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Rooftop Daydream

2026-04-16T21:56:11Z

Spotted this unusual rooftop area, by the Wabash stop downtown. It’s the top of the New York Jewelers building, and it got me wondering: “How do you get up there?”

It looks like a chimney stack on the left. And maybe one of the structures in back is the top of an elevator shaft? But I’m not sure why there are staggered landings, with ladders.

I’m afraid of heights, but would love to figure out how to get to the top of this… just to check it out.

Metra Delay

2026-04-16T12:57:14Z

Arrived at Millennium Station to a pretty big crowd of people. Everyone was gathered at the top of the stairs (that lead to the platforms), milling about. There were the regular over-the-speaker announcements happening, but there was also a Metra employee on the stairs, yelling things out. I couldn’t quite hear well, but the gist was that there were signal problems… and all trains were pretty delayed.

All the people, milling about? A lot of them were here for an earlier train that should have departed about 20 minutes ago. So a pretty big backup. As I was waiting around, I got a surprise – my old friend AJ appeared! Turns out, we both had trains delayed, and managed to cross paths. I remember seeing her at this station, but that was back when I was still working out of the Burnham Building. It was a great surprise to run into her, and all to short. Because before we knew it, they announced that one of the trains was ready to depart. So with a quick goodbye, I joined the throng of people headed down to the train.

Throng is most definitely the right word. Not only were there a ton of folks on the stairs, there already were a ton of pepole waiting on the platform. Insane. The train was tight (can’t remember the last time I shared a seat with someone), but everyone was at least glad to be sitting. And at least moving. As delays go, it wasn’t too bad. But I showed up to the late party a little late, so that helped. Related: Cold Delays at Millennium Station Delays at Millennium Station, and a Well-Placed Advertisement

Hugo: Bunny Rabbit Speed Dating @ Red Door Animal Shelter Part 2

2026-04-16T21:50:25Z

Back at Red Door again, with Hugo on his second visit. While he had a good first meeting with Sumo, we wanted to take this cautiously. We’ve had good initial impressions before, and had difficulty with bonding afterwards. We’ve had several attempts where we brought a bunny home to bond with Hugo (Cloudy, Penny, and Hazel [who was a slightly different story, as we still have her]). With all the missed attempts, we wanted to be extra sure. So we came back for a second round, and also tried to see if Hugo hit it off with any other bunnies. Turns out – Sumo remained the best fit so far, and he seemed the most comfortable with her.

Once again, Sumo climbing all over Hugo like he’s a rock wall. And he doesn’t seem to mind.

Liz, sitting with both bunnies.

Sumo and Hugo, snuggled together. We’re going to have to do something about her name. But that’s for later, assuming things work out and we officially adopt. For now, tonight, we officially brought Sumo home with us. We’ll be spending the next few weeks having them living side by side (and switching spaces occasionally). And doing some bonding sessions in between all that. I’ll be honest – Sumo is a large bunny. Like – she’s big. And I’m not sure if I’m really ready or wanting this much of a bunny. But it’s not my call. Hugo’s been without a friend for a long, long time now. And we’re at a point where, if we find a good match – that’s who it’s going to be. So as of now, it looks like Hugo chose Sumo. Really got to work on that name. Related: Hugo: Bunny Rabbit Speed Dating @ Red Door Animal Shelter

Coffee, Double Tapped

2026-04-13T12:57:43Z

I came across a scenario again where I was refilling an empty coffee pot, only to discover that the other pot was also tapped. Realizing a few things now. Perhaps I should expect all the coffee to be gone by mid-morning. It’s just going to be a thing. Perhaps this kind of behavior is expected, once a company gets to a certain size. I think if this were a smaller company of, say, 10 people… it wouldn’t happen. But I don’t know where the cutoff is. 20? 30? Perhaps it’s unreasonable to think that someone would re-fill the coffee themselves. We do have staff that handles this. But for me, there’s a subtle culture thing underneath this. Yes, I’m whining about coffee. But it’s about seeing a problem and fixing a problem – keeping in mind the person after you. That’s more of a culture thing, and the lack of that is what unsettles me slightly. But maybe this is all just me being overly grumpy. And I just need a cup of coffee. Related: Terry Tate, Where Are You? Workplace Coffee Etiquette and Remembering Terry Tate, Office Linebacker

Merchandise Mart, Hardware

2026-04-13T04:00:55Z

While I was waiting for Liz to pick me up today, I looked over and saw this small collection of metallic parts.

Which made me look up.

And up and up. My guess is this stuff handles some very large (and I would imagine heavy) banners. I haven’t yet seen a large display like this in person, but now I’m looking forward to it. The Mart has done some interesting things (I remember a super large chair sculpture, many years back). There’s also Art on the Mart, which I need to experience in person one of these days. Related: Returning to the Merchandise Mart After 22 Years: First Day at the New Grubhub Office Strange Banner, 55th and Lake Park Avenue Gimme an “F” They’re Building… Some Sort Of… Big… Chair?

Hugo: Bunny Rabbit Speed Dating @ Red Door Animal Shelter

2026-04-12T21:30:29Z

We’re back at Red Door, for another round of speed dating for Hugo. It’s been a tough road for him, this last year. With us (and him) losing Daisy, it’s been a difficult search to find Hugo another friend.

We’re in a back room, looking out at many of the other holding areas.

