howcouldiknow

So, I am pretty sure that promotion of my cohabitating (not a word, I know)  lover is almost as bad as self-promotion.  Then again, what is a blog but an avenue for shameless promotion of ourselves and those around us?  Well, the merits and motivations for blogging may be another discussion for another day (though I don’t really want to analyze myself too deeply on that one).  Nonetheless, I just realized that Ian’s comics are up on Quimby’s website.  Which I think is really freaking cool.  Quimby’s is a local book/comic shop that makes a point to provide an outlet for local and developing talents (awesome).  Also exciting and interesting, I just found out about the Chicago Underground Library from one of my customers at the cafe.  They are a developing local archive of independent and small-press media.  I am going to the next volunteer meeting to find out more details.    My customer (didn’t get her name, sorry!)  was telling us about the Science of Obscurity event they are hosting on Friday July 10th.  It should be a really fun get together, including mass destruction of rejection letters!  And…..this is a lead up event to the Printer’s Ball.  I think most chicagoans are well aware of this annual event, but I, as a transplant just heard.  It is July 31st and will entail lots of free print, readings, offset/letterpress print demonstrations. The Poetry Foundation is running the event and supposedly they purchase zines, magazines, books etc.  and give them away for free at the event.  We’ll see if it can live up the NYC art  book fair that I was at last fall.

And the final plug of the day,  just got my brakes tuned up a little at Boulevard Bikes at Logan Square.  When I was locking my bike up someone yelled out their car window at me, “Don’t shop there, those guys are assholes!”  They have  hilariously diverse ratings on Yelp, which I get.    They are mildly condescending but I think most of the people who get treated badly were being self-righteous condescending assholes themselves, which gets you nowhere with a small business that doesn’t require kissing ass with every person who walks through the door.  Well my brakes were getting loose and I didn’t know why so I went in and asked the guy to take a look.  He came out and talked me into letting him fix it for ten bucks for me.  I was wary and wish he would have tried to explain what he was going to do in more detail to me, I am trying to learn how to do things myself.  Well, he took her back and tightened everything up for me, oiled my brakes, oiled my chain and put air in my tires.  Gave him ten bucks and tipped him five, it was worth it.  Next time, I am going to ask to be shown and explained to what needs to be done.  Moral of the story:  Don’t be a prick.