Looking Up: One Last Look at Carson Pirie Scott.

So we’re going to do one more post on Carson’s and then we’re going to move on. This column was supposed to be a building a week – I realize this – it’s just that this building in particular is such a beautiful example of everything that was going on in the late 1800’s, early 1900’s; the tripartite divisions, the wish to have a “local” look to our buildings, the idea of a tall building actually realizing its verticality. All of this is due to Mr. Sullivan.

So just a few final things … the building actually had an addition put on in 1905. And frighteningly enough, Burnham was the man chosen to do the addition. I can’t imagine what Louis must have thought about this addition being put on to his building. We know he was quite passionate about what he built and possessive as well, and we have an inkling about his feelings towards Burnham, which were not favorable.

You can see on the building where the addition is. Burnham kept with the uniform look of the building but he did not exactly keep to the details outlined by Sullivan. If you’re standing on the State Street side of the building, look at the inside of the windows on the northern half of the building. You’ll see there that Sullivan added some decoration on the inside of window frame. Now look to the south and you will see that Burnham did not keep up with this detail. I don’t know why, but maybe it’s because Burnham either 1. Didn’t care about detail or 2. Just wanted to frost the hides or architecture buffs to come.

There’s one more thing about Carson’s that is so cool, and unfortunately now will be hard to see, but hopefully not for long.

If you walk into the lobby of Carson’s, not all the way inside the actual store, but just inside the doors (see if you can peek in when you’re walking by next) and notice the inside. It’s all deep colored brown with two huge columns that look like trees with flowers on the top. The cast iron from the outside of the building kind of hangs over the windows, and on a nice sunny day the sun shines through it and makes it seem like you’re standing a sun dappled forest. It’s just more of Sullivan trying to bring a nature aesthetic to our busy urban lives.

The inside of the store is not much to see, more columns with lots of flowering on top, but for Sullivan, the beauty was intended for the outside of his building, the inside was to be used for actual retailing.

Next week we’ll see how Burnham did his department store.

And then, I promise, we will move on from Burnham and Sullivan, but it’s important to see where these two men stood in relation to each other, to see how buildings progressed past them.

The Do-Gooder Corner: The Night Ministry.

The Night Ministry.

Started in 1976 to provide services to vulnerable youth and adults on Chicago’s nighttime streets, The Night Ministry continues its mission to serve. Although The Night Ministry is faith-based, it is not affiliated with any particular religion or congregation. The Night Ministry serves homeless and runaway youth, working poor adults, uninsured and under-insured individuals seeking medical assistance, and others who have fallen through the cracks of the social service system regardless of religious beliefs.

Do Gooders may have seen The Night Ministry’s Health Outreach Bus in the Uptown, Humboldt Park, Hyde Park and Uptown neighborhoods. The Health Outreach Bus is a custom-built bus providing free health care, STD testing, and referral assistance and hospitality to youth and adults from 7pm to 2am, six nights a week.

In addition to The Night Ministry’s Health Outreach activities, the organization also provides and Open Door Youth Shelter, which is the only shelter in Chicago that takes pregnant and parenting teens as young as 14, and a Youth Shelter Network.

There are many opportunities to get involved with The Night Ministry as an individual or with a group of your fellow Do Gooders. Some of the programs Do Gooders can get involved in are:

• - Freezin’ Fridays. Small groups of adults provide and serve hot soup and hot beverages on the nighttime streets in Lakeview neighborhood from November through April.

• - Sack Suppers. Small groups assemble sack suppers to be distributed from the Health Outreach Bus.

• - First Saturdays. Individuals can pack cookies and hygiene kits on the first Saturday of the month at The Night Ministry’s administrative offices in the Ravenswood neighborhood.

• - Health Outreach Bus. Individuals can volunteer on the Health Outreach Bus by providing hospitality.

• - Donate homebaked cookies or hygiene kits.

More information on The Night Ministry and ways to get involved can be found on their website at www.thenightministry.org or by contacting Gail Bernoff, Volunteer Coordinator at 773-506-6015.

Kathleen On The Scene: 03-02-07

Hey Hipsters! Kathleen on the Scene here! What? It’s me KotS! RSVP-ing “yes” to the weekly trend report. Let’s all start the party with what is in and what is out this week.

IN: Shelving TV Shows
OUT: Canceling TV Shows

IN: Wine in a Box
OUT: Screw Top Wine Bottles

IN: Birds
OUT: Butterflies

IN: Big Foreheads
OUT: Gap Teeth

IN: Zicam
OUT: Echinacea

IN: The Secret
OUT: The Rules

IN: Roman
OUT: Victorian

IN: Cranberry
OUT: Cherry

IN: Anthropology
OUT: Urban Outfitters

IN: UTI
OUT: Yeast Infection

Y’all come back next week Hipsters!

Luv,

Katleen on the Scene

Looking Up: Meet Louis Sullivan

Last week we discussed Louis Sullivan building a new kind of building, the mighty skyscraper. We learned about tripartite division and how pretty much everyone followed Mr. Sullivan’s suit and built their skyscrapers much like Sullivan did.

But even though they were following his blueprint, no one was building quite like Sullivan.

Sullivan was a philosopher, he thought long and hard about his buildings artistically and structurally. While Burnham was building the prettiest buildings he could, Sullivan was building his the only way they could be. They were organic, built out of the ground (Just as a little literary aside, Ayn Rand’s book “The Fountainhead” was based loosely off of Sullivan and his student, Frank Lloyd Wright, that’s why Howard Roark’s buildings are so organic and look like they “grew” out of the ground).

