Episode 6 is up!!! We discuss The Book Of Mormon, Vine app, Xbox One vs. PS4 and the NSA Controversy. Hope you enjoy : ) 

Off The Grid goes off the grid

I read a study today that suggests the path to happiness is your cell phone. Or, lack thereof. Turning off your key to the rest of the world can actually make your life more fulfilling. Think about it. Instead of sitting with your phone, waiting for texts or notifications, you are actually interacting with society! Who woulda thought?

That said, I am conducting a little test on myself. I am turning my phone off, and only checking it every two hours for texts and voicemails. This is going to be very hard considering I am the most impatient person on the planet and I live for instant gratification. But, believe it or not, I've actually always wanted to go off the grid, and I have tried before, but I always give in. Not this time, nope! We will see how long this little experiment lasts....

Fifth podcast!!! We discuss technology and relationships with Jenny Milkowski. Also a overlook at the HBO show Girls with our friend Krysha. We also have some great music from band The New Diet, which will have an upcoming show on The Fireside Bowl on April 16 @ 7:30pm.

Jenny Milkowski info....
Website: http://www.jennymilkowski.com/
Twitter: @jennymilk

The New Diet info....
Website: https://www.facebook.com/thenewdiet
http://thenewdiet.bandcamp.com/

First Friday Canceled

Since I blogged about this event earlier, I feel the civic duty to let you know that First Friday Wicker Park is canceled. I heard this from one of the artists.

However, if you're still looking to explore your inner artist, I have another event for you to check out.

"Spring Attacks" art show
 Thirteen Pins Tapas & Bar
4202 W. Irving Park Road

Here is the facebook event page for more deets:

Spring Attacks  


See you there!
-Rachel

Are you artsy? Do you pretend to be?

Hey guys, I am checking out First Friday in Wicker Park tonight and I am pretty pumped. My good friend and artist Sarah L'heureux is showing some art. I hope to report back with my review of the event.

See you there?

-Rachel

Event Info: First Friday, Wicker Park

My New Addiction: HBO's Girls

Hi, my name is Rachel. And I have an addiction that runs very deep. Sure, I jumped on the bandwagon a little bit late in the game. But that doesn't make the addiction any less legitimate.

My latest vice is the show "Girls" on HBO. I finally got around to watching it this past week thanks to Comcast's "Watchathon" week, which was pretty amazing, BTW, but really took up alot of my time. I watched both seasons of Girls in 2 days. And then I watched both seasons again in 1 day. Don't judge me, assholes. 

There are alot of reasons why I love this show. The main reason being that it's incredibly thought provoking.  Like more than any other show I've ever watched in my life including California Dreams. After about half way through the first season, I texted several people in my phone "Have you ever seen Girls??! Its insane! We must discuss this show!" I have some seriously strong feelings about every main character.  Here goes.

The worst goes first. Hannah. Hannah is the main character on "Girls" and the show pretty much revolves around her insufferable and destructive behavior. I cannot stand her. There, I said it.  Although I have the feeling I am not alone in that sentiment. I disliked Hannah from the very first episode when she was pathetically hooking up with Adam, who very clearly was only using her for sex.  She kept going back to him - this guy - who was a total freaking tool bag and he wasn't even that cute. Hannah upsets me simply because she is an incredibly weak female with zero self-esteem and lets other people treat her like crap. And while there are times I actually feel bad for her, I mostly want to reach through the TV and slap some sense into her. For example, there is an episode where she receives a text from Adam, which is a picture of his penis.  Adam texts her back moments later, saying that the text wasn't meant for her (which is incredibly fucking rude, BTW).  So what does she do? Does she ignore him, like any self-respecting person would? No. She takes a naked photo of herself and sends it back to him. WHAT??! Who does that?  And then there is the gratuitous nudity.  Hannah is not exactly the Hollywood, cookie cutter, 100 pound standard of beauty that females have been forced fed for years. Which is totally rad and I'm not saying she is super overweight, but she is average looking at best.  So I applaud her for taking the risk and being naked...alot...on this show. However, there is a point where its just too much. I don't care what you look like.  You do not need to be shown playing ping pong, naked (that actually did happen in one episode, and I actually did want to throw up a little). As season 2 went on, my dislike for Hannah actually turned into pity.  She really has some major undiagnosed issues. Seek therapy. 

