia."
03.10.2022
https://youtu.be/Bf8oEJT8zhA
https://youtu.be/iAfqhBuLOIA
https://youtu.be/sc84TlTDums
https://youtu.be/spzUwJtfvak
On Thursday March 10th, 2022, our friend Little Jessi Dills was playing at Reggies with the band the Von Tramps. Also on the bill were the Dolly Rots, The Run Around and Sweetie. I decided to capture this show using my Canon Rebel T6s with an Audio-Technica AT8024 microphone. I think I had the setting a bit darker than I would have liked but otherwise, I am happy with how it turned out. It was fun to see Little Jessi playing!
03.11.2022
https://youtu.be/CHafEiobEh4
https://youtu.be/DOj1xsjiRnY
https://youtu.be/lLJqQdbmQPU
https://youtu.be/DnJ4N7V_I6U
On Friday March 11th, 2022 I went to the Chop Shop for a ska show. Deals Gone Slack was the headliner. It was a combination of the bands The Slackers and Deals Gone Bad. They played some original music, some covers, and some from each band. Stop The Presses was also on the show and I captured "Dead Man's Party" from their set. The Three Blue Teardrops and The Bama Lamas opened the night. I also captured this show using my Canon Rebel T6s with an Audio-Technica AT8024 microphone.
03.12.2022
After leaving the show at the Chop Shop I captured the Puerto Rico flag installation near Western Avenue on Division. I labeled it at Saturday March 12th, 2022, which it technically was, but it was just after midnight. It's another Atlas Obscura site that I've passed by many times so I figured I'd capture it on video.
03.17.2022
On Saint Patrick's Day, Thursday March 17th, 2022, I captured a "Fat Cat" set up near a construction site at Western and Archer protesting the Lake Shore Plumbing company as I drove to work. At lunchtime, I got my last Shamrock Shake of the season from McDonald's. That evening we watched the livestream of Dropkick Murphys from Boston. It was fun to see while they played with people in the crowd again!
03.18.2022
https://youtu.be/Q8qP3sQf4l8
https://youtu.be/PzRkhGeVkiY
https://youtu.be/6OJ9Xbl8RTY
https://youtu.be/98t3DA8Jfds
https://youtu.be/2huk3IrqkKs
On Friday March 18th, 2022, Flatfoot 56 held their annual Saint Patrick's Day show at Reggies. I captured a newer song called "Mud" from their set. A lot of friends from the Ollie Mob were out for the show! It was good to see them! The Huntingtons were the main support and I captured "No Pool Party Tonight" from their set. 500 Miles To Memphis, Crazy and the Brains, and Evil Empire also played. I used my Canon Rebel T6s with Audio-Technica AT8024 microphone again for this show. I realized after this show that I had the date and time setting wrong in the camera and had to adjust it by about a full day. I had to go back through and adjust the timestamps on the files going all the way back to the purchase of this camera!
03.21.2022
https://youtu.be/-5Z5Z4l166U
https://youtu.be/BpwJKIbqXNU
On Monday March 21st, 2022, it was a nice day. Elphie took advantage and went to the Lincoln Park Zoo during the day. I met her at Renalli's for some pizza before heading to Park West to see Gary Numan. I captured "Intruder" from his set. The opening act was called I Speak Machine and I captured "War" from that set. We got their fairly early and took some seats near the back wall with a bar if we needed for drinks. I rested my hands on that while shooting the video and didn't realize that the bass vibrations were causing my hands to shake making for a very unsteady video.
03.22.2022
https://youtu.be/ooC4XNeUXA4
On Tuesday March 22nd, 2022, I made this video highlighting an issue I had with a battery pack purchase through eBay. I made the purchase in October and actually received the battery packs and the accompanying charger relatively quickly. If it didn't come in October, it was early November. Surprising, considering the supply line and shipping issues going on then and still continuing. I needed new battery packs because I purchased a Canon Rebel T6s and found the battery packs for the T6 were not compatible for the T6s. These were advertised as being "Genuine" Canon LP-E17 battery packs and charger. Upon receiving them, I put them in my camera and they worked! I didn't think to test them in the charger that came with them or the charger I already had. The only discernable difference was the writing on the back being in Chinese characters rather than English for the battery packs. The charger also had a wired plug rather than the flip out prong style of the Canon LC-E17 charger.
In February 2022, while on our Hawai'i trip, I used one of these "genuine" battery packs while we were out. That evening when I went to charge it, nothing happened. I tried in both the charger I got with the camera as well as in the charger that came with the "genuine" battery packs but nothing happened. I tried to charge the battery pack that came with the camera in the charger that came from the "genuine" battery pack purchase and it wouldn't charge either.