Sullivan coined the term “Form Follows Function”. If you look at Carson’s, you can really see his philosophy straight up. Look at the intense cast iron ornament surrounding the windows on the sidewalk. Sullivan didn’t want old Greek ornament, but he did want ornament! His ornate work on the bottom of Carson’s is all prairie land flowers and leaves, local fauna. With all that seemingly superfluous design, he basically made a picture frame to highlight what was going on in the windows.

Also, if you look at the side of Carson’s, you’ll see that Sullivan really emphasized the horizontal. If you look at the spandrels (the horizontal lines that run across the building) you’ll see that they’re wide and large and the vertical lines (the piers) are thinner. Sullivan knew this was going to be a department store, so by framing the windows and making the building more horizontal, his form is following his function, yes?

NOW! Look at the corner of the building, the rounded corner (left). Sullivan put the entrance on the corner to make it easier to come in and out, but what really stands out is the verticality on the side of the building (note how the piers are now emphasized to draw your eye upwards). Carson’s (it was first the Schlessinger and Mayer department store) in its day was definitely a skyscraper and Sullivan said (in an intense essay on skyscrapers that the skyscraper is “lofty. ... It must be every inch a proud and soaring thing, rising in sheer exultation that from bottom to top it is a unit without a single dissenting line.”

A proud and soaring thing. I love that. So now we see why Sullivan made sure to add some verticality to his building. To allow it to be a proud and soaring thing.

There is still even more to see on Sullivan’s building, and I’m in no rush. Take in what you can, look at this building now that it’s shut down and wonder for a moment what Sullivan might have wanted done with this space, now that it’s not a department store. What will go into those beautifully framed windows? Let’s hope it’s not a condo conversion and a stuffy old lobby. I fear Sullivan would come back and kick some ass.

Tuesdays Lost Youtube Clip: Let's Go To The Air-Show!

Every Tuesday, the CPC brings you the YouTube clip that you missed this week. But probably should've seen.

Hey Everybody, Let's Visit "The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival!". This charming video of aerial shenanigans is charmingly set to the music of The Fifth Dimensions #7 Billboard hit of 1967, "Up, up and away" (In My Beautiful Balloon!) The perfect melding of video image and audio song!

Enjoy!

The Do-Gooder Corner: Kiva

Kiva

The Do Gooder’s Corner mission is to relay information on volunteer opportunities in Chicago. Sometimes, however, the Do Gooder would like to focus attention on other ways readers can make a difference. One such deserving organization is the focus of this week’s column: Kiva.

To understand Kiva, one must understand microfinancing, which supplies loans, savings and other basic financial services to the poor. Microfinancing is nothing new (who hasn’t gotten a small loan to cover the rent from a parent, sibling or friend?), but on a global scale starting in the 1950’s, it took the form of governments in developing countries providing credit to small and marginal farmers as a way of trying to raise income. Since then, microfinancing has grown and evolved, and according to the U.N., there are now over 7,000 microfinance institutions serving the needs of the poor. Microfinancing also received some attention in 2006 when Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, a microfinance bank, and Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, won the Nobel Peace Prize.

While microfinance institutions (MFIs) were doing good work to serve the world’s poor, Kiva founders, Matthew and Jessica Flannery, felt there was a gap between individuals who could make small loans and the small businesses those individuals wanted to help. Thus, the idea of Kiva was born: connecting micro-lenders (that’s you, fellow Do Gooders) with small businesses in developing countries.

Kiva partners with MFIs that are already “on the ground” in the country or region the businesses are located. The MFIs assess whether a business is a good candidate for a loan, and if accepted, forwards the profiles Kiva. Kiva then posts profiles of loan candidates on its website. Individual lenders, primarily from the United States and England, can then make a loan (minimum of $25) through PayPal. The MFI then distributes the loan.

Lenders are paid back in full at the end of the loan term (usually between 12-18 months), but they do not receive interest for their loan. Because this is a loan, Do Gooders cannot claim it as a charitable donation on their taxes, however, any donation to Kiva itself is tax-deductible. Lenders receive periodic updates from the MFI about repayment progress and how the individuals are doing via email and journal entries.

You can watch PBS Frontline/World’s 15-minute documentary on micro-lending and Kiva at this link.

And check out www.kiva.org for more information and to make your micro-loan.

Looking Up: The Triparte Division.

Okay , now is when this stuff starts to get really interesting.

Last week we talked about why Chicago was really the first to start building skyscrapers, and we’ve touched a little on why Burnham made Louis Sullivan so frackin’ mad. While Burnham relied on his go-to Grecian style, Sullivan wanted to build something...organic, something new, something no one had ever done before. (That last sentence, by the by, is a direct quote from Eddie and the Cruisers. I know Sullivan would approve).

Sullivan was very influenced by nature. He wanted to bring the beauty of nature back to the dark, black, dirty city of Chicago. He believed a building should grow much like a tree does. And like an acorn, he believed a building was going to be what it was before he even started. Confusing? A bit. But lets start with an example, the Carson Pirie Scott Building finished in 1898 (right).

Sullivan designed his buildings in three parts, officially called a “tripartite division”. Sullivan’s skyscrapers had a base (or roots) usually with big windows for retail stores, the shaft, or “trunk” of the building where the design remained the same, and the cornice, or the “flowering” on the top. The cornice is the top of the building, the part of the roof that usually overhangs the building.

