The footage for this project begins after the holiday season that ended 2023 and began 2024. I included the Epiphany/12th Night of Christmas with the holiday footage. Our Easter is the end of this project as it fell at the end of March in 2024.
https://youtu.be/v8wqvM8jocc
01.12.2024 - 01.15.2024
01.12.2024 - 01.15.2024
On Friday January 12th, 2024, Chicago got a fairly heavy snowfall. It was quite the heavy, wet snow as well so shoveling was extra difficult but needed to be done before the extreme cold that was forecasted so that I and others could get out of the driveway. I captured footage leaving the house as well as footage of the angry waves on Lake Michigan during the morning commute. On my way home, I witnessed a driver clip a guy who was trying to get into his vehicle. It seemed that the driver didn't realize he clipped the guy but the guy attempted to chase down the vehicle. He drove up behind the vehicle and got out at the intersection of Wilson and Sheridan but the driver started moving again once the light changed and I missed the rest of the interaction. At Roosevelt and Lake Shore Drive I was cut off by another driver who decided to turn right from the lane to the left of me while I was next to him. I thankfully noticed the car merging into my lane early enough to not get hit. Footage of this is below capturing using my CrossTour CR-900 with added commentary.
https://youtu.be/RaPztJn3p-k
Back at home, I spent time shoveling the heavy snow and the handle broke off our shovel. I borrowed one to finish the job.
On Monday January 15th, 2024, I left the house at -7 degrees to head to work. This was the coldest temperature I have experienced with our electric car and while the battery capacity was significantly lowered, I had thankfully charged a couple days before in anticipation. I was able to get to and from work. I captured some footage of the ice and steam on Lake Michigan during the morning commute and the "Keep The Dream Alive" sign lit up on the Blue Cross Blue Shield building as I drove home. While at work, due to the extreme weather affecting Pittsburgh sports teams, I was able to watch the Penguins game while trying to stay warm using a space heater. I often charge while parked in a parking garage but the garage was closed both Monday, due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday and Tuesday, likely due to the cold so I had to make a choice to stop at a charger on my way home. The charging process was slow but I got enough to get through the rest of the cold as the temperature and weather began to get closer to normal Chicago winter.
Back at home, I spent time shoveling the heavy snow and the handle broke off our shovel. I borrowed one to finish the job.
On Monday January 15th, 2024, I left the house at -7 degrees to head to work. This was the coldest temperature I have experienced with our electric car and while the battery capacity was significantly lowered, I had thankfully charged a couple days before in anticipation. I was able to get to and from work. I captured some footage of the ice and steam on Lake Michigan during the morning commute and the "Keep The Dream Alive" sign lit up on the Blue Cross Blue Shield building as I drove home. While at work, due to the extreme weather affecting Pittsburgh sports teams, I was able to watch the Penguins game while trying to stay warm using a space heater. I often charge while parked in a parking garage but the garage was closed both Monday, due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday and Tuesday, likely due to the cold so I had to make a choice to stop at a charger on my way home. The charging process was slow but I got enough to get through the rest of the cold as the temperature and weather began to get closer to normal Chicago winter.
01.19.2024
On Friday January 19th, 2024 I went to G-Man Tavern to see Fuerza Bruta play as part of Tomorrow Never Knows Fest with a few other bands. On my way to the show, I hoped to find somewhere to charge for a bit but had no luck. Fuerza Bruta sounded great in that room and it was a fun show. I charged the car afterwards on my way home.
https://youtu.be/KCi9cdxjCq4
On Friday January 19th, 2024 I went to G-Man Tavern to see Fuerza Bruta play as part of Tomorrow Never Knows Fest with a few other bands. On my way to the show, I hoped to find somewhere to charge for a bit but had no luck. Fuerza Bruta sounded great in that room and it was a fun show. I charged the car afterwards on my way home.
https://youtu.be/KCi9cdxjCq4
01.20.2024 - 02.01.2024
On Saturday January 20th, 2024, I had my first sighting of Mountain Dew Baja Blast being sold in stores for the "Year of Baja!"
In wake of the extreme cold conditions and significant warm up, Chicago was covered in heavy fog for several days. On Wednesday January 24th, 2024, it was particularly heavy so I made sure to capture some footage during my morning commute using the CrossTour CR-900. I also encountered a wreck on Lake Shore Drive. I'm not sure if it was due to the fog or not.
I captured the lighthouse being active on the way home from work on Friday January 26th, 2024 with the fog and rain making it even more clear than usual.
On Saturday January 27th, 2024, Elphie and I made a visit to the Rat Hole in Roscoe Village. The hole has existed for many years but someone shared it on social media creating a viral sensation. We figured we'd check it out in case it ended up covered up due to the new extra attention it was getting. In fact, someone did try to cover it a few days before we visited but locals cleared the substance from the hole. While there, someone was cleaning up garbage left behind by other visitors and appeared to be quite annoyed. We didn't stay long because we didn't want to be any more of a nuisance to the neighbors than we were by showing up. While the garbage was cleaned up, a lot of loose change remained around the hole. There was also police dealing with a situation nearby. The Rat Hole found its way onto Atlas Obscura shortly after our visit.
