Omar and his fellow orghead Brayden went to a White Sox game tonight (sorry to out you to all those Evanston Cubs fans, Brayden), so I bought a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and some cookies at Trader Joe’s an headed to Millennium Park to watch the fireworks. Here are some photos from the night out.

The city at dusk:

The crowd preparing for the big show:

Just about *the* most difficult thing to photograph with a digital camera:

One of my favorite sets of public service announcements was running when I was studying in England in 1997, right before the general election. I picked up these two postcards in a movie theater (I have a third as well, with a picture of a hunter). They always get a second look from people who stop by because both pictures are clearly not compatible with me, my views, or the other things on my door. A closer look, though, shows that the text , which reads: “Use Your Vote: You Know He’ll Use His.”

What I’d give to see a similar campaign this year in the U.S.!

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing like a margarita and some salsa with a kick after a long, hard day at work… but I wish the Mexican food here was even remotely as good as in Tucson.

I think I’ll hold off, though. I don’t need this book so desperately that I can’t hold out for inter-library loan.

(and yes, I realize this is the library binding and that I can get the paperback used for $30, but I almost had a heart attack when this was the first thing that came up from my search)

Notice the same institutional gray walls as in my previous post. Guess where I’m spending my Sunday?

I work in a building that’s falling apart. Well, actually the building is just fine, but the “name plates” (I use that term loosely, as it’s really a little bulletin board thing where they pin a laminated card with our name) are a disaster. This last week two separate plates on my floor have fallen off. Mine is still on, and on tight, but as crooked as can be.

I’m sort of hoping it falls so someone can put it up again, but level this time.

I forgot to pack my camera today, so there’s no image to go with this one, but I am absolutely and completely fed up today. To mix it up, I’ll write this in red:

I wish I lived in a world where a Friday was a Friday, but tomorrow’s a work day like any other and Sunday is far from a day of rest, particularly when you’re figuring out how to turn a paper around - once again - and particularly when said paper has been floating around with R&Rs at a number of journals and every time it looks like it’s just about to see the light of a binding there’s some “new” set of eyes waiting in the wings that the editor sends it to who brings up all new issues (many of which are what they are because you pacified other reviewers) and whose comments results in the editor sending the paper back to you and asking you to substantially revise it, again.

I took this picture of my fruit bowl today (it’s clearly ready to be replenished).

And it reminded me of another photo I had, of Baedyn after he got into the fruit bowl while I had my back turned, making dinner.

I love this show. It’s just what the world needs (particularly the part of the world that also reads occasionally reads comments like these on The Superficial).