Chicago has a certain amount of tourism that goes on (particularly in my part of town). Often a motor coach full of dumb struck tourists fights its way through the downtown traffic until it finds whatever landmark or shopping mecca it’s looking for and then parks itself in the right line of the street – usually blocking a CTA stop – so that it’s inhabitants can shuffle off onto the sidewalk. Often the busses are hired from the middle of nowhere, driven by someone not familiar with Chicago’s downtown traffic, and filled with 80 year old Christmas shoppers.

You can imagine a coach full of elderly shoppers and how long such a disembarkment might take. Typically you’ll have at least one CTA bus and a bakers dozen of cabs honking and swearing.

Last night as I was walking to Water Tower to buy a new coat I saw many of these motor coaches. One of them nearly hit me and had no apparent concern for the pedestrians who had the right of way. You can imagine my reaction, but before I could muster up a verbal assault that might shame the driver and any passengers who might have otherwise taken his side … I got a good look at the driver … it was Santa.

The driver was all decked out in a full Santa suit and beard … and he cheerfully waved at me as he drove by.

Brilliant.

Just Brilliant.

Who is gonna flip off Santa!? This guy had the ultimate anti-road-rage solution. Santa.

Naturally my concise but stinging evaluation of his understanding of traffic laws died in my throat … and I almost – ALMOST – waved back at the endearing symbol of Christmas.

Brilliant.

Now, if you are Doug or Jana – having seen the coats I was thinking about buying – you will be wondering which coat I purchased. And this might make for a fun little guessing game. You can make your guess as a comment on this blog:

Which coat do you think I purchased?

1. The stylish one
   

2. The warm one
   

3. neither … I found one somewhere in the middle ground.

Well all I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. Mine was good. I went back to Rochester for about 4 days and relaxed, which was nice.

While sadly I did not win the euchre ‘game’ that is played every year, I did to quite well in the newest tradition … poker. It came down to me and Doug, naturally.

I’ve got next to nothing to report really. This week promises to be a busy one at work, and I’m already looking forward to the weekned.

I’ll try to come up with something more entertaining to blog about on Monday … but Monday’s aren’t usually a good blog day.

Well folks, we are approaching “The Holidays”. I’m sure many of us (Gina) are still in the warm afterglow of Halloween and the mountains of candy it leaves on our living room floors. But now we’re a matter of days to Turkey Day, which is – as we all know – just a stone’s throw to Christmas.

Have you ever been minding your own business when out of nowhere, BAM, you’re hit with this appreciation of the holiday’s creeping up on you? You know … when you’re otherwise perfectly willing to continue on your way oblivious and apathetic toward the world around you when you are suddenly pulled abruptly into the holiday spirit by a nearby pine scented something, or a cheery shopping center carol-spewing speaker, or even just a brisk fresh winter breeze that takes you back to the excitement of the free-spirited not-so-distant past holiday seasons? Walking down a busy sidewalk suddenly for the first time noticing the now month old lights on the pine trees and tinsel laden shop window displays and you just cant help but smile and breath in a deep breath of seasons greetings? Yes?

And when this happens, is it also, for you, followed by the consuming and paralyzing realization that you have neither started your Christmas shopping nor have any idea what to get anyone? You know … when you’re otherwise perfectly willing to run over your many reasons to hate working for a living and fantasize about how you might announce your retirement in the most dramatic and poignant fashion when all the sudden you’ve got an (unrelated) knot in your stomach and find yourself standing motionless on a busy street fighting through a newly realized headache to decide which nearby store might provide a quick gift idea? Suddenly mentally counting the available remnants of the last payday from the job you only moments ago were cursing to long forgotten gods and you just cant help but whimper a little as you pat your wallet and head into a store only to realize how tired you are and wonder silently how in the new world of the internet you can find yourself forced to fight through throngs of shoppers each and every year – the muzac version of “Carol of the Bells” now after it’s 15th run through 7 stores firmly in your head and nearly overpowering the currently playing Manhattan SteamRoller single?

Yeah … Me too.

Happy Holidays.

Well folks, sorry for not blogging in some time, but honestly not much has happened.

For those of you who are lucky enough to hang out with me often, I hope you took advantage of your opportunity to meet the evil twin this weekend. Doug and Jana were up this past weekend and joined us out on the town.

There were some drinks, some cigars, a bunch of great food, and a scary movie involved.

I saw The Grudge this past weekend. It’s scary. During the movie and immediately afterward I was a basket case, but it’s not one of those movies that stays with you for very long. They showed some preview for some scary movies however that looked TERRIFYING!

Work continues on my plan to become rich and famous (I’m concentrating on rich for the time being and will work on famous once rich is pretty much assured).

In other news, Kevin has a new staff member at HFO, be sure to check it out.