Alizah Salario

Didion with her daughter. From the LA Time's Jacket Copy

In order to do the heavy lifting of reading a Joan Didion book, the brain – and the heart – must be prepared to carry the weight. This is especially true with Blue Nights, Didion’s extended eulogy to her daughter Quintana, who died in 2005.  For this reason I hesitated picking it up immediately; one has to be in the right place to read about death, especially when it’s a mother writing about the death of her only child. I wanted to save Blue Nights, but the Bookforum cover, the NPR interview, the review after interview after review all finally got to me. I had to read it to know what all the fuss was about. I had recently finished the book and started jotting notes for a blog post when I found out about the death of my father’s girlfriend (for lack of a better word), who had lived with us for many years and played a major role in my upbringing. I returned to Chicago before I had the time – no, before I could create the mental space – to flesh these out.

• It is impossible to read Blue Nights without thinking about all the things one has loved and lost.
• Didion lets us see the small cracks in the veneer
• We are constantly shaping and reshaping the stories of our lives to align with the changing visions of ourselves.

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Dear Gentlemen,

I can imagine what you thought of me. Stupid yuppie chick sitting in Starbucks sipping her soy chai latte and checking Twitter on her MacBook. I’m certain I looked like just the type of gal that’s begging to get her iPhone stolen, didn’t I?  Don’t worry. I’m getting “sucker” tattooed on my forehead tomorrow to make it easier for you in the future.  I don’t know whether or not you reduced me to my stereotypes, but that’s certainly how I felt. You probably thought I was “nice” and would reach into my purse to donate to your nonexistent team, making it easy as pie for you to grab my phone on the table right out from under my nose. You were basically right.

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On this, the day before the much-anticipated mayoral election, I find myself without a single opinion worthy of sharing. Perhaps it’s because I’ve already started obsessing about more important things, like the Oscars (saw both True Grit and The King’s Speech this weekend) and my pre-spring detox (this as I slurp a massive latte). Or perhaps just I’m kind of burnt out on the whole thing.

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I rarely think about high school anymore, but every now and then my sense memory kicks in and I recall the moldy, slightly sour and bagel-tinged aroma of the scrounge. First there was this editorial, and this one, and finally, this one. Each time I was brought back to New Trier High School’s student lounge (the scrounge) and everything it represented. These editorials made me question why I still cringe whenever I see a New Trier bumper sticker, and why my sister and I still share a not-so-subtle shorthand when referencing someone who comes off as entitled, shallow or arrogant:  “He/she seems like a Trevian.”

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I most definitely felt romance in the air during tonight’s mayoral forum on WTTW Chicago. It was Carol Marin’s tough love that made this one of the most revealing and contentious  debates to date.

First off, C. Marin is a bulldog in pearls. She wasn’t afraid to interrupt candidates, call them on their bullshit, and ask the tough questions. She wanted specifics! Examples! Cold hard facts! I loved her insightful interrogation. So what can we take away from this, the zillionth mayoral forum? All the candidates have 1) skeletons in the closet and 2) mastered the fine art of bullshit? Yes, but now I’ll dig deeper.

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The Chicago Tribune’s endorsement of Emanuel for mayor comes as no surprise. In today’s editorial section, there’s a picture of Rahm staring off into the distance — no, the future —looking stoic and utterly driven. Whether or not you’re in Emanuel’s corner, the picture and the eloquent text surrounding it makes a convincing case for Rahm. Chicago is in dire financial straits, here’s what needs to be done, here’s why Emanuel is the man for the job. Boom. There’s no waxing poetic, mention of sideshow scandals, and no ego-stroking inflation, either.

Then there’s the above video titled “Too Big to Fail,” written and performed by “DJ Freddie Mac and The Blue State Cowboys.”

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As the sun came out and the streets cleared up this morning, Chicago got back on track as early voting resumed after a two-day snow closure. Shortly after the polls reopened across the city, Chicago Board of Election administrator Cephus Cihran paced the near-empty polling place on the fourth floor of Access Living at 115 W. Chicago Ave. and waited for the first ballot to be cast.

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Dust off that trusty crystal ball because it’s time to play Who Wants to be Chicago’s Next Mayor! You can earn lots of money, fabulous prizes, and the satisfaction of bidding on the right candidate.

Yes, a site actually exists that allows you to bid on the mayoral election….and whether or not Sarah Palin will run for president, and who will win an Academy Award, and almost any other contest of political might or cultural wit.

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Candidates for Chicago mayor are damned if they do, dammed if they don’t.

Conventional wisdom is that if you don’t like fighting dirty, then don’t get into politics. Yet the minute a candidate pulls a one-two punch, the pundits come out shaking a finger at bulldog-like behavior.  On the other hand, show you’re a softy, and politicians are maligned for not being tough enough to handle the job. Who can ignore the fact that criticism of Obama has stemmed from his pussyfooting around Republicans and willingness to capitulate on key issues for the past two years?

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Pic from the Chicagoist

Last night Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy headlined a fundraiser for Rahm Emanuel, a move that some considered a cheap ploy to conquer Chicago’s thriving hipster mecca (see Logan Square). Other candidates have implied  that celebrity has no place in politics, but who are they kidding here? (see Sarah Palin) Although Emanuel, an avowed Wilco fan, isn’t exactly what I’d call hip, he might be in the groove with his latest celeb endorsement. [...]