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)