Chicago MMXII

Looks like they have plenty of food too. Good!

The food is great. Some of the best BBQ I've had outside of NC, including decent Eastern Carolina sauce.

Oh hai, just checking in, here. That area near the Belmont stop is one of the few I'm fairly familiar withso that works for me. I have a little bit of a cold but anticipate feeling a-ok by tomorrow pm.

In an airport, Chicago-bound by way of Toronto.

re: being productive/work ethic/etc.

sometimes someone is sick/headachy/unwell or whatev and can't get something done that they intended, and they'll say they're "useless". and i take umbrage to that. rather a lot.

so i've actually said, if you think you're useless for not completing some simple task, i can't imagine what you think of me. because health probs prevent me from doing things sometimes, you see. so i find this insulting.

and i've been argued with about this. not by someone saying i'm useless (thankfully, i suppose). but insisting that THEY are useless because they *should* be able to do wtfe, and arrrgh.

or, jenny otm "Fucking Protestant work ethic has fucked us up."

ha meanwhile i'm sitting around the house feeling guilty because my headache went away and i didn't go in to work the afternoon. why am i feeling guilty for taking a full sick day on a day when i was sick, and i never use sick days?

yeah f that business all the way imo
enjoy your day!

mental health day

fuck guilt. enjoy feeling better and a lovely day!

Excellent advice all around. And Julia, you make a really good point re: "useless." Something to keep in mind. (It's sort of in the same realm as when people who are thinner than I am talk about how fat they are (and it's never just fat, it's always "I ate so much I feel so gross and fat" or "I'm so fat it's awful" as opposed to, like, "I'm feeling fat today and DAMN do I love it!") and I'm like, "What's up, I'll just sit here and be so damn fatter as hell than you, nbd."

I spent more than half of my life feeling useless because for some reason, I just couldn't do things the way everyone else did. I couldn't sit still, I couldn't pay attention, I couldn't complete tasks -- you know, the way adults do. All of them but me, it seemed. The day I found out that my brain actually works differently from most people and was handed a bottle of pills was the day I stopped feeling useless.

are you guys feeling these earrings y/n

http://img0-ec.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.307645348.jpg

I'm tasting them, personally.

also available: falafel pendant

http://img1-ec.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.333362073.jpg

Do they have the Cheez-Its in white cheddar? Those are better than the regular.

i agree, but no unfortch

also! jonathan richman is at millennium park tonight
FYI

it is, well was, so gorgeous out there

I went out at lunch and it was lovely.

I do not care for food jewelry.

i would not wear that food jewelry either, just thought it was funny

whoa, CTA is closing the entire south branch of the Red line for track repairs in spring 2013? bet the comments section on that trib article is a great, wholesome, feel-good read.

wait, what? is that plan even for real?

it is, i see. wow.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-cta-to-announce-plans-for-refurbishing-dan-ryan-branch-of-red-line-20120604,0,2059367.story

allegedly they'll be able to get it done in 5 months vs. 3 years if they only closed it down on weekends

Yeah, but you know they would never do that on the North side. Fuck this city sometimes, tbrr.

I just mean the CTA might try to say they are going to close the North branch of the red line for 5 months, but the right people with the right money and connections would pitch a holy fit and the plan would be scrapped immediately.

Re: comments, one person talks about how this will keep all the criminals away from the Northside beaches (SIGH) and in response, someone posted "keep your snooty mouth shut," which is OTM.

It sucks that they are going to do this, but the Red Line is a right mess and definitely needs the work. If the CTA actually makes the shuttle buses viable and adds additional service to other lines to compensate, it might MIGHT maybe be okay.

They are shutting down northside Red Line stations one at a time, iirc, like how they did with the brown line. But those are station remodels, not slow zone track work. How did they handle it when the did the Blue Line track work a few years ago?

If the CTA actually makes the shuttle buses viable and adds additional service to other lines to compensate, it might MIGHT maybe be okay.

See, this is where my cynicism wrt to the CTA kicks in and tells me this is a very key piece that will absolutely not happen in a fashion that is helpful in the least.

The Blue line work was not quite as extensive, I don't think, and done on weekends and nights.

Bet the Sox aren't happy with this plan, being that its going to be five months of spring and summer.

Also, if this actually gets completed in five months as scheduled, I will eat my hat.

What type of hat do you own?

Mostly baseball caps. A fedora type as well somewhere.

You should by a turkey jerky hat just in case.

You should eat your baby's hat, a real sacrifice as that thing is CUTE

Actually I think he likes chewing on his hat, so I'd hate to take that away from him.

There are a lot of comments to the effect that the Sox are going to be unhappy but as many people pointed out, the IIT stop on the Green Line is fairly convenient to the ballpark.

yeah but you have to get to the gd green line
major PITA

You can transfer from the Red to the Green at State/Lake.

And Roosevelt.

you can, but who wants to do that? adding an extra leg to someone's journey sucks.

i can expect to see all of your faces tonight? yes?

If we miss another flight, them yes.

dunno if our crew will be there, seems unlikely

Oh hi dere

If I come, it will be just to stop by. I know I suggested the bar, but I have a busy week and some errands to run tonight.

come on guys!
live a little! it's summer. <-- peer pressure

a modest stop-by, please consider it
don't leave me hangin

I'm in. And I'm peer pressuring, too!

I guess I've been partying 20 hours a day for a week so if Chicago ilxors want to take it slow it's cool

It doesn't have to be a big blow out, just humans talking irl.

If I was there, there would be salt. Bath.

I'm gonna have a blow-out. Everywhere I go is a blow-out.