Once Sullivan applied this type of design to his skyscrapers, other architects did the same thing. Most of Chicago’s historic skyscrapers (including Mr. Burnham’s, I mean come on, wha...he’s NOT going to do what everyone else is doing?) are designed in a tripartite division.

Check out this building, the aptly named Chicago Building at 7 W. Madison designed by Holabird and Roche in 1904 (left). You can clearly see the three divisions in the building. Also, the Chicago Building is one of the only buildings with the original cornice in tact.

Or lets go back to the Marquette building, also by Holabird and Roche….

Or lets even go back to the People’s Gas Building…even Burnham’s building has this tripartite division.
The tripartite division is one the hallmarks of the “Chicago School” of architecture. We’ll learn more attributes as we go on, but this one is essential.

Alas, I cannot even begin to explain the beauty of Carson’s in one entry, so we’ll come back to Carson’s next week to examine Sullivan’s philosophy of “Form Follows Function”.

Field Sobriety Test: A Tale Of Two Bomb-Makers.

So FST is a pop culture blog, right? Cool. Well POP-ular culture hasn't changed for me in quite some time, but I have had something pretty weighty on my mind. And it goes into a killer insight section. So anyways, what I've been thinking about is the bomb.

Yes, that bomb. The big bomb. I have been researching for a play that I'm writing and in my research I came across just how painfully human the search for the bomb was. We all know that the end result was blowing off a chunk of Japan, but in the process, many careers were made and ruined and all of that great stuff. There were two gentlemen in particular that always stand out to me when I research this stuff. That brings us to this column's

Fun Fact Section

The head scientist and the head military advisor for the bomb both hated the project, but for very different reasons.

Dr. Robert Oppenheimer was the head of the Manhattan Project, which produced the bomb. He considered himself a citizen of the world and a nihilist (as most scientists of his time did) and was horrified at the destruction that he had unleashed on the world. On top of this, many of Oppenheimer's theoretical physics colleagues were German. He had spent extensive time in his formative years lecturing and touring Europe so he was afraid that America was going to kasplode his buddies.

Col. Leslie Groves was a top military advisor to the Manhattan Project. On top of this, Col. Groves was an extremely gifted commander who had been put in charge of two top secret and super important projects (namely the construction of the Pentagon and the Manhattan Project). Great, right? Wrong. Col. Groves apparently requested a transfer to an "active" theatre of war on a regular basis and dreaded the day that the war came to an end. As if he hadn't had a chance to prove himself.

These two people were friends and they worked side by side. Both of them hated what they were doing, which brings us to this column's

Insight Section

I think everyone hates their job. I know very very few people who like what they do. Are you ready to follow me on this one? Ok, here goes.

I personally come to the conclusion that human beings are genetically wired to be unhappy. Why is this? Well, if you think about out formative years as a species, the people who were unsatisfied were the ones the kept foraging longer than their cave man brothers. Those fuckers took a nap and got eaten by a T-Rex.

All dinosaur jokes aside, I honestly think the advent of desk life on modern society didn't give time for evolution to catch up. Dissatisfied people make great farmers because farming take toiling. Being a receptionist who is antsy to get things done is just a drag. Being a farmer that aches to work is smart.

Oh...and the bomb and shit.

Anywhoo...so this week doesn't have a mail bag because no one wrote in to ryandeegilmour@hotmail.com. So, this week’s mail bag question is.

"What other things about human nature hurts us in modern times."

Okey-dokey. Everyone be safe and remember to email

Super Short Poem

"He who finds a job they love will never work a day in their life."
-Quoted from Con-Fush-Ous
Unless someone lied to me a long time ago

Tuesdays Lost Youtube Clip: The Physics of Superheroes.

Every Tuesday, the CPC brings you the YouTube clip that you missed this week. But probably should've seen.

This week, we proudly present 2 Clips for your Viewing Pleasure! Both of these clips are of Dr.Jim Kakalios giving a lecture on the Physics of Superheroes at the CONvergence Comic Convention. Dr. Kakalios is the author of the book, "The Physics of Superheroes", which you can purchase at this link.

In this first clip, Dr. Kakalios explains the difficulties of picking up entire buildings and flying around with them. Be forewarned, this clip discusses the tragic Superman-caused massacre of a building full of orphans.



In this second clip, Dr. Kakalios discusses why normal people don't go around carrying chunks of White Dwarf Matter to their car trunks.



To learn more about Dr.Kakalios, his theories or his book, you may want to check out his website, www.physicsofsuperheroes.com

The Do-Gooder Corner: Community Building Tutors.

Community Building Tutors

Rachel Lewis’ exposure to the Community Building Tutors happened when she was running workshops on nonprofit organizations for the Illinois CPA Society. When she met Bart Phillips, founder and current Board President of Community Building Tutors, Rachel says “I was so impressed with what he was doing that I asked how I could become involved.” Rachel now serves on CBT’s Board of Directors.

Community Building Tutors is a relatively new volunteer organization in Chicago, with its first program taking place in Spring 2005 at the Chicago Park District’s Chase Park. CBT joins young professionals and students at all grade levels - elementary through college - for one-on-one tutoring and community focused projects.

Community Building Tutors recruits young professionals to serve as the coordinators of tutoring services of elementary and middle school children. High school and college students perform the actual one-on-one tutoring, with young professionals proctoring the sessions. At the end of the year, all CBT volunteers and students participate in a one-day community service project.

Community Building Tutors serves a diverse population of young students, and this year has expanded to serving three sites: Chase Park (4701 N. Ashland), ACME Art Works (1741 N. Western), and Merit School of Music (38 S. Peoria).

