« July 2009 | Main | October 2009 »

August 31, 2009

Away we go

Hey everyone. As usual, sorry for my lack of updates. Who knew working could be such a drain on blogging time? Life has been hectic, but I signed up for this, so I can't whine *too* much.

Today I'm in Detroit. It's quite the absurd situation: I dragged myself out of bed at 4:45 and hustled to Midway for a 7 am flight. As I stepped off the plane in Detroit, my phone rang. It was the lady I flew to Detroit to see - she wasn't coming to the hearing.

What could I do? Apart from turning around and getting on the next flight to Chicago, I had nothing else to do today. Instead, I have decided to wait it out until my flight at 3:30. Just sitting in the airport. I feel like one of those people who gets stranded in an airport, like that guy in Paris or Tom Hanks in The Terminal. Hopefully not as long, though.

Posted at 10:35 AM | Comments (1)

August 18, 2009

No K's allowed

This will probably seem petty of me, but it drives me nuts when people spell words that normally begin with a "C" with a "K". I'm talking about the Kars 4 Kids people, the KOA Kampground people, and the Ku Klux Klan people. Yes, whenever I see something like that, all I think about is the KKK. Spelling C words with a K, to me, is inexorably linked with our favorite white supremacists. Much like you can't name a kid Adolf, you can't spell a C-word with a K.

By the way, what's up with this KOA Kampground? Wi-Fi? We used to go camping (or is it Kamping?) back in the 80's. We didn't have wi-fi, or even kitchenettes. We had a damn tent. Yes, I know they hadn't invented wi-fi in the 80's, but it's a campground - you aren't supposed to have wi-fi! I wonder if you can get a cell phone signal out there, too? Pansies.

Posted at 02:51 PM | Comments (0)

August 05, 2009

Crime wave

If you live in Chicago, you've probably been bombarded with stories about the recent spate of violent muggings in Lincoln Park. I ought to be especially concerned, because one of these muggings took place around the corner from my house.

I'll admit, it does make me more vigilant. At the same time, I live in the third-most crowded city in America, with a ridiculous murder rate and an overwhelmed police force. I like to think I'm vigilant anyway.

As I was heading to the airport today at 5 am, bound for Pittsburgh, I noticed a fleet of TV news cameras at the Clark & Fullerton intersection, doing live broadcasts. At 5 in the morning!

Then, tonight, I went running. I tried to be extra noisy, so as not to surprise anyone as I ran past. Sadly, I zinged one lady who wasn't paying attention, and she screamed as loud as one could scream.

After I was done running, I walked home, and who did I see? The Guardian Angels, rolling around Lincoln Park on their bicycles. I don't know if I should be concerned about this... Part of me is bemused at all this, and part of me thinks it's just part of living in the city. I mean, is this the second coming of the Son of Sam? I wouldn't be surprised if one or two muggings occur, and then the perpetrators slink away, never to be seen again. But I sure would love it if they catch these clowns, until the next batch comes along.

Posted at 09:18 PM | Comments (0)

August 03, 2009

Hey Buddy

Today I'm in Lubbock, Texas. Its most famous resident has to be Buddy Holly, who grew up in Lubbock but found fame as one of the first rock-n-rollers.

Anyway, Lubbock pretty much fits exactly what I thought West Texas to be. A lonely, vast place. Lubbock supposedly has 200,000 people in it, but I don't know where they were - certainly not downtown. I drove around town, and in the countryside for a bit, and it certainly fit that Texas stereotype of wide open spaces, dotted with oil derricks and horses. I spent a few minutes behind a farm implement on the road, driven by an old man in full cowboy regalia. It was interesting.

Do I want to come back to this particular slice of Texas? Not especially, but I can think of worse places.

As is my habit, I picked up the local newspaper, the Lubbock Avalanche Journal. I'm not sure how it got that name, as I don't know if it ever snows here. I do know that the people I met were flabberghasted that we had the coolest July on record in Chicago, with temperatures barely making 80 degrees. Today, here, it was 98, and tomorrow it will be 101.

But there was a most interesting article in the newspaper today, and it is well worth reading. One person in particular did find the high plains of Texas (elevation 3512 feet) enchanting - enchanting enough to move here from Germany. It's funny that I spent 5 hours in Lubbock, and know all these locations. Read on:

When German immigrants Fritz and Margie Jakobsmeier reached New York Harbor with their two small daughters on New Year's Eve 1952, they already knew they were headed to the Llano Estacado.

"The western stories about the Llano Estacado ... every kid in Germany grew up with those stories," Fritz said of their plan to settle in this area of Texas.

Margie remembers when she was growing up in Germany in the years just prior to World War II, all her friends were enthralled by everything American, even the English language. They kept that attraction after Adolph Hitler seized dictatorial powers over Germany.

"When I was a very young girl - all of us - we were crazy about American movies and jazz music. I had lots of records - Louis Armstrong and other records - which were not allowed under Hitler. So, finally I rented a box in the bank and put my records in there so they wouldn't be destroyed," she said.

If they needed one more reason to move to this area, it was because of the promising landscape that Fritz had seen in a school atlas. There were two little black lines converging at Lubbock, and he surmised they were rivers.

Posted at 05:16 PM | Comments (0)