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| A photo slideshow by Smilebox |
Friday, August 6, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Coe College Alumni Event with Hall of Fame Coach Marv Levy.
On Thursday Night I went to the Coe College (My Alma Mater) Alumni Reception at The Metropolitan Club on the 33rd Floor of the Willis Tower in Chicago,IL It was great to see many familiar faces and fellow alums. I enjoyed catching up on the current life at Coe with President James Phifer. It was FUN meeting so many new alums including recent graduates. One of my favorite moments of the night was catching up with Coach Marv Levy. I have met him numerous times over the years and he inspires me each and every time we re-connect. We shared a few stories and a few laughs. He said "They often call Coe the Harvard of the Midwest and he said no Harvard is the Coe of the East!".
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The Top Chef Master Rick Bayless!!
Went to The Green City Market and saw a demonstration by cooking legend and recent Top Chef Master Winner Rick Bayless. Rick is the owner of three classic Chicago restaurants.
He shared with us what he was cooking for Thanksgiving. He prepared for us a great Butternut Squash Soup.
Here is the finished Butternut Squash. I hope to make this over the Holidays. I was so GOOD! I can see why he is the Top Chef Master! The recipe can be found here Bon Appetit!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The Blues Brothers ;)
I went to a Launch party for Dan Aykroyd's Crystal Head Vodka. I love the bottle. It's a Crystal Skull.I got to meet some great and FUN people. It was a true pleasure to meet Dan. Ive been laughing to him for years! I had a nice chat with him about his new book he wrote with his dad A History of Ghosts: The True Story of Seances, Mediums, Ghosts, and Ghostbusters. He is very funny and genuine in person. I had a blast! Hope our paths cross again.
Dan hooked me up with a signed copy of the 25th Anniversary edition of The Blues Brothers. One of my Favorite movies and ALL-Time Chicago Movie!Monday, November 16, 2009
Best Dive Bar in Chicago. You ve never heard of with a criminal past!
Shooting a movie at the L&L Tavern in my neighboorhood. This bar has quite a past. It was voted by Maxim Magazine as one of the best dive bars in America.
Little known fact about this joint: The question is, who's the next serial killer who drinks here? We've got our eyes on a couple guys. When Dahmer was arrested, [L&L employee] Frankie—who Dahmer hit on—said "Oh my god! That's the guy that used to drink in the corner by the window and 'chickenhawk' [watch for young men at] the Dunkin Donuts across the street!" And John Wayne Gacy showed up in full clown outfit back in the '70s.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Let the Games Begin!!. Meeting the President of the Canadian Olympic Committee.
On Sunday I had the fortune of going to a presentation by Michael Chambers, The President of The Canadian Olympic Committee. In less than 100 days the world will descend upon Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. He gave a great overview of the mission, history and venues of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. We had a great conversation on many topics from what he's most excited about, to why Chicago didn't get the 2016 Games. I love the Olympic Games and all it stands for. The world coming together in peace in the spirit of sport. He gave me numerous pins, pens, and brochures to help promote the games. He shared what Vancouver is doing to try to solve its massive homelessness problem. Vancouver is one of the warmest cities in the entire country so it attracts a lot of the homeless. Overall it was a great pleasure to meet Mr. Chambers and reignite the Olympic Spirit within me. I wish the games began tomorrow. Let the Games Begin!
The Waking Life,Rotoshop,and animation with Bob Sabiston
On Sunday afternoon I went to a presentation by one of my favorite animators., Bob Sabiston. You may not know the name but Im pretty sure you have seen his work. Bob Sabiston (born 1967) is an American film art director, computer programmer, and creator of the Rotoshop software program for computer animation. He showed two of his short films and then discussed how he and his team create such great animation. We had a great conversation after the presentation of our mutual love of philosophy. A Lot of his films have a philosophical undertone. The first film he showed is called Grasshopper.
You can watch it here.
