Day on

I had yesterday off but decided to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. As the proponents of the Day of Service like to say, it's not a day off but a day on (I know, it's kind of cheesy). The program I participated in was sponsored by a state senator and carried out through the offices of two Chicago aldermen. It was a good way to connect volunteers with projects, which isn't always easy. I wish things had been a little more organized in advance in terms of transportation and knowing the time commitments involved in each project and if/when other volunteers would be arriving. Hopefully it all worked out for the organizations and volunteers.

I took two assignments: picking up garbage at a high school near my home, and doing some office work for the Ravenswood ArtWalk. Since I was closer to RAW, I went there first, thinking I'd put in a few hours there, then end the day in my own neighborhood. Unfortunately, I never made it to the school. There was plenty to do at RAW and no one else volunteered there, so I felt like my time was better spent by getting as much as possible done there. RAW is a really cool event held in the Ravenswood Corridor, an industrial area in my neighborhood. Nestled among the odd little businesses that run along the railroad tracks on Ravenswood Avenue are a lot of art studios and galleries. The RAW venues include not only these creative spaces, but also local businesses that offer their spaces to artists for the weekend.

The main project I worked on was organizing materials from last year's walk. A lot of random items -- posters, raffle tickets, T-shirts, etc. -- had been put aside immediately after the event and needed to be sorted, inventoried, and filed away. I made a fairly large dent in the organization project by sorting a lot of the materials and inventorying the signage. I also worked on tracking down missing venue signs and updating the email contact list. It was all fairly simple work, but tasks that are time-consuming -- perfect for a volunteer.


It was a fun day, and I felt like I was able to get a good amount of work done for the organization. But do you know what's even better than leaving with a sense of satisfaction? Leaving with some Rod Blagojevich art! RAW placed a call for Blago-themed art for last year's walk, and a few of the pieces were sitting around the office, uninstalled. I got to select a piece to keep, which I present to you in all its glory here.

I know you are jealous of me.

Mother dearest

I was sitting in traffic on Lawrence Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood when I saw a little girl, probably about ten years old, trip on the sidewalk and tumble into a concrete barrier. It wasn't tall -- maybe two feet -- so it was obvious she wasn't badly hurt, but she might have skinned or sprained her hand trying to catch her balance.

My first thought, as a complete stranger passing by in a car, was along the lines of, "Oh, that poor baby." And the first impulse of the woman with her, who I assume was her mother? Although I couldn't hear the words, I could tell the mother was scolding and berating the little girl, not only by her facial expression, but because she grabbed the girl by the shoulders and started shaking her.

I know that kids can try your patience and that the job of parenting is very difficult at times. Still, I can't comprehend how a parent's first impulse when her child is hurt would be to punish the child rather than to comfort her. Imagine how that little girl felt. Isn't it embarrassing enough to take a tumble on a public sidewalk without being treated like that? I feel helpless in those situations too, because I feel awful for the child but don't feel like I can really do anything about it. It didn't seem like the mother was hurting the girl, just humiliating her -- which to me is just about as bad, but not a "crime."

I love you, but not as much as that Twilight guy

Because of the latest snowpocalypse I decided to take public transit to work today. On the second leg of the trip (a lovely "express" bus to Hyde Park) there was a couple sitting directly across from me engaging in some PDA. They both seemingly worked at the Museum of Science and Industry (because it's a great idea to date people at work), where they got off the bus sporting their work IDs. I noticed the girl had a picture of a guy tucked into the back side of the plastic cover of her ID. It wasn't her boyfriend, though; it was Robert Pattinson.

Bizarro world

On Sunday I ventured out to the beloved Davis Theater to see New Moon with a friend. More about that later, because prior to the movie I saw something really weirdly amusing. There's a realtor who handles a lot of properties in my neighborhood. I won't divulge his name, but I usually refer to him as "Hummer Man" because he drives to his real estate appointments in a big, ugly Hummer. And yes, I do judge people who drive Hummers. Add to it that he sports a brown bomber jacket, and he has "midlife crisis" written all over him.

