The footage that is compiled to make this Spring 2023 video project begins after our return from Australia and New Zealand and goes through the end of June when we head off to Audiofeed 2023. There is some live show footage and another Leper music video that I was able to put together fairly quickly once I had the time to work on it. We made a couple short trips this Spring...one day trip to Michigan to see Flatfoot 56 and the Huntingtons and a weekend trip to Pennsylvania which included a day in Pittsburgh on my birthday to visit with friends, get a tattoo, and eat some great food. Elphie had family visit which is highlighted somewhat in this project as well. We were able to have a few bonfires throughout the season with friends and family. One oddity was that I didn't get to any shows in the month of May...a first time for me, I think, of going over a month without seeing a show that wasn't due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday April 3rd, 2023, Elphie helped our friend Daniel finish up moving from his apartment. I was at work but when I got done, I met them to help with the last few things. I was still feeling the jet lag effect a bit. Daniel treated us to Raymond's Tacos nearby for helping him. On my morning commute on Wednesday April 4th, 2023, I kept encountering road blocks. The first was due to work in my neighborhood so I went one block over to get around it. Then on Archer, one of the main streets, traffic was being stopped at Western, another main corridor, by police and emergency vehicles, so I turned to go another way. In hindsight, perhaps taking a route that directly got me on the highway at this point might have been the better and quicker choice. Instead I decided to try 35th street only to encounter more road blocks at Western. I followed another car up an alley and found a road not blocked accessing Western however getting across Western was not an option so I continued north. As I went, all routes leading to/from Western continued to be blocked by emergency vehicles. Some police and emergency vehicles began to follow me and the other traffic that managed to get onto northbound Western. At Ogden, most of the emergency vehicles turned east and so I continued driving north on Western then took I-290 east into the city. I kept the footage I captured using my CrossTour CR-900 of this detour including the low cloud cover over the the city once I was out of the detour and heading to work on Lake Shore Drive. I sped up the footage at 1,000%. The detour ended up being due to a firefighter passing away during a morning fire on the south side. On Thursday April 5th, 2023, during my morning commute, there was a fire in one of the condo buildings along Lake Shore Drive. Apparently another firefighter passed away during this fire as well. I captured all the firetrucks around the building as well as some smoke using my CrossTour CR-900.
On Saturday April 8th, 2023 we gave Peeps cereal a try for the Easter holiday. On Sunday April 9th, 2023, we attended the Easter service held at Wilson Abbey by J.P.U.S.A. and then hung around and had dinner with friends afterwards. There was another fire during my morning commute on Monday April 10th, 2023. This time it was on Archer a bit further north than I would typically drive so that didn't necessarily have much of an effect. I could see the smoke while waiting at the light at Damen Avenue then a firetruck drove through. Once on I-57, I could see the smoke again...it was a large plume and it did have an effect on driving through as visibility was considerably lessened and, of course, the morbid curiosity to try to see what's going on.
On Saturday April 15th, 2023 we attended Nocturna at Metro. We got to see a few friends and Elphie was able to give out some souvenirs from our Australia and New Zealand trip. On Monday April 17th, 2023, we had our last snowfall...I think. I captured it on my CrossTour CR-900 as I cleared off the car to drive to work. The evening commute on Wednesday April 19th, 2023 had a storm with quite a bit of lightning. I used my CrossTour CR-900 to capture the lightning as I drove. This clip took quite a bit of time, painstakingly searching through to see where the lightning occurred over the duration of the drive and then slowing down the footage so to maximize the lightning on the video.
On Saturday April 8th, 2023 we gave Peeps cereal a try for the Easter holiday. On Sunday April 9th, 2023, we attended the Easter service held at Wilson Abbey by J.P.U.S.A. and then hung around and had dinner with friends afterwards. There was another fire during my morning commute on Monday April 10th, 2023. This time it was on Archer a bit further north than I would typically drive so that didn't necessarily have much of an effect. I could see the smoke while waiting at the light at Damen Avenue then a firetruck drove through. Once on I-57, I could see the smoke again...it was a large plume and it did have an effect on driving through as visibility was considerably lessened and, of course, the morbid curiosity to try to see what's going on.
