Overheard at the Airport

So, air travel always brings out the brilliance and pleasantness in people. I'm waiting for a flight home from Vegas and have been listening for some time to a guy behind me reading two airlines the riot act because he's on a code share flight and they didn't send him a notarized statement from the CE0 of the booking airline or a notice in 72 point font on flourescent paper alerting him of the fact. Now I'm no airline advocate, nor even fan (they've oversold two of three flights this morning), but REALLY.

1) Obviously this guy doesn't fly very often. Yes, I do have a superiority complex when dealing with amateur travelers or really anyone else who doesn't pay attention to their environment.

2) Hey, moron, look at the screen when you're purchasing and/or the e-mailed itinerary/receipt. It's pretty clearly marked. Don't blame others for your stupidity.

OH! Even better: apparently he checked in to his initial flight with just over thirty minutes until his flight. Obviously it was the airlines' collective fault that he was rushed.

Geez.

Take the Hippies Laundering

So I've recently discovered two laundry aids that have lead to my eliminating cleaning chemicals from my fabric maintenance altogether. I love this because it makes my inner hippie liquidance for joy, but also because I tend to be sensitive to chemicals and occasionally hive up if I run into something particularly nasty. I figure the fewer harsh chemicals I'm exposed to, the less likely I'll get the itch. At any rate, my new favorite laundry products are:

Soap Nuts - These are a kind of berry from India and Indonesia that contains saponin and does a nice job of basic washing. I found these at Merz Apothecary (AKA my new favorite store) around the corner from me, and the fellow working behind the counter said his mother used to wash his hair and clothes with these (uh, pre-packaging for American consumers). When he saw them at a trade show, he figured he had to bring them in to the store. I agree. Try them.

Dryer Max Dryer Balls - You know that you should never use fabric softener with towels because it makes them less absorbent, right? RIGHT? At any rate, my mother gave me these after trying them herself. They're a little noisy, but they do a great job of softening clothes, especially when combined with the Soap Nuts. While looking for a link to more info just now, I discovered that they're supposed to reduce drying time as well, but I've not necessarily noticed that. If you like the soft clothes and don't like the chemicals, though, now you should really give these a try (especially since they're relatively cheap).

Happy laundering.

Thing One and Thing Two

Thing One: I spent last weekend in Ohio, visiting friends and family. One of my favorite parts of every visit to my parents' house is a review of recent local papers. Where else can you find a newspaper in which the News section is 6 pages, the Sports section is 8, and the Church section is 4? Also, where else can you find the exciting gems of small town living captured in the Police/Sheriff/Fire Department Logs? I usually bring the best of the best back home to share with friends and this time I'm also sharing with you, my loyal (or occasional or one-time) web readership. Witness:

Thing Two: Kudos to the California Supreme Court. When will people realize that in a legal sense, marriage is akin to a contractual state, enabling people to access certain benefits? It has nothing to do with religion and religious ideals about sanctified unions between people. As it turns out, we still have no state religion. If marriage were a religious institution from a legal perspective, it would (in an ideal world) have no place in our law.

On a related note, since I've not mentioned it before here, constitutions are not the appropriate venue in which to fight out the same-sex marriage or any other allegedly values-based conflicts. Constitutions are meant to lay out the framework of how governments work, not the laws themselves. The beauty of the U.S. Constitution is that it was written in such a way that it could be used in an entirely different world a few hundred years later with hardly any revision, with very few exceptions. If folks who can't leave others well enough alone to live their own lives must fight what they consider to be the good fight, legislation is the appropriate route.

At any rate, I'd say congratulations to those couples who will now be able to marry in California, but that would almost imply that this were something they'd earned rather than something they are (in my reading of the law back when I read the law) absolutely entitled to as a basic human right in the U.S. (see...well, hell, I don't remember which specific case established that principle, but it's out there nonetheless). Instead, I'll say I'm incredibly happy for you and for our country and I'll save the congratulating for individuals who exercise that right.

If that's what you are into...

Song #1 for the Artesian Mix
(aka the song that's been in my head intermittently since last week):

Guess what opens April 4th...

...finally.

If you guessed the much anticipated Cinners Cincinnati chili parlor and lounge at Lawrence and Talman, you're correct! After we waited six months for news, the owner posted the opening date on Cinners.net this week.

So, who's joining me for the oddly juxtaposition of joys that will be a Cincy-style three-way and a martini or three?

Oh, and by the way, yes, it is just around the corner from my new place.

Open Memo

To the majority of Shamrock Shufflers who had the courtesy to thank the volunteers and pay attention to where they were pitching half-full Gatorade cups: You're welcome.

To the two guys who shouted "Where were you in April?" and the handfull of others who threw their half-full Gatorade cups toward the volunteers: You suck at life. Your heightened sense of entitlement is appalling. You're lucky that most of your fellow runners fall into the former category or you'd likely NEVER have VOLUNTEERS willing to get up at the crack of dawn and pay their way downtown to spend hours in any kind of inclement weather setting up the hydration stations on the course so you can have a beverage mid-race. I expect this group of folks doesn't do much by way of volunteering their own time for like events.

At any rate, it was a good experience and I'll likely do it again for future races I'm not running. Congrats to all the finishers!

My kind of town?

So, it's official. Despite an oath to the contrary, I'm once again a resident of the City of Chicago. Ugly weather notwithstanding, my moving crew (thanks, folks!) did a bang up job of getting me in on Saturday, and except for several cartons of books, I'm unpacked (and yes, I do have a library card, thank you).

I keep noticing things I like about the new place (even beyond obvious things like, oh, a garage) and the new roommate is pretty swell as well (and makes a mean chili/grilled processed cheese food combo). We converted the enclosed sun porch to a guest room/TV room/room of delight that will feature prominently in my weekends when it warms up a bit (as will the patio and little patch of garden).

I feel like I've been half-asleep for the past year and woke up this weekend more myself
than I have been since I moved up here last year.