Well, the first thing I noticed was there was a Prius parked on the corner and the hatch was open. Inside the car were all these Hummer Man real estate signs. "No way," I thought. "No freaking way." Right then, who should be crossing the street and coming toward me but Hummer Man himself! And yes, he got in the Prius and drove away. Now that's quite a reversal, don't you think?

I actually felt sort of giddy about Hummer Man changing his eco-trampling ways. The state of the world has had me feeling down a lot lately. I was cautiously hopeful when Obama was elected, but I feel like he's treading too cautiously, there is so much vitriol and opposition to change, and we are in for a long, hard recovery. So many of my friends have lost jobs or are struggling, and it's a very scary environment. So in a weird and small way, seeing Hummer Man in a Prius made me feel a little better about humanity.

Actually, seeing New Moon made me feel better about humanity, too -- because everyone heckled it! It was so, so bad. I'm glad to see that the teen girls who are its target audience don't take it too seriously (or maybe that's just jaded Chicago teens).

They know us too well

Tourists think Chicagoans are ugly, surly, and dumb.

Yes lady, you may rob me

Stopped in an odd little antiques shop in the 'hood today. Their hours sign actually says something like, "When furniture is on sidewalk, we're open." There was furniture on the sidewalk, so in I went. There was a vase in the window I'd been eyeing for awhile, so I asked how much it was. The owner was looking for a price (and I don't know why, but half the junk in there doesn't have a sticker). I noticed a sticker on the lip and pointed it out. "So, it's $15?" I asked.

She hesitated a minute, then started picking the sticker off and said, "That's how much I paid for it, so obviously it will have to be more." Then she tried to sell it to me for $30. A 100% markup! Is she totally insane? You don't take a price sticker off something then try to double its price. I think I'm done with that lunatic, although she does have some Tiki salt and pepper shakers for $2.50. Well, unless that was the price she paid for them or something.

Uptown woman arrested after punching men (c****!) on Lake View L platform

FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS

An Uptown neighborhood woman was arrested for allegedly punching two men on a North Side L platform Sunday night in the Lake View neighborhood.

Nicole Patrick, 39, of the 1000 block of West Lawrence Avenue, was charged with simple battery, a misdemeanor, according to police.

The incident occurred at 6:50 p.m. at the CTA’s Belmont Red Line L station when Patrick allegedly called two men who were standing together on the platform “c----,’’ according to police.

Police said one of the men “took exception” to the statement and she punched him in the chest and scratched his neck. The other man came to his aid and she allegedly punched him in the nose, giving him a bloody nose, police said.

Both men declined medical treatment. Other citizens intervened and she was held there until police got her into custody.

Officers said she was intoxicated, combative and very aggressive.

It was her first arrest, according to police.

Exuberant dancing

From the Chicago Tribune:

Two people were kicked out of a concert at Ravinia in Highland Park for dancing too exuberantly, police said.

The man and woman were dancing and "intoxicated and bumping into people" during the G. Love & Special Sauce/Michael Franti & Spearhead twin bill Thursday night, police said.

"They were just enjoying the concert a little too much, and they got to the point where they were interfering with others," said Highland Park Police Cmdr. George Pfutzenreuter.

Someone called security on the couple, and they were asked to leave, Pfutzenreuter said. The man complied, but Alexandra Thomas, 32, refused, according to police, who were brought in for reinforcement.

When they tried to escort her out, she "made physical contact" with the officer, who placed her under arrest for trespass and disorderly conduct, police said.

Thomas, of the 900 block of Wade Street in Highland Park, has a Sept. 23 court hearing.

Drive-in Saturday

Last night I finally went to the Cascade Drive-in with a couple of girlfriends. I hadn't been to a drive-in movie since I was thirteen, in the final days of the one that was a staple of my childhood. I've been wanting to go pretty much as long as I've lived here, and now I regret not having gone sooner.

The Cascade is about an hour west of Chicago. We made great time so we stopped to grab a bite at a fairly empty Chinese place that was right next door to what seemed to be the most hopping place in town, the Schnitzel Platz, complete with German early-bird specials for seniors. They were making their way out as we were just sitting down to dinner, reminding me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry tells his parents, "I'm not going to force feed myself a steak at 4 o'clock to save a few bucks!"

