Just to name a few


I bet we could come up with over a thousand unsafe things to do with this drawn bridge. I'd like to roll a bowling ball down towards pins encased in glass.

This morning, some guy muttered an expletive aloud as the elevator closed. I had just departed the elevator. Since I was the only other person in the car, the expletive was probably directed at me. I won't get into details. Let's just say I made an angry man angrier by being a nice guy in absolutely no hurry. Oh well.

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Lunch Brake



Today's lunch break featured twenty juvenile minutes of throwing these towards pedestrians and giggling as we drove by. I tried to capture reactions, but we were too busy laughing and most people were too busy not noticing...except for these guys:



I wonder what kind of trouble two kids in their mid-20's can get with these things...

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Snapshot



Needing something that could fit in my pocket, translate well on to paper, and alleviate the stress on the fancy camera, I got one of them Canon Powershot Elph's. So far, so decent.

Things are going to be hectic 24 hours a day for a while, so I'm least I can do to give the body a fighting chance at not getting sick: (1) Replace morning coffee with gatorade; (2) Consume vegetables at lunch and dinner; (3) Eat a little more than Trail Mix for breakfast. Day One - done.

I took my first chance at renewing my tags and didn't even show my state-issued renewal notice or my picture ID. I just told them what my tags were. You'd think they would be pretty strict about things like that. This issue bothered me for a few moments until I asked myself: Who would go and pay for somebody else's registration as a form of sabotage? Security Preserved.

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Weekend Social

I believe the order of location was: LaGrange Park, IL | Home | LaGrange Park / Brookfield, IL | Home | LaGrange Park, IL | Home. Interstate 290 is my new best friend. Plenty of quality time was spent with friends, The Lady, and my couch. Quite a bit was accomplished and only 2 hours have been devoted to the TV. The camera took a break...so you get classic anecdotes.

- The boss ordered a lunch meeting to watch a few innings of the Cubs and Sox game on Friday. Couple that with a 10am entrance and you could say that the job can get fun form time to time.

- The Lady's brother came to town from Nashville and played a set. Keep an eye out for him. The music held out very well as a single acoustic act and there's quite a bit of quality with every song. It was also nice to see my guitar actually get played. Considering the amount of neglect I pile on the guitar, I definitely don't deserve to own it. Keep an eye out for this kid.



- The state connected my car to a computer and told me that I have passed my emissions test. I crammed pretty hard for that test...I'm glad the hard work paid off. In related state-related automobile news, I found out at the last minute that most area DMV's are closed on Saturdays. I now have four chances to renew my tags before getting the ticket.

- I'm listening to a track sung by the characters Stewie and Brian Griffin from the lame Family Guy CD on the internet web station. It's probably the fifth time. There's something mysteriously catchy about a Diff'ent Strokes / Growing Pains / Charles in Charge / Silver Spoons / Who's the Boss / Perfect Strangers / Golden Girls / Family Ties medley.

Things are going to get very, very busy in the next few weeks. Just you watch.

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Gulls Lined Up



...there's a cliche in the skateboard world about seagulls in videos, or photos of seagulls, which sort of denotes an artsy-fartsyness about the whole deal... - Jacob B.

Leftoverchinese.com is officially artsy-fartsy (that is, if this were a skateboarding themed site). I'm not sure why the birds lined up the way they did. I didn't ask them to do it. I guess it's an example of nature cooperating for me...and everybody around me who noticed the same thing.

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Mid-May?

I would just like to say that the weather has been less than stellar lately. I spent three hours tonight watching baseball while feeling like I was at a high school football game. Maybe it was the screaming drunk teens behind us, but it sure didn't feel like spring out there.

For as much as I enjoy the way the Sox play their baseball. I'm not too fond of how they foster the ignorance. For example, when fan semi-favorite ShTksu (NES abbreviation) enters the game, the Public Address system sounds a loud gong. Twice.

In other news, I left the ballpark walking next to a group of kids were cheering Takatsu's name toward a group of Koreans. I'm pretty sure they carried those Korean flags as a tribute to visiting pitcher CnHoPk. After getting no reaction from the group of innocent Koreans, one guy turned to me and said "He knows what we're talking about!" I guess it wasn't as bad as Wrigley. They didn't cheer "Hee Sop Choi" at me. I guess large-scale public events are always good places to get America's collective opinions.

Count of personal "all look same" and related experiences such as these at Major League Baseball competitions: Wrigley Field 3 - Milwaukee County Stadium 1 - Comiskey Park 1 - Turner Field 0 - The Metrodome 0 - PacBell Park 0.

I have eaten red meat three days in a row. I can't remember the last time I did that. I don't quite feel right with the health these days.

