Ruminations, Haunts, and Errors

Ah, election day, when American citizens can exercise their constitutional right to mostly determine who will be annoying them by mismanaging public affairs for the next couple of years…

• When the poll worker reached to hand me my ballot, at first I thought it must be one of those instructional posters…I was not prepared for how enormously large it was!  It felt like Voting for Dummies or something; as we were getting coffee later, Eric and I joked that all we needed were big crayons to grip in our whole fists to complete the kindergarten feel.

  But, mightn’t it be a good idea to either make the ballots smaller or the voting booths larger? And maybe tie down the pens? I’m just sayin’…

• At least the pens gave me an opportunity that I’d for too long passed up:  the write-in candidate.  However, I used it mostly as a protest, writing in NONE for all of the judgeships and other races (why the hell do I need to vote for board members on the Water Reclamation District anyway???) where the candidates were unopposed.
• For the first time in my voting career, I essentially passed on a top-line race, Illinois Governor in this case.  (Well, technically I voted for NONE, but really that was just to prevent the scanner from kicking out my ballot as having an undervote.)  My thoughts were
  • I just can’t in good conscience be an enabler and vote for Blagojevich. At worst, his administration is slimy and headed for a couple years in federal courts. At best, he’s a Democratic hack and populist grandstander who never made the proper transition from the demagoguery of the U.S. House to the more nuanced role of chief executive. At least his questionable competence and distracting controversies haven’t run the state government into the ground.
  • I just can’t bring myself to vote for Topinka either. Sure, she’s done a good job as Treasurer and would arguably make a more competent executive. Yet, she’d bring back to positions of influence people and a party who’ve been a disaster for this country for the last several years. Besides, as governor she’d be severely hamstrung by the Democratic grip on the General Assembly and other constitutional officers.
  • Green Party candidate Rich Whitney, or write-in Constitution Party candidate Randy Stufflebeam? I briefly wavered in my opposition to minor-party candidates, but got over it. Even if a sudden shift in the body politic swept one into office, then what? With no political allies anywhere in Springfield outside his own office, either one would find himself even more marginalized than would Topinka. How does four years of railing against the system, even from the governor’s chair, help out Illinois? At best a vote for Whitney might bring the Greens over 10% and shake up the next round of elections a bit, but I think I should vote for the candidate and not the second- or third-order effects of his candidacy.
  
  So, in the end, NONE was my choice for governor: I really didn’t care whether the governor’s chair was empty or not, I don’t think it will make a whole lot of difference.
• Well, it looks like the Dems can flex some muscle in the U.S. House for the next two years. Congressional oversight again? It will be interesting to watch over the first couple months of 2007. The Dems would be justified in turning the tables and ramming a couple things through as a bit of payback, but they would be wise to limit such tactics to a couple bills that would enact amendments they tried to attach to things during the past few months–items that may still have support among moderates. After that, they should recognize the even split of the country and try to restore a spirit of bipartisan statesmanship that has been sorely lacking over the last dozen years.

At least until things start ramping up for the February 2007 municipal elections, alas…

In the last two months of this dismal, astonishing season I’ve made a deliberate attempt to watch just two Cubs games in their entirety: one in person against the Cardinals in August, and then the last game of the season. Fortunately, they won both, and I was especially happy with the latter since, for some odd reason, I can feel somewhat satisfied in my Cubdom by finishing an otherwise disastrous season with a victory (especially at sun-splashed Wrigley with the ivy showing hints of color); perhaps it’s just knowing that the last innings for several months turned out well.

Anyway, as the Dusty Death March finally stood a day away from resolution there was yet another flurry of activity with Andy MacPhail’s announcement of his resignation, resulting in an hour of press questions for MacPhail, iterim prez John McDonnough, and Tribune Co. chariman Dennis Fitzsimmons. As I listened to the talk it dawned on me that the great Corporate Cubs Canard–the suits see fans in the seats win or lose, so they don’t care about winning since it might cost more money–was about to dominate the local sports news for a few days, especially since the management reins were being handed, at least temporarily, to the team’s (successful) VP of marketing.

A quick look at the papers this morning of course proved me right. Yet it just exasperates me, the argument is just so fricking ridiculous, especially when spewed from the mouths and keyboards of people who claim to understand both the business and on-field aspects of the sport.

