We recently got to see our friend Nick Rosario perform in a local community college production of the musical, Hairspray.
After the Show: Steve, Amy, Stacey, Nick, & John
He played the iconic man-as-woman role of Edna Turnblad (John Travolta played this part in the 2007 film adaptation).
A few weeks ago, I went to a Cubs day game with my friend Tim, a huge Cubs fan. We both work from home, so this was a nice break from the everyday. The Arizona Diamondbacks were in town, it was "Starlin Castro Bobblehead Day," the sun was out (but it was cold), so why not?
Wrigley Field is decorated to start the season
This game took place shortly after the season started, thus Wrigley Field was still dolled up with all the promotional garb used to kick off the Cubs latest battle into anticipated futility.
I was looking for something to read the other day, and to save some bucks, Amy suggested I see if there were any books I wanted to read from the library. Of course, the library! That great place where you can check out books for free.
Steve's Old Chicago Public Library Card
I wondered why I never thought about that, given that my Mom was a librarian for a very long time… and I got a lot of free books that way over the years.
So I went to the Chicago Public Library website to see if I could put a hold on some books and have them sent to my local branch. But apparently my library card, which I got when I was 10 years old or so, didn't even register as valid. As you can see from the image above, it's been "modified" quite a bit over the years, with new bar codes and labels attached to it as the library systems changed. You'll also note that it granted me the ability to check out "records and videocassettes," as well as gain access to a "typewriter."
Back in February, shortly after the Chicago Blizzard we experienced, I was greeted with 2 parking tickets on my 1996 Volkswagen Jetta, which I park on the street. The violation? "No city sticker or improper display." And they nailed me for it two days in a row. Ah, but I did have a sticker.
It just fell off.
Not 1, but 2 tickets on my car
It's nice to have hot water.
Hot Water Heater: Before & After
Back in February, Amy & I bought a new water heater for our condo. The previous one was original to the building… 17 years old! Over the past year or so we've noticed, shall we say, disappointing performance out of the old thing, so it was time for a switch!
A few weeks ago my college roommate of 3 years, Tim Walston, gave me a call from O'Hare as he was passing through town.
Steve & Tim
He was flying back to St. Louis from a presentation he gave in Baltimore on behalf of Truman State University (Kirksville, MO), where he is an Assistant Professor of Biology.
Given how close Amy & I live to the airport, I was able to pick him up during his multi-hour stopover. We hopped over to the Potbelly's in Rosemont and enjoyed lunch together. It was great to see him again and catch up a bit.
Incidentally, the title of this post comes from the nickname we gave our dorm room in college, "The Warehouse." Basically, we had a lot of everything, both useful and weird, including a giant stick of Wrigley gum!
The other day I was rereading Disneyland Paris: From Sketch to Reality, a book by Alain Littaye & Didier Dhez. This 320-page hardcover pictorial documents the history of Disney's park in France, first known as Euro Disneyland. Originally written in French and featuring many photos, detailed stories, and concept art, I was able to get one of 3,000 limited copies of the English edition a few years ago.
1999's "El" Train: Chicago
The above image from the book caught my eye because it mentioned Chicago, but is illustrated as to reflect a 1900's Victorian view of the future. Posters like the above for many U.S. cities sit in Disneyland Paris' Discovery Arcade, one of two "back hallways" that run parallel to Main Street U.S.A. — a feature unique to the Paris park.
All I know is that Chicago sure didn't look like that in 1999! It is interesting, however, to note that the art was probably done by a non-Chicagoan, as we use the 'L' as shorthand for our train cars, not 'El'. In any case, I'd totally want to ride a train through a steampunk-inspired world that reflected the writings of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne. But I'm sure there would also be some sort of Windy City corruption that would ruin it all. And then the mayor would probably want to privatize the rail cars or something. Don't get me started on the air traffic problems we'd probably see at O'Hare with that flying hot air balloon/plane thingy.
Maybe it's good that we didn't get this type of future after all!
Over the weekend we hopped the "L" downtown to watch the traditional dying of the Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day, something that has been taking place since 1961.
Steve & Amy with a GREEN Chicago River
The first coloring of the waterway happened by accident when a plumber used green dye to track a rouge waste line that was dumping sewage into the river.
The first Monday in March is always a school holiday here in Illinois, thanks to Revolutionary War hero, Casimir Pulaski. He was a Polish cavalry officer known for his contributions in training U.S. soldiers. On behalf of the large Chicago Polish population (myself included), I wish you a Happy Casimir Pulaski Day!
Corner of Pulaski & Addison
As a tribute to Pulaski, the city council voted in 1938 to rename the north-south running Crawford Ave. to Pulaksi Road.
Chicago also has a program for "Honorary" street names, which are denoted by brown signs that are hung along with the real green street signs. For some odd reason, someone found the need to create a "Honorary Casimir Pulaski Way"… on the existing Pulaski Road. I mean, the street is already named after Pulaski. Did you really need a honorary designation as well? Did someone not realize what Pulaski Road was actually named after? How idiotic is this?
Got to love Chicago politics!
Well, the Great Chicago Blizzard of 2011 has come and gone. The "Snowpocalypse" hit us February 1-2, officially dumping 20.2 inches at O'Hare, making this the 3rd largest in Chicago history (following blizzards in 1967 and 1999). Heck, the Chicago Public Schools even canceled classes for 2 days… which never happens.
Amy stands next to a yardstick... yes, lots of snow!
We lost power for 14 hours during the storm, but luckily our condo retains heat very well. We just played boardgames in the dark and listened to the radio reporting all the crazy happenings in the snow.
Snow attempts to bury the fence
Speaking of our condo, because of the way it was built, we saw some pretty huge snow drifts piled up against the building, doors, and windows. It also took a few days to clear out enough snow to get Amy's car out of the garage… and many days later to dig my car out of the street.
Playing "Dominion" by LED and candlelight
Aside from vehicles getting abandoned on Lake Shore Drive when it was shut down during the storm, the city actually did a pretty good job of handling the blizzard… as is typical of a municipality where a snowstorm once determined a mayoral election!
Snow as viewed from our atrium
I should also mention that our 9th wedding anniversary took place during the blizzard… and it was an odd way to celebrate it!
