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I'm up in Kenosha right now, though I'll be leaving for Chicago shortly. I wish I hadn't missed seeing that tremendous storm come through the city! On the plus side, it'll be cool, even chilly, for my bike ride today.
Yesterday, I biked from Rogers Park down to Soldier Field and back, for a round trip of 25 miles or so. On the way:
*I chatted with a guy who complained about many design features of the Lakeshore Path. He feels that people with money and boats basically got whatever they wanted when it comes to the design of the area along the lakefront and everybody else came second, and that the people who design the bike path are engineers who are never on a bike. I don't have any knowledge of the politics there, but some of his points, like how the drinking fountains and benches are almost *always* in long stretches of sunlight without cover so you have to sit on the ground if you want shade, were valid.
*I called 911 on my cell phone for a single car accident that happened very near me. A car hit the safety wall between the bike path and a small service road off of Lakeshore Drive (I think it's called Recreation Drive). I quickly set my bike down and walked over to see if I could help. As I was waiting for the ambulance to show up, a certified first responder came running over from the boats and checked on the people in the car. There was only one person hurt, and that probably was a dislocated shoulder, so all was as well as could be expected. It was a little bit exciting to have been able to help out like that.
*I crossed the lower level of the Lakeshore Drive bridge over the Chicago River on my bicycle. I was briefly confused about which way the Lakefront Trail went when I got to the bridge, but a look at my phone sorted it out. I don't like that it goes across via the sidewalk; I'm not comfortable taking my bike on sidewalks. But it's a short stretch, and it's really neat going over the bridge like that and looking out to the lake. I *really* have to get into town when the bridges are going up this year.
*I saw the ancient Roman column given to Chicago by fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini to commemorate a flight from Italy to America made by a squadrom of planes under the command of Italo Balbo in 1933. Balbo Drive is named after him. The column itself inspired thoughts and musings. It's the second man-made object of significant size (after Cleopatra's Needle) from classical antiquity that I've seen. I thought a lot about its history and the people who made it and its trip to the United States in very different times.
Mussolini was quite the ambitous guy, wasn't he? The inscription states that the monument was presented to the US in the "11th year of the fascist era". It was interesting, too, how the section of inscription that talks about fascist Italy was much more weathered and damaged than the rest of the words....
I want to go photograph it, but I can't seem to find my camera charger right now. It's in my camera bag I expect, which is also missing. It's got to be around somewhere.
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Danae came up to Kenosha last weekend to visit with my family and play games. We spent Friday night at Rockheads, where we played Power Grid with some regulars. On Saturday, my brothers, mother, and once Philip, played a few more games including Power Grid and Dominion. Everybody had a great time. I turned bright crimson after a comment from Danae that I actually can't remember the nature of, but it started with me saying, as I was trying to pour pieces from a game into a plastic bag, "Can you spread it a little wider for me?" *laughs* I'm so pleased that we could all be unselfconscious with each other. Danae is talking about coming up again to help get the basement ready for me to move into, so I think she liked being up here.
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I'm going to be going out to World Naked Bike Ride Chicago on Saturday. I still haven't decided what I'm going to wear. Maybe after I've been going along with the group for a while, I'll feel brave enough to be nude, but at first, I may just have some boxer-briefs and my satyr horns. It promises to be a ton of fun. And I need to stop on the way home and get a small towel for my bike seat and a clear rain poncho since there may be precipitation.
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I dropped off a large recumbent exercise bike that I snagged at a Goodwill for my parents earlier this week in Batavia. That was the main reason I was going up to Kenosha in the middle of the week; I needed to get that thing out of my car! My mom seems to like it a lot.
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Oh, I have an appointment next week with an advisor at college to talk about classes. I will also be getting a packet of information in the mail to fill out. It's for getting a special circumstances change to my financial aid eligibility. Wish me luck on that! I'd really like to be able to get some help paying for school so I don't have to try to work at the same time. I will if I have to though. One way or another, I'm going to school and not dealing with computers anymore.
