Yay George Bush, Yay Global Warming

So it is in the mid-60s today here in Chicago.
Allow me to point out that it is also January.

On a related note, George Bush is in town to talk about how awesome his "No Child Left Behind" program - which is 6-years old today as a matter of fact - is. He's also meeting with the mayor to discuss Chicago's snowball-in-hell chance of winning the 2016 Olympic Games.

I'll bet money that at some point today he'll make some kind of lame comment like: "My, it sure is warm here in the Windy City!" or "I thought it was supposed to be windy, not warm, here in Chicago!" and the notion that he's done absolute shit about trying to curb global warming will be totally lost on him.

Not that I'm complaining, really - I'm thinking about brining the ol' brown & pink reversable shorts out of storage to celebrate.

Why I Like Chicago in Winter *

So last night leaving class I planned to write about how much my just-completed group presentation sucked (very much so) or some of the things that really bug my about the Christmas season (Zales commercials, people who forgo their Thanksgiving evenings to camp all night in the parking lot of a shopping mall just so they can be first in line for the 4am opening, etc.), when - bam - the city was hit with a beautiful, magnificent snow storm.

Once or twice a year (tops), Chicago gets a snowstorm that isn't nasty or a major inconvenience; it is just pretty and kinda peaceful. Last night was one of those times. I even took the long way home from the train to marvel in it - the big, whispy flakes, the way it drapes every surface in a calming white blanket. I also shoveled the front walk of my apartment building when I got home just so I could spend more time in it (no, I wasn't drunk). It was the kind of snow that reminds you how cool it can be to live in Chicago during the winter.

* Ed. note: This is a companion to the upcoming "Why I Hate Chicago in Winter" posts that are surely on their way over the next few months.

Although I promise not to obsess about the weather this winter, it must be pointed out that as of 9:21 am today (Oct. 12, 2006) it is snowing.

[the view from my cubicle. can't really see the snow but baby it is so there.]

Couple Things

I think I'm growing tired of Trebuchet, so I may try Georgia for awhile (but it looks kinda girly, no?).

Scissor Sisters cancelled Sunday night (thanks Dop for the invite!). That makes my Chicago concert record 0 for 2.*

I heard a radio ad yesterday that Dominick's is now selling flu vaccinations. Yes, you can get a flu shot and your milk all in the same place. Is this supposed to be a good thing? Personally, I don't think I want to shop in a store where my broccoli and live attenuated influenza virus co-exist under the same roof. But that's just me.

[Also as an aside, I've never ever ever - and I mean ever - met anyone who got the flu vaccine and didn't end up either: 1) getting sick as a direct result of getting the shot, or; 2) contracting the flu over the course of the winter anyway.]

And in related news, WTF????:Sorry Richard, but I think this is going to be a long winter. You know, considering that it's starting in October this year.

* The first concert, Depeche Mode, cancelled back in May and never rescheduled. Intonation, Pitchfork and Lollapalooza don't count as they were technically not concerts, but outdoor music festivals.