On my commute to work on Wednesday January 31st, 2024, I noticed a helicopter hovering near Lake Shore Drive as I drove north. It had a large box dangling from it and it appeared police had blocked off a road that was under the helicopter. I assume the large box might have been getting placed on top of a nearby building. Not far to the north, there was an accident on Lake Shore Drive's southbound lanes and then as I was exiting at Wilson Avenue, there was a vehicle off the road near the bike path. It was an eventful morning commute.
I captured the lighthouse being active on the way home from work on Friday January 26th, 2024 with the fog and rain making it even more clear than usual.
On Saturday January 27th, 2024, Elphie and I made a visit to the Rat Hole in Roscoe Village. The hole has existed for many years but someone shared it on social media creating a viral sensation. We figured we'd check it out in case it ended up covered up due to the new extra attention it was getting. In fact, someone did try to cover it a few days before we visited but locals cleared the substance from the hole. While there, someone was cleaning up garbage left behind by other visitors and appeared to be quite annoyed. We didn't stay long because we didn't want to be any more of a nuisance to the neighbors than we were by showing up. While the garbage was cleaned up, a lot of loose change remained around the hole. There was also police dealing with a situation nearby. The Rat Hole found its way onto Atlas Obscura shortly after our visit.
On my commute to work on Wednesday January 31st, 2024, I noticed a helicopter hovering near Lake Shore Drive as I drove north. It had a large box dangling from it and it appeared police had blocked off a road that was under the helicopter. I assume the large box might have been getting placed on top of a nearby building. Not far to the north, there was an accident on Lake Shore Drive's southbound lanes and then as I was exiting at Wilson Avenue, there was a vehicle off the road near the bike path. It was an eventful morning commute.
02.02.2024
On Friday February 2nd, 2024, there was a goose sitting in the planter box in the parking garage that seemed irritated that I had parked and walked by to get to work. That evening there was a Groundhog's Day Ska Show at the Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville. I decided to go and enjoyed the show. The Crombies headlined the show and I finally got a vinyl from them. The rest of the lineup was Beat The Smart Kids, Tone Zone Skam, and Bumsy And The Moochers.
https://youtu.be/6zijptppEjs
https://youtu.be/oVwLDkbSFm4
02.07.2024 - 02.24.2024
On Wednesday February 7th, 2024 I went to McDonald's to get my first Shamrock Shake of the season! I had read it wasn't meant to start until later in February but then saw evidence on social media of others indulging in the wonderful mintyness of the season!
During my commute home on Thursday February 8th, 2024, I encountered a thunderstorm due to the unseasonably warm weather. I captured some of the storm and the lightning using my CrossTour CR-900.
On Friday February 9th, 2024, Guy came to visit and I had won tickets for the Blackout Diaries so we attended. Guy got his first taste of Malört! We also made our first venison stew from the deer I got this season. It was also the first time trying to use the bone broth I made from the bones of this deer and I think it turned out pretty good.
On Saturday February 10th, 2024, we made a run to Meijer to get more supplies to make another venison stew for the Super Bowl. While at Meijer, we also made a stop at Krispy Kreme to get some donuts for the Super Bowl. Guy loaded up the deer hide into a freezer bag to take back with him. That night we attended Nocturna at Metro. On the way I captured the Blue Cross Blue Shield building showing "Black History 365." Nocturna was fun and pretty packed. Guy got to enjoy it as well.
On Sunday February 11th, 2024, I found out my Grandma Swanson passed when I woke up. That evening, we watched the Super Bowl while enjoying venison stew. We had our friend Daniel over and others were meant to come as well but canceled. Before the game, I played a few games of Techmo Bowl on our arcade system.
On Wednesday February 14th, 2024, the Blue Cross Blue Shield building had a heart on it and I captured that.
On Thursday February 15th, 2024, the Pittsburgh Penguins were in Chicago playing the Chicago Blackhawks. I bought a ticket near the top of the arena in the rafters. I paid around $50 for it and shortly after the purchase, the Blackhawks announced that Conor Bedard would be active and ticket prices skyrocketed to cost 3-4x as much as I paid. The Penguins won the game! I was on the side where they shoot twice and most of the goals during the game were scored on that end including one 15 seconds into the game. It was a fun game to attend! I guess it was cool to see the new young star of the league too.
On Friday February 16th and Saturday February 17th, 2024, while Elphie hung out with a friend, I boiled the skull from my deer to try to help clean it up a bit more and worked whatever else I could off the bones. I also made some more bone broth and prepared the tongue to make tacos in a few days. I had to boil it with onion and some spices then cut away the skin portion.
On Sunday February 18th, 2024, after picking up Elphie and heading toward Indiana to get our groceries, we passed the Chinatown Lunar New Year parade while on the exit ramp.
On Monday February 19th, 2024 we made the venison tongue tacos amd they mostly turned out good. The tortillas ended up hard though. We saved some from going out for Mexican a few weeks earlier but they stayed hard after we tried to heat them up to soften them. Oh well.
On Friday February 23rd, 2024, I passed a Kansas City Chiefs Championship themed double decker bus on Lake Shore Drive. I'm not sure why it was in Chicago.
The annual Ollie Mob WhirlyBall meet up was held on Saturday February 24th, 2024 in Vernon Hills, Illinois. It was a good time as usual. I ended up getting to play in each of the games again! I even scored a couple goals this year and Elphie was able to capture one of those goals on video! ha! We had some new folks come to play this year and unfortunately a few who planned to attend had to cancel last minute for one reason or another. We ate at Portillo's after the games were done and I got to talk hunting a bit with James who comes out from Rockford to play. On our return to the city, I captured the Saint Patrick's Day decorations along the highway on the Novak Construction building.
https://youtu.be/oVwLDkbSFm4
02.07.2024 - 02.24.2024
On Wednesday February 7th, 2024 I went to McDonald's to get my first Shamrock Shake of the season! I had read it wasn't meant to start until later in February but then saw evidence on social media of others indulging in the wonderful mintyness of the season!
During my commute home on Thursday February 8th, 2024, I encountered a thunderstorm due to the unseasonably warm weather. I captured some of the storm and the lightning using my CrossTour CR-900.
On Friday February 9th, 2024, Guy came to visit and I had won tickets for the Blackout Diaries so we attended. Guy got his first taste of Malört! We also made our first venison stew from the deer I got this season. It was also the first time trying to use the bone broth I made from the bones of this deer and I think it turned out pretty good.
On Saturday February 10th, 2024, we made a run to Meijer to get more supplies to make another venison stew for the Super Bowl. While at Meijer, we also made a stop at Krispy Kreme to get some donuts for the Super Bowl. Guy loaded up the deer hide into a freezer bag to take back with him. That night we attended Nocturna at Metro. On the way I captured the Blue Cross Blue Shield building showing "Black History 365." Nocturna was fun and pretty packed. Guy got to enjoy it as well.
On Sunday February 11th, 2024, I found out my Grandma Swanson passed when I woke up. That evening, we watched the Super Bowl while enjoying venison stew. We had our friend Daniel over and others were meant to come as well but canceled. Before the game, I played a few games of Techmo Bowl on our arcade system.
On Wednesday February 14th, 2024, the Blue Cross Blue Shield building had a heart on it and I captured that.
On Thursday February 15th, 2024, the Pittsburgh Penguins were in Chicago playing the Chicago Blackhawks. I bought a ticket near the top of the arena in the rafters. I paid around $50 for it and shortly after the purchase, the Blackhawks announced that Conor Bedard would be active and ticket prices skyrocketed to cost 3-4x as much as I paid. The Penguins won the game! I was on the side where they shoot twice and most of the goals during the game were scored on that end including one 15 seconds into the game. It was a fun game to attend! I guess it was cool to see the new young star of the league too.
On Friday February 16th and Saturday February 17th, 2024, while Elphie hung out with a friend, I boiled the skull from my deer to try to help clean it up a bit more and worked whatever else I could off the bones. I also made some more bone broth and prepared the tongue to make tacos in a few days. I had to boil it with onion and some spices then cut away the skin portion.
On Sunday February 18th, 2024, after picking up Elphie and heading toward Indiana to get our groceries, we passed the Chinatown Lunar New Year parade while on the exit ramp.
On Monday February 19th, 2024 we made the venison tongue tacos amd they mostly turned out good. The tortillas ended up hard though. We saved some from going out for Mexican a few weeks earlier but they stayed hard after we tried to heat them up to soften them. Oh well.
On Friday February 23rd, 2024, I passed a Kansas City Chiefs Championship themed double decker bus on Lake Shore Drive. I'm not sure why it was in Chicago.
The annual Ollie Mob WhirlyBall meet up was held on Saturday February 24th, 2024 in Vernon Hills, Illinois. It was a good time as usual. I ended up getting to play in each of the games again! I even scored a couple goals this year and Elphie was able to capture one of those goals on video! ha! We had some new folks come to play this year and unfortunately a few who planned to attend had to cancel last minute for one reason or another. We ate at Portillo's after the games were done and I got to talk hunting a bit with James who comes out from Rockford to play. On our return to the city, I captured the Saint Patrick's Day decorations along the highway on the Novak Construction building.
https://youtu.be/teewooKjpsI
02.27.2024 - 03.03.2024
On Tuesday February 27th, 2024, during another unusually warm stretch, another thunderstorm hit Chicago bringing hail and lightning and colder temperatures behind it.
02.27.2024 - 03.03.2024
On Tuesday February 27th, 2024, during another unusually warm stretch, another thunderstorm hit Chicago bringing hail and lightning and colder temperatures behind it.
Due to my grandma Swanson passing earlier in the month, and the quickness in which the funeral occurred, Elphie and I decided to use the bereavement time during the end of the month to attend to things in Pennsylvania such as our Auto Butler appointment at Dave Hallman Chevrolet in Erie and getting my driver's license renewed.
On Leap Day Thursday February 29th, 2024, we drove from Chicago to Erie where we stayed at a Red Roof Inn just a block from Dave Hallman Chevrolet. We ended up getting a free charge at the first stop on the Indiana Tollway and Elphie ended up getting a free coffee from the 7Eleven! When we exited the Indiana Tollway to enter Ohio, the toll plaza couldn't read my credit card for some reason after I scanned the ticket. After several tries and even trying my debit card. It canceled my attempts to pay apparently and connected me to someone who ended up just giving us a complimentary pass. So we didn't pay for a charge, a coffee, or our trip on the tollway! We stopped for our next charge before the tolls began in Ohio and I decided to go off the tollroads for the rest of the trip and planned out our charging destinations accordingly. It didn't seem to add a lot more time and was perhaps a bit more energy efficient than the higher speeds on the interstate. While waiting for one of our charges, I gave the Spiced Coca-Cola a try. I thought the taste resembled that of the spiced jelly beans. It was ok and I'd probably try it again. We arrived in Erie around 10:15pm and got checked in and situation only to find that the Red Roof Inn does not have Sports Net Pittsburgh. It took a bit to get the charge going on the level 2 charger as well but I finally did get it going and was able to get a full charge while sleeping. I got up to move the car so I wouldn't get an idle fee.
