tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91063602011-08-21T12:00:55.665-04:00jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.comBlogger3321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1161725782212631972006-10-24T17:36:00.000-04:002006-10-24T17:36:22.276-04:00

Friday night was the University of Illinois—Chicago annual bicycle scavenger hunt. Jonathan, his brother Ben and I were a team. Based on the format last year, I didn’t expect to be competitive (lots of ‘clues’ that were more befuddling than enlightening). We heard a rumor that cargo capacity would be damn helpful, so Ben brought a 6’ fresh air trailer, and I took the Bianchi with his rack and

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1161132242759988222006-10-17T19:31:00.000-04:002006-10-17T21:01:50.586-04:00

Life Updates:I officially became a Board Member of Chicago's bike advocacy group last week.At a meeting with Illinois's pro-bike State Representative, I inquired about initiating legislation to requiring drivers to pass bikes with three feet of space. For the first time in the meeting, she reached down to pull out her notepad and jotted this down. She thinks she could get a law like that passed.

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1161127842452552852006-10-11T19:29:00.000-04:002006-10-17T19:31:21.916-04:00

(backdated -- a post that was written last week)Brrrrr....Winter came today. There were snowflakes whitening the sky and making the streets wet when I went back to my office after a morning meeting.My decision to get the Julep back into shape was timed nearly perfectly. Last Friday night the Dork Bike broke. Just a few blocks from home the rear wheel completely seized up on the poor little girl.

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1159984655490624742006-10-04T13:49:00.000-04:002006-10-04T13:57:35.543-04:00

Today *celebrates* my second anniversary working at my law firm. I biked to work in the rain against a strong headwind, on the Dork Bike (unlike the Julep, she has fenders). My sleep the night before was restless – apparently the decaf label on the coffee I drank in the afternoon was false. Also, Blackie was a royal terror last night – many, many times she woke me up as she attacked the items on

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1159801790475703682006-10-02T11:08:00.000-04:002006-10-02T11:09:50.510-04:00

Life has been busy....work still sucks...and time marches onward.This Sunday I was pretty productive – I did ALL of my laundry and consequently cleaned up my hellpit of a bedroom. There not only is a floor now, but it is also swept and clean. Then I stripped my fading basil plants of most of their leaves and made my winter supply of pesto.Bikes:The Julep got a flat tire sometime back in May or

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1157548755650410522006-09-06T09:05:00.000-04:002006-09-06T09:19:16.750-04:00

Recently Blackie has been getting herself locked in strange places. Up until the last few weeks she was somewhat scared of "outside" and happy to stay indoors. For no apparent reason, she suddenly became fascinated by the outdoors, and started to bolt between our legs whenever we opened the door to the back porch.One night as I was drifting to sleep I heard her scratching and making soft meows.

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1157143243523360832006-09-01T16:32:00.000-04:002006-09-01T16:40:43.563-04:00

A violent crime scene has overtaken my garden.Some vermin, critter or pest has decapitated all of my sunflowers. Their tawny heads lie broken and dead, seed casings strewn carelessly about, at the foot of the once noble plants. Not a single sunflower head remained unscathed to continue worshipping the golden god of the sky. All that remains of their once great glory is the scattered shells

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1156964630756798282006-08-30T14:35:00.000-04:002006-08-30T15:03:50.873-04:00

Where have I been?In my goddamn office.Doing what?Dealing with too much work and too much boss-inflicted craziness, while my blood has fluxuated between a roiling boil and a steady simmer. My always-crazy boss has outdone himself recently.Another young attorney quit suddenly, with neither money in savings nor another job lined up, because he just couldn't take the craziness.No new attorneys are

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1153338743514672302006-07-19T15:45:00.000-04:002006-07-19T15:52:23.546-04:00

Today we released our report on Police Brutality in Chicago. This is the project that I have spent the most time on at my job. Check your newspaper for more information.The final report is new to me also -- so now I get to paw through it to find the passages that I wrote.In other news, I have been super busy. The last several weekends have been spent out of town:Hilly Wisconsin bike-camping

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1151537650713695362006-06-28T19:34:00.000-04:002006-06-29T14:01:36.866-04:00

I had to leave my friends at the Farmers’ Market early in the morning for an appointment to donate blood. On the way downtown it started raining buckets. This route takes me through the most tourist/yuppie/cabbie infested part of town and is no fun to get through. Today though, the drivers were very nice and gave me my space. Sympathetic because of the rain possibly? Whatever the reason is was

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1151366034530685842006-06-26T19:51:00.000-04:002006-06-27T18:15:58.236-04:00

For the third year in a row I organized a ‘bike float’ in the PRIDE parade for CBF. As usual I waited for the last minute to really do anything. So Saturday afternoon I scrounged around the new CBF office to search for supplies. Stupid.On Sunday morning Jonathan decided to join the CBF float – which made me very happy. Organizing these things takes a lot of energy and it is nice to have someone

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1151091577704796042006-06-23T15:39:00.000-04:002006-06-23T16:01:52.573-04:00

OK, I'm almost a full weekend behind posting. The upcoming weekend involves more biking, boating and dancing -- plus the PRIDE parade, hopefully an outdoor movie and possibly an ArtCar festival. Oh, yeah -- work, too.I'm busy -- here's last weekend:Boating, Biking, Dancing.This is the trifecta that Jonathan seeks to complete his summer. Pretty hard to disagree with that combination. Last weekend

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1150412599935908102006-06-16T10:03:00.000-04:002006-06-16T11:23:21.470-04:00

