Panhandlers - UPDATE

I'm revisiting my blog and am hopeful I may be able to start posting again!  So much has happened since my last post in 2011, but that's a different post.

On May 16, 2011 I blogged about some observations I've made about some panhandlers I used to see frequently on my commute to work.  I wanted to share this article about Bonita Franks who I have found out is the nicely dressed, pulled-together woman that I notice out on the streets.  I hadn't seen her in a while, but have started to see her again in the last year.  Now she holds up a sort of sign resume with her name, and also what appeared to be a newspaper article.  I got her name off her sign resume and Bing'd it - Bingo I found her!  I'm relieved to see that my initial thoughts about her were accurate and she is really trying to find a job.  I'm sad for her that she was only off the street for a relatively short period of time, but she certainly keeps a good attitude and she really is a good person, just down on her luck.

Two of the other "regulars" I mentioned (the elderly African American man who would tell us when it was his birthday) and the elderly hunched over woman (one day I also noticed a huge tumor/grown on her arm the size of a tennis ball) have been gone for a t least a year.  I think about them and can't help but wonder if they are OK or if they have passed away.

Panhandlers

I've written about this before and it's something that I never quite get used to, although after working in Chicago for 14 years one would think I wouldn't even notice anymore.

I don't know what the PC term is, but I usually say panhandlers.  These are the people that hang around outside asking for money.  Some hold signs, some stand wordlessly with plastic cups in their hands, some drone on like carnival barkers "spare some change t'day?" others stand or sit in the midst of the commuter route which forces the throngs to either see them or trip over them.  Then there are the ones that bring their children with them which is particularly heart breaking.  The one woman I see frequently always has very nicely dressed children, so that gives me some comfort that they are being cared for.

There are the regulars that I get used to seeing every commute into the office and every commute out to the train; if they aren't there I notice it.  Two of these fixtures outside Union station are the elderly African-American man (he puts up a sign in July on his birthday which last year said he was 91 years old) and an older, hunched over Caucasian woman.  They each stake out their respective territories; she holds her Streetwise magazines for sale and sometimes can be seen sitting and reading.  He wears dark glasses (for the longest time I thought he was blind but have since figured out he is not) and has perfected the art of sleeping sitting up straight in his chair; now I know why he wears the dark glasses.  They are both at their stations pretty much daily, regardless of weather.

I noticed three new faces these last few weeks.   One was a nicely dressed woman in her 50s.  She wore a hat and held a sign that read "Lost my job, behind in my rent".  She placed herself in front of a large utility box, maybe as a wind break or maybe to give herself a place to lean against.  She was carefully made up and stood motionless, not saying a word.  The first time I noticed her she startled me because she was so very still until I met her gaze and she looked at me hopefully with her dark brown eyes.  She had a purse and a carry-all bag next to her, one that she may have used when she was still employed.  Something about her eyes and her quiet grace stuck with me.

Further on my commute, next to a Starbucks, was a young man who also held a cardboard sign.  His said "Out of work.  I just want to feed my Family".  He had underscored the word "Family" three times.  He didn't say anything as he stood there, shifting his weight from foot to foot, but he had a nice smile, a hopeful smile on his face, as he tried to catch someone's eye.

Then there was the older gentleman with the sign that said "Need to pay for daughter's graduation/prom".  This almost made me stop and say "are you kidding me?  Really?"  Then I thought, "well, at least he's honest".

After passing the quiet, dignified woman for several days I decided I would give her some cash.  It wasn't much, but I folded up a $5 bill and put it in my coat pocket so it would be easy to get to when I saw her.  But she wasn't there.  She wasn't there the next day or the following day either.  I wondered if she was OK and even thought that maybe she was able to find work and didn't need to ask for help anymore.

So today I walked with my $5 bill to the young man that just wanted to feed his Family.  I approached him and as I took my hand out of my pocket, he extended his.  I touched his hand and put the bill in it; he smiled and said "thank you, thank you".  I smiled and kept walking.  I heard him pause behind me and then call out "thank you so much!".  As I walked I imagined him gathering up the money he collected today and going to the store to buy groceries.  I hope that is what he is going to do and I wish him the best of luck.