Speaking of insufferable bastards, check out this guy. His name is Adam and he is an awful human being. He also never wears a shirt. This is the man who Hannah is pretty much obsessed with the entire first season. And I have absolutely no idea why. I guess crazy attracts crazy.  Adam gave Hannah the run-around for months, but that somehow turns into this intense, romantic relationship, which is beyond me. I think the reason I dislike that situation so much is because I've seen it happen alot in my own life.  People regularly give other people the runaround.  That is pretty much one of the worst things you can do to a person. I wish people would just be more straight forward with other people.  Since I have long past learned my lesson in that area of life, all I want to do is slap other people who do this sort of thing (including the person being ran around, i.e. Hannah).  But this is a TV show, not real life, so I cannot do such things. Adam had a few (very few) redeeming moments. There were these moments where he actually came off as being smart and wise and a legit human being. Remember when he said "Don't waste time on guilt, Hannah. Holding on to toxic relationships is what keeps us from growing." You're so deep, Adam. I still think you're a dick though.

Now we have Marnie. Marnie is one of the characters I can actually sort of relate to.   Marnie is the cookie cutter, rule follower, in a long-term-relationship kind of girl - but neurotic on the inside (like most women).  She is also kind of drab and dull. She is dating Charlie, and decides after 4 years she is bored with the relationship and not in love with him anymore (he is super awesome and hot so I don't know what her problem is).  So she dumps him, but then freaks out when she sees Charlie is actually moving on and dating someone else (cue my life story). Marnie does some out of character things, such as show up at Charlie's work unexpected, and show up at his work party and drunkenly sings karaokee to Kanye West's "Stronger" ("Bow in the presence of greatness. Cause right now thou has forsaken us. You should be honored by my lateness. That I would even show up to this fake shit.") Marnie is clearly unstable without having a boyfriend, but I feel like alot of people have been in that position, especially after breaking up with a person after a long term relationship. So in that sense I sympathize with her because it really is hard to adjust to life in general after getting out of a LTR. So, in the long run, I am okay with Marnie, but I wouldn't necessarily want to be her friend for life because she is slightly neurotic and a total control freak. Also, why is she BFF with Hannah? That bitch cray. 

Which brings me to Charlie.  Charlie is legit the most normal person on "Girls." And he is super fucking hot but that is not the point.  I just learned today that Charlie quit "Girls" because of some disagreements with Lena Dunham.  I am not one to speculate (wait, yes I am), but I am fairly certain that Dunham was being insane and I totally take his side regardless. Anyways, Marnie kind of treats Charlie like crap.  They break up, and he moves on. I don't blame him. But then Marnie plays mind games with him, and they actually end up getting back together (sorry guys, spoiler alert). But now that he is leaving the show, I am super curious to see how they write him off.  Hey Charlie, since you are currently an unemployed actor, come on over boo, lets hang. 

I would now like to discuss Shoshanna. I am pretty sure I am Shoshanna. And I picked this photo because this is from the episode where she accidentally smokes crack and ends up running down the street with no pants or skirt on.  That pretty much sums up Sosh, and that is definitely something I would do, and probably have done, now that I think about it. Anyways, Shosh is the virgin of the group (she ends up losing her V-card but whatever) and is super innocent and naive. She also has major anxiety issues which come out when, in general, she speaks. At all times. But she is hilarious and I really really love her. She is super nice. She ends up dating this guy Ray, who, I will talk about later, but I like him alot. But he is just not her type. And that sucks, but Sosh deserves someone who can appreciate rainbows and pillows and ribbons. And that person is not Ray. Sorry, dude. 

And last, but certainly not least, is Ray. I really like Ray because he is someone I would never date, but I would definitely be his best friend, based on the fact that his bad attitude about life is merely comical. He is a crotchety old man who would scold a teenager for being on his lawn. But for some reason I find that hilarious.  The reason I like him is because he seems like a genuinely good guy. I was super happy when he started dating Shoshanna but I soon realized he wasn't the man for her because they are totally opposite of each other. While he is hilarious, he is also a very negative person, which can be very hard to deal with. Trust me, I have dated some negative nancies in my lifetime, and that is very hard to deal with, especially for a person like myself, who has a hot pink unicorn tattooed on my upper ass (yes I do, I will show you if you ask politely). I think he will someday find love, if he takes that stick out of his asshole. 

