Stopping by Woods....

The last two weeks have produced strange weather - freezing, nice, boatloads of snow, back to all melted and done, then snow again, massive fog when the temp immed. goes up, etc...... Today was supposed to be horrible- and I guess it was up up in the north subarbs- but here on the way South Side we just got a few inches today - we were prepared for up to 14".

Jeeze, let me tell you that there isn't just a bit of a difference betwixt Chicago and it's subarbs - it's gigantic. Well, @ least in terms of the quality of the snow control on the streets. That cycle of freeze and melt has devestated the roads, producing some of the worst street conditions vis-a-vis potholes. Go slow. Be prepared to violently captain the car to avoid instantly falling into the third or even fourth circle of Hell. Now, Chicago has been hit as bad as anywhere for the pot holes. But fuck - driving Pulaski Ave. to school and back means having to go through the subarb of Evergreen Park and it's unplowed streets.

Seriously - one can take the city streets in speed - but cross 87th going south, and suddenly one needs a snowplow and four horses. It's crazy. Clean swept street suddenly turns into snowy country lane.

Dangerous, holed, crappy, country lane.

Morning Hawk

Always looking for birds, up popped this killer out front in the A.M. Sorry for the quality, but enjoy the accipiter pix.

Once, there was saur Kraut

Vito remembers her when he was in europe during his university days in the late 80's. She was just a kid, then, as was he. Nothing really went on between them- just some 20 yo non serious stuff.

I'm not sure who if it was he or Rocky first with her, but Rocky really wasn't that effected by her either.

But, for a bit, I was. I first met her in the Spring of 1993. There was a Dolomite, Poster Children, and Burnout show in Champaign. I went down in a car containing Rocky, Homes, _____ (?), and Saur Kraut. This is when my eyes started to follow her and my mind started to think about her. Madonna and I had our severing 6m before, and as I hold onto everything, I still wasn't over thatall yet (Spanky was the great equaliser to both Madonna and Saur Kraut in my life, but that was still a few years away). But this new skinny litte girl....... I liked it.

Our first "date" wasn't a date @ all. I asked a few people to the Rainbo, and it centered around her. Therew asn't too mnay people there, and when I finally got a chance to talk to her alone, I was a fool. A fool. But no matter.

After a bit of a courtship, we finally starteted to make kissy face. Must have been April or May. We hung out awhile, but she was never that into me. She as hung up over the previous guy, just like I was hung up over the previous girl. Although we made kissyface a lot, I always knew that she had another in mind.

She 'summered' in Germany that summer, and I continued, in a passive agressive way- to court her. I sent her lots of letters, w/ articles she liked cut out for her to read. However, I was also protecting my self and being a bit stand-offish. Anything between us fissled. We remained frenz, even hanging out, until that fizzled away. Lasted a long bit.

And, I'll forever love her for an act of kindness after my Dad died. We were a done deal, but on a nite where Jackson, BBall, and I were throwing a party - 3 weeks after my Dad died- I had to hang someplace else. There were strict rules of mourning, and I fully knew that I could not co-host a party after such a short time. So, while I helped totally set it up, I left with Rocky and Blacky (bank job, 5am wakeup for them the next day) so they could drop me off @ Saur Krauts', where I spent the nite. I was miserable w/out my Dad, miserable that I had to miss MY OWN PARTY: but there is something about a warm, soft, caring female in my time of need.

So Rocky : That answer yr question? here's one of my favourite Rocky memories.......

SK and I were hanging out one mnite while she helped Rocky with his university German. He had to go do something, but promised to call us so that we mite go out w/ people later that nite. Look for the call, he is parafrased by me. So, with us in bed and warm under the covers and done but not asleep, on came the fone....... wait for message....... and it's Rocky's voice, presumably hoping we could be enticed out to wherever they'all were going................... wait for it........... :

BEEEEEEEEP!!

"You lose. "

Click.

Stolen/appropriated that one word message many times in life.

Now, any more clues needed, Rocky?

Tropics in the snow

One of my favoured birds, the monk parakeets. Totally @ home in the freezing continental winters of the neighbourhood of Mt. Greenwood. Totally welcome @ my home in the neighbourhood of Mt. Greenwood. Six were here - well short of the 23 I counted one day. Once summer comes, they will never visit , as natures finds a way to feed them naturally.

Springtime for Lovers

I noticed it 3 weeks ago, but decided to finally remember only to-day- in terms of young people and the sudden massive upswing in hands held in this school by new couples:

IT'S SPRINGTIME!!

I always enjoy people getting to-gether, so I always wait for this flood. Ususally it is actually IN spring, but it's started early this year. Knowing the kids, it's always fun to see who is hanging w/ who, and the suprise matches are always............suprising, I guess.