Open Containers & Take Your Child To Work

Judging by the number of children on the train this morning, and walking around the Loop with their parents I'm assuming it was "Take Your Child to Work" day. I think this is a great idea, but why don't they do it during the summer when the kids are off anyways? I'd like to expose my kids to what I do for work, taking the train into Chicago, etc but I don't think it should supercede them being in school. I was happy to see that my employer decided to schedule their own "Take Your Child to Work" day and it will be in June.

On my way walking to the train this evening I saw a tall blonde woman that I often see on my walk to the train. Today I glanced over to her and noticed she was taking a drink from a small bottle of white wine! It was one of those screw top, single serving bottles. She was taking swigs and walking as if this was a normal thing to do; but it struck me as odd. I guess the fact that it was a bottle of wine kind of threw me - if she was drinking a Sprite I don't think I would have even noticed. As I was walking and pondering this I started to wonder "isn't that considered an open container?" and "can you walk through the streets of Chicago guzzling your white wine even if it is a single serving bottle?" Maybe she had a lot of people at her office that brought their children to work today and she really needed that post work drink.

Permanent Solution to a Temporary Problem part 2

You have got to be kidding me. Although that doesn't sound like the right thing to say about this given that someone took their own life, but I cannot believe another person has jumped from a building in Chicago. Right on the path I use to walk to work, no less.

From today's Chicago Tribune:

"The person who died in a fall from the Civic Opera House this morning was a 19-year-old woman, police said this afternoon. An earlier report incorrectly identified the victim as a man.
The woman's identify has not yet been made public, nor the circumstances of the fall. Police continue to investigate but said they were treating the death as a possible suicide.
Emergency crews responded to a call about 8:49 a.m. of someone falling from the 40th floor of 20 N. Wacker Dr., said News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak. The building is the home to the Lyric Opera."

I walk by this building EVERY morning and EVERY evening on Wacker Dr. If I miss my usual train, I am walking this route at the time this woman apparently jumped. I can't even phathom what I would have done had this happened in front of me, or within eyesight of me, not to mention, did she fall on someone? There are a lot of commuters out at that hour - the Lyric Opera building is right across from Union Station.

Permanent Solution to a Temporary Problem

This happened two blocks from my office this morning.

As I'm reading some of the posts at the end of the article I can't believe that someone actually witnessed this person falling. I can't begin to imagine how horrifying that was.

I also wondered about the need to post the picture of the car; showing the results of an impact between a body falling from X number of stories on to a steel and glass. It felt a bit gratuitious which is why I decided not to post the picture here. Thank God there is no obvious blood.

Unfortunately, in my line of work I do see this happen; in fact I have had a record number of people falling/jumping from high-rise buildings in the last 18 months - it's been over 5 whereas prior to that I could count on one hand how many I had in 18 years. With the economic times as they are sadly this spike over the last 1 1/2 years doesn't seem like a coincidence.

Chicago Olympics 2016

Olympics in Chicago 2016. Could it really happen? It seems surreal to think that an Olympics could be held that close to my hometown and that I would be able to be part of them. My children would be old enough to remember the excitement and while the commute to work would probably be an absolute nightmare, I think overall it would be a really wonderful thing to happen to the City.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is sending around an electronic petition - if you see fit please sign your name to it (I already have!) and maybe, just maybe Chicago can pull this off.

Pickchicago2016

Chicago Politics - WWALD?

Just what would Abe Lincoln do? Think? Say? Or would he be curled up in a ball hiding in the corner just thinking about what politics in Chicago has become.

You may have heard that the Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, was arrested today (this afternoon he was released on $4500 bond) and faces corruption charges involving the newly vacated Obama senate seat, the Chicago Cubs and Children's Memorial Hospital.

