Dave’s Birthday: Warmup

Today is officially Dave’s birthday. However, his big plans are to get folks together for some hard-core minigolf. There are a few courses that he recently discovered (which aren’t open for business just yet), so we’re holding off on the golfing part. But tonight, Justin and I went out for some sushi with Dave at Bob San. Think of it as a warm-up.

Justin and I got back to the neighborhood a bit early, so we stopped off at Gold Star for a quick drink. Sat around a while, and talked shop. Then headed down a few doors to meet up with Dave.
Blue Hawaiian: Captain Morgan, Malibu, DeKuyper Blue cacao, Pineapple Juice, and Orange Juice. Mmmmm.

Sorry for the bad color here – took me forever just to get it to this point.

Afterwards, we hung out at Justin’s for a bit longer. Sipped some Johnny Walker and flipped through a copy of Vice Magazine that we happened to pick up earlier, while at Gold Star. Outside Justin’s apartment, there’s a ridiculous number of barricades all daisychained together. For some reason.

So I took a photo of them.

For some reason.

Stopped off at Letizias, on the way to the Empty Bottle. We got some cake and a muffin that was half chocolate icing. I’m not sure who first made up the rule about sweets and birthdays, but who are we to buck tradition?

View of the stage, the Empty Bottle. We sat around a while, and I got a brief overview of the differences between electronica, house music, trance… and a whole bunch of others that I’ve since completely forgotten.

Bored, Dave and I snuck off to play some video games. Here he is owning Centipede.

After a while more, the three of us headed to the front room to shoot some pool. We played a few rounds of cutthroat, and I got on a hot streak the likes of which I haven’t had in about a year or two. For a brief few minutes, I could do no wrong on the table. That was a pretty fun thing to have happen.

I happened to see this guy really into reading, and thought it to be a good shot. I snapped a photo (he didn’t even notice), and went over to ask permission. We talk a while, and I find out he’s back in town after having been on tour with David Bowie, working with video and making movies for Bowie’s website. Anthony is his name, and prior to this he was with the Rolling Stones for about 13 months, doing similar video work.

I’m glad I decided to walk over and ask permission. Otherwise, I never would have learned this!

Toward the end of the night, I ask to take Jennifer’s photo, because I noticed (and liked) the tattoos on her arm. I find out she works as a chef, and is wary of extending her sleeves (she’s planning on getting the other arm done in the coming weeks). The reason for this, she tells us, is due to the amount of damage that happens to her hands while working (cuts, oil burns, etc), and the potential that the ink/skin could distort the image. I never would have even thought of something like this.

A few minutes later, the three of us walk out the door and head back to the neighborhood. I split off when we hit Damen, and slowly plod my way home. Around Wicker Park, I pass this couple walking the opposite direction, towards me. The guy is laughing, and has a guitar () slung over his shoulder. There’s a woman walking beside him, also laughing.

I look up and see her kicking him. It’s a strong, solid kick, and I hear him exclaim sharply when her foot meets his ass. It’s so strong, in fact, that her shoe comes off as she boots him. He’s laughing, she’s laughing, and after she struggles to get her shoe back on… the walk by.

“Did you see that?” he asks me, “You’re a witness!”

I tell him that yes, I did see what happened. And if he was going to press charges, I’d be happy to testify on his behalf. But… I add, part of me feels like it was an act of love.

“See?” the girl yells.

The two of them keep laughing, and walk away. The rest of the way home, I’m smiling to myself. I felt really lucky to have witnessed that small scene of affection, and to be asked to join in, albeit briefly, in their flirtation.