Latest Windy Citizen blog updates from Paul Dailing

Bangkok Dangerous. Chicago Cold.

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:26:42 -0600

A sweaty night, stepping off the Bangkok Skytrain Ratchathewi stop and wandering down an alley past street vendors selling cuttlefish on a stick and rows of women saying "Massage?

Getting Strange

A question by the lake

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:31:29 -0500

Near Montrose Harbor, past the bird sanctuary where all the twitter twitters go, there is a small pier that curls out like a question mark.

Getting Strange

Zinesters vs. Comics: The Reckoning

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:54:12 -0500

Getting Strange

Life lessons and a short film from Depresso the Clown

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:20:26 -0500

I was dressed like a clown, traveling through a cavalcade of sugar skulls, monster movie posters, tiny calaveras and replica human skulls, one of which I had been assured wasn't a replica.

The walls were painted the color of blood, as was a good portion of my forehead. A bone-white cat sauntered by, pausing only to glance at me pityingly as I trod through the skeletal gauntlet toward the bonfire.

Getting Strange

And now, the gays

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:47:49 -0500

I have recently acquired the one thing every 20-something white liberal craves and longs after but never quite thinks he'll get - a gay, minority friend.

Getting Strange

Gogol Bordello versus music that sucks

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:52:49 -0500

You know what a bunch of drunken punks, tattooed slackers and the Gene Simmons-looking guy with the full-length white coat and the black leather shirt want to see?

A deeeeeee jaaaaaayyyyyy.

The show was Gogol Bordello. And the opening act made my friend leave.

Getting Strange

Pole dancing

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:38:59 -0500

When the bear started handing out smaller bears, I knew I had finally found something truly bizarre.

As readers of this blog - or at least readers of the caption in the upper left corner - might know, this blog is one man's search for a truly alternative culture. Something self-sustaining and utterly, insanely unique and good.

Getting Strange

Naked in the Abbey

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:56:08 -0500

The women were of the type who wouldn't make you look up from your Sudoku on the L, but on-stage, they were the sexiest I've ever seen.

Last week, I was lucky enough to be taken to the Belmont Burlesque at the Abbey Pub at 3420 W. Grace.

Getting Strange

Hoosier Daddy

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:22:25 -0500

So I just got back from Bloomington, Indiana, where I spent four days trying to help a gay friend find a gay bar and surveying folks, including a murderous hobo (sorry, "rail rider") and a 74-year-old woman who explained how often she gets to have sex with her lover in Vancouver.

Getting Strange

If the cosmologist ain't drinking, it's no party

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:38:58 -0500

So, I have a very simple job here at the Windy Citizen. Do crazy stuff, do it with crazy people and don't miss the damn zombie march.

I missed the damn zombie march. It was over the weekend.

But the way I even found out about it is my segue into this week's topic – astrophysics and cosmology.

Getting Strange

All bike rides should be naked

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:56:29 -0500

My mom will be happy when she finds out I wore my bicycle helmet. She probably won't be so happy when she finds out I didn't wear pants.

I went to the Chicago leg of the World Naked Bike Ride, folks. And I had a blast.

Getting Strange

Punked rock

Sat, 31 May 2008 22:14:51 -0500

Something bad happened today, but it gave me back punk rock.

I'm not going to give you details or even a rough outline of what happened, but I can say that I was polite and civil afterwards. Hell, I was genteel.

But it happened and it pissed me off, so I did what any hot-blooded youth would do. I got in my car to drive to Rockford to visit my sister who just got out of the hospital today.

Getting Strange

Chuckle chuckle, y'all

Sat, 10 May 2008 11:27:52 -0500

After last week's misadventures, I finally got my comedy on.

It was a Tuesday night at Phyllis' Musical Inn in Wicker Park. For those who don't know, Phyllis' is one of those majestic holdovers from the days an outsider making a trip to Wicker Park meant someone was either lost, looking to do something illegal or was about to have something illegal done to them. It's from the days when the six-corners at Damen, North and Milwaukee was called "Hooker Alley." The old-timers still recall when you could buy an eight ball, a half-and-half and some rusty kit for a nickle.

Getting Strange

Open letter to the Internet

Sat, 03 May 2008 22:37:33 -0500

Dear Internet,

You suck. You are the reason my alternative culture blog -- the chronicle of my search for the wild, new, individualistic and unique -- is being written at 10 p.m. Saturday while my girlfriend is in the other room watching Dick Van Dyke and waiting for me to be done so we can pop in the Saturday Night Live Best of Will Ferrell DVD we picked up at Blockbuster.

Getting Strange

The rebellion will have a wine selection

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:47:34 -0500

So I’m looking for two middle-aged Jewish women at an antique fair …

Let me clarify. I’m looking for two specific middle-aged Jewish women at an antique fair. They are my mom and her cousin Judy. Being the good, loyal son that I am (and proving that you should never just say “Uh huh. Uh huh. Yeah, that sounds great,” when you’re not really paying attention on the phone), I had agreed to accompany them to Artopolis, an art fair/exhibit going on this weekend on three floors of the Merchandise Mart.

Getting Strange