Bustin' Loose (the song, not the movie)

I heard "Bustin' Loose" on my way home from my day job today and, had I not been behind the wheel, I would have busted loose myself. What a great song. I'd forgotten how good it is. The sad thing is now it's stuck in my head. "Gimme the bridge, ya'll!" If you're not familiar with this 70's song by Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers, Google it or check it out on You Tube. You know a song is good when it makes you want to dance no matter where you are (the car, at work, in the grocery store line, at the dentist, etc.). Unfortunately, even though I've enjoyed singing that I feel like bustin' loose, I actually feel like I'm getting sick. Yeah, just what I need for my last holiday weekend. 

Merry Christmas (or Enjoy Your Day Off)

We actually got a white Christmas here in the Chicago area. It's funny because the librarian who checked out some books for me about a week ago commented that she hoped we'd have a white Christmas and I dismissed the possibility. Well, she got what she hoped for. Merry Christmas!

Holiday Train

To get myself in the holiday spirit, I rode the CTA's Holiday Train on the Purple line of the L this afternoon. I enjoying riding with Santa while listening to Christmas music. I've got a few days off from my day job, so it was nice to do something festive on my day off today. It was also nice to see the kids and adults on the station platforms become so excited when the train pulled into each station. I was excited myself!

Don't Engage!

I stopped by a local gas station on the way home to play the Powerball and Mega Millions games (you've got to be in it to win it, folks) and some woman who was checking her scratch off tickets inside the station tried to work my nerves. First she shoves herself in between me and the man ahead of me in line so she could check her used scratch offs using the machine that tells you if you're a winner or not. (She wasn't.) Then she gets an attitude with me when she was trying to get around me to leave the store. I thought she was trying to get ahead of me in line and she claimed she was just trying to get by. She got loud and crazy and I could tell just from looking at her not to engage in that foolishness. Some people you can just look at and tell they've either got mental problems and/or are on drugs. I took this lady to be all of the above. You can't engage with folks like that because they're just itching for a fight. Yeah, this was just what I needed after a day at the office and a long drive home. As tempted as I was to tell this crazy bitch off, I didn't. She went on her crazy way once she saw there wasn't going to be a fight. What annoyed me more than this nut job trying to pick a fight with me was how everyone in the gas station turned to watch this woman and me snap at each other. I'm sure they were wondering whether to stay and watch the fight or flee the premises. Thankfully, they didn't have to do either. Happy holidays, folks.

Music and More Music

I've been listening to a lot of older music lately since I got a free two-month satellite radio subscription. Even though the satellite stations play a lot of the same songs over and over, they're still a hundred times better than the local radio stations in Chicago. I've heard songs I had forgotten about like "Tour de France" by Kraftwerk and "Wait for Me" by Slave. Yesterday while I was out and about, taking some vacation time from my day job, I heard "A Warm December" by the Counting Crows. I used to really like the Counting Crows. I had their first album on cassette. Normally, the songs I liked twenty or thirty years ago, I still like today, but that's not the case for the Counting Crows. I find their music no bueno now. "Mr. Jones"? Are you kidding me? If I never hear that song again in my lifetime, that would be fine with me. Lead singer Adam Duritz with his oh-so-wrong dreads and wobbly voice just don't translate for me now. What was I thinking in the early 1990s???

Yeah, Alabama!

When I went to bed last night, pedo Roy Moore was up a few points in the Alabama senate race and I just assumed the home state of my father and Davis grandparents would do me wrong and make this guy a winner. I mentally prepared myself to do a blog post today titled "Ugh, Alabama." So color me surprised when I found out this morning that Moore lost and Doug Jones won. Instead of "Ugh, Alabama" I'm saying "Yeah, Alabama!" The people actually did the right thing and voted to call Moore a loser rather than a senator. I'm still annoyed that the results were so close, but I'll get over that. Pedo Moore has been off the rails since way before the sexual allegations about him came to light and he never should have even been considered worthy to represent the state as a senator. In a perfect world, he'd disappear forever from the political landscape now, but the world, as we know, isn't perfect. He'll probably drag out his concession (if he concedes at all) and try to keep his name in the news for as long as possible. Hell, he'll probably run again when the senate seat comes up for reelection in three (I think it's three) years.

