Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Taffy


By Alice Shaw

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Onramp

In Chicago there are onramps that lead you onto the left lane of the expressway. So you have to go fast. A few days ago Luke and I were getting on the expressway and were flagged down by a woman who had stopped her car on the onramp. She looked desperate. I assumed it was a scam. I had read once that an effective tool of negotiation (or sales) was to do so when the other person was under time pressure. What better way to put someone under time pressure than to cause said person to block an onramp in Chicago? So I drove passed her. I felt bad in case she was really in some kind of trouble. She had an accomplice I mean partner waiting safely in the driver’s seat.
A few moments ago Luke called to tell me they were doing it again. This time someone stopped for them causing Luke to back up the onramp and enter elsewhere. So either it was a scam or this couple runs out of gas (or something) on that same on ramp once a week.

Friday, January 26, 2007

I forgot to write this last week...

Finally the war is starting to yield results. I just paid $1.95 for gas!

But that was last week. Gas went back up so maybe the war was not such a good idea.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Politics

Did you hear Libby Lewis reporting on the Lewis Libby trial on NPR this morning? I guess she was the obvious choice.

Libby Lewis quoted bloggers during her report which made me think that if I were to write about the Lewis Libby trial, I would write about Libby Lewis and Lewis Libby (or vice versa) having names that are so similar that they are actually the same. Having done that, I will stop.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Age old question


How can Kraftwerk annoy so many people, while making me happy?

Tuesday, January 09, 2007


Another person I've been told I look like.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

New Years Eve at Bob and Alice’s


I do not spend a lot of time in bars (ha, ha, LOL). But really, I do not spend much time in bars, nor do I use abbreviations such as LOL. December 31st was an exception. I spent a few hours at a neighborhood bar called Bob and Alice’s (with another Alice). When we walked into the bar, the clientele were counting down the New Year and yelling “Happy New Year,” and Auld Lang Syne was playing on the jukebox. It was 8:15 PM. I was, of course, wearing a tuxedo. Several men in the bar told me they appreciated my bringing class into the bar. One of the same men told me, at a distance of two or three inches, that “if anyone messes with the bartender they will end up in the trashcan.” Then he pointed to the biggest guy in the bar and said, “See that guy? He’s got me by 100 – 120 pounds, he may be able to knock me down but he will end up in the trashcan.” The entire time he talked to me I could feel the gentle mist of his spit as it landed on and around my lips. Once I felt a plop of spit land on my leg. Another man told me about deep-sea fishing with Earnest Borgnine and Lee Marvin. The premise of that story was that the two actors could drink a lot without appearing drunk, which was more than I could say about the people I met on New Years Eve.