8/8/22
The best part about the morning commute to me is how easily I can put the experience on autopilot. Getting on and off at the same train stop, listening to the same music I have for the last decade and just watch as the ‘L’ transport me downtown.
It’s a bit freeing to sit in the monotony. A spike of endorphins for the expectations part of my brain.
“Getting on at Damen? Perfect, just what I thought” - my brain
“The White Stripes, huh? knew it!” - my brain, again
“Thinking we’ll get off at Chicago and Franklin! Exactly right” - Jake Wallach’s brain
This faithful Tuesday was no different— got to the train at around the right time, got a seat and put on ‘White Blood Cells’ to transport me to my newsroom style desk in the loop.
I do have a relatively new job, but have graduated from using GPS and just have to pay a bit of attention on the walk from train stop to office.
Nodded my head to the mailman as he held the door open for me and headed to the elevator, got to my floor and fumbled in my bag for my keycard to open the door.
Everything going as normal as could be, until I open the door and a professional-grade security alarm starts BLARING!
*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP* - the alarm
“oh s@#$%” - my brain
I immediately become more awake than I ever have been and starts running, with a backpack, to find some sort of switch to turn it off. The first thing I find is a keypad, but after about 35 seconds I realize it only controls the air conditioning— I fumble in the psuedo-dark to where I find another keypad that prompts me for a code
a code? !!! I don’t know any code !!!
I then lunge back into my bag to send a message to my co-workers asking if they know of any ‘code’ we should know.
I bite my nails as I see a couple co-workers begin to type.
“xxxx is my code if you’d like to use it!” - nice coworker
Why, yes! Yes, I would like to shut off this alarm system
I furiously type in the code, incorrect the first time, but try again and silence spreads through the office as the ringing in my ears slowly fades away.
An audible sigh of relief comes out of my mouth, and I look back down at my phone.
Another co-worker tells me that if the alarm goes off for too long the police are required to arrive on-site, but to check with Clancey (not the real name) to see if they were called
Oh, bummer…..
I message Clancey, go back to the AC keypad to fix the mess I made and set my backpack down and lay down next to my desk
*BuZz*
Clancey - No cops called, all good!
Jake - Thanks!
It was all over, now to start work!
Calvin Harris has dropped his new album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2. Dude should have dropped this in June so it was the album of the summer, but what do I know! I like New To You.
side-note - what was the song of the summer?
'You’re Wrong About’ is a podcast that does journalistic deep dives on events John and Sarah thought were “miscast”. The D.C. Sniper episode was the soundtrack to Bree and I’s 6 hour car ride home from MI.
‘Charlotte Cornfield’ is making me want to fast forward to fall with her folk rock jams. Big fan of ‘Headlines’
Jake Wallach Weekly Spotify Playlist
‘Are You Sure You’re Not Guilty of the Millennial Pause’, Kate Lindsay illustrates how ‘very online’ millennials grew up with the internet, but that doesn’t mean that’s what the internet is today. Their mannerisms and habits are ‘aging {them} out’. Their biggest fear is coming true
Wesley Morris is one of my favorite music writers, and really dug his write-up on Beyoncé’s newest album ‘Renaissance’
Hey, where’d all the color go? Machine learning says that the ‘world is becoming less colorful!’
New Yorker sat down with Mike Judge, (The Office, Parks and Rec, most notably Spy Kids) about the return of Beavis and Butthead and more.
‘The Bear’ is seemingly required watching for those residing in Chicago proper. I have no kitchen or food experience but everyone who has says it’s realistic and I can appreciate that! Dug this podcast and season recap from The Prestige Podcast that my friend Emily sent me
‘The Rehearsal’ is best explained by the opening line of the trailer, “I’ve been told people are uncomfortable with my personality”. It’s just such an outrageous show, and with a seemingly infinite budget and creative liberty it is getting audible laughs from me.
Always love this ‘Street Diaries’ from photographer Joe Greer, who you might know from his NYC street photography or tour photos of Leon Bridges
Not knowing how much things cost— “Oh, a beer, yeah I’ll Venmo you like 35 bucks?”
Until Next Time,
See You In The Funny Papers
Party Rock,
Jake