i feel summer creepin' in and i'm tired of this town again

weary of whistling flares and smokey air, i welcome the end of the fourth of july celebratory. WeeBeastie was worked into an absolute lather all weekend long from the constant rattle and hum of fireworks, so the p&q is much welcomed. had a couple of great daytime jaunts by the lakeside with my doggie in tow on saturday and sunday and then we were literally blown off the lake on the fourth itself. all rain and gloom driving us away from the beach and delaying our cheapie sox game for almost two hours. love having an extra day off my work week, but the beginning of july always signifies the downward slide of summer's remaining days. there's about nine remaining beach weekends available, which means i'll be able to enjoy about half of those. the warm winds fly away so quickly.

in the thick of my ambivilance about chicago, i offer a fellow blogger's thoughts that mirror many of my own:

"Living in Mayor Daley’s cesspool has it’s ups and downs. There’s that huge body of water called Lake Michigan which is a definite up. But there’s the rest of the city riddled with crime and poverty, which is a definite down. There are some stunning examples of architecture which are huge, phallic ups. But there’s the rest of the city filled with dilapidated buildings, The Projects, and loft condos bulging the Big Shoulders’ out of their jacket, which is a huge down. There are some great restaurants and very good shopping, which are big ups. But most people who live here cannot afford to eat or shop at those places, which is a huge down, especially since we’re the ones paying the elevated sales tax on everything, everywhere in the city, even our local fast food place or dollar store. You get the picture. It’s the same in any large city. Good and bad. Up and down. Gleaming facade and ugly underbelly."

i'm trying to hold on to the good that's here, and more importantly, the better that i'm living as compared to many other options of resident cities i could be contending with. i'm antsy, but not pannicked. another year here will suit me well. i have alot of work to do in that time and much preparation for a change of pace.

new orleans in 2006?