So, as most of my friends know, I love random facts.  I love the tidbits and golden nuggets of knowledge most of the people I know dismiss as meaningless.  Most common cause of death for beavers?  Falling trees.  Which is produced more in the US, wheat or tobacco?  Tobacco.  And why does bacteria get such a bad rap when only 1% of the known bacteria actually cause disease?  Oh that’s right, nobody would buy into all that “anti-bacterial” marketing if death wasn’t looming at their doorstep every time they washed their hands, wiped down their counter, or blew their nose with regular soap and tissues.

My fascination with random facts has been fed lately by a wonderful, ad-filled site powered by Wikipedia that details many of the neighborhoods in Chicago.  For instance, did you know that Wicker Park was the meeting place of the displaced Polish government during World War I?  Too amazing to be true?  Not according to the Polish historians in the area.  And what about Humboldt Park, the neighborhood Allan and I will probably end up moving to at the end of June?  It’s named after a German naturalist that never even visited the city!  Maybe I will one day have a landmark or park named after me in a town I have no connection to.  A boy can dream.

One more thing… an adult with a high level of activity can create more than 4 gallons of sweat daily.  This will became clear for everyone riding the 8:30 Blue Line southbound train on days like today when it looks like I ran 5 miles to the station, when in fact I walked 3 blocks.

Ah, Memorial Day Weekend.

That sweet, three-day extravaganza of grilling and relaxing that is somehow related to something patriotic. Growing up, Memorial Day was often the joint birthday party for my brother and I, with burgers and cake underneath the carport at the house. When my dad built the addition on the house and tore down the carport, it was almost as if it signaled the end of an era.

This weekend though… this weekend is a non-stop, friend-filled weekend that will most likely test my tolerance for grilled meat products (shut up, Jake) and leave me sun burnt and exhausted on Tuesday morning. I even have a new hamburger recipe I filched from one of the books in the B&N downstairs. It’s from the famous Morton’s Steakhouse and uses egg yolks and tomato juice. I’m still debating if I want to put the effort into hamburgers, but I do know at some point I’m going to have to whip up some guac and probably some cheesy potatoes. Yeah, I’m domestic, so what?

I’ll probably go with some people to see X-Men 3 tonight, but after reading all of the reviews, it’s like someone has left a flaming bag of dog poop on the doorstep of my dreams.

Oh, and if you’re still wondering - there’s still time to order my birthday present and have it shipped so you can wrap it and get it to me by next Saturday. Thanks for being such a great friend!

I am so good at making excuses when it comes to working out.  For some strange reason, it came easily in Minnesota.  I was hitting the YMCA three times a week and playing basketball, frisbee, or softball every single chance the weather allowed me to.  I was able to build a solid diet of food that was filling, but also mostly healthy.  This paid off with a sizable weight loss obviously, but it is hard to keep up.  One of the first things I did when I moved to Chicago was to sign up for a staff/faculty membership at our campus athletic center, which deducts a small chunk from my paycheck to pay for my access to the state of the art facility.  The building is enormous, with everything I could need from raquetball courts to free motion weights to a foosball table.  Sometimes though, life gets in the way.

The first couple of months were great.  School wasn’t in session yet, so the rec center was mostly empty.  That meant easy access to the raquetball courts with my roommate and no waiting for machines or weights.  Even when school started up and the building became much more crowded I managed to find time to get over there.  The weight stayed the same, but I could feel myself slowly getting leaner, which is what I wanted in the first place.  Thanksgiving came around, which gave me a 5 day break, then Christmas with a couple of weeks away, and soon I was struggling to find the motivation.  Now here it is, 5 months later, and I can feel the change.  The weight is still the same, but I definitely do not feel as healthy.  I don’t like it, but getting up at 6 am to go work out does not appeal to me.  Of course, going after work doesn’t really do it for me either.

The campus rec center does crack me up every time I go.  I mean, seriously, who gets up at 6 am and works out in make up?  Are there really that many guys to impress at 6 in the morning?

So friends, I need your help.  Tell me to kick it into gear.  Tell me to give my excuses to someone that cares.

One of the best parts about living in Chicago and using public transportation on a daily basis is the endless supply of encounters and sightings that can lead to a blog post.  I’ve decided that I’m either going to have to spring for a camera phone or carry a camera of some sort around with me regularly, because some of this stuff needs to be documented in photographic form.  For instance, I think everyone would enjoy seeing the 4 people painted head to toe in orange and blue body paint, wearing nothing but matching bathing suits, that boarded the Blue Line yesterday afternoon.  Were they trying to cause a stir for a specific product?  Who knows?  At least they were courteous enough not to take the few seats available.

