We started off Saturday morning with a big breakfast which included elk sausage, courtesy of our friends Al and Elaine who were nice enough to pick it up for us a couple weekends ago at the farmer’s market. The elk was great—very lean with little to no fat. We have four links left along with some lamb.

We spent a majority of the day tidying up around the apartment. Due to my recent bug to do photography again I loaded up my 35mm and went to a nearby park to take some pictures. Unfortunately by the time I got there the light was too overcast for what I wanted to do, but on my way through the park while walking down a path next to a chain linked fence I looked over to see three deer only a mere 10 feet way from me on the other side of the fence. They were too preoccupied with corn cobs to pay me any mind. After watching them for a couple minutes two other deer arrived at the scene, followed thereafter my two young doe. It was quite a sight, though it suddenly occurred to me that there were now seven deer before me. The number seven doesn’t particularly hold any special significance for me, but it nonetheless I felt it a good time to be on my way.

So yeah, I left the park empty handed without taking any photos. It was pretty disheartening.

For dinner we placed an order from Leona’s to be delivered to the apartment. I had the blue cheese and spinach burger—not bad though a little messy. Out of lack of any new movies to watch we popped in the first Nightmare on Elm Street—not exactly most people’s ideal dinner movie but neither of us had seen it in awhile. After my burger I enjoyed a bottle of Great Divide’s Old Ruffian Barley Wine. Again, I’ve yet to be let down by Great Divide, and their hops have a very distinct bitterness that has really grown on me. The Old Ruffian had a very sharp sweet taste but I’d describe as robust. If it wasn’t so stiff I’d say it reminded me of the Yeti. As my second-ever barley wine I was quite impressed and I’ll defiantly be checking out more.

After the movie Flanagan came over to visit with the cats and trim Killer’s claws. Killer is still adjusting to us and has been somewhat difficult. She’s what I’d call a very high stung cat, and her claws are like little razors that tear into flesh. Rani and I both have claw marks all over our hands from Killer’s little lovemarks. She’s definitely a handful. Nonetheless we’re glad Flanagan could make it over to trim her claws.

The three of us then were out of the club where our friends met up with us for Rani’s birthday gathering. It was a fun night and we actually didn’t leave until 3am—pretty late for us. A lot of our friends were out and we had a really good time. At around midnight we brought out a cake and all sang happy birthday. Even though the bar is weeding down their beer selections I managed to get a Great Lakes Christmas Ale, which I didn’t even know they carried. I’m not the biggest fan of Christmas beers but this was actually quite acceptable. It had a lot of the spices one would expect and had a nice bite. Anyway, it was a good dance night and I got plenty of exercise. As I write this I’m only moderately sore.

After the club we cabbed it home. I managed to stay awake for most of the ride, though I think off dozed off while counting money to pay for our fare, much to Rani’s amusement.

This past week I was wrestling with the idea of purchasing a used 4x5 camera to continue my architectural photography. Unfortunately the cons outweighed the pros and I decided against it. The expense of the camera itself and all the accessories would already be a hefty investment, but the price of getting the film professionally processed, since I don’t have access to a darkroom where I could do them myself, would be outrageous. If I shot 50 sheets of black and white a month and got them professionally processed it would cost me upwards of $2,300 a year. Combined with the price of film I’d be spending $3,000+ a year for 600 black and white negatives which would also need to be scanned in. I’d gladly spend the $700 on film if it meant continuing my work but getting them professionally processed at $3.25 a sheet is an absolute joke, especially since I could do it myself if I had access to a darkroom. Yeah, that’s a lot of time playing around with chemicals in the dark, but it’s not something I’d be opposed to. I guess the logically thing would be to looking into darkrooms in town which would have the facilities for me to process large format film. This is all so daunting, and the worst part is that the city is constantly changing, offering endless possibilities for fantastic photographs as buildings are erected and others torn down, but I’m not making my own personal record of it.

Anyway, on to lighter stuff. Last night we decided to stay in and watch a 1988 film called Seventh Sign which shares a lot of similarities with the new Legion movie, only the former is actually a decent film and provided a much better forecoming-apocalypse story. That said, I didn’t particularly enjoy Seventh Sign either, but at least I didn’t insult the viewer’s intelligence to the degree that Legion did. I actually don’t have much to say about this one at all. It’s well-made but my attention started to wane around the 60 minute mark.

During the movie I enjoyed a bottle of Unibroue’s Quatre-Centième and followed by a Solstice D'hiver from Dieu Du Chiel. Yeah, that’s a lot of Canadian beer. The Quatre-Centième is limited release Belgian-style golden ale that reminded me a lot of Unibroue’s Don de Dieu and Fin Du Monde. Honestly, if had me taste all three I’d be hard pressed to tell one from the other. Again, it was a good example of the Belgian-style, just not particularly memorable. Later on I had a small bottle of Dieu Du Chiel’s Solstice D'hiver, marking my first official barley wine. I was quite impressed and it reminded me a lot of a liqueur with a slight plum flavor. Very nice. It made for a good stiff drink which rounded out the evening before going to bed.

