Punkin' Pie

I hit Target today for a bit, got the boys some fall/winter supplies, like hats and what-not. The weather is autumn-lovely today, that cool-but-sunny thing going on, very pretty. Good sleeping weather, really.

I had an idea for another story pop into my head, quite out of the blue. Well, really it was something I was mulling over for awhile, and then, while at Target, it just clicked, and one of the characters really cohered for me. That's a great feeling, although it sometimes happens when one hasn't any pen or paper handy! D'oh! That's when the iPhone is a real blessing -- the Notes function on it is useful for that, even if the Tic-Tac tap-buttons on it are so tiny, it's cumbersome if you have hands larger than a leprechaun's!

They have Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts at Target! I had to try them, and they actually were really good. Limited Edition, naturally, but damned good. See?

Falling

I should be writing this morning, but am enjoying the early-morning quiet too much right now. Fall is already here. The chill is in the air. The city smelled curious -- apparently there are wildfires in Minnesota, and the smoke from that is wafting into Illinois. There is a faintly smoky smell hitting the city, like the smell of burning pine. I noticed it yesterday, and did some searching to confirm it. Kind of amazing, really -- I didn't even know they were having wildfires of that magnitude in Minnesota, let alone that we'd be downwind of them.

Just a wrinkle in city living for the moment, I guess. Pine-scented apocalyptic smog! It somehow adds resonance to the change of seasons. That wood smoke smell feels so autumnal to me, anyway, and that it is derived from massive wildfires adds a macabre element to it, which also fits well with the season.

I love autumn. My favorite season.

How random, right? B2 wanted me to take a shot of the orang with the toy gun in  its hand. Haha!

Crashing

Saw ANOTHER car crash downtown. Not as bad as the one I'd seen last week (was it only last week? I can't remember, now). But roughly the same distance away, and me at an intersection, and another SUV, this time slamming into the back of a cab. Mostly a fender-bender, but the SUV then drove off and disappeared, leaving the cabbie in the lurch. I think it was the SUV's fault, judging from how it went. Can't believe I've seen two crashes in close succession like that. Sheesh.

Saw some bikers have a tiff of sorts, too. I only came in on the end of it, but some super-biker guy was yelling at some gal biker. Not sure what the deal was. Some of those super-bikers are insanely hardcore about biking, so who knows what the deal was.

Performance review went very well at work; there was a lot of good talk about the positive contribution I've made for the group, and what that means for my future there, and so on. It was really heartening to hear, to be honest. I am trying to do a good job, but to have that good work appreciated (and for this to be communicated to me), so much the better. Made me happy to hear it.

Am sleepy, gonna crash, I think.

Epicurean!

I love it...

http://www.salon.com/books/what_to_read/index.html?story=/books/laura_miller/2011/09/11/swerve

As an admitted Epicurean, I love seeing Epicureanism get a tip of the hat!

Saturday

Beautiful weather this weekend, although very fall-like, the light fading quicker. Exene dropped the boys off earlier today, because she was getting her hair done. She hadn't called ahead on this, just showed up with the boys, which put me in a bad spot, since I'd planned on getting errands run when she turned up. She said she'd mind them earlier some other time, but I have to be sure to make a note of that, so I don't get screwed over.

Saw some Halloween stuff turning up in stores. Amazing to see that stuff so early, nearly two months before Halloween. I hate to see Christmas stuff waiting in the wings too early, too. That bugs me. Each holiday should have a fair amount of "breathing space" for it to be its own thing, rather than a blur.

I'm tired tonight.

Rise and Fall

Man, those lakefront winds keep coming. Definitely no Indian Summer this September, it would seem. We went full-bore into Fall! I'm tired, kinda brain-fried at the moment (work was busy), but all is mostly well, I think.

Spittin' Mad

I'm a bit sore. The autumn winds are picking up at the lake shore, as they always do, which makes biking along that route tougher. My cruising speed with my bike is about 12 mph, and when you've got an 11-mph headwind blasting you in the face, it makes for a helluva slog.

Had some crazy asshole spit at me yesterday. He was this little goblin of a man. I was at an intersection, checking the time on my iPhone (the wind was making me mindful of my pacing for the ride, as I had a meeting to go to), and I hear *PTOOEY* at me, and turned, and the guy made this nonchalant look, hastily, like he'd just realized he'd bitten off more than he could chew. Nasty lil' guy, looked like late 40s, maybe (?), baseball cap jammed on his head, grimy, one of those paranoid schizophrenic-looking types. Anyway, when I realized what he'd done, I rode after him on my bike. He'd ducked by one of the CTA bus kiosks to dodge me, but I wheeled around and gave him a retributive spit on his back, then rode for my meeting. He spat back at me one more time as I rode off. Not a word was spoken, didn't have to be. The fucker knew what he'd done. He probably couldn't believe somebody would retaliate in kind, but that's how it goes. Spit for spat, Fucko. He's just lucky I had to go to a meeting, or I'd have really gone Celtic on him and pummeled him into the ground for that kinda shit (although, if I'd done that, bystanders would've just seen me beating the shit out of this goblin-man, wouldn't have seen the precipitating event, so I'd have likely been the one to get in trouble, had I gone that route; I was a model of restraint in that I only spat on him). Anyway, after 18 years in the city, I guess something nuts like that was bound to happen. It was a first for me, though. *PTOOEY* Spitfight with a vagabond! Can mark that off my list of life experiences.