On Saturday April 15th, 2023 we attended Nocturna at Metro. We got to see a few friends and Elphie was able to give out some souvenirs from our Australia and New Zealand trip. On Monday April 17th, 2023, we had our last snowfall...I think. I captured it on my CrossTour CR-900 as I cleared off the car to drive to work. The evening commute on Wednesday April 19th, 2023 had a storm with quite a bit of lightning. I used my CrossTour CR-900 to capture the lightning as I drove. This clip took quite a bit of time, painstakingly searching through to see where the lightning occurred over the duration of the drive and then slowing down the footage so to maximize the lightning on the video.
04.21.2023
On Friday April 21st, 2023 I left work a little bit early and we drove to Grand Rapids, Michigan for a show featuring the Huntingtons and Flatfoot 56. Elphie met me in Uptown and we got lunch at Pokiology before leaving. I also gave the Coca-Cola Move variant try. It ended up tasting somewhat similar as the Starlight variant though not as good. I heard the flavor was meant to transform but it didn't seem to do so. We were unfortunately a little late to the show and ended up missing Brandon Reid opening the night. The show was at Skelletones which recently re-opened. I had heard a lot about the venue from friends who played during its previous era so it was cool to get to experience the place. Some of our Michigan friends made it to the show, the Smiths, The Hamptons, and Adam. I captured a clip of "No Luck Again" by the Huntingtons and "I'll Fly Away" by Flatfoot 56. I captured "I'll Fly Away" because Josh from the Huntingtons played with Flatfoot 56 for the song. After the show, Elphie and I detoured to the Kalamazoo area to visit with the Smiths and gather the vinyl Chris had obtained for me from Furnace Fest 2022. We stayed for a few hours then returned to Chicago in the wee hours.
On Saturday April 22nd, 2023, I found that the Pilfers were playing in Berwyn, Illinois just outside Chicago and decided to go to the show. It was all ska bands and in a bar called El Corral and it was the first time I had caught a show there. It was a different sort of establishment. I ended up there quite early too apparently. Pilfers ended the night with Patois Six, Skapital Corruption, Forgotten Tribe, and Rude Echoes playing as well. Little Jessi showed up and it was good to see her.
https://youtu.be/SKd5tVWyTfg
https://youtu.be/Q-K3zvzhtoI
https://youtu.be/-t3ucz5rCSY
https://youtu.be/EwmrunKX0T0
https://youtu.be/SKd5tVWyTfg
https://youtu.be/Q-K3zvzhtoI
https://youtu.be/-t3ucz5rCSY
https://youtu.be/EwmrunKX0T0
04.23.2023 - 05.01.2023
I left work early again on Thursday April 27th, 2023 to head to Pennsylvania. We drove to Warren and arrived in the late evening. It was a fairly uneventful trip. On Friday April 28th, 2023, we drove to Jones Chevrolet to look at an EV. I had been told that there would be a Bolt EV on the lot however, upon arrival, we found out that I had received bad information. We also learned that with the EVs, they had to be typically ordered as they are not sitting on the lots. Also we learned that the Bolt was now only in EUV for whatever that matters. We tried to get a Baja Freeze then from Taco Bell but apparently the Freeze machine wasn't working. We had dinner with my brother and parents, eating Domino's Pizza. I gave the Mountain Dew Summer Freeze variant a try and felt it was similar to voltage but the flavor seemed "watered down". We then drove to Pittsburgh where we'd spend the next day. We got a hotel at Red Roof Inn in Cranberry. As we drove out of the Warren area, we witnessed something that looked like an explosion and then fire. We're not sure what it was and my searching for information didn't turn anything up.
On Saturday April 29th, 2023 we spent my birthday in Pittsburgh! We started the day going to Burgatory to get lunch using the gift cards I had won during the Pittsburgh Penguins Predictor a few years back, thanks to Chad Ruhwedel! We had to get the order to go so that we could get to In The Blood Tattoo on time for my appointment with Justun Wanted. I was able to get the entire piece I wanted done with Justun because he works quickly while still doing a great quality job! I am really happy with how it turned out! It was good to see him again and to catch up as it had been quite a few years. Perhaps I can make a yearly visit and get some more work done each time! After settling up, we left to visit Six16 Piercing studio so Elphie could get the dermal in her forehead removed. She had an MRI coming up and felt it best to get it taken care of this way by someone she trusted. She had Ryan Feagin remove it and we had a few minutes to catch up with him as well. After this, I stopped for gas at Speedway and redeemed a free Mountain Dew as well as Birthday Bonus Points. I had tried to reach out to Dylan and Amber to see if they were free but hadn't gotten a response so we just pulled up to the house. Amber was making dinner for their kid and Dylan was doing a job. We caught up a bit with Amber then Dylan got home and we caught up a bit with him as well! It had been a long time since we'd seen either of them or been in the house and a lot had changed. Next we headed to Roland's for Lobster ravioli, a Hot Lobster Roll, and hangs with Joe! He gave us free Primanti Brothers coupons and ended up comping us the dinner as well. We made it through Pittsburgh without paying for food! I left a big time tip for him as we left. We also saw Kathryn Manning who happened to be at the bar with her partner on their way to some other shenanigans. It was a good day in Pittsburgh!