And, yesterday, I finally saw my first same sex couple @ this school. @ an old school there were always kids out-not many, but there was always that vibe.. This school is a fine arts hipster school (also a 'hood school, a special ed school, etc etc etc - but the arts is a big component here), so I always thought ther'ed be more out kids than the last school. Well, there's @ least one couple. Speaks well of the school. I imagine @ some north side schools there are tones of out kids. My guess is that in certain subarbs, there are lots of out kids. But down here, we get some dribbles and drabbles.

And then there are the soccer teams. Funny- by the time some kids graduate, they will have dated maybe 10 girls soccer players (or 10 boys, for the girls etc...) from the program. Like college, where certain social groups pass around their lovers. When I first met Bonnaix- well, 2d or third time we hung out talking- it was @ Wolcott, summer of 1992, late late late nite, and we were joking around about this whole 'social circle' thing w/ boys and girls. His circle had the interchangeable lovers, as well as my frenz.

I've had a few girl frenz of the type : The Millers Daughter was seconded by Rocky and Blacky, and I thirded Saur Kraut after Vito and Rocky. Then there is ______ , who told me to never tell. I told Vito. There must be more,but for me....not really.

Now, since I have enclyopedic knowledge of my friends love lives, I could get into a lot of trouble listing off similar lists. It's always funny informing them that, yes indeed, you really did sleep w/ her, I remember the time.....

Wait- isn't this the EXACT REASON such terms as "Hilts" and etc came into being? Shit- I've lost my way!!

It's always funny.....

........when one realises that one's blog has a brand new regular reader.

Security Out came into existence when I tried to reply to a post on dcs. Following prompts to register w/ blogger so I could comment on something, instead I somehow registered a blog. How did this happen? But dcs was my first blog, predating Security Out by a matter of minutes. I kept Security Out quite for a bit- I went a week thnking I was gonna have the most punk rock blog- write in it myself, then never tell anyone about it until a year later. Luckily, I'm only stupid most of the time, so I decided to let the cat out of the bag.

I have no idea how many people read this blog- although I know it'd be easy to figger out the numbers from some service or other, I'm not Blackie enough to expend the energy*. But I can figger out when I got/get new readers. So, I remember my first reguler readers- it had to be Jackson, Bonnaix, and Gallo. Jackson and Bonnaix weer cowriters on dcs, so I figgered they read my other stuff as well. Then Gallo- I'm sure he was my first regular reader. He'd send me shit, and I knew he was reading it. Bit by bit, others would respond. For a matter of 2m whenever it was, Crankface would greet me with a happy "Dude: The Blog!!" and although he didn't say too much, I knew he was digging it. Lazers had one of the greatest 'virgil on the backs' when he came out with : "When I check in the morning and there's no updates, I get Mad." And yes, that's a good thing. There have many other stories, including the 30m Rocky interroragation 1 year ago I've covered before. Every time I realise someone new has signed on, it's kool. But, it's always funny when someone new comes on board; BCD, Vito, Curtis, etc etc etc.. even exotic beasts from Belgium.

So,welcome, Jamey. And here's Jamies Tree's welcome to you. Unseen in Cps systems, so I haven't seen it yet. And, that's Spiers from Band of brothers as this posts cover star. One forgets there was a time when Gallo was actually called Spiers. More on that period later.

.............................................................................

*=Blackies one of those who probably not only knows who reads his every day via computer program stats etc... but he probably has the computer's set up to even record how many people have eated MacDonalds in the previous 12h to when they logged on. I'm curious to know, 'too proud" to deign to bother to find out, and just too plain lazy. Plus, I have an idea of how many people read it each day - and do not want to find out that that number is paltry. My guess? 30. That's all !!

They threw us all into a pit ...

....and told us they deserved it...

Free show !!

Sones de Mexico, who I saw play several years ago @ Old Town School of Folk, are playing a free show 20 Feb. Yes it's during the week and a late start (8.30p), but its free and I have to go downtown the next day, so fer sure I'm going.

officil stuff:

20 Wednesday, 8:30pm—La Peña—A two-hour concert at the Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Admission is free but ticket reservations are highly recommended by calling the boxoffice at (773) 728-6000. For more details visit www.oldtownschool.org/lapena

Once we were so young

one of the greatest tv pieces ever

list esp to the voice and the guitars rite about the 2m mark

my favourite

Jell-o

J & B understood under the symbols of The Gospel of JuBas

What follows is one of the greatest arcillogical finds of all time, the "Lost Gospel of JandBas. Found in an ancient dwelling in the hills of Oak Lawn, preserved and translated nearly 2000 years after J and B dominated the earth. Although as much as half of this original document had fallen apart, we have been able to recover enough to give a good rendition of what it was like to be a J and B'r back in the early days of Trivianity. For the frst time in almost 20000 years, enjoy the almost complete Gospel Of JandBas.

