Day 20

Breaking News: I was back at the gas station tonight. Guess who was there asking people for cash? So there you have it.

This brings up a world of questions. One of which...how is it that these people managed to make it 24 hours without getting kicked out of the parking lot? So I am now under the assumption that this family is homeless. Which is sad. But what I don't understand is why dude would make up a story about needing gas money to get home. You would think he would just say, "Shit man...I'm broke and living in my car...can you help me out?"

Of course, the more I think about it the more I don't blame him. The out-of-gas story probably makes a lot of people say, "Oh man, that's rough, he was out on a nice trip with his family and he just ran out of gas. I'll help him out." But I think there is a scarily high percentage of the population that believes that homeless people must be homeless because they are lazy and will refuse to give them a dime. And in many cases this may be true. But what point are we trying to prove when we don't give them money? Are we trying to teach them a lesson about the values of hard work and sobriety? Is it for their own good? Dude may be lazy and strung out but he still needs cash.

So that was that. I hope I see him again. Or I don't because I hope he makes it home. If only for the kid's sake.

The cats were frisky today. And I also saw a whole family of ducks in the backyard just bobbing around. It's like a friggin' forest preserve over at that house. Every day it is some new kind of wildlife up in there. I can't wait to see what is next.

Mostly though it was another slow day. I went to work for a while and did some assessments on one of my kids for a class I am trying to finish up for Tuesday. These last few days have been a little slow and quiet, but very pleasant. And it is nice to rest up because the wild, fun days are coming real soon. And then I'll have lots to talk about before bedtime.

So I rattled on about the Tha Carter 3 the other day, and for good cause because it is truly spectacular. But the other two albums I bought on Tuesday are also incredible. This has been a slow year for music IMO but I really feel like the three I bought on that one day could be the best three of the year so far. The Cool Kids EP just makes me ridiculously happy. I've heard over half the songs before but it is nice to actually own it in album format and be able to blast them in my car. And that new Spiritualized album is just gorgeous.

Which brings me to the part of the post where I talk about a weekend I am REALLY excited about. It isn't New York, Krissy's wedding, or Lollapalooza, though all of those are going to be just as great. It is Pitchfork/Rock the Bells weekend. Friday of Pitchfork will feature Public Enemy performing It Takes a Nation of Millions. Saturday I will be skipping PoFo in favor of Rock the Bells...one of the sickest hip hop lineups I have ever seen and I will be in the pit, face to face with a who's who of the greatest of all time. So yeah...I should be pretty exhausted after those two days. BUT WAIT! Because Sunday, the day I keep forgetting about after all the other awesomeness, has just a ridiculous lineup back at the Pitchfork Fest. Including the aforementioned Spiritualized, Ghostface/Raekwon, M. Ward, Les Savy Fav, Dino Jr, Spoon, Apples in Stereo, AND MORE! Man, I love this summer.

Sorry to brag. But there is nothing quite like being alive in the summertime in Chicago. Nothing quite like it.