http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ Personal journal of Chicago-based arts administrator and travel writer Jason Pettus. en-us ilikejason@gmail.com 2011-10-09T23:03:28-06:00 Sun, 09 Oct 2011 23:03:28 -0600 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001609.html In which our humble narrator attends his first rock concert in a decade, buys his very first online ticket, and has a crying fit in the middle of a Jens Lekman show, over realizing that his decade-long "karmic time of penance" for being such an asshole when younger is finally at its end. 1609@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ My Life 2011-10-09T23:03:28-06:00 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001608.html It's been happening again -- after long online sessions, I've been feeling like I've left Chicago and am now in a fictional city called "Onlinistan" that doesn't really exist, bringing up the slippery question of what exactly consciousness is and how we should define in an online age what "occupying" a space actually means. Plus: I've been attending live lit events again! THEY'VE BEEN TEDIOUS! Click through for more! 1608@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ CCLaP 2011-05-29T11:42:26-06:00 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001607.html My arts center's newest original book is out, which as usual has me thinking about the subjects of aging, arts administration, and the trickier and trickier question as you get older of whether or not you're doing the right thing with your life. Today, some musings on these issues. 1607@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ Business 2011-03-20T11:24:41-06:00 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001606.html What does Charlie Sheen have to do with civil war in Libya, the lasting legacy of Bush, payday loan centers in bad neighborhoods, France in the 1950s, and how the economic meltdown is all your fault? Click through to find out. J'accuse! 1606@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ History 2011-03-06T13:19:58-06:00 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001605.html Today: The apocalypse is here -- JASON PETTUS NOW OWNS A CREDIT CARD. Click through for all the details, and why it reminds me of JRR Tolkien's concept of the "eucatastrophe," a suddenly great thing that happens to us for no rational reason. Plus: Did you know that Kevin Smith is now producing a new podcast episode every night of the week? Read what I think about it if you want. 1605@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ CCLaP 2011-01-25T16:02:21-06:00 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001604.html It's the end of the year, time for looking both backwards and forwards; and so here is my detailed month-by-month plan for what I'd like to do in 2011 with my arts organization, the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography, hopefully adding up by the end to four new books, four issues of a new magazine, four live events, and with luck CCLaP's first-ever four-figure annual profit. 1604@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ Business 2010-12-21T11:28:50-06:00 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001603.html As part of an essay project at my arts center, I recently read Thoreau's "Walden" for the first time since high school, which got me to thinking of Chicago's Lincoln Park and why I seem to enjoy rural surroundings so much more now at middle-age than in my youth. Today, those thoughts, plus plenty of photos of the park itself. 1603@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ History 2010-11-21T21:04:27-06:00 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001602.html I've started a process this month that is destined to have some profound long-term effects -- I've started paying off all my old debt and getting my credit back in order, all of it hopefully culminating in securing my first physical space for my arts center in just another five to ten years from now. Today, lots more details regarding the process itself, and some thoughts on just what the term "justice" actually means. 1602@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ Business 2010-11-12T17:59:53-06:00 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001601.html As mentioned last time, I'm finally free to start talking in detail about my bad bike accident last year; and one of the most fascinating if not terrifying experiences from it was finally getting to know what exactly an anxiety attack feels like. Today, some thoughts on the subject. 1601@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ My Life 2010-10-17T16:34:57-06:00 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001600.html The settlement check has officially cleared, which means I can finally start talking in public about my bad bicycle accident last year; today, some thoughts on why I still generally won't be doing so anyway, and an embarrassing hospital anecdote to mollify those disappointed by the news. Plus, a few reminiscences about GALLERIA, the student art gallery my friends and I started in college, celebrating its 20th anniversary this autumn. 1600@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ My Life 2010-10-10T20:39:53-06:00 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001599.html My summer project this year is to revisit Chicago's twelve largest museums; as of this weekend I've now visited four of them, including the "Big Three" at Museum Campus (the Shedd Aquarium, the Adler Planetarium, and the Field Museum of Natural History). Today, a photo-heavy look at my trips, and the subjects they've had me thinking about this summer. 1599@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ History 2010-07-18T16:14:28-06:00 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001598.html Today, some thoughts on what I've been noticing recently within the world of electronic musicians, and what it may teach us about the future of something as old-fashioned as literature, especially when it comes to digital books and the eventual fate of intellectual property in general. 1598@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ Business 2010-07-05T13:26:14-06:00 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001597.html Today, short thoughts on a variety of subjects, including: My arts center's first literary event was a big success; I'm finally bicycling again for the first time in almost a year; why I thank God Facebook wasn't around when I was in college; how it is that Google killed the SEO industry; and why the growing American criticism about Israel is actually the best thing that could've ever happened to Judaism. 1597@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ Business 2010-06-13T20:52:12-06:00 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001596.html This month sees the return of two activities that used to be fun regular parts of my life -- not just bicycling for the first time since my accident last summer, but my very first live literary event in almost a decade. Today, some more thoughts regarding both. 1596@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ Business 2010-05-16T18:15:39-06:00 http://jasonpettus.com/archives/001595.html I finally did it -- I finally figured out how to get the BBC "iPlayer" streaming service to work on my American computer. Today, some thoughts on why I wanted to try it, what I discovered, and the surprisingly exotic thrills of crappy low-budget British quiz shows. 1595@http://jasonpettus.com/jasonpettus.com/ Computers 2010-04-24T18:42:18-06:00