There are different time commitments for volunteers, depending on the way one wants to get involved. CBT is looking for tutors, site coordinators, activity leaders, volunteer activity participant and Board members. Potential volunteers can email specific question about getting involved at playarole@cbtutors.org.

To find out more information about Community Building Tutors, check out the website at www.cbtutors.org.

Or better yet, attend CBT’s Spring Tutoring Session Kick-off Fundraising Party, Friday Feb. 9 at Wrightwood Tap (1059 W. Wrightwood), 8-11pm. For $25, you can get into the all-you-can-drink party. Proceeds, of course will benefit CBT.

Looking Up: An Introduction to Steel Frame Structures.

We’ve talked a lot about Burnham and how he struggled with developing the “Chicago School of Architecture” because he was so stuck in the architecture of the past.

You may have heard the term before, The “Chicago School”, but what does it mean? What do I mean when I say that Sullivan was building in a whole new way? What was going on here that wasn’t going on in New York or Boston?

Well it all started with the fire of 1871. Previous to the fire, most of the buildings were cast iron or wood. When the fire hit, 70,000 buildings burned, 300 people died. It scared the city, and new builders were told to only build fireproof buildings.

NYC and Boston weren’t nearly as scared of fire as we were, and our fear of fire led to the innovation of what is now known as “steel frame structure”. William LeBaron Jenney built the first steel framed structure building in 1885, (The Home Insurance Building. Alas, it no longer stands), meaning the skeleton of the metal frame was actually holding up the building. Previously to this, the walls bore the load of the building (known as “load bearing” buildings, imagine that). When building a load bearing structure, the walls had to get thicker as the building got higher. For example, check out the Monadnock building at 53 W. Jackson (above), designed by Daniel Burnham and John Root. The higher the building goes, the thicker its walls get. You can see how thick they are through the windows. (left) The Monadnock is still the tallest, occupied load-bearing structure in the world.


But once the skeleton could hold up the walls, the buildings could grow higher.

When Jenney built his skeleton frame, he basically hung the walls of the building onto the skeleton. Even today, the cladding of a building is called the "curtain wall", because you’re just hanging it right off the frame. We mostly used terra cotta as the cladding, because it was fireproof.

So, boom, in Chicago we’re building buildings no one had ever seen before...Skyscrapers. With the invention of the elevator and the revolving door (which regulated wind and heat in the building), the buildings got higher and higher. Initially, people were generally afraid of these higher buildings, so when you look at historic Chicago skyscrapers, they tend to look boxy, and big, and sturdy.

Check out the Marquette building designed by Holabird and Roche in 1895 at 140 S. Dearborn, notice how dark and heavy it is. (left)

Next week we’ll learn how Louis Sullivan managed to influence almost the entire city (including Burnham himself) with his plan to build these new-fangled skyscrapers.

Field Sobriety Test: A Message For All Of You Late Bloomers.

For this to work, you’re going to have to close your eyes. Do it.

I want you to picture a third grade classroom with Mrs. Terry, the teacher having all of her kids lined up in front of her desk. This is Brentwood Elementary. Brentwood is a gentle blue color everywhere. Outside, various weather measuring devices litter the yard under the Indiana sky.

There are about thirty kids in Mrs. Terry’s class and we are all holding up 3x5 cards with that week’s spelling words on them. Mrs. Terry inspects the class’ cards. There are a couple of people who don’t have their cards done so Mrs. Terry says to all of us, “These are pretty good, but in the fourth grade, they won’t give those people who didn’t do their cards an extra day.” I was scared shitless.

I distinctly remember thinking, “Oh fuck, fourth grade is going to be hard as shit.”

Fourth grade was easy and dumb. This is because, within the frames that we construct, we have little to no control over what happens to us.

Fourth grade felt about the same, but I was sure middle school was going to be hard.
Middle School was easy, but I was sure that High School was going to be a challenge.
I slept through most of High School and kept a B average but I was sure none of these Plainfield types would bother me at Ball State.
I got to Ball State and met some of the biggest asses I’ve ever met in my life but I was sure, in the working world, there was no way that these people would make it.
Now, I work in an office, and it’s the same fucking people.

In conclusion, the people that surround you never change. I think it was someone really wise or a Hallmark card that said, “Bloom where you are planted.” This (through the magic of tortured logic) is the point that I’m trying to get to today. Saying “bloom where you are planted” is easy from the comfort of your ass, but in this column’s fun fact section, I’m giving you two avenues to get on your feet. Here is this column’s

Super Super Helpful Fun Fact Section

Now, if you have no ambitions in any creative areas, then you can stop reading. As a matter of fact, I want you to stop reading and go re-evaluate your life. Now…do it.

For those of you with writing ambitions, on of the greatest tools that you can use is Duotrope. Duotrope is a search engine of literary magazines and novel publishers. It gives information like, how often a magazine takes submissions, the format that they prefer. If a lad or lass was inclined (like I was for awhile), they could write one piece a week and submit it. If this is done, you WILL be a published author within the year. Mark my words. You will have bloomed into a poet.

For those of you with comedy ambition, you can rely on the third graders with flash cards of the major Chicago training centers, or you can make your own films for the web and be a producer. At www.chicagofilmmakers.org, you can join the Chicago Camera Co-op and have professional quality cameras at your fingertips at hourly rates. They also have access to editing studios and sound work. It’s a lot of work from this point, but we want to bloom here. Blooming is hard. Awesome, huh?

