for penguins fans, this photo is priceless

443 w wrightwood lobby 1

443 w wrightwood lobby 1, originally uploaded by pr9000.

(That's John D. Carroll in the lobby of our first Chicago apartment)

On Wednesday, it was almost 70, sunny and pleasant. As I type this, it's 31 and snowing. "Anything can happen in Minnesota," Amina's grandfather just told us. He's been here for about 100 years, so he'd know.

One thought: why is it that, when people are making a big transaction and need to calculate costs, etc., they always say they want to "crunch the numbers?" Why are numbers always crunched? I like "massaged" better.

la lima

la lima, originally uploaded by pr9000.

People are debating whether Ed Begley Jr.'s bicycle operated toaster helps save the Earth. For me, I can't believe we've come to a point where debating what a washed-up actor does to toast his bread is worthy of discussion.

Good discussion over at Slev's house and Mr. Mowatt's neighborhood about the "green is good" fashion message coming from The Powers That Be™ ... I guess I didn't get my point across clearly on Slev's site. I agree that it's a marketing ploy. But I also agree that "think globally, act locally" is a great idea.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go work on my McMansion.

"frylock? really? what a nerd."

frylock? really? what a nerd., originally uploaded by pr9000.

dude sees us over there.

dude sees us over there., originally uploaded by pr9000.

Trotter's fondest wish is to catch one of these two bastards pictured above. He's on constant lookout for squirrels! -- that's the only way to say it, with the exclamation point! -- who brazenly dare to eat from our bird feeder on the deck.

I caught these two a few weeks ago. I didn't know we had two, and as you can see, the foreground squirrel -- I call him Frylock -- has darker cheeks than Shake in the background. I'm sure Trotter knew there were two. And he also knows there are a few chipmunks living under the deck, in an old woodpile we have under the stairs.

Some day, Trotter will get to eat one of these evil, lying, manipulative, thieving creatures. In his mind, the squirrels will taste like filet mignon.

Until then, though, he'll have to settle for leftover mac and cheese in his dogfood.

twisting my words to make his point

Slev has taken me out of context. The full quote was:

"You are a fantastic writer of furry pornography short stories, but woefully bad with television analysis."

See how he twists my words? That's why I was his (however short-lived) campaign manager. A man like that can lead!

i'm in yur windoze, tranzlatin' yer bibles

fletcher's natural position, originally uploaded by pr9000.

I like LOLcats as much as the next person, but this project is just a bit ... creepy.

Delta's New In-flight Safety Vixen Video

Holy sweet Moses! When she does the "smoking is not permitted" thing, I really, really want to listen to her.

North by Northwest

North by Northwest, originally uploaded by Balakov.

I'm oddly inspired by this. You should check out his whole photo stream. He's phenomenal.

orange gerb

orange gerb, originally uploaded by pr9000.

My niece, Hailey, went to the circus yesterday. Some day she'll learn to appreciate that family gatherings can suffice, but for now, it's the only way she can get in a room full of clowns, animals and food that's really bad for you.

The circus, originally uploaded by beths96.

I think that, like most children, she's not exactly thrilled with clowns:

, originally uploaded by beths96.

•••

Last night, Amina and I finally found "The Darjeeling Limited" at our local Redbox ... we'd been looking at the Byerly's Redbox, but it just wasn't there. McDonald's, though? Totally had it, which should have been a sign unto me.

Ten years ago, Wes Anderson released "Rushmore." My mind says I was living in Lincoln Park at the time, in a small studio with John Carroll, but the movie was released in 1998, and I thought I had moved out by that time. But maybe not. 

Either way, I checked it out on a whim at the now-a-condo Biograph Theatre on Lincoln. I remember walking in a snowstorm to see it, mainly because I was too poor to afford a cab (or so I thought). I read a review in the Reader that had good things to say, and at the time I was very much into my "seeing movies by my lonesome" phase, so I was happy to go by myself.

"Rushmore" was the first time I ever cried at the end of a movie. I remember laughing at so much that happened during the movie, and I was the only one giggling. Maybe I didn't get the jokes, or maybe I'm just attuned to the sense of humor in the film. Regardless, I felt like a part of my life had been shown on the screen.

I went back two days later, and took John to see it the next Friday. That's how much I loved "Rushmore."

Since then, it's been one disappointment after another from Anderson. And "The Darjeeling Limited" kept that streak going. I'm not going to review the movie -- nobody cares to hear me take it apart, piece by infuriating piece -- but one thing jumped out last night, as Amina struggled to stay awake.

"This reminds me of 'The Virgin Suicides,'" she said. We hated that movie. Director: Sofia Coppola. And who was a co-writer on "The Darjeeling Limited?" Roman Coppola, her brother.

New rule: Coppola + movies = watch TV instead.