November Night 7

November Night 7, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

I made a jaunt through the neighborhood, where I found this structure, probably a garage, next to the blue line.

November Night 6

November Night 6, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Well, that was a big night. My band, Tijuana Jai Alai, played an Election Night party at Mary's Attic with Democracy Burlesque. It was the end of our six weeks with that show. I loaded my drums and took a few pictures while across town the President was about to give his acceptance speech. I heard the speech on the radio on my drive home. XRT radio followed their live broadcast of the speech with Patti Smith's "People Have The Power." "Love, charity, duty, and patriotism," y'all.

November Night 5

November Night 5, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

I took all my pictures tonight in the alley while trying to get a large, very heavy machine into the building. The truck that brought it was too big to backup to our dock, so the machine was left on the ground. We borrowed a pallet jack and rented a truck with a lift gate that just was not big enough, and spent hours trying to force and finesse the machine onto the truck and in the door. I'm sore all over, too.

November Night 4

November Night 4, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

I took a friend home, which got me out of my neighborhood. Nothing jumped out at me in her neighborhood, Lincoln Square, but at Lincoln and Addison I shot a few pictures of the CTA tracks and this train bridge with a firefighter's mural below it.

November Night 3

November Night 3, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Construction on this castle-like building stopped before I moved to Chicago in 2008. I'm curious what it might look like finished. I'm also curious if I ever will see what it looks like finished.

November Night 2

November Night 2, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

November second is the Day of the Dead. I spent the afternoon and night in Pilsen and marched in the Día De Los Muertos procession. I didn't take a tripod with me, so I had to rely on high ISO for this picture of an ofrenda at St. Procopius Church.

November Night 1

November Night 1, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

November's theme is night photos. The first night I just went out to the back yard. Somehow, every picture was blurry. My tripod was secure. Malicous only bumped my tripod during one exposure, and it wasn't this one since he's standing under the deck. Whatever my problem was, I hope I avoid it for the rest of the month.

Hats of October 31

Hats of October 31, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

These are members of a marching band called Environmental Encroachment. They led the Northalsted Halloween parade. There were a lot of good hats in that band.

Hats of October 30

Hats of October 30, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

I remember this guy as Shane (could be wrong), and I met him at Delilah's after a Tijuana Jai Alai Show. He's borrowing my top hat. Paloma, meanwhile, borrowed another guy's imperial stormtrooper helmet.

Hats of October 29

Hats of October 29, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Matching hats and coats make these cats extra snazzy at work.

Hats of October 28

Hats of October 28, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Driving (it happens from time to time) through Pilsen, we all got to wait for this gentleman to make his way across the street, even though the lights had changed. Sometimes it takes a while to get around.

Hats of October 27

Hats of October 27, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

This is Bill, a photographer I met at a Near South Side studio. He's busy with a beautiful naked-kneed model.

Hats of October 26

Hats of October 26, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

A skater in boat shoes? Go get some Vans, man. Is it because it's in La Jolla?

Hats of October 25

Hats of October 25, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

A group of Chinese ladies in sun-protection hats! Score first thing in the morning!

Hats of October 24

Hats of October 24, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

I worked, played a show with my band, went home and packed, then left the house at 2:30 am to go to the airport. This is on my way to the airport, and I count it as the morning of the 24th, although it's at a time I'm also likely to consider night of the 23rd. At that time of night, you actually get to stand around and wait for the security lines to be opened. I still don't know how I managed to stay awake until fairly late the night of the 24th.

Hats of October 23

Hats of October 23, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

On my way to the bank I found this cyclist in a nifty little hat. While I was standing in the bank, I saw a modern Abraham Lincoln in a stovepipe hat go walking by. As soon as I finished I tried to get him, but the closest I got to him was almost a block.

Hats of October 22

Hats of October 22, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Blue from head to toe, I finally put one of these hats into my set. This one was found in Lincoln Park on my lunch break.

Hats of October 21

Hats of October 21, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

It was my wife's birthday, and we had a little get-together in celebration. Our friend showed up with a pretty snazzy hat, and I didn't even think about my daily photos. I had not yet stopped thinking about cleaning, welcoming people, and helping the dog navigate. Finally, Jon brought up my hat photos, and I remembered what I meant to be doing every day of the month. I took a few frames of Jon, and here we are.

Hats of October 20

Hats of October 20, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Saturday night at the soccer stadium, we watched the US Women's National Team take on Germany's Women's Team. The game ended in a draw, but was a well-fought game nonetheless. I knew I'd find a hat, but it got even easier with these soccer ball hats being passed out at the game.

