The Awkward World

Wow, I haven’t posted in a really long time, have I? In my defense, I have been rather busy, and also I don’t have the internet at my apartment right now (typing this from a Caribou Coffee on Michigan Ave.). But here are some of the changes in my life recently:

1. I moved. Yay! Goodbye Logan Square, hello Andersonville. It’s a gorgeous neighborhood on the north side with large populations of both Swedes and lesbians. Clark Street is a lot like Franklin Street, but more Swedish and gayer. I’m in a beautiful 1-bedroom (I’ll post pics eventually) about five minutes from the Berwyn red line stop. Close to everything. I love it. No cable or internet till Tuesday though, and I still haven’t bought a new bed (sleeping on the heaviest fold-out couch in the world), so there’s room for improvement.

Dirty Projectors – Stillness is the Move

2. I finished massage school. Today was my final day of class. I graduate at the beginning of July and take my national certification exam. More than likely, I’m through with school of any kind forever, which is exactly as liberating and bittersweet as it sounds.

The Replacements – Can’t Hardly Wait

3. Dad got sick. Some of you heard about this and some of you didn’t. My dad was hospitalized a few weeks ago for a pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot in the lungs and is very serious. Fortunately I happened to be at home when it happened, so I could be there in person when the doctor said he was going to be fine. If they had told me on the phone I wouldn’t have believed them. But he is doing just fine. Taking blood thinners and some other epic cocktail of medicines that keeps him in a pretty much constant haze. More than likely, mom and dad are coming to Chicago to visit in a few weeks.

Steve Earle – Pancho and Lefty

4. I have an awesome girlfriend. Awesome. As. Fuck. And her favorite band is the Smashing Pumpkins and she writes and she knows more about art than anyone I know and and and…

Art Brut – Good Weekend

5. Concerts everywhere! It’s summer in Chicago, and if you aren’t here, you should be. Last night was the Hold Steady. Tonight is Dirty Projectors in Millennium Park. Thursday I’m going to Summerfest in Milwaukee to see Rancid and Conor Oberst (though not at the same time… which would be awesome). I’m still on a positivity high from that Hold Steady show. If you’ve never seen them live, do yourself a favor and check your worries at the door for a night of high energy, old-fashioned rock and roll. They sing so much about a “unified scene,” but it’s hard to know what their talking about until you’re part of a grumpy crowd at the Taste of Randolph Street Festival, composed mostly of surly drunks who wandered over to see what that noise is, and by the end of it everyone (including toddlers and old ladies!) is bouncing,jumping,  singing, smiling, hugging strangers. Their live show is magic, and it makes the whole world feel magic. Like Craig Finn says, you guys and us guys and those guys, we are all the Hold Steady.

Stay positive!

Tanner

PS – Where did all my links go? I should fix that.

PPS – Check this out: