Well- this is off topic... however I have to say I hate, despise, and can't stand the city of my birth, and most of my adulthood: Chicago.
I left about 5 years ago and found out that there was a life without traffic, stress, packed stores, mean police, high prices, and dangerous crime. There was a time I had thought I would "live and die" in the Windy City. I was wrong about that... I did leave.
Today, I had to drive through Chicago Rush hour on my way back to my home in Michigan. And the traffic on 290, 355, and 294 brought all those crappy memories back. My god.... once I tolerated this. Could it be true? Must have been.
Drivers darting in and out of traffic at 30 mph above the posted limit, middle fingers flying into the air over the car with Michigan plates who was actually doing the speed limit, and traffic backups where drivers are aggressively darting into traffic gaps which are meant as "safe driving distance" to gain a few inches of forward movement.
Police apparently not caring, sitting at the side of the road in speed traps, watching mildly as traffic passed at 80mph in a 55 mph zone. If you break 90mph- you *might* get pulled over. At 100mph- then they nail you for a felony.
Amazing. And every 10 miles my IPass doles out another 80 cents to the tollway authority for apparently keeping the road safe- regardless of the fact that the tollway has been under construction, reconstruction, perpetual construction- since 1995.
Isn't this insanity? Why would anyone live like this? Jobs? Opportunity? More sex?
As my Jewish friends would say: "Fegh!"
With the recent economic downturn I may end up as a convenient store clerk with 20 years experience as a systems and network engineer.
As hard as that is to take, as much as I want to deploy internet systems again, as humbling as it may be to give up my house, my status, and perhaps even my credit rating....
Please God, Goddess, The Universe, The Holy Jim Bob, or whomever: don't let me go back to Chicago.
That might be too much to take. Have mercy. And while your at it... how about a decent job? I don't need to make what I got last year.. just enough to "make it". Really. I like sale meat from the butcher and rice. I'm cool with Salisbury steak. I'll cut back, a little, on the coffee. I won't order imported food anymore (Exception: Ricotta Cheese and Romano Cheese: I need my pasta!).
Amen, Oman, So mote it be, let it be, come to me, and Abracadabra.
Oh... and "All Hail Jim Bob!"
I left about 5 years ago and found out that there was a life without traffic, stress, packed stores, mean police, high prices, and dangerous crime. There was a time I had thought I would "live and die" in the Windy City. I was wrong about that... I did leave.
Today, I had to drive through Chicago Rush hour on my way back to my home in Michigan. And the traffic on 290, 355, and 294 brought all those crappy memories back. My god.... once I tolerated this. Could it be true? Must have been.
Drivers darting in and out of traffic at 30 mph above the posted limit, middle fingers flying into the air over the car with Michigan plates who was actually doing the speed limit, and traffic backups where drivers are aggressively darting into traffic gaps which are meant as "safe driving distance" to gain a few inches of forward movement.
Police apparently not caring, sitting at the side of the road in speed traps, watching mildly as traffic passed at 80mph in a 55 mph zone. If you break 90mph- you *might* get pulled over. At 100mph- then they nail you for a felony.
Amazing. And every 10 miles my IPass doles out another 80 cents to the tollway authority for apparently keeping the road safe- regardless of the fact that the tollway has been under construction, reconstruction, perpetual construction- since 1995.
Isn't this insanity? Why would anyone live like this? Jobs? Opportunity? More sex?
As my Jewish friends would say: "Fegh!"
With the recent economic downturn I may end up as a convenient store clerk with 20 years experience as a systems and network engineer.
As hard as that is to take, as much as I want to deploy internet systems again, as humbling as it may be to give up my house, my status, and perhaps even my credit rating....
Please God, Goddess, The Universe, The Holy Jim Bob, or whomever: don't let me go back to Chicago.
That might be too much to take. Have mercy. And while your at it... how about a decent job? I don't need to make what I got last year.. just enough to "make it". Really. I like sale meat from the butcher and rice. I'm cool with Salisbury steak. I'll cut back, a little, on the coffee. I won't order imported food anymore (Exception: Ricotta Cheese and Romano Cheese: I need my pasta!).
Amen, Oman, So mote it be, let it be, come to me, and Abracadabra.
Oh... and "All Hail Jim Bob!"