So this afternoon after work I went over to Central Camera and bought two rolls of Kodak 35mm film, T-Max 100 and Portra VC 160. Over the past week or so the topic of my photography has come up on several occasions and I’m sad to admit that I haven’t shot much of anything for the past couple years.

Ideally I’d like to shoot film with a 4x5 camera but since I don’t actually own a 4x5 that’s sort of a moot point. Yes, I could spend upwards of 3K on a large format set up and then have to worry about transporting it around everywhere, but I think it’s much more practical to dust off my 35mm and concentrate on shooting photographs. Of course shooting 35mm won’t give me that same aesthetic I’d get shooting tabletops and architecture with the 4x5, but I’ll still be able to focus on what I believe to be the most important aspect of photography: Lighting.

I was quite proficient shooting architecture with the 4x5 but when shooting tabletops I found myself so involved in the camera’s tilts and swings that I ended up paying more attention to the camera than the actual photograph. In that respect the 35mm will simplify things so that lighting the subject will be my number one priority when shooting tabletops. To simply things even further I might try using just a single constant light. Strobes are nifty but at this point they’re an investment and unless I’m doing portraits I can easily do without them.

Anyway, on a much lighter note last night I enjoyed a Péché Mortel, a wonderful coffee stout from Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel. This is perhaps the best coffee stout I’ve ever had. Simply amazing. Imagine an iced-coffee with an ABV of 9.5% and this is what you’d get. Check it out.

Our four temporary occupants:

Last night we were kicking around the idea of going out to the club but instead we decided it best to stay in and watch a movie, in which case we popped in Horsemen starring Dennis Quaid. Think Se7en with an injection of teen angst. The film obviously took a lot of inspiration from Se7en, as it tells the tale of a weary police detective investigating a series of religiously themed murders, except here they’re based on the horsemen of the apocalypse instead of the seven deadly sins. If the nature of the crimes weren’t similar enough, Horsemen goes so far as to lift settings from Se7en and incorporates them into the story. It's rather shameless, but nevertheless it works.

While inferior to the aforementioned film in every way its still a halfway decent movie, even if its final act features a twist that’s a way too contrived for its own good. I guess I should’ve seen it coming, as it nicely rounds out the main theme of the movie, though I still don’t find it even remotely plausible. I could’ve done without the obligatory last minute moralizing as well. Anyway, Horsemen offers a fairly consistent dark atmosphere with lots of bloody crime evidence. Those who aren’t fond of suicide suspensions and dangerously high doses of teen angst should probably stay clear. If anything else if fared a lot better than Legion, Quaid’s other recent apocalypse themed romp.

During the movie I enjoyed Great Divide’s Hercules Double IPA. Outstanding. In addition to really strong hops it had a touch of caramel that took me by surprise, and with an APV of 10% if definitely packed a wallop that put me to sleep a bit early. I can honestly say that Great Divide hasn’t let me down yet.

Friday evening we kicked things off with a visit to Rockwell’s Neighborhood Grill where we both had their Rockwell Burger with Angus beef and a salad on the side. Really good food and the restaurant had a nice laid-back ambience.

We'd been looking for new burger places to patronize and I’m quite happy we decided to go to Rockwell's rather than some of the other places we’d been contemplating, among them DMK and Rockit. The DMK site had absolutely no information except for their address, hours of operation, and a really lame flash presentation that unveiled their logo. Oh how minimalistic, not to mention stupid and pretentious. On the other hand the Rockit’s site listed all their menus but the general vibe was way too mainstream for our tastes. It looked like a sports bar, or worse yet the House of Blues. Do not want. Oh yeah, and when you visit their site it automatically plays this really annoying song that made my ears want to bleed. I'm fully aware that I could've just paused the song file, but as a matter of principal I thought it best to just move on and look at other places instead. Rockwell’s site though, while it didn’t include any menu items, at least looked halfway respectable, and seeing that I received generally positive online reviews so we decided to check it out.

Later on we went to the club to see it's most recent makeover. The walls still had that smell of fresh paint and the area behind the bar looked completely different. Sadly it would appear they're in the process of discontinuing most of their craft beers. That’s very disappointing. I was in a strange mood and for whatever reason decided to have not one but two Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzens during my stay at the club. Anyway, it was a busy night for a Friday and it good to see people out again. There seem to be a lot of new faces as of late.

This morning we woke up at around 9, had a quick breakfast, and at around 11 Pete picked us up and we went out to Woodstock, Illinois for Jimbo’s annual Groundhog’s Day gathering at his place. As most of you probably know the movie Groundhog’s Day was meant to take place at the Groundhog’s Day festival at Punxsutawney but most of the film was actually shot in Woodstock, and the town of Woodstock is very proud the movie so much that they have plaques up wherever certain shots were filmed. Anyway, each year Jimbo has people over to hang out and watch the movie while he serves up a huge pot of beef for everyone to make sandwiches with.