On Friday March 1st, 2024, I got up early to take the car to Dave Hallman Chevrolet for the Auto Butler appointment at 8am. I was under the impression it would take several hours so I went back to the hotel and went to sleep and missed the call at 9:30am that the car was done and ready to be picked up! I woke and showered so we could check out and then walked over to get the car. It was my mom's birthday too. We arrived in Warren at about noon and she was still asleep so I got my paperwork to go renew my driver's license. Back at my parents house we gave my mom a birthday gift and hung out. She told us about grandma Swanson's funeral. That evening, when my father got home he asked about going out to dinner for my mom's birthday. After some debate the decision was to go to Scottie's Pittsfield Inn. We waited quite a bit on our dinners but everything was really good!
On Saturday March 2nd, 2024, we made a trip to Celoron, New York to see the statues in the Lucille Ball Memorial Park. One is called 'Scary Lucy' and the other meant to replace it is 'Lovely Lucy.' The house that Lucy grew up in was nearby so we were able to visit that as well. We took a scenic route back to Warren through the Allegany State Park and Allegheny National Forest and Seneca Reservation lands along the Allegheny River and Reservoir to see the Cornplanter monument in the displaced cemeteries. It was something I went to see with my grandpa probably about 35 years ago but never found it. I recently saw someone post about it on a facebook group and figured out how to finally get to it. It was interesting to finally see it and see the many unknown graves as well.
On Sunday March 3rd, 2024 we made our trip back to Chicago. We stayed off the tolls and probably made as good of time as we would taking the tolls with our better electric efficiency on the backroads. I also tried a Mountain Dew Goji Citrus Strawberry from a Sheetz. I don't think I liked this one as much as some others. As we arrived back in Chicago, we passed a tow truck towing a tow truck. At home we unloaded and got some sleep. The next morning I was scheduled for the dentist but took the rest of the day off as the last of my bereavement.
03.06.2024
On Wednesday March 6th, 2024, our friend Adalia was in town to play a show at the Beat Kitchen with her band Knotts. I ended up with one free ticket for spreading the word on social media along with the Ribbon Dancer album on vinyl and a shirt so I bought one ticket so both Elphie and I could go. It was a good show and nice to hang with Adalia for a bit too. We discussed Audiofeed and one of her previous bands with other friends called The Saudades in the time we had for conversation. I captured "The Offer" from their set. Mariah Colon and Así Así also played the show.
https://youtu.be/5QnA1vlUh8M
03.07.2024
On Thursday March 7th, 2024, we attended a 6'10 show with Dylan Walshe at the Blue Island Beer Company along ye Olde Western Avenue area of Blue Island. It was a fun show and good hangs and conversation with our friends in the 6'10/Flatfoot 56 camp. I captured "Winter In Chicago" by 6'10 and "At The Sea" by Dylan Walshe. Dylan Walshe is up for the weekend and going to play with Flatfoot 56 during their shows in Rockford and Chicago. We will be at the Chicago show.
03.09.2023
On Saturday March 9th, 2024, the annual Flatfoot 56 Saint Patrick's show at Reggies. This year they had Dylan Walshe play a guest spot right before their set which included a partial performance of The Pogues' "If I Should Fall From Grace With God" as Flatfoot 56 took the stage. I captured "Hourglass" from the Flatfoot 56 set with Little Jessi Dills adding trumpet. I captured "City Sisters from Dylan Walshe's set. Also on the bill was Tsunami Bomb. I captured their song "Irish Boys" with Josh Robieson adding some bagpipes. Something To Do was also on the lineup and I captured "Let's Break Some Laws" from their set. The opener was Loss Leader. It was a great show all around! Elphie captured some footage from the balcony that I used in my edits of video clips I uploaded from the show.
03.13.2024
On Wednesday March 13th, 2024, Mike Mains And The Branches were playing at Schuba's Tavern on Chicago's northside. It had been a while since I was able to catch one of their shows. I first saw them when they came through The 86 Club back in 2011 or so and have enjoyed their music ever since! I ended up capturing a performance of the song "Around The Corner" which was pretty epic.
https://youtu.be/FaxqWnPYCwo
3.14.2024
On Thursday March 14th, 2024, we went to the Aragon Ballroom to see Ministry with Gary Numan and Front Line Assembly. The show was great and I think Aragon Ballroom is a really good spot for shows in that one can usually find decent sight lines in that room. Unfortunately, it is a Ticketmaster/Live Nation run venue...when the show is over, they are fairly aggressive about getting people out of the building. I get that when the night is over, one wants to get things done so that they can get home. I also get that a crowd with many folks having had a lot to drink may not respond to polite urging. This venue requires everyone to funnel to a staircase to leave the room. We often will wait for the majority of the crowd before starting to leave so as to not be crowded and pushed trying to go down the stairs. In part, this is due to Elphie's anxiety with the crowd. But when you tell folks that they can't wait near the restroom for their partner to get done it a bit too much. Telling staff to start shutting the rest room doors to discourage patrons from using it also is a bit too much...unless you want folks relieving on the street around your building. I think there are better ways to manage the crowd at the end of the night. Unfortunately, Ticketmaster/Live Nation had monopolies on these venues and these shows so they aren't all that concerned about treating folks with any sort of care or kindness. Why would they? They get your money whether you are able to enjoy the show or not...and the artists still book shows with them for whatever reason. And I haven't even touched on the fees that they charge...
