Not a Maoist, just a Realist

With our flat land and straight streets, bicycle is really the best way
to travel during Chicago's warmer months. For most excursions its
faster than walking, obviously, but it's also quicker than driving
within a few miles because its easier to find a parking space. I prefer
biking over public transportation because there is no standing around
waiting for a bus or train and it brings you right up to the door of
where you need to be. The only mode of transportation I like better are
taxi's but most taxi rides cost more than what I make in an hour, so
they are saved for special occaisions, rainy days, and late nights.

Whoooooooooosh!

p.s. This is a pic of the back door to the IO training center on a
typical Sunday. There are at least 5 more bikes out of view of the
picture.

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Found this quiz on Maggie's blog. I'm not too surprised with the results. ZC had told me I was a Maoist because I'm really into bicycles. But I'll take Socialist because that means I scored the same as BONO!

You are a Social Liberal (78% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (18% permissive) You are best described as a: Socialist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

Church Friends

Yes, I have church friends again. They are cool though! We meet
officially every other week, usually to reflect on the word of God and
get lit (by the Holy Spirit of course). Actually we have a tradition of
drinking 3 beers in honor of the Holy Trinity. And then we start
telling jokes in Spanish and passing out sandwiches and condoms to the
homeless gay prostitute teenagers down the street. Good times. My self
esteem seriously went WAY up when a drag queen asked me to ditch the
Night Ministry volunteers to go clubbing with her the other night. You
know you got moves when drag queens wanna dance with you!

Starving artist gets lunch

So I don't know if I've really mentioned this, but I have NO money.
Seriously.

I love my job at Curves, but I only get like 20 hours a week. The rest
of the time I have been free to apply for more jobs, loaf around, or
spend money I don't have seeing Chicago. I am literally a starving
artist. I've lost like 15 lbs this summer. It's crazy. I should write
a book on losing weight. It will be a huge expensive hard back book
with like 500 blank pages. On the last page it will say, "Thanks for
the money! Now stop buying food, fattie."

Ahh... the life of the tortured staving artist. It's a lot less
romantic than it sounds. I'm actually thankful for the minimum wage job
I just scored at Quiznos. Yes. I'm making sandwiches. I never thought
I'd be back at a job that involved buckets of sanitized water... but
here I am!

So now I work at a fast food place in the morning, and a gym in the
afternoon. Equal hours at each. I'm so happy my life is so balanced.

At least now with my 50% discount on lunch I'm more likely to get at
least one balanced meal a day and will be able to save the ramen for
weekends and special occaisions. I still have to work on getting more
fruits and veggies in my diet. Quiznos has salads... but I made them
today, so I know better. Perhaps when a fresh shipment of bagged
lettuce comes in I will give them a try.

So I'm getting by for now, but if anyone has any connections to any
office jobs in Chicago, PLEASE let me know. I do have a security
clearance. I can make a Chicken Cabo on Wheat at the SECRET level.

Yeah! I rock!

Overdue Roadtrip Quotes

Me: Wow, this is exciting, its my first time in Ohio.
Termite: How does it feel?
Me: It feels like I have to pee.
-----
Termite (reading sign): Falling Rock?
Me: Just the one.
-----

High on Greenery and Protein

...or was it the "Horney Monkey" Tikki Drink?

A great conversation over an awesome meal can linger in your mind for
days. Especially when healthy food and close friends are both so
terribly scarce.

Yesterday I had the BEST meal I've had since moving to Chicago. The
Flat Top Grill remains my favorite restaurant EVER. Thanks for the gift
certificates, Mom! Happy Birthday ZM!

Haiku

I had a weird dream
Mentioned but not visible
You weren't really there

I HATE CATS

Zach C. and Reggie

I'm posting a pic of a small furry creature to please the people. I expect comments! Comments from the PEOPLE!

Speaking of the power of the people... the Spiderman of labor unions, Zach C., stopped by Chitown this weekend on his cross country trip moving back home from L.A. to D.C. We went to a party, an South American restaurant, a Chicago dog stand, an improv show, a gay dance club, a dive bar, back to the hotdog place, and to a German deli.

These pics are from the picnic of sandwiches and German potato salad we had in Lincoln Square. I know its hard to tell them apart, but the furry readhead on the right is Reggie the cat. He was being buried in leaves by a gang of noisy midgets, till the moms of the midgets took them away. Then he came over and pushed me out of my seat so he could get to some of that awesome potato salad.

It was a full weekend.