Okay, I will concede that Tribune Co. isn’t going to feel a particular urgency to single out one of its assets for special attention, especially when it seems to be generating steady revenue year-in and year-out. Perhaps the general corporate short-term attitude has also crept into the Cubs’ front-office mentality and is preventing them from properly constructing longer-term plans to rebuild the whole organization. But in the 25 seasons of Tribune ownership the team has won three divisions, one wild-card berth, and twice been within a couple innings of the World Series. That’s a vast improvement over the previous 35 seasons under the stewardship of the Wrigley family, which makes it hard to argue that the ‘corprate mentality’ has hurt the team on the field.

Yet what I find utterly ridiculous about the notion that Tribune management is deliberately constructing mediocre-to-bad teams, and emphasizing Wrigley’s party atmosphere, over on-field success is the notion that a successful team is inherently less profitable than a bad one. Certainly, success leads to higher player salaries…but it also generates more interest, resulting in more prime-time playoff appearances (read: higher advertizing revenues) and the ability to bump up next season’s ticket prices. Yes, Connie Mack said that a team that gets off to a fast start, generates lots of interest, and then ultimately finishes fourth is nicely profitable because the money is taken in but management can hold the line on player salaries–but the key element is still some measure of success.

Moreover, did anyone pay attention to the buzz around Wrigleyville in the fall of 2003? The ringing of cash registers at souvenir stands well into November? The throngs of ticket-seekers on a cold February morning in 2004? Do people really think that cold, corporate calculation in Tribune Tower feels that the revenue potential of putting the Cubs–the long-standing doormats of the National League–into a sustained run of prime-time battles deep into the World Series would be lower than that of just running the world’s largest beer garden?

If those corporate suits were so smart and calculating as the armchair owners seem to think they are, here’s a more likely scenario for maximizing the profit potential. They would build up the team to the point where it would consistently take all three playoff series to the limit, thus maximizing the profit of each by playing all possible games whose net reciepts don’t need to be shared with the players. They would make the team just good enough to reach the 7th game but perhaps not good enough to win it, thus keeping everyone (players and fans alike) hungry while justifying both ticket-price increases and some dampening of players’ raises. They’d keep this up for several seasons, culminating in a World Series victory–after which the team would quickly be sold: the team’s valuation would be at a lofty premium, and Bill Veeck knew long ago that you don’t make money by operating a baseball team but rather by selling it.

Maybe I’m wrong, maybe there is a TribCo beancounter with a cost-benefit spreadsheet showing that the risks involved with such a scenario are too high compared with the current steady revenue stream. But, as in most human endeavors, it is probably incorrect to attribute the lack of success to calculated malice when it can just as easily be explained by incompetence and bad luck. The self-fulfilling prophecy of a goat’s curse probably has a lot more power, and longer life, than any corporate business model.

Earlier this week I trekked out to Downers Grove to attend a three-day training course. Perhaps it was there because Sun Microsystems thought that a location by an expressway interchange near the geographic center of Chicagoland would make it maximally convenient, or perhaps it was just the best real estate they could find to fit their requirements; in any case it required a commuting ordeal since neither the mass-transit nor the expressway systems are designed to easily move people (especially city dwellers) in that direction. That commute was excruciating–even though I was the driver only one of the three days! How do people do that every workday? I’ll have to remember that if I start to gripe about the walk to/from the train…even on a bitter cold day, it’s still better than being stuck in rush-hour traffic.

I found it interesting that our neighborhood seemed like such an urban oasis at the end of each day; it was something that went beyond the usual relief of finishing a workday. Liz sometimes laments that we seem so far away–no doubt, this neighborhood lacks the buzz of Lakeview. Yet, as quiet, residential, and lacking in the cultural amentities (read: lots of nearby bars, restaurants, and shops) as our street is, to me it feels distinct from the ’suburbs’ for reasons I couldn’t quite explain. It’s something more than just the green light poles and our determination to not be suburbanites. As I gazed out the living-room window today in that half-relaxation, half-procrastination reverie that so often pervades a Sunday afternoon, I saw a clue that solved the puzzle at least somewhat.

A mature horse chestnut tree.

