i am southbound on a metra train as i write this...it is 5:30pm and i am on my way home from work...i gobbled up the last tidbits of seymour: an introduction by jd salinger on my way north to work and by virtue of lacking reading material, i am forced to write instead...i think i will make it a new habit...read one way to or from work, and write the other...this will keep me a well-rounded literary person, or so i hope...well, enough with the disclaimers and introductions...

so what's been going on...well...let's see...i don't recall what i did friday night...uhm..damn, my short term memory is becoming downright atrocious...oh yeah...we went to badabing! on north ave. for pizza...i remember going there w/ connolly & olarn when they first opened up last spring...back then it was little more than an 'upscale' fast italian food joint with high hopes...today, it's a hoppin' wicker park/bucktown night spot (i say this tongue in cheek), w/ a roof deck, patio seating, like 3 parking spaces, sofa lounge, bar, and even a dj and palm reader on the weekends...it's really one of those places that i consciously try to avoid because it has all the charm of a spruced up yugo and commands my interest at about the level of a thumb tack...i am no hipster and i don't play one on the latest reality tv show, but i am aware of the high probability that any interesting experience to be had at a place called badabing (outside the immediate company you may be keeping that night) will more likely than not have to do with the sheer ridiculousness of being at a place called badabing...

enough said on that...after pizza, we went to caffe de luca for dessert...ah...chocolate brownie w/ strawberry gelato on the eve of summer...with some live soft jazz unobtrusively setting the mood...amongst patrons for whom i could feel an immediate affinity (those warm affections being based on some one having the same appleseed cast button on her purse as mine)...lovely...

saturday afternoon was spent in the summer sun...playing drums...eating del reys and nachos in front of the tube watching animatrix...that's the series of 9 animated shorts related to the matrix the movie...the images and stories were disturbing...not exactly light saturday evening entertainment...

sunday, we (we being teddy & i) went to the hyde park vineyard...we ran into pete & amy & little elliot on the way in...we missed worship, which i would later regret because it was some kid from england (w/ an accent and everything) & peter nicholson (steve & cindy's son, my old pastors from evanston vineyard) on congas...oh well...rand was teaching from colossians...he managed to keep me from daydreaming for the entire teaching...in fact it was quite good...stirred up stuff...after church, teddy & i went to the noodle place on 57th and we talked about the service...i think it was a positive experience for both of us...i'm hoping to connect more w/ pete & amy in the future...anyways, i'm glad rand had a chance to meet ted...aud wasn't there though...oh well...maybe next time...

sun. night, teddy, his sis lauren and i went to see this funny movie called l'aberge espagnole or something...it's in french & it's a lotta fun...made us all wanna pack our bags and go hang out in europe...after the movie, we went to lauren's for cappucinos (lauren's quite a barista and cappucino master) and ice cream sundaes and talked and talked and talked...they gave me the whole family tree dissertation and i just love hearing stories on family histories, so i had a great time...i love spending time w/ lauren & teddy together because i see how they love each other & it's so sweet and it makes me happy to see siblings so devoted and kind to each other...

*****

now i'm home...doing laundry...getting ready to eat pasta and drink a whiskey sour...

been listening to--
summershine--VoL
get lost--the magnetic fields