The correspondence in my life is just getting weirder.I received a postcard at work with the following text:For the Life OF Me, do NOT know why you Would Want To have your PICTURE TAKEN With the Femi-NAZI shoes? CERTAINLY, I hope u don’t Ride with the Femi-Nazi Shoes!What a TRAVESTY!A _ _ [unreadable]Addressed to me, care of my work address.Background:I was featured in a recent magazine article

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1150388610739147182006-06-15T12:12:00.000-04:002006-06-15T12:23:30.766-04:00

On Wednesday night I left work to help Katy plant/water/weed at Eckart Park. She somehow is in charge of the planting at this park. She is awesome and volunteers so much in so many different communities. Love her.I rode Northwest on Milwaukee, but instead of getting into the left turn lane approaching Grand, I stayed to the right to go to Eckart. A bike parked on the sidewalk caught my eye – it

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1150140986050193632006-06-14T11:31:00.000-04:002006-06-14T13:03:44.403-04:00

After grabbing breakfast on Sunday morning, Jonathan and I went for a lingering walk around the neighborhood. I hopped up onto his back to get a piggy-back ride and made horse whinny noises as he bounced me on his back. I wanted him to trot instead of just plod along, but he wouldn’t, even when I kicked in my heals and egged him on with, "tck,tck" sounds. He laughed that I was trying cue him like

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1150140676191246312006-06-12T15:28:00.000-04:002006-06-13T14:43:44.306-04:00

A perfect set of circumstances ocurred unexpectedly. I was running a wee bit late for work as I tried to unlock the dork bike from the fence – the lock simply wouldn’t budge even after wasting precious minutes struggling with it.Finally, I ran back upstairs to put on a pair of cleats and then to the basement to grab the Bianchi. Together we made good time into downtown.Early in the morning I

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1150140387016717682006-06-12T15:23:00.000-04:002006-06-12T15:26:27.046-04:00

I saw a dumb woman almost get hit by three different trains at a wide, multi-track railroad crossing. Many of the train crossing deaths in the region occur because people wait for the first train, but don’t realize that it obstructs the view of another train coming from the opposite direction -- and walk unaware into its path. This was what happened this morning. I yelled when I saw the risk

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1149882258229337832006-06-09T15:36:00.000-04:002006-06-09T15:44:18.373-04:00

Several one-year anniversaries snuck past while I was preparing for trial.Many important changes happened in April/May 2005, and the year in between has been pretty damn cool.Beginning the New Era, my clunky hybrid The Tank was stolen on April 8, 2005. Very, Very Sad. But this was the kick in the pants that finally forced my ass onto a road bike. The Bianchi replaced The Tank mere hours later.

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1149637356263813712006-06-06T19:37:00.000-04:002006-06-08T11:52:43.910-04:00

Too Much Information! Adult Content! Beware!There is a topic that I have been omitting recently: Sex.I'm dating someone.There are several reasons to give pause and hesitancy to this relationship. However, they are all Completely, Utterly and Totally Destroyed by the fact that the sex so far is abso-fucking-lutely Amazing.Last night we had 'nose bleed' sex. A handful of times in my life, mere

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1149635615664745782006-06-06T19:12:00.000-04:002006-06-06T19:13:42.433-04:00

The horror/joy of Saturday’s ride completely overshadowed the disappointment of Friday night:I made plans to meet with my friend Chris to work on the cookbook and begin experimenting with vegan lemon bars right after work. Later I would meet up with Isaac for a drink or two.At 4:30 in the afternoon my office received a dreaded DCFS call – and I was next in line. Ugh. Before I left for the

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1149471428746665512006-06-04T20:09:00.000-04:002006-06-05T19:48:30.516-04:00

Salt stains on my helmet straps from the day's sweaty ride.On Saturday my friends, Grant, John, Michael and I took the Metra train up to Harvard, Illinois. From there we biked to Lake Geneva, WI. The ride was going to be around 60 miles round-trip and several parts were supposed to be quite hilly.A while ago I got a flat on the Julep, and instead of fixing it, I stole the Bianchi's front wheel.

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1149256260175648542006-06-02T09:46:00.000-04:002006-06-02T09:51:00.213-04:00

I will be in Minneapolis the second weekend in July (7/8 - 7/9)to visit my big bro.If any of the Twin Cities bikey-bloggers want to get together again, please let us know. Maybe we could take a ride together!

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1149085681741438422006-05-31T10:22:00.000-04:002006-05-31T10:46:13.456-04:00

When I left work around 8:00pm on Tuesday it was drizzling, and I understood why it was darker than I had expected it to be. Literally less than a block from work the drizzle morphed into a downpour and the sky began crackling with lightening and rumbling with thunder. Absolutely delightful.The rain was slightly cool, but not cold on my warm skin and it felt fantastic. Riding up inclines, I saw

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1148996353082229242006-05-30T08:55:00.000-04:002006-05-30T09:39:13.360-04:00

What an amazing weekend.Friday:Critical Mass on Friday was awesome: very mellow, a great route, great weather and no hit & runs or police intervention (at least that I know of). I rode the Breeze and had an all-around fantastic time. Jonathan and I then pedaled farther South to Hyde Park to go swing dancing. It is amazing how much I suck at everything that requires coordination. The scene was

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1148664756530800192006-05-26T13:26:00.000-04:002006-05-26T13:32:36.563-04:00

"Doing a good job cyclist!" said the cabdriver as we waited at the light. He was smiling and not a drop of sarcasm was in his voice. I had recently passed him to cut over into the left-most lane. Weird. A few intersections later, at another light, a different cabbie honked and I saw him smiling, nodding and giving me thumbs up. I checked -- my skirt was in place, all of my buttons were

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1148650245053534162006-05-26T09:12:00.000-04:002006-05-26T09:32:03.940-04:00

Thursday evening I found a cute little card, sealed inside a ziplock bag to protect it from the impending rain:"I might be out of town this weekend, but if not, I'd love to come to your BBQ. Thanks for the invitation! I've been enjoying our correspondence so much.--Anj773-xxx-xxxx"The note makes me both happy and sad. Happy because.....well....this whole exchange is fun and it will be nice to

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1148498643227929932006-05-24T15:10:00.000-04:002006-05-24T15:24:03.310-04:00

Two or three weeks ago I was unlocking the Breeze in front of my apartment to go to work. A woman walking on the sidewalk approached me. Despite her sleek appearance and presence, she burst into a babble, "I love your bike! it makes me so happy when I see it! I love the windchimes! It is so delightful!"I babbled my thanks in return, saying that I had hoped my bike would bring people smiles

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1148315162858322482006-05-22T11:18:00.000-04:002006-05-22T17:04:12.256-04:00

(Pictures near the end)FridayAfter work, Chris and I met up with Inge for dinner before going to see her art exhibited along with some other graduating MFA students. Some of the work was very interesting – but other installations truly looked as if the contents of a "Free" box from a garage sale was just stapled to a wall.Next we headed to opening night of "Picnic," the play that Mia is in. Very

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1147562398395873532006-05-19T16:10:00.000-04:002006-05-19T17:23:33.856-04:00

It’s over.We’ll hopefully find out something about the results in the next week or so. Final results won’t be learned for 6-9 months.In celebration, this is the shirt I picked to wear today at work. My friend Chris saw it in NY and knew I’d love it. He was right. I love it. (long, boring trial babble below pictures)Day One, May 17, 2006.I am at the office by 7:00, the trial is set to begin at 9:

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1147561846148103402006-05-13T18:54:00.000-04:002006-05-13T19:10:46.176-04:00

My trial is on May 17-18. Gulp. Work was crazy-busy this week. Lots of new projects and assignments. I really didn't get to work very much for the trial, actually.Wednesday was a fun day, though. I had to appear in the criminal court at 26th/California. The Julep was undergoing maintenance, so I've been riding the Breeze for the last two weeks. I pedalled down to the court pretty quickly

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1147560742308445162006-05-13T18:35:00.000-04:002006-05-13T18:52:22.350-04:00

First of all, my grandparents:We spent a lot of the weekend taking family photos. Most of them will probably be boring, but these two poses with my bros were fun.I thought that we should get some pictures of us taken wearing our suits, since we currently all have professional jobs. Odds are good that at least one of us will bail from our profession in the future. So to document it, we tried to

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1146785506653906522006-05-04T19:01:00.000-04:002006-05-04T19:31:46.820-04:00

My grandparents are celebrating their 60th Wedding Anniversary this weekend, so me and the bros are meeting up in hometown, WI. Very fun and exciting. The idea of sharing a home and every day together for sixty years with another person is awesome to consider. Their lives have been completely interwoven for as much longer than I have existed. They worked the farm together during this time,

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1146578123817567562006-05-02T09:44:00.000-04:002006-05-02T09:55:23.850-04:00

I planned to make these pot racks in the Fall of 2004. Every time I started on the project I got frustrated because I didn't have the right tools, and Home Depot didn't help me.A few weeks ago I decided to just throw money at the project to get it done: I paid my friend Steve and he created and installed these wonderful racks for me. They spin on the hubs.Love it.___________My other issue with

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1146355352243753982006-04-29T19:05:00.000-04:002006-04-29T20:08:58.826-04:00

Last night's Critical Mass ride was awesome, peaceful and fun -- until the shit royally hit the fan.John designed the map, left town and had Paul and other friends pass it out. This map won and Paul had to lead it. I stayed near to the front and it was an awesome, well-planned ride. Paul did a great job keeping the ride massed up and under control.The mass ended horribly however and did not ride

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1146179873431754042006-04-27T18:43:00.000-04:002006-04-27T19:17:53.766-04:00

One way to fight gentrification. On Damen Ave.In other news, the cayenne pepper has greatly reduced the amount of dogshit in my garden. I have seen only two piles of poop since I applied it. We've had some monster rains, so I think it all got washed away...hence the new poop.My sunflower seeds sprouted on Monday, and I am thrilled to see them grow each day. The snap peas are reaching out for

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1146011846548789452006-04-25T20:21:00.000-04:002006-04-25T20:37:26.600-04:00

I almost bit it with the Julep. I was cruising Southeast on Elston. The wind was at my back as I biked home and I was flying. If the cars would have been obeying the speed limit, I absolutely would have passed them, instead, I was only keeping up with them. Suddenly I noticed a huge ‘bump’ that spanned the bike lane. There was a garbage truck chugging beside me, so I couldn’t swerve around this

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1145385060580658472006-04-20T10:51:00.000-04:002006-04-20T11:51:35.696-04:00

Blackie has been sleeping with me for a while now. She is a combination of frisky and super-sweet-cuddly when we first get into bed. First she is all play, jumping on my chest and prancing all over, ticking me with her whiskers. Then she calms down a bit and tries to find the most comfortable cuddling position -- seeming to prefer being close to my face. Finally her loud purring subsides into

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1145469003339449262006-04-19T13:31:00.000-04:002006-04-19T13:52:38.083-04:00

I have had two extremely freaky close calls in the last two days.On Tuesday night I had to go through the horrible North/Clyborn yuppie big-box shopping mecca in order pick up supplies to fix my bikes. I was past the Home Depot heading west. The road is two lanes each direction, with no shoulder and a tall curb – no room to manuever. Traffic was lumbering along, bumper to bumper and pretty slow –

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1145315040029790532006-04-17T18:36:00.000-04:002006-04-18T10:03:38.073-04:00

Here she is. From the top:Have no fear, a basket and streamers will soon be installed.Gotta love Chicago's most famous bike company.And it's old-school seat.Damn Straight.Life's a breeze without worrying about clothing getting caught or dirtied by the chain. (I totally have to tighten that thing up, though.Full crome fenders to keep the road dirt/water off of me.Notice the coaster brake and

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1145291532842928892006-04-17T12:31:00.000-04:002006-04-17T12:32:13.033-04:00

I live in a three flat with a gated back yard. Me and the second floor apartment work on the gardening in the yard (lawn, flowers around edges, herb garden). Everyone in the building can graze from the herb garden, and all of our porches overlook the yard. The first floor apartment has a dog, and declined a share in any of the spaces to plant.They let Fletcher out to ‘do his thing’ unsupervised.

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1145037056831641242006-04-14T13:33:00.000-04:002006-04-14T13:50:57.193-04:00

I went to Working Bikes last night and along with a ton of help from my friend Steve, picked out and repaired what will be the next addition to my stable. She needs a little bit more work and cleaning, but I will bring her home this weekend to meet the crew. Pictures forthcoming.This weekend will be fantastically busy. For the cookbook Chris and I are hosting a Secular Easter Dinner for 20

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1144950140376614182006-04-13T12:57:00.000-04:002006-04-13T14:12:46.686-04:00

Most of these pictures are embarrassing for one of two reasons:1. I have waaayy too many pictures of Blackie. I am turning into a cat lady. [In my defense, she is the obvious subject to take pictures of – much more exciting that chairs or other furniture at my place.]2. Pictures of myself. Last Saturday morning it dawned on me that I Have A Digital Camera, but not a single photo of myself. So,

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1144884253589733502006-04-12T19:04:00.000-04:002006-04-12T19:24:13.650-04:00

After an unseasonable cold Saturday, we are luxuriating in full-fledged Springtime. Woo Hoo! Instead of wearing my staple knee-high black boots at work, I'm busting out the strappy shoes and not only my ankles, but my toes, too are exposed to the warm air.Another sign of Spring occurred last night on my way home because people are driving with their windows down, and are finally free to express

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1144712559035884252006-04-10T19:41:00.000-04:002006-04-10T19:42:39.360-04:00

The weekend went pretty well.I spent Saturday morning working at the Hbar and then the afternoon/evening there for the Gumballhead release party. The place was packed. Too bad it was damn near freezing outside.It was another opportunity to talk with Paul, too. At one point we separated from the main group to grab a table and talk. Too many times I noticed our mutual friends peeking over at us

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1144432266546191272006-04-07T13:42:00.000-04:002006-04-07T13:51:06.593-04:00

I’m Back.Here’s the update of new, crazy events that have occupied my time recently:Paul and I broke up.I told my boss I’m looking for a new job.We are working frantically on the Hbar patio.Chris and I decided to create a vegan cookbook.Paul requested that I don’t blab about our break-up here, so no details will be forthcoming. We are still friends and have seen each other in social groups a few

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1142537956178102222006-03-16T14:21:00.000-05:002006-03-16T14:39:17.400-05:00

I went to a doctor for the first time as an adult for a non-birth control related reason.Dr. Jeannie is a tertiary friend who squeezed me in to evaluate my tendon. Normally we see each other at casual BBQ or potluck, so we giggled at meeting each other because we were in our ‘grown-up costumes’ in my lawyer suit and her white doctor labcoat.As suspected, it was simply inflamed due to overuse.

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1142279894713159942006-03-13T14:48:00.000-05:002006-03-13T14:58:14.746-05:00

Saturday was a gorgeous, gorgeous day in Chicago. High of 66 degrees and sunny. Glorious. It was also a ‘work day’ for Hbar owners as we attempted to excavate the backyard to prepare for laying our new patio.Working outdoors on a gorgeous day seemed like a grand idea. Very quickly reality set in, though. It is over five years since I labored at the tire warehouse. Apparently a lot of things

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1141932675661706822006-03-09T14:20:00.000-05:002006-03-09T14:31:15.700-05:00

Frick suggested that he and I and big brother take an interesting trip this summer involving bikes, camping and the Grand Canyon.The tentative idea is to disasemble our road bikes and strap them onto our hiking packs, descend the Grand Canyon, hike across it, ascend on the opposite rim, reassemble the bikes and bike the 250ish miles back to the starting point.It will be comfortable at the top and

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1141862775085840372006-03-08T18:55:00.000-05:002006-03-08T19:06:15.123-05:00

I've been busy. Posts that I wrote last week about the Frozen Snot and Stage Five are below.So...Phil is gone. The office actually feels less crazy than before -- I hope it lasts. I have another really cool case that I actually am interested in. Plus, I will get appointed Special Attorney General in order to work on it. So add that to the Special State's Attorney and my work with the Office

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1141862106197254162006-03-08T18:52:00.000-05:002006-03-08T18:55:06.200-05:00

This race series was really quite disappointing, to be honest. I really wanted just one clean race – where I feel good and don’t get lost. I have fucked up every recent race by getting lost, and/or was in no condition to be competitive because of yoga or the Frozen Snot.Particularly annoying is that Clare beats me. She knows how to do alleycats much better than I do – she hops curbs and runs red

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1141861961809540502006-03-08T18:44:00.000-05:002006-03-08T18:52:41.853-05:00

This was not at all like last year’s ride. We had a kick-ass tailwind on the way up to Milwaukee. Also different was that people didn’t ride in large groups this time. Our first (and only) group stop was in Evanston to attend a press conference. Afterwards we could go at our own pace. Weirdly, the slower riders were in the lead and everyone poked along.At this point I was chatting with Dan and we

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1141052454375643192006-02-27T10:00:00.000-05:002006-02-27T10:00:54.450-05:00

Phil quit. I’m scared of how crazy work will become.Frozen Snot 2006 happened this weekend. Paul and I arrived in Milwaukee around 3:30pm. Tailwinds galore. Totally different than last year. The only bad part of it was my saddle. I haven’t ridden the Bianchi since about October or November...somehow the most comfortable saddle metamorphized into a torture device. Not to be too gross, but my

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1140624229674034762006-02-22T11:03:00.000-05:002006-02-22T11:03:49.820-05:00

My boss is getting progressively crazier – and in his ADD duck, duck, goose mind set, has chosen me to be his travel companion on this journey. Based on the amount of projects that he has picked me to work closely with him, I’ve got a tenured position as favorite employee. Normally this would be a sweet spot to hold in the workplace, but...um...the high-level craziness really diminishes the

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1139882977649685802006-02-13T20:19:00.000-05:002006-02-13T21:15:12.120-05:00

Life has been very busy. We've got some new clients and I have had many days of frantically working a lot before speeding off to either sleep, or have fun with friends. Plus my internet access has been sketchy......so blogging was on the back burner.So on to the recap babble.Mean Streak:One night I had to hustle up to the Steppenwolf Theatre for a women's legal mentoring event (I'm the mentor!

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1138735879811093962006-01-31T14:22:00.000-05:002006-01-31T14:31:19.873-05:00

Here Kitty Kittie!She is noticeably bigger than when we first got her. "Who has the longest tummy? Yes, you are the longest kitty ever!"Camoflage? Hide 'n Seek? For the same reason that she can shed all over these pants....she blends in too well.

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1138601586480614272006-01-30T00:13:00.000-05:002006-01-30T01:13:06.886-05:00

Was odd. A lot of people weren't happy with the weather, but I was fine with it. The weather was warm (47F) and rainy and I was dressed perfectly in a tank top and armwarmers. By the time it was over I was soaked through and there were interesting mud lines on my shoulders and the small of my back -- all exposed skin was filthy.This was a tour of the park/boulevard system and I was looking

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1138500981490923992006-01-28T19:34:00.000-05:002006-01-28T21:17:03.193-05:00

Friday was the January Critical Mass Ride, traditionally the Polka Ride to go see the Polkaholics (punk/polka band). En route was going to be the installation of the Ghost Bike to memorialize the site where Isai Medina died earlier this year. About 400 riders were in attendance and all was well.When we reached the installation site, we clogged Northbound Western Avenue and filled the sidewalk,

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1138131178616056642006-01-24T14:30:00.000-05:002006-01-24T14:32:58.620-05:00

As mentioned earlier, I messed up the second stage of the Tour. There are several factors that played into this, but for the most part it was because I wasn’t ‘on’ and I wasn’t excited about the race. After the second checkpoint, I just wanted to take a shower and wash my hair. Quite the competitive spirit.I do have a question for women who race involving birth control. I’m on generic Ortho

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1138130989321947412006-01-24T14:27:00.000-05:002006-01-24T14:29:49.770-05:00

On Saturday night a group of us rode out to Cicero to eat at a Czech restaurant. Before we were really even out of downtown, I got doored.The situation was that our group of about a dozen riders was slowing down for a red light. About half of the group had already passed a cab that was waiting at the light. When I rode past the door opened and even though I swerved mostly out of the way, the door

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1138046215141597332006-01-23T14:47:00.000-05:002006-01-23T15:01:15.066-05:00

A friend posed this question to me over the weekend:How long after a bicycle is 'abandoned,' locked to a rack, before is it fair game to strip it of parts?The facts of the particular situation are as follows:The beater bike is locked to a rack with an $80 lock.It has a flat tire.It has been there, seemingly unmoved, for eight months.My friend wants the rear rack, and has confessed to already

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1137800319455943902006-01-20T18:30:00.000-05:002006-01-20T18:38:39.510-05:00

Halloween Critical Mass, 2005I was supposed to be a Charlie's Angel, but it was too cold...so I didn't wear the ridiculous dress, and bundled up instead. I took the Bianchi because I wanted to use Paniers.Our computer consultant happened to be taking pictures at the Mass, noticed me, snapped this and asked what all the bikes were about. He finally sent the picture to me.

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1137778685620658442006-01-20T12:34:00.000-05:002006-01-20T12:38:05.726-05:00

SUMMER INTERNSHIP - BIKE LANE ENFORCEMENTPlease Publicize this Notice!E-mail it to qualified people; post it on appropriate mailing lists. This internship is a great opportunity to help improve bicycling conditions in Chicago! CDOT has partnered with the Department ofRevenue to develop an enhanced parking enforcement program in which astudent intern will work as a Bike Lane Parking Enforcement

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1137611252588531412006-01-18T14:04:00.000-05:002006-01-18T14:07:32.623-05:00

In two ways. First, another attorney quit our firm, so I got to transfer to a bigger, better office. This one is in a completely different section from the crazy boss, so I can now hide somewhat from his Eye of Mordor. Most importantly, though, is this office doesn’t have a sink/supply closet connected to it. Previously people passed through my office to wash out their coffee cups and dishes, the