Hats of October 19

Hats of October 19, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

This is Prince, also a photographer, that I ran into outside a camera store. We chatted for a while, and I finally remembered that I'm supposed to be taking hat photos every day. Prince let me shoot a few photos, and I got something approaching the quality I had hoped to maintain throughout the month. With twelve days to go, I better get my eyes and camera focused on those hats.

Hats of October 18

Hats of October 18, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

The interesting wardrobe choices of the mannequins at The Ark thrift store in Wicker Park frequently find their way into my camera.

Hats of October 17

Hats of October 17, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Maybe if fans stuck to navy blue Yankees caps, they wouldn't have been swept by the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series. Despite superstitions, fans' wardrobe choices probably don't affect the outcomes of games, but I still wear the same jerseys on my teams' game days if they've been winning and avoid other shirts, jerseys, or hats if they've ben losing. Silly enough, but it feels less silly than sports apparel being sold in colors the teams never wear.

Hats of October 16

Hats of October 16, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Here's the kind of hat I thought might figure prominently this month. This one hardly counts, for me, but a snappy dresser in a sharp hat would be wonderful to reoccur in better photos.

Hats of October 15

Hats of October 15, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Big Tex Fair for greeted visitors to the Texas State Fair for sixty years. He was reincarnated from a giant Santa Claus and installed at the fair in 1952. Four days after I shot this photo as my hat photo of the day, he went up in flames on the final weekend of the 2012 Texas State Fair, on his 60th birthday. Already forty-nine feet tall and sporting a 75-gallon hat, fair officials claim a new, bigger and better Tex will be ready for the 2013 State Fair of Texas.

Hats of October 14

Hats of October 14, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Hats, as a theme, gives me a great number of possibilities, but I'm finding it difficult to pull off. On the one hand, my motivation has been lacking a bit lately. On the other hand, when I am out shooting, I'm finding myself not wanting to engage with people the way it might be necessary to do photographs of hats. Here's a hat on a table, from a particularly lame couple of days in my hat project.

Hats of October 13

Hats of October 13, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Tijuana Jai Alai played in Waukegan at the Burgundy Room, and Joel here, in his splendid hat, has us coming back to Waukegan in December for a show in another club (the other club?)

Hats of October 12

Hats of October 12, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

I went to the annual Open Studios art show at the Hubbard Lofts and saw some pretty cool work. I saw several cool hats, too, and I'm presenting you with personless helmets, part of an installation in Gerda Meyer Bernstein's studio, called "Exercise in Futility."

Hats of October 11

Hats of October 11, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

A beret, a trenchcoat, and a camera around the neck. I'm certainly going after that shot. A few hours later, I saw an older lady with a walker also wearing a beret. I didn't get her picture though.

Hats of October 10

Hats of October 10, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

While driving Malicous to the surgeon this morning, I spotted this hat-wearing texter at a bus stop. I snapped, then drove, as the light changed during that second and a half that I was sitting still and taking a photo. I got a different photo when I came home, but it's almost the same. Different woman, but she's playing Bejeweled while sitting on the couch wearing a black knit cap.

Malicous is doing fine and spending the night at the hospital. He had a large tumor removed from his shoulder and will be home tomorrow morning. If I were going to get him at the same time, I might have seen this woman waiting for the bus again.

Hats of October 9

Hats of October 9, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Tijuana Jai Alai played our second show with Democracy Burlesque at Mary's Attic. We collected tips in this hat. We're not rich yet, so come to a show and help us out. Thanks.

Hats of October 8

Hats of October 8, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

I've got to pick it up with the hat photos. Here's a hat rack hanging by our front door, with only Shereen's hats on it. I hung something of mine up here once. I was actually asked why my hat was hanging on Shereen's hat rack. Now my hats are in my closet or a cabinet I use for my backpack and camera bags.

Hats of October 7

Hats of October 7, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Sunday night I spotted this hat on the street. I was looking to close the space some, but I didn't get the chance at a better shot. I had to settle for choosing my setting and letting her walk into it. It worked out well enough, though, I think.

Hats of October 6

Hats of October 6, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Our good friend Amy came over Saturday night, and I grabbed a quick couple of snaps while she was in the kitchen in a fetching knit hat.

Hats of October 5

Hats of October 5, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

My third coworker in five days, Chris leaves the store without blocking the fire exit.

Hats of October 4

Hats of October 4, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Wilfred, borrowing my hat, gives a computer a glimpse of his fist-shaking fury.

