✶✶✶✶ Chicago MMXIV ✶✶✶✶

We watched a really good documentary last night on Netflix: "Beauty is Embarrassing" which is about Wayne White, an artist from Alabama who designed all the puppets for Pee Wee's Playhouse and did a bunch of album cover for Lambchop (including this one: http://consequenceofsound.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/nixon_lambchop.jpg) and is just a cool/interesting guy in general. Good if you want to feel artistically inspired.

I also remember 5 years ago because my parents were here and freaked out by the weather.

Oh man yeah. That was kind of fun to witness.

My stepdad just emailed and said he'd never felt cold like they are reporting here.

Our heater basically never stops running even though I have the thermostat set to about 60!

I saw that doc, it was pretty good!
100% btw!

So how many students showed up?

All of them, plus 2 extra!
Also, for the record, one of them was wearing a hoodie + sweater (no coat), one young lady was wearing a light polyester jacket, and the classroom was so hot that we had to crack a window.

did you use the extra kids for warmth

I was out and about with the kids today, and each stop of the way we became less and less diligent about totally bundling up. It's cold, sure, but out here we somehow evaded all the wind and wind chill as forecast.

This morning, after getting the OK to work from home for a second day and spending some time outside shoveling, in that order, my wife said screw it, and took the train to work.

xp - We didn't need to -- the heat was cranked to face-melting levels in that room.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140128/rogers-park/activists-call-police-spying-at-heartland-cafe-laughable-disturbing

Bad biscuits and police spying. That place doesn't have mug going for it.

i think the old hippie vibe is charming and reminds me of people flipping out about the school of the americas back in the day
the food is not great but it was also within walking distance of my home for a decade

lol @ spying though, wtf

Hey if anyone knows anyone who's interested in working in publishing, we're gonna have an opening, maybe two, at my work fairly soon.

i'd like to work in publishing

I'll post a link when things start happening, I just learned of this today.

I'm at the Logan for the first time since the remodeling, pretty swanky! Plus they have alcohol!

So sick of winter. It's warmer, but the wind out there is terrible. I'd almost rather have the cold without the wind. Almost. Also, apparently like 16-20 more inches of snow coming in the next week.

would def take sub-zero and sunny over 25 and windy

yeah. doesn't help that wabash by my office is basically a giant wind tunnel.

I was an early adopter of being sick of winter. Really started around November for me.

Even my wife, who has a very high tolerance for snow and has, until as recently as this past Sunday, talked about how much she's been enjoying all this snow, forwarded me the forecast for the next week with an emphatic, "SCREW THIS SHIT".

Today was so much more annoying and uncomfortable than Monday or Tuesday that despite being 30 degrees warmer the kids totally blew off the chance to sled.

Nice day before the snow started.

http://i57.tinypic.com/33xd16s.jpg

lol that forecast

I totally have a high tolerance, and I even enjoy winter, but basta already.

What forecast?

It was good weather to see Inside Llewyn Davis. I came out if the theater and it felt like I was in the movie.

unless the forecast goes all the way to the end of march, i'm not looking at it

i'll be in the basement if anyone needs me

I'm planning a trip to Christmas Mountain for tubing, indoor waterparking, skiing, or some combination of those things. Very excited.

And I might go on a 2 day Burt0n snowboarding trip? Not so sure about that one - 3 nights and 2 days w/ snowboarding strangers? Esp since I'd have to learn to snowboard?

What forecast?

Also, apparently like 16-20 more inches of snow coming in the next week.

Although now the link my wife sent me to the article about it is dead and I'm not finding the same totals anywhere else, other than like a big snow event tomorrow night into Saturday. So who knows. Still, winter sucks.

There's apparently some possibility of a big storm on Tuesday.

i am hemorrhaging mojo at this point

This has been posted several times on twitter.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BfO39rgCIAAps-j.png

But it is based on one computer model and is not the actual forecast.

And I believe that's supposed to be the total of these 2-3 systems over the next week.

Some friends some of you know are taking a discount long weekend cruise to the Bahamas today and for a second it made me REALLY hurt and sad that I wasn't going to the Bahamas. I just can't do this anymore.

just read this and you'll feel better

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/29/travel/royal-caribbean-illness/

Ivy and I went outside two days in a row! Then we came home today and took a three hour nap.

Anyway we're never going outside again is the point. At least not until the ice in our steps melts.

Gross. Love the link to another story Are cruise ships floating petri dishes?

I should say that I normally have no interest in cruises, but 3-4 days including time on the islands sounds exactly right.

Sorry I'm whining so much. I really really need a vacation.

That's like the article flying around on FB the past few days about how you'll die if you have a lemon wedge put on your water or tea glassa at a restaurant.

I saw that last Monday/Tuesday's temps would be below zero and skipped town last weekend. But one weekend away is a drop in the bucket this winter.

Yeah, I was lucky enough to be in Florida from Friday morning thru Tuesday night. Just in time to avoid the negative temps, but back for all the snow!

Despite the cold and snow, we can still honor the sun (when it is visible). It is setting after 5 PM now. But the end of the month it will be up to 5:40 PM. Then eight days later, time change!!!! By March 18th the sun won't set till 7:00 PM.

Thanks Jeff. That's great news. I noticed the other day that it wasn't fully dark when I got out of work at 5:15 and it helped.

i mentioned earlier i'm house-sitting for my parents in the suburbs this week-- got home tuesday nite to find that several canned/bottled carbonated beverages they were keeping in the garage had exploded, sending shards of glass and aluminum and sugary slush all over the place

ugh that is a bummer
meanwhile, i just finished my new fitness routine and i feel pretty great
i'm sure it'll snow today but at least the first week of classes isn't looming over my head anymore

Wholefoods.

Nice

did i miss the memo where we're only allowed to talk about whole foods and the weather?
i spent 2 hrs grocery shopping today, went to 3 places, including my new favorite bakery on devon -- i got 6 loaves of samoun for $2!