It was a good time, though I was a wee bit tired. Mind you I also had a couple drinks, an Alvinne Podge Belgian Imperial Stout and a Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel Aphrodite. The Podge was really thick with a musty aroma and a very rich taste. Good beer, though for whatever reason it failed to fully win me over. The Aphrodite was more to my liking. Brewed with cocoa and vanilla beans it was quite a treat. Excellent. It reminded me a New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk but nowhere near as heavy. I really, really liked this beer, and I’m definitely looking forward to trying more beer from Dieu Du Ciel.

Anyway, the three of us left Jimbo’s at 5 o’clock and Pete drove us home. We still have no idea what we are doing tonight. Perhaps we should take it easy, but then again we probably should work off some of the calories we consumed this afternoon. Who knows.

Tuesday after work Rani and I met up at the City North Theater to see Legion. To say the movie could’ve been better would be a massive understatement, and I didn’t exactly have the highest of expectations for this one. It has a few entertaining moments but they were outweighed by too much unnecessary character development for characters I couldn’t have been less interested in. See this one at your own will.

Here in Legion the angel Michael comes down to Earth in human form to save humanity from God’s mighty wrath led by Gabriel and his army of angels. It would appear that God has lost his faith in us and wants the slate cleaned. So be it. Michael’s primary objective is to locate Paradise Falls, a rundown diner in the middle of nowhere California, where he will defend the life of a burnt-out waitress, who is pregnant with—gasp—the future savior of mankind! I bet you didn’t see that one coming.

Anyway, Michael, with the aid of the various stock characters which make up the diner’s staff and patrons, must fight off God’s angels who have came down from heaven and possessed the minds of the weak, including a sweet-looking elderly woman and an awkwardly tall ice-cream man, thereby transforming them into what would appear to be hideous, potty-mouthed demons, though I guess they're still technically angels. At any rate, these are some of the vilest angels I’ve ever seen—one even used the c word while eating a piece of raw red meat and then crawled around on the ceiling to jump down and bite a man in the neck. Yeah, I know these angels aren’t exactly supposed to be peaches and cream—after all they’ve come down to earth with the intention of murdering a newborn child—but you’d still expect them to be a little more sedate, if not because it would’ve made their mission a whole lot easier. Blowing your cover as the last minute so that you can spit blood everywhere demonstrates poor tact as an infiltrator.

Yes, this is only a horror movie which more then often relies on a formula of scares and shocks, but bad writing is bad writing, and is it too much to ask that our villains use a little common sense? You’d think angels would be a little more organized and discreet. Good help is hard to find, especially when it comes to doing the Lord’s work.

Tonight we popped in a guilty pleasure called Untraceable, a movie about a group of FBI agents trying to stop a brilliant hacker who is abducting people and broadcasting their deaths online, with the catch that the victims die faster as more and more people visit the site. I saw the trailer for this one when it first came out and made fun of it relentlessly, and I especially scrutinized the bit when the woman shouts, "He hacked into my car’s computer!" That aside, this wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it’d be, and though the story hasn’t an ounce of believability it at least held off until the end before it got completely ridiculous. I initially thought this was going to be another cyber-paranoia romp like that awful Eagle Eye film, but this one proved to be much more restrained. Since I’m an absolute caveman when it comes to computer networking and stuff I had Rani translate most of the more technical jargon for me. It was a decent thriller but I’m sure most tech-heads would roll their eyes at this one. The movie makes the mistake of taking itself a little too seriously though and tries to sell off the heavy-handed notion that our society has transformed into a world heartless voyeurs, as if that’s some sort of a parable for our times. Really, I could do without the moralizing, or at least it didn’t need to so thoroughly elaborate on it's painfully obvious point.

My ale tonight was the curiously-named Atomium Grand Cru from Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V., who are also well known for their Gulden Draak and Augustijn. A few months back I was on a kick where I was trying to find a four pack of Atomium here in Chicago, but apparently all of the stores in town weren’t able to order any because of issues with the exporter. Yeah, I was very disappointed, but nonetheless I moved on. Well, Friday I stumbled upon a 4-pack completely by chance so I thought why not give it a shot. In short, it’s a satisfying blonde ale with an orange peel flavor that brings to mind Ommegang’s Rare Vos and even De Dolle’s Dulle Teve but without the acidic aftertaste. Atomium also boasts that it was six-grain fermented but you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference. It’s a great beer though and I’d recommend picking some up if you find it.

As for Killer, she’s still hiding under my desk. I don’t think I’ve seen her outside my office all day except for this morning’s incident with the refrigerator. She’s going to have to come out eventually. The other three cats are adjusting fine, and the princess even cuddled with us during the movie.