Now it’s not only cliche but somewhat unfair to disparage the suburbs for the saplings and adolescent trees that demark new and recent developments, as that distinction will fade with time. Yet the maples and horse chestnuts that line our street mostly have two-foot-wide trunks and are taller than the two-story bungalows, which indicates that the area has had time for the natural comings and goings of the residents to establish a dynamic. These trees are set in front lawns that seamlessly merge from one to the next, forming a common space that neighbors mow without regard to property lines and the local kids use as one big play area. These trees line a street that is less dense with cars than our old area of two- and three-flats yet still requires careful navigation since it predates the dominance of the car culture. These trees stand in front of houses that are generally similar in appearance due to their era of construction yet are all subtly different in their brickwork and dormers and such. These trees are wayposts for walks to restaurants and shops that are fewer in number and farther away than we had in Lakeview yet still exist as unique institutions.

Contrast this with what I witnessed on this week’s suburuban jaunts. The suburbs are filled with similar-looking houses on lots designed to exude a sense of ‘my property’ (and still will be when the trees mature), placed on streets designed to maximize convenience for vehicles. Each morning many denizens of the suburbs climb into their cars, drive down industrial-sized roads and highways lined with strip malls and chain restaurants that repeat every few miles to reach gleaming–yet jarringly quiet–commercial parks that look almost identical to the ones by the next interchange. Almost everything about all of that just screams out separation and commoditization: people giving over their lives to mass-produced houses and offices and meals and culture, spending great amounts of time isolated within cars and fences. Almost everything has been built to the purpose of minimizing costs and maximizing repeatability.

Our new neighborhood shares with the suburbs a focus on the residential life, no doubt; we’re still learning the dynamics, and perhaps the extra effort required to take advantage of the North Side/Downtown culture will lead us to spend more and more time inside our property lines. Yet this area exudes a sense of distinctive place that is still sorely lacking in much of the sprawl that lies beyond the city limits; the eight miles that separate Norwood Park from Lakeview seems to hold more variation and personality than the 22 miles of bad road from here to Downers Grove. A quick look at the tree in our front yard is a reminder that no developer can simply create that urban personality from scratch, and being part of it may be worth the cost of fewer square feet or a bit more on the mortgage payment.

With the exception of overcast rather than clear blue skies, everything else about our afternoon at Wrigley seemed to come together nicely. Public transit moved fairly smoothly all the way to the ballpark. Carlos Zambrano, the only truly consistent star the Cubs have had in 2006, was the starter. The team picked yesterday to finally surrender a game to the Cardinals–I figured there was no way the division-leading Cards were gonna go 0-for-Chicago this season–so that burden of expectation was relieved. Our upper-deck seats had a good view, we were near the premium-beer stand, the temperature was pleasant, and there were some sightings of the Blue Angels to add a little spice.

We certainly got our money’s worth. Cubs-Cards is always a festive experience, and this one had not only plenty of action–nine runs on 18 hits means a goodly amount of activity yet not quite a boring slugfest of sloppy pitching–but an extra inning to boot. Big Z was a bit shaky for the first two innings, but got out of major jams to turn in a very impressive seven innings. Too bad the bullpen couldn’t hang on to a one-run lead…twice. Yet, that did set up perhaps the most spectacular combination of play and situation that I’ve ever personally witnessed: Juan Pierre going back on a Pujols drive, checking the wall, checking the ball and backtracking further, checking the wall again, and finally leaping into the ivy with exquisite precision to snag the ball just under the basket–turning a game-breaking, bases-loaded double into a long, loud third out. The stunned buzz of ‘did I really just see that?’ was palpable; too bad the play came for a Cubs team that has been reduced to merely the role of spoiler. At least that play plus Nevin’s game-winning single an inning later kept Z’s outing from being in vain.

Cubs land Izturis, send Maddux to LA

Always sad to see a great player traded, especially one who genuinely seemed to like the team and fans, but such is pro sports.  It’s not like the Cubs are going anywhere this year, and unlike the fiasco during his first exit in 1992 this time his leaving would appear to be helping the team for the future.

I noted while watching the game on Saturday that the fans gave him two ovations, one for a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt in the sixth and then a larger one (prompting the cap tip) as he walked off the mound as Baker relieved him one batter into the seventh.  They paid homage to not only his skills and execution in that game, but also that they were seeing a Hall-of-Famer leave the field in Cubbie pinstripes for what was quite possibly the final time.

Hence, the Wrigley crowd exhibited an understanding of 1) how the game is supposed to be played, 2) its history and a particular player’s place therein, and 3) the business realities of the sport.  Not bad for a bunch of yuppies who know nothing of baseball and just go to that ballpark for the beer and sunshine, no?