It seems especially ironic that in the wake of Obama's victory and path to the presidency, which was built on his image as a man of integrity, honesty and change, we have Blagojevich who is trying to enrich himself by alledgedly trying to sell the vacant senate seat to the highest bidder? He is looking for the best deal and if no one gives him that well, then he'll just appoint himself.

I sat next to a man on the train ride home today and noticed he had printed and was reading the lengthy criminal complaint outlining just what Blagojevich had alledgedly said/done. Turns out he works for the Chicago Tribune himself and his brother-in-law is the one that broke this case. I congratulated him and then peered over his shoulder to read some of what the Governor, and even his wife, alledgedly said. It was disgusting, appalling and down right low class, some of the things they said and demands they made. I can't believe those words were coming out of the mouths of the Governor and First Lady of Illinois; incidentally, after reading the affadavit I use the word "lady" very loosely.

My first brush with Chicago politics and all the ugliness and dirt that can come with it was six years ago when my former employer was indicted by the FBI and is now in prison. He was said to be extremely politically connected in Chicago and the word was the vigor with which he was prosecuted was in order to make him an example. But he never cracked, talked or gave up any of his friends - or cronies as the paper said. I lived through all of that craziness and if nothing else I walked away realizing that you really can't (shouldn't) believe everything you read in the paper. I saw first hand how various situations ended up as carefully crafted (and sensationalistic) headlines. Never again will I read something and assume it is so; there are always two sides to the story.

However, with this one, I find it hard to believe there is anything that can redeem the Governor and his behavior, especially in light of the fact that his predecessor, former Governor George Ryan, himself is currently six and a half years for his racketeering and fraud gubernatorial missteps. Is that not enough to strike fear into one's heart and make them cross their "t's" and dot their "i's" knowing that they are also under the same type of scrutiny? The words "narcissist" and "sociopath" have been used to describe our Governor and now I understand why.

Ironically, just last week there were some stories about a push to have Ryan's sentence commuted; yes he is 74, and yes his wife is ailing and this and that. But I don't feel sorry for him - he did the crime so do the time. Look on the bright side Mr. Ryan; soon you may have another former Illinois governor to keep you company.

Take Your Blog to Work Day

Have you heard of "Take Your Child to Work Day"? Well, my kids are too young for that yet so I decided to take all of you with me on my commute to and from work. I thought it might be fun to share some of what I experience every day.

I've heard us commuters referred to as "cattle" and while I find that reference kind of offensive I guess when you see the mass of slow moving people all going east (in the morning) and west (in the evening) we do kind of look like cattle. Many of us just put our heads down and walk, knowing that our feet will get us to work without our brains really having to think about it.

Some days you will get dripped on when the window washers are working up on their scaffolds, so when you see soapy drips on the sidewalk you know to steer clear and do NOT look up! This particular morning a man was cleaning this metal pillar with soapy water and a rag. Yup, good old-fashioned soap and elbow grease! These buildings are beautiful and I can't imagine the cost to maintain them, including all the little things like washing all the windows regularly and keeping all the shiny metal looking good. I haven't washed the windows of my house and I've lived in it for four years.

This is a rare sight - a vacant lot. It seems to be in a prime location so I'm surprised someone hasn't built something on it. I used to be able to cut across this lot and shave a few seconds off my walk but then several years ago they put up the fencing. Shortly after that I saw that it was being used to store movie equipment when they were filming the Batman movies - "Batman Returns" and most recently "Dark Knight". I saw cars with the Gotham City PD emblem on them parked there as well as row after row of trailers for the extras.


Almost every morning I walk down Wells St. and get a chance to see this adult video/bookstore sandwiched between two fast food restaurants. It always makes me laugh a little - grab your take-out lunch at AsiaGo or Taco Fresco and then stop in the adult video store before heading back to work? In fact, in addition to this store I have counted three adult video/bookstores within a two block radius of my office. I'm not sure what that says...

Ahhhh, good old Standard Parking. If you ever drive into Chicago you'll probably park at one of these and it is NOT cheap. So take public transportation if you can! I wonder how this company was able to get a corner on the parking garage business...