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1137520446945048572006-01-17T12:53:00.000-05:002006-01-17T12:54:06.996-05:00

Paul says that I am "race crazy" and he might be right. I had a dream the other night that I was sucking royal ass at one of the alleycat races. I was pedaling in super-slow motion, missing turns, getting passed by a lot of women and my sandals kept falling off–forcing me to dismount and walk back to go get them. Everything else is very possible, but why would I ever wear sandals with clipless

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1137437221387881852006-01-16T12:23:00.000-05:002006-01-17T00:18:38.586-05:00

Friday night was pretty mellow. CBF had its open house party for its new offices. I had negotiated the lease for this building and recently volunteered by helping to build its new storage lofts, so I was excited for this event. It was fun, but mostly uneventful.Towards the end I spoke with Super-Racing-Susan and she gave me some tips on alleycat racing. Very cool. When we left she asked to see

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1135817740218831392006-01-11T08:55:00.000-05:002006-01-11T10:38:20.326-05:00

The 2006 Frozen Snot Century is scheduled for February 24-26.Friday morning: Chicagoans leave at 7:00am and ride about 100 miles up to Milwaukee. We’ll cool our heels at a bar and meet our Milwaukee hosts/co-riders before injecting the Milwaukee Critical Mass with some windy city energy. (Or keep drinking if inertia, laziness, coziness and tiredness occur). The drinking and mingling continue

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1136851759638469962006-01-09T19:07:00.000-05:002006-01-09T19:09:19.693-05:00

I’m really fucking busy. Here’s the gist of my last week (bike racing at the end!):NYE: We sold out, raised $1500 for West Town Bikes, I got to cook for several hours. It was fun.NYD 2006: I lead the Polar Bear Bike n’ Dip. The weather was warm, the water was cold. It was actually mostly pleasant, because we were well prepared and it was well above freezing. A damn refreshing way to shock 2005

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1136511282153905922006-01-05T20:30:00.000-05:002006-01-05T20:34:42.186-05:00

A cyclist died last night in Chicago. He was Standing On The Sidewalk With His Bike when a car spun out of control, hit another car and jumped the curb to kill him. He was part of the Rat Patrol (freakbike builders: choppers, tall bikes, frankenbikes of all sorts).Pictures of him at the bottom of this site:http://www.chicagofreakbike.org/2002_11_01_archives.phpHere is the message we received from

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1135985469467362902005-12-30T18:19:00.000-05:002005-12-30T18:31:09.510-05:00

Chicago Critical Mass meets at Daley Plaza at 5:30, the ride will leave shortly after 6:00. Yippee! Last year’s New Year’s Eve CCM was super-fun.Now if only my boss would leave the friggin’ office so we could stop pretending to work........Weekend Sneak-Peak:Friday: CCMSaturday: Handlebar NYE Party. I’ll spend Saturday afternoon cooking for the party before returning as a guest.

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1135816058484483832005-12-28T20:22:00.000-05:002005-12-28T19:59:36.940-05:00

The short version:Frick and I went to the Netherlands and Belgium for vacation. Spoken language barriers rarely existed, because nearly everyone spoke good English in addition to Flemish. Written signs, instructions menus or descriptions were nearly universally in Flemish, so that was sometimes problematic.Navigating the cities was particularly difficult for me for several reasons: 1) I’m

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1135817686848148872005-12-28T19:51:00.000-05:002005-12-28T19:54:46.856-05:00

I was supposed to fly from Amsterdam to London to Chicago. Instead I opted to take a bus from Ghent to London – thinking that I could sleep during the ride and then spend some time in London. Otherwise, I’d spend most of my last day in airports as I journeyed to Amsterdam – airport waiting – flight – London waiting – long flight – ugh.I opted to take a pretty early train to Ghent, planning to

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1135817395330180652005-12-28T19:47:00.000-05:002005-12-28T19:49:55.333-05:00

Illusions of Canada?:At the Bruge hospital there were nice girls from Canada who were on vacation from there studies in France. Both Frick and I were perpetually assumed to be Canadian. Strangely these girls said they were often confused for Americans. Interesting. Previously, we had thought that since we weren’t being brash, rude Americans we were thought to be Canadian. But these girls

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1135817188019199392005-12-28T19:44:00.000-05:002005-12-28T19:46:28.023-05:00

On Saturday we took a train to Belgium and stayed at a hostel in Antwerp. It was also a folk music bar – packed with people watching the band. I talked with some of the local young people and tried to dance to the folk music with one of the boys. Fun stuff. We very much liked this hostel.There were however three fat Irish women who deserved to be slapped for their behavior our first morning.

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1135816993159407812005-12-28T19:41:00.000-05:002005-12-28T19:43:13.163-05:00

We learned a lot about the history of the area from visiting the Anne Frank House, the Museum of Dutch Resistance (during the Nazi occupation), the Museum of Natural History and the Torture Museum. The WWII era history was fascinating, and I want to learn more. It was also rather startling to realize that this area was a major player in trade and colonization. The Dutch West Indies Company came

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1135816701729467752005-12-28T19:34:00.000-05:002005-12-28T19:38:21.733-05:00

The next day was had the ‘breakfast’ offered by the hostel: two slices of bread, a tab of jelly and two hard-boiled eggs. Thrilling.We took a walking tour of the city. I realized that I don’t walk much in Chicago – my hip flexor felt weird. Plus, my steel-toed boots each weigh almost a pound and don’t necessarily make walking easier.Most of the streets in Amsterdam and the rest of the Europe

