Lori Confessional, Re: CHICAGO

Some of you will be getting this letter, but in case you did not, here it is! 

Hi! Lori here. 

So ok, Whether you know my favorite cheese and my favorite Beatle (Tomme de Savoie and Paul, respectively), or whether you've just figured out that my hair is brown, I wanted to be clear. I have moved to Chicago. More precisely, I've moved to Chicago because I'm pursing a pretty intriguing career opportunity at a small tech startup just about 6 blocks up the street from Threadless.com. Cool, huh? It's called Perkspot.com. 

Yes. I know these big ol' lumped together emails can seem impersonal, so if I haven't spoken to you in a bit, feel free (actually please do) contact me via phone, email, postcard ... I'd love to tell you, in that long-winded, parenthetical and personal way I have of telling things (case in point : this email), all about how and why I ended up here. (short story: on a plane from NYC and for a job after being laid off in December by Moosylvania Marketing, respectively) 

Worse things have befallen a young lady than a new job in a new town, though at times I really do feel bereft for having to leave St. Louis.  But I'm comforted knowing that helping myself is helping St. Louis (and if you're from St. Louis, or anywhere for that matter, and find yourself needing help - holler! lori.e.white@gmail). But I'm up to some good things here. 

Anyway, I'll be posting updates here on MRVG and pictures of my beloved Flickr, both which, like myself,  may go through a slight existential crisis, but not to worry, you will like it and all the nuggets you've come to know (in both the blog and the Lori) won't be much different. They'll just be wearing more layers in wintertime, b/c frankly, it is way colder here than anywhere I have ever been ever. Seriously, ever. I think my corneas froze once.

That being said,  I welcome your hellos, and most importantly (to me) look forward to your thoughts on my thoughts on the old blog which will be "eloquently" translating the transplant of one Mississippi River Valley Girl to the fertile technology corridors of the Great-Lake(s)-that-pretty-much-look-like-an-ocean. 

Come visit, say hello, scold me for leaving, congratulate me for breaking free, express your indifference, poke me on the facebook, & email me for my address if you care to send any toasted ravioli.

Repping the 314ever,

Lori

And so I'll leave you (for now) with a slideshow of my stl pictures (oh there are plenty, and there will certainly be plenty more...though I'm really going to try to take pictures of Chicago as lovingly as I did of St. Louis...a challenge!)

peace out.

Pirated Bricks from St. Louis paving renovatoin on the far south side - New Orleans

MyFox St. Louis | FOX Files: Burning Bricks For New Orleans:

this is crazy.
I've always thought that there's a way for our cities, Nola and St. Louis to grow out of whatever blight we've endured together (or separately), and its just wacky to see this black market brick trade undermining that. It's crazy!

props to Matt at StL Dotage for the heads up.

Converting to corndog mysticism

>Have you written your postcard for Joe's yet?

Just got off the phone with the riverfront times for an article about the place. Crazy blogs! They'll get you into some mixes, apparently.

Ooooh, Joe's closing makes me so grouchy, I'm sure I rambled on and on about how much respect I have for Joe's and how angry I am about its closure for longer than necessary. Bless that reporters heart. I recall griping about the cabaret license that puts tables in the middle of *my* dance floors, too. Ooo, I do know how to digress!

But what better opportunity than to remind you to write your letter about why you like Joe's?

Joe's Cafe c/o Christman Studios
6014 Kingsbury Ave
St. Louis, MO 63112


Can't wait to be interviewed again when the place re-opens, though I DO worry that all the press it may take to get it may open may get it too many visitors who won't be respectful, listen to the music, clean up their trash, and appreciate the neon signitude of it all. That's a better problem than the current situation, I guess, where no one can go, respectful or no.

Here's the code that's apparently causing the trouble.
14.01.060 C.O.L. license.

A "C.O.L. license" shall permit the consumption of intoxicating liquor and nonintoxicating beer between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday and between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 12:00 midnight on Saturday upon a premises, for which a drink license has not been issued, where food, beverages, or entertainment is sold or provided for compensation. It shall not be necessary for the operator of a premises where food, beverages, or entertainment is sold or provided for compensation to procure a C.O.L. license to allow intoxicating liquor or nonintoxicating beer to be consumed upon such premises between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. (Ord. 61289 § 2 (part), 1989.)

Hey! Are you a lawyer who loves live music? Maybe you can find a loophole, huh?

Also, 1989? Seriously?

So ok....I guess all frat parties with a cover are also illegal, too. Oh, and if I have a party on a Thursday where I might make my friends bring their own O'Doull's, but also make them give me a dollar to do a tap dance to "I've been workin' on the Railroad"...that would be illegal, too - between the hours of 10pm and 6am. (it just so happens I already have a choreographed dance to that song, so it's a natural choice) Grrr.

Oh whatever, I'm an outsider kid anyway. What do I know about such grown-up things? In the face of all the crazy bureaucracy/ordinances/whatever, just being hopeful seems like clapping your hands twice if you believe in fairies to bring Tinkerbell back to life.

Still, a little keepin' the faith surely ain't hurting anyone.

UPDATE: here's the article

Get you some a'that!

I saw this Really Awesome country rap (name check's Tim McGraw and the CMAs) video over here, under the headline (title?) "The Obama Effect" -- ?


All due respect, but I think that's giving Obama a liiiitttttle too much credit. But hey, if that is the case, bless him and his unifying ways, and I mean that in all seriousness! I tend to think it was maybe just the effect of some kind, everyday people, not some (extremely, ridiculously, like whoa) well marketed Harvard Law School fella with no voting record's mere presence on CNN giving a misquoted re-reading of "The Little Engine That Could." Sure that engine could climb that mountain, but could he croon? (and by croon, I mean vote in a consistent way b/c he has voted enough to have consistency)

Don't give your credit all to Obama - that's all I'm saying. But I guess Obama (or Will.I.am singing Obama's word) would tell me that I "can" give myself the credit. Well I do, and Barry Obama's got nothing to do with it, thankyouverymuch.

My horoscope said I should try to not be a grouch today...oops! I am feeling grouchy!

Well, if anyone thinks they can whip me up a batch of Obama Kool-aid to drink (I'll especially need it if he wins the nomination, and it will especially have to be made from a nice sugary policy-based powder...I also like watermelon flavor, fyi) -- whip it up!

Gah. I'm sorry! Politics are so obnoxious to me right now.