Sorry, NatiNinja. I need a blog. Its too easy for me to post with internet on my phone.

 

Just poking fun. ;-)

 

You really need to try a shelf toilet. It's a life changing moment, bringing you to new heights of intimacy with your...meals. Maybe you can include one alongside your urinal and bidet.

 

BTW - Wikipedia talks about the accuracy of Farmers' Almanac weather reports.

I'm like the most generic looking, all-american whiteboy ever. Even for Canal Winchester. I don't get it. I think people are watching too much channel 10, 11 o'clock news.

 

I'm Chicago Oak Streets worst nightmare.  My mere presence lowers property values.  But I wasn't exactly placed in this apartment by choice (finders service)

 

 

I had this idea at work today.  All over downtown companies give away free food and beverages.  I wonder if you could just live off promotional food and beverages, just by going to all the right places.  The State office buildings seems to be the perfect place for free stuff, but then it's offset by being accosted by panhandlers, people selling hip hop, and magazines.

Lol Ian ADT security should pay you  to walk down wealthy streets wearing one of your hoodies. Their stockprices would skyrocket. You could take screetscape photos for your flickr at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone since it'll look like you're casing out the street.

I had this idea at work today.  All over downtown companies give away free food and beverages.  I wonder if you could just live off promotional food and beverages, just by going to all the right places.  The State office buildings seems to be the perfect place for free stuff, but then it's offset by being accosted by panhandlers, people selling hip hop, and magazines.

 

It could be as simple as promoting a Twitter hash tag like #FreeFoodChicago. Or a Facebook group where people can report locations.

Lol Ian ADT security should pay you  to walk down wealthy streets wearing one of your hoodies. Their stockprices would skyrocket. You could take screetscape photos for your flickr at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone since it'll look like you're casing out the street.

 

I think I told this story once before.  But I came back to my place with my Timberlands on, hoody, and hat, with my hands all greasy from fixing my bike, and this girl asked when I was done with whatever job I was doing, to fix the sink in her boyfriend's apartment.  I told her if she needed me to loan her some tools, I'd allow it, but only after I drop off my rent check.  Her reaction was like "Oh...oh I am so very sorry, I thought you were maintenance."

 

Whatever, I don't need to impress the girls in my building...the ones I've met are bougie, except for a few who are nice, but dating other guys.  And since I've been dating this girl from college for awhile, I know when to clean up nice. 

 

Wicker Park, Humboldt, or maybe Logan Square is more my place, but I like living downtown.  It's way too convenient.  I think about moving from time to time, but my renting experience at my current building has been way too good, to the point that I don't think I'll ever rent at a better place with as good as amenities, service, and quiet neighbors.  I do appreciate Oak Street despite that I'll never be able to afford the stores in my lifetime, it's at least a cool place to walk out the front door to.  I think I'd miss my views too.

I had this idea at work today.  All over downtown companies give away free food and beverages.  I wonder if you could just live off promotional food and beverages, just by going to all the right places.  The State office buildings seems to be the perfect place for free stuff, but then it's offset by being accosted by panhandlers, people selling hip hop, and magazines.

 

It could be as simple as promoting a Twitter hash tag like #FreeFoodChicago. Or a Facebook group where people can report locations.

 

That's a really good idea actually. 

I had this idea at work today.  All over downtown companies give away free food and beverages.  I wonder if you could just live off promotional food and beverages, just by going to all the right places.  The State office buildings seems to be the perfect place for free stuff, but then it's offset by being accosted by panhandlers, people selling hip hop, and magazines.

 

It could be as simple as promoting a Twitter hash tag like #FreeFoodChicago. Or a Facebook group where people can report locations.

 

That's a really good idea actually. 

 

Hotels/motels with breakfast buffets seldom monitor who partakes; when staying at them, I've never been asked to show a room key or anything in order to have breakfast. In fact, while staying at the now-defunct Terrace Hotel in Cincinnati, I saw a reasonably dressed guy with average grooming loading up on the free breakfast, and later I saw him on the street checking vending machines and parking meters for change.

 

If you create a public forum that directs people to free food, you may generate so much traffic for those places that they either limit quanty and/or access, or discontinue the practice altogether.

^ On the other hand, if the give-away is promotional in nature, the extra exposure could be like free advertising. That might depend on the purchasing power of people who follow the Twitter feed (or FB group or whatever), but it is an interesting experiment. And it doesn't really hurt to try. At worst, you will miss some spread-out opportunities for free stuff in the long term for a shortish period of time when you can get tons of it. (And you would get tons, if the venture is so successful as to stop the practice.)

