so.. yesterday morning stephanie called me up at 5:30 in the AM, awakening me from a prophetic dream.
in my subconscious dreaming mind, i coined a new phrase.. this phrase means, to do something without your pants on. the phrase is: chicago-style
now, to clarify, you can and probably should have underwear on if you’re doing something chicago-style, but pants are definitely off and maybe folded up and hung over the back of a chair.
in my dream, my usage was, “yeah, you should come over tonight. we’re just hanging out chicago-style.” clearly understood. other possible usages: working from home these days, i frequently work chicago-style. in the summertime, i often sleep chicago-style. playing in the ocean, you gotta go chicago-style.
I'm a 30-year-old 
The best part is that at Powells yesterday, Steve was telling me this Story. A girl about our age walked by, and overhearing the punch-line "Chicago-Style!" turned around and LOOKED at us. I wasn’t sure if she was angry or amused, but then she asked Steve if he minded if she used that phrase. We told a few other people, and they all agreed it was a great phrase that should be used. Every person we told walked away from us mumbling "chicago style" to themselves and laughing.As we walked out, I remarked to Steve that was would be great is if this phrase not only entered common usage, but it got used so much that it comes to have a less literal association, of having a relaxed attitude. "Yeah my new job is really Chicago-Style," or "She needs to hang out Chicago-Style!"
February 20th, 2002 at 12:10 pm
That is way cool! I promise to use “chicago-style” whenever and wherever appropriate.I’d like to think that I was behind some words that have entered colloquial speech but I don’t have any proof. However, since we have a date on this one and its backed up electronically, lets see if it stands the test of time.
February 20th, 2002 at 12:15 pm
You can’t help but smile as you think about “Chicago Style.” It’s so catchy, I’m surprised it hasn’t leapt into existence before this. I shall be using this one daily.
February 20th, 2002 at 2:30 pm
It has the benefit that it comes from the same wellspring as “Beetles with an ‘a’” . . . the subconscious.Look where it got John Lennon.
February 20th, 2002 at 7:18 pm
By which I refer to the fabulous wealth and notoriety, not the whole dead thing.
February 20th, 2002 at 7:19 pm
Perhaps Fojar can become a “Chicago-style” server instead of a “pants optional” server.
February 21st, 2002 at 1:05 am
papa murphy’s pizza chain offers a pizza called their ‘chicago style’ which is a big calzone style pie, essentially a pizza with a pizza on top.I believe the division is, at it’s simplest, New York pizza is thin crust and Chicago pizza is thick crust.so, if you’re hanging out ‘chicago style’ and you have skinny legs, you are in fact, hanging out ‘new york style’.I won’t even get into the humor of no pants/hangin’ out…
February 21st, 2002 at 1:20 am
Good thing, I almost dropped “Chicago-Style” from my vocab right then and there.
February 21st, 2002 at 9:39 am