Those should be helpful. Let’s hope. It’s been a good time to evaluate lately. Which brings us to this column’s

Insight Section

“Never, never, never give up.”
Winston Churchill

See what I did there?

Let’s break this down. On one level, I just laid one of the most famous “bloom where you are planted” quotes in the world on you, my loyal readers.

On top of that, I just got out of having to have an insight section written. I was in LA all week and I’m BAWLS exhausted .On top of that, it’s negative one hundred million degrees outside.

Fuck, I’m smart.

Super Short Poem

If you want to fire me, that’s fine.
I’m ”adding value.”
I’m synergizing.
I’m team playing.
Just not at your company.

NOTE:
Field Sobriety Test is going to be adding (filler) some more content (filler) in the form of an email section (filler). If you would like to have your emails addressed in the column, email them to The Field Sobriety Test Mailbag at ryandeegilmour@hotmail.com. Emails will be reposted in the column.

Tuesdays Lost Youtube Clip: There is a Time...

Every Tuesday, the CPC brings you the YouTube clip that you missed this week. But probably should've seen.

This week, we proudly present "The Darlings on The Andy Griffith Show singing There Is a Time." The Darlings were actually played by the very talented bluegrass group, The Dillards. You can learn more about them, here.

Weekly Question #6: The Worst Date Ever.

(Every Monday, the CPC posts a New Weekly Question. CPC visitors are invited to answer the question, debating its points, in the comments section of the site. We write the question. You write the actual article.)

Jump right in!

You know you've suffered through the Worst Date Ever, don't you? It was just as bad as you remember it being. Why don't you tell us all about it?

THIS WEEKS QUESTION:

Tell us about The Worst Date Ever.
Specifically what was the Moment when you knew that things weren't going to end well for one or the both of you?

Discuss!

Kathleen On The Scene: 02-05-07

Hey Hipsters! Kathleen on the Scene here. As my “Mom” said, I comes and I goes. It’s hard to hold a hipster down. But I am popping in with a bite-sized trend report for you Scenesters! More soon. See you on the scene!
-KotS

IN: Disgust at the concept of Norbit
OUT: Disgust at the concept of Little Man

IN: Authentic Spanish Cuisine
OUT: Molecular Gastronomy

IN: Puppets
OUT: Clowns

IN: Dominican Republic
OUT: Mexico

IN: King Size
OUT: Queen Size

IN: Blue & Brown
OUT: Black & White

IN: Trying-too-hard Dunkin Donuts Commercials
OUT: Trying-too-hard Skittles Commercials

Looking Up: On Vacation in Las Vegas.

Editor's Note: The regular contributor to "Looking Up" is actually in Las Vegas this week, "looking up" and around the Neon City. The regular column will resume next week. In the interim, the CPC shares with you some of our favorite pics of the Windy City, as taken by amateur photographer contributors to the CPC. Perhaps these pictures of Summer in Chicago will help to remove the sheen of Permafrost that currently blankets the entire city.

Tuesdays Lost Youtube Clip: Intelligent Artifice Dance-O-Matic 3000 Demo

Every Tuesday, the CPC brings you the YouTube clip that you missed this week. But probably should've seen.

This week, we proudly present "Intelligent Artifice Dance-O-Matic 3000 Demo." To learn more about this fascinating new innovation in the field of Dancing Automatons, you can visit this site and read the press release.

On with the demo.



If the choreography looks familiar, perhaps you've seen it somewhere else before.

Weekly Question #5: The Best Job Ever.

(Every Monday, the CPC posts a New Weekly Question. CPC visitors are invited to answer the question, debating its points, in the comments section of the site. We write the question. You write the actual article.)

Jump right in!

Sometimes, in life, we stumble onto or specifically seek out The Best Job Ever.
Maybe it's the supportive, kind employer.
Maybe it's the pleasant co-workers.
Maybe it's the job itself. Just challenging or just easy enough to fit your particular work style.
Or maybe it's the perks of the job that make it so good.

THIS WEEKS QUESTION:

Tell us about The Best Job you ever had.
How did you find it and what was so good about it?
Are you still doing it? If so, is it still The Best Job ever?
If you're not doing it anymore, why not?

Discuss!

Kathleen On The Scene: 01-26-07

Editors Note: Kathleen On the Scene, our Ace Pop Culture Girl Reporter is unavailable to submit her column this week. The CPC has been informed that Kathleen is ill from eating too much cotton candy at the Arlington Heights Winter Wonderland Festival, this week. Her mother assures us that Kathleen's recovery will be swift. She has also graciously agreed to cover the column for Kathleen this week. The CPC welcomes the temporary column, "Ruth-Anne On The Scene."

Well, hello there, CPC Readers and Everyone else! Ruth-Anne Sanger-Ormsby here and I am really thrilled as punch to be writing this column for Kathleen, while she's sick from all that cotton candy. My poor baby is on the couch right now, watching the Disney Channel and making up a list of sandwiches that she wants for lunch while she's sick! Today, I think that she's going to ask for Tuna Fish, so I better get crackin' on makin' that soon. She loves wheat bread with Tuna Fish, but prefers white bread with bologna or peanut butter and jelly. Teenage girls! They sure are a handful, aren't they?

You might be surprised to hear that this isn't my first time writing an article for someone before. When I was the secretary with Huffard-Milken in the early 1980's, one of my jobs was to write a regular column in the Huffard-Milken Gazette, which was what we called the in-company news-letter. I had a monthly column called, "The Wit and Wisdom of Ruth-Anne Morton-Sanger." (This was before I met and married Kathleens current stepdad, Mr. Ormsby. I was married to my second husband, Larry Sanger, at the time. Gosh, That was a mistake! I am very happy with Mr.Ormsby now.)