First up: Moopsy. I wasn’t huge on the idea of having two white bunnies, but at this stage… both Liz and I were of the mind that if we find a good match for Hugo, that would be the bunny. Things were ok for a while, but got a little aggressive. It seemed positive for a good while, but once there was aggression shown from Moopsy, she became an immediate “nope.”

Lychee was next. Fairly indifferent – which for the most part is typically a good thing. But there wasn’t much interest from either party.

Our last date: Sumo. She was quite the big gal, and the two of them got along fairly well. Sumo climbed all over and around Hugo, and he seemed completely un-phased. Out of the dates tonight, Sumo was the most promising. Hugo seemed to like her, she seemed to like him. He was more than comfortable when she got super close to him, and he seemed the most comfortable with her overall. Related: Hugo’s Speed Dates: Animal Care League Hugo’s Speed Dates: Red Door Animal Shelter

Felix’s Belated Birthday: Drinks at Kumiko’s Whisky-Shochu Bar, Dinner at the Bazaar

2026-04-12T19:48:09Z

For my birthday night out, we’re back at Kumiko. We came here last year for drinks, but Liz discovered they have a basement bar… that has a lot of specialty Japanese whisky and Shochu (something neither of us have tried).

Downstairs, in a fairly dark and cozy bar area (there were three other couples at the bar with us).

Interesting note: our bartender was incredibly knowledgeable. Lots of incredible details, and tons of info to share. We also learned that he was planning on starting a new job next year (in Tokyo), at a bar there. Felt like we were in good hands.

Trekking a bit, to our dinner destination.

En route, I spotted my old and new workplace at the Merchandise Mart.

We made our way to The Bazaar (we’re fans of José Andrés – and loved Jaleo). We both got a complimentary glass of white wine to start as well, which was both pleasant and unexpected. I’m not a huge white wine fan, but it was crisp and delicious. Appetizers were great, and definitely made us think of Jaleo (we learned later that Jaleo had closed down, unfortunately).

A lot of meat plates, but designed for sharing.

The place was incredibly full, but we had a late reservation. And by the time we finished our meal, a lot of the restaurant had cleared out. A lovely night out, good drink, good food. A nice reminder that there are benefits to living this close to the city. We can’t go out like this every night (I wish), but it’s nice that we can do so when we do. Related: Remote Birthday Cake Felix Birthday Night Out: Drinks at Kumiko, Dinner at Girl and the Goat Felix’s 50th Birtday: A Day of Meals, Dim Sum + Alinea Tricia and Paige: Chicago Marathon 2023, Day 1

Cafe Memento Mori

2026-04-04T01:44:29Z

Every week, Mark and I get together for an early morning coffee. We chat about our week, our work, our house projects. And because we’re tech nerds, we tend to dig into stories about how AI is influencing our present day, and where we think AI will take our future days.

At our neighborhood coffee shop, before sitting down to hang out… I spotted this. You’ll see it when you see it. It was a minor thing, but once I saw it… my mind immediately shifted to thoughts of our collective mortality. Not in a morbid way, but more as a sense of recognition. Coffee is a great thing, especially in the morning. It’s a great way to start and greet the day. Fitting, perhaps, that I encountered a reminder that those days we greet are limited in number. Related: Short Life: A Clock to Remind You that Life is Short Newsletter as Memento Mori Memento Media Mori Pandemic Reminder No Bad Days A Carpe Diem Moment: My Name on a Plaque at North Central High School, Indianapolis, Indiana Tech Memento Mori Age, by Kay Ryan Disturbing Reminders of Mortality, On the Way to Work

Bridge View

2026-04-04T01:37:10Z

On my way in to work, I hop on the CTA to get to the Merchandise Mart. I happened to catch this nice image, crossing the Chicago River. While I’m still not a fan of needing to commute in to work… on days like this, the commute ain’t all that bad. Related: Returning to the Merchandise Mart After 22 Years: First Day at the New Grubhub Office Asheville, Day 3: Fae Nectar, Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, Oak and Grist Distillery, Cultivated Cocktails Scotland, Day 13: Knockando Woolmill, GlenAllachie Distillery, Craigellachie Bridge, Exploring the Grounds at Glen Grant Distillery, an Unexpected Visit to Elchies Estates, Dinner at Highlander Inn Date Night: Barton G Visiting the Christiana Lake House, Day 2: Kayaking and Bridge Jumping Bridge Eaters: Tilt-Shift, Time Lapse Demolition The Bridge

Dev Looper

2026-04-12T19:26:58Z

I made a new playlist that I’ve been listening to on a loop (yes on a loop – shocker). The songs though… they’re a little, odd. They’re songs I like, but they mostly come from a 2000 – 2002 era. Most of these songs I remember from the radio. I have some very specific memories, listening to Q101 while I was driving to/from the Barrington suburbs, for my first job out of grad school. I can’t say these are favorite artists (some are), but the songs from the time are what I’ve kind of been amassing. It’s not necessarily the songs themselves that I like. It seems to be the feeling these songs evoke. Several of them I haven’t heard in a long while. And they just remind me of that earlier time. Side note: I for sure have listened to them now, since this thing has been on a perpetual loop anytime I’m working on a personal project at home. A little nostalgia perhaps? Definite memories of my first job, and of late nights. Of being on my own for the first time in a new city, new state, new job. Related: Five for Fighting: Superman (It’s Not Easy) Booze and Nostaliga Josh Installs the AIWA