Chicago MMXII

New bike lane opens on dearborn today. I wonder if the messengers will pay attention to the bike signals.

I like the new trains, seating layout and all. They can hold more standing passengers, don't have that natural bottleneck that occurs around the doors in the current trains, and there are straps/rails along the length of the car. In the Brown and Purple line configurations, there are dead spots where there's nothing to hold on to if your standing, which is an inefficient waste of space.

Of course I'm saying this as someone who rides a morning train that is almost always standing room only (if there's room at all) and who rides an evening train from a stop exactly halfway around the Loop so there's always a seat. Either way, the seating config is kind of beside the point.

you're not your blah blah blah fart

New bike lane opens on dearborn today. I wonder if the messengers will pay attention to the bike signals.

I'm sure fearless crime fighter and force for good John Kass will treat us with another column either way.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-met-kass-1214-20121214,0,3628535.column

I dislike the new trains.

Have no fear, those new trains will be degraded down to old trains in a matter of days.

I took my daughter to England a couple of years back, and I left wondering, huh, why can't we have trains with toilets, upholstery and food service? And I immediately answered myself that they would be rendered disgusting or destroyed almost immediately.

The BART in San Francisco is weirdly spotless and comfortable and very fast, with nice soft fabric on the streets. Not sure how they manage that.

Maybe because the weather is nice enough that the homeless don't just ride the trains all day?

also the BART is a much smaller system so fewer people use it i think.

Also it has an ejection mechanism for smelly disgusting people built in.

I want to say CTA remains the farthest you can travel on public transportation on one fare.

I took the BART from the San Fran airport to Oakland, took about 45 minutes, went under a huge body of water.

Like Lechera says, it's so pristine in a city with a lot of dinginess that makes me wonder about ejection seats and secret police.

It also doesn't run 24/7, so that's part of it.

don't have that natural bottleneck that occurs around the doors in the current trains,

I love the bottleneck! I really enjoy being jammed in and unable to move. It's just my thing.

Have no fear, those new trains will be degraded down to old trains in a matter of days.

This one already had tags scratched into a window. One of them was weird...what was it?? I want to say it said "Grouch Marx," but I just can't remember.

Our office holiday food just went from 0 to 60 in about 2 seconds -- Garrett's popcorn, peppermint bark, and a giant box of chocolates from one of our vendors.

been eating tons of cookies over here. could def. go for some caramel/cheese popcorn combo.

I had this funky dream last night that I was a homicide detective and my partner was Martha Plimpton and my commander was Jessica Valenti. I was called to invetigate the apartment of a murder suspect, and it was totally filthy, not hoarder filthy, but disgusting college dorm room filthy. We found a quilt with blood stains on it and the DNA came back as belonging to Jessica Hernandez (that is not an IRL person I know), who was the murder victim in my first case, in which I ended up being a suspect, but was eventually cleared even though Martha Plimpton was still suspicious of me. I was really worried because I knew since the bloody quilt had turned up at another scene I was investigating, the heat would be on me again because Jessica Hernandez's murder was still unsolved. I was pretty convinced somebody was setting me up.

Anyway, other than being upsetting because I was afraid of being unjusting imprisoned for a crim e I didn't committ, that dream was a pretty good story.

This bar just played G Love & Special Sauce and I thought of you.

Who? Me? I could see you thinking of me w/r/t G Love.

I am talking to a lady on the bus who is learning a new route and I'm learning about bus bunching, models of buses, and other behind the scenes CTA stuff.

This morning we are part of a 4-bus bunch that was caused by a driver being late for his shift and 2 of the buses being slow models. Also, she says, the other drivers are being dicks and not letting is pass them. I wouldn't have noticed, but it's true.

I would like a certain filmmaker to make a movie about the daily work life of a Bus Driver. Or maybe, more generally, CTA Worker.

You as in Chicago ILX collectively.

If only it were that simple. I'd like to see that movie too, but so not gonna happen.

I have ANOTHER dentist's appt today. Can you believe what a big girl I've been? Not complaining about the other four appts I've had? This is the 5th.

