Another Beautiful Day on the Island

Always beautiful.

I'm surprised it hasn't exploded yet.

It's been outside since the beginning of November.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

If living in Chicago is crazy...

...then it's a mass delusion.

A day at the beach

One out of two knees agree

I should not have biked in to work this morning.

Top 10 Sci-fi Movies...as rated by me.

And now, because my wife challenged me to it, my top 10 sci-fi movies (in no particular orders)...

Star Wars (A New Hope)
The Matrix
Back to the Future
Tron
Terminator 2
Star Trek 2 The Wrath of Khan
ET
The Last Starfighter
Predator
Superman

There were some obvious choices that would probably be on the list, had I ever seen them. This list includes The Day the Earth Stood Still, Alien, etc.

Chicago Weather

Say what you will about Chicago in the winter. It's cold, windy, snow-filled and did I mention cold? The one thing it's not though, is a dark dreary affair.

Properly equipped, it's almost enjoyable. It's a half mile walk to the L stop and Clare and I chose to walk the whole way...in -2 deg weather...and -15 degree windchill. All because we are properly equipped.

People often complain about the winters here, and rightfully so. It can be deathly cold here, and that does limit what we can do outdoors. That being said, it does clear out the tourists and the bars aren't nearly as overrun with riff raff, so we have that going for us. Additionally the entire city looks like a North Face ad. (Not sure if that's a plus or minus though)

All in all, I'll take winters here over anywhere else. Really, if you don't pay your dues with a winter you'll never really appreciate the summer.

Why Christmas gifts came early this year

People I hate

What is it about being on the train that brings out the worst in humanity? Take for instance the chain caller. Like their smoking brethren, they string their calls into a seemingly never ending chain of annoyance.

They come in a wide variety. There are the social directors, those lucky few that seem to be coordinating events more complicated than the Normandy landing (incidentally this type of chain caller inspired today's entry). Is a night out at Chili's really that important that the rest of the train needs to hear about it? If there is a benefit to this type of caller it's that you can be sure to be where they are not.

Other types are the relationship therapists, the playboys and the workaholics. Whike the motivation for their calling is different, the end result is always the same. Please, do us all a favor and learn to use text messaging.

The new new hotness

Can I just say that I love my new crackberry? I'm writing this on the train as I go to work.

Speaking of work, our authentication system is giving me fits again. Last time this happened it took three days to sort out. I'm hoping they don't take too long with this one, but something tells me that won't be the case.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

IMG00002.jpg

This is my view at work. Not bad, but I'd rather be at home.

Movie Time!

I've loved going to the movies since I was a kid. I can still remember going to the movies with my dad to watch whatever the latest action movie was. We'd stop off and get a couple of personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut and then head over to the theater. Obviously this is way back when they only sold popcorn, candy and pop at the theater, but I digress.

Movies back then were fun and exciting, mostly because I was a nine year old and I liked watching things blow up. Well, I'm twenty nine now and nothing has changed. When it comes to movies I have a short list of criteria that will get me in the theater.

1. There better be a fight scene, explosion or car chase every 20 minutes
2. The hero better be likeable, and by likeable I mean he better be a kick ass fighter, have some kind of awesome weapon, or be a general bad ass.
3. The villain should be just as bad assed as the hero, and possibly more charismatic.
   
4. The hero better get the girl at the end, and that girl better be hot.
5. The story line should be so outlandish that you have no choice but to check your disbelief at the door and enjoy the ride.
   

With that being said, there are a few movies out there that are already making me wish Summer was here. In no particular order, here are the movies I'm going to drag Clare to this Summer.

Iron Man



Indiana Jones



Get Smart



Wanted



The Dark Knight

I swear it wasn't me

Garrett and I were talking the other day about things that bother us at work. He was telling me that he hates it when, as he's washing his hands, another guy comes in, takes a stall and starts cluster bombing the place. Meanwhile, he's hurriedly washing and drying your hands, trying to get out of there before the bombing raid starts. Inevitably he doesn't make it and is caught in the carnage.