So Saturday night we put in Shutter, a 2008 American remake of a Japanese horror film. A couple years ago these remakes became a genre in and of themselves, and though they can be a little silly at times they’re often worth the while if you’re in the mood for something with an effectively creepy atmosphere. These aren’t masterpieces in any sense of the word but they’re nonetheless interesting to watch, nevermind that I’d be hard pressed to tell one from the other. Shutter offers a fun twist in that it deals with a ghost of a young woman haunting a professional photographer and his wife, and of course she makes frequent appearances on our photographer’s pictures, whether they be captured on film or digital, and she can even be seen in photo paper has its being developed in the darkroom. Yeah, this is all kind of silly since the movie since most if not all professional photographers are now shooting digital, or for that be shooting in black and white, but I’m sure everyone would agree that a traditional darkroom has more potentially spookiness than a well-lit office where one would sit a computer to work on post-production, and everyone knows ghosts look scarier in black and white anyway. Also, the characters come to the conclusion that the only surefire way to find the ghost is feverishly shoot Polaroids of their surroundings and check to see if she turns up in the image. Seriously, if this were actually true perhaps Polaroid might’ve found a new market for their instant film before discontinuing it a couple years back. Anyway, aside from all the photo-geek stuff there’s not much of interest in Shutter. It’s competently made, but for the most part it feels like a recycling of a copy of a copy.

During the movie I enjoyed Fort Collins Brewery’s Common Ground Amber, another ale brewed with coffee. Friday at Binny’s I almost got FCB’s Double Chocolate instead, but I thought it best to keep it safe and choose this one. I love both chocolate and coffee brewed beers, but from my experience the double chocolates can be a little overpowering, sometimes even rank. Anyway, I liked the Common Ground a lot and it had a really nice aroma of coffee. Tastewise I wasn’t completely floored but it was still a very good beer.

And yes, last night marked our first official night with the four cats. They apparently did a lot of exploring around while we were asleep. The reclusive male cat even came out from under the bed for a look around. When I woke up this morning I was unable to find Killer anywhere. She wasn’t even in her favorite spot under my desk. Well wouldn’t you know but we finally located her in the kitchen hiding behind the refrigerator, not the safest place for a cat to be hanging out. We managed to eventually coax her out, which severely pissed her off, and we promptly blocked off the area so that she won’t be able sneak back in. I took the extra measure of clearing out a little spot between my filing cabinet and the wall so she has another place in my office to safely hide.

Well, we have four temporary additions to our apartment. We’ll be taking care of our friend’s four cats for the next couple months or so. He brought them over this afternoon and for the most part they’re adjusting well, though the youngest of the bunch, whom I’ve deemed ‘Killer’, is going to be a handful. Already she’s claimed the area under my desk behind my computer, and each time I sit down I hear a little hiss and growl—oh, and an occasional snort. I was a little concerned about her being back there so when she was away I blocked the area with a cardboard box, but being the mischievous little devil she is she found a way up and over the box and is now back in her little nest. As a result she was very upset, and I’m almost hesitant to put my feet below the desk sometimes because I’m afraid she bite and claw them to shreds. She’s such an anti-social, unpleasant little kitty, but it’s still nice to have her around the office, even if I’m afraid she’ll jump out and maul me.

Earlier this afternoon Al and Elaine stopped over and we had a brief tea, which I followed up with an Extra Restyled Belgian IPA from Picobrouwerij Alvinne. This one had a very potent aroma of hops and a very satisfying taste. I’d highly recommend this one to any fan of IPA or just great beer in general. I’ve only had one other ale from this brewery, Gasper, which if I remember correctly was quite excellent as well.

Oh well, at least it's nice to have animals around the apartment again.

I started out the evening with a pint of Route Des Épices, a rye beer brewed with peppercorns from Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel in Quebec. It was definitely memorable, almost to the point of novelty. My drink left an intense aftertaste of pepper at the back of my throat which never let up. I typically enjoy rye beers, and this one boasted a number of different flavors, but the taste of pepper overpowered everything else. That said, I can’t say I’d be interested in having Route Des Épices again, but I’ll definitely be picking up some more brews from Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel, a nice selection of which are available at the Sam’s/Binny’s off North and Clybourn.

Later on we went to Norman and Marion's where they’d prepared a very nice dinner for us. Afterward we popped inCrank 2, which I only saw about 10 minutes of because I was falling in and out of sleep. Based on what I saw I can’t say I’d be terribly interested in trying to watch it again. I remember seeing the trailer a couple months ago and liking it then, but seeing the actual movie was a bit of a let down. For starters, I could’ve done without all the lame sexual humor and excessive profanity, and since the movie relies on that for most of its jokes I got bored rather quickly. Some aspects of the film I found appealing, like the steam-of-conscious way in which random things would occur on screen without any explanation, but for the most part the film just came off as really juvenile and I wasn’t in the proper mood to endure it. Plus, M&N’s den is really warm and their couch very comfy so I couldn’t help falling asleep.

We spent the rest of the evening talking about cameras and lighting. I haven’t taken a serious photograph in awhile or for that matter even invested in a proper camera since getting out of school. As much as I’d love to shoot film on the 4X5 again, I know it’s just not cost effective or economic. Since I learned photography on manual film cameras where all the control is at my fingertips I’ve thus always been hesitant toward automatic cameras. Yeah, I know most automatic digital camera have a manual setting, but even that allows no where near the amount of control I had with an actual manual film camera. I guess when looking for a digital camera I’m going to have to make some concessions. For one, most digital cameras don’t allow the user to capture the image in black and white, which is important for the type of architectural photographs I’d like to produce. Most people and supposed professionals then inform me that a color image file can be converted to grayscale either in Photoshop or within the camera itself, after which I get really, really, really annoyed because they’ve COMPETELY missed my point. In short, if you want to experiment with color lens filters for black and white photography, stick to shooting on black and white film until the technology becomes more affordable. And yes, I am a complete and utter arrogant elitist jerk when it comes to my opinions on light and photography. What's worst though is that I'm an elitist photographer who hasn't been producing photographs.