In the meantime, Jesse can make a guerilla documentary in which he sits in the front of busses and engages in conversation with the driver (and others) while the bus is moving. Serious Q&As alternate with disguises and Borat-type pranks.

I like the Chicago cabbies, they always have good music playing and their cabs smell nice. I don't know if "taxi cab confessions" did Chicago cabbies or not.

xp - I'm sure the CTA would agree to that.

Oh, I meant to say it's all filmed with Jesse's phone to get around CTA and the union.

i think this is something important for all IL residents to read http://www.wbez.org/news/inside-vienna-state-illinois-prisons-104408

...“It was very, very open,” Whitnel said. “You could drive in and out of the prison. Of course, that’s almost unheard of today, is unheard of today.”

Indeed. This year, with little explanation or discussion, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has fought to keep reporters out of state prisons, including Vienna.

...

But none of that prepared me for seeing it in person: Dozens and dozens of men sitting idly; lined up on rows and rows of bunks.

I simply can’t describe it. Words don’t do it justice.

...

Despite the conditions of Building 19, inmate Michael Johnson gives the warden credit.

“I can honestly say they are doing improvements,” Johnson said. “I don’t know who scared them but somebody put the fear of God up in ‘em, and they trying to do what they supposed to be doing to get the place together.”

Go journalism! I'm afraid it also has something to do with efforts to let CCA set up camp here, but I realize that I tend to always assume the worst.

CCA

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Ugh, just the thought makes me want to puke.

I know right?!!?!?! I know they have been trying to build an immigrant detention center in Joliet.

I have a google alert for CCA and it's totally repulsive how half of them are people protesting various abuses and the other are reports from the stock market.

For-profit prisons are right up there with arms manufacturers on my 'most hated industries' list.

Seriously, it makes me want to flip out.

Therefore, I must have news about it delivered to my inbox ASAP.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/608ed280949c260f49c0ddadd5142525/tumblr_mf5x6jGOdP1qckahko8_r1_250.jpg

For-profit prisons are right up there with arms manufacturers on my 'most hated industries' list.

― dansplaining (dan m), Monday, December 17, 2012 8:33 PM (33 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

OTM

Also: Amway.

LOL

It's been a glorious 288 days. Sadly today, it will probably snow.

Go back to North Carolina, hippie.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/12/18/two-inmates-escape-from-federal-jail-in-loop/

http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/545/article/p2p-73740257/

Careful out there Loopites

Xp

Misread that as "Loopholes." How has that never been slang for downtown dbags?

http://www.letterstosantachicago.com/

SCHEDULE
6:00PM guest improvisers OLIVIA WILDE & AIDY BRYANT
6:30PM Skyping from Dublin GLEN HANSARD
9:00PM JEFF TWEEDY
10:00PM JEFF TWEEDY LIVING ROOM CONCERT AUCTION
11:00PM guest improviser FRED SCHNEIDER
12:00AM KIM DEAL
12:00AM Cecily Strong joins the cast until 3:00AM
1:30AM guest comedian FRED ARMISEN
2:30AM JC BROOKS & THE UPTOWN SOUND with FRED ARMISEN
4:30AM MIKE KOSINSKI
5:00AM TBA
7:00AM BONNIE PRINCE BILLY
10:00AM STEVE ALBINI interviews NATE SILVER
12:00PM JENNY GILLESPIE
2:00PM ROBBIE FULKS
4:30PM THE BLISTERS

I'll try to get an 8:30 a.m. photo of Will Oldham and Nate Silver for the "famous people you wouldn't expect to see together" thread.

Pretty sure the escapees are just lingering around in the loop. I plan on being carefree.

@MrFlyNation: If two dudes escaped jail and got from downtown to tinley park they deserve to get away

Eh, they're just a couple of bank robbers. Good speed, escaped felons!

Hey, does anybody know a good accountant?

I live with one.

(she's not CPA tho)

I just spread some holiday cheer and it felt great.