"I WAS DETAINED"

Hidey ho. Looks like I'm doing a little article about Peru for a travel publication, got a bite on another idea I had for a small series of pieces, so I'm putting that proposal together, yadda yadda.

Ohh, before I forget, see some adventures in Omaha here, here, here and especially here, ha ha, courtesy Jami Attenberg.

Anyway. Now, I'm going to hop a train and go to Chinatown and buy a tiny block of tamarind paste and enjoy the lovely weather. (Snow will be here before we know it.) Sure, I can probably get tamarind at the supermarket around the corner, but it's a nice day for a train ride, and I kind of like buying little bits of things from ethnic grocers. Plus, I'm up for a little adventure.

I have this and this on Craigslist if any of youse are interested. More to follow. I'm doing a major toss-out campaign and it is lovely.

"RUSHOLME RUFFIANS"

It's a beautiful, snowy day here in Chicago. The sky is grey and the whole city is blanketed in that pretty quiet that only snow brings. And, the Bears played today. Or are playing. I don't even know if the game is over yet because things are that quiet. So, I started thinking that maybe football fans weren't so rabid and noisy afterall. Maybe nerds (me) and football fans can actually coexist afterall. and then I saw this article and a flood of previously repressed memories came rushing back to me of when I lived next door to noisy sports fans and Iron Maiden blasters and how little sleep I got and how generally pissed off I was to not be able to find even a moment of quiet in my own apartment.

Just as I finished the above sentence, a heard fireworks in the distance. Uh-oh. If anyone needs me, I'll be hiding in my apartment until after the superbowl. Whimper

I went out a bit ago for some errands and to sell my now-unneeded glass tabletop to a friendly face from Craigslist, and now I'm in my apartment with my cat in my lap. Being home during the snow makes me terribly happy.

UPDATE MANY HOURS LATER:

I am never one to refuse anyone their joy and methods of celebration, so long as it, say, isn't hurting anybody.

There is an SUV circling my neighborhood and holding down the horn.

Relate the two items as you see fit.