Hats of October 3

Hats of October 3, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Hat season seems to be in effect at Akira. Every mannequin in the place was sporting a hat.

Hats of October 2

Hats of October 2, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Tijuana Jai Alai has a gig playing with Democracy Burlesque, a political comedy show, through the month of October. Here is producer Joseph Fedorko at the end of the October 2 show at Mary's Attic, with a grey top hat in hand.

Hats of October 1

Hats of October 1, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

I wrote out a list of themes, and settled on October's - hats. Here, for October first, is Mallory and her mustardy colored knit cap. The next two months are tentatively night photography for November and clerks or servers for December. We'll see how that pans out after 31 days of hats.

Cycle September 30

Cycle September 30, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

On the last day of the month, there were trucks on nearly every street being loaded up for a move. This pink metallic flake lowrider was about to go into a truck in
Wicker Park. Also on the last day of the month, I finished the cycling theme. October 1 will see the introduction of something brand new to be seen daily.

Cycle September 29

Cycle September 29, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

As cycling September was winding down with a beautiful Indian summer day, I came across this very flowery bike on Milwaukee Avenue.

Cycle September 28

Cycle September 28, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

September 2012 marked the fifteenth anniversary of Chicago Critical Mass. A celebratory ride began at Daley Plaza as it does the last Friday of every month. A party followed, but I bailed out of the ride toward the end to get home to my dog who needs his antibiotics. Plus my butt hurt.

Cycle September 27

Cycle September 27, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

I saw this bike with its horns up after lunch today.

Cycle September 26

Cycle September 26, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

This one is at Milwaukee approaching the intersection with Division Street.  Much of the street has a shared lane, which can feel a bit tight at times.  However, it remains a bike highway of sorts, with very significant bicycle traffic.

Cycle September 25

Cycle September 25, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

A cyclist waits for the light to change at Milwaukee and North Avenues.  I was waiting for the the light at Damen at the same time.  I wasn't wearing cool boots, though.

Cycle September 24

Cycle September 24, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

At lunch I met a couple and their sticker-laden bikes. We chatted a little bit and I took a few photos. They make collages with recycled stickers under the name "Sticker Fusion Project." This apparently began with the bikes and has moved onto wall art. Some of this work is on display at Argo Tea on Armitage Avenue, and coming to a few other Argo locations in Chicago and Evanston.

Cycle September 18

Cycle September 18, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

So here it is: a genuinely chilly day. Somehow this one didn't get posted in its proper place.

Cycle September 23

Cycle September 23, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

It was such a beautiful day that I had to go out and seek photos rather than catch whatever came my way. Once I got to editing, I actually had four or five final contenders. The light kept this one on top, though. I saw the sunlight coming from behind me, countered by its own very bright reflection (note the shadow coming toward the camera), and waited until a bike showed up. Fortunately, Chicago has enough cyclists, even on a Sunday evening, that I typically can choose a spot and know that a bike will be along soon enough. I'll get some of the contenders up on flickr soon.

Cycle September 22

Cycle September 22, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

While eating at the Rocking Horse in Logan Square, I watched a girl careening down the sidewalk. First she was coming toward the window next to me, then arced toward a parked car trying to get her feet on the ground. No, it wasn't a fixie with no brakes. It was a big, fat cruiser which definitely had brakes. A few minutes later I saw one of her friends (possibly the owner) struggling to lock the bike at a bike rack. Eventually she settled on locking the front wheel to the rack. In that location, it might be fine. Then again, they might get wasted, maybe hang out a few doors down at The Owl until 4 am, and decide to take a cab home. If that happens, I almost guarantee that tomorrow there will be nothing but the wheel locked to the bike rack. Walking down the street, I stopped to photograph these bikes. I noticed when editing the photo that one of these bikes is locked up the same way. Maybe that person is in the 7-11 and got away with it. Then again, maybe tomorrow there will be two lone wheels attached to Logan Square bike racks. People who ride bikes in the city and own locks do know better, don't they?

Cycle September 21

Cycle September 21, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

It was a rainy day, and I was riding my bike, but my camera was tucked away in my bag. So, from my massive stockpile of cycling imagery, I bring you something that just wasn't about to happen on a cool, rainy day. Ice Cream! On wheels!

Cycle September 20

Cycle September 20, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

On my way to get some dinner, I saw this cyclist with his shadow. He stayed right here facing the same direction the whole time I walked down the block. Maybe he was hypnotized by the pretty lights.