I'm Back

I am back in the Chicago office for a couple of days before I am back on the road yet again. Some brief notes.

Joyce and I now are dog owners. Her name is Daisy. She is a Pit Bull mix. We got her from my Dad’s cousin Alex’s wife Carole, (so I think that makes us 2^nd Cousins-In-Law) who works with a shelter. Joyce does not like being home alone when I am traveling so, she has been pestering me to get a dog for awhile. Her and Carole had been corresponding for some time about the possibility of adopting a dog. Carole found Daisy for us and we met her on Saturday.

She is a really sweet dog. She is very friendly and has adapted to our house almost instantly. Our cats are a little freaked out but I am hoping eventually everyone will become friends. I must say I am looking forward to some dog walking in the summer.

To appreciate Chicago all you need to do is go to another city. I was in Grand Rapids, Michigan last week. Grand Rapids is a nice enough town. However, they got clobbered on Wednesday with a foot of snow. It took until Friday for the main roads to be plowed. I am not talking side streets here, I am talking the main throughway to get to downtown. As my co-worker and I were driving from our hotel to the office on Thursday we counted three cars that had spun out and were in the ditch. Mind you this is at most a five mile drive.

We may bitch in Cook County about our taxes but I must say Chicago and the outlying suburbs do a fucking great job clearing all the streets during storms. My dinky little side street in front of my house is usually cleared up by the next day let alone main roads. Chicago is truly a working class city that knows how to get things done and man am I glad I live where I do.

With that said, this Winter can suck me. Maybe I have been spoiled because the last number of Chicago winters have been really mild. Well this one has made up for the last decade. I am not one to bitch about the winter months but, damn this year has been a constant ass kicking. It is either snowing balls, or cold as a witch’s tit. This morning I got up and it was 0 degrees. I know Chicago in February is cold but anything below 5 degrees is un-called for. This is like the third big chill we have had and winter still has over a moth to go. I have had to shovel snow more this year then the previous three winters I have been in my house combined. I am so ready for spring this year.

I am already sick of the Presidential election – The non-stop blathering about this election started way early and we still have nine months to go before the general election. It is a trend in the country to start everything way early so that it gets talked to death. Look at how early Christmas starts each season.

I already voted. I know the issues. What boggles my mind is how after 100 different networks have regurgitated the same information about each candidate how any one person could still be undecided. If you have that much trouble making a decision do us all a favor and don’t vote.

I do not get roadside Memorial tributes – I guess everyone grieves in their own way. Still I don’t get this behavior where people place flowers at the site of tragedies. In particular people who didn’t personally know any of the victims. We are death obsessed in our society and this is further proof of it. Yes, it is a tragedy, but if it was someone I knew, I would prefer to grieve on my own and not be forced to see a roadside memorial to remind me of my pain and sadness.