I had this idea at work today.  All over downtown companies give away free food and beverages.  I wonder if you could just live off promotional food and beverages, just by going to all the right places.  The State office buildings seems to be the perfect place for free stuff, but then it's offset by being accosted by panhandlers, people selling hip hop, and magazines.

 

It could be as simple as promoting a Twitter hash tag like #FreeFoodChicago. Or a Facebook group where people can report locations.

 

That's a really good idea actually. 

 

Hotels/motels with breakfast buffets seldom monitor who partakes; when staying at them, I've never been asked to show a room key or anything in order to have breakfast. In fact, while staying at the now-defunct Terrace Hotel in Cincinnati, I saw a reasonably dressed guy with average grooming loading up on the free breakfast, and later I saw him on the street checking vending machines and parking meters for change.

 

If you create a public forum that directs people to free food, you may generate so much traffic for those places that they either limit quanty and/or access, or discontinue the practice altogether.

 

LOL. You're so right, now that I think about it. Every hotel I've stayed at that had a continental breakfast, had a completely packed kitchen in the morning despite there being very little traffic through the halls at night or even throughout the day. No one in the state-of-the-art fitness room, or pool, bar or even arcade but I'll be d@mned if there wasn't ever a guaranteed line out of the kitchen entrance for the waffle iron at 9 in the morning. The waffle line is always the worst at hotel kitchens. Everyone has to have double-stacked waffles and even more waffles for their whiney kids or lazy spouse/mistress who is laying up in the room and was too lazy to come down before the breakfast ends and stand in line for their own friggin' waffles. It makes sense that a lot of them are just travelers passing through and taking advantage of free food. I don't think I've ever had to show proof of occupancy for a room in order to eat at the free breakfast bar.

I don't use Twitter now, but if I ever become homeless it might come in handy.

I had this idea at work today.  All over downtown companies give away free food and beverages.  I wonder if you could just live off promotional food and beverages, just by going to all the right places.  The State office buildings seems to be the perfect place for free stuff, but then it's offset by being accosted by panhandlers, people selling hip hop, and magazines.

 

It could be as simple as promoting a Twitter hash tag like #FreeFoodChicago. Or a Facebook group where people can report locations.

 

That's a really good idea actually. 

 

Hotels/motels with breakfast buffets seldom monitor who partakes; when staying at them, I've never been asked to show a room key or anything in order to have breakfast. In fact, while staying at the now-defunct Terrace Hotel in Cincinnati, I saw a reasonably dressed guy with average grooming loading up on the free breakfast, and later I saw him on the street checking vending machines and parking meters for change.

 

If you create a public forum that directs people to free food, you may generate so much traffic for those places that they either limit quanty and/or access, or discontinue the practice altogether.

 

LOL. You're so right, now that I think about it. Every hotel I've stayed at that had a continental breakfast, had a completely packed kitchen in the morning despite there being very little traffic through the halls at night or even throughout the day. No one in the state-of-the-art fitness room, or pool, bar or even arcade but I'll be d@mned if there wasn't ever a guaranteed line out of the kitchen entrance for the waffle iron at 9 in the morning. The waffle line is always the worst at hotel kitchens. Everyone has to have double-stacked waffles and even more waffles for their whiney kids or lazy spouse/mistress who is laying up in the room and was too lazy to come down before the breakfast ends and stand in line for their own friggin' waffles. It makes sense that a lot of them are just travelers passing through and taking advantage of free food. I don't think I've ever had to show proof of occupancy for a room in order to eat at the free breakfast bar.

 

Yeah, never seen hotels ask for proof.  Though, ethically it would be wrong, the hotel isn't losing much on a few freeloaders, even if it were a couple dozen.  Think about the low cost of buying all that stuff in bulk, and also consider how much they throw out that isn't eaten.  There's no possible way they could detect a loss from unwanted guests.  Additionally many hotels permit visitors of guests staying there to partake in the continental breakfast.

 

I don't know about freeloading but an easy way to get a discount at practically any place is to ask the cashier if they do military discounts. I don't know why so many places give military discounts; they make a lot of money (my friend got 20 grand just for signing up for the air force) but anyway, I worked in retail and we never even looked at military IDs- just deducted a percentage so it would be really easy to get away with saying you forgot to bring it. I will never be one of those people dressed in aluminum foil at Chipotle to get a free burrito. I'd rather pay the 6 bucks than degrade myself. Hah.

