CPS on strike

Ahoy,

The public education system is something that has grown to be very near and dear to my heart. Even though I'm no longer in school, and don't plan on having any more school, my teachers from all my years of education are still my teachers today. I still remember every single one of my teachers from grade school and high school. I have fond memories of my childhood and youth, despite the absence of air conditioning as the CPS calendar rolled into summer. I have had the fortune of attending both a public and private university, which only confirmed my faith in the public school system. I am proud to be the product of public schools, and proud of what public schools have provided for me and those around me.

Although it may be true that this strike does not affect me directly, it is not true that I do not feel for those that are affected by it. I'm grateful that I had uninterrupted school years, and hope that this new contract will arrive speedily and can provide for kids a future full of potential that I received.

graciously schooled,
jt

basketball upstairs

Ahoy,

Clearly I'm in a foreign land judging as how the ground below me moved last night. Welcome to California.

My first earthquake was during my first week at Cal - some 5 years ago. We thought it was the boys upstairs playing basketball because they had been when we went to investigate earlier in the week and throughout our stay there. But this time was the real deal. And then about another week later I'm told there was another one, but I was in the shower and didn't feel anything. I've come to associate earthquakes with boys playing basketball upstairs because I don't know any better and haven't felt anything big enough to actually knock my things over.

So strange, this place is. Growing up in the most earthquake safe part of the world, the ability of the ground beneath my feet to move is difficult to wrap my brain around. So it moves, you say? So you can't build with bricks, you say? So things can topple over and fall into the ocean, you say? Images of Lois Lane falling into the abyss of the San Andreas Fault Line come to mind. Haven't you ever wondered where Superman is when you're feeling the earth shake and open up beneath you? Not anywhere near you, probably. I'm sure there are lots more important people to save from being swallowed up into the earth. Then why on earth would you choose to live here? There is plenty of seismologically stable land all across America, plenty of it ripe for development, you know? Clearly all that sun has fried your sense of reason, logic, and instinct for survival.

tyranically parched,
jt

ride a bike

Ahoy,

I love riding my bike. The more I ride my bike this summer, the more I relish in being able to get to everywhere I want to go on my bike. The difference between driving and bicycling in how you relate to your surroundings is so different. You're just so much more aware of the neighborhood and other people, other drivers. As a bicyclist, I feel like there are more things for me to be on the lookout for, but as a driver there are so many things you're not looking out for. In my experience as a bicyclist, I've come across many drivers that are just oblivious to anyone else on the road. But seeing more and more cyclists on the road this summer makes me really happy and optimistic about the future of cycling for Chicago. Thus this list of my own observations and worries for future cyclists.

List of bicyclist concerns:

1. Where the cars are, and how close they might get to the bike lane. Some streets don't have bike lanes marked out so you have to share the road. Other streets have marked bike lanes but then you see a car clearly run through the bike lane - and then you start getting nervous, because that could have been me.

2. Getting doored. I've seen someone get very clearly doored, the dictionary definition of doored, and this is not a fate I would wish upon myself or anyone. I've gotten nearly doored plenty of times, but hope on every lucky penny I don't actually get doored in my lifetime.

3. Cars/vehicles in the bike lane. This is super, duper annoying because then I have to negotiate into traffic around the thing and get mixed up with all the cars and the last thing they are looking for is me and my bicycle.

4. Quality of the road. This is something that doesn't affect cars nearly as much as cyclists. We feel every crack, pebble, sewer grate, and surface material on the road. With the quality of some of the roads in Chicago, bicycling can be teeth chattering. And then there are the newly paved roads, and bicycling is paradise.

5. Cars/vehicles pulling out or in, including buses. I try to avoid bike lanes that might intersect with buses. No one I know of has figured out a good way to address this issue. Buses are my friend, I love public transit - but buses are really big and I'm really not. I don't think I would win.