In my column, I would write some funny story about something that I had seen around the office or some bit of gossip that was going around. The only rule that I had to follow, was that I had to tie it all into something to do with shoe inserts, since that's what Huffard-Milken manufactured. At the end of each column, I would include what I called a Short Meditation. Something to think about, for that month. What I didn't tell anyone was that I copied them directly out of my Chicken Noodle For the Secretary's Heart, Daily Calendar! Ha ha! Nobody ever figured that out! Pretty smart for this old gal, wasn't it?

Anywhoodles, Charlie Paige tells me that Kathleen does these weekly columns on what's hot and what's not in the pop culture! While I have to admit that I don't watch the Entertainment Tonight or read any of Kathleens magazines, I think I have a pretty good feel for the pulse of the nation! I think I'm a pretty cool mom! I bet this is going to be a snap! Here we go!

IN: Using the Internet.
OUT: Watching the Tv.

IN: Jon Stewart (wow! So cute!)
OUT: Dan Rather (where is that guy these days?)

IN: Sting's newest album.
OUT: That trashy music that Kathleen plays well after her bedtime.

IN: Having my son, Jeremy, load my songs for me on my new ipod.
OUT: Having him take off all the nasty rap songs that he puts on there for a joke. (Ha ha, Jeremy!)

IN: Sweaters
OUT: Capri Pants and Sandals.

IN: Baking Sugar Cookies and Peanut Butter cookies.
OUT: Baking Pumpkin Pies and holiday cookies.

IN: Watching CSI:Las Vegas at night curled up in bed with Mr. Ormsby.
OUT: Watching "The View" when I could be doing more productive things, like finally cleaning out the hallway closet.

IN: Teenage Charge Card Accounts at the Mall.

OUT: Doing chores for allowance.

IN: Going over to your friends house when you want to play or something.
OUT: Hassling your mother for a pink, cell-phone for your birthday!

IN: Dressing up like some sort of hootchie-mama for school.
OUT: Dressing like a well-mannered young lady.

Oh gosh, I have to go, gang! Kathleen is yelling for me from the living room and my son, Jeremy wants to play his video games on the family computer. I'll let him check my spelling and send this column off for me to Charlie at the CPC. I have a feeling that someone is hungry for a tuna fish sandwich.

Before I go though, I do want to leave you with this one bit of wisdom from the Chicken Soup for a Mothers Soul. I find it to be inspirational.

"The greatest gift that a mother can give is her H.E.A.R.T. That stands for her Help, Empathy, Attention, Reassurance and Time." - Anonymous

PS. MY MOM IS TOTALLY GAY!

The Do-Gooder's Corner: One-Brick.Org

Early on a Saturday morning, people file into a downtown office building lobby. A woman wearing an orange fleece jacket asks “Are you here for One Brick?” Another orange fleece-clad woman asks people to sign in and hands them a nametag with the logo “OneBrick.org – Volunteering Made Easy.” Once everyone arrives, they are brought up to the offices where they will spend the next three to four hours counting letters, assembling boxes and stuffing envelopes for a charitable organization. At the end of their assignment, most of the One Brick volunteers will go out for lunch or drinks and get to know each other better.

Welcome to One Brick, an organization that provides an easy way to get involved and make a difference. One Brick supplies a volunteer pool to charitable organizations and encourages social networking among its volunteers. Started in December 2001 in San Francisco, One Brick has expanded to four cities nationwide. One Brick Chicago recently marked its second anniversary.

On One Brick’s website (www.onebrick.org), volunteers can sign up to participate in a range of different activities (called “events”). Recent events include sorting food at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, stuffing envelopes at the Muscular Dystrophy Association, ushering at the Goodman Theater or painting rooms at the YMCA.

At lunch after a recent event, one volunteer named James said he started volunteering with One Brick because he wanted to give “something back.” Others wanted to do something good while meeting new people. Another volunteer, Ilango half joked that he decided to volunteer with One Brick in order to “rebuild his soul.” Other volunteers mention they like One Brick’s flexibility, as there is no minimum commitment for volunteers.

Looking to volunteer and to meet new people? Check out One Brick at www.onebrick.org.

Looking Up: The People's Gas Building.

So is everyone looking up? Seriously, one of the hardest habits I had to break before really studying architecture was to actually look up. I know how it is, you’re staring at the ground looking for cash someone dropped, but trust me, you will gain more knowledge by actually just…looking up.

Okay, I want to piggyback on my last post about The Art Institute and its Beaux Arts design. Remember how I said Daniel Burnham designed the Columbian Exposition in the Beaux Arts style, and how some of the Chicago architects were pissed because Burnham was taking the easy way out? ‘Member?

Well Burnham was a business man; he was gregarious and outgoing and would happily change something on the design of his buildings if you wanted him to. He was a forward thinker, but when it came to his designs, he usually played it safe. While Louis Sullivan was designing a brand new kind of building (the skyscraper), Burnham was doing the same thing, but building these distinctively American buildings (seriously, the skyscraper is truly one of the only American art forms) in the same way he had built the worlds fair, Beaux Arts style.



Check out this building, the People’s Gas Building at the corner of Adams and Michigan. Designed in 1910, this is one of the later buildings in Burnham’s career, but look closely at his beautiful (and HUMONGOUS) skyscraper, and you will see a visual representation of Burnham’s fear. He built a skyscraper holding on for dear life to the Beaux Arts aesthetic.