I have a Question: Why do I always refer to Monday and Tuesday as the weekend?

You can run but...

So I thought I could get through the day without people talking about
what day it was. I mean both my parents happened to call me "because
they hadn't heard from me in a while" and I didn't think twice about it
except that it was an odd coincidence. Then I went to the Young Adults
meeting at my church this evening. Leave it to the Catholics...

They decided to have a "quick little Sept 11th reflection" Everyone said
where they were that day. Everyone but me. I was too busy breathing.
Yes I still get the panic attacks. I remember exactly what the cloud of
smoke looked like. Yes I can still smell it. I can still feel the
buttons of my cold black Samsung Sprint flip phone that just wouldn't
fucking work!! No matter how hard I willed it to. I remember feeling
like a 2 year old lost in a burning building in a sea of people looking
for my mother and trying to call my father. Just to say I'm alive. Not
ok, but alive.

I didn't share because my reflection wouldn't be "quick" or "little" and
as my pulse raced I didn't really have a choice. The discussion leader
didn't press me to speak. Maybe he noticed that my face was red hot and
I was chewing on my hand and shaking. But luckily the subject turned to
Katrina. With over 10,000 Louisiana refugees moving to Chicago, maybe
next time we reflect on a tragedy someone else will be in the hotseat,
and I can go back to my blissful denial.

It's the reason I quit my cushy government job to become an actor. So
basically its the reason I'm here in Chicago... Seeking refuge and
community in this church group... Who in turn pour salt on my wounds.
Its ironic how things run full circle like that.

I'm exhausted, I feel like I ran a mile tonight. I'm not writing all
this to make any of you worry. I'm just sharing the dark side of myself
to be honest.

Besides, there are a lot of people worse off than me. Lets all say a
little prayer for them.

Noisy Germans

wie gehts?

So I got woken up today by this, The Von Steuben Parade. So I watched
it from my window.

The Story of the Improv Olympic 25th Anniversary:

Once upon a time there was a girl named Meegs. She really wanted go home and visit her family and friends, but the evil Zach left without her and she was stranded in Chicago. No money, no friends, and nobody to help her move into her new apartment.


So to make the best of things, she decided to go to the big IO 25th Anniversary shows happening all weekend. Now this seemed an impossible task, considering Meegs didn't have a ticket to any of the sold out shows, but she figured she could at least make a fool of herself by sitting on the sidewalk outside the theatre.




While she was sitting outside the theatre, cardboard sign in hand, looking pathetic, Mo Collins came outside to smoke a cigarrette. Mo took pity on the sad little Meegs on the ground, but alas had no ticket to give her.




Finally after over an hour of being dissed by the standing and walking people on the sidewalk, a kind lady offered Meegs a spare ticket to the late show, know as "The Armando Diaz Theatrical Experience and Hootenanny" to begin at 10:30. Meegs was so happy, since this was the show she REALLY wanted to attend! Meeg's new friend had another spare ticket to sell and a nearby bicycle-rikshaw driver asked her for it. She rejoiced at selling her tickets and went in to the early show.

Don't encourage her! Meegs' energy was renewed by this successful transaction and hung out by the door a little longer, even though she had been asked to move. Pretty soon a young gentleman came out of the theatre saying, "I heard someone out here is looking for a ticket." YES! 2 for 2! So Meegs entered the show "Messing with A.Dick" (Susan Messing and Andy Dick) with her new friend Earl.

Meegs and Earl accidentally sat right next to her other new friend Mary. After talking for a while Mary and Meegs agreed that the bike-riksha guy was kinda sketchy and that Earl should take the ticket to the 10:30 show. Earl was quite happy to oblige and the three new friends enjoyed both shows together.



After the show Meegs partied with Tim Meadows and several other celebs including Rachel Dratch, Amy Pohler, Andy Richter, Andy Dick and her new friend Mo Collins.


The next evening, Meegs took her signage downtown to the big celebration at the Chicago Theatre. Hoping to see Mike Myers and Horatio Sands. ... and she did (cameras were not allowed inside the theatre)...and they all lived happily ever after!

Things have been crazy this week. I got sick, rejected by multiple potential employers, broke the law, flew on a plane, saw some family, got a pedicure, drove for 12 hours in a car with butt warmers, peed in Ohio for the first time, took boat ride, and randomly ran into an LA friend who was visiting Chicago for one day.

Unfortunately I took pictures the old fashioned way, so I'm still waiting to get them back.



Meanwhile, here's a random picture of Z stalking Elija Wood on Michigan Ave: