As I sit out on the porch on the first truly warm day Chicago has had so far in 2009, I can't help but wonder why I'm sitting here instead of at a desk downtown. As the president and ev… Read More

Whoa, whoa whoa. Don't get the wrong idea. I want to help out the autoworkers. Notice, I did not say "Detroit," just the auto industry.I'm all for the federal government spending billions of… Read More

So, am I really the only one who wasn't impressed by Sarah Palin last night? I know the VP candidate's traditional role is to attack the opposition, but she -- and the other speakers -- stir… Read More

I was crossing Lincoln at Paulina and Roscoe this afternoon when the woman walking in front of me was almost run over by a bike rider who decided to run the red light. If she had started wal… Read More

Remember when you were a kid and you'd count up all those coins and place them carefully into those little paper rolls? Then you'd take them to the bank, and the smiling teller would take th… Read More

In the South, Labor Day, like most holidays, is a day for professionals, bankers and government workers to cook out and go to the beach. Other people have to work, as is their lot in life.Bu… Read More

Well, technically I left work 30 minutes early on Monday, but the commuting time was still almost exactly like on Friday, so there's at least a possibility that things have actually improved… Read More

Consider this. A man leaves his job on a Friday afternoon at the same time he usually does, right down to the minute. He doesn't run to the train or walk any faster than he normally would. T… Read More

Where do you chicagoans get all these wonderful toys?K and I were smitten last summer when we saw all the folks out on their sidewalks playing this bean bag game with the unfortunate moniker… Read More

What the hell is this nonsense about Dunkin Donuts caving in to Michelle Malkin and her band of pitchfork-wielding right-wingers? Not that I love Rachel Ray and her hyperactive TV personalit… Read More

Today is the first workday without Paulina. The CTA has closed down our train station for a year to do rennovations that should have been done years ago. But, better late than never.To put a… Read More

last month I finally got contacts. This may seem rather vain and materialistic for me, but there is a greater purpose. We've read a lot about how people who want Lasik surgery should try out… Read More

Remember when I used to update this blog pretty much every day? Yeah, that was back when I had a job where I mostly sat around at a computer all day waiting for something to happen. Those we… Read More

We woke up early today, by which I mean we actually got up when the alarm went off instead of hitting snooze for an hour. What's the big deal?Super Fat Tuesday! Mardi Gras Superr!We slogged… Read More

I know most of the posts lately, when I bother to post at all, have been about the weather in Chicago. Well, it's frickin cold here. What can I say? Depending on which Web site you trust, it… Read More

Why is it that a small city like Concord, NC has a simple, easy-to-use recycling program accessible to just about every resident, but a big, sophisticated city like Chicago still expects me… Read More

Having spent only about a week back home in Metrolina, we've already driven more than we do in a month in Chicago -- and that's not counting the time spent driving down from the Windy City (… Read More

With the CTA, as bedraggled as it is, I don't have to do much driving anymore. Most of my drive time is spent going to the supermarket, Target or some similar location.Places where Chicagoan… Read More

For those of you back home in NC, or those other places where it just doesn't snow that much, a little taste of our New Chicago Life Read More

http://www.weather.com/weather/newscenter/alerts/USIL0225?alertId=145464&from=36hr_winterWarn_dailytraveler Read More

Coming back to Chicago around midnight after driving all day from Charlotte, we found the apartment freezing cold. Visions of Laura Ingalls struggling through the Long Winter flashed before… Read More

Winter is here. Or, what would pass for the dead of winter in NC. Although I hear they have it quite chilly down there this week too. Unfortunately, this is merely the beginning for us.K has… Read More

Yesterday Mecklenburg County voters decided to take the long view and chose, in overwhelming fashion, to keep the transit tax.Despite the efforts of an angry and vocal minority to undermine… Read More

The Red Sox Win! The Red Sox Win!Coming off of a rather frustrating weekend of paint-related customer service nightmares, this win really helped to lift my mood. The inevitablity of the win… Read More

You ever log on to Blogger with some great idea for a post, then forget what it was?The good thing is this lack of a purpose doesn't necessarily have to ruin the general quality and flow of… Read More