off by one for 2005 May

Mon May 02 16:53:52 being my own roadie / friends:

I won't miss packing up and carrying all my gear home at 3 or 4 in the morning after a show.

Thanks to everyone who came out for redvinegar's last show -- it was a great success and I'm going to miss all of you who regularly came out. Some of you I know I will see again, but some of you I never see except at rv shows, which is really weird; for example, I see T. McGinnis probably 10 times a year -- but only at rv shows. I don't know when I'll see him next. I just hope that everyone truly understands that if it weren't for your support of the band, we really wouldn't and couldn't have continued doing what we did.

Thank you.

Tue May 03 23:21:25 halo/quake fest:

I'll miss game fests at wm's place.

Thu May 05 09:59:39 too busy...:

I'm too busy to post for now... maybe Friday, maybe next week...

Fri May 06 12:25:54 calculus:

I will miss my calculus class. Professor Alice Iverson was really great. She is a legendary teacher here at North Park -- she is in her 80s and has taught for many, many decades here. Not only has she taught for such a long time, but she's very interested in using computers and modern technology like Mathematica to teach class and work problems that otherwise would be too complicated. I think that's really cool.

I won't miss the long hours of working at it in lieu of other things... but the class was fun and it was a good way to not only knock off some math credits but also get my feet wet in a more laid back environment. And, I finally feel like I atoned somewhat for all my slacking in high school math courses. Let's hear it for As in math!

Thanks.

Thu May 12 11:19:21 slacking:

Ken pointed out that I've been slacking on this project; he points out that I was better at keeping up with it when I had Calculus... it's true. I'm still decomressing from being in class almost every day of the week, and even a short entry (which aren't as cool as the longer ones) still takes 10-20 minutes to write. My life is way too busy even now, and so I've been trying to avoid extra committments. Plus, I've been having a hard time coming up with things that I won't miss about Chicago.

Just now I've sat here for 5 minutes trying to come up with something I won't miss.

I won't miss parking tickets in Chicago. I don't know how it works in other cities, but I think that in Chicago they clean the streets only because they make a profit doing it. Cleaning the streets gives jobs to the sweepers and the sign putter-uppers, and all the suckers who don't see the signs or forget have to pay big bucks to the city. It's a racket.

I will miss so many people it's sick. Part of me wants to try and write a little bit about each person that I'll miss, but I know if I do that I will forget or leave out people and that's maybe worse than not writing about anybody.

One person I will miss is Joe Lill, the band/jazz/quintet/many other hats guy at NPU. He has definitely been my "father figure" at North Park through my musical career, which has extended into my work career thanks to my parents making me learn the Tuba in 6th grade. Joe is an amazing teacher, role model, musician and model Chicagoan, and frankly I can't imagine the NPU School of Music, my time as a student, or the city of Chicago without him. Thanks, Joe.

Fri May 13 08:40:37 charcoal delights / :

I will miss Charcoal Delights, although I haven't been a regular patron there since I was a student. I used to always go there and get their cheeseburger special on Sunday nights when ARA was closed. For those of you who don't know, Charcoal Delights is a small fast food chain in the Chicago area that actually uses a charcoal pit for grilling it's burgers and stuff. So it's like what Burger King pretends it does, but only for real. And the food is really great.

Incidentally, everyone around here calls it "The Pit," because their old sign (or maybe the old name of the chain) said something like, "Charcoal Pit." When I was a fresh freshman, someone mentioned (I think it was Greg, because he'd been living here for a while) that we should go to the "Pit," and I was fearfully expecting some total greasy urban dump... you know, the kind of place I ended up frequenting for most of my college career.

People always talk (people being Lukas, I guess) about the Charcoal Chicken Delights sandwhich, which I had never had. It's a breaded and fried chicken breast on a bun with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and somewhat unexpectedly, american cheese. Pretty darn tasty, and I think the breading and the american cheese are the key ingredients. But what tops it all off is that the specials at Charcoal Delights all come with a drink, which includes shakes if you want -- and their shakes are awesome. So yesterday I had what was my first and is probably my last Charcoal Chicken Delight. A+. If you're ever in the 'hood, you need to go there.