Call Me by Your Name

While I was in New York for a few days last week, I saw Call Me by Your Name and I enjoyed the movie far more than I did the book. What really made the film for me was Timothee Chalamet's performance as Elio. That young man (I want to call him a kid but he isn't a kid) is great. In the book, Elio annoyed me because I felt he was pretentious and whiny. But in the movie, Chalamet brought some humanity to the role. Every emotion he felt for Oliver showed on his face and that's a true sign of a great actor. if not for him, the movie would have been just okay. As for Baking Soda (aka Armie Hammer), he did what he was there to do: look good. He and Chalamet had great chemistry, but Chalamet acted circles around him. I like Hammer, but he's just not that great of an actor. With him, I always feel like he's acting. Still, I really liked the film even though I had to pay $17.40 (yes, $17.40) to see it last Wednesday night. I also paid almost $6 for a small Coke at the theater. These prices are ridiculous!!!! But enough of my complaining. If/When Call Me by Your Name goes into wide release later this month and it comes to your town, check it out.

Escape From New York

I went to New York for my day job on Wednesday and just made it back home tonight. I feared the snow storm blanketing the East Coast would leave me stranded out there, but my flight was able to get out (albeit with nearly a two-hour delay). What a mess! I had a nice visit. It was short, but nice. I always say I need to spend a week in New York without having to work in order to really see and do what I want to. These quick two or three day trips just don't give me time to do much of anything. I did have a chance to see Call Me By Your Name while I was there and I enjoyed it. I'll write a separate blog post on that.

I thought for sure foreign tourism would drop with Donny T. as POTUS but after being in New York for the past few days, I don't think that's the case. There seemed to be as many Europeans and other assorted non-Americans flooding the streets of Manhattan just like any other year. Fifth Avenue and Rockefeller Center were as crowded as ever. Now not every person there was from out of the country or even out of state, but I'm sure many of them were. Tourism seems to be alive and well in New York. I enjoyed walking around the little holiday markets that were set up throughout the city. I went to the one in Union Square and the one at Columbus Circle. I don't recall seeing those in the years I lived in New York, but I think they're great. They reminded me of the Christkindl market here in Chicago.

Here's a shot of Central Park from Friday before the snow came.

Public Transit

I'm a fan of public transit. Growing in Detroit, public transit barely existed due, I believe, to a conspiracy by the Big 3 automakers (Ford, Chrysler, and GM) to suppress it so that people would buy cars. I didn't realize there was actually good, functioning public transit until I get out of Detroit. In most of the places I've lived (Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, and now Chicago), I can say wholeheartedly that the public transit is good. It's not perfect, but it works (for the most part). Public transit is a great equalizer that joins people of all races, faiths, incomes, and backgrounds and I enjoy living in a place where I'm not totally dependent on having a car. When I lived in New York, I rarely took cabs because it was easier (and cheaper) to just hop on the subway or walk where I wanted to go. I also enjoy taking public transit in cities I haven't lived in, like during my recent visit to Washington, DC this summer. DC's public transit was quick and easy to navigate. Some people are afraid of public transit. I admit I used to be one of those people. I was accustomed to getting into my own car and driving where I wanted to go. But, the more I used subways, trains, and buses in the different cities where I lived, the more comfortable I became with turning the wheel over to someone else.

Sorry I Got Caught

I'm tired of these half-assed apologies for wrongdoing. Let's take the latest perv, Matt Lauer, who's suddenly embarrassed by his pervy actions. Apparently he wasn't embarrassed until he got caught. Until this week, he was fine with using his power at NBC to harass women. And I don't believe for a minute that NBC management or the other big-named on-air staff weren't aware of Lauer's shenanigans. If you parse these corporate statements that media companies like Fox and NBC put out, you'll see that they claim they didn't know what was going on because no one complained to HR. Why would anyone in his or her right mind complain to HR over the behavior of someone like Lauer? He was a rainmaker at NBC and even if some lowly intern or production assistant complained to HR, it's doubtful any action would be taken against Lauer. Instead, I suspect, the complaining employee would be terminated instead. HR is around to protect the company's interests, not the interests of the employee. You learn that the hard way sometimes if you've ever had the pleasure of dealing with HR in the workplace. I'm not staying HR is totally useless, but you have to go in knowing where their interests lie and, if you're going to make a complaint against someone who's a company big shot, then you'd better come prepared with your own legal counsel.