I had to get a picture of the Sears Tower - can you see it peeking out? It has the two-pronged white antenna sticking up.

Here is another shot looking south towards the Sears Tower

I have been watching this construction project for quite a while, from when it was at ground level. Oddly about six months ago all work seemed to stop. Now with the financial crisis I wonder if this was a little foreshadowing of what was to come. These are "hotel condos" which I don't know a whole lot about but I understand that when you are not living in your unit you can have it used as part of the hotel option which can earn you some cash flow. But the building has to be finished first...

This is The Merchandise Mart - it is a huge building and actually has its own zip code as well as a lot of interesting history. You can't help but feel its presence when you walk by.

Marina Towers - you may recognize them from the opening credits of the "Bob Newhart Show" (I'm dating myself) or the crash scene from "The Hunter" when a car drives off the building and into the Chicago River below. The famous "House of Blues" is also located in Marina City.

You can also see the new Trump Tower, which is under construction, in the background. The old Sun Times building was razed to build the Trump Tower; while I am normally against tearing down perfectly functional structures in this case it was a definite improvement. The prior building was hideous and hugely non descript. In fact the building they moved into now is still pretty much just a brown shoe box... nothing like the beautiful Tribune Tower but I digress...

Just an interesting shot looking down Wacker Drive...

Ahhh, the elevated train! aka "the el". This is why the heart of Chicago's downtown is called "the loop" because of the pattern that the el tracks form.

It is absolutely deafening walking under the tracks when a train is going by, but you really feel you are in a bustling city when it does.



One of the many high rise office buildings I have seen go up. It's really fascinating to see them go up from literally a hole in the ground to this point and beyond. "Awwww, I remember when you were just a muddy hole in the ground - look how big you are now!!"

The Lyric Opera is right near Union Station which makes me think it would be ultra convenient to take the train into the city, catch a performance and then hop a train back home. Unfortunately, I don't care for opera... I wish I did, but I don't.

I feel very cultured every time I just walk by their entryway - just look at how pretty and elegant it is. This is one of the various street performers I see and hear on a daily basis. He is a regular and I really enjoy hearing him play his makeshift drums. He is always so upbeat (no pun intended) and seems to really enjoy himself. He changes what he plays and sings based on if the Bears are winning, or if it's Christmas time. Having played an instrument when I was younger I know how hard it is and always appreciate it when I hear a street musician playing and I make sure to let them know by dropping a few dollars in their bucket.

The water taxi - I love this idea and although I don't use it anymore (I walk instead) one summer season I used it every day and it was a wonderful way to start and end my day. The ride is only about seven minutes up the river but something about being on the water is so soothing.
This man is a bit of a puzzle to me. I've seen him for at least five years - interestingly he started out sitting in a wheelchair (always has had the dark glasses on but recently I saw him do something that makes me thing he isn't blind). About two years ago he switched to a regular chair, then crates and now in the last few weeks he has started to stand with his hands out. He doesn't say anything but is very friendly if you talk to him. He also used to have a different religious themed quote on a large piece of poster board that he had propped next to him. He has phased that out but will occasionally put a poster out - one of the recent ones was in July when he announced his 91st birthday.

He is one of three people that are always posted right outside the train station - I wonder if some of the changes he has made has been to "compete" with the other people asking for money? One of them is an elderly woman who sells "Streetwise" a publication for homeless people to sell to try and earn money, and another very frail looking man who holds a piece of cardboard saying he is a Veteran. Interesting how they all seem to appeal to different groups of people...

And here I am, at the end of my day and hopping the train to go home.

Hope you enjoyed your little virtual tour of Chicago!

Telecommuting

Another great factoid from my "Living Green - 365 Ways to Make a Difference" calendar:

"Telecommuters say they stay fresh on the job and save lots on commuting costs. They also produce a measurable reduction in each day’s accumulation of smog and greenhouse gases.With just a tenth of the workforce telecommuting one day a week, more than 1.2 million gallons of fuel would be saved and more than 12,000 tons of pollution kept out of the air."