Wow, I will completely admit I almost forgot to write about Jessa. That shows you how much I care about this character. Jessa is Shoshanna's cousin, which is funny because they are so totally opposite. Jessa is the British, abortion-having, crazy cousin who randomly gets married to the dude from Bridesmaids (not Jon Hamm but the other guy).  She is the "wildcard" who travels randomly and is completely unstable. Her character is pretty attractive in the sense that I have always wanted to just not give a shit about anything and travel the world without a care. But honestly, who can actually live like that? Who can finance such a trip? Let's be real. But I like Jessa because I honestly respect people who just do not care and do whatever.  In a perfect world I would drop all my belongings and travel the world. But then I remember I actually have a life and responsibilities. But at the same time, I see she has no real relationships with people, and I believe she comes and goes as she pleases because she feels no real connections with people. And that, I do not envy. One thing you can count on though, is that her unpredictability is pretty damn predictable. 

So that does it for my character synopsis of the show "Girls." I am very excited for season 3, despite the fact that Charlie will be gone.  I hope for many more thought-provoking episodes!

Oops!

I just want to let everyone know that Soundcloud only allows us to post two podcasts at a time, which is why episodes 1 and 2 aren't up. We are considering upgrading our account, however, so we can post them all.

-Rachel

Here is the new podcast!! Hope you enjoy it. Please give us feed back or comments, we would love to hear from you guys.

Rilo Kiley!

So I am a very huge Rilo Kiley fan. I have been for years. They are one of those bands whose songs can literally bring me to tears if I am feeling abnormally emotional for whatever reason. I am incredibly excited for next week, because they have a compilation album coming out called RKives. It is supposed to feature seven unreleased songs. I AM SO EXCITED.

In honor of this event, I have decided to post some of my all-time fave RK songs. Enjoy.

-Rachel

With Arms Outstretched (probably my #1 RK song that I listen to like everyday)

Pictures of Success (bust out the Kleenex)

The Good That Won't Come Out

Hail To Whatever You Found In The Sunlight That Surrounds You

Portions for Foxes

Making Movies/The Noise FM Show

Hey y'all - so I haven't blogged in quite some time and I apologize. JK I'm totally not sorry.

So I went to a show at Township last night and it was pretty awesome. I am a fan of Chicago band The Noise FM and was pretty pumped when I saw they were having a show. I was even more pumped when my friend told me she was a big fan of the band they were playing with: Kansas City's Making Movies.

Now, I am the type of person who needs to be places on time. I am extremely punctual and will have a downright pseudo panic attack if I feel like I am going to be somewhere late. So the event's Facebook page said the show started at 8, so clearly, I showed up at 7:55. I thought it was kind of odd the show was starting so early, but I went with it.

Well I ended up sitting there by myself for a good 10 minutes before my friends showed up, who then berated me  because I am so punctual and forced them to leave the house before 11:00 at night, god forbid. Guys, the show didn't start until 10:00. So yeah, we sat there at the bar drinking PBR for 2 hours before the music began. Whatevs, its all good. #drunk

So I'm not going to lie to you because I am a truly honest person. I wasn't really paying attention to the first band because I was busy playing with the Nudifier app on my iPhone (it's hilarious, please download it), but they were not bad at all. They definitely had a Latin flavor.  After them, the Noise FM played. I first heard this band at a Toys for Tots charity event at Subterranean in Wicker Park. They are an indie-rock, keyboard-y band with some fast dance-y beats. They also sell Boy Meets World erotic fan fiction at their show, which gets a big thumbs up from me. I danced a little and swayed my hips to the beat like a true middle aged white man. They rocked it out though, for sure.

After The Noise FM played, my life was changed.  Making Movies took center stage. I had never heard them, but like I said earlier, my friend likes them alot so I was like, ok ok, this could be good. They were amaze. Making Movies is a very Latin sounding group but they also rocked the fuck out. The dreadlocked singer sang in Spanish, which, quite frankly, made me want to drop my panties a little bit.  Also the bass player was incredibly good looking but that is besides the point (hey boo, wanna hang? holler). The crowd went pretty cray cray for them.  Suddenly I turned into a classically trained salsa dancer. Everyone was just so into  it, it was so much fun listening to them play, although I had absolutely no idea what they were singing about, as I do not speak Spanish. But it didn't even matter. I was feeling the music. They ended their set with a song called Lo Que Quiero, which was a song with audience participation, and everyone was just feeling it. I was a sweaty mess by the end of it. The body heat was just too much.

So overall, both the Noise FM and Making Movies get an A. I am also super stoked about having a new favorite band, Making Movies. You guys rocked.

http://www.thenoisefm.net/
http://www.makingmoviesband.com/

-Rachel

Our new podcast is up! We have a really funny Sex Q&A session, and we interview the man behind Elephant Mixtapes.

