Affliction Apparel

I crossed a threshold this week.  A right of passage if you will.  No it wasn't a heart stopping moment of WHOA. Nor was it is a stop in your tracks, through the heart realization of something larger than us.  It was socks and sandals.  Yeah, that's it; white, cotton socks peeking out from open toed sandals.

It was in this incident I crossed into the "I know what my fashion says and I don't care despite what you think and all the bad looks you're giving me. No really I don't care." area. No, I didn't actually go out in public wearing that monstrosity, I mean, I have a rep to protect.

I was in my front yard, doing yard work in shorts, no shirt (scary I know) and socks with sandals.  Raking, weed-eating, and mowing, for all the world to see, or at least those who drove down my suburban street...which seemed to be heavily populated that day.  There, in the bounds of my property I made the leap to not caring what I looked liked, and let me tell you it was both exhilarating and relaxing.  I stared norms, standards, and etiquette in the eyes and then punched conventionality square in the jaw.  Wow, that's both violent and visual.  Too bad for our light hearted listeners.

Truth is, I did it for a reason.  I recent cut my heel, pretty deeply, and with every step it would open back up.  I finally cleaned it out very good and put some butterfly bandaids on it.  I needed to do yard work and I don't have any closed toed work shoes my hippie at heart self could in good conscience wear.  My only option for cleanliness was throwing on those old man identifiers with my Chacos and going to town on that yard.  So I did.

Got me thinking about the critical heart I've had at times when I see people I would deem not "with it" with public interactions.  No one but them knows if it is a choice made for a good reason...even if that reason it to not buy into the majority.  Comfort, Style, Misbegotten idea of style (like Hawaiian shirts in the  continental 49, whoops, there I go again), all of these are done for a reason, and a critical thought or comment can only serve to diminish them as a human being.  And for that, I'm sorry.  For no one should be thought less of nor subjected to feeling less because of someone else.  So, with my head held high, I will step into the world with my metaphorical socks and sandals and encourage all us "misfits" to be bold and be ourselves!

Birthday Weekend In Chicgo

Eliz and I decided what better way to spend my birthday weekend and Labor Day, then galavanting around with my good friend in Chicago.  We had a blast.  Drank a little too much (which is the genesis for my two week alcohol fast), and we ate some pretty out of sight food.  It stared as lunch at a German beer house, which gave a free lunch to anyone who ordered a beer...you know I did.  Also included Great Middle Eastern food, Chicago Dog, White Castle, Taiwanese Cuisine (which I won't have again), An amazing Seafood restaurant and Ethiopian Food.

Ethiopian Dining is great, they bring a large plate like container to you with everyone's meals on it and some spongey bread.  Then everyone dives in and eats it up...but with no silverware we used our hands.  Washing all down with an Ethiopian beer.  Quite nice and a fun experience.

A day spent in Wrigleyville watching the cubs beat the pirates, and another day spent riding bikes around Evanston.  Not a shabby way to spend the birthday weekend.  We didn't take too many pictures, but I have some good ones to share all the same.  So consider this another picture tour of our trip.

Hammerschlagen, lunch at the German Bar

Second Lunch at White Castle, and probably the biggest mistake I made this weekend (there were three of us eating this)

The Field Museum ( we got some culture).  You see "Sue" the most complete ever T-Rex Skeleton

Sangria at the Tapas place (best I've ever had)

Ramsen and Me before the game

Eliz sporting her new Cubs Shirt (isn't she cute!) 

Pensive...or perturbed I can't tell

Ramsen and Me at Murphy's Bleacher (a bar)

Talking Smack, we played the "Pirates"

Chicago Dog bought in the ball park, Yummy!

After the Cubbies Won!

Two Famous Streets in Wrigley.  

Chicago Skyline on the windy day we rode bikes

Ramsen and Eliz riding their bicycles, note the helmets

A city that supports and encourages biking commuting, wish my town was more like that.  

The Beat Generation

A follow up to a Previous Post, I came across this old video clip from a show in the 1950s.  It's an interview with Jack Kerouac on The Steve Allen Show.  Now I've never heard of the show, but I thought it was a pretty gone find.  I found it on another blog I follow and website I like Open Culture. Here's the interview with ole Jack;