The Cascade was pretty great. Everything was just like the old days -- a person sitting in a little shack collecting money, the gravel lot with the speakers on poles, and an aluminum-faced concession building selling burgers, hot dogs, nachos, candy, and even Alka-Seltzer and mosquito repellent! It was $8.50 to get in, which seems to be about what a whole carload cost back in the day, but it's still a great deal for two movies, especially since the concessions were pretty cheap ($1 soft pretzels, anyone?).

We saw Shorts, the new Robert Rodriguez kiddie movie that terrifies me because it features Jon Cryer and James Spader playing parents, and The Final Destination, which is a lot like Final Destination, but with a "The".

Strange sights

Yesterday I was driving through the Uptown neighborhood on my way to work when I saw a pretty bizarre-looking dude. There are a lot of odd people in this city, but this guy really stood out. He was wearing sort of a women's "sexy police officer" costume with a badge, tight black miniskirt, and knee-high boots. He had a pretty slinky walk going on, but he also had a beard. I dunno, seems like maybe it would be worth shaving to get the full effect.

Dolphin litigation

Another crazy lawsuit. I wonder if the dolphins will have to pay up.

Lovely lunch spot

Had to do some training across campus today so I stopped and had lunch on a park bench.

My sentiments exactly

Thursday evening's entertainment

Robert Irving III's Sketches of Brazil, a tribute (of sorts) to the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis' and Gil Evans' collaboration on Sketches of Spain. Another beautiful night at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, with two friends, sandwiches from Caffe Baci, and a bottle of red wine.

Bizarre robbery

Cabbie bearhugs, teenage robbers in drag, vigilante Irishmen... a typical night in Chicago, I guess.

Terrifying Damen bus story #1

When I worked in downtown Chicago and took the bus or el to work daily, I had lotsa stories. Bad stories. Stories like this charmer:

It was the year 2000. I was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed recent Chicago transplant (from Michigan) and was madly in love with my new city. I was working in a high-rise downtown and living in frou-frou Lakeview, mere blocks from the beach and in the middle of shops, restaurants, and tons of transit options. I didn’t know a lot yet.

Waiting at the bus stop the very first time I was to take the bus home from work, I saw a bus at the stop south of mine. It pulled over and stopped. And sat. And sat. And then a man came walking toward me from the direction of the bus. “If you’re waiting for that #36 bus up there,” he said, “it’s stopped and they’re waiting for the police because some passenger in the back was sniffing paint from a bag.”

There could not be a more proper introduction to Chicago transit, although frankly I preferred the time I came back from a fantastic trip to San Diego and got on the el at O’Hare airport only to discover I was sitting next to a steaming pile of vomit. Welcome home.

I don’t take the CTA much anymore because I drive to work, but on the random weekend jaunt it can be the easiest way to get somewhere. Last weekend I took the bus nearest my apartment, the #50 Damen Ave. and it was quite a treat. A couple boarded the bus carrying a big plastic bag and sat down across from me. The man began removing the items in the bag one by one. It was full of clothing, obviously from a Village Discount thrift shop — obvious because they staple the price tags on the clothes.

Out came a sports jersey. Off came the tag and on the floor it went. Out came a sports jersey. Off came the tag and on the floor it went. Out came a sports jersey. Off came the tag and on the floor it went. You get the picture, right? Something like 6 or more jerseys, representing all kinds of sports — football, basketball, soccer. And then, miraculously, two pairs of dress slacks, which didn’t seem quite the right type of pants for half a dozen or more sports jerseys. A couple of women’s items that couldn’t have been for the rather robust woman. Frighteningly, a bath towel (sorry, but I don’t buy used items that have touched someone else’s privates).

I had looked away when I heard the woman say something to me. “What?” I asked. “It’s cute, isn’t it?” she cooed. I looked up and saw the man holding a see-through floral nightie. “Uh, yeah, it’s cute,” I lied.

Then the man lifted up a pair of matching thong undies and snapped the side string with his mouth. That’s right — he put used underpants in his mouth. The horror! The horror! But it got worse. They started kissing.

Then someone got off the bus so they switched seats. And kissed more. Then they switched seats again, so they were seated two feet from my face. And kissed some more. Because nothing says romance like seeing your boyfriend bite a used see-through nightie that won’t fit you, I guess.