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The Heavy Boxes performing at Uke Valentino, the February 14, 2009 Chicago Uke Cabaret.

The Heavy Boxes performing at Uke Valentino, the February 14, 2009 Chicago Uke Cabaret.

On Valentine's Day, The Heavy Boxes returned to the Ukulele Cabaret and played three songs. Melanie didn't think she was going to be able to make it, but pretty close to the last minute, thankfully, she figured things out, which means I didn't have to resort to plan B: a mournful solo rendition of Cher's "Believe."

We were expecting a sparse crowd, considering the holiday, but were surprised to find the place pretty packed - definitely the biggest audience so far. There were new performers, too - overall, probably the strongest set of musicians so far, playing covers of Leonard Cohen, Sam Cooke, Magnetic Fields, Lily Allen, etc. We went on near the end of the night, when ukulele fatigue is easy to set in, but I think we reinvigorated the crowd with the Uke Cabaret debut of our friend the drum machine (someday soon we will have to name him).

I'm going to post videos of our performances in separate posts...right....NOW.

[photo by i.b.]

Writing about work is generally a no-no for me, but I will share this. There is a conference room on our floor that I am in charge of scheduling and handling all space requests for. One of our offices had reserved the room for this afternoon, but ten minutes before their meeting the lady who requested it came into my office.

"We're supposed to have a meeting in there at 1:00, but there's a bunch of people in there. Do you know when they're going to be done?"

"That's funny, I don't think I approved anyone to use the space."

"Yeah, I didn't see them listed in the system. They've got food in there and everything."

"Hmm...I'll take care of it."

I walked down the hallway to kick them all out. There was catered food set up all around the perimeter of the room. A ton of people were seated around the table, listening.

And at the head of the table was Chuck D.

I turned around and silently exited. We all agreed to reschedule the other meeting to a different conference room.

*R25 is our scheduling system, FYI LOL.

[via passive-aggressive notes]

Owls playing ukuleles against purple backgrounds while ghosts fly overhead should probably be the main design theme of my site. This one is by Jolby (Josh Kenyon & Colby Nichols) from their upcoming show at Subtext Gallery in San Diego.

[via drawn!]

Showing support in my morning commute
With my Rihanna bumbershoot.

Here's a little tribute to my fav tellingvision program that I did for Eight Forty Eight on Chicago Public Radio last fall.

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A staple in the childhood of many adults is disappearing. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood debuted in 1968 on public television. But as of this week, many public broadcasting stations, including Chicago’s, will stop broadcasting Mister Rogers altogether to make way for new programming. Chicagoan Evan Chung is taking it badly.

[chicago public radio]

Well, thanks, Richard Steele! Dawggone it, I am a young man living in Chicago!

If all goes well, The Heavy Boxes will be returning to the Chicago Ukulele Cabaret to play a three-song set on Saturday, February 14th. It's at Silvie's Lounge (1902 W. Irving Park Rd.) at 9 p.m., and there's no cover. This time, the theme is, appropriately, Uke Valentino - songs of love, lust, betrayal and heartbreak.

Mitchell Leisen's Remember the Night, starring Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanywck, screens February 12 at 7 p.m. in the Thursday night Americanarama! series I programmed at Doc Films. It's a Christmas movie and it's supposed to be a real :'(-jerker. It was the last film that Preston Sturges wrote before turning to directing. Also, it's my half-birthday!!!