CHICAGO: If Hepatitis C Were Attacking Your Face Instead of Your Liver You'd Be Doing Something About It

Wait, now I need to hear that song to get it OUT OF MY HEAD

http://img.slate.com/media/1/123125/123050/2133481/2148159/060912_CB_911pic.jpg

Second reaction: if you can't tell that's Williamsburg from the angle, you can tell from the hipsters.

So I almost got shot last night. I was standing in a bus shelter at the corner of Fulton and Damen around 9:30. I heard a little pop no louder than a firecracker from a passing car, and the middle of the three plexiglass panels at the back of the shelter shattered in a fraction of a second.

My first thought was whether the car - red, something like a Jeep Cherokee - would come back around. Second thought was whether to get off of Damen (no cabs or anything nearby), but Fulton is nothing but loading docks and chainlink fences, nowhere to go really.

After five or 10 minutes a cab finally came by. The meter in the cab wasn't working, the driver starts doing all different kinds of math, figuring out rates at a quarter-mile and how many blocks I wanted to go, and I didn't want to listen anymore, just got out on Damen a block or two north of North and gave him a ten. Tried calling two of my oldest and closest friends, Geoff and Sarah G., who were on the phone with each other so didn't pick up until I called back a few times. Geoff and I went to the Beat Kitchen, and I had a big plate of gumbo and a glass of Makers Mark and ice. There was what looked like a company holiday party going on in the back room, with a stage full of people singing some big finale. In the front bar, surf and Chet Atkins versions of Christmas songs. Closing up the tab, the bartender said my eyes looked normal again.

The good thing is this. On the way home, I was thinking about if the bullet had hit me, and thinking about if that had been the end. And I felt good about choices I had made and what I had done yesterday, last week, all this year, and more (something I don't always feel day by day). For one, I had just been auditioning actors - I'm directing this obscure, tough-to-get-a-handle-on short play - and had a great time working with the actors on solving the play, and it was an engaging productive fun time. After auditioning 50 actors for my play and others, the casting director herself offered to read the scene, and she did great work and got the part. A good moment, and a good story. And that's why I was down near Damen and Fulton to begin with - so if I'd gone, it would've been while on the job doing what I love.

Thought about a lot of good conversations and good times over the past day, month, year; thought about the good work done; felt good about the life I've lead, and glad still to be here.

See? It's not just about yuppified convenience. It's about life or death!

Speaking of the west side, fucking Orange Line derailed today: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/19/national/main2281320.shtml

I think we should start a serious letter writing campaign to all our elected officials. There has been a major CTA delay every goddamn day for the last couple weeks.

See? It's not just about yuppified convenience. It's about life or death!

roffles

Certainly.

However, it must be said that I have been getting to work on time and even early for several days. The train has been moving for the entire route, sometimes even relatively quickly. I am convinced it's all a coincidence, and I will be an hour late any day now.

So basically forget everything I said in the previous post. The CTA is a constant nightmare.

THIS is what the operators should be talking about, not "this is Damen coming in to Damen bound for Downtown and Forest Park PLEASE use all available doors coming in coming in" etc.

xpost: Yeah, I really have to say I have few complaints as of late, but I realize it's probably luck.

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Anyway, I'm in a great mood today, aside from knowing the kinds of images that will show up in my nightmares tonight.