I find it odd that the Shepard Fairey designed Barak Obama campaign posters are plastered in the must unusual places. They are everywhere. I like the style and the message but I think people should be a little more discerning on where they place them.
I've noticed the same image popping up around Chicago. I assume it is an image of Barak Obama reaching out to shake hands with America. (If the images are not clear the figure on the left has a head shaped like the USA.) It's not Banksy but what the heck, I think it has potential. Check out Banksy's site if you are not familiar with his work. I was fortunate enough to have walked by a Banksy image on the east end of London a few years back.
I had the privilege of attending the Winter Classic National Hockey League game on New Year's Day at Wrigley Field. Admittedly, I went for the novelty of seeing hockey played at one of the best baseball diamonds in the country. I didn't even know the Detroit Red Wings, who were visiting the Chicago Blackhawks, were the defending Stanley Cup champions. In fact, until January 1, I had only seen one other hockey game. About 12 years ago I went to see the Chicago Blackhawks play the Pittsburgh Penguins. I haven't even seen a televised game since then.
My seats were ok, but the stadium was not designed for hockey and it was obvious. There were no rink side seats. My seats behind home plate, which would have been great for a baseball game were partially obstructed. I actually couldn't see the Detroit Red Wings defending their goal in the first period. The sold out crowd must have been there for the same reason I was because you couldn't see much.
Over the years, I've been to many kinds of sporting events. Without fail, a significant percentage of the attendees at American sporting events have been overlooked by evolution. Fortunately, they compensate by cosuming vast quatities of alcohol from the first light of dawn so they are much more equipped to handle social functions. It was cold day to sit and watch hockey outside. It was even colder after having beer spilled down my back.
What bothered me most though was that the Chicago fans didn't cheer on the Blackhawks so much as ridicule the Red Wings. The Red Wings fans had a frequent chant thtroughout the game "Let's Go Red Wings!" to which the Chicago fans would always reply, "Red Wings Suck!". Never a "Let's Go Blackhawks!" or any thing positive, but always a negative retort for the opposition. I don't suppose these are the kind of people that enjoy high caliber play despite being from the opposition. I think from now on I'll be content to catch the games on television from the warm & dry comfort of my couch.
Surely it implies something good for the year to come. Today, while
running, I found a one dollar bill. Not 10 steps later I found a
dime...and then later a penny. All said and done I was up $1.11.
Definitely a good omen for 2009.
[So some catch up since my internet service was down.]
I don't know what took me so long to plan a return visit, but one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago, prior to moving to Asia, was a Colombian place called Las Tablas, on Lincoln Ave just south of Wellington. I decided to go as a special birthday treat to myself, so on a very cold night, I took the Brown Line to Diversey and hoofed it over to Las Tablas, which was not where it used to be. The restaurant was closed. I couldn't believe it. It was always crowded. On Fridays & Saturdays you were ensured a two hour wait if you didn't arrive before 7pm (no reservations accpeted).
Disparaged, I fired up the clunky browser on my Blackberry Pearl and typed in Las Tablas. They had a site...and it was active. I clicked on the address link and it gave an address which should be right where I was...sort of. It turns out Las Tablas moved about a 60 second walk south and to the opposite side of the street. I'm glad I noticed the description of the address that "west side of Lincoln" otherwise I would have assumed the website was just a ghost from the former restaurant because the actual number of the address differed only slightly.
It was well worth the cold, and the confusion to feel right back at home. Las Tabls has the greatest empanadas in Chicago and their grilled meat is delicious; it is a carnivore's heaven. The Picada Colombiana Platter below is a two person serving. When I was training like a fool, I used to take this down solo in addition to a couple of empanadas. Those days are long gone so I needed to bring help. Las Tablas has also expanded their menu a with two additional empananda flavors and a couple of additional chicken entrees. They apparently also acquired a liquor license and have a satisfying house malbec which is available by the glass. If you are in the area and haven't tried this place you should.
Note: Las Tablas does have a BYOB option; no corking fee Monday - Wednesday.
I never realized how dependent I am on the internet until it was taken away for an extended period of time. Recently, my home internet service was out for just over a week. [My internet service is from MDU Communications, who consistently provide such inadequate service I thought they should receive special mention.] Every time I wanted to check the schedule or hours of operation of a store or service, or research a purchase, or look up an answer to a question, I was stymied.
As luck would have it, I noticed on Christmas eve that my kitchen faucet was leaking into the cabinet below. After taking the faucet apart I realized I needed a new flow cartridge. Since the faucet is made by Kohler, a very popular manufacturer, I assumed it would be easy to find the replacement part. However, since the internet was down, I couldn't go on-line to learn who carried it. I started calling places and visiting the usual suspects but since I haven't seen a phone book or yellow pages directory in years, I really had no way to learn the names of specialty plumbing supply stores.
Apparently, the prevalence of the Kohler brand in so many households does not equate to ubiquitous replacement parts. Home Depot did not carry it. Ace Hardware did not carry it. The Kohler store at the Merchandise Mart does not stock replacement parts but was able to give me the names of a few plumbing supply companies.
To add insult to injury, it seems that most plumbing supply stores close from Christmas until the 5th of January; I guess it must be a nice business to be in. The one plumbing supply store I found that was open did not carry Kohler parts. It was some sort of twisted holiday conspiracy.
The best part about running around trying to find that stupid little cartridge was seeing a real life "Cops" incident on Jefferson Street just north of Roosevelt. As I rolled down the road, I watched a patrol car pull over a Jaguar. [The Jaguar was of the Ford Taurus/Jaguar era, when Ford owned Jaguar and ruined the design by sharing so much with the Taurus platform, but kept true to the unreliable reputation of Jaguars past.] As the patrolman walked from his vehicle to the Jaguar, the woman behind the wheel decided to flee and gunned it down the road. Surprisingly, the patrolman was none too excited and calmly walked back to his car and then gave pursuit. I watched as the woman turned the corner, heading towards Canal Street.
I waited by the the intersection of Canal & Roosevelt, assuming this would be her likely route but the Jaguar never appeared. After a while I rode up Canal and found the Jaguar on the side of the road, the front end crushed and the side of the car showing significant damage as well. A large SUV sat awkwardly in the intersection just up the way as well. Apparently, whatever substance this woman had in her body that convinced her it was a good idea to try to outrun the police impaired her ability to negotiate traffic and race through intersections unscathed like they do in movies.
As far as the cartridge goes, it is only sold as part of a replacement kit, so what should be a $7 part is a $75 kit plus shipping and handling. I bought a new faucet instead. Thanks Kohler.
