Chicago: Become Familiar with its Distinctive Neighborhoods

I guess you'll have to wear xmas socks every day for the next several days to get the most use out of them.

I've wanted to cover "the big country" (last track on buildings and food). I think I covered "heaven" long ago and was asked to sing "once in a lifetime" (as well as mellencamp's great "lonely old night" with a wedding-reception band composed of the groom's friends.

You should cover "Big Country" by Big Country. EL could play the "bagpipe" part.

Here's another stupid work story:

This morning, I was waiting for the copier to warm up and an HR person came in and we were both wearing read sweaters (MINE TO MATCH MY RED SOCKS YOU SEE) so I made some sort of "Hey it's red sweater day" small talk type comment and she asked if I had ever met one of the red hat ladies or whatever the fuck they're called and I said I had seen them around and she said, "I have to tell you about those ladies..." and went into her office, presumably to put her stuff down and so she could come back out and tell me about the red hat ladies, but by then my copies finished so I just went back to my desk. Because I really had no interest in hearing about the red hat ladies COME ON.

XP - Big Country by Big Country is one of my TOP FAVORITE SONGS OF ALL TIME EVER. I are serious.

I hope you saved some turkey for me.

Well, Sarah, to be honest they are "holiday" socks more so than straight up Christmas socks, or arguably "winter" socks, you know with snow flakes and snow people and shit like that so I could wear them until March, probably, but they are definitely more evocative of the winter holiday season than I generally want my clothing to be.

You should have listened to her Jenny, they might be dangerous?

oh goodness it's christmassy in here today! merry christmassy, errybudy!

HUGGLEZ FOR CHRISTMAS!

OH, SETTLE DOWN, DON'T SQUIRM.

I don't know that I could pull off the CHAHs successfully.

Hey hey Chicago. What's shankin?

Jenny sure is posting from work a lot.

You should have listened to her Jenny, they might be dangerous?

LOL. Here I thought she was just going to bore me shitless but really it was a WARNING THAT COULD HAVE SAVED MY LIFE. Those little old ladies are really vampire demon succubusesesesses.

I know, I'm kind of bored plus it's Friday plus nobody is here plus I have a couple extra days to finish my work.

I second Eric's emotion re I Am Legend. It was pretty decent. Sometimes the dialog delved into blockbustery glibness but for the most part it was good. Overall I would say it was more worth going to the theater for than your typical big budget special effects movie. And the scenes of desolate NYC were pretty cool. As were the undead things.

jenny, maybe they can be your "boot socks" since then nobody would ever see them?

who are the red hat ladies?

"big country" is one of david byrne's lyrical gems but i don't really get the melody of that song. i like the version of heaven from stop making sense with just david byrne, tina weymouth and one of the back up singers.

Oh, I will wear these socks. They are warm and comfortable. I will just look like a dipshit while I do it. But I am 35 now so I guess it's time to become resigned to holiday-specific clothing.

The Red Hat Society

surely it's this?

http://www.redhat.com/

Those old ladies who go out for hot tea and salads wearing red hats and purple clothes are Linux fanatics.

And succubi.

Ah yes, wasn't it Stephen Sondheim who coined the phrase "Ladies who Linux"? Such an archetype.

Advanced Word users:

Is it possible to consolidate text? I have a document that has a blank page between each page of text, which is super annoying. I would like to remove all line spaces larger than double-spaced. Possible?

Yes! But I can't remember how.

http://www.tululuka.net/alco/posters/alko10.gif

This dress is hot shit:

http://www.style.com/slideshows/fashionshows/S2008RTW/AKLEIN/RUNWAY/00330m.jpg

I'm bored.

Find/replace three spaces with one space, repeat if nec, save a backup first.

Thanks, but I don't think that is going to entertain me for long.

Oh, I guess you were talking to Jesse.

Hahahaha

My bossman asked me to make a dinner reservation for him tonight (yeh, I know) at T@bl3 52. The lady on the phone said they were booked and to reserve 60-90 days in advance. Yowza.

Long lunch/party with some coworkers. I nursed a single beer for two hours, which is kinda disgusting, actually. But hey, I was too busy being funny!

Then I leave early, and meet up with some OTHER coworkers... oh, it will never end. Holidays!

I have decided to leave work early today.

I have decided I am going to hang a sign on the outside of my cube that says, "Go shit in your hat" to dissuade people from asking me stupid questions.

"go shit in your red hat"

When I Am An Old Woman I Will Shit Purple

ew

Because I shall gobble up three whole pounds of concord grapes in one sitting
And drink nothing but grape Kool-Aid
And other things to make the nurses aids crazy.

And drink nothing but grape Kool-Aid

Actually, I heard once that purple dyed foods turns your shit bright green. Which might be festive for the holidays and such.

Anyway, I came here for two more Chicago questions:

1) Good greasy spoon / interesting places for breakfast in the downtown area? I read about some place named Orange but I'm interested in others.

2) Is there a place where one could get, say, a bowl of mussles, french fries, and Belgian beers?

As for #2, why yes there is.

Courtney update:

They lost her luggage on a direct flight. In fact, they lost luggage for everyone on that aircraft.

IT IS JUST LIKE LOST, if people were luggage.

Joygoat that makes since. Brown die looks purple when you first add it to water, so maybe purple die looks green after you eat it and poop it out.

There are a lot of diner places downtown, but I don't know how many of them are all that remarkable. A lot of people like Lou Mitchells, which is on Jackson and Clinton (south west loop).

die?

YES DIE!

Dye, dye my darling.

Courtney update:

She is drunk.

I NEED ANOTHER COURTNEY UPDATE, PLEASE. IT'S BEEN SEVEN MINUTES ALREADY.

I actually got drunk at the Hopleaf a year ago after eating Korean food down the street. For some reason (perhaps being drunk) I missed the fact that they had food.

I am very excited about this.

Courtney update:

She is still in NC. No luggage, but a snoot-ful of hooch.

And a snatch-ful of snoot.

Shit, I meant snout.