OyChicago!

Ahead by a nose

Lindsey Bissett — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:10:04 GMT

My mom always says that she expected a baby with black hair, a big nose, and a wild temper; she likes to say that she got two of the three. As a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Jew, I have tried to find ways to make myself more obviously Jewish on the outside and inside. I tried wearing a Star of David, being a strict observer of Shabbat, and keeping kosher (that one never even made it out of the starting gate; my love for BLTs was simply too powerful).

There’s no place like summer camp

Lindsey Bissett — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:22:03 GMT

There’s an old adage that goes something like this: “you can’t go home again”. Supporting that point is this bit of great wisdom from that noted philosopher Mike Ditka, “the past is for cowards and losers”. Granted, this came from the same man who once shouted his way through “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” at Wrigley, traded about 52 draft picks for Ricky Williams, and thought stumping for poor Sarah Palin was a good use of his time. (It wasn’t.)

8 Questions for Elesabeth Bacherta, women’s professional football player, fitness instructor, comedy lover

Lindsey Bissett — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:03:44 GMT

Elisabeth Bacherta’s nickname is “Bruce,” after Bruce Lee. Like her namesake, she hits fast and hard… and leaves no one standing. But her sport is not a martial art, it’s football. That’s right: Women’s. Professional. Tackle. Football. Elisabeth is both Offense & Defense Lineman for Chicago’s team, The Force and recently celebrated her first anniversary with the team.

Apathy and Political Ploys

Lindsey Bissett — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:46:47 GMT

I was minding my own business in the courtyard on the corner of Monroe and Wells, trying to enjoy my Mexicali salad and a little sunshine, when I was interrupted. Not by the usual culprits like a colleague, a pigeon, or some guy selling Streetwise. I was interrupted by a voice inside my own head. It happened to be speaking in a booming baritone and didn’t give two shits about serenity or spring greens.

Creating New Ritual

Lindsey Bissett — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:49:34 GMT

As Jews of the modern age, we have the ability to create for ourselves traditions which speak to us personally and fit the times we live in. I see this more and more these days, especially as a cantor. Even some rituals which now seem commonplace were once new and unexplored—like bat mitzvahs and baby naming and the addition of an orange to the Seder plate!

WYLD Party in the Park

Lindsey Bissett — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:57:33 GMT

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Dr. Thursday, August 20 at 7 30 p.m. Enjoy a fun summer night under the stars with friends for YLD’s Annual “WYLD” Campaign event. The cost to attend is

Wedding crashers

Lindsey Bissett — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:38:06 GMT

We tried. We really tried to get away. But even at the southernmost tip of the Dominican Republic we ran into people who know someone who knows someone who probably knows us.

A tribute to the klutzes of the world

Lindsey Bissett — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:45:40 GMT

You know that feeling you get when you know you’re about to trip, but if you’re lucky, you can still “catch” yourself in time to save yourself from embarrassment and pain? I thought I had “caught” myself yesterday morning as I hurried down Southport to catch the brown line for work. So. didn’t. catch. self. What broke my fall instead, was my mouth and big nose hitting the cement pavement. OUCH!

My Goodness, My Guinness!

Lindsey Bissett — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:43:43 GMT

I’d never given much thought to what record I’d want to break in order to end up in the Guinness Book of World Records. Until this morning, that is. That’s when I came across this little snippet about a 42-year-old Russian woman who gained a spot on the honor roll of bizarre talents and collections for having the world’s strongest… vagina?!

Exploring Jewish Chicago, one neighborhood at a time

Lindsey Bissett — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:20:31 GMT

Want to know more about Chicago’s Jews before Oy? Here’s a history lesson of the past 150 years: Irving Cutler, a professor emeritus at Chicago State University has published an updated edition of his "The Jews of Chicago: From Shtetl to Suburb.”

Oy!Chicago wins big—three awards in its first year!

Lindsey Bissett — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:36:44 GMT

Take a few nice Jewish girls, add in a taste for blogging, 25- plus friends with talents and connections and a missing link in Chicago’s young Jewish media scene. Mix it together, add a dash of persistence and a helping from the Jewish United Fund and you get Oy!Chicago! Three awards later, Oy!Chicago has been a recipe for success.

You may now refer to me as Reverend Lindsey Bissett

Lindsey Bissett — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:59:07 GMT

I have a very good friend whose name is also Lindsey and she also happens to have blonde hair. Two Blonde Lindseys, you could say. We like to do most things together. We have mourned the decaffeination of Sparks together, planned parties together, stayed out way past our bed times drinking way too many PBRs together, and most recently we became ordained ministers together. Two blonde Reverend Lindseys.

Reach out for a big Jewish hug

. OyChicago — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:42:23 GMT

As the saying goes: “It’s a small Jewish world.” I say, “Use it.” I was on the phone with a friend the other day, recapping a funny Saturday night we’d had at a party. The hosts were from Deerfield and she and I are from Highland Park. We knew the hosts and a few of their friends. After playing some serious, Jewish geography that evening, it wasn’t long until about 50 of us discovered we were mishpuchah.

How to be Summer Style Savvy (on a Non-Profit Salary)

Lindsey Bissett — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:52:55 GMT

In the winter I dream of tank tops and exposed toes. I crave short dresses and new bikinis. I long for the warmth of the sun’s rays on my back in my skimpy summer attire, turning my shoulders a delicious shade of golden brown. I anxiously await the day that my pale pink nail polish goes into summer hibernation, to be replaced by a brighter, eye-catching shade of magenta, coral, or bright purple, and I live for the excitement of purchasing the latest summer fashions in vibrant, stimulating hues.

Buying your first place

Lindsey Bissett — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:46:01 GMT

After living with stark white walls, slumlords slow to fix problems but quick to raise the rent, and hauling my groceries up 3 flights of stairs and down a long hallway, only for the bag to break right before I can get my door open, I’m ready for my own place. (Ideally one where doing the laundry doesn’t rely on me having enough quarters.)