January 19, 2005.

CONCEPT

COMMENTS
I'm going to round out these daily posts from now on with comments that belong, but not really anywhere else.
I have two comments today.

First, I appear to be psychic. Today I was walking briskly up Kenmore to Thorndale and turned to the left, and then, still a block away from the El stop, I broke into a run, entered the station, swept my card, burst up the stairs and boarded my train just as it was about to pull away.
To explain, one can't see or hear the train from the street more than a couple seconds before it arrives. The platform is in full view, but the surrounding buildings block out the rest of the track.
To interpret, I think that like any living thing, I've adapted to my environment. Quite simply, I did have a clue at my disposal: the other people waiting on the platform. There's a change I've noticed, in the way people stand, when they see a train coming as opposed to simply waiting. They'll shift slightly, maybe pivot on their heel just a bit. Their glance becomes focused as they begin measuring time from the present moment until the train arrives and doors open.
At any rate, however, I didn't consciously realize what was happening, nor did I really choose to run. I simply started and got there in the nick of time.

Second, this week Chicago has given me two winters I love.
The first is a drydusted winter of shrieking winds and bleak landscapes. Even with gloves and hat, the cold is piercing and numbing. I'd get in and stand in the doorway stinging, and vow not to leave again that night. I'd stand at the window, amazed that such hostility was only a couple inches away, but I could comfortably stand with a cup of tea and admire the frigid smoke curling from dozens of chimneys and smokestacks, painting gray smudges across Chicago's North Side. This was Monday and yesterday.
The second is a wet, soggy, fat, snowy winter of half-frozen puddles and chubby, moldy clouds. It's a winter that seems to predict spring. I normally don't expect it so soon, but this morning, as I walked (late) to the train (before running the last block) I felt a mist on my face and streets were quiet and I saw the sky brightening earlier. I was happy for the change.

COUNTRY OF THE DAY
Burundi

WORD OF THE DAY
Dance

NEWS OF THE DAY
Not One Damn Dime

PICTURE OF THE DAY
The Bondi Resort : http://www.bondi-cottage-resort.com/graphics/hwinter1.jpg

QUESTION OF THE DAY
What trees feature your favorite varieties of bark (by texture and appearance)?