passages

At 2:20 p.m. on Friday afternoon, my mother passed away into the next world. Her soul and spirit are now beginning a new phase in the journey that God gives all of us. As such, the rest of us in the family, in various ways, are beginning new phases in our own journeys.

chicago seen through cheesehead glasses

Us Chicago natives are weaned from an early age to become architecture snobs, with aesthetic critiques of the playground equipment not uncommon by the age of five--so my words should be taken with some grains of salt. But the bottom line is that I was saddened to see the old Maxwell Street neighborhood go. Certainly it needed sprucing up and cleaning up, but I think it could have done without losing the essence of what the neighborhood was about. What had landed here was something completely different.

an “administrative professionals day” story, starring jimmy stewart

Today is Administrative Professionals’ Day, a day in which secretaries, clerical workers and other office support staff are recognized and given special appreciation. The very title of this day makes it sound about as exciting as fanfold computer paper or office ceiling title. But believe it or not, I have an Administrative Professionals’ Day story that I would consider to be as heartwarming as any Christmas story or Jimmy Stewart movie.

 

pop go the bullet points

I've looked back at my first four entries in this journal and realize that I can be quite wordy.  Which makes sense because that's how I speak as well.  I tend to paint pictures with my words, leaving no corner of the canvas untouched.  Over the course of many years, I've discovered that my speaking style produces two possible reactions in people 1) intrigued interest, or  2) a desire to tear the eyeballs out of one's own head.  There seems to be no in-between.