The Numark iDJ2 is the only iPod mixing console that provides full control of your music with real–time scratching (via two jog wheels), a stunning color screen and Numark's exclusive crate management. Keylock insures that DJs can easily change tempo without affecting pitch. The iDJ2 features a fresh and innovative new iPodd ocking system that allows users to play and mix two songs simultaneously from a single iPod without the need of a computer. Userscan also hook up multiple mass storage devices including additional iPods, thumb drives, and external USB hard drives through rear panel USB ports. In addition to USB connectivity, the iDJ2 comes complete with line inputs for audio sources including a microphone, CD players and turntables.

Lyrics (from lyricsmania.com):

Please excuse me but I got to ask
Are you only being nice
Because you want something
My fairy tale arrow pierces
Be careful how you respond
'Cause you'd not end up in this song
I never gave you an encouragement
And it's doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in

The more you try to erase me
The more, the more
The more that I appear
Oh the more, the more
The more you try the eraser
The more, the more
The more that you appear

You know the answer so why do you ask
I am only being nice
Because I want someone, something
You're like a kitten with a ball of yarn
And it's doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in

The more you try to erase me
The more, the more
The more that I appear
Oh the more, the more
The more I try to erase you
The more, the more
The more that you appear
No, you're wrong, you're wrong
You're wrong, you're wrong
You're wrong, you're wrong
You're wrong

Playn' my own game
Make up my own rules
I'm in my own world
don't care about you weak fools 

I love the Dutch, they are so Good for Party. From an AFP article: 

THE HAGUE (AFP) - A tobacco smoking ban came into force Tuesday in cafes, bars and restaurants throughout the Netherlands, with a uniquely Dutch exemption for marijuana smokers.

While patrons are no longer allowed to light up cigarettes, they can still smoke marijuana in the country's specially licensed "coffee" shops as long as their joints contain no tobacco.

 Read On...

My man and I stopped by the Taste last week, the first day it started. To be honest, I've kind of made it a habit not go to the Taste. Last year I only went once and the year before I didn't go at all. Don't get me wrong; I consider myself to be a serious foodie or more of a gourmand; one who loves food, is not necessarily 'versed' on the world of food but I definitely know what I like, why I like it and possibly how to make it even better. That said, I should love the Taste of Chicago, but I don't and here's why:

1.) It provides an unequivocal excuse for gluttons to bask in over-consumption and mindless eating.

2.) Said gluttons step on your feet, sweat on you while you're waiting in line and generally make the idea of food completely unappetizing- which I completely resent.

3.) The Taste of Chicago used to be a taste of what Chicago does best: Mellow Yellow's chili (no longer participates); Chicago style dogs, done in unique new ways; Pizzeria Uno's famous deep dish pizza; etc; Now it seems, the Taste is simply an amalgamation of carnival/amusement park food: elephant ears and funnel cakes galore, Harry Caray's famous (for some unknown reason) butterfly chips which, I might add, is WAY TOO large a portion!; and like 6 different kinds of cheese fries-- did I mention the turkey leg as big as one of my own?! 

If the Taste wants to get its street cred back-- at least from food appreciators such as myself, it's gonna have to revamp itself. First of all, every portion should be a taste (hello, the name!!)- which would bring the prices down and help those who can't seem to help themselves control their portions! Second, it needs to diversify. How many different kinds of pizza can one have a taste of? Especially if they're all done the same or similarly? Chicago has amazing Italian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Guatemalan, Equadorian, Argetinian, Puerto Rican, African, Jamaican and more restaurants. Why is that only (for the most part) American, Mexican and Italian restaurants are represented? I know establishments have to pay to be represented but, really. Something needs to be done.