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The Weekend I got the Hell Out of Town


Aurora Borealis. At this time of year. At this time of day. In this part of the country (Madison, WI). Localized entirely above my head. Early this morning, I wandered off to use a stray portable toilet and told the lady to scream if the cab showed up. I came back to find her staring at the sky with a simle on her face. It was a sight to see. Considering the amount I had to drink before enjoying this, it's a wonder I was able to take this picture at 3:45am in the dark, wet grass bordering the hotel parking lot. Happy times.


Lake Geneva, WI We took US-12 towards Madison and planned to visit a city between here and there. I deem the city very nice during 'off-season.' The kids seemed to have nothing better to do than hang out on the downtown streets. I pulled out a camera near a fancy-looking fountain and a bunch of kids demanded I take their picture (I'm not sure why they took their shirts off, though). The next morning, the locals had nothing better to do than give us a negative vibe at the local breakfast diner. It's strange to feel unwelcome in your home state...but still nice to visit.


Ruby's Two Day...get it? Nah, neither do I. This time the niece on the right celebrated her second birthday while the adults sat around and watched them play. It was a grande old time. Kids laughed, adults laughed harder, it was rainy and sunny, and I ate a lot of red meat. Family time is always a good time.


Patented Chairs I gave the Lady a tour of some of the campus today. The Wisconsin Union was unusually empty; even for a cool spring day. I took the opportunity to take a picture so some of the readers who went to the University could share the nostalgia and miss the college years. Yup.

Getting the hell out of town was the best thing for me to do. You'd think after enjoying a span of 30 out of 56 hours at the office, I'd have been wiped out. I was actually happy to sit in Friday afternoon traffic. A change of scenery was enjoyed, family was seen, I saw friends I hadn't seen in a while, and some random guy bought me and eight other lucky strangers a Jaegerbomb. The weekends keep getting better, folks.

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Eleven

Yesterday's ten hour workday rewarded me with an eleven hour workday. I can't form a sentence and my diet has gone to hell. Here's a picture:


Two ships passing in the middle of day. Not too poetic...just like the past two days.

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Them Thunders

The Seven AM wakeup call featured a plenty of thunder. The noise was soothing and I wound up sleeping another hour. It was only fitting that the day job lasted a few more hours than usual followed by an evening of pizza and Wednesday Night Baseball. Welcome to the typical blue and white American day...It's just like TV.

Swimming through spreadsheets of numbers, I had mistakenly typed "Fiscal Policy" instead of "Fiscal Year." I laughed aloud before realizing what I was laughing at. Then I died a little inside.

If you ever watch Baseball Tonight when Buck Martinez is on the air, cover your ears. His voice can make ears bleed. It's really nasal and he doesn't look at the camera when in the studio.

Courtesy of a text message from Shugart responding to a query of mine, the names of the family members (Seavers) on ABC's hit sitcom Growing Pains is as follows: Jason, Maggie, Mike, Carol, Ben (and Chrissy). It's a useful fact.

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Balltime

What started as an innocent shoot-around turned into Leftoverchinese and Owltakecareofit teaming up on the basketball court to lose two games in a row to a father/son team who bordered on creepy/too competitive. The son seemed to old a teenager to be hanging out with his dad, so we jokingly wondered if it was a different sort of relationship. I had approached the playground to see the father character throwing tennis balls at his son while urging him to "stay in the batters box!" We secretly hoped they wouldn't approach us for a game, but they did anyway. Highlights included Quinn scoring all of our points in the first game, me getting a block on their first possession, the son commenting on my "new shoes" (purchased 2001), and Quinn setting a pick and getting a stiff shove from the son. All in all, we learned our lesson: next time, bring it.

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First Weekend of May

I think we get to drink in Lincoln Square in a few weeks. This weekend was both productive and non-productive; just the way I like it.


Bridge. I've been discovering Millenium Park bit by bit. I still haven't seen the so-called bean up close. This is the bridge from the park to the near-lakefront. It's not like the bridge in Goonies.


Waiting to take a left. Learning how to do this will be handy someday. I killed some time on the streetside porch taking pictures of passing traffic.

Scrambled

- Chicken from the neighborhood Popeyes was enjoyed for the first time since I got the flu. Sure enough, I woke up this morning with a sore throat and searing intestinal cramps. When will I learn my lesson about that place?

- The sore throat is probably not a result of the chicken.

- I repeated to the server at this afternoon's brunch that Coffee would be appreciated. She responded by turning to my mother and saying "Coffee, got it" before walking away. This lead to a pretty confusing exchange between my mother and the server. Everything turned out okay.

- At the family church this morning, it sounded as if everybody had a hacking cough...including the priest. I accepted communion today and it happened to be a piece from the larger host broken up by the priest's hands. You can pretty much guess what was going through my mind at that moment.

- After sleeping through the middle hour of this film, I awoke to see the conclusion. I may have to go back and figure out how they got to that point.

Cold, warm, cold, warm, cold, warm, sleep.