Occasionally I do telecommute and I find it to be some of my most productive time - first, I can be at work ten minutes after getting out of the shower and getting dressed. Second, I have none of the distractions (annoyances!!) of working in a setting that can sometimes get very loud. Lastly, I get the added benefit (both healthwise and moneywise) of being able to make my own lunch in my own kitchen - eating out every day gets expensive and many times I am not organized enough to get a brown bag lunch organized to take to work.

The downside is I don't get my 2 mile/day walk to and from the train and sometimes it does get a little lonely being at home and away from the hubbub of an office.

Adios Bar Cars

Metra announced today that they will elminate the "bar cars" from the commuter trains. Yay!

I won't miss 'em. If you can't make it for a 30-60 minute train ride (depending on your destination) without access to alcohol then I think you have a much bigger problem. Plus it was always a hassle when you had to pass through these cars to get to the passenger cars on the other side - people standing there, alcohol in hand, gabbing it up and apparently oblivious to the fact they were actually on a commuter train and people needed to pass by. It just seemed ridiculous. Good riddance!

License Suspended

Chicago Tribune photo

Not mine!

Theirs -> Fulton's on the River What makes this even more gross is that I took business colleagues there for lunch three weeks ago... ick!

If you allow yourself to really start thinking about all the gross, disgusting stuff that could be happening to your food while it is being prepared (did they wash their hands properly? did they sneeze on it? was the waitress mad at me and did she spit in it?) you will never want to eat out again. So, I try not to let this stuff get to me, but I do think that Fulton's is now officially off my roster of lunch restaurants. Too bad, they have a lovely location right on the river too :-(

Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's

Chicago Tribune photo
Somehow, I don't think this is the kind of rocking and rolling they want at the famed Rock 'n' Roll McDonalds in the River North neighborhood. Even more scary is that it's within walking distance of my office. I guess I'm glad all this happened at 4 a.m.

Common Sense

There have just been all kinds of crazy things popping up on my commute lately. One phenomenon was mentioned in a few articles in the Tribune yesterday - namely people who walk and text at the same time. You can read one of those articles here .

Then you have the cell phone talkers; people jabbering on their cell phones - they kind of behave just like they do when they are driving and talking - they slow down when they are walking, don't pay attention to what's going on around them, etc. I can't imagine how much of what they say is heard and vice versa (if you have ever walked under the el when a train was going by you know what I mean).

Then I started to notice people reading. Books. While they were walking through the Loop on their way to work. How the heck do you read a novel and walk through rush hour traffic in a busy city like Chicago? Obviously there is a safety issue - believe me the streets (and sidewalks) of Chicago are not in pristine condition; there are cracks, holes, construction cones, spit blobs (or worse) that I tend to want to notice well in advance so I can walk around them.

Then from a practical standpoint - just how enjoyable is reading while you are walking? Generally when I am reading a novel (versus say a business report, or trying to quickly absorb something for a meeting) I am reading for pleasure. I want to be in a relaxing atmosphere, maybe have my feet up and something to drink. I do not want to try and negotiate the city streets with one eye while trying to read the latest John Grisham book. How much fun is that?

So, texting, talking, reading all while walking through the City of Chicago. You have to wonder... which leads me to part II of this post. I think it dovetails nicely, don't you? (thanks to my Dad who faithfully forwards me all of those internet chain mails he gets, bless his heart)

Obituary for Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

Knowing when to come in out of the rain.
Why the early bird gets the worm.
Life isn't always fair.
Maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies: don't spend more than you can earn and reliable strategies: adults not children are in charge.

His health began to deteriorate when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Tylenol, sunscreen lotion or a band-aid to a student but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when it became punishable for you to defend yourself from a burglar in your own home but the burglar could sue you for assault.

He began to lose ground rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student only worsened his condition.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled it in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement by a jury of her peers.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents Truth and Trust; his wife Discretion; his Daughter Responsibility; and his son Reason.