Anyway, the show was great. I captured "Aryan Embarrassment" by Ministry. I looked at the setlist from previous shows on the tour and that song among a couple other new ones stuck out. I checked out the lyrics and felt it to be the best one to capture for that reason if nothing else. I'm not always very intentional on a song selection for capturing video...but I was on this one. I am not all that familiar with Ministry and only saw them one other time but really couldn't hardly see them on the stage from where we were. It was good to actually experience the show! I captured "Cars" by Gary Numan. It's a hit tune and figured why not?! During the Front Line Assembly set, I captured "Millennium" which closed their set. I thought all the acts put on a good show.
https://youtu.be/HnTKlKAuV74
https://youtu.be/o4fC_qOYrcg
https://youtu.be/EN8bUOxI-No
3.15.2024
After work on Friday March 15th, 2024, I picked up Elphie and we headed north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to catch the first of the Saint Patrick's weekend shows for Flatfoot 56 at the X-Ray Arcade. They had the Koffin Kats with them for this weekend run which includes Minneapolis, Minnesota. Elphie really wanted to see the Koffin Kats so we made the choice to make the trip to Milwaukee. We missed the opening band and arrived while the other support band was playing. We posted up in the back of the room because it was packed and sold out. We ended up against the arcade games. A couple of older guys came up and motioned at me to move. I figured they must have wanted to play the Simpsons game right behind me. I thought I saw them pull out some quarters as well. Instead, they posted up in the spot I was standing, even sort of moving into Elphie's space so there I was now stuck standing in front of Elphie and behind a large skinhead guy. As I realized these guys had made me move just so they could stand where I was, I decided to stand directly in front of them now and slowly backed up into them in hopes they'd move again and I could reclaim my post ha! I think they were likely too drunk to realize any of this and I don't think it really worked but they did eventually move and I could reclaim my spot until I switched with Elphie hoping to give her a better viewing point for Koffin Kats. I captured some footage from the Koffin Kats and the performance of "Sorry" by Flatfoot 56 as best I could despite folks around us trying to have very loud conversations during the show.
We also got to hang out with Raye and stay the night. Raye took us to a place called Vanguard which had specialty hot dogs. I ordered the Pittsburgh dog of course but I'm not so sure it made any sense. It had coleslaw on it as it should as well as fries but it was topped with ranch dressing?! That didn't make sense. Even ketchup couldn't overpower the ranch. Put cheese and tomatoes...or put pierogies on it. Ranch?! What is Pittsburgh about ranch?! It was good otherwise and after we headed to Raye's for some sleep.
03.16.2024 - 03.24.2024
On Saturday March 16th, 2024, we got up, enjoyed some coffee and conversation, then headed out to Meijer and to an Electrify America charging station. We figured we'd get groceries to bring home so we didn't have to go back out again for a shopping trip. There was a Culver's nearby so Raye met us there before we headed back to Chicago. On our way back to Chicago, Elphie and I stopped at the Mars Cheese Castle and picked up some curds as well as some drinks including a couple cans of Green River Soda. One was the regular flavor I think and the other had raspberry. I tried the one with raspberry later that night at home and it was quite good. As we made it through Chicago to get back home, we noticed a large Irish flag flying with the American flag.
On Sunday March 17th, 2024, while watching hockey and then the live streams from both the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly on Veeps, I grilled some venison chops while Elphie made some potatoes and drank the regular style Green River Soda. We also ate some of the cheese curds we purchased at the Mars Cheese Castle. Both live streams were fun to watch and the set times worked out to see both without overlap.
On my way to my car on Thursday March 21st, 2024, I captured some footage of the blue flowers blooming in the yard as spring had begun. Perhaps they are out a bit early even due to the unusual warm weather. On Friday March 22nd, 2024, those same flowers were covered in snow. I also captured a dead fly on my way out to the car to head off to work.
On Friday March 1st, 2024, I got up early to take the car to Dave Hallman Chevrolet for the Auto Butler appointment at 8am. I was under the impression it would take several hours so I went back to the hotel and went to sleep and missed the call at 9:30am that the car was done and ready to be picked up! I woke and showered so we could check out and then walked over to get the car. It was my mom's birthday too. We arrived in Warren at about noon and she was still asleep so I got my paperwork to go renew my driver's license. Back at my parents house we gave my mom a birthday gift and hung out. She told us about grandma Swanson's funeral. That evening, when my father got home he asked about going out to dinner for my mom's birthday. After some debate the decision was to go to Scottie's Pittsfield Inn. We waited quite a bit on our dinners but everything was really good!
