Rats!

Heard some disturbing news on the radio this morning: the city of Chicago is planning to cut back on efforts to control the city's rat population. The Norwegian rat, which is the variety found in the city, can produce 7 litters of 5-8 rats a year, can drop 50 feet without getting injured, can squeeze through a hole the size of a quarter, can jump 3 feet in the air, its teeth grow up to 5 feet a year but are continually ground down by gnawing through things like concrete blocks and they carry a disease which can be passed from your dog to humans. By all means, let them flourish!

View from the 23rd floor

I went to court this morning to pick up an order in one of my cases. The courtroom is on the 23rd floor. On a sunny day, the view is spectacular. Today, not so spectacular. I thought I'd take a picture anyway, in case it's my last trip there.

Overheard at the bus stop

Some days commuting gets the best of me. Some days it's mildly entertaining. My morning ride frustrated me (woman refused to step into the middle of the car and forced us all to go around her - unfortunately not atypical). My afternoon commute, however, went smoother and even entertained me.

At the bus stop, three young women were examining a device they had just purchased at a tobacco store. They were trying to figure out how to use it to roll something. After a couple entertaining minutes, a middle aged man in a suit approached the group and said, I don't know what you're planning to roll with that, but this is how you do it and proceeded to give them a tutorial. The women were embarrassed, especially the one who thought she knew what she was doing, but thankful. And I was mildly amused. Not a bad bus adventure (no stark naked drunk men).

Obstructed view

Great seats for the Yankees vs Nationals spring training game, except for this woman with the big hair in front of me. Her hair was so big that she did not even know that a large dragon fly had nested in it for an inning.

Tips for traveling or commuting

I'm sitting at my airport gate after what has been an interesting 24 hours of commuting and traveling. Here are some things that have annoyed me:

1. If the el car is packed and you are waiting on the platform, if I step off the train to let people out, don't try to get on before I re-board the train.

2. If there is one escalator up and one stair case next to it at the el station, don't go against the grain up the stairs when the rush hour crowd is trying to go down.

3. When you get dressed to fly: (a) don't wear flannel pajama bottoms; and (b) don't douse yourself in cologne or perfume, but DO shower and brush your hair.

4. Black checked pants are NOT gray and cannot be worn with a navy blazer, especially when your shirt is also black.

5. Flights to Florida are filled with people over 100 or under 2 or someone traveling with them.

That's it for now. I'm ready for Florida!