On Sunday April 30th, 2023, we stopped at Primanti Brothers for lunch, using the coupons that Joe gave us, and then stopped at Burgatory again to get shakes to take back to Warren. My mom was interested in trying the expresso shake! We got back to Warren before the Pirates game began due to a rain delay. They ended up losing which began quite a slump for the team after a promising and over-achieving start to the season. We had Easter with the family, that evening. We drove back to Chicago on Monday May 1st, 2023, stopping in Erie at Dave Hallman Chevrolet to see if they happened to have a Bolt EV on site to check out. They did, however, it was owned by someone. We were given the impression it could take 6-8 months to receive a Bolt EUV on order so we placed an order while we were there and made the commitment to buy a new car for the first time! The plan was to pick it up in November while in Warren for Thanksgiving and hunting season. We made it back to Chicago...it was another relatively uneventful drive.
05.05.2023 - 05.08.2023
On Friday May 5th, 2023, during the evening commute home, I encountered one car with a large Mexican flag on display...apparently celebrating Cinco de Mayo. I also captured another interesting car closer to home using my CrossTour CR-900. On Saturday May 6th, 2023, while Elphie was trying to organize the souvenirs from Australia and New Zealand, Stein decided to take up residence in the bag! It's funny that he has a perfectly good cat bed but won't utilize it...instead sitting in a bag or on paper that he eventually decides to rip to pieces too. On Sunday May 7th, 2023 we attended the anniversary party of Lyda and Ron Jackson at Wilson Abbey. They renewed their vows and had a ceremony. There also was cake which was quite good. We hung around for a bit into the evening. As we drove home, we caught a lightning storm using the CrossTour CR-900. We also captured the local peddler of balloons, roses, and other odd items as he peddled while the storm approached. Monday May 8th, 2023 I used my CrossTour CR-900 to capture some interesting cloud cover over the city. I did the same on Tuesday May 9th, 2023 though I sped up the entire commute due to the way the clouds seemed to linger over the areas closer to Lake Michigan. I also captured that the Buckingham Fountain had finally been turned on for the season.
05.05.2023 - 05.08.2023
On Friday May 5th, 2023, during the evening commute home, I encountered one car with a large Mexican flag on display...apparently celebrating Cinco de Mayo. I also captured another interesting car closer to home using my CrossTour CR-900. On Saturday May 6th, 2023, while Elphie was trying to organize the souvenirs from Australia and New Zealand, Stein decided to take up residence in the bag! It's funny that he has a perfectly good cat bed but won't utilize it...instead sitting in a bag or on paper that he eventually decides to rip to pieces too. On Sunday May 7th, 2023 we attended the anniversary party of Lyda and Ron Jackson at Wilson Abbey. They renewed their vows and had a ceremony. There also was cake which was quite good. We hung around for a bit into the evening. As we drove home, we caught a lightning storm using the CrossTour CR-900. We also captured the local peddler of balloons, roses, and other odd items as he peddled while the storm approached. Monday May 8th, 2023 I used my CrossTour CR-900 to capture some interesting cloud cover over the city. I did the same on Tuesday May 9th, 2023 though I sped up the entire commute due to the way the clouds seemed to linger over the areas closer to Lake Michigan. I also captured that the Buckingham Fountain had finally been turned on for the season.
05.11.2023 - 05.23.2023
Elphie's mom came to visit and on Thursday May 11th, 2023, we picked her up at Midway Airport. In doing so, I missed the turn while returning from the cell phone lot and had to get turned around. I had an airplane take off overhead while doing this. On Friday May 12th, 2023 we took Elphie's mom to the Zenleaf dispensary so she could get her marijuana to get through her time in Chicago. We also stopped at the new Seven Eleven in the neighborhood.