Rob, how are those Almanacs able to prediict weather so accurately? Sorry, NatiNinja. I need a blog. Its too easy for me to post with internet on my phone. Today i walked through the parking lot and this woman was sitting in her car and saw me walking towards her and I heard her doors suddenly lock as I walked along the side of her car.. I kinda wanted to open her car door, lean over and scream, "Boo!" I guess I got a taste of what it's like to be black.People are so ridiculous.

 

Yep, you sure did. I've been dealing with this since about 16 years old. I don't even have an intimidating appearance. I'm like 5'11" and only 160 and have more of a grungy hipster style of dress as opposed to the hip hop style of the sterotypical black person (kinda Kid Cudi-esque). Just last week, I experienced this twice. While walking in Clifton, a small Asian girl and I were approaching each other from a distance, and once we got closer, she crossed to the other side of the street. Antother instance was when I was leaving Barnes & Noble in Kenwood going to my car, I passed a mid 90's model Oldsmobile and I heard "cli-click" (doors locking). I glanced inside the car and sure enough, it was an elderly white woman. *sigh*. The worst though was when I used to work in retail and some of the older white women would say I speak "so well" and I'm so "articulate." What the hell is that supposed to mean? :-D :whip:

^ Didn't Biden "complement" Obama by saying how articulate he is? Yeah, that is a weird one that seems to come out when least expected.

 

I feel compelled to mention I have a style-crush on the "blipster" look, even though it doesn't sound like yours qualifies. I've always found bright colors appealing, and the 80s/early-90s hip-hop revival (even done ironically) makes me really nostalgic. It's freaking awesome, LOL. White people can't really pull it off. At least not so far as I've seen. I do like to wear bright colors, though, and in my mind it is in confluence with such a look.

^Yeah, Biden did say something to that effect. I forgot about that. I think he called Obama a "bright" and "clean" African American. Lmao. As far as the bright colors, I hate bright colored clothing. I have one yellow shirt, a few red (UC shirts) and the rest of my clothing is mostly black, grey, khaki, and olive drab. My gf says I should wear lighter colors. I have a tendency to wear darker colored clothing even during the summer months.

I don't know about freeloading but an easy way to get a discount at practically any place is to ask the cashier if they do military discounts. I don't know why so many places give military discounts; they make a lot of money (my friend got 20 grand just for signing up for the air force) but anyway, I worked in retail and we never even looked at military IDs- just deducted a percentage so it would be really easy to get away with saying you forgot to bring it. I will never be one of those people dressed in aluminum foil at Chipotle to get a free burrito. I'd rather pay the 6 bucks than degrade myself. Hah.

 

I know that some places, including one of the home decor/building materials chains, give discounts to veterans. A friend who's a US Navy veteran said that I can get a veteran's ID by presenting my DD214 at the local VA hospital, and I should do that.

My worst nightmare was non-profits coming in and buying like 10 bucks worth of merchandise and wanting a tax exemption. Had to look at tax ID papers and fill out a form then get manager approval just to save them 60 cents.

Rob, how are those Almanacs able to prediict weather so accurately? Sorry, NatiNinja. I need a blog. Its too easy for me to post with internet on my phone. Today i walked through the parking lot and this woman was sitting in her car and saw me walking towards her and I heard her doors suddenly lock as I walked along the side of her car.. I kinda wanted to open her car door, lean over and scream, "Boo!" I guess I got a taste of what it's like to be black.People are so ridiculous.

 

Yep, you sure did. I've been dealing with this since about 16 years old. I don't even have an intimidating appearance. I'm like 5'11" and only 160 and have more of a grungy hipster style of dress as opposed to the hip hop style of the sterotypical black person (kinda Kid Cudi-esque). Just last week, I experienced this twice. While walking in Clifton, a small Asian girl and I were approaching each other from a distance, and once we got closer, she crossed to the other side of the street. Antother instance was when I was leaving Barnes & Noble in Kenwood going to my car, I passed a mid 90's model Oldsmobile and I heard "cli-click" (doors locking). I glanced inside the car and sure enough, it was an elderly white woman. *sigh*. The worst though was when I used to work in retail and some of the older white women would say I speak "so well" and I'm so "articulate." What the hell is that supposed to mean? :-D :whip:

 

I've been robbed twice in my lifetime, both more than 35 years ago, both times by clean-cut white boys. One was wearing dress pants and shirt and tie, all perfectly coordinated and topped off with a navy windbreaker. He was light blonde with magazine-model looks. He was hitchhiking in downtown Fort Wayne when there still was nightlife there, and my guard was completely down.  Where that large-bore revolver came from, I still haven't figured out; it looked like a .44 Magnum. The other time, I was where good judgement would have said, no, screamed, "Are you crazy? Don't go there at night!" I'm not counting the time I was drunk on the CTA Red Line at 1a.m. in a nearly-empty car and got shaken down for change and a transfer by a couple of black teenagers while the conductor watched from the end of the car and said/did nothing.