---------------
Well, I'm going to get out of these wrap pants, put on clothes from the load that just finished drying, and get going. I want to get back to Chicago in time for a ride and some studying. Talk to you later!
Yesterday, I biked from Rogers Park down to Soldier Field and back, for a round trip of 25 miles or so. On the way:
*I chatted with a guy who complained about many design features of the Lakeshore Path. He feels that people with money and boats basically got whatever they wanted when it comes to the design of the area along the lakefront and everybody else came second, and that the people who design the bike path are engineers who are never on a bike. I don't have any knowledge of the politics there, but some of his points, like how the drinking fountains and benches are almost *always* in long stretches of sunlight without cover so you have to sit on the ground if you want shade, were valid.
*I called 911 on my cell phone for a single car accident that happened very near me. A car hit the safety wall between the bike path and a small service road off of Lakeshore Drive (I think it's called Recreation Drive). I quickly set my bike down and walked over to see if I could help. As I was waiting for the ambulance to show up, a certified first responder came running over from the boats and checked on the people in the car. There was only one person hurt, and that probably was a dislocated shoulder, so all was as well as could be expected. It was a little bit exciting to have been able to help out like that.
*I crossed the lower level of the Lakeshore Drive bridge over the Chicago River on my bicycle. I was briefly confused about which way the Lakefront Trail went when I got to the bridge, but a look at my phone sorted it out. I don't like that it goes across via the sidewalk; I'm not comfortable taking my bike on sidewalks. But it's a short stretch, and it's really neat going over the bridge like that and looking out to the lake. I *really* have to get into town when the bridges are going up this year.
*I saw the ancient Roman column given to Chicago by fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini to commemorate a flight from Italy to America made by a squadrom of planes under the command of Italo Balbo in 1933. Balbo Drive is named after him. The column itself inspired thoughts and musings. It's the second man-made object of significant size (after Cleopatra's Needle) from classical antiquity that I've seen. I thought a lot about its history and the people who made it and its trip to the United States in very different times.
Mussolini was quite the ambitous guy, wasn't he? The inscription states that the monument was presented to the US in the "11th year of the fascist era". It was interesting, too, how the section of inscription that talks about fascist Italy was much more weathered and damaged than the rest of the words....
I want to go photograph it, but I can't seem to find my camera charger right now. It's in my camera bag I expect, which is also missing. It's got to be around somewhere.
---------------
Danae came up to Kenosha last weekend to visit with my family and play games. We spent Friday night at Rockheads, where we played Power Grid with some regulars. On Saturday, my brothers, mother, and once Philip, played a few more games including Power Grid and Dominion. Everybody had a great time. I turned bright crimson after a comment from Danae that I actually can't remember the nature of, but it started with me saying, as I was trying to pour pieces from a game into a plastic bag, "Can you spread it a little wider for me?" *laughs* I'm so pleased that we could all be unselfconscious with each other. Danae is talking about coming up again to help get the basement ready for me to move into, so I think she liked being up here.
---------------
I'm going to be going out to World Naked Bike Ride Chicago on Saturday. I still haven't decided what I'm going to wear. Maybe after I've been going along with the group for a while, I'll feel brave enough to be nude, but at first, I may just have some boxer-briefs and my satyr horns. It promises to be a ton of fun. And I need to stop on the way home and get a small towel for my bike seat and a clear rain poncho since there may be precipitation.
---------------
I dropped off a large recumbent exercise bike that I snagged at a Goodwill for my parents earlier this week in Batavia. That was the main reason I was going up to Kenosha in the middle of the week; I needed to get that thing out of my car! My mom seems to like it a lot.
---------------
Oh, I have an appointment next week with an advisor at college to talk about classes. I will also be getting a packet of information in the mail to fill out. It's for getting a special circumstances change to my financial aid eligibility. Wish me luck on that! I'd really like to be able to get some help paying for school so I don't have to try to work at the same time. I will if I have to though. One way or another, I'm going to school and not dealing with computers anymore.
---------------
Well, I'm going to get out of these wrap pants, put on clothes from the load that just finished drying, and get going. I want to get back to Chicago in time for a ride and some studying. Talk to you later!