A last book is still to be translated by National Geographic. Maybe to-morrow. Certainly not to-day.

The Lost Gospel Of JandBas

Book One

1 One of the disciples asked of the Benk: "Benk- (why was it) that the mindworms, despite following your teachings ... (for a long time)... were nor able to cast down their evil opponents in the first of the two halves that we stayed in the village of TC?"

2 The Benk replied "Because when you are but one, and his chemicals cannot cover for the entire half by himself, then points will be lost"

(3-10 Lost)

11 "But Benk," cried one of the disciples, " this is such a deeply beautiful place, for the second fortnite (in a row). We wish to-gather (here)....... to worship the beau(ties ) , as there are so many??

12 And Benk replied " I say to you to-nite, Chemical man, you will walk over to the Trez's and have a conversation with them to-nite, because (you know) that this is The Way."

13 "But Benk", he replied, "What chance do (I) have ....... we all know you as well will be right over there trying the same on them?"

14 But the Benk did not reply (as he was) talking (with) the woman ......... already...........

(15-18 lost)

Book Two

1 But by then, three disciples of the Benk had arrived, to fufill the prophecy "When three of you get to-gether in my name for trivia, you shall call yourself 'J & B'." 2 The Benk went on, "If the first half (is terrible), and (one) knows not of T(v), Sports Illus(trated), and Locations, then pluck it out of the game and (play) hard the second half."

3 "But Benk,", asked one of the disciples, "What if we use (all of our four throws)......... (in)..... the first half?"

4 The Benk replied "If your throws are bothering you, meaning can often be derivered by using your crucifexman option"

5"But My Benk", the disciples asserted, "we never even used the crucifixman, even when both GF Magdeline and The Chemical Man who the Benk Loved most tried to get Judahilts to use it."

6 "Then answer the questions that the Benk asks you", The Benk replied.

(7-15 lost)

Book Three

1Then The benk began to teach:

2"Blessed be those who know," (He began ) "who was (a Sox)er and defeated his foe by allowing them to hit him but once, in 2001?"

3 "Blessed is he who knows Tori Amos's (birth year), for they shall have posters of her on their ceiling."

4 "Blessed be those who know who got their 3000 hit against Montreal in 1999, for they know it is not Cal (Ripken)."

5 "Blessed be those who know which (Cub)? hit for the cycle in 1987- may Ken Holtzmen throw no hiters forever."

6 "Blessed be those who know Al Secords wife's lover, who (laboured) ........ (both teams)... (of the)...... Bears. May she have been a good lay/good lay."

7 "Blessed be those who know what event happened on 1 Jan, 1994 in Chicago sports history, for they shall be like J and B and get the points on this question?"

8 And finally,

"Blessed be those who know the commonest eye colour in....... (w)orld- for they shall get the easy points for this question (instead) of J and B".

Book Four

1 "But Benk,", the disciples cried, "What good is it if we ........ (enter)? the final question last in points but in an ...... (evenly) ..............balanced game between the four areas of ancient Palestine?"

2 The Benk replied "You must bet the classic, and then ....... answer (the following) ...... questions correctly" The Benk then went into a stance as that of Rodhin's Thibker for five mintes before he finally started to write down the questions (into a codex) :

3 "Which delightful female starred in Tomb Raider?"

4 "Which Eastwood film won best director in 90's?"

and

5 "Name two of three Ghostbusters (male)...... stars?"

(6-12 lost)

Book Five

(1 -12 lost)

13 ....... (rose) .... on the St. Bedes Day, and raised into ..........(even) though they may not have won on this day.....

((14-17 lost)

Vote '08 - overall I goofed a bit

So yes, I voted for John Edwards in the early voting yesterday, after he left the race. Happy to vote for him, althogh again I'll say I like the other two as well. Again, Nader or Gren iin November. Edwards was a sorta protest vote; but then I realised that maybe I shoulda held my vote and voted in the Green primary. And I didn't cast a vote in any other race (other vote cast was on : "yes" to full benefits for vets question) , like att general etc. Now I realise that I should have studied thn issues in the lessor races better and voted for a progressive American- or, if none were good- not voted in that catergory @ all. There very may well have been some upstanding lady or dude who I would have been roud to 'shill' for- but I was too lazy and too concerned to get in the protest vote.

So= would have voted for Edwards again, but am mad that I didn't pay att'n to all the other races. Hoping Edwards wins Illinois.

Tuesday will be great. I can't wait.

I'm glad we went back

Last nites Lost show on the telly was liked by me. To those who don't know, I'll ruin it fer ya- later, when I talk about.......the future ofthe show.

And to those who know : i'm glad they followed this new paradigm down the rabbithole.

And, like us all, i'm just dying to find out.

Thank you, people who recreated Lost. Excitnment and wonder, not just drudgery......... I'm glad we went back.

More later