 I love the fact that I'm peddling myself somewhere. I love seeing the streets from the perspective of a bicycle. I love that this city is becoming more bike friendly as I type this entry.

rotatingly chromed,
jt

Looking for home: recreation

Ahoy,

When my brother and I were in elementary school, my dad felt that we weren't getting enough exercise. Oh, boy, if we were born 10 years later - would he have something to gripe about. I'm sure he has an opinion about our young cousins that each have electronic entertainment systems. He bought us tennis rackets and left us to our own devices. We spent the subsequent summer chasing after the ball. I can't say I learned much about tennis that summer, or any summer after that, but I can say tennis is something I continue to enjoy. I like to think what we play now is a little closer to tennis, and less so to playing fetch.

Physical activity used to be forced upon us in school, but as I've outgrown the formal education system I'm happy to be able to select my own physical activities. I remember the bane of my existence was softball and volleyball. I would steer clear of the ball at my earliest convenience, especially if it was bigger than my head.

In my mind, recreation should be for fun. It shouldn't be painful, it shouldn't be torturous. It should be a good time. My ideal location would have plenty of recreation to keep me entertained, which I've been told can be a lot. But I'm calling out to all the great cities of the world! Take your best shot!

blithely gripped,
jt

Looking for home: somewhere

Ahoy,

There was a time when I despised this place. I was dying to leave. And there was a time when I thought that I was leaving forever. Little did I know that I would still be flying into California. That as undying as my efforts to never look back, I would be looking forward in the same direction. My heart broke every time I walked through that airport, back again from home. And it revitalized every time I left that airport, reinvigorated by the anticipation of home in the Midwest.

I haven't flown into Oakland in a long time, and I never thought I would again. But this time, it was different from all the other times. I realize now that no matter how much I'd like to forget a place, how much I'd like to discard those memories - that'll never happen. I realize now that I've left pieces of myself everywhere I've gone, and in the trade I've taken little pieces of everywhere I've gone with me. More and more, I've come to realize that home is what you make of it, home is where you can find love, home is where you're wanted and missed. Home, for me, has been ever mobile and scattered. Home is many places, and, yet, none at all. Maybe this isn't so for everybody, but in arriving at this airport once again, I've come to accept that home is complicated. For now.

begrudgingly idealistic,
jt

Looking for Chicago: the Midwest

Ahoy,

There really isn't much in the Midwest. There's a whole lot of farmland. It's a gigantic piece of farmland in the entire middle of America until you get to the oceans on either side. But the Midwest will always be where my home is. I've always thought of Chicago as one of the nation's best kept secrets. There's so much mania, hype, lust for the coasts, but I'll always believe Chicago is the best coast for numerous reasons. I'll spare you that can of worms.

One of my favorite conveniences is its proximity to everywhere else. Something I'm glad to be rid of since coming home is cross country flights. I have enough trouble sitting still, and now my flights can be 2 hours less of sitting still! I hate sitting still.

flightfully conditioned,
jt

Looking for Chicago: sizzling summers

Ahoy,

Summers in Chicago can get really, really hot. Sometimes I go outside and it feels like I'm wearing all of the clothes that I own + all of the clothes you own. And no matter how few articles or how little coverage I have on, it still feels like I'm wearing a whole thrift store of unwanted clothes. So how does one survive a summer in Chicago?

My smartest idea is probably to stay inside where it's air conditioned, and if you don't have air conditioning - you should really invest in it, because there is no way you are going to get by on sheer will. That never stopped mother nature, and I'm pretty sure you won't will yourself into sitting in a tub of ice all summer.

Some people might associate cabin fever with winter, but I find that it can happen in summer too. When you find this impending, I find that museums have excellent climate controlled facilities. Libraries are also great, but if you intend on staying to finish a book, you should bring a sweater. Other indoor things not only have air conditioning, but are educational - so as to keep your brain from inevitably rotting during the summer.