He is survived by his 3 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else Is To blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing...

Hershey Store Robbery

If I was going to rob a store, this is probably what I would do. Forget about the cash, give me the chocolate!

Seriously though, this happened right on Michigan Avenue which is a tourist mecca and generally busy, even later at night. Guess someone really needed their sugar and decided to risk it. Maybe they didn't know the Ghiradelli store is only a few blocks north of the Hershey store?? But you know what, I prefer Hershey's too. You can't go wrong with a classic Hershey bar. Or two. Or three...

You can read the story from The Chicago Tribune right here.

(Minor) Celebrity Sighting

I've worked in Chicago for 10 years or so; in that time I have bumped into several celebrities.

Last year I saw Matthew Modine walking in the Loop - he really blended in and looked just like a tourist with his camera around his neck. The next day I read in the paper he was in town for a play he was in. Then there was Jerry Springer and Chris Farley (they each lived in the residential side of the building I worked in), Stedman Graham (got to stand right next to him in the elevator for 5 floors). Various athletes too - Frank Thomas (had an office in the same building I worked in), Phil Jackson (he practically filled up the entire revolving door at Water Tower Place), Toni Kukoc(at Bob Chinn's Crabhouse), Bill Cartwright (riding his bike down my street).

For those of you who know Chicago the names Harry Caray, Steve Stone and The Cubs are familiar to you, you know their relationship to each other and their level of Chicago "celebrity".
Before Harry Caray died a several years ago he opened a restaurant called Harry Caray's; of course it is a Cubs themed restaurant and bar and it also has pretty good food too. I go there every so often for lunch and for speed's sake we usually sit in the bar area so we can get our food quickly and get back to work.

Yesterday a friend and I were sitting at a table in the bar and in walks Steve Stone (on his cell phone, of course). He went straight to the back of the bar area and sat down (this happened to be at the table immediately behind my friend and I). I noticed him walk in but didn't really think much of it other than "he sure is short!". I also had my back to him once he sat down so it was easy not to look. However, the tourist family sitting in front of me were very excited to see a Chicago celebrity and the woman (also sitting with her back to Steve Stone) kept twisting her head to look behind her and see what SS was doing, or perhaps who he was meeting for lunch. She did this repeatedly - probably 10 times in the period of 20 minutes; each time she craned her neck around she had to look at me first, since I was in front of SS. After the first two times I have to tell you it became really annoying and I wanted to say "could you just sit forward and please eat your lunch!".

So, while I'm no celebrity I was unexpectedly able to experience what it's like when someone is gawking at you while you are just trying to quietly eat your lunch. Worse yet, this was just one nosey woman - imagine what it's like when there is a hoard of people or if you are an A-list celebrity, it really must be a nightmare.

In the past I never approached these people or acknowledged them anyways - mostly because 1) I like to give them their privacy, 2) I don't want to make their heads any bigger than they already may be and 3) I guess I like to have a little dignity and somehow gushing over them or asking for an autograph just seems silly. However, now that I have had a taste of what it feels like to be in their shoes I'll be sure to continue to pretend I don't notice them.

Surprise Assault

Below is a letter to the editor I wrote to the Chicago Tribune earlier this week. It was posted in their "Online Exclusives" where other people can input thoughts and comments.

******************************************************

I was assaulted on my way to the train Monday evening.

It happened as I turned from Wacker to Madison, heading toward Union Station. I missed the first attack - I was too busy talking - but the second one hit me squarely in the gut.

It took me a minute to figure out what it was - and suddenly, with horror, I realized I was looking at a poster-sized photo of a baby that had been dismembered - I'm assuming this was the aftermath of a partial birth abortion, as the image I saw was of an infant's head missing its jaw and its body, tissue hanging from the base of its head.The people committing this assault on me where holding these posters followed by a religious message which I hardly noticed since by the third poster I was sick to my stomach and on the verge of tears.