On Saturday May 13th, 2023, Elphie took her mom to get her hair and nails did. I stayed home and began the work on the Southern Hemisphere vacation project. When they got done, we stopped at Portillo's so Elphie's mom could get a Chicago style hot dog. She opted for a chili cheese coney instead. After Portillo's, we had friends come over for a bonfire in the backyard. Quite a few friends were able to visit and it was a good time. On Sunday May 14th, 2023, we took Elphie's mom to Bree Thai and drove up to Chinatown on Archer. We didn't do a lot of driving around due to my brakes going bad. I had an appointment the next day to get them checked out. I set the appointment on Friday and they got considerably worse through the weekend!
On Monday May 15th, 2023, with my new set of brakes, I found that Lake Shore Drive was closed for me going back home. I took a detour and while doing so, passed a truck at Montrose Avenue stuck under Lake Shore Drive. On Tuesday May 16th, 2023, Canadian wild fire smoke had infiltrated the Chicago area making for a hazy evening. We also were being hit with a "Pneumonia Front" which causes a drastic temperature drop in just a few hours. It had dropped 10 degrees during my commute home! I captured some photos and video of the hazy sun due to the smoke after getting home using my Canon Rebel T6s. I took screenshots to try to show the temperature drop. It wasn't as extreme as it seemed it would be but still, two degrees in less than an hour is pretty extreme! I also picked up a Falco's Chicago style deep dish pizza for dinner so Elphie's mom could experience that.
Elphie and her mom went out on their own on Wednesday May 17th, 2023 and Thursday May 18th, 2023 to the Shedd Aquarium and "The Bean (CloudGate)" while I was working. On Friday May 19th, 2023 we took Elphie's mom with us to shop for groceries in Indiana at the Meijer. We also got a car wash at Speedway. before leaving, they played a game of "Wig Out!"
On Saturday May 20th, 2023, we went to the Garfield Park Conservatory. We had not gone there before and it was fairly enjoyable. I decided to visit the Shit Fountain next, I figured Elphie's mom would appreciate it! While there, the artist who created the fountain came out of his studio and invited us to check it out. It was interesting! We drove through the north side neighborhoods up to Uptown, stopping at the Graceland Cemetery to show Elphie's mom the various sculptures, memorials, and mausoleums including Eternal Silence and Inez Clarke. We then drove by the Saint Augustine College where Elphie had taken classes (and the former Essanay Studios where silent films were created) before heading to Montrose Beach to see the dogs play in the water. After getting dinner at Sonic, we drove up to Winnetka to see the Home Alone house and, along the way, the Bahá'í Temple. Coming back to the neighborhood, I detoured by Zion Evangelical Lutheran Ghost Church. We made one last stop at Andy's for custard before heading in for the evening. Elphie's mom was tired out. On Sunday May 22nd, 2023, Elphie's mom was to fly home from Midway. We took her to Culver's for dinner before her flight. We dropped her off at Midway. Elphie went with her as far as security would allow and she eventually made it back to North Carolina after some delays due to weather somewhere in between I guess.
https://youtu.be/KJo_A05YGMU
On Tuesday morning May 23rd, 2023, I decided to take a detour on my way to work using Pershing Road to get to Damen rather than Archer. There was a significant traffic backup for some reason. At Pershing and Damen, there is an asphalt plant that can also cause some delays as trucks are let in and out of the facility. This happened as I approached so I waited in the traffic. Someone driving a "Lease Uber/Lyft" Ford vehicle got impatient behind me laying on their horn while I couldn't really move due to the traffic ahead. The light changed to red as well but this person continued with the horn. Prior to arriving behind me, they had passed another vehicle on the curb side in the bike lane. That person then pulled up on the curbside in the bike lane next to this impatient driver using the "Lease Uber/Lyft" vehicle then after a short time, they pulled around me on the curbside using the bike lane then proceeded through the intersection on a red light. The impatient driver of the "Lease Uber/Lyft" vehicle did the same while giving me the middle finger! ha! I then proceeded with a green light through the intersection and as I approached that "Lease Uber/Lyft" vehicle, the driver again took the curb side bike lane and we both reached the next intersection. I was using the left turn lane. The light was again red. The "Lease Uber/Lyft" vehicle would then proceed through another red light as did a motorcycle heading the opposite direction. Using my CrossTour CR-900, I was able to capture their license plate: Illinois DR 16568 and the number for the "Lease Uber/Lyft" which was (773) 999-1500. Later on my morning commute, I captured firetrucks on Queen's Landing near the Buckingham Fountain during my commute. I'm not sure what was going on with that. I included bonus footage of calling the number on the Lease Uber/Lyft vehicle.
