White Line Fever...

So now that there seems to be a bit of a thaw in the air and my neighbors are staking claim to their painstakingly cleared parking spaces I'm looking forward to that extra few minutes of daylight each day as we crawl slowly toward spring.

I set a monthly budget for myself , like most people should. What I hadn't considered is that with the lower rent I'm paying in this apartment I'm so far ahead of my projections that I'm actually planning a spring vacation. The plan right now is to participate in Bike New York this year. I rode two years ago and it was an amazing experience; a unique way to get to see the sights of the Big Apple. It's only forty-two miles but you get a workout climbing the hills of upper Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. The ride across the Verazzano Narrows Bridge into Staten Island is worth the registration fee alone.

Thanks to the snowstorm I missed Cornmeal Saturday night. This and the Neko Case fiasco and the previous week could possibly be cosmic indicators that Michelle and I should not be seeing concerts together. But we'll keep trying, since the booze tends to flow freely when we get together.

I did catch two nights of "The Tango Show", an educational tango exhibition, at HotHouse. Very enjoyable and surprising turnouts for the two nights of hard snowfall. My one concern was the drastic makeup choices of female tango fans. Friday night felt like the Night of the Mary Kay Commandos in there.

It led me to thinking that someone should do a sociological study between goth girls and tango fans.

Called Mom yesterday and caught up on the family drama. My brother and his family are planning to move back to Chicago after they get their income tax checks. None of us get along with my sister-in-law: the term "white trash" is too fitting a term for her. She's slightly off-kilter, and that's being generous. So Mom's quietly hoping that their tax return is less than expected. She can tolerate my brother's family with some miles between them. So far the near nine-hundred miles between Wisconsin and Louisiana proves to be at times a bit too close, but sufficient.

My stepfather went in for his six-week post operative check-up. He had lung cancer surgery in November and was complaining about being sore and having shortness of breath. I don't know how this bit of information was lost upon him, but he didn't realize that his surgeon removed half of his right lung.

I wondered to mom when told of that how he could not know. "Well, sometimes we just put bad things we don't want to think about out of our heads," she said.

But losing half a lung isn't just a bad thing, I said.

"He still thinks he's invulnerable." Mom has a rosy outlook toward life that chafes me sometimes.

Maybe I should build an igloo...

The windows in my living room are fogged up- a result of my running both fireplaces on medium for a half-hour. Now my apartment is like Quizno's: mmm, mmm, mmm... Toasty!!!

I knew when I was moving into this apartment that I was getting a working fireplace in the living room. I was completely shocked to find when I did the final walk-through that the landlord had installe a second, hearth-style fireplace in the kitchen. Reading up on these fireplaces I discovered that both of them contain carbon monoxide sensors that extinguish their pilot lights when a noticeable lack of oxygen is detected. How cool is that? I can let them run and not accidentally kill myself. After noticing how quickly they removed the chill in my apartment I think I'll be running them as more than mere decorations in the upcoming weeks.

From the windows that aren't laced with condensation I can see that we're getting a lot of lake effect snow swirling in the air with the shifting wind. I'm supposed to see Cornmeal at Martyrs this evening, but am working an early shift at HotHouse first. It's a tango exhibition that even in this weather is supposed to draw a packed house. I'm genuinely frightened for the safety of many of them getting there. We had 150 people show up for last night's exhibition, and that was before the snow started to drop like it was weighted. The typical five-minute cab ride home last night turned into twenty. I witnessed three spinouts last night- and that was just at the Archer Avenue Metra underpass.

As a rule I can tell how serious the snowfall is being taken by the city if I see the snow trucks idling at Archer and Halsted. Last night there were none, which told me that the trucks were on the expressways and Lake Shore Drive vainly trying to keep the main arteries to the city clear. So I wonder how many of the advanced ticket reservations will actually brave the rough travel conditions to come downtown this evening.

Best... Episode... In... Years...

that was what I thought of last night's episode of The Simpsons. In the space of twenty-two minutes, the writers managed to skewer the prescription drug lobby, corporate America, Conservative Christians, the Department of Homeland Security,racial profiling, and the Fox Network, while also paying homage to classic Disney live action adventures of the 1960's.