It’s about time I came out of my moving-induced hiatus. My too-long list of starred items on Google Reader, along with more Delicious bookmarks, attest that I wasn’t offline but simply not struck by the muse. I’ll start with something easy, poring over those items to see which of the more eclectic ones still strike me as notable (a clip-show entry, if you will)…

• On eBay, an Atheist Puts His Own Soul On the Auction Block
  Interesting tactic in the pursuit of religious understanding. Nice to see not everyone that uses an eBay gimmick does so purely for publicity.
• Shaving technology: The Cutting Edge
  I’ve long been amused by the breathless advertising for the astounding technology in the latest razor, but finally the Economist shows us that blade tech is outpacing Moore’s Law for microprocessors. Brilliant.
• World’s Greatest Tool: Duct tape?
  Is there any question? I had no idea that ‘duck tape’ was the original name, I thought it was just a cute brand name.
• Galaxy-chasing nebula caught on camera
  I’d just link to the image–it’s fascinating on its own–but the humor is lost without the surrounding article.
• Pouring ketchup: The full technical explanation
  I…can’t improve on this. The title and diagrams say it all.
• Barenboim hits out at Musak - Hell is Other People’s Music - A Sour Note on Modern Times
  Three different angles on a common theme: cut the commericialized crap already!
• Coffee makes us say ‘yes’
  And here I thought it just helped make the transition from saying ‘mmgrph’ to something more intelligible…
• Weight Watchers recipe cards, circa 1974
  Uh…wow. It wasn’t just the clothes, but the food too. How did America survive the ’70s??
• 4178°- Chicago Architecture
  Nifty little ‘fly-around’ some of the downtown buildings
• The best accidental discoveries
  Hooray for serendipity!
• Middle-class peeves cost more money than exists
  Snarky deconstruction of the cost-of-X meme.

Last night we took in the Mercury Theater production of Urinetown. I had heard good things about it but apparently wasn’t looking in the right places, as I was expecting a bit more social commentary and not the farcical sendup of Broadway, film noir, and pop culture that it actually turned out to be; Liz pointed out that I should have gotten a clue from the playbill, which clearly showed the first important song to be entitled “It’s a Privilege to Pee”. Okay, they got in a few barbs about corporate monopolies and conservation, but those were of course beside the point, merely cursory justifications for the real business of putting on a couple hours of quality entertainment. How can you not like a dystopic vision told in the spirit of Spamalot and “What’s Opera, Doc?” The performances were good, although given the material overacting would have been difficult to spot. Kudos to the costume and lighting designers for an impressive look to the show.

A few days ago we realized that, with the move now two weeks away and plans to be downstate next weekend, this was our final weekend to enjoy this part of Lakeview as residents rather than visitors. As such we tried to play it up. Friday night: cocktails, lazy decision-making for dinner, a leisurely stroll to Twist, detour to Redmond’s to await a table, paged back to Twist (mmm, sangria and bacon-wrapped dates!), another leisurely stroll to Julius Meinl for coffee and cake, topped off with a short, impromptou dance party in the living room. Saturday: aroused too early by weed-whackers, read the news over coffee, off for some errands, back home for some downtime, spruced up for dinner at Menagerie, then a stroll up Southport to the theater. We had hoped to finish it off with coffee and a tasty treat at Cafe Avanti, but it was inexplicably closed (at 11pm on a Saturday in a yuppie neighborhood??) All in all it was like probably a couple hundred Lakeview weekends we have enjoyed over the last several years.

As we strolled down Southport–bands playing in Cullen’s and Blue Bayou, partiers enjoying and wandering between various other nightspots, Liz pausing to browse a couple of shop windows–I mused that I if I will miss anything about leaving Lakeview it will be the situation more than the place. Sure, I could tick off a number of spots that we really enjoy, yet we’re moving on with no regrets in that regard since we’ve taken advantage of any place of significance within walking distance or a short El ride on multiple occasions. Besides, as much as traffic and zoning differences can make Norwood Park seem like a faraway place, it’s still the same city–and without a doubt we will come back here from time to time to take in shows and to dine at various restaurants. No, what I think I’ll miss most is simply the proximity: the ability to procrastinate dinner decisions until 7:30 and still have multiple realistic choices only minutes away, the ability to enjoy a nationally know theatric or sporting event yet be back enjoying a beer on my couch in minutes without ever stepping in a vehicle.