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Suit



I bought and custom measured this $120 linen suit for Casey's wedding thinking that I would never wear it ever again. In some circles, a $120 suit is considered cheap looking. The pants are extra baggy and the coat is an inch or two long. It looks pretty goofy on me. I brought it out last weekend and was the only linen suit in a crowd of black. Nobody looked at me like I was a freak. I hereby rescind my negative comments about the suit. It's not too bad.

This is what Dwayne Wade said to ESPN when they told them about Marquette University changing their nickname:

"ESPN: Your alma mater, Marquette, changed their nickname to the Gold. . . . What do you think of that?

Wade: To the what?

ESPN: To the Gold. The Marquette Gold. That's what they're going with now.

Wade: Awh . . . I got to call. I got to call in on that one.

ESPN: We are breaking some news.

Wade: I heard they were trying to change it back to Warriors.

ESPN: No, I guess they are going with Gold. I'm surprised they didn't call you to check to see if it was OK with you.

Wade: The Gold?

ESPN: Yeah.

Wade: No, I got to make a phone call to Marquette after we get off this . . . (laughter). . . . I don't know about that one.

ESPN: So that might change . . .

Wade: Marquette Gold. The Gold!

ESPN: All right, Dwyane . . . So far so good. I know your word carries a lot of weight at Marquette as well as Miami. Congratulations, enjoy the rest of the playoffs.

Wade: Thank you, I will. The Gold?

The Gold

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Meals


Square Meal #1 - $7+

Almost weekly, Mikey will make a four way trip so we can enjoy the Boston Market (formerly known as Boston Chicken). This is turning into the lunch highlight of the week. Chicken, green beans, spinach, cornbread.


Square Meal #2 - $2+

Stir Fry. Vegetables in greasy form. Toss in Monday's leftover Thai chicken along with the unhealthy sausage and we got ourselves some random variety.

Non Meal Related Statements

- The Cubs walked in the winning run tonight giving the Brewers their sixth victory in a row. Six more and I will drive to Milwaukee for free George Webb's burgers. We're halfway to free burgers...fries and orange soda extra.

- CNN's Larry King Live just aired a segment about the Jeffrey Dahmer case. Before typing this sentence, I had a flashback to the summer between sixth and seventh grade. That was a messed up time to be a kid in Milwaukee. We made way too many jokes about it. Now I'm thinking about the sentencing hearing where a victim's relative unleashed a profanity-laced tirade at the murderer. We made way too many jokes about that, too.

- I spent the better part of two hours cleaning up the apartment tonight. A good thirty five minutes of that featured sorting and shredding junk-mail. I proved a theory by doing this: Pushing papers at home is not more fun that pushing papers during the day. I should set that garbage can out back on fire.

- Monday featured a drive through the morning rush hour to get to the suburbs. I hope to never have to live with a situation like that on a daily basis. It's not fun.

- New toy: camera tripod. Now...what shall I do with that?

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A Weekend Where Something was Always Going On

I've constantly had to be somewhere this weekend. I have to be somewhere tomorrow morning. Being places. Doing things. It must be busy season. No rest 'till October.

The Sighting



More things that never happen within a thousand miles of me are starting to occur. First that guy guns down thirteen people in my hometown (while I was in town). Then a likeness of the Virgin Mary appeard a few miles south of the abode. It takes a tad bit of faith to see this one. The messages on the wall were very touching.

The Creepy Elementary School


Bell Elementary.

Not too far northwest of me is a school getting a little sandblast. The painted windows are a bit freaky. I took a peek inside. It was very clean or orderly.

The Wedding


Don't fuck with the groom.

Somewhere among the wedding party of fifty-five gracious family members stood a couple happy to share the event with family. After the Christian Ceremony, we had a Thai Buddhist ceremony with traditional music and pouring blessed water on the hands of the couple. I had never met the bride before. I stood back from that one.

The Wine


Ah yes I hear Jack's Basement Chardonnay is tasty.

The seemingly connected New Lady treated me to a wine tasting. People sipped glasses of random homemade wines. Nobody lost their vision. Everybody pretended to know what they were talking about. Some people got ribbons. I learned that people use honey in wine. The atmosphere featured an acoustic guitarist and extra-loud drummer jamming out new-agey versions of classics. The chicken was the highlight.

Assorted Sentences

- Cousin C: "Hey E, I haven't seen you since that one time we ran into each other at the U2 concert a few years ago. Hey honey, remember when we saw E at the concert in Milwaukee?"
Cousin E: "Oh yeah. I remember that."

I've had this conversation about once a year since 2001.

- Needing some time to unwind and zone out into space, I took the long way home from downtown today. I hopped on a bus westward, got off to wait for a northbound bus and found myself standing around acres and acres of empty parking lot next to the United Center. The fifteen minute wasn't bad since the area isn't as rough as it used to be. It's as close to a desert as you can get in these parts.

- There were clowns at the area gas station on Saturday. I have no idea why they were there. I don't think clowns make getting gas more fun.

Sleep.

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