While admittedly annoying, I wouldn't go so far as saying that it's something I hate. At least you're given a fighting chance of getting out of the war zone before the artillery starts to fall. What bothers me more is when you're not even given that chance.

Case in point, last week I went to the men's room to wash my hands after spilling some of my soft drink on them. As soon as I walked in I was assaulted by the fragrance of "eau de fat-guy-from-the-floor-below-us-that-uses-our-bathroom." Well, I figure that I'm already there and I can't unsmell what I just smelled, so I may as well go about my business and finish washing my hands.

Well, half way through my hand washing a couple of guys from another department walk into the same smell I did but then shoot me a look of "Good Lord, what dead animal did you just expel from your body?"

I couldn't say a word. Really, what are you supposed to do? Anything you say is just going to shine a spotlight on your guilt. So I didn't say anything and now there are people out there that think I poop sewer rats covered in week old stewed cabbage, and there's nothing I can do about it.

The Story

I haven't written in a while, but hopefully this will tide people over until I have more time.



Now with more photo goodness.

7 Across - Goes with Holy or Ohio (6 letters)

Ordinarily I don't go in for a lot of PBS or documentaries, but when your girlfriend doesn't have cable you make due with what you have. Case in point, last week Clare and I were hanging out and came across Wordplay on channel 11 (PBS in Chicago). Surprisingly, I had heard of this particular documentary.

Wordplay is about the culture surrounding crossword puzzles, the New York Times version in particular. They talk to Will Shortz, the editor of the NYTimes crossword, as well as creators, and solvers. Everything culminates in the yearly competition in Stamford, which seriously competes with Trekkie conventions on the nerdiness scale. Anyway, it's a good movie and I definitely recommend checking it out.

The surprising thing about the movie though, is that it rekindled my interest in crosswords. Luckily enough we get the New York Times at work, so I have access to the mother of all puzzles. There's something cathartic about folding up the paper and filling in the blanks. You also get this strange sense of satisfaction or pride by filling it out in pen as well. It's proven to be a great respite from the workday, especially since things are only going to get busier till the end of the year.

So now, Clare and I go through the crosswords. I'll e-mail her the NYTimes version or bring it with me from work. It's a good time, or at least as good a time as one can have without cable.

Welcome Surprises

There are few surprises that I enjoy more than getting Jimmy John’s sub and discovering that the bread was warm and just out of the oven. I already consider Jimmy John’s as my number one sub (an honor it just barely won over Potbelly’s*), but to add warm crusty bread to the equation just blows the competition out of the water.

We tried figure out the best time to get warm bread at Jimmy John’s in college, but never really got there. Unless we went there right as it opened, we almost never get the warm loaves and that was impossible because of class. (What? I went to class. Seriously, I did.)

Anyway, I was fortunate enough to get a warm french loaf today. Add that to the beautiful weather and my boss being out sick today, and you’ve got the makings of a perfect work day.

So here’s to you Jimmy John’s! If only I could decipher your warm, doughy mysteries, everyday would be as good as today.

* Now, for the ultimate sandwich one would need to combine the bread from Jimmy John’s, the recipe for a Wreck from Potbelly’s using Jimmy John’s meat, and a splash of Sbarro’s marinara sauce. Add curly fries from Arby’s and a vanilla coke from Steak ‘N Shake and you have the perfect storm of fast food meals.

New York Photos

New York Photo Albums
Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Hotel

How not to be a middle aged woman from Phoenix

On our way into the city from Laguardia, we shared a Town Car with two ladies from Phoenix. They were very nice, and friendly. We talked about how it was my first time to New York and how they had been before. After we got dropped off at our hotel, I turned to Clare and said that I didn’t want to be anything like them during our trip to New York, and I’m not talking about the coordinating pastel Capri outfits that they were wearing, the gold jewelry they were sporting, or the fact that they looked like they would pass out after walking four blocks to get to the Sbarro’s on Times Square. (Sure, there’s probably a Sbarro’s a block away from their hotel, but this one is Mama Sbarro’s, so it has to be better.)