This is not the first time I have been subjected to this on my way to the train after work. Why is this okay? What if my child had been walking with me? It's summertime, after all, and some people bring their kids to their office as a treat. How are these horrifying, graphic images any different than someone standing there with poster-sized pornographic photos? Why are these people allowed to forcibly subject the unsuspecting public to this? I had a lump in my throat the rest of the evening. This assault and the group of people that inflicted it upon me is not something I will soon forget nor forgive.

Deadly Chocolate Fumes

A story that caught my eye today in the Tribune:

"Chicago worker dies after deadly fumes released at Blommer Chocolate factory" http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chocolate-factory-death-09-bjun09,0,4477418.story

What a bizarre event and I'm sorry to see that a man died, but the fact that it happened at a chocolate factory makes it even more odd and is probably why the Trib picked up the story.

The Blommer Chocolate factory was also in the news a few years ago because someone complained about the "odors" their factory emitted. Yes, believe it or not a resident who was new to the area actually filed a complaint about the chocolate smell that wafted from the Blommer factory and perfumed the air of the surrounding neighborhood.

I, myself have smelled the odors/aromas (depending on who you are talking to) that the resident complained about and believe me - they are absolutely heavenly! The smell wasn't there every day, so it was always an extra special treat when I left my office and was greeted with a whiff of chocolate in the air. It was a creamy, dark chocolately, brownie-like aroma and it always made me take a deep breath, sigh and smile. I guess if I lived in the surrounding neighborhood maybe it would get annoying but oooooooooh, I was really angry that the complaint filer was ruining it for everyone by blowing the whistle on Blommer's - what a jerk!

Later I learned that apparently from an EPA standpoint a factory is supposed to contain their emissions, however delicious smelling they may be. I believe that Blommer's was obligated to eventually do something to keep their chocolate smells to themselves which certainly is too bad for me and the other commuters who enjoyed that little whiff of heaven on their walk to work.

Taxi Crash Injures 3

This car accident was big news this morning. You can read the story here .

Chicago Tribune photo

Not only do I use Union Station myself but the crash occurred just around the corner from where I start my daily walk to work. I don't want to be draumatic - and thankfully no one was killed - but I guess I am thinking "there but for the grace of God go I" just a little bit.

A couple of thoughts crossed my mind after reading the news story. First, I note that the taxi cab passenger refused treatment; hopefully she/he didn't need it because she was wearing her seatbelt. Do you ever catch yourself NOT using the seatbelt when you are in a cab? I absolutely always use my seat belt in my own car but for some reason I didn't use it in a cab until a few years ago. That's when someone pointed out the irony of the fact that while I religiously use my seatbelt when I'm the driver I get careless when I am the passenger in the vehicle of someone that I have never met and have no idea just how good a driver they are. That really hit home for me and I've been buckling up in cabs ever since.

The second thought I had involves the fact that two innocent pedestrians were struck and injured. I have noticed that the pedestrians in Chicago sure get a chip on their shoulder when they are crossing the streets; they walk out in front of cars/buses/bicycle messengers assuming that all motor vehicles will yield to the almighty pedestrian. Well, maybe they will, maybe they won't or maybe they can't. I don't want to be on the losing end of the gamble that the person behind the wheel of a given method of transportation is 1) paying attention 2) has good use of all his faculties and 3) that his brakes/steering, etc work properly. I'd rather err on the side of caution, stop and wait my turn to cross at the corner when I have the light.

In the case this morning it sounds like the two pedestrians were just standing on the sidewalk and they were still struck by the cab. This brings me to my third thought. There are many, many times when I am walking through the city, to or from the train station, and I find myself in my own world and on auto-pilot. I really do not pay attention to anything other than the color of the street light. Sometimes I get to my office and I can't remember anything about my walk - I just put one foot in front of the other and arrive at work or at the train.

Having read about what happened to these people definitely will stay with me, at least for some time, and I will try and be much more engaged while I'm winding my way through our busy and unpredictable city streets.

Gas and Oreos

This morning I was doing what I do every morning on the train ride in to Chicago. I read my newspaper (The Chicago Tribune - NEVER the Sun Times!!!) I came across two articles that I thought I would share with you.