You can watch it here. The first 8 minutes of the feature film "The Waking Life" is below.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
My afternoon with Parrot Researcher Dr. Irene Pepperberg.
Went to a talk this afternoon at Northwestern Law School by Dr. Irene Pepperberg. She is a scientist who studies Animal cognition with a focus on parrots. I have been a fan of her work for many years.
Dr. Pepperberg is showing a video of some of her 30 years of research. Her parrot Alex just recently passed away. She wrote a great book about her life with Alex. Its called Alex and Me. She found Alex in a small Pet Store in Chicago.Please watch these videos below to appreciate the depth and greatness of her work. For the video she showed us click here. Its with Alan Alda.
Legendary documentarian and cinematographer Albert Maysles
I just returned from a party at Barneys on Oak Street with legendary documentarian and cinematographer Albert Maysles. Some have called him the greatest cameraman of our time. When we took the picture above we did about 4 takes until we found one we both liked. He kept telling the camera man zoom in closer. I just watched a great documentary last week he did on Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes on ESPN. We had a fun time chatting about our mutual love of psychology and Chicago. We joked around about our glasses. He told me he has been wearing the same pair for over 40 years. If you want a pair like our glasses you can get them at www.albertmayslesglasses.com.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Bright-sided with Barbara Ehrenreich.
I went to lecture with Barbara Ehrenreich who recently wrote a new book called Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America" She lectured on ills we get for being so focused on the pursuit of Happiness. I have admired her work for years and was blessed to get a different insight into the personal growth industry. Heres a presentation that was similar to the one I witnessed. The Audacity to Win! with David Plouffe-President Obamas Campaign Manager
On Friday I got to participate in a webcast presentation with President Obama's Campaign Manager David Plouffe, Hes an incredibly nice and focused man. I can see why Obama won the election. He gets things done! He has a new book out called The Audacity to Win. Which he definitely did do. I had a nice conversation with him about bi-partisanship, I also shared with him my memories of being in Iowa for the Caucus and witnessing President Obama's historic speech. "They say this day would never come...."I have always admired David from how well he did his job in the campaign. It was nice to finally interact and ask him some of the burning questions that I had.
This is the beginning of the webcast being broadcast at the Abraham Lincoln BookShop. The shop is incredible. You must visit it. There is so much I wish I could buy. It's like a museum where every thing is for sale. The webcast should be available here shortly. Here's a great talk by David at Google!
DDB Presents: David Plouffe "The Art of the Possible" from Mode Project on Vimeo.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Mr. Kenneth Cole!!
Went to a launch party Thursday night on Michigan Avenue for Kenneth Cole's new clothing line. Met some great people, drank and had a great time . I had the opportunity to talk with the great designer Mr. Kenneth Cole. His line of Mens clothes are some of my favorites. I like how they have a simple and clean look. Mr. Cole showed me a few pieces in his new line. I asked him some business advice for a friend who is starting a clothing line. He said don't do anything that already exists, be original, create something new. I admire his efforts to raise A Wear Ness He does make a difference.
One of my Favorite Chefs...Food Network's Tyler Florence!
Went to a Chef Demo and product launch by Tyler Florence while he was in Chicago. Tyler told me Chicago is one of his favorite cities in the world! I tend to agree with him. It was fun to learn some basic cooking skills with Tyler. People better watch out, I may be a cooking machine. Tyler has got some great cookbooks out. He also has a great program on the Food Network. Check out his shows and books.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Hanging with Big Buff! Chicago Blackhawk Dustin Byfuglein.
Had a Great Time hanging out and goofing around with Blackhawks player Dustin Byfugleinat at Whiste Sox GM Kenny Williams bar called Market. He's wearing my glasses. He thinks hes cool. Buff is one of the biggest hockey players I have ever seen. He told some hilarious stories I cant repeat. Buff rarely gets in fights because you would think he would destroy everybody with his size. Had an wild time. Hope to do it again soon.
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