A friend once said that he felt the true entry to adulthood was the need to buy a lawnmower. We’ve reached that point now as new homeowners, but I think perhaps a different change we’re facing is more significant: the need to start planning out our entertainment activities a few hours or days in advance.

• Stylish shortcuts
  Passages through downtown with a bit of style and a lot of protection from the weather.
  (tags: Chicago geography architecture)
• The list gets longer on shortcuts
  A few more passages, hidden in plain view
  (tags: Chicago geography architecture)
• Birthing Pains
  A succinct examination of the latest ethnic group trying to stake its claim in the local power structure. We decry such sectarian struggles when exhibited by Them in places like Iraq or Afghanistan, but the only improvement from Us is in the choice of tactics.
  (tags: Chicago politics)
• Hubble’s Largest Galaxy Portrait Offers a New High-Definition View
  M101 — Ooooh!
  (tags: astronomy galaxy)

After a couple weeks of relative calm, consternation regarding a vital question—had anyone actually bothered to schedule our closing?–sent the whole house saga into another tizzy. Everyone from our realtor to other homeowners chuckled at our naivite: of course, they said, there’s always something at the last minute. I suppose it’s inevitable–there are so many people and items involved in a real-estate transaction that even a single miscommunication or delayed phone call can precipitate an apparent crisis–but it’s still surprising given the frequency of such deals; they happen every day, people devote their lives to the industry, isn’t there some sort of collective wisdom by now to keep things running smoothly?

So after an impromptou late-night walkthrough at the house (kudos to our agent for that!), we found ourselves downtown for the closing (ironically just couple blocks from where I’d usually be on a Wednesay morning). I’d heard stories of writers’ cramp, two-inch tall stacks of paper, squabbles between attorneys, unhelpful bank tellers, etc., so I figured that although our deal was fairly simple and straightforward, still it would end up being a ‘character-building’ exercise.

We were effectively done in about 45 minutes, I counted only 20 signatures. Both attorneys and the closing agent commented how quick and simple it was. It took about the same amount of time for clerks to complete the various bits of data entry and faxing while we idly chatted about unscrupulous lenders and the current state of the real estate market (and our attorney had the opportunity to cope with a last-minute cancellation of another closing). Even getting ComEd and People’s Energy to switch the accounts to my name was trivial. I think we spent more time, later in the day, reviewing which precise shade of blue looked better against beige.

And now it’s done, we own a house. Whee.

Although we did treat ourselves later, it seems like the event should have felt more momentous, but it was oddly anticlimactic as we stolled through downtown streets carrying papers saying we owned property and a large liability. Was it the short time between offer and closing? The fact that we won’t actually move in for a few weeks? Perhaps it won’t really register until that first morning back to Real Life after the move–or the first time something important needs immediate fixing. Ah well, I suppose we should enjoy the dual life of quasi-suburban homesteader and swank-neighborhood apartment yuppie while it lasts (i.e. before the first real mortgage payment is due).

• Satire in the legislative ranks
  Good to see that some of our politicians at least still have not only a sense of humor but the sense to realize that the public interest demands legislation based on something more than ‘I just don’t like X’.
  (tags: USA politics satire)
• turning down big bucks
  Wait, turning down a potential windfall from Hummer because they don’t want to be associated with gas-guzzling aboniations? I thought all those lefty types were relativists with no values to guide their lives!
  (tags: USA society values)
• NSA searches for advanced data mining tech
  Actually, I hope the NSA has some success here. Striking the proper balance between civil liberties and police powers would be much easier if we had confidence that government agencies could actually get something useful from all the info they claim to need.
  (tags: USA government civil liberties technology)
• An avalanche of goodwill
  Nice to see Joey Cheek get some well-deserved recognition. After watching Bode Miller act like he didn’t care while Shani Davis and Chad Hendrick act like petulant children, at least its good to know that some people still appreciate the privileges and honors we often afford our athletes.
  (tags: USA sports society)
• Court gives meth addicts way out
  So, is this an example of good values or going soft on lawbreakers?
  (tags: USA law society)
• Saddam ‘calls off hunger strike’
  Calling off a hunger strike for health reasons?!? WTF? I thought the whole point was to cause health problems that would lead to sympathy.
  (tags: international law)
• Pension reckoning,
  A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall
  The Feds have the deficit, we’ve got our pension problems. Either way it’s gonna be a mess. How long until our legislators can no longer play with the appropriations numbers to ensure that the reckoning happens after they’re safely retired from office?
  (tags: Illinois politics)