Speaking of seats on the CTA - when did it become ok to not give up your seat for someone?  The morning train is always packed by the time I get on, so there’s little room to look around and eyeball the suburban jerks who hog two seats while pregnant women and elderly men stand, hanging desperately on to the knee-level rails.  The afternoon train is a different story.  When I board after work, the train is practically empty, so I have the opportunity to grab a seat if I would like.  The thing is, I’ve been sitting all day by this point - why would I want to sit for another 10 minutes?  The problem comes about 3 stops north when the train starts getting packed.  As more and more people board, the number of guys who sit still perplexes me.  Is it really that big of a deal to get up and let a woman sit down?  Even worse, I’ve seen a guy get up only to have another guy push past people to snag the seat!  I think a couple of us had that completely blank expression on our face as the seat snatcher stared forward, obviously aware of the awkward situation he just created.

But did anyone say anything to him?  No.  Why?  Because we’ve all become individualistic, emotionless drones.  We put on our oversized sunglasses and turn up our ipods to decibel levels that rival a Civil War era cannon, allowing our social norms and interactions to be reduced to simply saying “OFF!” when it comes to our stop.

There are few things in life that infuriate me like the suburban middle aged business men that take the afternoon off to go to a Cubs game when I need to get to Lincoln Park in the middle of the day.  Since the Cubs game starts at 1:00, by the time they board the El at 12:00, they’ve already put down enough alcohol to give me a buzz from the stench they bring with them on the train.  They usually never take the train anywhere, so they are completely inept when it comes to train etiquette.  Sexist and racist jokes are commonly overheard and usually followed by a mix of laughter that resembles a hyena and a moose thrown in a blender and set on purée.

Putting up with the drunk suburbanites and the occasional rudeness is a small price to pay for the convenience of public transportation, I suppose.  I’ll be honest – it’s pretty darn cool to work in downtown Chicago and only have a 10 minute train ride to get back and forth.  Throw in a few public performers, and you’ve got a wonderful mix that can only be found in a place like Chicago.  I just wish that people could pull their headphones out of their ears and take off their sunglasses long enough to enjoy it.

I think it’s officially ready to open. Welcome to the next step in the blog progression.

Way back in college I joined this site called LiveJournal, which, while clunky and boring, allowed me to express my inner-angst and thoughts for all to read. Feeding my ego and my need to be affirmed by friends being able to read my thoughts and respond occasionally was a pretty sweet way to waste time. I’ve thought about deleting the account, but there are just way too many important parts of my life I keep tracking down.

Soon the search was on for a way to keep posting stories, anecdotes, and the occasional rant in a forum that allowed for a little bit of elbow room. That’s where I tracked down Xanga, which was being used by a few of my camp friends. Soon though, we had an entire camp community that still exists somewhat. Many of those camp friends will hopefully be able to still read my posts through the power of a cross-posting program. I guess we’ll find out pretty quickly.

… and now here I am with a whole new blog location, all through the generous hosting of RMFO.net and they always helpful Geof. I feel like I’m at the beginning of a new book with all sorts of new things to learn.

So… new address for those of you keeping track at home… http://www.rmfo-blogs.com/dave/

One of the best parts is that now everyone can comment - even you stalkers out there who read my xanga without a xanga account.

*cough cough* Jake

So this whole changing blogs is more complicated than changing cities. I’ve moved hundreds of miles across the country on multiple occasions, but this… this may be beyond my realm of understanding.

All that to say… be patient.

I think that picture can be interpreted in at least 3 different ways. Take it as you will.

I haven’t even started directing people over here yet. Any links I have still point to my cookie-cutter Xanga. Soon though… soon this place will be poppin’.

Or it will collapse and be a total waste of my time.

1. Figure out how in the heck to make my blog the coolest blog ever.

2. Implement methods I’ve learned and achieve coolest blog ever status.

3. Take a break for lunch.

4. Put together some spreadsheets to make it look like I was doing work today.

5. Entertain a bunch of families by either reciting Hamlet’s soliliquy or using the standard PowerPoint. (went with the standard PowerPoint - figured it was better job security)
6. Drive to Minnesota, which apparently has entered into the next ice age.

Xanga has been a great friend, but sometimes you just outgrow each other…

but just like a bad relationship, I’m sure I’ll find ways to cling on to xanga. I hear there’s even a way to set it up to mirror posts. That would be cool.

Anyway, we’ll see.