It’s a great way to stay in shape.
It was only a matter of time before Family Guy got around to making fun of me. Well, now that I think of it, all their GenX/GenY/slacker/nerd/WASP/dude jokes describe me accurately, too.
Couple of weeks ago, Chris (one of my 5 roommates at 900 N Damen) was back in Dallas briefly before leaving for India.
We went out to a dive bar called Ship’s Lounge to catch up. Among the information Chris passed along to me, which included an amazing story of how mistaken identity transforms ordinary men into murder suspects, the item that was most relevant to me and this blog had to do with last summer’s lawn project.
Apparently, the Elvis tapestry remained (remains? seeking verification) far longer than it was ever intended and even garnered attention from the illustrious Chicago Sun-Times.
The story was from July 28 so I had to pony up $2.95 to gain access to the full text, but, what the hell, I’ll pass on the savings to you, oh loyal reader.
(If you’re from the Sun-Times, don’t get your panties in a wad. You might even view this as a scoop since I’m revealing the origin of the display.)
July 28, 2008
In Ukrainian Village, Elvis is ‘always in the building’
Neighborhood joke takes on a life of its own — even if woman who lives there doesn’t worship The King
Mitch Dudek; The Chicago Sun-Times
What once was simply an Elvis Presley floor rug has taken on a life of its own in Ukrainian Village.
“The people who lived here before me had it on the living room floor and hung it up in the front yard to be funny when they moved out in September,” said Monica Prata, one of five 20-something roommates who rent the “Elvis House” at 900 N. Damen.
Since then Elvis has made some friends — and one foe. Fans left candles and little Elvis photographs in front of the sign on Jan. 8, Elvis’ birthday. A mysterious RIP Elvis tombstone was placed in front of Elvis on Halloween. On some days, cars slow down and honk approval. But one Elvis-hater drew a moustache on The King with a black marker recently.
Prata’s own relationship with Elvis is bumpy.
“People always saying ‘Oh! You live in the Elvis House.’ It gets annoying. I don’t even like Elvis,” said Prata, who works as a makeup artist and studies English at Northeastern Illinois University.
But Prata believes it’s fitting garnish for a house she describes as a “dive” in the middle of an increasingly trendy neighborhood — and she has no plans to bring down The King.
Melissa Cecola, the owner of the Spotland Yard pet boutique across the street, thinks the sign reflects the neighborhood’s artsy roots and uses it as a landmark when giving directions. “I love Elvis. He’s always in the building,” she said.
Twenty yards south, Katie Plikuhn, 25, paused between customers at Piccolo eatery Thursday to reflect on the Elvis sign. “There are two type of people: Beatles people and Elvis people . . . and maybe Rolling Stones people. I’m a Beatles person.”
I was riding my bike around Uptown Dallas last night when I spotted a man dressed in a white tuxedo jacket, black pants & a bow tie lying on his back in the middle of Cole Avenue.
I stopped and asked him if he was alright. He slowly opened his eyes and mumbled something unintelligible. Ah, drunk, I thought as it appeared I had awaken him from a blackout. I asked him if he was able to move since he was lying in the middle of a busy street.
“Yeah,” he said. He tried to get up but struggled and collapsed.
“Come on,” I said, “you’ll get squashed out here.”
“Yeah. Yeah.”
I began to wonder if he was suicidal. “Do you need my help to get up?”
“Yeah.” He reached out his hand, but instead of grabbing mine he collapsed again. His glasses were a few feet away from his head. I picked them up as he started to move.
“Hey. I got your glasses,” I said.
He took them from me and as he raised his head I noticed there was a pool of blood on the pavement beneath him. I surveyed the area more closely and saw there was more blood sprayed across the asphalt. A noticeable wound covered most of the backside of his scalp.
“Whoa. You’re bleeding badly. I’m calling for help.”
I pulled out my cellphone and began to call the paramedics, but at this very moment a police car approached the scene. I flagged the officer down & I explained to him that I had just arrived at the scene and found the guy in the road.
He believed me, which strikes me as odd now, though it didn’t at the time. The officer took control of the situation, thanked me for stopping, and sent me on my way.
My mind ran wild thinking of all the scenarios that would leave a well-dressed man in such terrible condition in the middle of the road. Was he merely intoxicated and clumsy? The amount of blood suggested something a little more violent. Was he beaten and left this way? Hit by a car? Thrown from a car? Shot?
Probably not, but…
I’ve been working crossword puzzles like a madman. By far, my favorite has been/is/will forever be Inkwell.
This week’s Inkwell, Theme Theme. solved:
The result of flipping over my bars after hitting an obstruction in the road. I actually landed on my head. My helmet prevented any visible damage although I’m fairly sure I suffered a concussion.
In the interest of compartmentalizing my web life, I’m slowly but surely removing the videos I have posted on this site and placing them on my tumblelog, which is located at:
This is old but it reminded me to start making more posts like this.