On Saturday May 13th, 2023, Elphie took her mom to get her hair and nails did. I stayed home and began the work on the Southern Hemisphere vacation project. When they got done, we stopped at Portillo's so Elphie's mom could get a Chicago style hot dog. She opted for a chili cheese coney instead. After Portillo's, we had friends come over for a bonfire in the backyard. Quite a few friends were able to visit and it was a good time. On Sunday May 14th, 2023, we took Elphie's mom to Bree Thai and drove up to Chinatown on Archer. We didn't do a lot of driving around due to my brakes going bad. I had an appointment the next day to get them checked out. I set the appointment on Friday and they got considerably worse through the weekend!
On Monday May 15th, 2023, with my new set of brakes, I found that Lake Shore Drive was closed for me going back home. I took a detour and while doing so, passed a truck at Montrose Avenue stuck under Lake Shore Drive. On Tuesday May 16th, 2023, Canadian wild fire smoke had infiltrated the Chicago area making for a hazy evening. We also were being hit with a "Pneumonia Front" which causes a drastic temperature drop in just a few hours. It had dropped 10 degrees during my commute home! I captured some photos and video of the hazy sun due to the smoke after getting home using my Canon Rebel T6s. I took screenshots to try to show the temperature drop. It wasn't as extreme as it seemed it would be but still, two degrees in less than an hour is pretty extreme! I also picked up a Falco's Chicago style deep dish pizza for dinner so Elphie's mom could experience that.
Elphie and her mom went out on their own on Wednesday May 17th, 2023 and Thursday May 18th, 2023 to the Shedd Aquarium and "The Bean (CloudGate)" while I was working. On Friday May 19th, 2023 we took Elphie's mom with us to shop for groceries in Indiana at the Meijer. We also got a car wash at Speedway. before leaving, they played a game of "Wig Out!"
On Saturday May 20th, 2023, we went to the Garfield Park Conservatory. We had not gone there before and it was fairly enjoyable. I decided to visit the Shit Fountain next, I figured Elphie's mom would appreciate it! While there, the artist who created the fountain came out of his studio and invited us to check it out. It was interesting! We drove through the north side neighborhoods up to Uptown, stopping at the Graceland Cemetery to show Elphie's mom the various sculptures, memorials, and mausoleums including Eternal Silence and Inez Clarke. We then drove by the Saint Augustine College where Elphie had taken classes (and the former Essanay Studios where silent films were created) before heading to Montrose Beach to see the dogs play in the water. After getting dinner at Sonic, we drove up to Winnetka to see the Home Alone house and, along the way, the Bahá'í Temple. Coming back to the neighborhood, I detoured by Zion Evangelical Lutheran Ghost Church. We made one last stop at Andy's for custard before heading in for the evening. Elphie's mom was tired out. On Sunday May 22nd, 2023, Elphie's mom was to fly home from Midway. We took her to Culver's for dinner before her flight. We dropped her off at Midway. Elphie went with her as far as security would allow and she eventually made it back to North Carolina after some delays due to weather somewhere in between I guess.
https://youtu.be/KJo_A05YGMU
On Tuesday morning May 23rd, 2023, I decided to take a detour on my way to work using Pershing Road to get to Damen rather than Archer. There was a significant traffic backup for some reason. At Pershing and Damen, there is an asphalt plant that can also cause some delays as trucks are let in and out of the facility. This happened as I approached so I waited in the traffic. Someone driving a "Lease Uber/Lyft" Ford vehicle got impatient behind me laying on their horn while I couldn't really move due to the traffic ahead. The light changed to red as well but this person continued with the horn. Prior to arriving behind me, they had passed another vehicle on the curb side in the bike lane. That person then pulled up on the curbside in the bike lane next to this impatient driver using the "Lease Uber/Lyft" vehicle then after a short time, they pulled around me on the curbside using the bike lane then proceeded through the intersection on a red light. The impatient driver of the "Lease Uber/Lyft" vehicle did the same while giving me the middle finger! ha! I then proceeded with a green light through the intersection and as I approached that "Lease Uber/Lyft" vehicle, the driver again took the curb side bike lane and we both reached the next intersection. I was using the left turn lane. The light was again red. The "Lease Uber/Lyft" vehicle would then proceed through another red light as did a motorcycle heading the opposite direction. Using my CrossTour CR-900, I was able to capture their license plate: Illinois DR 16568 and the number for the "Lease Uber/Lyft" which was (773) 999-1500. Later on my morning commute, I captured firetrucks on Queen's Landing near the Buckingham Fountain during my commute. I'm not sure what was going on with that. I included bonus footage of calling the number on the Lease Uber/Lyft vehicle.