The meeting went well, btw. I was inwardly amused by that, as I gave my presentation. Little did anyone know that I'd had that nonsense on the front end of my day.

Pigeons, Man

I hate pigeons, but this is a great shot of the wretched things, I must admit...

But I still hate pigeons.

September

Hope your September is a smooth one...

Yawn

I'm kinda brain-fried at the moment. The locals were loud last night, which woke me up, making it hard to get back to sleep. When the bars close, the suburbanites get restless! It always kills me, hearing the drunkards bellowing and hopping in their cars to drive home. *choke*

My mom got an iPhone, which is like an existential nightmare -- the last thing one needs is one's parent to have a smartphone, to then call and inquire about its functions and what-not. Lordy!

Labor Dazed

Wow, it feels like it's going to be a hot one today. It's already warmish. I've got the a/c on, of course, but I turn it off in the wee hours of the morning, and I can feel that it's warm.

I underslept, but am awake for the moment. Labor Day Weekend. Good lord. I'm still only barely accepting that it's September, now. WTF? Amazing.

I've got to clean up the apartment, especially the boys' room. That's one of my to-do things on my list for this long weekend. Fun, right? Woo hoo! Still, needs to be done, and it feels kind of right, getting the boys' room all squared away before school starts.

I'm watching the "Battlestar Galactica" remake. I'd watched some of the first season, but had never followed the show when it was on. I'm enjoying it, although the Starbuck annoys the shit out of me -- she's got dead eyes, which creeps the hell out of me. Kudos to Edward James Olmos -- his Adama is badass. Cool customer, conveyed perfectly. I always enjoyed Olmos when he'd turn up in a movie, but his Adama is sharp. Cool old guy.

There are a few rough edges here and there in the plotting and characterization, but overall, it's a smooth effort, better than most stuff I've scene. My boys love the ships. Makes me wish I still had my original Colonial Viper and Cylon Raider from long, long ago (I had those things for a very long time, too, until losing track of them at some point).

Anyway, the weekend will be me cleaning, writing, and watching "Galactica" and taking the boys to the park to enjoy a last summery hurrah before they're back in school.

Liked this SLATE piece on bitters, btw. Everything's better with bitters!

1100 posts on this blog. Woo hoo!

Woof!

I was pleased to find Newcastle Werewolf on the shelves again. That's their limited edition beer that's on sale from August until October. I had to get it, to try it. Good stuff.

I love Newcastle, and this brew of theirs was mighty tasty. Still amazed that fall is nearly here, can't believe that September starts tomorrow. WTF? The boys will be in school this time next week.

Rocketeers

I took the boys to a slammin' playground this weekend, which was this great, big rocket/spaceship-themed playground...

There are at least five slides on this sucker, varying speeds.

That's the boys in silhouette, plotting on the "flight deck."

The boys loved it. B1 said it was the most fun playground he'd ever seen, so I was full of glee at that. I had only happened upon it by chance, as the fun discoveries so often are. I had rented a car and we cruised out to see it.

Afterward, we stopped by a Super Target to get a few things, which the boys also enjoyed. The loved going on a mini road trip. It's fun, because a simple trip to the 'burbs can seem like a grand adventure to a kid. B2 was fond of all the trees, and all the graveyards (!!) -- he was fascinated by those. B1 was more fond of studying the El train lines and radio towers, and being able to see the city from a distance.

They had a blast. I let them play for a couple of hours, with a big group of other kids in the rocket(s). B1 was kind and noble again -- some kid who was roughly his age (maybe even a year older?) was afraid to go up high in the rocket (you can't necessarily tell, but the thing is tall, at least 20 feet, maybe more?) and I overheard B1 talking to the kid, reassuring him -- "It's alright. Just climb up, and you'll see that it's safe." He spoke calmly, gently to the kid, and actually talked the kid up into the tower, said "See? Nothing to worry about." I thought that was so sweetly benevolent of him -- his character in action again, that sense of empathy and compassion. He mentioned it later, said something about that kid being afraid, but he showed him it was nothing to be afraid of, and I said he did a good and kind thing by helping that kid overcome his fear, and that I was proud of him.

The boys had such a good time, I was pleased that the playground didn't disappoint. Just a playground, sure, but those moments are precious with little kids, and with B1 turning 10 next year, I have to cherish them while I can! He's fast becoming a big boy! I wanted to give the boys a little special summer fun, since this summer was kind of disjointed.