Long Day

We started with a trip to the park this morning. They put in a new climby slide set at the park by our house. I chased Ellie up the steps and down the slides for a while, then we went home to get lunch. I told E we were going to a magical place for lunch, a place called "Taco Bell." She actually really liked it and there were a bunch of other kids there, so it was a treat.

Next we headed back home to sneak in a nap before Phase II of our Saturday. Ellie woke up first and then woke the two of us up roughly 15 minutes before the alarm was set to go off.

We loaded up and headed off for the blue line and made the trek down to Grant Park to see Kenny Rogers (the weird smooth one on the right). It was Ellie's first concert and she really seemed to enjoy it. Well, she really seemed to enjoy running all over Grant Park with her daddy chasing her, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.


Kenny was just as bitter as the last time Laura and I saw him: "I gotta tell ya, that was the worst I have ever heard an audience ever sing that song..." I guess being smooth and shiny is no guarantee that you're happy.

Next we dove into the crowd with the stroller. People at Taste of Chicago don't care if you have a stroller. They care about getting that giant turkey leg in their face as quickly as possible - either knocking into you on their way to get it, or causing you to knock into them because the stop without warning to shove it in their food hole. Despite that, we had some decent samosas.

We circled around and went over to Buckingham Fountain. Ellie loves the water so she marveled at the fountain and all the people from the 'burbs searching for the friends they told to "meet by the fountain." The Budweiser Clydesdales were there, too. Ellie said, "big horsey..." We tried to dive into the crowd again but couldn't hack it, so we headed out to Michigan Avenue and up to Millenium Park. Did I mention Ellie loves water? We spent a good chunk of time splashing in the Crown Fountain.

We took a choo-choo train home again and it was already time for Ellie to go to bed. As we were winding down in the rocking chair in her room, we reviewed the day. "Splashing in the water," "Mommy took a nap; Daddy took a nap; Ellie took a nap," and that magical place "Tato Beww" were the three things she called out specifically.

R.I.P., Shooter...

One of the greatest (and certainly most colorful) relief pitchers ever to don a Cubs uniform died today. I like to think he's parked his Winnebago behind some great ballpark in the afterlife and is enjoying a beer and talking baseball with fans who stopped by...

Dear, Cubs

Z tossed 9 innings of 2-hit baseball and you couldn't win? Let's get it done tomorrow.

Dear, Jake Peavy

Maybe while you and Lurch sit out a few starts, your teammates will tell you to shut your stinkin' trap...

Awesome quote:

Dean Kamen (inventor of the Segway) to the graduating class at Bates College:

“You are moving for the first time into a world where ideas matter more than all the stuff there is. But those ideas have to come from educated people and they have to be used as a tool and not as a weapon. That’s the biggest change that’s happening…So I would beg every educated person in this world to remember, every day when you get up, that you are an incredibly small minority of all humanity. And with all the privileges I understand it gives us, I think it gives us an enormous responsibility to be leaders that do the right things for the right reasons. And remember that you can be doing good while you are doing well.”

MLB News

Underreported at today's Cubs-Astros game was the tale of a heroic Cubs fan who took a line-smash foul ball off her knee hard enough that it bounced back out to the first base line. Fortunately, Stretch Suba (the Astros' bullpen coach) was kind enough to retrieve the ball and hand it to the beautiful young lady. Many ice packs were contributed by the courteous Wrigley staff, but she may have to go on the DL for a while.

Her stupid husband knew it was coming and said as much two pitches prior, but was still to slow and loaded down with Hebrew National dogs to get in the way of the ball.

Jacque Jones: expect payback next time... >:)

Anyhow, we have a nice new addition to the mantel.

Maybe I'm Amazed...

Lately, Ellie's been into corn on the cob. We were eating it at dinner last night. I cut it into roughly thirds and give her a section at a time. I guess she likes taking the new chompers out for a spin.

After she'd polished off the bottom two sections with just a little help from me ("Daddy eat dis"), I handed her the pointy top section. She held it out in front of her and said, "Oppy Boodayat." I said, "What's that, Bean?" She clarified, "Oppy Boodayat." I felt bad asking her again, but I said, "I'm sorry, sweetie. What's are you saying?" She said, "Oppy Boodayat," and held the cone up to her head.

I said, "Oh... Happy Birthday Hat," and she broke into one of her great, big (big, great) grins. There are no words to describe how she sometimes makes me feel.

Sorry for the crappy photo, but my phone was the only camera I could grab quickly enough to capture the moment.

Maybe people woudn't be so angry if...

Just a few alternate endings for the Sopranos:

• Tony flies to Australia to "clear [his] fuckin' head." After a phone call from an unidentified person, he boards a plane back home... Oceanic Flight 815!
  
• Tony joins the Witness Relocation Program. HBO premiers a spinoff sitcom called "Witness Relaxation Program" where Tony and Carm run a Bed and Breakfast in a sleepy New England town. Hilarity ensues when other hiding mobsters come for a weekend getaway at the B&B. Watch for the side-splitting Pauly Walnuts episode.
• Cousin Olivero Soprano comes to stay with the family and provides a precocious counterpoint to Tony's brooding machismo. Tony feels the need to prove his toughness again and gets goaded into jumping a motorcycle over a pool of sharks. The camera freezes mid-air on Tony's jump. In the second half of the to-be-continued episode, Tony successfully finishes his jump. He hops off his motorcycle and jumps onto a horse. He rides away to the strains of "We Gotta Get Outta This Place."
  
• Tony wakes up in bed next to Suzanne Pleshette and says, "I just had the weirdest fuckin' dream..."
  

Sopranos Finale

Buddy George thinks David Chase just phoned it in. It was a somewhat baffling ending, but I'd like to understand it before I dismiss it - clearly too much symbolism was thrown on the table to indicate that they just opted for a cheap out to the series.

Is Tony still in the coma from earlier? Did he get whacked by the guy in the bathroom? Maybe terrorists found out he was giving them up...

My best guess so far is that Mr. Chase is a fan of quantum mechanics. There have been references to quantum phenomena throughout the series, and the cat may have been a somewhat ham-fisted allusion to the thought experiment of Erwin Schrödinger. It occurs to me that he may have slammed the lid of the box closed, locking the fate of the entire Soprano family into a state of superposition.

Even if this is the case, I'm not sure I like the way it was executed. But, I could at least say, "I get it!"

Thanks a lot...

I just had a homeless guy (not my normal homeless guy) tell me, "You look like you're putting on some weight," and he patted my belly. I wanted to say, "Yeah? Your scabies looks like it's getting worse," but I didn't.

Celebrity Sighting, Part Somethin'-Somethin'...

Action-packed day on the celeb front today.

First, I walked out of the office and noticed everyone was looking down and to the left. So, naturally, I turned my gaze that way. A couple of minutes later, A-Rod and Mo Rivera came walking out of the Cheesecake Factory. There was quite a bustle around these two guys who get paid obscene amounts of money for hitting a ball with a stick and throwing a ball really hard. All I kept thinking was, "You guys make how much and you can't find a better place to eat than Cheesecake Factory?!?"

Later, the Bean and I were on our own for dinner since Laura was out for a friend's birthday dinner. By default, we ended up at the Burger Baron. As fate would have it, we were in line right in front of David Yow. He ordered a BBQ Beef sandwich. I told Ellie who he was and she pointed to a neon circle on the wall and said, "O!" She's learning her letters.