We all know the People’s Gas building, probably passed by it a million times, it holds the worlds busiest Bennigans, and unfortunately, that’s about as far as most people’s knowledge goes. But next time you’re out, take a look at this amazing building and notice a few things.

First, Burnham manages to cling to his forever love, the Greek Column. In fact, he lines his buildings entrance with them, 26 feet high and 30 tons of ‘em. Also notice Burnham uses them again at the top or “cornice” of the building; he sure does love his columns. Burnham also adds some lovely animals, lions separate light globes above the columns which we know from our Art Institute lions is a very Beauxy step.

The People’s Gas Building is a really great building to watch Burnham’s style. He took the “newfangled” skyscraper and made it look as classic as possible. We end up with one of the most beautiful and opulent skyscrapers on the Michigan Avenue Cliff, but we know too, that the beauty came from what Burnham already knew how to build, not any kind of real innovation, that, he left to his partners. More on that next week.

Field Sobriety Test: A Brief Economics Lesson.

A Solid Investment of Your Time.

I’ve done some investigative work on the fan base of The Chicago Post Collective and it turns out that everyone that reads this webpage is broke. Tapped out. With Depleted Funds. Broke. I know this because everyone that I ever meet is fucking broke. My day job is in the financial world so I have an exponentially higher amount of contact with “financial gurus.” So, I’m here to help.

For those of you outside of my world, a “financial guru” is kind of the snake oil salesman of the financial world. They yell and jump around and chop up credit cards on stage and all together do a bunch of crazy shit…then they teach you how to save. They are basically televangelists whose God is money. This is assuming that all televangelists aren’t greedy fucks, but that’s a whole ‘nother column.

My favorite “financial guru” is Dave Ramsey. Dave is a bald, smiley, energetic Texan who hops around on stage and generally tap dances for his audience. He’s been on Oprah so you know he’s legit. There are two things about Dave Ramsey that make my love for him strange. The first is that his company, Financial Peace University, is faith based. I’m not a very Christian person but he has entire sections of his tapes where he talks about if a person should tithe on net or gross income. The other thing that makes my love for Dave strange is that my love for him is 100% un-ironic. I actually like this guy, however slimy he is. Dave is a Christian, Republican, showman…but he knows his shit, which brings us to this column’s

Fun Fact Section

Under current Bankruptcy laws, a bankrupt mofo (hereafter referred to as “mofo”(that’s legal talk)) has to go to two classes to get their debts removed.

The first class is called Consumer Credit Counseling and it’s done super early in the process. It’s super fast and can be done in a matter of minutes on the phone. The early reports on this thing is that it isn’t really helping anyone except for Counseling centers which, I’m sure if we looked deeper into them, are corrupt as the bee-jeesus.

The second class that a mofo has to go through is call Financial Budget counseling. In this class, a mofo learns to budget and save and how financial institutions such as credit card companies and banks learn.

What does this have to do with “financial gurus”, you ask? Well, Dave Ramsey’s company (Financial Peace University) is certified to give out Financial Budget counseling. No big deal, right? WRONG! It’s a very very round about way of giving a faith based organization an official government nod. This is some paranoid shit to me but I think eventually, it could be used in the Republican push to make Christian school more official.

Dave’s message, although faith based, is pretty good. Which brings us to this column’s

Insight Section

The two “financial guru” mission statements that I’m most familiar with are Dave Ramsey and Warren Buffet. If you don’t know who Warren Buffet is, close this window and look him up. Seriously, its' more important that you know about him, than read the rest of this.

Warren’s big message is that investing consistently and constantly is more important than hitting a big strike. He says that shifting your assets all the time is fine but, in the long run, it doesn’t matter that much. Dave Ramsey’s big lesson is to pay your debts with dedication and to work them down instead of trying to “wiggle” around them with refinancing and shit like that.

Are you ready for the insight? That’s the same fucking message. So Warren Buffet (the most respected financial advisor EVAR) and Dave Ramsey (snake oil salesman) are saying the same thing. Finances are hard and they take a marathon approach. There is no substitute for hard work. The only difference is that Warren works with people with wealth and Dave works with people with debt.

Take that and let it rattle in your head. OK, now go to your mirror. Who is that you see? That’s the new financial you. That’s who.

Super Short Poem

Don’t ever save
A meteorite is probably
Going to hit again

I’ve never met a T-Rex
With an impressive portfolio

Tuesdays Lost Youtube Clip: Frenchy Rides A Rollercoaster.

Every Tuesday, the CPC brings you the YouTube clip that you missed this week. But probably should've seen.

This week, we proudly present "Frenchy Rides A RollerCoaster".

Kathleen On The Scene: 01/19/07

Editors Note:
Today's Kathleen On The Scene article could not be posted on our regular schedule.

Today, Kathleen underwent minor orthodontic surgery to have her first set of braces installed. The CPC has recently received notice from Kathleen's mother, that the procedure was a success. When she regains consciousness, it's expected that Kathleen will be very excited about the pink rubber bands that she chose for her braces.

CPC Readers who wish to send Kathleen notes of support and other well-wishes, may send those to KathleenontheScene@yahoo.com.

The Editors of the CPC wish Kathleen a speedy recovery and a healthy return! We look forward to the return of her column, next week!

Charlie Paige - CPC EIC.

The Player: The Burning Crusade.

The Burning Crusade is officially unleashed on the world, God help us all.