But if you're willing to brave the hot summer heat of a thousand suns, there are plenty of outdoor things you can do too. Beaches and water-parks are the optimal oases for summer cool-down activities. Many parks have water features that are great for splashing around. If you can't find any of these (which I highly doubt), going out in the morning or evening is a good time to catch your neighbors' sprinklers. Knowing (making) a friend with a pool is always an easy option.

blisteringly comfortable,
jt

Looking for Chicago: thunderstroms

Ahoy,

I love this weather feature that happens in the summer in Chicago. It doesn't only happen in Chicago, but it's a feature that is characteristic of summers in humid continental climates. During the days it might get hot enough to cook an egg on the sidewalk, but then there's these monster storms that come at night to cool everything off. The rain is torrential, there is lightning, there is thunder, there is golf ball sized hail. There is everything to signal the end of the world in some apocalyptic movie.

And when all is said and done, the sidewalk chalk has been washed off, some branches may have fallen, and your gutter may still be draining, but a sigh of relief falls upon the residents all across the city, a sigh of relief courses through the sun dried dirt of the urban gardens. And this is what happens in the summer.

But California has a mediterranean climate, which means there is no rain in the summer. Not a single drop. From March to October. Not a single drop. This is unacceptable. An absolutely unacceptable lifestyle. I refuse to participate.

markedly arid,
jt

Looking for Chicago: parks

Ahoy,

I can't tell you the exact numbers, but in my explorations it seems like I've found far fewer parks and playgrounds in California then in Chicago or New York. I'm sure people are happy in all of these places, so they must be getting their daily allotment of outside playtime in one form or another.

In my mind, I have found there to be 2 different categories of parks. The ones I find in New York and Chicago are more like urban playgrounds. There is usually a playground, water feature, benches, etc. The bigger ones have baseball, soccer fields, tennis and basketball courts. These are the ones I was accustomed to growing up. 

What I love about these parks is the concentration of energy they have. They become something like the best party thrower in the neighborhood. I love how you can feel the fun that lives in the neighborhood when you see kids running around and getting dirty and parents cheering on their childs' losing little league team, but it's okay because the team gets pizza even if they lose. I love that you can just call your friends up after dinner, before it has even digested, to go play tag at the park. I love how you get to know who the neighbors are by the sport they partake in. It's easy to never see your neighbor and you rarely need to interact unless your shrub is invading their property, but I love that everyone stops at the park. I love that people go outside and make eye contact - even if it is because your ball just interrupted their game. These are your neighbors, this is your neighborhood. 


Much to my surprise, a "park" was something totally different on Berkeley maps. A "park" meant a big forest that was more of a place for people to go hiking (get lost). Chalk it up to local vernacular. Not only are these large areas of woodland, they can be far away and require more effort to get to (ie. LA, which at first glance appears to have a ton of parks, but also require days to get to). The parks of my childhood were always within a stone's throw of people in the neighborhood, but in California it now seemed like an Olympic effort to get to the park. There needs to be a large chunk of your day that is free, and all your friends need to give you their day, and you need a bus or you need a car, and you need to pack food, because city girl that I am - I would not know where to even begin to forage outside of my snack pantry. 


As many differences as there are, I can see how you could appreciate their respective qualities all the same. It's always great to get away from the commotion of a city for an extended period of time - makes me appreciate the wildness of  the city that much more. You never know who you'll cross paths with in the woods - maybe you'll find friends from afar or someone to trade lunches with. Regardless of what is near or far from me, I never want to stop going outside. I never want to stop playing.

aptly amok,
jt

Looking for New York: produce carts

Ahoy,

One of the more under-rated fixtures on the NY food scene are the produce cart vendors. NY has a lot of people to feed, and it's one of the best ways the city tries to get fresh fruits and veggies to everyone. In my neighborhood, they are common and easy to come by. And several of them have been incredibly dedicated. I remember rain for days and I would still see this one cart out there through all the rain. I've seen them in the winter and at 3 in the morning. They're usually really friendly and will even haggle with you if you feel like it.

Produce carts have made it very convenient and easy for me to get fresh fruits and vegetables in my lethargy of walking the extra block to get to a grocery store. They are friendly faces and people you can talk to about your produce. At the end of the day, they're just like you or me trying to make it in the big apple, and I'm happy to be buying from them.

refreshingly stocked,
jt