Rob's Cosmic Mai Tai Noir

I live in Chicago. I'm gay. I do not like Madonna but I DO like Judy Garland. My favorite film is "True Stories." Adjectives: eclectic, brainy, square, mellow, sensual, intellectual, curious. My boyfriend is andystardust. We've been together since April of 2000.

Is my livejournal flashy? No. But that's because WHAT I WRITE is more important to me than WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. And you'll find I write a LOT about movies. In addition to writing about them here you'll also find my stuff at Chicagoist and occasionally at ReelChicago. Another gig of mine is writing restaurant reviews for the Chicago Reader.

So, what am I looking for here? I've got my eyes peeled. I'm open to suggestion. Writers to share work? Cool people to help share my free time? None of the above? Propose something. Don't be afraid.



amuse yourself at http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Village/7522/quirky.html & http://www.randomcha.net

BRIEF CHRONOLOGY

1975: born on August 22nd at St. Rose Memorial Hospital, Denver
1977: my parents divorce; my mother remarries
1978: we move to Albuquerque
1979: my brother is born
1983: we move to Arvada, Colorado
1984: transfer into a pilot program for gifted & talented children called CHIPS at Sierra Elementary School
1987: diagnosed with a brain tumor, which is successfully removed in a 12-hour operation at Children’s Hospital, Denver; start 7th grade at Drake Junior High
1988: write/direct first video narrative, “The Man Who Knew Too Much”
1989: write/direct first feature-length video, “Desperation”
1990: start 9th grade at Arvada West High
1991: appear onstage in “Ah! Wilderness,” Eugene O’Neill’s worst play
1992: lose virginity; write/direct video adaptation of “The Bald Soprano,” by Eugene Ionesco
1993: graduate valedictorian without a scholarship; start at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
1994: move into my first apartment, with roommate Dylan Lorenz; transfer to Columbia College, Chicago
1995: begin coming out to friends and family; begin shooting 16mm feature “Pause of the Clock,” which remains unfinished; perform lead role in experimental feature “Narrow,” directed by Tchavdar Gueorgiev
1996: write travel-memoir “Scenery”
1997: graduate without a major from Columbia College; spend 6 weeks living in London
1998: begin working as a barista at Intelligentsia Coffee
1999: move to Los Angeles to edit the documentary “Kosher Messiah” only to realize I hate L.A.; move back to Chicago six months later
2000: meet Andy in a gay.com chatroom; we both break up with our current boyfriends to be together; start blogging on livejournal
2001: on 9/11 we see Laurie Anderson in concert at Park West
2002: Andy and I move in together; I quit Intelligentsia and flounder for several months before finding work at a non-profit
2003: my book “100 Spinning Plates” is published, article about it appears in the Chicago Reader
2004: buy Andy an iPod for Xmas
2005: buy myself an iPod; sell 100SP at Renegade Craft Fair
2006: read in Portland, Oregon in support of 100SP; finish draft of new novel, “Tiny Apocalypse”; begin contributing DVD reviews to brianbacklash and film/TV posts to Chicagoist
2007: writing, watching movies, perfecting my mixology skills; visit London; cover the Chicago International Film Festival for Chicagoist; sell out 1st edition of "100 Spinning Plates"
2008: interview Bob Balaban, Barry Gifford for Chicagoist; quit non-profit job for a position at the ALA; visit NYC; begin contributing to CINE-FILE
2009: continue various film writing; interview Nathan Rabin, Wallace Shawn; dining guide to Chicago appears in American Libraries; get a guided tour of Chicago from Barry Gifford; begin working at ALA Editions; see Grace Jones at the Hollywood Bowl and Leonard Cohen in Chicago; tour North Shore distillery