After several days of vacation-like activity, i.e. driving around across Wisconsin, Southern Minnesota, and Northern Iowa, I have returned to Streeterville, and the view from the 14th floor is as it ever was, only more so. It's summer boys and girls. The sky that was partly cloudy has turned mostly cloudy and we anticipate rain sometime before the night is over. It is 82 degrees and muggy at the Mini. For the uninitiated, that is roll down the windows and open the sun roof weather.
I'm not certain that I have anything of great import or significance to report today, mostly the mundane. Nevertheless, I find it important to process the catching up process. What indeed, occurred during the 5 days that I was gone?
Well, let's see, the fat cat (Katu) got fatter. The skinny cat (Sammy from Miami) got skinnier. My brother, the one with the recent back surgery that followed the prostate surgery, still complains of back pain, and swears that he will never go to a doctor again. (Good luck with that one.) I have gotten an appointment with a doctor to see what the problem is with my abdominal pain. Is it a hernia? Is it a strained muscle? Should I continue working out and running? Should I not? Babs has no current issues, although she did receive her new contact lenses in the mail. That's about it from mundane medical.
Now on to other issues. While away, Lance Armstrong came in 3rd in the Tour de France and his teammate Alberto Contador won the whole ball of wax. They apparently can't stand each other and continue to feud in the media. Forget the war of words. Let's see some punching and kicking and gouging. Let's see who the real man is, but let's have some urine and blood tests first to see if anyone is doping before the kick ass session. Not saying that steroids should be banned from a barroom brawl, but if they're being used by one participant, let's give some to the other so the playing field will be somewhat evened. Then place your bets boys and girls.
In other sports news, the habitually .500 Chicago Cubs have somehow won 8 of their last 10 games and managed to borrow 1st place from the St. Louis Cardinals. Got home last night after driving for 7 hours, and turned on the TV to find the Cubs engaged in a 13 inning epic battle with the Houston Astros, only to be ultimately surprised when the Cubs (Drum roll please) actually won when Alfonso Soriano hit a walk off grand slam. Have aliens taken over my baseball team? On the South Side, the White Sox, on the other hand, have managed to lose 6 of their last 10 games, despite Mark Buehrle pitching a perfect game in one of those ten. The Sox continue to trail Detroit in the standings. Oh well. I heard that there was a Blackhawks mid-summer fan fest, but truthfully I have no clue what that means or how important it is. Grew up in the South. Never been to a hockey game. Know one joke about hockey. (Went to a fight and a hockey game broke out. Insert appropriate rim shot here.) All Bears and Bulls news at this point is merely idle speculation.
On the political front, Sarah Palin continues to be an embarrassment for the Republican Party. Mayor Rich Daley has once more pissed off local politicians by appointing someone he wanted and they didn't. Sonia Sotomayor's nomination for the soon to be vacant Supreme Court seat has passed out of committee despite "no" votes from just about every Republican on the planet. (Oh, they're outnumbered.) A vote on the floor of the full Senate will, in all likelihood occur next week and because of the aforementioned Democratic majority, Ms. Sotomayor, barring some act of God or nature, will be confirmed as the next new member of the U.S. Supreme Court. During Republican efforts to stall the vote, Minnesota Senator Al Franken can be counted on to make some smart-ass comment. Should be entertaining for devotees of C-Span. Meanwhile, the debate on "Healthcare for every American" drags on. Oddly enough, I was listening to NPR while sitting in line at the last toll booth on my trek home last evening, and there are actually people in the Obama administration who know details about how this healthcare reform stuff should be done. Now if the naysayers, obfuscators, and general ne'er do wells will just get out of the way and let some concerned individuals actually go about reforming the system so everyone can afford to go to the doctor, I'd sincerely appreciate it. (For the record, I have insurance, as a Chicago Public School employee.)
Apparently, it was a slow news week. The U.S. still has troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Iran still hates us because we're evil supporters of Israel. Israel thinks we don't support them enough. Car bombs still go off in Iraq. Pakistan is pissed at us because we continue to attack Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives who are hiding out in their country. Africa continues to be a mess.(See Somalia and Nigeria to name two likely suspects in that place.) China still treats its own people like shit. Kim Jong is ill. (Pun intended.) The Honduran army still won't let that dude who was legally elected President back in the country. Myanmar continues to put on trial anyone who is in favor of basic human rights. Hugo Chavez has apparently been funneling Swedish weapons to Communist guerrillas in Colombia. Iceland, whose banking system collapsed, subsequently followed by their entire economy, has decided that maybe they want to join the European Union, so as to hedge their bets against further economic distress. The ice caps continue to melt. Like I said, slow news week. Oh, and all life on the planet Earth could possibly be destroyed by a collision with a big-ass comet or asteroid, perhaps one followed by the other. This last item is best described in weather-man terms, "An infinitesimally small chance of death by comets or asteroids this evening, followed by ongoing global warming and rampant air pollution tomorrow."
At any rate, it's good to be back. Hello to all, and enjoy your week.
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