The first one made me groan - it read "Chicago has highest gas price in U.S." which immediately made me think "I'm so grateful that I take Metra to work and do not have to drive." In fact, since I do take public transportation daily I only put about 5,000 miles per year on my car. Whew.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-gas-prices-chicago-link,0,1017882.storylink

The second one was much less serious and something about it made me chuckle a bit. It read "Got milk? Crash strews Oreos over I-80". It reminded me about a client of mine that had a fire several years ago in their marshmallow production facility. I couldn't help but wonder if the place smelled like roasted marshmallows after they put the fire out... Of course I didn't share that thought with my client :-)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/blotter/chi-oreos-crash-web-may20,0,49762.story

Commuter Diary part II

"I found solace in my makeup bag. Taking control of my looks gives me confidence."

- from the current issue of Marie Claire

During my daily commute to work I have been able to look over many a shoulder and see what my fellow commuters are reading or working on. We have knitters and needleworkers, sleepers, iPod-listeners and of course many readers. Some are reading books that I role my eyes at (those corset-busting romance novels - why even bother?) others are reading books that look WAY beyond my intellectual capacity (I look at those readers with some envy and wished I could appreciate and understand a book like that).

Then we have the newspaper and magazine readers. The most outrageous magazine reader I have seen was a few years ago. He was the guy that pulled a magazine out of a brown wrapper (no, I am NOT kidding)! Thankfully, I was sitting across the aisle from him and not next to him, but I could see the reflection of the magazine cover in the window next to him and it was Hustler. Yup, this guy was reading a Hustler magazine on the commuter train during rush hour. Hmmmm, maybe he really DOES only read it for the articles (but isn't that what they say about Playboy??). Needless to say it creeped me out and I got up and moved to another seat. Just knowing he was sitting a few feet away reading Hustler was just too gross.

Anyway, yesterday evening my seatmate on the train was reading Marie Claire. In my mind that's one of those fluffy, full-of-advertisements and silly articles rags that I wouldn't bother to pick up even in a doctor's waiting room. So, I guess I wasn't too surprised when I glanced over and saw the quote that I listed above. I read it and paused for a second then re-read it and thought WTF??? "I found solace in my make-up bag?" You have got to be kidding me! How pathetic and shallow is that?

I guess this is a sore subject for me. I've never been a primper with all the hair and make-up gadgets. One of the things that my husband loves about me is that I can get out of bed and out the door in less than 30 minutes if I have to (having naturally curly hair helps me there). Sometimes I do look at the perfectly coiffed women, with the lovely manicures and pretty eye-makeup and I'm jealous. I know I can do better. I know I should do better, but I don't. At this point I feel like in the grand scheme of life who cares?

OK, I guess I do. At least a little bit. When I am nicely made up and have an outfit on that I know looks good it DOES boost my confidence and I feel great. I think "why don't I do this all the time?".

I notice one woman on the train that has a different purse EVERYDAY to coordinate with her outfit. When I started to notice that it blew my mind and I would have to search her out everyday to see what purse she had and it was never a duplicate from the day before. She also had the hair, make-up and nails as well as a gym card on her keyring (I notice all the obscure odds and ends - I know, it's weird).

So this woman, who does not get home any earlier than me, somehow has time to work out, make dinner, eat dinner, clean up the kitchen, get organized for work the next day, change her purse to match her outfit, pay some bills, do some laundry, maybe get some relaxation time in and get to bed. It made my head spin and I envied her. How did she do it?? Incidentally she had a baby last year and stopped working in the city. I see her dropping her husband off at the train and she usually has sunglasses on and a pony tail which I'm sure has to do with the fact that the baby is running the show now. It made me feel better. Just a little :-)

So maybe someday I will have the time to find solace in my make-up bag (actually, I don't even carry a make-up bag. You don't need one when all you wear is eyeliner and mascara). Or maybe not. Maybe (hopefully) I will find solace in being a good person and a good mommy and a good wife.