Occludine 23, 27.

CONCEPT

- Another weekend check in, check out. This one involved alternating stretches of laying around and frenzied activity.
- On Friday, I got off work earliesh, and returned up north. Took a nap. My brother was passing through town on his way home from Madison, Wisconsin, and neede a place to crash, but first we went down to visit Jessica. Sam had several friends coming to visit, so the place was crowded anyway. Cody picked me up around seven (after adventures navigating traffic jams, Fullerton, and Loyola Lakefront), and we picked up a couple frozen pizzas and a 2-liter of Lime Coke, and watched an old episode of Monk.
- On Saturday, Cody and I met up for the St. Patrick's Day Parade downtown. We tried unsuccessfully to meet up with Sam and co. I took a ton of pictures... more on this later. At a little after three, the parade ended, I said goodbye to Cody, and returned to Jessica's. We relaxed for several hours, then headed over to Evan's for a night of (more) pizza and Rocky and Bullwinkle. It was nice; we haven't seen Evan in awhile. Then, we were slated to return to Edgewater Beach for a party at my place, but on calling, we discovered that everyone was asleep.
- On Sunday, I rode CTA all the way out to Beverly for the South Side St. Patrick's Day Parade. This parade was spectacular and sparkling and invigorating. I felt more Irish than I've felt since I was in Ireland. I've regretted, for a few moments, not applying to Trinity after all, but it wouldn't be what I wanted it to be. So... I took a ton a pictures. More on this later. After the parade, Jess and Greg picked me up, and we hurried out to Blue Island for a session of Phil's Forgotten Realm's campaign. We wrestled with evil bloody psionic snow, interrogated orcs, and at the end, I put myself in a very compromising position by using my Hat of Disguise to pose as the one-eyed "Messenger of Gruumsh." Meanwhile, my companions ambushed the thieves on the river. Good times, I tell you... good times. Finally, we returned home and watched the Greatest Week Ever on VH1. I only had to attain my mid-twenties to be hep enough to watch TV like a regular teenager. Sigh.

COUNTRY OF THE DAY
Luxembourg.

WORD OF THE DAY
Nimiety.

NEWS OF THE DAY
New York Times: Hundreds of Thousands of Lebanese Rally Against Syria.

PICTURE OF THE DAY
Dublin: The Temple Bar. Photos from Northern Ireland, Summer 2003. By Ville Valio.

QUESTION OF THE DAY
To the best of your knowledge, what is your ethnic background?