No, it was more about not wanting to be a tourist, or rather a bad tourist. You’ve seen them, the standing in the middle of the street, pointing in two different directions, holding a map and completely blocking the sidewalk for all the people trying to go about their daily routine. The people that get sucked into going on the observation deck tour, when they could have just as easily gone to the bar a couple of floors down for free (or the price of a drink). Well, I just didn’t want to go out like that and thankfully Clare would never have let me.

So it became our resolve, we want to look like we were from there, that we belonged. And it wasn’t solely due to the Phoenicians. When we thought about it, with the increased nationalization and globalization of restaurant and store chains, it’s becoming harder and harder to find the true character of city. When every block has a Starbucks, McDonald’s, a Chase and a Bank of America, how do you even know you’re in a different city?

To find out we, skipped most of the obvious things, i.e. tours, department store shopping areas, and to my relief I was able to glimpse, if even for a second, a truer version of New York than the manufactured, plastic wrapped version that so many tourists get.

So what did I gain from that glimpse? Well, I know why Clare loved it so much and why she compared everything her first few months in Chicago to New York. While it will never be my favorite city, a spot reserved for the Chi, I have new found respect for NYC. I can totally see myself living there, but only for a short time. I’m glad I went, and also glad we didn’t end up like those ladies from Phoenix, if only because I look horrible in pastels.

A Chicagoan’s Guide to a Weekend in New York

Now, for those that may be planning trips to New York, here is what I've learned in my first trip.

What you absolutely need:

• Comfortable shoes. The average Manhattanite walks five miles a day. If you can’t hack it, you’re going to spend a ton in cab fares.


• A good city map that shows the subway lines. Clare lived in New York for almost a year and she still needed to refer to a map. I don’t know how many maps I saw, but it seemed like everyone had one, even the locals. It‘s not that the system is that complicated, it‘s just that there are so many different lines and so many streets you’ll need it to keep it straight.
  
• The latest Zagat’s. I was never a big proponent of Zagat’s, mostly because it was a print publication and the way restaurants opened and closed, it didn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense when the internet was right there. Here’s the thing, New York doesn’t have a Metromix.com, so this becomes the defacto way to find restaurants in the city. Man, do they do a good job. Any type of category you could think up, from best view to hottest servers, is in there.


• A hotel on the island. Do not stay in any of the other boroughs or, heaven help you, New Jersey. You’re going to be walking around enough, doing enough, buying enough, that you’re going to want a home base close to everything. This is not up for discussion.

Other things that were nice to have:

• Hotel with internet access.
  
• Travel companion who’s lived there.
  
• Latest Time Out: New York

What’s going to get you

Size: Imagine if you took the Loop, Lincoln Park, the Gold Coast, Wrigleyville and Bucktown, threw them into a box, shook it up and let the pieces fall. Now double the number of buildings and any building under eight stories, double its height. You are now approximating Manhattan.
Garbage: They have no alleys, no dumpsters and no weekend service. All the garbage goes on the sidewalk after the store or restaurant closes. Walk around Korea town and you will experience what I can only imagine the trash compactor in Star Wars smelled like. It's no wonder the city is as dirty as it and they have as many rats as they do.

Central Park: Huge. This is the first word that comes to mind when thinking of Central Park. Luckily we had very good weather while we were out there and were able to walk about half the length of the park (it starts at 59th St. and goes to 110th, I think we made it to 80th). The juxtaposition of the office buildings to sprawling park was shocking. What really struck me was the fact that the way the trees, rolling hills, boulders, and paths were laid out made it seem as though the park had always been there and the city just grew up around it.

Clare Contemplating Pizza

Mmmmm...pizza.