I've never been particularly moderate when it comes to video gaming; I know what I like and I'm not afraid to spend eight to twelve hours in one sitting to get it. Fortunately the games that can interest me for that full span are few and far between. In recent memory, I would probably count Guitar Hero II and maybe Phantasy Star Universe (barely). But there are some games that really steal my life away, starting back in my high school days with Phantasy Star Online (10 days played on my main, a level 180 HUcast) and progressing naturally into MMOs.

The undisputed king of MMOs, both in the market and in my heart, is World of Warcraft. I have three level 60s (the former maximum level), which isn't a mean amount, representing roughly thirty days of in-game play time. But I must've played at least twice that much, since World of Warcraft is the one game I can't quit. I keep on trying but inevitably, like a beaten dog, I come back asking for more. I know the game is terrible at level 60. I know there isn't a single piece of content that I haven't experienced at least twice on some alt or another. And I know there's NOTHING left for me to do... but I just can't let it go.

And now the Burning Crusade has arrived. World of Warcraft's first expansion, destined to fix all of Warcraft's flaws and destroy my life completely. I was in line at GameStop 12:01AM Tuesday to get my copy. I had it installed by 12:30 and I was up until 3 actually playing it. Work was really awesome the next day. I'm not quite sure what's possessed me so completely about the expansion -- I mean, I was in the beta, and I've played Warcraft before top to bottom -- but I feel a burning desire to quit my job and just play full time. Happily, I have enough restraint to resist. But only because I can sneak in six hours a day after work. It's like the part-time job I pay Blizzard to play!

To make matters worse, though, all my friends are steadily progressing from 60 to 70 (the new level cap), I've decided to create a new character and join the ranks of one of the new expansion races: the Blood Elves. (I rolled a Paladin. Yeah, roll your eyes.) Though I'm only level 14 now, I hope to level up at a truly startling pace. I love Blood Elves and also I love Paladins. Also, I play way too much. At this rate I'm primed to burn out on my lowbie Blood Elf Paladin, which I can't honestly say would be a bad thing. But on the day after the official release all I can do at work is think about getting home and playing more.

I'll take some pictures of my Paladin next time I'm in-game. Until then, you just have to take my word for it that he's almost ludicrously hot. Consider that a teaser for next week's post.

Looking Up: The Art Institute.

The ancient Greeks called architecture the “mother of all arts”. Architecture is the way we tell our stories, the way we rebel against the status quo, the way we bring beauty to the earth in the most visible way possible. But in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, Victor Hugo wrote that “the book will destroy the building” insinuating that we will tell our stories on paper, instead of stone.

I don’t believe it.

So with this column I will attempt to reveal to you the history and the story behind the buildings that you see around you every day.

The first building on our mother-of-arts tour holds art itself, the aptly named Art Institute.



The Art Institute was designed by Sheply, Rutan and Coolidge and finished in 1893, the same year as the Columbian Exposition, the first of two World’s Fairs held in Chicago. The building is done in the “Beaux Arts” style, as most buildings of that time were. If you were an architect in the 1890’s, you had one school to go to, the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, and they would teach you to design a building exactly like the Art Institute: three arched doorways, Corinthian columns, the names of artists that run across the top of the building under the cornice line, a grand entryway and the use of animals are all features of a Beaux Arts building.

Take a close look at the lions. They’re different! The northern one is called “On The Prowl” and the southern one is called “In The Attitude Of Defiance”. They were designed by Edward Kemeys for the Worlds Fair and moved from Jackson Park to their current locations.

The real story of the Institute is what it represents. Daniel Burnham, designer of the Worlds Fair, decided to go with a classic Beaux Arts design in the Court of Honor for the Exposition. Some, like Chicago’s own Louis Sullivan, were horrified by his decision, believing that Burnham was taking the safe route. At the time, Chicago architects were building a new kind of building that didn’t rely on the outdated architecture of the Greeks and the Romans, and Sullivan believed that the Worlds Fair would set architecture back 50 years.

Burnham and Sullivan, oil and vinegar.

Here’s the best quote ever, Charles Hutchinson, the president of the Art Institute in 1893 said “We have made our money in pigs, but is that any reason why we should not spend it on paintings?”

Right on Mr. Hutchinson, right on.

Tuesdays Lost Youtube Clip: The Glorious Return of Break Dancing!

Every Tuesday, the CPC brings you the YouTube clip that you missed this week. But probably should've seen.

This week, we proudly present "The Glorious Return of Break Dancing!".

Weekly Question #3: Star Trek Vs Star Wars!

Kathleen On The Scene: 01/12/07

Hey Hipsters! Kathleen on the Scene here! Second week here at CPC. Good times. I’ve been working it out and about finding the scoop on the scene. So here’s the latest trend report, fresh out of the oven. Eat em up!

-KOTS

IN: iPod Phones
OUT: Camera Phones

IN: Ricky Gervais in Extras
OUT: Ricky Gervais in The Office

IN: Super Skinny Models
OUT: Deathly Skinny Models

IN: Cyber Paper Dolls
OUT: Cyber Coloring Books

IN: Admitting Mistakes
OUT: Denial

IN: Bon Mots
OUT: Quips

IN: Splenda=Poison
OUT: Sweet ‘n Low=Poison

IN: Cutesy Ear Muffs
OUT: Cutesy Page Boy Hats

IN: Pleasantly Drunk DeVito
OUT: Belligerently Drunk Gibson

IN: Hand Crafts
OUT: Scrapbooking

IN: Pleasantries
OUT: Small Talk