Well... I suppose I'm done ranting for now and I'll just move on to what I did try. Being a snob or rather, being discerning really paid off for my man and I because believe it or not, we enjoyed everything we tried (which wasn't that much). The line-up:

1.) Vegetarian Tamales from A Natural Harvest: Absolutely delicious! The masa (corn dough) was perfectly cooked: tender and moist and the vegetarian filling, made of creamy, smoky black beans was fantastic and seasoned professionally. The tamales also came with a surprising spicy black bean salsa- a flawless accoutrement to an already perfect tamale.

2.) Amchar spiced fries with tamarind chutney and tandoori chicken from Vermillion. Well I want to say this was delicious too becuase it sounded so promising. It was just alright though. It would have been better if the food was seasoned properly- it seriously lack salt. After begging a few vendors for some salt, we were slightly vindicated  and found that the flavors were actually pretty good. The fries were much better with the salt and indian spice, the more prevalent one being amchar which is dried, ground mango seed; it lends a kind of lemony, spicy taste. The tandoori chicken, while perfectly cooked in what we imagined to be a tandoor oven, simply lacked flavor. The salt helped a little but chicken needs to cook in its spices/flavors/marinades in order for it to really absorb tastiness- it cannot just be topped with flavorings.

3.) Turkey Sausage PIzza from Reggio's. This pizza lacked no salt at all! In fact, to anyone else, it might have been way too salty. Maybe it was the previously underseasoned food or maybe my guy and I love salt but we loved it! The turkey sausage is like a non pork or beef eaters dream! Moist, well-seasoned with fennel, black pepper and something slightly sweet like maybe a little maple, all on top of Reggio's famous butter, corn bread crust- yum! We added italian herbs and crushed red pepper (which cut through the salt a little) and were in heaven. We enjoyed it so much that we had Reggio's pizza delivered over the weekend, this time adding mushrooms. While the pizza was still good, it wasn't as good as the slice we shared at the Taste and the delivery time was atrocious! But that's another story...

4.) Dessert from Rainbo Cone and Lagniappe-Creole Cajun Joynt. I had a taste portion of Rainbo Cone's famous rainbo scoop. I love Rainbo Cone's flavor selections- I always have. There's something so unique about the flavor created from the original 5-flavor blend, which includes: chocolate, pistachio, strawberry, Palmer House (a cherry-nut blended ice cream), topped off with orange sherbert. Rainbo Cone's clearly famous for a reason and with their rich, creamy sweet ice creams, a taste portion was more than enough. Though I loved it, I have to admit if I go back to the Taste this year, I'll rather Canady le Chocolatier's gelato- it's as if GOD made it! From Lagniappe's we had what can easily be considered the icing on the cake: beignets! And I've never heard of Lagniappe's but they made us absolutely perfect beignets- I can't even imagine that they make them better in Paris (where they're from)! They were perfectly crispy on the outside and lightly dense on the inside with a sublime coating of powdered sugar. They were by and large the best beignets I've had in this country and they just may be the reason I go back to the Taste.

So be a little snobbish at the Taste this year. Don't feel compelled to try everything or more importantly, to try what you see the masses eating. The masses, I hate to say, don't know any better. But you can. Just put a little thought into what you put in your mouth. 

The theme of last month's Fashion Fetish event was '40s pin-up as voted for by Good for Party's readers and let me just say to all the readers who did vote: you couldn't have picked a better theme! Our stylists (Anna Lee Jackson & Kelly Moriarty of Studio 110) and photographer (Richard Pack, dickyp.com) made it all look so easy; capturing the sultry vixen look so prevalent in the '40s with perfect up-do's, red lips and spotlight lighting. Impromptu vignettes topped the night off as the girls showed off their gams, played the piano and made boys feel like real gentlemen (by letting them buy them a martini or two, of course). For all you fashion savvy and fashion loving ladies and gentlemen; make sure you stayed tuned to the Good for Party Network- it's the only way to know of the truly avant fashion and music events worth going to in this great city- period.