Anyway, this morning Rani and I each enjoyed a lamb sausage which our friends Al & Elaine were nice enough to pick up for us at the farmer’s market last weekend. They were very tender and delicious, and afterward I felt the need to visit http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/Lamb_from_Farm_to_Table/index.asp to learn more about how lambs are raised and processed. Very thorough and informative!

So we just finished rewatching Brian De Palma’s The Black Dahlia. We only got half way though it last night before falling asleep and since we were a little confused over some of what took place we started from the beginning during our workouts. First off, due to all the different subplots and mumbled dialogue I don’t think one would be able to digest this film in one sitting without the use of subtitles and/or a press kit explaining all the characters and their histories. A lot of stuff is left fairly ambiguous, which I guess is ideal for a noir murder-mystery, but this whole film is in a world in and of itself. I can say that it was extremely well made and featured some very interesting shots and camerawork, including a number of really nice long extended takes, but the story itself was a little too dry for mainstream viewers, and because of that I can see why this movie was considered a critical and financial flop. I personally thought it was a really good movie, but I’d be hard pressed to sit through it again.

During Black Dahlia I had a bottle of 't Smisje Catherine the Great Imperial Stout and wow did it pour a lot of head. This is perhaps the more sweeter stouts I’ve ever enjoyed. It had a heavy aroma of alcohol and a taste which was just bitter enough that it was offensive. I’d recommend but only to those who don’t mind their Imperials a little on the stiff side.

Last night we went to Lincoln Square and met with Kate and Jeff at the Davis Theater to see The Book of Eli. As I’ve said before, any film featuring a nomad fighting his way through a post-apocalyptic world is worth at least checking out. First off, it was a lot better than I expected from the trailer, and as a whole I found it to be a fairly entertaining film with good acting and an engaging story. The story though unfortunately has a message, and that message doesn’t make a bit of sense if you take it as seriously as it was intended—oh yeah, and there’s also a revelation at the end which will strike most people as completely ludicrous unless you’re willing to accept the film’s interpretation of faith. As a story it works, but from a secular standpoint it oversteps its bounds and crosses over into the absurd, and anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of world religions will have some serious questions after seeing the shot of the bookshelf at the end. Either the movie was trying to be overly politically correct or they weren’t aware of the content of certain books.

If anything it provided some interesting discussions afterward.

That said, we found the movie completely implausible, but most movies of this genre aren’t very realistic anyway. Since the film was so darn entertaining I’m willing excuse my discrepancies and give it my recommendation. Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman were exceptional as usual, and we were very happy to see Ray Stevenson from Punisher: War Zone and Tom Waits, whom we keep mistaking with Ron Perlmen. Malcolm McDowell also makes an appearance, and apparently somewhere in the film they use a Clockwork Orange poster.

Afterward the four of us stopped in the Daily Grill for dinner. I’d had enough meat for one weekend so I got their Hotel California sandwich and a salad. The sandwich had avocado which I’ve recently taken a liking to. After dinner we moved on to the Bad Apple where I had two new ales, Tyranena Headless Man Amber Alt and Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA. The Headless Man was decent but not terribly memorable, and little spiel on the label about how ancient people in Wisconsin built ‘celestial stone monuments’ and ‘earthen effigy mounds’ seemed a little pretentious for what was otherwise a mediocre beer. The Crooked Tree took me by surprise as being a fairly good IPA, and as my first Dark Horse I’ll make it a point to seek out more of their products. It also had a mouth feel which I’d describe as ‘grassy’ but not so much that I felt I was drinking down a piece of turf.

Anyway, after Bad Apple we parted ways with Kate & Jeff and went home. It was a nice evening and we look forward to hanging out with them again. When we got home we got home we popped in The Black Dahlia but turned it off about half way through after falling asleep. It’s not that we found the movie uninteresting but it was a little confusing, not to mention we were a little disappointed to discover that the Elizabeth Short case was only a subplot. During the movie I had an Arcadia Coco Loco, which despite its’ negative reviews actually wasn’t that bad, and it had a smooth chocolate flavor that wasn’t overpowering. I also found it interesting that it’s brewed with molasses and lactose. It definitely didn’t have the mouth feel of a heavy stout and I found quite drinkable, though I’m quite sure not everyone would find it as appealing.

Yesterday afternoon we drove up to Antioch for Beth’s (and Raphy’s) birthday party. It was great to see everyone who made it out, including Sean, Jimbo, and Pete & Nancy. We sure had some … interesting conversations. As for the food, I really enjoyed the figs and guacamole dip

Raphy has the most lovable terrier I’ve ever met! I’m typically a cat person but this little dog (Fefe) really won me over. The only problem I have with dogs is that they’re too much maintenance for me—and they’re not allowed in our apartment. If I were to get a dog it would have to be a small breed—really, the smaller the better.