 

If i got robbed by a guy in a suit I'd probably think it was a joke.

If i got robbed by a guy in a suit I'd probably think it was a joke.

 

Politicians, bankers, and investment brokers wear suits, often expensive ones.

Rob, how are those Almanacs able to prediict weather so accurately? Sorry, NatiNinja. I need a blog. Its too easy for me to post with internet on my phone. Today i walked through the parking lot and this woman was sitting in her car and saw me walking towards her and I heard her doors suddenly lock as I walked along the side of her car.. I kinda wanted to open her car door, lean over and scream, "Boo!" I guess I got a taste of what it's like to be black.People are so ridiculous.

 

Yep, you sure did. I've been dealing with this since about 16 years old. I don't even have an intimidating appearance. I'm like 5'11" and only 160 and have more of a grungy hipster style of dress as opposed to the hip hop style of the sterotypical black person (kinda Kid Cudi-esque). Just last week, I experienced this twice. While walking in Clifton, a small Asian girl and I were approaching each other from a distance, and once we got closer, she crossed to the other side of the street. Antother instance was when I was leaving Barnes & Noble in Kenwood going to my car, I passed a mid 90's model Oldsmobile and I heard "cli-click" (doors locking). I glanced inside the car and sure enough, it was an elderly white woman. *sigh*. The worst though was when I used to work in retail and some of the older white women would say I speak "so well" and I'm so "articulate." What the hell is that supposed to mean? :-D :whip:

 

I've been robbed twice in my lifetime, both more than 35 years ago, both times by clean-cut white boys. One was wearing dress pants and shirt and tie, all perfectly coordinated and topped off with a navy windbreaker. He was light blonde with magazine-model looks. He was hitchhiking in downtown Fort Wayne when there still was nightlife there, and my guard was completely down.  Where that large-bore revolver came from, I still haven't figured out; it looked like a .44 Magnum. The other time, I was where good judgement would have said, no, screamed, "Are you crazy? Don't go there at night!" I'm not counting the time I was drunk on the CTA Red Line at 1a.m. in a nearly-empty car and got shaken down for change and a transfer by a couple of black teenagers while the conductor watched from the end of the car and said/did nothing.

 

 

That's awful.  But as far as the CTA, the conductors I believe can't actually do anything except call it in, UNLESS they know they can take control of the situation.  I guess it's a matter of putting themselves at risk, or even the CTA getting sued or something.  It's horrible I know.  As a good citizen I would try and intervene if I could. 

 

The CTA is horribly sketchy at night.  People mill around the stations with large duffle bags and hide in dark areas.  Some people will never board the trains.  This is probably the reason why the brown line ceases operation at night....the areas along it don't want the crime or the drunks

 

 

--------------------

 

Back to the freeloading topic.  There's alot of restaurants that just give away food at the end of the day.  Most is donated to shelters, but many places will let you take the stuff sitting out all day at no cost.  Not my kind of thing to do, though getting to know employees at places has its benefits.

My neighborhood has been a abuzz for the last two hours with lawnmowers, grills, birds chirping.  But now there is only the gusting wind.

Rain here since mid-afternoon, promising to continue at least until tomorrow morning with winds in the 20 - 25mph range and temps dropping into the 40s.

It may have rained here earlier?  I was hunkered down today for work.  I know I was near windows a few times today but it's sad for me to think that I never looked out them.

Holy lord that's some wicked wind this morning! The weather bug app on my phone says gusts up to 61 mph right now for my zip code. The wind woke me from a sound sleep.

^It broke a window on the Penton building.

I was up around 5am this morning, somewhat regular behavior for me. The wind was blowing hard and I could hear small tree limbs hitting the house and one hit a window so hard I'm surprised it didn't break. I was reading in my recliner when I heard a loud buzz accompanied by a sustained bright white lite in the wall across from my west-facing window. On my side of the river the power lines and transformers are all in the alley behind my house, so it must have been across the river, probably a couple of primary lines that got pushed together by a gust.

