My friend Eric recently had Lasik in Denver done.  He is in a band out there called Kinetix, and he thought that it was about time he stopped taking the stage wearing his glasses.  In high school he used to wear contacts, but after having some eye problems, his eye doctor told him that he could no longer wear contacts.  Some of the time he will take the stage without his glasses on, but he really does need them to be able to see.  They are really an up and coming band, and I had been telling him for a while that they need an image overhaul before they can make it big.  He finally relented, and decided it was time to ditch the glasses look.  I have not seen him since he had the surgery, but he sounds really pleased with the results.  They are coming back out to the Midwest in a couple of weeks, and I am really excited to see him.  We grew up three houses apart from each other, and it stinks sometimes not being able to see him that often.  They usually base their Midwest tours out of Chicago, so there will be a few weeks that we get a chance to hang out.   

I had an interesting experience last week. I work for a Chicago Laser Hair Removal company, and we specialize in facial hair removal. Perhaps this is why I was so confused when a lady came in and asked us to remove her arm hair. I found this strange, and I was quite taken aback. When my co-workers and I asked her why she requested such a strange laser treatment, she replied “I look like a gorilla”. She said this both calmly and strangely happily. At first we weren’t very eager about it, but after a while we agreed to begin the laser treatment as soon as possible. She was very excited, and couldn’t stop babbling about what she was going to look like. I thought she was going to look funny, but as a young doctor in need of any extra cash that may come in, I kept my mouth shut. When it was time for the appointment, she came in and we laid her down and began to work. I noticed she looked funny as soon as we started, but I couldn’t just stop in middle. So we finished and let her see the results. She wasn’t as happy as we thought she might be. I know it wasn’t very professional of me, but the second I saw the expression on her face I burst out laughing. She reacted terribly. She threw the money on the counter and ran out while I was still laughing. Oh well.

My friend Jason e-mailed me today, and told me he was working on getting event tickets for the upcoming ‘Dare to Dream’ benefit concert. The concert will feature Common.  Jason is the editor of a magazine that I sometimes write for, so I was hoping he would be able to hook up a press pass and possibly an interview with Common.  Common has long been one of my favorite hip-hop artists around.  He always has something to say in his songs, and the musicality of his beats goes unmatched by most.  Plus he’s from Chicago.  I also really like the House of Blues, where the benefit concert is being held.  It truly is a great place to see a concert.  Excellent sound system, good acoustics, and the floor has a little give, so it doesn’t kill your knees and back after a full night of dancing.  I have seen many a great concert there, but my favorite story from there comes from my parents.  They had gone to see Tom Jones with some friends, and took the train down.  After the show, the next train wasn’t for an hour, so they decided to go bowling at the hotel next door.  I laughed pretty hard when my mom described the bowling scene to me.

If you want to know the benefits of home security you should ask NBA stars Antoine Walker of the Minnesota Timber Wolves or Eddie Curry of the New York Knicks.  Both athletes were the victims of home invasion and burglary this past summer in Chicago.  Walker was held at gunpoint in his home while a vehicle, money and jewelry were taken.  Just weeks later Curry was also robbed.  Even worse, Curry while being held at gunpoint with his family and an employee, was restrained with duct tape.  The robbers stole jewelry and cash from Curry’s home.  These situations really sparked debates on celebrities, and the risks involved with being one.  Some players stated that they had considered hiring bodyguards, and many said that they had either purchased home security systems or at least started to use the ones that they already had regularly.  There is no need for a person to have to live their life in fear of being robbed at gunpoint, or even worse.  There is a problem when a player feels the need to have to have protection on their person at all times, often in the form of a firearm.  Especially when players often get in trouble for having guns.