While at the party we watched The Thirteenth Floor, a 1999 virtual reality film featuring Vincent D'Onofrio. Boy, I don’t know what to say about this one other than it had a really interesting premise but it could’ve been executed better. The visual effects were quite good, and I really enjoyed the imagery of what was supposed to be Los Angeles circa 1939, especially this one awesome shot of a massive oil field. I liked the overall concept of the story but there were points in the beginning where I felt a bit lost, and even after the film’s big revelation there were a lot of questions left unanswered, not to mention to few gaps in logic as to how people in the simulation were intended to function.

:::Spoiler Ahead!::: Really, you’d think the creators of these virtual reality worlds would’ve considered that the characters would’ve eventually uncovered the limits of the simulation beyond the roadblocks. I mean, you’d think the characters would’ve at one point taken an international flight or something and thus discovered the simulation’s boundaries that way, but perhaps I’m over-analyzing this. The story as a whole has the feeling of an old Twilight Zone episode, and when critiquing it on that level it’s actually pretty good. The lead actor struck me as a little dry, but Vincent D'Onofrio did an exceptional job with his character(s), in fact he’s probably why I stayed engaged through the course of the film. Because of it’s virtual reality premise Thirteenth Floor has been compared to Dark City—which I haven’t seen yet—and The Matrix. It’s a little shaky around the edges, but if you’re a fan of either aforementioned films then you should definitely give this one a try, if not to poke fun at its shortcomings.

After the party we drove back down to Chicago, chilled out for a bit, and then went to Neo where we spent the night dancing and chatting with friends. It was a special night for us because our friends Steve and Missy, who we haven’t seen since our wedding, were able to make it out. To say the night was busy would be an understatement; It was super-busy with lots of new faces. I’m sure it was good for business. I enjoyed a Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald and a Delirium Nocturnum, two great ales by themselves which unfortunately didn’t mix well together in my stomach. Anyway, it was a good night even though the floor was very crowded. Methinks that will the new changes underway that a majority of the regulars will be more apt to frequent Friday nights though the music might dissuade some of the old schoolers. That’s just my guess. I just hope their beer selections stays intact.

This morning we had a great breakfast of Belgian waffles and a side plate of blood oranges. Yeah, blood oranges. Quite delicious with a slight plum flavor. I don’t think I’d try one before even though Rani has been eating them for the past year.

Oh yeah, and I heard we have elk and lamb courtesy of our friends Al and Elaine! Thanks guys!

This afternoon we’ll be seeing The Book of Eli at the Davis Theater in Lincoln Square. I know nothing about the film but anything with Gary Oldman can’t be all that bad.

Last night we went down to Wicker Park to have dinner at Folklore Argentine Grill. We originally wanted to visit Tango Sur again but they were booked for the whole weekend. Since Folklore is owned by the same people we thought why not give them a shot. Nice place. First off, our waiter was very attentive, not to mention very prompt with refilling our waters. We both ordered their fillet which came with green mashed potatoes. The cuts of meat were huge—around 14 ounces—so much that each saved a piece for breakfast this morning. The potatoes were fine but they’d fare better if they decreased the portion size and added a touch of garlic. All in all we had a good experience. Service was very prompt contrary to what we’d read from online reviews. They had a full bar as well, including a small but respectable selection of beers, but neither of us were in the mood for drink. The place had a nice ambience too. I give the place my recommendation.

Afterward we went home and went directly to sleep. I’d had a somewhat difficult day at work and too tired to do anything else.

I think we’ve had our fill of red meat until our Valentine’s Day dinner.

This morning we went to Lifesource to donate blood. This marked my 10th pint of blood! My pulse reached all time low at 50 per minute and my cholesterol was really good.

Anyway, later tonight we'll both be at Neo to dance and chat with friends. Hope to see you there!

Last night I went back down to Lincoln Square to have dinner with Sean. We’d originally planned on going to the Bad Apple but since they were packed to capacity we decided to visit Bad Dog Tavern instead. I’ve avoided this Bad Dog for awhile, mostly because it looks like a typical sports bar and the pit bull they use on their outdoor banner always annoys me whenever I go down Lincoln Ave. Well, aside from being a typical sports bar, it actually wasn’t that bad. They had decent enough menu and good selection of micro-brews.

I decided on the turkey, bacon and avocado club and a New Holland Full Circle. The club was actually really good though I mishandled it a few times and it fell apart. In the past year I’ve warmed up to avocado. I used to avoid it because of the texture but now I can’t get enough of it. The meal came with fries as well which were quite good though I should’ve seen about a salad option. The Full Circle was quite drinkable though not very memorable, granted it’s the first kolsch style brew I’ve had in years so I’m hardly one to judge. So yeah, Bad Dog’s a decent enough place though I still don’t see the appeal in their whole pit bull theme. I’m sure a majority of other people couldn’t care less about their logo or color scheme, but I have a hyper-awareness when it comes to such things and it takes a lot of effort for me to ignore them. Some would even say I’m neurotic, but I just think I’m nitpicky. Again, not a bad restaurant at all and they have a good selection of beers. I wouldn’t rule out visiting sometime again.