At this point, I logged into my eBay and found that the return date had long passed. I apparently only had until December. I decided to contact the seller. I took some pictures of the battery packs in the charger. Both the "genuine" ones from the order as well as the one I got with the camera to show that the charger from the order was not functional at all and the battery packs from the order would not charge in either charger that I had. I did my best to explain everything and answered his follow-up as clearly as I could. The seller offered a refund. A week later, the refund was not processed so I reached out again. The seller stated he "wanted" to refund me but couldn't figure out how and wanted me to do something to make it happen. I'm not sure what I could do so I reached out to the eBay help chat. It seemed to be the best option eBay allowed. During the chat and their thanking me for being a long time account holder, the help chat eventually told me to have the seller refund me through PayPal since it was outside of the return window. I went back to the seller with this information only to be told the seller did not have PayPal. I may be wrong, but I believe that one had to have PayPal to use eBay...at least it used to be that way. I went back to the help chat, got thanked again, and tried to find a solution. This time was less helpful...suggesting filing a complaint against the seller. I never did see how I could do that seeing as the return window had closed. It seemed as though I was also told to get the seller on the chat. I don't know how I could do that, exactly. I tried to send proof of the refund offer from the message I had from the seller but it didn't seem to matter. I reached out to the seller again to see what I could do but got no response this time. I went to the eBay help chat a third and final time...once again getting thanked before we could get into the situation. This final chat really was not helpful. I was basically told there was nothing eBay could or would do. They end these chat sessions by saying that they are satisfied with the help that they give...I was not satisfied.
I decided at this point to try PayPal since the financial transaction was through PayPal. I found that the opportunity to dispute was not yet expired. I had through April 2022...six months! I made this video for the reason of this dispute. By this time I had purchased new battery packs that were indeed genuine and from Canon in Canon packaging. I also ordered a new charger...it came in Canon packaging as well. I tested them (as seen in the video) and the battery packs worked in the camera and both chargers while the "genuine" battery packs would not charge in any of the chargers and the charger that came in the order of the "genuine" battery packs would not charge anything.
In the end, I was able to get a refund from eBay through PayPal and I figure they can deal with the seller of the "genuine" battery packs if they see fit to do so. I did send one final message to the seller stating I was able to get a refund through PayPal and that I would not be doing business with him again as it seems what he is selling are not "genuine" but defective. I also was not happy with his lack of response in my attempts to get the refund figured out. He responded then saying he wanted to refund me but just didn't have PayPal and it was too long. I am grateful I was able to secure a refund in the end and that I now have batteries that I can charge! Lesson learned regarding deals seemingly too good to be true...or something along those lines.
While I haven't made a video yet to highlight it but I will, I also purchased a "battery grip" which connects to the bottom of the camera and allows for two batteries to be used to get more shooting time out of the camera. It has worked great!
03.25.2022
https://youtu.be/vI1NALKBwyw
https://youtu.be/vcKb502KgVA
https://youtu.be/8kU2MOR1Yko
On Friday March 25th, 2022, I went to the Vic Theatre for a show featuring the Circle Jerks, 7 Seconds, and Negative Approach. It was definitely and old guy punk show! I captured "Live Fast, Die Young" by the Circle Jerks and "Young 'Til I Die" by 7 Seconds because it was funny to me considering they are not particularly young anymore. I am glad that they are still doing it though! I captured "Tied Down" from Negative Approach. After the show on Lake Shore Drive there was a car wreck shortly before I got on the road. A firetruck had to make its way through the stopped traffic. I only saw one damaged car as I passed by.
03.26.2022
https://youtu.be/Jyk_J0ljX_4
https://youtu.be/RfqkIP2Iw9s
https://youtu.be/FVjBNqgB2RE
https://youtu.be/u_khGrDYpgM
https://youtu.be/mHexwJixnrQ
On Saturday March 26th, 2022, we went to Joliet to attend the Powerman5000 show at The Forge. I captured "When Worlds Collide" from their set. Also playing were The World Over, Sun Volume, Programmable Animal, and Bellhead.
03.27.2022
During our grocery run to Indiana on Sunday March 27th, 2022, I decided to take the car through the car wash at the Speedway.
03.28.2022
During my commute to work on Monday March 28th, 2022, There was some sort of roadwork going on and an accident on the Damen exit as I returned home.
03.29.2022
On Tuesday March 29th, 2022, I saw that the "Fat Cat" was out again near the worksite at Western and Archer. This time I believe I got a better shot of it and its sign still protesting Lake Shore Plumbing. I also captured the city as I made my way to work.
Additional soundtrack includes "Sleeping Winter Fool" by Kat Jones, "The Sound Of (Wintry Mix)" by The Bell And The Hammer, "Sunrise/The Song Of The Sun" by Timbre, "Three Below Zero" by Glenn Kaiser Band, and "Sorry" by Flatfoot 56.
Filmed using a Canon Rebel T6s with Audio-Technica AT8024 microphone, a CrossTour CR-900, and iPhone 6 and 8 by Elphie and Joel A. Swanson. Title created using Motion 4 on a Macbook by Joel A. Swanson. Edited using Final Cut Pro on a Mac Mini by Joel A. Swanson.