On Saturday March 2nd, 2024, we made a trip to Celoron, New York to see the statues in the Lucille Ball Memorial Park. One is called 'Scary Lucy' and the other meant to replace it is 'Lovely Lucy.' The house that Lucy grew up in was nearby so we were able to visit that as well. We took a scenic route back to Warren through the Allegany State Park and Allegheny National Forest and Seneca Reservation lands along the Allegheny River and Reservoir to see the Cornplanter monument in the displaced cemeteries. It was something I went to see with my grandpa probably about 35 years ago but never found it. I recently saw someone post about it on a facebook group and figured out how to finally get to it. It was interesting to finally see it and see the many unknown graves as well.
On Sunday March 3rd, 2024 we made our trip back to Chicago. We stayed off the tolls and probably made as good of time as we would taking the tolls with our better electric efficiency on the backroads. I also tried a Mountain Dew Goji Citrus Strawberry from a Sheetz. I don't think I liked this one as much as some others. As we arrived back in Chicago, we passed a tow truck towing a tow truck. At home we unloaded and got some sleep. The next morning I was scheduled for the dentist but took the rest of the day off as the last of my bereavement.
03.06.2024
On Wednesday March 6th, 2024, our friend Adalia was in town to play a show at the Beat Kitchen with her band Knotts. I ended up with one free ticket for spreading the word on social media along with the Ribbon Dancer album on vinyl and a shirt so I bought one ticket so both Elphie and I could go. It was a good show and nice to hang with Adalia for a bit too. We discussed Audiofeed and one of her previous bands with other friends called The Saudades in the time we had for conversation. I captured "The Offer" from their set. Mariah Colon and Así Así also played the show.
https://youtu.be/5QnA1vlUh8M
On Thursday March 7th, 2024, we attended a 6'10 show with Dylan Walshe at the Blue Island Beer Company along ye Olde Western Avenue area of Blue Island. It was a fun show and good hangs and conversation with our friends in the 6'10/Flatfoot 56 camp. I captured "Winter In Chicago" by 6'10 and "At The Sea" by Dylan Walshe. Dylan Walshe is up for the weekend and going to play with Flatfoot 56 during their shows in Rockford and Chicago. We will be at the Chicago show.
03.09.2023
On Saturday March 9th, 2024, the annual Flatfoot 56 Saint Patrick's show at Reggies. This year they had Dylan Walshe play a guest spot right before their set which included a partial performance of The Pogues' "If I Should Fall From Grace With God" as Flatfoot 56 took the stage. I captured "Hourglass" from the Flatfoot 56 set with Little Jessi Dills adding trumpet. I captured "City Sisters from Dylan Walshe's set. Also on the bill was Tsunami Bomb. I captured their song "Irish Boys" with Josh Robieson adding some bagpipes. Something To Do was also on the lineup and I captured "Let's Break Some Laws" from their set. The opener was Loss Leader. It was a great show all around! Elphie captured some footage from the balcony that I used in my edits of video clips I uploaded from the show.
03.13.2024
On Wednesday March 13th, 2024, Mike Mains And The Branches were playing at Schuba's Tavern on Chicago's northside. It had been a while since I was able to catch one of their shows. I first saw them when they came through The 86 Club back in 2011 or so and have enjoyed their music ever since! I ended up capturing a performance of the song "Around The Corner" which was pretty epic.
https://youtu.be/FaxqWnPYCwo
3.14.2024
On Thursday March 14th, 2024, we went to the Aragon Ballroom to see Ministry with Gary Numan and Front Line Assembly. The show was great and I think Aragon Ballroom is a really good spot for shows in that one can usually find decent sight lines in that room. Unfortunately, it is a Ticketmaster/Live Nation run venue...when the show is over, they are fairly aggressive about getting people out of the building. I get that when the night is over, one wants to get things done so that they can get home. I also get that a crowd with many folks having had a lot to drink may not respond to polite urging. This venue requires everyone to funnel to a staircase to leave the room. We often will wait for the majority of the crowd before starting to leave so as to not be crowded and pushed trying to go down the stairs. In part, this is due to Elphie's anxiety with the crowd. But when you tell folks that they can't wait near the restroom for their partner to get done it a bit too much. Telling staff to start shutting the rest room doors to discourage patrons from using it also is a bit too much...unless you want folks relieving on the street around your building. I think there are better ways to manage the crowd at the end of the night. Unfortunately, Ticketmaster/Live Nation had monopolies on these venues and these shows so they aren't all that concerned about treating folks with any sort of care or kindness. Why would they? They get your money whether you are able to enjoy the show or not...and the artists still book shows with them for whatever reason. And I haven't even touched on the fees that they charge...
