I'm calling a Time Out for Sheboygan

I read a really lame review of Sheboygan, WI today in Time Out Chicago. Not that the review was negative; it was just plain shoddy and superficial. As I began to bitch, I realized it was written by the editor-in-chief, Frank Sennett. Well, this guy should know better. So I wrote my first letter disapproving of a review:

Jesus Christ, man. If you're going to do a review, you might have to actually get out of your car/condo and do something. You made Sheboygan sound like the most boring little town ever. And it is, but in a really weird, interesting way. I don't usually send letters like this, but it makes me sad when a fellow journalist falls down on the job. And such a simple job it was! Were you hungover or something? Next time, hand the job to a hungry intern or newbie. They would probably love to get a free vacation to a funky, albeit dusty little Midwestern town. Thanks for once again reminding me why I'm not renewing my subscription to your lazy and increasingly elitist mag.

Meg White

P.S. In case you were wondering, I'm not from, nor have I ever lived in, Wisconsin or small-town America.

I'm mostly just posting this because I know this one won't make it into "Letters to the Editor."

More House

I talked to Rep. Robert Wexler today for a preview of former press secretary Scott McClellan's testimony on what Bush & Co. knew and when. Read the article here and watch the testimony tomorrow here.

Meg infiltrates House

This morning I had the opportunity to interview Rep. Dennis Kucinich on his insistence upon bringing articles of impeachment to bear against the president. Read the article here.

Kucinich came off as a polite, funny and impassioned man. Other than impeachment, I asked him if about endorsing Obama. He seemed to think his "kind of" endorsement in Iowa was enough.

He said he'd rather stay in the House than be a part of the new cabinet in 2009 (the thought around the office was that he might want to head up a possible Department of Peace, but apparently that's not in the cards?) He's gonna do all he can to get the Ohio Democrats out to vote this November, but he wants to have a chat with Obama about a couple policy issues.

Sen. Obama, sir? Have your people call his people. I know you guys don't want this impeachment albatross hanging around your campaign's proverbial neck, but we need Ohio.

More me

I'm almost done with my first week of work and I still love it. I even got to do an opinion piece today! Check it out.

Tomorrow morning I have an interview with a former 2008 presidential candidate. No, it's not her, but I'm nonetheless excited. Don't worry, I'll keep you in the loop with more shameless self-promotion...

News of the Meg

After weeks of fretting over obtaining a summer job, I landed a paid writing gig. I'm writing political news for buzzflash.org. I had my first day today, and I love it. The writing and editing staff is smart, funny and nurturing...and did I mention I'm getting paid to write?? My first article is posted. Bookmark the site; I should have new stuff up daily.

Endless thanks to all of you who believed in me when I didn't. You know who you are.

Get your kicks...

What CTA denizen dares to complain about transit these days? I like to call it cheap entertainment.

Scene: Clinton/Lake CTA stop, on the Green Line toward the loop. 12:30 p.m.
A grey-haired, lightly-bearded suit boards the train and, finding no one he'd like to sit next to, stands on the other side of the doorway. No, he hasn't heard if the Red Line northbound is re-routed today, but he wouldn't be surprised.
"The things I do to save gas," he says, shaking his head. He wishes me good luck, and gets off at the very next stop.

Scene: State/Lake Red Line Subway Station. 12:45 p.m.
A short, middle-aged man in dark slacks, a button-down and a vest stands next to a small boom box.
"Good afternoon, Chicago!" he says to lunchtime commuters on the platform. "I had to unbutton my vest, because I'm ready to fight!" He smiles so widely that no one looks like they believe a violent, headline-grabbing episode is about to unfold. Plus, a Chicago police officer and her K-9 are looking on.
He starts up the boom box, which plays "Eye of the Tiger." Just like his muse Sly in Rocky III, the man punches fiercely, connecting with the air on every beat, each hit accompanied by a spirited "Uh!"

Scene: Devon & Lakewood bus stop, WB. 5:40 p.m.
The green and white quilt with the stuffing coming out of one end looks strangely familiar. Not the blanket itself, mind you. I recognized the form it took at one end of the bus stop bench, like my quilt looks at the foot of my bed after being rudely awakened by an alarm clock. At least it's warm out now.

Indy rock: A review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

After seeing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I was torn. The anthropologist in me said, "no," but the Karen Allen look-alike in me said, "yes, yes, yes!"

It was certainly more National Geographic than Indiana Jones that enticed me to get my bachelors in anthropology, but I did grow up loving the unlikely romance of action adventure and lost cultures I found in the trilogy. Sure, the less-than-soothing bedtime story of the ignoble savage irked me some, but I've always been a sucker for ruins and a good rickshaw chase.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a workable update of the last three movies in the Indy saga. Much is familiar to fans (evil fascists who want to use ancient knowledge for personal gain, protective native peoples, improbable but entertaining whip maneuvers) but something else leapt out as I watched the movie. Steven Spielberg was ripping off a nut job from the sixties.

Erich Von Daniken wrote "Chariots of the Gods?: Unsolved Mysteries of the Past" in 1968 to prove, using misunderstood artifacts from ancient times, that aliens sparked human development. One of his ideas gets top billing, that the Nazca Lines, pictograms created on valley floors in Peru which can only be appreciated from the sky, were veritable landing strips for alien visitors. His theories have been widely debunked, but he still makes appearances for wacko groups like the Archaeology, Astronautics and SETI Research Association who no doubt want to be on the right side of the coming alien invasion.

The problem with Von Daniken is not that he's a crazy writer and pseudo-soft scientist. It's the implication of his theories. He maintains that Mesoamericans weren't smart enough to have accomplished all that they did, and must have mated with aliens to gain their current human status.

I'm not saying Spielberg is necessarily culpable for revisiting Von Daniken's skewed view. Spielberg dutifully leaves intergalactic sex out of the equation and makes a point to say his funny green men are from "another dimension" and not outer space, no doubt to distance himself from Von Daniken's overt racism and Area 51 fanatics alike.

Would it have made for a better movie if the writing team included that fact that Mesoamericans bound the skulls of royal babies so that they would grow in an elongated, alien-looking way? I mean, I find that stuff fascinating, but I don't suffer under the illusion that erudition translates to box-office bucks.

Putting aside the fact that she's the only celebrity anyone has ever said I resembled, Karen Allen conjured a charmingly believable older version on Marion (if only I were 56 and had a dimple on my chin! Sigh). The rest of the acting in the film was charmingly unimpressive (Harrison Ford looks tired, Cate Blanchette's accent was a disappointment, etc.).

The writing was paltry, but above average for an action film. The writers shone brightest when mocking Cold War ethos and nukes.

The special effects varied widely. An exceedingly cheesy scene where Shia LaBeouf swings through the jungle with anthropomorphic monkeys is immediately followed by a gut-wrenching fire ant scene which left me curled up in my seat, brushing away imaginary insects.

Overall I enjoyed the newest edition to the Indy family of films. Go see it. Just be sure to bring popcorn, and leave your BA and sense of indignation at home.