05.25.2023
Skot Shaw had asked me to put together another music video. This one is for Leper's song "If I Ever Fall In Love" off the Dark Places album and using a clip his bandmade John Betten shot during an open mic. After some back and forth on the arranging of that footage with the additional footage I shot with Skot in his studio The Empathy Crypt, we came to a place of agreement where what you see was the finished product. There is more information one can read here.
https://youtu.be/z9n2YGhgydU
05.28.2023 - 06.05.2023
On Sunday May 28th, 2023, we attended a BBQ at the Oratory of Jesus Christ Reconciler Community of the Holy Trinity house. We got to see a few friends and hang out while enjoying good food. We ended up doing a bonfire on Memorial Day - Monday May 29th, 2023 with Russ. We caught up on life and I cooked up some Johnsonville Better with Cheddar sausages.
During my morning commute on Monday June 5th, 2023, I encountered an accident that looked fairly serious. I wore my Denmark National jersey in recognition of Denmark's Constitution Day. I found that they celebrate by eating hot dogs, apparently. I had left overs from the weekend so I ate one as a good Dane.
05.28.2023 - 06.05.2023
On Sunday May 28th, 2023, we attended a BBQ at the Oratory of Jesus Christ Reconciler Community of the Holy Trinity house. We got to see a few friends and hang out while enjoying good food. We ended up doing a bonfire on Memorial Day - Monday May 29th, 2023 with Russ. We caught up on life and I cooked up some Johnsonville Better with Cheddar sausages.
During my morning commute on Monday June 5th, 2023, I encountered an accident that looked fairly serious. I wore my Denmark National jersey in recognition of Denmark's Constitution Day. I found that they celebrate by eating hot dogs, apparently. I had left overs from the weekend so I ate one as a good Dane.
06.06.2023 - 06.08.2023
Elphie's sister and her family came to visit us for a few days. They arrived on Tuesday June 6th, 2023. We took them to Falco's Pizza so that they could experience a Chicago Deep Dish style pizza. Elphie's nephew stated he could eat an entire Chicago deep dish pizza in one sitting so I challenged him to do so. He ended up balking at the idea once the pizza was there in front of him. It was Sweden's national day so I wore my Sweden National jersey. Some guy in Falco's attempted to pick a fight with me thinking I was wearing a St. Louis Blues jersey, ha!
Elphie's sister and her family came to visit us for a few days. They arrived on Tuesday June 6th, 2023. We took them to Falco's Pizza so that they could experience a Chicago Deep Dish style pizza. Elphie's nephew stated he could eat an entire Chicago deep dish pizza in one sitting so I challenged him to do so. He ended up balking at the idea once the pizza was there in front of him. It was Sweden's national day so I wore my Sweden National jersey. Some guy in Falco's attempted to pick a fight with me thinking I was wearing a St. Louis Blues jersey, ha!
On Wednesday June 7th, 2023, with Elphie's family visiting, I took a few hours off work early to meet up with them to walk around at Millennium Park and Navy Pier. There were a few other ideas Elphie had in mind but that was all we got in. They had driven up to Uptown and Elphie took them to see the dog beach at Montrose while I finished up some work related things. While in Millennium Park, we visited the Palladium, the Bean (Cloud Gate), Crown Fountain with the faces, walked through the butterfly garden, and walked to the playground area. While at Navy Pier, Elphie's family road the Centennial Wheel and when we got dinner, they got some Dragon Breath cereal which is frozen in nitrate so one could appear to be blowing smoke. We walked to the end the the pier earlier then found a spot probably halfway down to watch the Navy Pier Fireworks.
https://youtu.be/dzz2gNhkdSM
On Thursday June 8th, 2023, Elphie and her family met me on the northside of Chicago after I got off of work. They had gone on an architecture cruise along the Chicago River earlier in the day. I met them near Wrigleyville and we walked along Clark Street, passing Wrigley Field. Elphie wanted to take them to Cheesie's for dinner. While there, I ordered a shot of Jeppson's Malört for Elphie's sister to try. She found it as unpleasant as most folks do! We intended to have a bonfire that night but with the early flight out and the travel from their trip, Elphie's family decided that they'd rather take it easy and prepare for their leaving in the morning.