Anyway, the show was great. I captured "Aryan Embarrassment" by Ministry. I looked at the setlist from previous shows on the tour and that song among a couple other new ones stuck out. I checked out the lyrics and felt it to be the best one to capture for that reason if nothing else. I'm not always very intentional on a song selection for capturing video...but I was on this one. I am not all that familiar with Ministry and only saw them one other time but really couldn't hardly see them on the stage from where we were. It was good to actually experience the show! I captured "Cars" by Gary Numan. It's a hit tune and figured why not?! During the Front Line Assembly set, I captured "Millennium" which closed their set. I thought all the acts put on a good show.
https://youtu.be/HnTKlKAuV74
https://youtu.be/o4fC_qOYrcg
https://youtu.be/EN8bUOxI-No
3.15.2024
After work on Friday March 15th, 2024, I picked up Elphie and we headed north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to catch the first of the Saint Patrick's weekend shows for Flatfoot 56 at the X-Ray Arcade. They had the Koffin Kats with them for this weekend run which includes Minneapolis, Minnesota. Elphie really wanted to see the Koffin Kats so we made the choice to make the trip to Milwaukee. We missed the opening band and arrived while the other support band was playing. We posted up in the back of the room because it was packed and sold out. We ended up against the arcade games. A couple of older guys came up and motioned at me to move. I figured they must have wanted to play the Simpsons game right behind me. I thought I saw them pull out some quarters as well. Instead, they posted up in the spot I was standing, even sort of moving into Elphie's space so there I was now stuck standing in front of Elphie and behind a large skinhead guy. As I realized these guys had made me move just so they could stand where I was, I decided to stand directly in front of them now and slowly backed up into them in hopes they'd move again and I could reclaim my post ha! I think they were likely too drunk to realize any of this and I don't think it really worked but they did eventually move and I could reclaim my spot until I switched with Elphie hoping to give her a better viewing point for Koffin Kats. I captured some footage from the Koffin Kats and the performance of "Sorry" by Flatfoot 56 as best I could despite folks around us trying to have very loud conversations during the show.
We also got to hang out with Raye and stay the night. Raye took us to a place called Vanguard which had specialty hot dogs. I ordered the Pittsburgh dog of course but I'm not so sure it made any sense. It had coleslaw on it as it should as well as fries but it was topped with ranch dressing?! That didn't make sense. Even ketchup couldn't overpower the ranch. Put cheese and tomatoes...or put pierogies on it. Ranch?! What is Pittsburgh about ranch?! It was good otherwise and after we headed to Raye's for some sleep.
03.16.2024 - 03.24.2024
On Saturday March 16th, 2024, we got up, enjoyed some coffee and conversation, then headed out to Meijer and to an Electrify America charging station. We figured we'd get groceries to bring home so we didn't have to go back out again for a shopping trip. There was a Culver's nearby so Raye met us there before we headed back to Chicago. On our way back to Chicago, Elphie and I stopped at the Mars Cheese Castle and picked up some curds as well as some drinks including a couple cans of Green River Soda. One was the regular flavor I think and the other had raspberry. I tried the one with raspberry later that night at home and it was quite good. As we made it through Chicago to get back home, we noticed a large Irish flag flying with the American flag.
On Sunday March 17th, 2024, while watching hockey and then the live streams from both the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly on Veeps, I grilled some venison chops while Elphie made some potatoes and drank the regular style Green River Soda. We also ate some of the cheese curds we purchased at the Mars Cheese Castle. Both live streams were fun to watch and the set times worked out to see both without overlap.
On my way to my car on Thursday March 21st, 2024, I captured some footage of the blue flowers blooming in the yard as spring had begun. Perhaps they are out a bit early even due to the unusual warm weather. On Friday March 22nd, 2024, those same flowers were covered in snow. I also captured a dead fly on my way out to the car to head off to work.
03.25.2024
On my commute home on Monday March 25, 2024, while the roads were fairly empty for some reason, there was a wreck I encountered on the 'S' curves of Lake Shore Drive. After getting home and some dinner, I went to Cobra Lounge for the '68 show with The Callous Daoboys and The Homeless Gospel Choir. The Homeless Gospel Choir was the opener and Derek Zanetti revealed that this would be the last tour in which he would call his musical endeavor "The Homeless Gospel Choir" as he intends to go forth as himself from now on. I captured a tune he intends to record on an upcoming album called "Pennsylvania Song Bird" that he said is about his mom. This upcoming record will be done with Josh Scogin! The Callous Daoboys played next and they were as chaotic as I recall from their Shed set at Furnace Fest. I had attempted to capture the opening song but I cut off early so I captured the song "Fake Dinosaur Bones" and shared that instead. I did capture the opening song from the '68 set called "With Distance Between" and it was a fun tune to capture. The whole set was a lot of fun...as well as the night. The show was sold out. '68 makes more sense in the smaller room and I'm glad it was a success. Tobin Bawinkel was there as well and we chatted a bit. After the show, I got to talk to Derek for a bit at his table before venturing out into the rain and home.
03.28.2024 - 04.01.2024
We decided to go back to Pennsylvania, using my Paid Time Off for Easter weekend. I ended up staying late a bit at work on Wednesday March 27th, 2024 to finish up an intake on a new client and this proved to have some consequences. I went to my car parked in the Truman College parking garage to find the garage locked up and the gate down. I tried calling the phone number for the college and connecting with security but no one answered. After trying to see if I could manually open the gate at all, I gave up and took the train home with the hopes I could retrieve my car in the morning. This also would put us behind a bit on our planned departure. So on Thursday March 28th, 2024, I got up earlier than I probably would have otherwise and made my way to Uptown Chicago by train to retrieve my car. The garage was open and so I got the car and returned home to load up so we could get started on the long trip to Warren, Pennsylvania. The bright side of this was that the car had time to charge a bit longer while in the garage all night so we were able to skip the first planned charge and continue to the next one. While charging the car in South Bend, we went into the mall to eat at the food court and Elphie decided she wanted to check out a few stores. I had to ward off a guy who wanted to shine my boots. Admittedly, the boots were in dire need of a shining because I haven't done it in some time. We had decided to do the drive off the tollway so as we continued through Amish country, we encountered a few buggies along the road. I decided to keep the video capture as we passed through Angola, Indiana of the monument in the middle of the roundabout and whatever other statues we captured as we came through that area. While we charged at our next stop, I gave the Mountain Dew Laguna Lemonade a try and it was fairly good. My mom really liked it, apparently, asking if we could find any in cans to bring it to her, which we did later in the drive. I noticed the lemonade taste more in the aftertaste and probably the mango flavor at the front. We continued our drive, stopping about every 1.5 hours for a charge and arriving in Warren after almost 14 hours.