 

Several years ago I watched a transformer blow up during a wind storm. I was having breakfast in a restaurant in a small town nearby where I was installing some software and hardware. Suddely a transformer on a pole across the road went up like a Roman candle, shooting out sparks in all directions with fireballs going up in the air. Pole transformers are full of insulating oil, and it will ignite when it gets hot enough in the presence of air. The fireworks display lasted maybe a minute before it went dead, but the oil that splattered around kept burning for a while.

I like the old forum better!

It's been dead around here.  Almost as dead as my Chicago Development Thread where I talk to myself.

Screen stuff gets slow in the spring.

Screen stuff gets slow in the spring.

 

... because the weather starts to get nice enough that we northerners can go outside and begin to get our lives back! :-)

I'm never going to the bar again! Something crazy always happens. I met this woman there, left with her...had a one night stand. It was so weird waking up in someones house who I didn't know. First thing I did when I woke up was check my wallet lol! Second thing I did was GPS my phone on Lattitide because I had no clue at all where the hell I was. There's a crazy little twist though. The woman my dad is dating...it was actually her daughter! Found that our when I asked her name and realized she looks just like her mom but younger. Its proving to be a little more awkward than I thought.

Yikes! I certainly don't envy heterosexuals' lives! :-o

 

Maybe you and your dad can take your women on double dates. :wink:

David, that story is hilarious.  I was talking to one of my friends the other day if that kind of thing ever happens.  There's the proof.

 

So I'm wondering if anyone with legal knowledge knows the answer to this.

 

I locked my bike to a sign post the other day.  When I came back, someone had locked this POS bike...I'm talking assembled from scrap parts....to my bike.  They wrapped a heavy duty chain lock several times around my frame.  It just didn't seem accidental.

 

I've had this happen before in college, and the university used a plasma cutter to remove the lock, and just left the other persons bike there.  But it took a week and half of calling and complaining to get action.  My initial thought was go to the police.  But then I've heard numerous bad stories of how the police in larger cities couldn't help unless the owner of the other bike was present..uhhhhh.  ok.  And the cops would refuse to just impound the other bike. 

 

I figured, whatever take it into my own hands.  I ran home and got my proof of ownership of the bike.  I went into our buildings maintenance room and grabbed some pipe cutters.  When I got back, I had the pipe cutters just positioned, when this guy runs from the alley "hold up, hold up, hold up."  Let me unlock it!  Unlocks it, throws the chain around his neck and just rides off.

 

Apparently this is becoming a common way to steal bikes.  Luckily I didn't become a victim.  But can I legally cut someone else's lock to retrieve my own property if this ever happens again?  I've heard different answers.  I don't see why not. 

David, that story is hilarious.

 

+ >9000

  But can I legally cut someone else's lock to retrieve my own property if this ever happens again?  I've heard different answers.  I don't see why not. 

 

Doesn't matter if it's legal or not, so long as you don't get caught. You could hacksaw through their frame and take their chain and lock, and then cut it off your bike at your convenience.

David, that story is hilarious.

 

+ >9000

 

I sat down and told my dad what happened. He goes, "Youve got to be f-ing kidding me." Then he starts texting on his phone and 2 minutes later he got a phone call from his girlfriend. I could hear her screaming into his ear, going "Are you f-ing serious!?"

 

What? why would your dad text her?  I think both sides should just play dumb for awhile. 

He's like that, you can't tell him anything without him telling everyone. Its not something I'd be comfortable hiding though. Now that it's out there, I can put it all behind me.

David, I can totally relate. Many years ago, I went to NYC on business for training after having been on a job for a few months. My contact there had become flirty friendly with me over the months since I started and we ended up hanging out a lot during my visit. He took me to dinner, we went and saw Godfather on the big screen (no, I'm not THAT old, it was re-released for big screen) and then went back to his parents HUGE, lavish apartment to frolic as they were out of town. We had a great time. During pillow talk, we started talking about where we went to college and this and that, he brought up sports, which I know very little about, but mentioned my only connection to sports in that I was previously engaged to the brother in law of a famous cleveland sports figure. And he's like wait, does he have a sister named X? And I'm like um, yeah and he's like, is their family from Miami? Grandparents own a diner? Yeah, it was his COUSIN.

Cousin's are fair game :)

Yeah, but it was just CREEPY and weird.

At least you had a good time!

I did! That was something that ran in the family, I guess :)

Haha. That's pretty random.

Cousin's are fair game :)

 

People in West Virginia say that all the time!

 

Is that you in your avatar? What are you smoking? "Glaucoma medication"? Lol.

Where is MTS at? It's slow around here.

I Was wondering the same thing.

Kasich makes this site depressing. That probably scares people away.