The highlight of the episode was a two scene sequence where, after a drug run in Canada involving Homer, Abe, Apu, and Ned, they come across Ned's Canadian Doppelganger. this leads to an extended stereo sequence of "okeley-dokeleys", Perfectly groomed Tom of Finland mustaches, and a tempting offer by the doppelganger which leads to Ned honoring a classic line from "Broadcast News". That segues into a border incident with a turba-wearing Apu that was hilarious.

That more than made up for the mild disappointment of not seing Neko Case and the Sadies Friday night. Well, that and drinking at Ginger Man Friday night. Not really feeling up to the task of looking for spare tickets in single digit cold weather, we opted for the safe comfort of seats at the bar, ogling the same bartender whose breasts seemed to defy gravity. While my partner-in-crime kept pounding back beers, I was nursing Knob Creek most of the evening. Midnight came and I made sure she made it to a cab.

I also had the honor of seeing some wonderfu sketch and improv comedy in honor of the King Day holiday, although what was onstage at times with the "pimprovisation" was just wrong. The sketch comedians did a caustic send-up of the crass co-opting of King's birthday for commercial gain with a Bay Furniture parody ("No payments or interest until 2008. It's like reparations!!") that was amazing.

Blacklisted

I was supposed to hae tickets to see Neko Case and the Sadies this evening, but the person who bought the tickets misplaced them. So I'll be heading out to Metro after this to scalp for tickets. In fifteen-degree weather.

On top of that the chicken rice soup I just made has too much dill and not enough pepper in the broth. I'm hoping letting it settle mixes the herbs and spices better.

But I did have a killer bath this evening thanks to my new guilty pleasure: bath ballistics by Lush. I was given one as a gift last week, dropped it in the tub once I was settled, and it was almost as good as having sex. Yes, I said almost. Still waters run deep, alright? So I've bathed, moisturized, fed myself, and am ready to tackle the cold looking for extra tickets to a concert I was supposed to already have tickets for. At least the faint aroma of mangoes will fill my nostrils in the cool night air this evening thanks to the shea butter I massaged into my skin like jerk seasoning.

Ah, well. I can use any form of excitement in my life right now.

A Foggy Day In Old London Town... This Isn't London

There's a slight mist rising in the air from McGuane Park this morning, a result of the angry downpour we received last night. It was hitting my windows in sheets with lightning close enough to illuminate the slicked streets for seconds at a time.

Meanwhile I watched the Bulls just spank Philadelphia last night. As popular sports radio contributor Whitley From Ravenswood told me in an IM exchange the other day, "They're playing with a clue for the first time since 1998!!"

And they are. Bill Simmons of ESPN.com had this to say about the resurgence of the Bulls: "Lemme get this straight: It's a good idea to take players who were great in college? So you're saying that, if I'm a GM and I'm following college basketball, and there are certain players who keep dominating games and helping their teams compete at the highest possible level ... those guys might become good NBA players? And I should lean towards these guys over projects who look good in workouts, summer tournaments and one-on-one games?

(Wait, how does this work again?)"

It's true. While it's still too early for the Bulls to start eyeing a playoff berth, they are competitive, play a smothering lockdown D not seen since the days of the "dobermans", are extremely well-coached, and are quickly developing a team identity. It's even more amazing when one considers that the Bulls have four rookies in their main rotation.

They have the cornerstones: Kirk Hinrich with his court smarts and long wingspan; Eddy Curry is finally starting to play in the manner expected of him; General Manager John Paxson has made some shrewd draft choices the past two years in Hinrich, Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni, Chris Duhon, and Ben Gordon.

These kids are getting a trial by fire. After an 0-9 start to the season they could have folded. They've gone 15-9 since and have peeled off two five-game winning streaks in less than a month. The mindset on West Madison is one of expecting to win nowadays. And it starts at the top with Paxson and coach Scott Skiles. They were no-nonsense, no-bullshit, hard-nosed players who have taken a solid work ethic and patient teaching skills, cleaned the organization of me-first players like Jalen Rose and Jamal Crawford, and revamped the identity of the organization. Both of them deserve consideration for Executive and Coach of the Year.

Moreover, they play the game with fun and excitement.