For a more detailed look at the photos from all Fashion Fetish events check out the links below:

More Fashion Fetish!: '40s pin-up (Vixen & Vignettes) 

Fashion Fetish: What's Your M.O.? '80s Glam Rock! (Launch Event) 

It's a good thing most clothing stores and boutiques start merchandising seasons ahead because if they didn't we wouldn't be able to snag deals on items for the current season. So while the stores are stocking up for Fall and Winter '08 (and in some cases, Spring '09)-- stock your closet for now with some of these great deals I found...

Now I know a $100+ item can hardly be considered a deal but when it's Diane von Furstenburg and it's her hottest cocktail dress this season and the original price was just under $500- it's definitely a deal. Wear her Snakeskin-Print Dress to your next party, networking event or night out; whatever results you're seeking, this dress can guarantee a return.

Great fashion is easy if you follow this 'prints'able rule of thumb (hey, it's not easy being clever!). And most fashionistas generally know that if they pair a classy, simple, great printed top with anything and accessorize it- they've got a look. Lucky for us ladies, those basic staples are usually cheap and easy to find. Take Free People's '2 X 2 Sundial' Racerback Tank, at its reduced price of $29 (org. $50), it's easy to make this tank a new piece to your wardrobe you'll want in all colors.

Thin mints, skinny jeans... ladies are obssessed with being thin and thin things these days. Not that that's necessarily a great thing but when it comes to fashion (not our bodies), I rather like the trend- and I definitely love thin mints. In keeping with the trend, thin & skinny belts have come back frorm the '60s & '70s and have made their way back to the high waists of fashionable woman everywhere. Those more fashion savvy individuals, shun playing it safe and go for the skinny belts in colors like bright blue, fuschia and blinding white. And if you really want to up the ante of your fashion quota, try them in material like patent leather; Cynthia Rowley's got the idea with her patent leather belt, priced now at $27 (org. $46). 

And what's a look without the bling these days? Dress the part without breaking the bank: Nordstrom's Three Strand Small Circle Link Necklace will make you do a double take- at the price. $83, down from $168.

Taste of Chicago opens today, and I'm going to say what everybody already knows: Taste is pretty gross. I live downtown, just a few blocks from Grant Park, so I go every year. While I enjoy the concept of a festival completely based upon unapologetic gluttony, there is a disturbing lack of hygiene throughout the festival. To think of all that food in the heat and humidity, all the dirty hands and bugs and trash....yuck.

That being said, I love Taste of Chicago. I don't go for the food, but the music. Every year, the festival showcases legendary artists playing completely free shows for the whole city to enjoy.

This year. Chaka Khan is playing today at 5:30 at Taste's main stage, the Petrillo Music Shell. Stevie Wonder is playing tomorrow, same time, same place. Awesome. 

While there is no current curriculum vitae (a fancy word for resume) for Ms. Crystal Ashley, rest assured; she is working on one. And in it, you will find that she is a Chicago born and raised native to whom art came naturally at a very young age. If inherent talent isn't enough of a qualifier for all you art snobs, aficionados and the like- she is indeed a classically trained artist who first attended the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York for one semester before finishing and receiving her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).

While she left the SAIC slightly jaded and resentful of what 'learning art can do to one's creative process'- you'd never know it. Her work is playful and scattered; and evidence that she is one of the more talented contemperary artists of our time lies in the fact that she is completely technically skilled but does not and will not ever take herself too seriously.

More endearing is the approachability of Crystal's work. Her work allows you to interpret art for art's sake. She presents what it means to her and allows you your own assumptions. 'How can what someone sees and the way they see it be incorrect- no matter what I intended the viewer to see?," she muses.

Check out her artist statement and contact info in the follow-up to this blog but in the mean time, enjoy the art above. 

1st piece: "agent of Banalities and Cool Hair. " (2006) / 2nd piece: "Down the Hatch" (2005) / 3rd piece:"Untitled (black scully doppelganger portrait)." (2005) / 4th piece: "Down the Hatch (negative photo treatment)" (photo treated 2008).