Oh, I Think So

OMG, OMG, OMG!  WHY DOES IT FASCINATE ME SO??? Much like the beauty of a filled wastebasket at work, people taking pictures continues to capture my imagination.  Now when I arrive at Federal Plaza in the evening it is either dusk or dark and picture-taking there is over until spring but there will be other options.  Yeah, that's a hint. From my personal archives, here are some selections: I like this so much that it's now my desktop wallpaper -- MOMA, NYC, May 2014 And waaaaay off in the horizon, is her boyfriend. - Federal Plaza, Chicago, May 2014 Nighttime at Cloudgate:  The Bean is a neverending source of others snapping pix -- August 2014

Open House Chicago 2014 has come and gone, affording views not otherwise possible for those of us who lead normal lives. And so voila, for you we have a few things I got to see and capture, over which I can sigh in the future. Yesterday was the first time I saw this 2nd floor elevator call signal The occupants with this view know they're lucky String instrument workshop, Fine Arts Bldg. Venetian Court, Fine Arts Bldg, open just for Open House Chicago Venetian Court panorama The Studebaker Theatre, down to its backstage bare bones

I am not the newest bowling ball in the alley and in my time I've met a lot of people with a lot of opinions.  Sometimes it's best to keep one's opinions to oneself, like when religion and politics are concerned.  Other times, it's interesting to hear what one has to say, but that's an opinion and not a fact or a complaint.  People often can be made to change their minds about an opinion, it's true, except for two differing yet similar topics. People are pretty passionate about both of them.  They will not waiver from them.  They will argue their point vehemently.  It's always surprising. The two topics are these: 1.  Do you put the toilet paper over the top or down the back? 2.  Do you read in the toilet? Really.  I am not kidding.  Assuming you're not some stuck-up, arbiter-of-good-taste mope, if you bring up either of these topics (assuming, too, that those with whom you're discussing the topic are not also stuck-up mopes), ...

In my youth, I would occasionally call in sick to work just because I didn't feel like going there.  In between that time and this, and for the last several decades, I've become extremely responsible and if I am supposed to be at work then work is where you will find me.  Having said all that,  I am taking today off from blog writing.  See you next week!

Federal Plaza, after work on a weekday  I am still fascinated by the notion of taking pictures of people who are taking pictures.  These two young men were being creative at Federal Plaza and they looked like two approachable people so when they were done taking their picture, I said, "Look, I took pictures of you taking the pictures."  I showed mine to them and they said, "Wow, those are great."  I asked if they wanted me to send them to a phone and they did.  Hours later they sent me a text saying, "Thank you." You're welcome, guys! More of the same

My coworker's sister's boyfriend wanted to go fishing.  He was trolling around on You Tube looking for information on that wily sportfish, the bass.  He came across "All About That Bass."  He realized it was not about bass fishing but watched it anyway.  He then got his girlfriend to watch and, in turn, told my coworker to watch it.  She told me advising it was very, very catchy.  She said you heard it once and it stayed in your head.  I said I would go home and look for it, which I did. It went into my head and took up residence. [In case you don't care about popular culture, "All About That Bass" is a tune sung by Meghan Trainor, a pretty and not-super-model-thin woman, and her pretty and zaftig pals in celebration of not being skinny or photoshopped and that we are all perfect and that according to this young person's mom, males like a little something to hang onto at night.]   Weeks go by.  I told my niece about it and saw that Jimm...

Topics I considered for today: 1.  Dead trees:  Safety last in forest preserves, along the freeway, and on the streets of Chicago. 2.  Jay Cutler:  Ick 3.  My vacation:  You don't care ?  Why the hell not? Now, I could go on and on about how the city and the parks and the county and the state need to get it together and fell the dead trees because all those dead trees near streets and roads and sidewalks and trails near humans traveling in cars/walking/biking are a public hazard, but how does one put it? How about this:  All those dead trees are a public hazard. A local woman was killed last week on the North Branch Trail by a dead tree that fell on her when she was caught in a fast-moving storm and couldn't get to shelter. In 1991, Kathy Huffhines, the film critic of the Detroit Free Press, died when a dead tree fell on the car in which she was traveling in Philadelphia. If you see a dead tree in Chicago, call 311 with the addres...