Interviews n' Stuff

Hey guys! Rachel here.

 I haven't been blogging or podcasting for very long, but I have already noticed this sense of community within the blog/podcast/online publication group. Off The Grid has more views than I could ever ask for, and a bunch of cool twitter followers (we actually had 100 new followers within just one day!). Not only that, but both DNA Chicago and a student reporter from Columbia College interviewed me today regarding the Elephant Mixtape project. They both found me via internet, since I had blogged about it a couple of different times. Not only is it cool to get our name out there on different online publications, but it's also cool to meet other people in the community via blogging/twitter/random social network. It makes me wish I had started to podcast and blog earlier! 

Anyways, here is the link to our shoutout on DNA Chicago: DNA Chicago: Elephant Mixtape Project

 I will post the Columbia article as soon as its up.

Let's Talk About Sex

Hey y'all...

So for our next podcast, we are trying something a little different/awesome.

We are going to bring in a special, surprise guest to talk sex. But we need your help.

Off The Grid is looking for people who need sex, love and relationship advice, or just have general questions about those topics. We want to have fun with this, so the more ridiculous the questions, the better.

You can remain anonymous if you're ashamed of those burning questions you have googled in the wee hours of the morning. It's OK...we've all been there.

Send your questions to:

chicago.off.the.grid@gmail.com

We love you.

Porn Ban?

So, um, this is kind of awkward. Iceland wants to ban internet porn. Whats up with that? I thought the internet is the world wide web of whatever the fuck you want it to be. Here's the article:

Iceland Porn Ban

Podcast #2

Our new Podcast is posted!! Check it out here:

Off The Grid #2


We're talking about a lot of cool stuff, and we have a great interview with the director of the Heidelberg Project.

If I were you, I would totally listen to this podcast and enjoy it. A lot.

-Rachel 

Woman Dies From Drinking Too Much Coca Cola

We all have our "things" right? Well this woman's "thing" killed her.  She apparently drank about 2 gallons of Coca Cola every day! Can you imagine drinking that much of anything???  Check out the article:

Woman Dies From Drinking Coca Cola

The Heidelberg Project

Something I have taken interest in within the past year or so is the City of Detroit and how artists are working to uplift the city.  What was once a community rich in culture and industry, is now a struggling city filled with thousands of abandoned homes.  One group in particular is putting in a huge effort to turn the city around and turn abandoned homes into art: The Heidelberg Project.

The Heidelberg Project is an outdoor art project in Detroit, Michigan. It  was created in 1986 by artist Tyree Guyton and his grandfather Sam Mackey ("Grandpa Sam") as an outdoor art environment in the McDougall-Hunt neighborhood on the city's east side, just north of the city's historically African-American Black Bottom area. The Heidelberg Project is, in part, a political protest at Tyree Guyon's childhood neighborhood began to deteriorate after the 1967 riots. Guyon described coming back to Heidelberg Street after serving in the Army; he was astonished to see that the surrounding neighborhood looked as if "a bomb went off." (source: Wikipedia)


Words don't do justice to the Heidelberg Project. Take a look at some of the photos.

source: statementsinfashion.net

source: woodlandshoppersparadise.blogspot.com

source: hookedonhouses.net

source: monkeypuzzleblog.com

We interviewed Jenenne Whitfield, Executive Director of the Heidelberg Project.  She gave a  very inspiring interview about the city of Detroit and why art is so important in communities. 

Check out the full interview on our podcast!

The Heidelberg Project: Official Website

Craigslist Joe

So I was browsing Netflix a couple of weeks ago looking for a documentary to cover on our podcast. Up until a couple of weeks ago I had been really into watching docs with super heavy topics, and I wanted to lighten up the mood a bit. That's when "Craigslist Joe" caught my eye.

official trailer for "Craigslist Joe"

The movie follows a guy, appropriately named "Joe," as he travels the country, with the goal of living off the website Craigslist for a month. So he gives up mostly everything - and embarks on his journey with only a cell phone, laptop computer, toothbrush, and the clothes on his back. No money, no means of transportation, no nothing. 

