chicagodads

I was supposed to publish the Chicago on the Cheap section on Friday. I didn’t. Maybe it was because I was trying so hard to get my head around my own family’s personal economic crises (there’s always more than one), then add on to that Wall Street’s problems, then how that affects Main Street and its problems and then how that affects the global economy (this is how it was explained to me by Governor Sarah Palin) that I got distracted from telling you how you can avert your own financial crisis by going to cheaper entertainments.

Therefore, I did not tell you to not sleep on the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, which happened all day on Saturday at the DuSable Mueum, the Hyde Park Art Center, various halls at the University of Chicago and asundry places nearby (including the Checkerboard Lounge which I only want to believe has anything to do with the famous Chess Records). The music was free, but I doubt the Goose Islands were also.

Also, Cassandra Wilson played at the Symphony Center on Friday, but those tix started at $34, so it was not cheap. And My Bloody Valentine reunited on Saturday at the Aaragon Ballroom in Uptown, but that show was sold out already, so no need to get our ears undone over that.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds also reunited, and I’m sure they felt good - or as good as mope and grinding furiosity could feel. They did sold-out shows on Sunday and Monday night at the Riviera.

… Umm, so I don’t want to belabor the point, but here’s what I think you should do if you (like us) don’t have money: invite your friends over for a game night. It’s not a party, you don’t necessarily have to play games, you can rotate your friends, you can play stimulating games, verbal games, chess, checkers, Scrabble, any one of a thousand Monopolies, Scattegories, Apples to Apples, dominoes, Life, Chutes and Ladders - shoot, it don’t matter. Once a week. It doesn’t have to be the same group of friends and you could make up the rules for the invite no matter how arbitrary it is. Doesn’t always have to be at your house, doesn’t have to be every week or even regular. Maybe just a one-shot deal. And you don’t even have to play games, or not necessarily all night long.

The point is, it’s an opportunity to mix and mingle with other grown folks. For longer events, you can watch a movie, but it’s nice to be able to talk to grown folk about grown-folk things.

‘Cuz babies don’t really speak much, y’know?