That’s the working tagline for a club I just joined. Ok, it’s not exactly a club (but it has the potential).

Actually this group has been meeting for awhile now; I just recently joined. Every Wednesday, four fine gentlemen gather under one roof with libations and a common topic. It started as a vinyl trade, but tonight the lens widened. We went to the Music Box theater and saw The Graduate hosted by Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot. It was packaged as a look into the music behind the movie. In reality, it was a quick speech from the guys and then a screening. Don’t get me wrong, their words really set up a nice framework for the viewing, I just think I went in with too much expectation.

I’m not a movie reviewer, and I certainly am not qualified to review a movie like The Graduate, so I won’t. The guys and I did agree on a few points though:

• Ben’s disdain for his parents was perfectly communicated, but never spoken.
• Ben’s behavior early in the affair was some of the most awkward shit to watch (and way too relatable).
• The idea of being connected in a way to your love’s conception: that’s really twisted.
• There are lots of cool micro topics in the movie. For example, Femininity/Masculinity could be an entire semester’s worth of discussion.
• Simon and Garfunkel’s music not only sectioned off the movie well, but also perfectly reflected Ben’s state of mind at any given point.

The long and short of it is that I love watching/listening to something with people and then talking about it. Do you? Sweet. Let’s do that sometime then.

With that, goodnight.

Tyler

• Pelosi all propped up.
• Biden’s seemingly purple lenses? I wanted to blame it on the tie’s reflection, but those specs looked miiiiighty purple.
• Mitch McConnell looking especially turtle-y.
• “We produce more natural gas than ever before.” -President Obama
• Chuck Schumer’s weird puppet smirk.
• Boehner blowing his nose and looking at the boogs.
• At the end, Bruce Springsteen breaking into the chamber singing, “We Take Care of Our Own.” What do you mean that didn’t happen?

If you know me, then on some levels you know the lifestyle of a mongrel. My friends Peter and Mark are coming to Chicago next weekend and while they didn’t necessarily introduce me to mongrelhood, they definitely helped me define it.

This will have to be explained in many phases. Partly because it’s complex, but mainly because I’m desperate for writing material.

Just so it’s clear how serious I am, here are a couple facts: 1) I was part of a (still-standing) band called Mark and the Mongrels and 2) I helped “plan” the first and second annual MongrelFest.

This is a screenshot of the initial phases of MongrelFest planning:

You know what? I was going to go further in depth, but I think we’ll call it good there. That’s a decent introduction, wouldn’t you say?

Looking forward to sharing my world with you.

Tyler

So yeah. I got busy there for a bit. Then a mild-to-extreme case of writer’s block set in. Lo and behold, I sat on the gold couch and inspiration struck when I saw a video Applebee’s posted on Facebook.

Let’s get something straight first off: I do not ‘like’ Applebee’s on Facebook. However, these days that doesn’t prevent a person from seeing what random brands are posting. If you aren’t aware, there is a new feature where brands (or individuals if they’re really lonely) can pay to have their posts ‘promoted’ to a much larger audience than just their followers. That’s why these days you’re seeing random posts in your newsfeed with many thousands of ‘likes’ and comments. If you’re like me, you might ask yourself, “What the hell does a person say when commenting on a post from Applebee’s?” Allow me to share some gems:

• Applebee’s is disgusting and overpriced.
• Hey mija,just saying hi.take care.
• love applebees but like ruby tuesdays salad bar the best
• WOW,AWSOME LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!
• that was dope
• where are his cutting gloves? LOL
• The stakes are good.

and my personal favorite:

• Giant tits. No hips. Boo!

Pretty good mix of fans, haters and completely random statements (I especially like the person who either was addressing Applebee’s as, “Mija” or was carrying on a conversation with his mija through an Applebee’s thread).

Ultimately, I don’t think I’ll ever understand the internet. Now please go back and comment on my Facebook post.

See you at Applebee’s.

Tyler