The movie is really inspiring in that it shows you first hand that there are good, generous people out there in the world. Joe meets some incredibly giving people on the adventure.  Through browsing Craigslist ads, he gets free rides all around the country and even ends up in Chicago (where he stays with a dominatrix woman. Way to represent, Chicago!), and his hometown, Arlington Heights. He spends the night at the homes of people who are generous enough to open their doors to him. He experiences cultural exchanges that he might otherwise never experience, if he wasn't making this movie. I think this is the whole point of the movie.  To show people that in a world of war, chaos, financial burden, illness and crime, there really are people out there who are helpful, trusting, generous, and generally good. 

The only complaint I have is that I really would have liked to see the moments where he was having trouble and the moments, if there were any, that he had any sort of negative, emotional breakdowns.  There were a couple moments in the movie where Joe was having problems finding places to stay, but it always turned out positively.  Where are all the moments of homesickness, frustration and stress that I feel anyone would go through during a time like this? Joe, is there a blooper or behind-the-scenes reel we can watch? It would have made the movie seem more real if we got to see this kind of stuff, too. And where were the creepers? I usually associate Craigslist with a)The Craigslist Killer, b)creepers in general or c)people trying to find sex.  Although I have to admit, I actually sold my car to a guy from Craigslist and it was a good experience overall and he definitely did not turn my skin into a lampshade. 

So long story short: Craigslist Joe is a pretty good movie! It's inspiring and feel-good.  It's an easy watch, and at the same time, is entertaining and really makes you think. 

 Craigslist Joe Official Website

-Rachel

Elephant Mixtape: Follow Up

I wanted to share the list of songs that were on the Elephant Mixtape I found (if you don't know what I'm talking about please refer to my previous blog).

Side A (elephant mix)
1. Megan Roberts - I Could Sit Here All Day
2. Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol
3. Tim Rose - I Knew These Two People
4. Apollo Smile - Let's Smile
5. Jimmy McCracklin - Let's Do It (The Chicken Scratch)
6. John Martyn - Don't Want to Know
7. Unknown (written by Cole Porter) - My Heart Belongs to Daddy
8. Louise Huebner - The emotional Bondage Spell
9. Odetta - Sail Away Ladies
10. Nektar - Recycle/Cybernetic Consumption
11. Butterbeans & Susie - Elevator Papa, Switchboard mama
12. Dschinn - Rock N Roll Dschinny
13. Jack Bonus - Aye Que Lyn

Side B
1. B-Movies - Moles
2. Francis Lai - Spring Time Ballet
3. The Ambassadors - Gary, Indiana
4. Theo Bikel - I hear the Laughter
5. Colyn Davies - The Hearse Song
6. Leona Anderson - Rats in my Room
7. Country Funk - Apart of Me
8. New Elecktrik - Lust of Berlin
9. Tom Cora - Cruelty and Memory
10. Cozmic Corridors - Dark Path
11. Mike Batt - Zero Zero
12. Elsa Lanchester - At the Drive In
13. Skreem - Winner Takes All
14. Third World War - Teddy Teeth Goes Sailing

Okay, so, I wasn't really into alot of this music. The songs are very obscure and not stuff I would normally listen to. There were a few songs I liked: "Moles," "Apart of me" and a few others. A lot of it was instrumental or just really really old. There was an instrumental one on here that Portishead clearly sampled so that was kind of cool to hear.

So, I struggled making my mix because I got rid of 99% of my cds last summer. I have a few stragglers though, so I had to use those. I don't normally repeat artists so much on mixes, but I had to do that alot here (good artists though!!!! although I put Chief Keef on there just to be an asshole)

Side A (my mix)

1.  Freak These Tales - Murs
2. Percussion Gun - White Rabbits
3. Sure Shot - Beastie Boys
4. Elephant Woman - Blonde Redhead
5. Clique - Kanye West, Jay-z, Big Sean
6. Tonight, Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
7. Soco Amaretto Lime - Brand New
8. Free or Dead - Atmosphere
9. Don't Like - Chief Keef ft. Kanye West & others
10. You're All I've Got Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
11. Biz Markie & Beastie Boys - Benny & The Jets

Side B

1. Cold - Kanye West
2. Misery is a Butterfly - Blonde Redhead
3. Bad Man - Murs
4. Meladori Magpie - Smashing Pumpkins
5. Eli - Caribou
6. The Shower Scene - Brand New
7. They Done Wrong - White Rabbits
8. Alive - Beastie Boys
9. 4:30a.m - Atmosphere
10.  Adjust - Atmosphere
11. 33 - Smashing Pumpkins
12. Egg Man - Beastie Boys
13. High Plains Drifter - Beastie Boys (cuts off in middle of song, boo)