After the fun in the suburbs was had, we were jonesing to get back to the city, we so said goodbye to Lauren and Mike and met up with VLR/Blerds boys CJ Sullivan and Pat Brice, along with Sports Action Teamer Emily Dorezas and Chicago comedy heavyhitter Brady Novak, for some drinks and nonsense at Raw Bar in Wrigleyville, former home of the Sunday Night Blitz. As per usual, the night went on way too late and the Bastion left in the early morning hours, thoroughly sapped but very happy.

Sunday we opted to stay in bed for a good part of the morning, what with the utterly terrible and miserable day outside and the pounding in our head. It just occurred to us that we keep writing "we" and "our". That's funny. Anyway. We bothered our good friend Miss Angel to force us to get out of the apartment and find food, which led us to the fabled Latitude, where 5DM has spent many a weekend. This, in turn, led us to begin workshopping story ideas, getting deep and thick into discussions on comedy and other forms of art, the general psyche of artists, and other topics of the like. It was at about 7:30 p.m. that we once again bothered TJ to point us in the direction of entertainment. He goaded us into visiting Fundajo for the first time, which was an otherworldly experience entirely. Room runner Almando Big opened the show and introduced host Marcus Comb to the scattered audience, breaking up the impromptu dance party we were having in our booths due to the poppin' beats being spun by DJ Trilogy. The host brought up the very white, very Northside comic David Angelo, who handled the room as best as he was capable, but it was true: no energy of this sort is typical for the Northside scene, and it was a bit rough to see a comedian and an audience being openly hostile to each other. Taking cue from a heckle, TJ came storming onto the stage and flattened everyone. He said afterward, "I have forced myself to do these rooms for so long, I know what to expect and what they want and need from me. I don't go in with material, ever. Every show is totally made up from the environment of the room." He got everyone on his side while completely annihilating a previous heckler, who got on board even with all the harassment. It was magical, truth be told.

It was after this set that we had to roll out of there. It was a great experience, and the Bastion will continue to check out the room -- being able to see 'urban' comedy a $5 taxi ride away is an opportunity not to miss.

However, as has been the case for Sundays for a very long time now, 11 p.m. was when the fun was just beginning. We hopped into a taxi (we call these stints 'chasing the comedy') and headed over to i.O. for a set by improv troupe Super Happy Fun Time. It was here we ran into Thomas Middleditch and Nick Vatterott, and new friends Seth Weitberg, Joe Canale, and Allison Bills. A reliable troupe with a rotating cast of solid players, a great little room, a free raffle (we won five passes for any i.O. show!), and super cheap beer -- perfect way to end Sunday, especially now that Overstock at Playground has been cancelled (booo).

We'll say it before you do: yeah, we mention TJ a lot. You know he's good. Why do we keep talking about him? a) he is literally every-damn-where lately, and b) he might be leaving sooner than any of us would like, so we're trying to get optimal TJ time in before that happens, as he is not only a local talent but a good friend. So there. But seriously, he IS everywhere. Read for yourself.