Posts Tagged ‘chicago’
hitch in the plan »
Monday, April 20th, 2009
My job hunt has now expanded to Chicago or… well… anywhere, I guess, because my desperation has suddenly blossomed. Why you ask? Even after the fame of my burgeoning photography wealth is only just settling (and non-existent)?
I’ve been kicked out of the capitalist system and am awash in socialist frustration. My UI may be denied. This, obviously, was an unexpected blow to the spleen.
The next course of action is appeal. According to the notice, I can do this online. Golden, I’m there watching terrible television on Hulu anyway. But no. The log-in is disabled so now I have to call.
This is why universal health care will be ignored by 85% of everyone. There’s just not enough incentive in a free service to take on the tedium of government-sponsored services.
No one would want to waste their time on such things if rates for useful health care were reasonable. There would be incentive to have a job that pays for most of it too. Which brings me back to jobs…
I would love one. ::sigh::
Yes, that’s Mussolini, who was technically a Fascist leader. Still, the vast majority of the US doesn’t know the difference.
chicago in review »
Monday, November 17th, 2008
Chicago, the Windy City: awesome. I got there Friday on time (despite taking the “express” Megabus) and met up with Nate. We went out to Millennium Park, Navy Pier and the Freedom Museum, meeting up with Andrew after work.
Dinner turned out to be some sort of Top Chef-esque dinner party (courtesy @joejanas). There was a lot of drinking, followed by Tuman’s for more.
Saturday, Andrew started things off with a gigantic breakfast and then we went to Wicker Park, wandered Milwaukee and stopped in for some local retail at Urban Outfitters. For dinner, we went to Coast Sushi Bar.
Andrew talked up the specialty roll, named White Dragon, as if it were a mythical potion of sex, drugs and teen pop hits. Turns out, he downplayed it slightly. From there we went to Horseshoe to watch Fox and the Grapes and the Screaming Bulldogs. (All while drinking; obviously.)
Sunday, I went grocery shopping with Andrew and we headed downtown to meet Nate so he could head back to “the Burgh.” We had obligatory (and delicious) deep-dish at Exchequer. Andrew headed off and I wandered downtown a bit before catching the bus.
Thanks to Andrew for the hosting, Joe for the grub and Coast for a reason to live. (I’d apologize to Jo for not meeting up but she’s not a reader.)
With the drunk sleep and only two hours rest last night, the excessive walking in cold weather and the brutal ingestion battle that raged between myself and the part of my brain that recognizes limits, I’m the worse for the wear. My head and legs ache, my right foot had some sort of shooting pain last night and I’m serenading my co-cube-dwellers with a tone-deaf dry cough.
Snaps are, or will be, in the usual places. As I wander through occupational tasks in a groggy mist of wish-I-wasn’t-here, I’ll leave you with this, unrelated, question: why is this desperate call for spousal commitment seen as empowering?
friday free for all »
Friday, November 14th, 2008
… Headed to Chicago for the weekend (technically I’m on a bus already), visiting a buddy from way back in college. Another buddy is meeting up too. Should be wicked entertaining.
… Word is (as of when I’m writing this on Thursday) that the auto industry’s desperate plea for cash is being denied. One can only hope this catches on and more idiot industries don’t ask for handouts. (Not that the first set of handouts didn’t work out just swimmingly.) Accountability is impressively lacking among those that should be held accountable.
… This weekend out of town is just one of many in the next few months. I’ve writ ad nauseum of the two major trips but I’m away from home eight of the next ten weekends. Ridiculous.
… And finally:
Why aren’t we realizing we need to scale things back? Why don’t we see the Iraq and Afghanistan fuckups as signs we should reign in the imperial empire? Why don’t we see major sectors of our economy (Credit, Housing, Autos) failing as a sign we need to rethink how our business structure is built? (Obvious answer: those making money off the current system are making a lot of money.)
Ah well. I’m reducing my spending and hoping maybe to get some money directly into the market by Jan01 so I can benefit from the baby boomers’ short-sightedness. Not everyone went broke during the Depression.