Rain!

Rain, rain, go away. Come back another day. Ike hasn't even made it up here yet!

"Warm and muggy with periods of showers and thunderstorms. Severe storms possible this afternoon. Heavy downpours; totals well in excess of an inch are likely over much of the area. Winds out of the south to southwest at 15 m.p.h. with gusts to 25 m.p.h. or higher. Temperatures warm into the 70s during the morning, approaching an 80-degree high this afternoon. Showers may weaken and diminish overnight."

Happy September 11th

It's that day again, a time when The United States of America was welcomed to the "global village" of international terrorism. I just hung the flag outside my house and started to reflet on the events seven years ago.

That's right, seven years have passed since over 3,000 Americans lost their lives on that fateful day. Think about this, children that are in the second grade weren't even born when this happened, 8th graders have no memory and it won't be long before incoming college freshman are in the same boat.

Where were you at 8:46 AM EDT on September 11, 2001? I was at work in the Chicago Loop. I was working at an investment firm and had the early shift. I was at my desk for only 20 minutes starting my day as a data communications administrator when I received a call from my buddy Joe. He said, "You'll never believe this, but a jet just smashed into one of the World Trade Center towers in Manhattan. That crazy bastard Brian Walsh predicted it - 'It's only a matter of time when an airplane crashes into a skyscraper'. Get down to the 32nd floor to watch CNN on the trading floor..."

And so down to the 32nd floor I went and watched in horror as the second jet slammed into the second tower. No one was talking, everyone was in shock. It went from, "What a terrible accident" to "We're under attack!".

Our team gathered the troops and no inessential personnel was ordered to evacuate the building. I was on the top floor of a 30+ story building at the NW corner of the Chicago Loop which is in direct sight of O'Hare Airport just 13 miles to the Northwest and down the street from the Sears Tower.

Joe and myself left the office just before 10:00 AM and decided to skip public transit altogether and walk to his apartment which was only two miles to the north. It was a crazy scene as thousands of people departed the downtown area. Forget about trying to make a telephone call, all lines were jammed. I eventually was able to reach family to tell them my status.

We arrived at his apartment in time to watch both towers collapse. What an eerie site that is. They fell like a house of cards. Their design was partly to blame. They went up quick and came down even quicker. I could only imagine those smug bastards shouting "Jihad!" in their caves as they got way more than they expected. They likely praised Alah for allowing their f-ing suicide/death/terror mission to be so successful.

I only hope that if the Cold War can come to a peaceful end, so can this socio-religious conflict.

9 months

It's hard to believe, but today my daughter is nine months old. That means that she has spent as much time outside the womb as she spent inside it. What a dramaitc change. I'm not sure where she's happier...

CTA doomsday approaches yet again!

When is the CTA gonna get with it and stop lowering fares (a-la free fares for seniors) and simply raise their prices to keep step with raising costs of operation? Metra did so in February; my monthly pass went up 10%. I'm still riding.

Let's get real. I'm done listening to how the CTA cannot meet its own budgets. The last time the CTA raised fares was 6 years ago. Times have changed. What are you afraid of? The North and South Sides won't stop buying your product; you have a captive audience. Raise fares to $2 a ride and let's move on with our lives. Raise the fare another $0.25 in two years. G-Rod is not going to help you; only hurt you...
http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/chi-cta-cuts-web-sep09,0,7996333.story

Tooth!

I was at my sister's Sunday afternoon in Winfield. They had a parade to celebrate their weekend of "The Good Old Days" celebration - http://www.winfieldchamber.biz/GoodOldDaysSch.pdf. They have dunk tanks and all that jazz that jerks at our memories of days of yore.

At this parade they throw LOTS of candy. After the parade, I was enjoying some DOTS and oops, my crown popped off of my lower left rear molar. Damn, what a buzz kill. I had some temperature sensitivity, but not much general pain. It's really hard and annoying to chew on only one side of your mouth. On top of that, it was really difficult to drink beer during the Bears game Sunday night! I survived.

I called my dentist and alerted my coworkers Sunday night that I would be working from home as I did not know when I could get an appointment. It was not an emergency so I did not feel the need to contact the dentist himself after-hours. After all, I know what that's all about and it's no fun for anyone. Their office hours on Monday are 1-8pm so I knew that I would not have resolution until after lunch. I was okay with that and left a message to call me.

I got in at 3:30pm to have the crown cemented in. I figured it would be a quick in-out; I was wrong. The crown had worn a hole on the tongue side and that caused all the cement to loosen and it chose Sunday afternoon to pull loose (my DOTS did not help). That said, I now have a temporary cemented in, have the taste of cloves in my mouth (they flavor the cement with cloves?) and the dentist needs to send the crown out for repair if that's possible. After that, I need to go back in and have the temp removed and the crown put back in. I feel like I could use an oil change, too.

Looking for rah-rah?!

Well, you need look no further than this. This is called "Trumpets in the Dome" and takes place approximately 70 minutes before game time. Don't let the (slow start) Alma Mater keep you from getting to the good part at 1:24. See lyrics from previous post. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9LnTr5RQXg

Just so you know...

The Notre Dame Victory March is 100 years old this year. Yes, the best-known of all University fight songs is that old. I went to the San Diego State game yesterday in South Bend and many people just don't realize there is more to the song than the simple chorus that we all know. I figured I would lay it out for everyone. Two verses precede the chorus. And they are:

Rally sons of Notre Dame,
Sing her glory, and sound her fame
Raise her Gold and Blue,
And cheer with voices true,
Rah! Rah! For Notre Dame.

We will fight in every game
Strong of heart and true to her name.
We will ne'er forget her
And we'll cheer her ever,
Loyal to Notre Dame.

Chorus:
Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame
Wake up the echoes cheering her name,
Send the volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky,
What though the odds be great or small
Old Notre Dame will win over all,
While her loyal sons are marching Onward to Victory.