Category: Otherwise


I blame J.J. Abrams

Filed under: Otherwise, Travel by margocole — 3 Comments
January 22, 2008

The first clue were the three helicopters hovering above my neighborhood this morning as I left my building. Next were the trademark blue “City of Chicago” sawhorses lining a street corner on my way to the Montrose brown line el stop. Once I was just west of Ravenswood Avenue, I experienced an oddly brown mud/ice concoction underfoot. I saw some activity in the street ahead as I entered the station, but I focused on getting my train. I’d hear something about it at some point, right?

On my way up to the platform, a girl was taking a photo with her camera phone from the first flight of stairs. “Whoa,” I said. Here’s why:

Side view of Montrose 1-22-08

Top view of Montrose 1-22-08

A water main had broken along Montrose, East of Damen, at about 1:30 this morning. The water was shut off at 7, and there’s a big clean-up job ahead. Several cars that were parked along this stretch were submerged or towed away.

My coworker Tim took both of these photos. He’s calling it “Crater Day.” I blame J.J. Abrams for devising this elaborate publicity stunt to remind Chicago to see Cloverfield.

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El-iquette

Filed under: Travel, World by margocole — Leave a comment
January 17, 2008

A few points to remember as you’re riding the CTA trains in Chicago (we Chicagoans call it “the el”):

1. Don’t worry so much about getting ready for your stop. Standing near the door for your whole ride just puts you in the way of other people trying to use the doors. Similarly, preparing yourself for the next stop well beforehand by forcing a tiny path through the rest of us (packed like sardines) is equally curious and irritating. Seriously, chillax! I have never seen anyone miss their stop because they didn’t get out in time.

2. Use your inside voice. When you’re in a group on the el, people aren’t amused by you unless they have nothing better to do. Same thing goes for cell phone convos. No one cares! In fact, they’d rather you shut your gab-hole so they can read their books. Red line riders are sometimes exempt from this rule, because the train itself can’t be bothered to stay quiet.

3. Seats have borders, too. When you’re lucky enough to score one of those not-quite ergonomic seats on the el, you get all the space within the confines of those nifty lines that border its fuzzy blue (or brown) surface. In other words, no one should cross borders with their giant elbows as they read the paper or text their (probably equally self-entitled) friend.

4. Check your scent. Everyone knows that voices carry – but breath travels, too. Carry a pack of gum with you for those post-coffee mornings.

I know I’ve missed a few – feel free to let me know your El-iquette additions.

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New Year’s Day means black-eyed peas

Filed under: Family & friends, Health by margocole — 2 Comments
January 3, 2008

My momma taught me right, that eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day are the key to luck and success for the coming year. I grew up in the south, in Plano, Texas – a gigantic suburb of Dallas. Sure, my mom’s from Pittsburgh and my dad’s from Chicago, but somehow they took to life in the Lone Star State.

Naturally, I had my can o’ black-eyed peas ready to go. I also cut out a recipe for Alda Rae’s “Tennessee Caviar” from a Daily Candy e-mail I received that day. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the right kind of vinegar… so I made up my own recipe. I was a bit frightened by the prospect of combining the peas with raspberry balsamic vinegar, but it played out nicely. Along with the lemon, it gives them a summery flavor. And wouldn’t you know it, luck tastes even better the next day.

Luck!
1 can black-eyed peas
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp raspberry balsamic vinegar
Lemon pepper, to taste
1 dash lemon juice
Sea salt, to taste

Serves 4.

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What happens to Old Man Winter after global warming?

Filed under: I write, World by margocole — 1 Comment
December 30, 2007

How would the folktale of Old Man Winter change in the advent of global warming? The readers of Faces magazine will find out, when my adaptation of the tale appears in their April 2008 environmentalism-themed issue.

Faces is a magazine about world cultures for kids aged 9-14. Each themed issue immerses its readers in unfamiliar customs and traditions through articles, activities, and retold folktales. (In case you were wondering, the story of Old Man Winter is derived from the Russian folktale “Morozko”.) Faces is part of the Cricket Magazine Group, which also includes Cobblestone, Spider, and Odyssey.

I’m just putting the final touches on the story now. In three short months, the issue will be in subscribers’ hands, sitting in kids’ bookstores, and available to order online.

It’s my first magazine publication, and I’m so excited!

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