Donald

Isaac deserves the attention. We've eaten here several times. He makes mean veggie-only tacos that feel like a complete meal. Also, he's really funny.

The City of Detroit.

I was at the cafe at 630a to finish reading the August issue of the @chicagoreader.com while the dawn light woke up the mountain. It’s 9a now and I’m at the hotel pool, alone. The aloes, palms, and shrubs aren’t bothered by my laughing along with Xochitl González’s book “Olga muere soñando.”

Thanks to a recent Funbag from @drewmagary.bsky.social, I read the first of the Slough House series “Slow Horses.” It was great, and made me think of Harry Potter: River as the Boy Who Lived with Lamb as Dumbledore. Sadly, I’m number 5 in line to borrow the second book through the Chicago library.

Not a comparison, but a story of empathy. When my dog’s last day came, the veterinarian called the day before to give instructions: their staff wouldn’t confirm why we were there but she would once in the room. After it happened, I could take as much time as necessary and then leave. Care matters.

We debated whether one guy looked like a concierge for the Saudis, a human trafficker, or Donald Trump Junior.

Terminal update: a parade of puppies in service training for the blind. Weeeee!

Terminal observation: I wouldn’t have guessed that the 20-something punk dude whose only carry-on is a skateboard was on the way to Sarasota. He makes for a fun contrast in the boarding line.

Airport bathrooms. An older man left without washing his hands. Another guy stood at the urinal with one hand swiping a dating app.

TSA in Terminal 1 at O’Hare went on strike. We have been standing in an unmoving line when one agent shouted to another that Line 2 went on strike: “They’re not getting paid enough and walked off.”

I admire his ability to re-frame the question into one of personal relationships and to repeatedly use the word "love."

Orwell gave a vision of the future as a boot to the face. Attiah gives us today's version of that image: "The Atlantic article uses AI to justify overriding the judgment of African people reading their own literature."

Our AC just kicked on and it legit gave us a jump scare. I ran to the thermostat to shut it off (forgetting that I could do it via the Home app). It’s 85F in Chicago in October.

God has abandoned Chicago sports.

The authoritarian playbook can be implemented anywhere, needing only minor edits to accommodate local conditions. Exchange BJP with GOP and Americans should recognize what‘s happening in India. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

Timothy McVeigh was mentally ill, not a terrorist.

I'm enjoying this survey. It feels like therapy.

“My Amazon Prime Day wishlist:”

Chicago is a magnet that pulls in people from hundreds of miles around because those places failed to care for them. There are many causes but the result is real. When we say to shut the fuck up about Chicago (you don’t even live here!) this is what we mean. @harebrained.bsky.social

How to know when an election is approaching.

They buried the lede: "PEN America conflates Jewishness with Zionism. As the Jewish novelist Temim Fruchter put it, “These institutions are feeding the narrative that if people are angry that Israel is exacting mass collective punishment, they must hate Jews and Jewish literature.”

The best part of this story is Tomlin’s reason for playing Minecraft: to spend time with his kids. It reminded me of what @cwgabriel.bsky.social and @cwtycho.penny-arcade.com arcade.com have been saying for nearly two decades: playing video games with your kids is also good parenting.

I want this photo framed and in our living room. www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

I learned today that Stetson Avenue is a real street name in Chicago *and* it's in the goddamned Loop. Somehow I've managed to avoid all contact with and knowledge of this little street for decades.

I worry about this young man's posture.

I'm sure that the people of Somerset are lovely; however, they need to drastically improve their purchase of / listening to Portishead. It's. Right. There.

Hoodie weather has arrived in Chicago. I’m about to go into the office. James is still asleep, sick, so can’t ask me if I’m sure about wearing the Pikachu hoodie we got from the Field Museum’s Pokémon fossil exhibit.

I have loved October for as long as I can remember. Hoodie weather, moody music. Moreso now. It starts with our wedding anniversary (10-1-2022). James’ birthday is this weekend. Mine is in three weeks. Halloween (aka Best Holiday) wraps up the month-long celebrations. All hail King October!

Layla Long Soldier is one of this year's MacArthur Foundation awardees. I'd never read her work until reading her biography, so jumped into the library to quickly fix my error. I'm second in line to get her poetry collection 'Whereas.' chipublib.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S1...

James never cared about Godzilla, so I had to launch a charm offensive on seeing Minus One in the theatre (the black and white version to boot). He walked out of that show with his jaw on the floor and clapped along with me when the film won an Oscar. We can't wait to see Minus Zero in November.

Everything about the story is delightful.

Today I tore out the dogwood bush I planted the year we bought our house. A blight caused its lovely red bark to turn ashen, then its deep green leaves rotted and fell. My husband offered to help but I couldn’t accept it. Like with Old Yeller, the sad task was mine.

Agreed. I'd add that any profile that doesn't cite Eve Ewing's work wears the author's lack of preparation for their subject like a CPD badge: press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

This soundtrack for this cool, cloudy September morning in Chicago is The Smiths.

"Across The Sea" for sure.

Receive political email. Click "unsubscribe." Browser tab opens to this page: We're sorry. The page you are trying to access is not available at this time. To unsubscribe from an email list, reach out to the original sender. Unacceptable.

A handy post to share in response to complaints about the CTA made on here, reddit, or whatever social media you love to hate.

My feelings about Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave completely changed after switching route away from Theodora to Cai. Cai's path teaches you how to play the game. The experience now feels fun. Theodora's made me feel like I had joined a 200-level class a week before the mid-term.

I'm playing the new Fire Emblem game and so far... not impressed with the dialogue. The language feels like medieval conversation as imagined by a present-day middle-schooler. The game is, however, very very pretty.

"Rep. Kam Buckner, who represents the 26th District in the Illinois House, which includes neighborhoods such as Bronzeville, Downtown, Gold Coast, and Hyde Park." Wow, our district lines are crazy.

The Realm of Chicago in the style of Tolkien aka What would our windy city look like were it in Middle Earth? Can't wait to get this. It'd look great both at home or at the office... but, it deserves a wide, appreciative public so will probably go on a work wall. www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/9373...

Transit democracy in action. Смерть ворогам! www.reddit.com/r/chicago/s/...