06.09.2023
On Friday June 9th, 2023, Elphie and I attended another ska show. This was was at The Fallout in Pilsen. We had gone to this spot right before the COVID-19 pandemic to see a punk show. It appeared some work had been done since then. We missed Circle City Deacons but got there in time to see Little Jessi play with Local Legends. They will be playing at Audiofeed too! We also saw Stuck Lucky and Bumsy and the Moochers. We hung with Little Jessi throughout the night and after the show until "the man" kicked everyone out. We got a quick opportunity to meet the guy who is booking the space too.
https://youtu.be/xMkNinOTki4
06.10.2023 - 06.16.2023
On Saturday June 10th, 2023, we decided to have a bonfire to celebrate our 8th anniversary. We ended up with a few friends coming over and it was fun to hang with them. The weather was pretty good too...the temperature was pretty much perfect for a bonfire and no rain. On Sunday June 11th, 2023, we decided to brave the elements and go to the Midsommarfest in Andersonville. It was quite cool on this day and rainy too. Well below the average temperature for June in Chicago. There were not too many people there, probably due to the weather. I was able to get a Glögg slushie from Simon's Tavern. It was pretty good...similar to regular, warm glögg but frozen instead. We walked around a bit then decided to try the "Swedish hotdog" from one of the food vendors. This was the first I had heard about a "Swedish hotdog" but it was pretty good. After finishing eating, we decided to head back home and warm back up! On Tuesday June 13th, 2023, our official anniversary, I stopped at Luke's Lobster downtown. It was quite the rainy day so we ended up getting it to go and just eating it at home. I watched the Stanley Cup Final game as Elphie watched America's Got Talent. We both got Luke's Trio which is a sampler of the three rolls that they serve: lobster, crab, and shrimp. We both got the Lobster Bisque as well. It was all very good as usual! I guess, being a weekday and rainy, we just kept it pretty low key.
I caught a couple of baseball games on Wednesday June 14th, and Thursday June 15th, 2023 between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs. They played a game on Tuesday as well but being our anniversary I chose not to go...and then it rained as well. The Pirates lost all the games and the scores of the two I went to were 10-6 and 7-2. In both cases the games started out well in the Pirates favor but one bad inning changed that. So much for the good start to the season. It was also quite cool during the games for June. In fact on Thursday, it was cold! I don't recall it as cold as it got during that stretch in June before. On the bright side, I got relatively good seats and parked in such a place that getting home wasn't too bad! While I know I edited the footage I captured on June 14th, 2023, I seem to have mistakenly deleted it as well as the raw files. I included a couple still shots instead to replace what I lost. It's frustrating though.
I caught a couple of baseball games on Wednesday June 14th, and Thursday June 15th, 2023 between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs. They played a game on Tuesday as well but being our anniversary I chose not to go...and then it rained as well. The Pirates lost all the games and the scores of the two I went to were 10-6 and 7-2. In both cases the games started out well in the Pirates favor but one bad inning changed that. So much for the good start to the season. It was also quite cool during the games for June. In fact on Thursday, it was cold! I don't recall it as cold as it got during that stretch in June before. On the bright side, I got relatively good seats and parked in such a place that getting home wasn't too bad! While I know I edited the footage I captured on June 14th, 2023, I seem to have mistakenly deleted it as well as the raw files. I included a couple still shots instead to replace what I lost. It's frustrating though.
06.17.2023
On Saturday June 17th, 2023, it was the annual Anti-Procreation Day brought to you by The Advocacy For Anti-Procreation. This day ended up being a two event day along with our Indiana grocery trip to Meijer. The first show was at the Thiesen's house in Dyer, Indiana. It was a last minute show in a way due to another show falling through for the traveling acts. It featured Sammy Kay, Seth Anderson, Brandon Sanders, and Tobin Bawinkel. It was a nice hang out opportunity as well with some friends and members of the Ollie Mob. We left immediately after to go to the 35th Anniversary of Nocturna at Metro. There was a special performance by Adult. We were in the balcony and it allowed me to see some of the synth work during the performance. We saw Kate, Larry, Laura, Jason, and Daniel. We decided to leave when Kate and Larry were ready to go so we drove them home. Since sunrise was near its earliest of the year, I decided to try to catch it on video. We drove over to the Alder Planetarium and parked then I walked around behind it to set up the camera but the Canadian wildfires continue to cause smoke so the sun never appeared at the horizon. We did happen to see it a bit higher in the sky as we left to go home and sleep. It still looked pretty cool with the smoke screening it some but I had hoped to capture it as it rose over the lake.