For the masses who probably don’t check my del.icio.us links with regularity…

• Giant Telescope Will Peek at Past
  I happen to know from seeing things in grad school that DARPA and individual military branches fund research all the time with essentially no strings attached. I suppose some trepidation over the source of funding isn’t completely unjustified, but might it come from a more general public misunderstanding of the value of pure research–investigations that aren’t targeted at any particular goal other than knowledge? Yes, I firmly believe that even the DoD sometimes acts without ulterior motives.
• How to fold a fitted sheet
  This has been an issue in Bartonia for years. And people say the Web is useless!
• ‘Sleeping on it’ best for complex decisions
• Little-known feline ailments
  Surprising that these are considered ‘little-known’, since any cat owner will have seen several of them after only a short while.
• Chicago Restaurants, Chicago Menus, Ratings, Reviews, IL Restaurants Guide
• Restaurant Place: The Restaurant Menu Directory (Chicago)
  Really, unless your restaurant (1) doesn’t a website (nowadays??) and/or (2) is always changing the menu, I think there’s no excuse for not having the menu available in a format like this. Ooh, how about RSS feeds for those spots with frequently changing menus? Knowing that restaurant X just got a fresh shipment of Y for tonight’s specials would help drive business from people like us who often find themselves indecisive on a Saturday night.
• The BEAST 50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2005
• Illinoize
  Especially being an election year, this site provides some interesting reading for Illinoisans who are either political junkies or who just want a view of what’s going on that’s less parochial than the local news outlets. Posts come from all corners of the political-cultural map, which can be a bit jarring or head-scratching but is probably a good thing overall.

It almost doesn’t seem possible, but the house hunt appears to be over. As if my day hadn’t already started busily enough, what with people from Singapore to London to Sydney pleading for answers on important topics, in the late morning Liz called to tell me that something happened with the bidders who trumped our offer from last Sunday and the owners came back to us with a counteroffer. And so it began again…

• Call to mom to look up some extra property info. All tax and deed issues seem to be clean, which good. Boy did the place appreciate since it’s last deed transfer in 1997. It’s up for reassessment this year, so the property taxes will go up, oh well.
• Call Liz back, let’s decide whether to counteroffer after lunch. Can’t delay too long, another showing is scheduled this afternoon. A couple people point out that we’ve got nothing to lose by counteroffering, so we choose the midpoint between our original and the counter.
• They say they won’t go below X, but we figure we have to stay put. Their floor is at the top of our comfort range, and if we hit that we want a little more–just something else that makes us think we can’t lose this house. Okay, looks like we’re moving on.
• 30 minutes pass, then the amazing happens: if we go up by just $2k and close in early March, they’ll say yes. Stunning
• Agony…should we do this? Is it too much? It comes down to this: if we pass on this, then what are we looking for? Was our original offer itself too much? Do we need to reevaluate the whole thing: our priorities, budget, etc.? My spreadsheets say we can afford it and still have a cushion for planning future life changes. Interest rates and prices will probably be going up in the next few months, so combined with possible fees for month-to-month our our apartment, holding out for something less expensive may end up being a wash anyway. If we wait for everything to be perfect without any uncertainty, we’ll never do anything. (As some of this back-and-forth occurred while Eric and I were wandering the floors trying to scrounge up a KVM, props to him for the insightful comment that figuring out our process and priorities for making the decision was more important here than the numbers.)
• Our agent calls at this point: gotta know, what do you want to do? Yes, go for it. Fear and excitement now churn anxious stomachs in the Loop and Lakeview.
• Five minutes pass, Angela calls back: OK! Let’s arrange to update the contract. I’m so glad that I work with a team who essentially kick me out the door to take care of this rather than finishing what remains of the workday.

We met at the house to initial the paperwork changes, and within two minutes of being inside again we realized that it was the Right Thing. Maybe it was a little more than we expected to pay, maybe it’s a bit farther from the El and shops and restaurants than we had hoped, but it’s a fantastic place–which is the point, isn’t it? I didn’t particularly enjoy the frantic pace and pressure to make life-altering decisions on short notice (especially without my carefully crafted budgeting spreadsheets in front of me). Nor did I enjoy the negotiation process, although I did find it ironic that the contracted sale price was between the ‘final’ offers from both sides.