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1135816365979788052005-12-28T19:30:00.000-05:002005-12-28T19:32:45.983-05:00

Frick explained euros to me and we took a train to the main part of the city. He told me that the bikes were out of control. I understood what he meant when we walked to our hostel. Bikes were everywhere, probably outnumbering cars. At red lights the bikes just piled up until it looked like a group ride.Our hostel was dormitory-styled and the small common area was often littered with stoners and

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1135816134383532062005-12-28T19:27:00.000-05:002005-12-28T20:10:32.926-05:00

I busted out of work even earlier than I planned, and got on the Blue Line to O’Hare. At work people told me that international flights left from a special terminal reached via shuttle. I began to worry, because I would be highly embarrassed if I missed my flight because I was too retarded to navigate the airport. I guess that would be a strong indication that maybe going to a foreign country isn

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1135332839655234132005-12-23T05:06:00.000-05:002005-12-23T05:16:06.546-05:00

Good Morning from London!In a few hours I will head to the airport and return to the USA. Frick is currently in France after we parted ways last night. Here are some possible topics that I might babble about:StonersStairwaysThe red light districtTortureWarBicycle (Holland vs. London)Awesome Bike Accessories Cobblestone/brick streets/sidewalksGumOh Canada?Traveling with brother(s)

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1134426451396206432005-12-12T17:15:00.000-05:002005-12-12T17:27:31.443-05:00

I have 45 euros in my pocket, my bag is packed and my passport number is sharpied on my thigh. I'm going to Amsterdam!Work sucked a lot today -- it was a frantic buzz of getting all of my work finished as one partner continued to expand the assignment. Grrr.....grrr....I also took public transportation to work for the first time ever. I think I drove a work rental into work once or twice, but

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1134086427688226652005-12-08T18:58:00.000-05:002005-12-08T19:00:27.690-05:00

It’s friggin’ cold outside and I’m sans underpants. Actually, I don’t have firsthand knowledge about the coldness because I haven’t been outside in over 24 hours because I slept in my office last night.I worked late and planned on getting up early, but knew full well that getting up early for work rarely gets farther than being a good plan in theory. Serendipitously, I also received a shipment

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1134006982417603652005-12-07T20:54:00.000-05:002005-12-07T21:07:33.460-05:00

Missing Person poster on the bulletin board at Chicago's Area Three Police Station:Sex: MaleRace: Native AmericanAge: 30sLast seen: WI casinoWearing: Harley Davidson shirt & wolf/feather headpiece Name: Two Dogs FuckingThis almost made up for the rest of my day (below).

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1134006870886671002005-12-07T20:41:00.000-05:002005-12-07T20:59:44.150-05:00

Next Monday I leave for Amsterdam – my first trip out of the USA. I’m super excited/nervous/thrilled about this trip. My baby brother Frick flew out to London yesterday and he will meet me at the airport, hopefully. There is a ton of stuff I want to do before I leave, namely:1. Plan out things to do on the trip and buy/pack everything I need;2. Finish all of my projects at work due before I leave

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1133760990489681622005-12-04T21:17:00.000-05:002005-12-05T00:36:38.766-05:00

Went to the bike shop today and noticed that there were gads of Celeste Green water cages. Funny. I looked around a bit and noticed many other Celeste Green offerings:TiresBar TapeClothesSeatsWater Bottles Clipless pedals Seriously, is all of this necessary (especially the clipless pedals)? It just seems a bit much to me. Maybe I'm wrong, but it strikes me as a desperate attempt to advertise

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1133564725020956912005-12-02T18:00:00.000-05:002005-12-02T18:05:26.890-05:00

2006 Chicago Bike Winter Weather UpdatePeriod: Nov. 1, 2005 - Nov. 30, 2005------------------------------------Days in period: 30Max/Min/Avg Temperature: 70 13 42Number of days +21F or warmer: 25 (83%)Number of days temp. rose over +60F: 11 (37%)Days with 1/10" or more of rain: 7Total Rainfall (Inches): 2.3Days with 1" or more of snow: 1Total Snowfall (Inches): 1.9Average wind speed (m.p.h.):

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1133229561972934452005-11-29T20:58:00.000-05:002005-11-29T19:15:59.360-05:00

Frickers left yesterday morning to head to O'hare. I thought I saw him a block or so from my house as I biked to work and began waving excitedly at him. He bust out into a great big grin – and then I realized with embarrassment that not all men in black jackets and gray caps are my little brother. I felt myself blushing and started giggling at myself. The stranger looked really happy, too and

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1133228936330019552005-11-28T20:50:00.000-05:002005-11-28T20:56:27.766-05:00

Or so I thought I heard a high school friend ask me at my ten year reunion this past weekend. I incredulously asked her to repeat the question and she repeated the much more reasonable, "Are you dating, engaged or married?" We both giggled when I explained what I mistakenly heard – then her husband interjected, "did you just ask her if she was ‘gayish’?" The giggling spread around the table for

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1133229166965721322005-11-28T20:49:00.000-05:002005-11-28T20:52:47.073-05:00

I wasn’t a cool kid growing up.I was too geeky, too eager, too fat, too unathletic and too poor (to wear nice clothes/concerts/toys...)At different times in high school several of my friends were accepted/befriended by some of the cool kids. Also, since I was involved with a lot of activities, I regularly associated with some of the cool kids. I was never one of them, however. Often I was torn,

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1133160951861372262005-11-28T01:39:00.000-05:002005-11-28T01:55:51.896-05:00