Afterward Sean and I went back to his place and killed some time watching a program called Dirty Jobs where we watched with horror and fascination as a young horse was castrated because it was producing too much testosterone and would otherwise become a very aggressive adult. I think the procedure wouldn’t have been as difficult to watch if they didn’t focus so much on the host’s reactions, meaning if they just would’ve shown the castration straight on then it might’ve been more informative and easier to process. I don't have cable or even watch television at home so it's odd that whenever I'm over a friend's house and find myself watching a TV there's always something unusual on which I find both interesting and uncomfortable.

Near the tail end of the program I left Sean’s place to visit Neo for a couple hours. It was a good night though I was feeling a little tired and left early at around 1 when the floor was starting to get packed. My one mistake of the night was ordering a Duchesse De Bourgogne, a sour red ale from Belgium which has a strange resemblance to wine. I’ve had this beer once before and enjoyed it then but it wasn’t conducive to my mood last night, and the fact that it’s very acidic didn’t go over well with my stomach since I was dancing a lot. Once again, I forgot my golden rule about drinking at the club: Never order beers that are acidic or highly carbonated if you plan on bopping around.

Yesterday on my way home after work I decided to pick up some new winter boots. My old pair were shot and I’d since been trudging around the snow in my white gym sneakers, which kept my feet moderately dry but had absolutely no traction and looked completely stupid on someone bundled up for the cold. Anyway, I only expect these new boots to hold up through the winter. I have a knack for going though winter boots pretty fast due mostly to how I walk, as I tend to wear down either side of the rubber heals until they develop holes, which, since their purpose is to keep my feet dry while walking through the snow, makes them utterly worthless.

So with my new winter boots I was all set to venture out tomorrow night in style. Rani and I went to dinner at Fiddlehead Café in Lincoln Square and had a marvelous time. We’d only been there once before one morning for brunch about two months ago, and though I enjoyed the atmosphere I got the sense that the interior was washed out by all the light flooding in through the front windows. Seeing the place last night in dim artificial light we noted a drastic change of ambience throughout the entire place. It looked like a completely different restaurant. Awesome. We also got to explore their dinner menu. I decided to play it dull but safe by having their Angus Burger w/ fries. It was pretty good though perhaps I should’ve ordered one of their steaks instead to better mark the occasion. Oh well, there’s always next time.

As for drinks, I had a Founder’s Dirty Bastard and an Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale. The Dirty Bastard had an aroma of chocolate and a dry taste which resembled scotch with some hoppy notes. It was quite good and I’d regard it as a smoother version of Founder’s Backwoods Bastard. The Boont Amber fared pretty well with me, and though it didn’t necessarily standout it was nonetheless very drinkable. On a side note, if you haven’t had Anderson Valley’s Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout then I’d suggest you give it a try. The first time I had it I was a little taken aback by how black it was but eventually it won me over.

We retired to bed early last night so we could wake up early this morning to visit City North 14 and see Daybreakers. My expectations were really low for this one. The movie trailer, which features a vampire-citizen causing a riot after being refused more blood in his coffee, struck me as a just downright lame, and I had the utmost intent of not seeing this one in the theater—that is up until I heard William Dafoe was on board. Since any movie with William Dafoe promises something unique and interesting I thought why not give Daybreakers a shot. Well, for the most part I actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. I thought the story was well executed with a solid narrative even though it had the misfortune of taking place within the confines of a horror film, which lent itself to obligatory scenes of gore and cheap scares. I don’t recall just how many exploding head I saw, but there were at least three.

The story takes place in the always not-so-distant future when vampires have overrun the human population to the extent that humans are on the verge of extinction, and since vampires require a steady feed of human blood to keep them from transforming into hideous monsters it seems that society as a whole is in a bit of a pickle. The industry’s attempts to manufacture a synthetic substitute have been unsuccessful and it’s now only a matter of time until the remaining human supply, which are farmed for their blood in weird laboratory chambers that remind one of H.R. Giger, runs bone dry.

I’m well aware that there’s a whole genre of fiction devoted to this vampire/Sci-Fi stuff, but Daybreakers marks my first real exposure to it, on the big screen no less. I found the social metaphors pretty entertaining though some of it was laid on a little thick. That said, I had a difficult time taking the story as seriously as it was probably intended to be, and in that respect the gore and violence were so excessive that I found them distracting. I felt like every 20 minutes or so the film was making it a point to remind everyone that it was a horror movie. In other words, I thought the story was good enough that it didn’t need sudden punctuations of exploding heads and slow-motion shots of soldiers knowing away at each other. In the end though it’s just entertainment and I’m probably over-analyzing it all. The film certainly held my interest all the way through, and the imagery and acting were quite impressive. I’d recommend this one but only if you have easy excess to a shower afterward.