https://youtu.be/lgD58jntleY
06.18.2023 - 06.30.2023
On Saturday June 17th, 2023, it was the annual Anti-Procreation Day brought to you by The Advocacy For Anti-Procreation. This day ended up being a two event day along with our Indiana grocery trip to Meijer. The first show was at the Thiesen's house in Dyer, Indiana. It was a last minute show in a way due to another show falling through for the traveling acts. It featured Sammy Kay, Seth Anderson, Brandon Sanders, and Tobin Bawinkel. It was a nice hang out opportunity as well with some friends and members of the Ollie Mob. We left immediately after to go to the 35th Anniversary of Nocturna at Metro. There was a special performance by Adult. We were in the balcony and it allowed me to see some of the synth work during the performance. We saw Kate, Larry, Laura, Jason, and Daniel. We decided to leave when Kate and Larry were ready to go so we drove them home. Since sunrise was near its earliest of the year, I decided to try to catch it on video. We drove over to the Alder Planetarium and parked then I walked around behind it to set up the camera but the Canadian wildfires continue to cause smoke so the sun never appeared at the horizon. We did happen to see it a bit higher in the sky as we left to go home and sleep. It still looked pretty cool with the smoke screening it some but I had hoped to capture it as it rose over the lake.
https://youtu.be/lgD58jntleY
06.18.2023 - 06.30.2023
Elphie went downtown to the Art Institute of Chicago with some friends on Thursday June 22nd, 2023. She was able to also go into the Chicago Cultural Center and see the Tiffany Dome. Throughout the week of June 26th through 30th, 2023, Chicago was again under the cover of the smoke from Canada's wildfires. This has been in the area for a while now but during this week, it was worse! This caused for "air quality alerts" and even a bit of an odor in the air. I thought it mostly smelled a bit like after a bonfire is put out though Elphie and some others felt they noticed a more chemical smell to it. I captured footage of the effect of the smoke obscuring the skyline and making everything quite hazy using my CrossTour CR-900. I also captured the sun as it was setting filtered through the smoke in the air using my Canon Rebel T6s. Chicago was also preparing for a NASCAR Race in downtown along the lakefront at Grant Park. I captured some footage driving through during my commutes of the preparations to build the track including on Lake Shore Drive where I technically drove on part of the track on Wednesday June 28th, 2023. This also caused a detour for my commute home on Thursday June 29th, 2023 and both commutes on Friday June 30th, 2023...thus causing a delay on leaving for Audiofeed after work on Friday. At lunchtime on Friday June 30th, 2023, I gave the McDonald's Grimace shake at try. I found that the only way to purchase a Grimace shake was to purchase a meal with either the Big Mac or a 10 piece McNugget. I decided to go with the Big Mac...which I recalled being considerably bigger in the past. The Grimace Shake tasted fruity.
Additional soundtrack includes "Baptized In Fire" by Celldweller, "Pittsburgh" by the Huntingtons, "Pittsburgh Shoes" by The Homeless Gospel Choir, "Ccclouds" by He Is Legend, "I Am In The Garden" by Timbre, "Shits Up In The Air" by Pilfers, "Garden Of Serenity" by the Ramones, "The Friendly Ghost" by Koala Fires, "The Bonny" by the Dropkick Murphys, "Sweet Home Chicago" by Glenn Kaiser, "Fire" by The Uh Ohs, "Smoke Blower" by Flatfoot 56, "When The Smoke Clears" by Rancid, "Smoke" by Starflyer 59, and "All Fire" by The Bellwether Syndicate.
Footage filmed using a Canon Rebel T6s with an Audio-Technica AT-8024 microphone, iPhone 12 and 14 and Crosstour CR-900 by Elphie and Joel A. Swanson. Titles and other animations created using Motion 4 on a Macbook by Joel A. Swanson. Edited using Final Cut Pro on a Mac Mini by Joel A. Swanson.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9ZwEF2QQpO_ZsH7j3Ts06Vv_7r-Brix
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9ZwEF2QQpO_ZsH7j3Ts06Vv_7r-Brix
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