:: Thursday, February 20, 2003 ::

It was completly spring this morning. After being bundled in layers all winter, I felt naked wearing only a light sweater. It was the best feeling I could imagine on this forty-degree winter day. I rode my bike through traffic like a fish, weaving and slipping through tight spots. I headed downtown to see William Gibson do a reading of his new book, Pattern Recognition.

The third floor of Borders had been taken over by an army of sophisticated geeks, anxiously awaiting their patron saint. At twelve-thirty Gibson stepped up to the podium and hunched his lanky frame over the microphone. He had just flown in from New York, which may have explained the arrogant hipness that lingered around the edge of his presence. Consequently, I was only mildly interested in the material he read. He spoke eloquently about his writing process which is nice because I am finishing my Fiction Writing major this semester and need all the inspiration I can get. Unfortunately he spoke for a shorter time than most people had spent waiting to see him. While waiting in line for the book signing I started reading the new novel. I forgot what a touch Gibson has for enchanting the ordinary world. His science fiction is good because of his almost childlike outsider perspective, which put him a step above the other hard-boiled cyberpunk writers of the Eighties. As long as he keeps it up, he can act as wierd as he wants. Maybe he was just uneasy up there, what with jetlag and the obnoxious corprate bookstore gig.

I had work after the signing, and the sprinting across the loop was absolutely exhilerating. I hope this spring weather lasts 'till spring.
:: Ira 7:16 PM [+] :: [comment/respond]
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What was I doing in that dumpster?

I booked ass downtown this morning to be on-time for Nutrition class. Half way there, my groggy mind recalled that I was supposed to complete a homework assignmet that required bring three food packages to class. I had carefully laid the lable from a can of garbanzo beans on my desk a couple days ago, but it was still there and not doing me any good.
"Not fair," my sleep deprived brain thought as I cruised through intersections full of latte slupping pedestrians. No problem, I'll just stop off at a few sumpsters on my way to class. I hit Van Buren on my sexy yellow bike and realize that I was almost to school and still haven't looked for the packages yet. By instict, I ended up behind the dorm building where my girlfriend used to live. I have never dumpster-dove here, especially in broad daylight. For those of you who read this regularly, you'll note that I'm always digging in the garbage, but never before three PM. All I could find in the fisrt dumpster was a small bag of Dorritos. I shook out the contents and folded the bag into my back jeans pocket.

10 minutes to the start of class, minus 2-4 for locking up my steed and two flights of stairs.

One lousy Dorritos bag? If I can't find three empty food containers in all of downtown Chicago, what kind of dumpster-diver am I? I crossed Congress under the Wabash El tracks (still under construction - note to commuters) and sprinted past the building where my class would be held in a couple minutes. My destination was behind the trendy new South Loop lofts. Yuppies eat processed food like it's going out of style. As I searched franticly for packaging materlial, I saw more pizza boxes than anything.

5 minutes till class.

I notice an open dumpster. Most are chained shut in this part of town to deter rats, bums, and people like me. There was a huge piece of cardboard standing up. I flipped it over to reveal Brandon Lee's grinning, mascarraed visage. It was matted Crow poster, with the text in Spanish! Holy fucking cool. I cursed leaving it behind, but the thing was huge and I had to get to class. I rapidly flipped upen the next dumpster and found not food, but a brand new office chair. What kind of luck? I find the best things, but at the most inopportune time. Such is life.

2 minutes left.

To kill the suspense, I found the packages and got to class out of breath but on time. All I'm trying to say is, I dumpster-dove my homework today, how cool is that?

Alleycat update: Here are some photos and stuff from the race last weekend. Try to find me hiding in the first two pictures (hint: there is a Surly sticker on my helmet and shiny metal on my belt).
:: Ira 12:42 AM [+] :: [comment/respond]
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Tour-da-Chicago West Side Boulevard/Park Race

The race this morning was fun. The weather and streets were clear for a nice tour of the West Side's parks. I placed 11th overall and 7th in the fixed gear catagory. Here are the complete results...

Everyone was cool to ride with and supportive. Afterwards we ate fruit, pancakes and waffles with berries and syrup, sausages, and bacon (both the dead pig and weird Morningstar Farms varieties). Breakfast alone was worth the entry fee.

Next race is March 2nd and rumored to involve bowling.
:: Ira 6:01 PM [+] :: [comment/respond]
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