This evening we took the train down to Lincoln Square and saw Up in the Air at the Davis Theater. First off, it was really good movie and very well written. I couldn’t imagine a film more relevant to 2009, and that’s what made it exciting to watch. As for its general tone, the only other movie I can compare it to would be American Beauty, but even that’s a stretch. I don’t want to give much away but it’s basically one of those films where the protagonist starts reevaluating his purpose in life and then yadda yadda yadda. I enjoyed it. My only complaint has nothing to do with the movie itself but rather the theater we saw it in. During one of the movie’s most pivotal moments, when George Clooney is talking with Sam Elliot, the sound what muted for the remainder of the scene, a whole 10 seconds. It sort of ruined the scene but nonetheless we got over it.

Afterward we went to the Daily Grill for dinner. Since each of us had two big sausages for breakfast we thought it wise to forego eating anymore meat for the rest of the day. I myself had their vegetarian black bean BBQ sandwich, which has quite tasty though a little messy. I still remember my encounter with their Portobello mushroom sandwich a couple weeks ago, which has been haunting me ever since. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the Portobello mushroom sandwich, but it didn’t know exactly what it was until it arrived on my plate. I thought it was just going to be a soy pattie accompanied by a few moderately sized mushrooms, not one big honkin mushroom in between two buns. Anyway, the BBQ sandwich was good, and yes I passed again on the fries and opted for the mashed potatoes instead.

Our wait of the Western brown line stop consisted of staring down a five plump freezing pigeons that were trying to stay warm under the heat lamps. At least they have all their toes as opposed to the pigeons at the Clark & Lake stop. I guess that’s something they can be thankful for, though I doubt their capable of making such deep assessments.

Last night we decided to stay in and enjoy dinner and a movie. We popped in Grimm Brothers and were ready to expect anything. The movie takes elements from all the most known Grimm fairy tales and incorporates them into a single story. With it being a Terry Gilliam film I knew the plot would be a little hard to follow so I made an effort to pay extra special attention. We even put on the closed captioning after noticing that the accents were a little thick and certain scenes had a lot going on.

The movie takes place in ‘French occupied Germany’ in the early 19th century (presumably during the War of the Fourth Coalition). Nothing here is meant to be historically accurate, but needless to say the simple minded but harmless peasant folk being suppressed by what I assume are supposed to be the Confederation of the Rhine provides a nice backdrop for the story. That story involves a group of con artists headed by the Grimm brothers (they stage elaborate acts where they capture ghosts in the woods) who suddenly find themselves up against real supernatural forces all based on the old Germanic folklore.

As I said earlier, many elements of the Grimm tales are present here but they’re all hodgepodged together as one, so if you’re expecting a clear depiction of your favorite tales then you’ll undoubtedly be let down. The film itself though is quite entertaining, but I can see how some people would complain that it lacks a distinct plot and is a little hard to follow. I enjoyed it for what is was, though I have to admit it’d definitely benefit from multiple viewings.

The special effects and imagery were wonderful—Pan’s Labyrinth comes to mind—and it’s definitely a work of great invention. Watching it almost makes me want to see the The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus while it’s still in the theaters, where it probably won’t survive very long.

While watching Grimm Brothers we had stuffed pasta and I enjoyed a bottle of Great Divide’s Yeti Imperial Stout. I was quite impressed by the Yeti. It had an excellent roasted malt taste that reminded me of Samuel Smith’s and New Holland’s Imperials, but the Yeti had that extra something that really clicked with me. Excellent beer. After finishing it I promptly fell asleep. Ok, I fell asleep while watching the movie, but I started back where I left off after I woke up this morning.

For breakfast we both some sausages which we’d picked up last night. I had a Chorizo chicken sausage, which had chili powders and possibly some red peppers. Very tasty sausage. What a great way to start the morning. Afterward we took down all our holiday decorations throughout the apartment and then tidying up a bit. I’d say it took a good two hours to get it all done. Not bad at all.

Wow. We are in awe. This evening we took a trip down the North and Clybourn and visited the Whole Foods at 1550 N Kingsbury St. This place was HUGE! The bakery and meat selections were enormous and they had an area of wine & cheese tasting and even a bar with a number of awesome beers on tap, including Berdardus 12, Founders Porter, and selections from Half Acre and Great Lakes. Hell, the lounge area even had a little stage for entertainment. The place was gigantic, and we only explored the first floor. That’s right, there was an upstairs area as well. Lord knows what they had up there. Anyway, we picked up some sausages for our breakfast tomorrow morning.

We also stopped in at the nearby Best Buy as well as the Binny’s, which up until recently used to be Sam’s. Funny, the last time we were at that Sam’s was when we picked up a case of Strongbow for the wedding. As I suspected, though they were bought out the Binnys, the selection at this located more or less remained the same, which means they still carried the Brouwerij Smisje beers I’d been wanting to pick up. At Best Buy we picked up a few movies, including Brothers Grimm and The Black Dahlia, neither of which we’ve seen yet.

Yes, it’s really cold out tonight, thus we’ll be staying in a watching movies. On our mile long walk home from the L I swore I could feel my eyelashes freezing up!