On Good Friday March 29th, 2024, Elphie and I tried some fusion oatmeal with both peaches and strawberries and cream. We both liked it and Elphie made a post about how it was our relationship in a box as she prefers strawberries and cream while I prefer peaches and cream.
On Saturday March 30th, 2024, we made a day trip to Pittsburgh, PA. While stopping for a charge along the way, I tried the Mountain Dew Baja Blast Point Break Punch and I liked this flavor as well. I captured as we arrived in Pittsburgh and we headed to the Southside with a plan to get lunch at Primanti Brothers then head down the street to get some more tattoo work from Justun at In The Blood. I had an idea to finish the snowflake piece he started last year and gave him the basic idea which he took and made probably even better with his own artistic ideas. I am very happy with the result! It was also a great time to catch up with Justun during the session. Afterwards, we headed to Roland's for dinner of Lobster Ravioli and a Hot Lobster Roll while hanging at the bar with Joe and watching Penguins hockey. Joe gave us a free dinner again, so I left a large tip on the bar for him which he scolded me for later, ha! On the drive home, we took a different route due to the need to get another charge and as a result, we took route 666 to Warren!
On Easter Sunday March 31st, 2024, Elphie and I woke up late. My mom brought out the Easter baskets and Elphie made one up for mom as well. We watched the Pirates baseball game. We had venison stew for dinner and uncle Steve came by to eat it as well. It was a fun dinner time. I captured a shot of the daffodils in the backyard and had Elphie get some footage of the tattoo as well as some pics to share.
On Monday April 1st, 2024, we made our trip back to Chicago. We again avoided the tolls. We had one charging station we had to wait at for someone to leave but otherwise the trip went ok. I had to watch/listen to a webinar through zoom as we traveled during part of the trip as well...it turned out to be a part where we had to take a bit of a detour due to what I assume was likely an accident on I-90 west of Cleveland. We encountered quite the rain storm as well as we left Ohio into Indiana and watched a couple have a dispute at the charging station in South Bend. We arrived home about an hour later than the estimate originally called for but it wasn't too late.
On Good Friday March 29th, 2024, Elphie and I tried some fusion oatmeal with both peaches and strawberries and cream. We both liked it and Elphie made a post about how it was our relationship in a box as she prefers strawberries and cream while I prefer peaches and cream.
On Saturday March 30th, 2024, we made a day trip to Pittsburgh, PA. While stopping for a charge along the way, I tried the Mountain Dew Baja Blast Point Break Punch and I liked this flavor as well. I captured as we arrived in Pittsburgh and we headed to the Southside with a plan to get lunch at Primanti Brothers then head down the street to get some more tattoo work from Justun at In The Blood. I had an idea to finish the snowflake piece he started last year and gave him the basic idea which he took and made probably even better with his own artistic ideas. I am very happy with the result! It was also a great time to catch up with Justun during the session. Afterwards, we headed to Roland's for dinner of Lobster Ravioli and a Hot Lobster Roll while hanging at the bar with Joe and watching Penguins hockey. Joe gave us a free dinner again, so I left a large tip on the bar for him which he scolded me for later, ha! On the drive home, we took a different route due to the need to get another charge and as a result, we took route 666 to Warren!
On Easter Sunday March 31st, 2024, Elphie and I woke up late. My mom brought out the Easter baskets and Elphie made one up for mom as well. We watched the Pirates baseball game. We had venison stew for dinner and uncle Steve came by to eat it as well. It was a fun dinner time. I captured a shot of the daffodils in the backyard and had Elphie get some footage of the tattoo as well as some pics to share.
On Monday April 1st, 2024, we made our trip back to Chicago. We again avoided the tolls. We had one charging station we had to wait at for someone to leave but otherwise the trip went ok. I had to watch/listen to a webinar through zoom as we traveled during part of the trip as well...it turned out to be a part where we had to take a bit of a detour due to what I assume was likely an accident on I-90 west of Cleveland. We encountered quite the rain storm as well as we left Ohio into Indiana and watched a couple have a dispute at the charging station in South Bend. We arrived home about an hour later than the estimate originally called for but it wasn't too late.
Additional soundtrack includes "Freeze Up" by Operation Ivy, "Ice In Your Veins" by Sitheach, "Lucy's About To Lose Her Mind" by Huntingtons, the "I Love Lucy" theme song, "As Long As The Grass Shall Grow" by Johnny Cash, "Sober and Godless" by The Rumjacks, "Rose Tattoo" by Dropkick Murphys, and "Where You There" by Tony Krogh.
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 and project edited using Final Cut Pro X on a Mac Mini by Joel A. Swanson.