In lieu of something I won't miss (I can't think of anything good right now), here's something else I will miss:

Superdawg!

Mon May 16 11:23:56 barry the rich homeless man:

I'm going to miss Barry, one of our neighborhood's homeless. My friends here call him "the rich homeless man" because he has a source of income, never asks for money, and is reluctant to take anything even if freely offered. I remember once he was counting change at McDonalds for a cup of coffee and he was short a dime or a nickel and I practically had to force him to take it -- something that I would do for any friend. When he bums smokes from you, you are certain to get a fresh pack from him some time down the road (or so I'm told).

Barry is a pretty eccentric guy -- he used to have a dog until he was stolen, and his gait, clothes, and hair are always pretty creative. I understand that he reads quite a bit at the library, and he often paints while sitting on park benches along Foster Ave. (Wm. has one of his paintings, a gift from Barry). He goes to rock shows every once in a while, taking Wm. out for pizza and a punk show at Metro several years ago. He takes cross country trips when the urge strikes and Wm. has gotten post cards from him from Maine and Los Angeles, where Barry often winters. He owned an ice cream and philosophical book store in the neighborhood a long time ago... at least that's what he says. He really likes the Rolling Stones and he's almost always up for a chat.

I'm not sure where he lives now, but he lived for years in a shack he built behind the Marine base along the canal, which the city would come and tear down periodically. We're pretty sure he was a vet and that the Marines give him some support, but that he probably has either a military pension or some kind of disability check coming in. I know that he does odd jobs for people, too.

Anyway, Barry is a fixture in this neighborhood and I count him as some kind of a friend (albeit a unique friendship). I hope only the best for him and I hope he is happy.

Nothing to not miss today.

Wed May 18 08:40:59 reggie, the mayor of giddings:

There is a cat in my neighborhood -- Reggie -- and he clearly owns the street. Our next door neighbors refer to him as The Mayor of Giddings in a very sort of Emperor Norton kind of way and I think it totally fits. We see him everywhere, and everyone seems to know his name. Kids, old people, whoever. He's seriously, probably the best known individual sentient being in the neighborhood.

Last week, as I was leaving my apartment to go to work, some people down the street were also leaving, and one of the girls said, "I wonder if Reggie will be out this morning?" Last night, as Anna was coming home from the train some boys were playing ball in the cul du sac (under the "no ball playing" sign) and were calling to Reggie to come (probably for some friendly attention), but Reggie had his own plans, as any good Mayor does... maybe he was planning to shut down an airport in the middle of the night... anyway, Alh was walking behind Reggie and after an askance glance, Reggie paid her no mind.

Some guys on a stoop were talking to each other, and one says, "Man, that cat just cracks me up."

Too true. I'll miss him.

Thu May 19 15:49:10 stupid closet:

I won't miss the closet under the stairs in our current apartment. We love our apartment... I'm really going to miss our apartment and our neighborhood -- but the closet under the stairs (where the down-stairs to the basement used to be before it was boarded up and turned into a closet), while large, is really a wedge shaped thing where you can only get out the last thing you put in, which, when you think about it, is really the crux of the whole closet problem.

Sat May 28 11:38:24 lutz cafe:

alh had her last day of work yesterday.

Last night, partly to celebrate, partly just because, we went to Bistro Campagne on Lincoln between Wilson and Sunnyside -- it's a cool French cuisine restaurant -- and pretty affordable, considering. I don't think anything on the menu was over $20 (except wine). Great food.

This morning, we went to Lutz Cafe which is on Montrose, just west of Western. It's in a storefront that you would probably just drive by if you didn't know better... but locals know better. Their pastries all look absolutely incredible, and people in the know order their cakes and such from them, but what alh and I have fallen in love with is their little cafe, especially the garden in the back. The eggs benedict are great, and they serve coffee in little pots on a tray which alh says is how they do it in Austria (and other places, I'm sure), and they give you a couple little sweet rolls while you wait... anyway, it's really cool and I'll miss it.

On the way home, we saw Reggie crossing from Giddings to the square today to hang out on the lamp pedestal. alh said, "He's everywhere! He's the 'Cat Ubiquitous!'"

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