long and winding road

I've heard a few recent reports of local Paul McCartney sightings. I guess it's for real. Very cool.

bike commuting survey

Do you commute to work by bike, or have you considered it? Chicagoland Bicycle Federation is doing a survey to examine the role bike facilities play in decisions to commute to work by bike, with the goal of increasing the number of bicycling commuters in Illinois.

Please take a minute to do this brief online survey of your bicycling habits, interests and needs. If you complete the survey, you will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 gift certificate to Kozy's Cyclery. Thanks for helping out. This project is funded through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

green bungalows and graystones

The Chicago Architecture Foundation is running a workshop this Saturday on green rehabs for historic bungalows and graystones. Speakers are Annette Conti of the Historic Bungalow Assocation and Matt Cole of the Historic Chicago Greystone Initiative. Free. Call to reserve a spot 312-922-3432 x224.

back to normal

Phew! What a relief to have the power back and get back to normal after Monday night's storms! We had over 2" of rain in the garden. Guess I won't have to water for a few days.

quite a show

Monday night's storms really gave us an amazing light show. Now that our power is on again, I can write this from home. Today's Trib article added a lot of detail about what happened. More cool pictures here.

wacky political posters

Mad Magazine has come up with some political spoof posters that are pure genius.

music at Millennium Park on 8/7

Made in Chicago jazz series: Amir ElSaffar's Two Rivers Large Ensemble. Chicagoan ElSaffar, an Iraqi-American trumpeter, combines elements of Middle Eastern music with modern-day jazz improvisation, and with Jeff Parker, Rudresh Mahanthappa and Zafer Tawil. 6:30 p.m. Aug. 7 - Free

Ginza Holiday festival 8/8-8/10

If you're interested in Japanese culture, check out this festival at the Buddhist temple in Old Town (435 W. Menomonee St.), featuring traditional Japanese art forms, crafts, food, and performances. Dharma talks are presented regularly during the festival by a resident minister, and tours of the temple are offered.

Hours 8/8: 5:30-9 p.m.  8/9: 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m.  8/10: 1:30-6 p.m.

e.e. cummings' revenge

In the last few years, I've noticed that texting is having bad side effects. Many people working in business environments, where literacy in standard English is critical, are falling into the trap of using sloppy shortcuts inspired by texting. I'm getting a bit tired of having to play 20 questions with co-workers who use brief, cryptic abbreviations. Litigation requires attention to detail and precise communication. Ambiguity can be expen$ive.

funky Friday

Here's some old time stuff for a change of pace: Tommy Dorsey's Opus One