The sellers have officially signed off, so now it’s time for papework. Lawyers. Bankers. Government clerks. Movers. And of course the new adventure of actually owning a house…

How does anyone buy a house without going insane? (Well, I was actually warned, but still…) I thought I had a pretty good handle on the house-buying process, but nothing I’d heard from friends or family was full preparation for the insanity of actually making an offer. Finding a place that made us say ‘yes!’ on a Saturday afternoon after two months of looking was enough, but then the madness began:

• 7pm Saturday: Agent calls to say offers have already been made and rejected. No dawdling!
• House dominates talk over martinis and Buca di Beppo. Do we really like house? Yep, but let’s sleep on it to be sure then take one last check to see if there’s a reason not to bid
• Sunday morning: drive around neighborhood again, still like house and environs. Norwood Park ain’t Lakeview, but no matter, let’s do it!
• Sunday afternoon: call agent to say we want to offer. Hurrah!
• What, there’s more right now? We have to meet? And sign stuff?
• Early evening at agent’s office. Wow, that’s a lot of stuff to initial.
• We need a big check? Right now?
• And a lawyer? By Friday?
• Drive back home, realize huge financial commitment to dominate our lives for a while. What have we done??
• Dinnertime: maybe this is it! Great place, the timing of everything will be perfect, the search process is over…
• 10pm: Outbid! Game over, after all that rushing about. Can’t decide yet whether it’s an opportunity missed…or a bullet dodged

The prospect of moving in the next few months has made apparent just how much five years’ worth of life in one apartment has led to overflows in our closets and storage spaces. My list of links has gotten the same way. In both cases, rather than categorizing and sorting into the major areas, the easiest place to start is to examine the little trinkets that have little connections other than my own sense of Hmm or Ooh or Heh…

• The Edge Annual Question 2006: What is your dangerous idea?
• New Scientist SPACE - Features - 13 things that do not make sense
• Breakthrough of the Year 2005: Science Online Special Collection
• Seed: The Other I.D. (Incompetent design)
• SkepticWiki - The Encyclopedia of Science and Critical Thinking
• Cosmic Calling Card?

• Universe Today - What’s Up 2006 - Download it Free
• National Atlas home page
• IVR Cheat Sheet by Paul English (Interactive Voice Response telephone systems)
• Services Guide for Windows XP (Hopefully Vista will turn more off by default.)
• FairVote - Home
• Penguin Warehouse, Inc. - Buy a Pet Penguin Today After the sensation of March of the Penguins, they’re everywhere! Liz is adamant that she was vehemently pro-penguin long before they became trendy. I wonder what the next fashionable critter for advertizers will be.
• Top 100 Wines 2005
• Error Message Generator
• 25 Mindnumbingly Stupid Quotes of 2005
• What Makes a Good Web Font
• Kids vie for coveted preschools House-hunting begets considerations of school systems, kinda nice to see that at least some Chicago public schools are getting good again.
• Yahoo Email + RSS Integrates Blogs Recent improvements in the mail-reader paradigm seem to make it a natural fit for newsfeeds, far better than some of the aggregators I’ve seen (at least the free or low-cost ones).
• Human Space Flight requirements for Crew and Space Flight Participants Ordinary people going into space used to be the stuff of escape and adventure. Now it’s the subject of FAA regulations covering 123 pages. Reality isn’t nearly as fun as sci-fi.
• Ramp creates power as cars pass

At last the holidays have finished and it was time for the decorations to come down…and remove the tree before it becomes nothing but kindling. Good thing that Christmas trees are so light (especially when dry weather has made them thinner) when one must navigate a narrow winding stairwell to the alley; that I no longer cared if branches were crushed or broken also helped. What didn’t help was spending ten minutes lashing the tree to the car roof only to discover that my handywork resulted in my tying all four car doors shut! Brilliant, eh? Fortunately no one was around to document my stupidity as I climbed into the car through the driver’s side window.

Kudos to the city for adjusting the assortment of tree-recycling locations, as I was happy to avoid a repeat of last year. After a traffic snarl on Roscoe at Lincoln, it was amazingly quick and easy, as the new location in the DeVry Institute parking lot resulted in no line of cars and no backups onto a busy street. And of course, being Chicago, the Streets and San people handing out the blue bags were some political minions reminding everyone that this service was brought to us in part by Ald. Gene Shulter. Ah, well.

(Okay, with the holidays complete and things officially back to normal, it’s about time I tackled that big list of links I’ve meant to expound upon…)