Found:Lives with parentsNever left ________, WI (same as lives w/ parents)Received PhDLived abroad for more than a semesterDUISpent time in prison (OK, not present because in prison at time)Born AgainSame hairstyle as high schoolLoss of >20 lbsMarried another classmateNot Available:Divorced twice Parented children with different mothers/fathersTook the Twelve-step walkThe above categories that I

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1132773178099297722005-11-23T14:12:00.000-05:002005-11-23T15:06:51.490-05:00

This Saturday is my ten-year class reunion – and I getting pretty excited/nervous about it.When contemplating class reunion a few years ago, my friends and I came up with the idea of Class Reunion Bingo (although it actually is part scavenger hunt). It involved creating bingo cards with different activities on each square. The goal was to match people with the activity to complete squares

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1132703014917692492005-11-22T18:41:00.000-05:002005-11-22T18:43:34.960-05:00

When I was in high school our economics class took a field trip to Chicago to visit the stock exchange. Our high school teacher dressed himself in suit, carried a briefcase and walked at least twenty feet ahead of his students, completely ignoring us and trying to disassociate himself from us. He obviously was living out his fantasy of working on the trading floor instead of just being a visitor.

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1132631641437223592005-11-21T21:50:00.000-05:002005-11-21T22:54:06.546-05:00

I was cleaning out my email inbox when I found this essay I wrote to myself in summer. I don't remember what prompted it, but I decided to post it instead of delete it, even though it meanders to its point:There are many constraints under which humans operate. Ethics are only one of them–but they permeate our lives.We have pure physical constraints–I cannot fly like a bird or run 60mph because

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1132097781305530682005-11-21T06:34:00.000-05:002005-11-21T19:17:48.616-05:00

Last Monday morning I was buzzed by a man driving a red mini-cooper. This was on the ‘under the El’ stretch on Wells St., which means that the El supports don’t leave much room to maneuver on the right. He buzzed me to get to a red light, so I pulled up alongside him and told him that he passed me too close and should be more cautious. His excuse was that he "stayed in his lane and didn’t cross

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1132539390137894712005-11-20T20:58:00.000-05:002005-11-20T21:16:30.220-05:00

This weekend was all about my roommate's organized events.Friday night he organized a Pub Crawl in our 'hood, Chicago's Ukranian Village. This was super fun. I ate varenky (saurkraut filled dumplings w/ mushroom gravy) and borsht at the first place -- it was pretty good, but not the type of food that I want to eat regularly. On we marched and met up with my friend Isaac at Ola's, a bar/liquor

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1132157849172409542005-11-16T11:11:00.000-05:002005-11-16T11:17:29.200-05:00

This topic has been festering in my mind recently and Jim’s post spurred me to write about the meaning of many gendered phrases that people, including myself, toss about commonly. We insult people by calling them 'pussies' 'sissies' or otherwise labeling them as female. I have worked in several physically demanding jobs (all male, except for me) in which workers who were slacking off or whining

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1132096788221510962005-11-15T19:09:00.000-05:002005-11-15T18:29:02.010-05:00

I’m breaking the weekend down into topics so as to not bore people too much:The Bikey-Drinkey Outing Bathrooms Spencer Midwest-Mountaineering Amtrak-Chicago-to-Minneapolis Amtrak-Minneapolis-to-Chicago The weekend was totally fun! It was nice to meet the people I read about all of the time. Thanks again to my bro for getting Spencer, picking/dropping me off at the Amtrak station & giving me a

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1132096161861257062005-11-15T18:09:00.000-05:002005-11-15T18:09:21.863-05:00

I had two weird bathroom experiences in Minneapolis.The first was at Psycho Suzie. The birthday boy and a woman from his table were having some sort of ‘deep’ drunken conversation in the women’s bathroom. The dude was so out of it that he wondered outloud several times why ‘women kept barging in on them.’ Survey says – because you are in the women’s bathroom, dumbass. The toilet in the first

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1132096135043063862005-11-15T18:08:00.000-05:002005-11-15T18:28:07.410-05:00

As you all know, Sascha didn’t wear underpants.We arranged for several of us to meet at Park and the Greenway. Me and the Bro were running late – first because he was adding a fender to his mtn bike, and then right when we were almost out the door, I realized I didn’t have my ID. I tore through my belongings and couldn’t find it. I was fearful that I left it at Midwest Mountaineering while I

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1132096079546367302005-11-15T18:07:00.001-05:002005-11-15T18:07:59.546-05:00

Gilby lended me Spencer to ride on my trip. He is an orange fixed gear Bianchi Brava with a beautiful Brooks saddle. Thank you so much for letting me borrow your baby!Now about that saddle – it is completely not meant for my tender flesh. I rode probably between only 20-25 miles on that bike – and felt every mile. My crotch was still sore and slightly raw on Monday from riding on Saturday. This

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1132096054447800192005-11-15T18:07:00.000-05:002005-11-15T18:07:34.450-05:00

My bro and I went shopping. This is embarrassing since neither of us shop very often. The outdoor store had an expo that we went to check out. I ended up buying a fancy, under-priced rain jacket and three pairs of travel pants. Then we went into the basement to check out the cave climbing/bouldering indoor rock climbing.My hand still hurt from punching a cab earlier in the week, and I could

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106360.post-1132096005728826042005-11-15T18:05:00.000-05:002005-11-15T18:06:45.730-05:00

The train was late on the return trip and didn’t actually arrive in Minneapolis until over an hour after I got to the station. Boo – that hour would have been much better spent hanging with the bro, sleeping or showering. I did get to hear an old woman waiting for her son to arrive on leave from the military to grip about 1). The utilitarian nature of the station/trains compared to their

jojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702107193904623552noreply@blogger.com2