A Curmudgeon Amok in Chicago

I understand why this was written here... I see piles of dog droppings left all over the alley. I just thought this was another poignant slice of urban life. Hmmm... would this be graffiti I wonder? I understand why this was written here... I see piles of dog droppings left all over the alley. I just thought this was another poignant slice of urban life. Hmmm... would this be graffiti I wonder?« less

OK, I'm giving up on saying I've seen everything. First the inflatable rat, now this. OK, I'm giving up on saying I've seen everything. First the inflatable rat, now this.« less

I was in a quirky mood, and enjoyed seeing and shooting this video of what my best guess is a palm thrown into a dumpster. I was in a quirky mood, and enjoyed seeing and shooting this video of what my best guess is a palm thrown into a dumpster.« less

When I saw the contents of someone's life dumped out in the alley, of course I was struck by it. Its one thing to hear it on the news, another to witness it. More, I'm pretty sure I'd met these peop more » When I saw the contents of someone's life dumped out in the alley, of course I was struck by it. Its one thing to hear it on the news, another to witness it. More, I'm pretty sure I'd met these people. I'd talked with a nice family while walking my dogs a week or so before, and they said they were about to be evicted. That led me to more existential ponderings... what good is stuff without people? I saw a collection of red plastic collanders which would have been fun to do a "Devo" bit with, but... with no one to do it with, the things lost their value and meaning. « less

Location: Granville & Sheridan, the Edgewater neighborhood on Chicago's far north side. Date: Friday May 23, 2008 at approximately 10:15am My wife and I noticed this on the way home from her weekly t more » Location: Granville & Sheridan, the Edgewater neighborhood on Chicago's far north side. Date: Friday May 23, 2008 at approximately 10:15am My wife and I noticed this on the way home from her weekly trip to Diamond Headache Clinic. So naturally I walked the dogs down to see and find out what was going on. I saw, I talked, they petted my dogs. I must say... I'm impressed they got the inflatable rat to stay in place in the wind. I was afraid my butterfly dogs (papillon) were going to take flight and become kites! As usual, the full video is available for download via Voeh, Google Video, and on my bog's video page. The full 720x480 stream is also available through Veoh.« less

WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!! The language and content of this video is raw, coarse, shocking even. Minors should not watch this Nor should anyone bothered by frank discussions of drug use, sexuality, etc. more » WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!! The language and content of this video is raw, coarse, shocking even. Minors should not watch this Nor should anyone bothered by frank discussions of drug use, sexuality, etc. WARNING!!!! THE LANGUAGE AND SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS VIDEO ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS. Those offended by coarse language and discussions of sexuality, street life, and drug use should also not watch this video. Jerel really had a lot he wanted to say to me, and he wanted me to upload to the web. The only editing I did was to remove the shots of his prison ID card. Identity theft is a serious issue, and I'm not going to be party to someone exposing themself to it. ...« less

WARNING!!!! THE LANGUAGE AND SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS VIDEO ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS. Those offended by coarse language and discussions of sexuality, street life, and drug use should also not watch ... more » WARNING!!!! THE LANGUAGE AND SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS VIDEO ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS. Those offended by coarse language and discussions of sexuality, street life, and drug use should also not watch this video. Jerel really had a lot he wanted to say to me, and he wanted me to upload to the web. The only editing I did was to remove the shots of his prison ID card. Identity theft is a serious issue, and I'm not going to be party to someone exposing themself to it. ...« less

(This is a chopped up version of my previous video, as neither Youtube nor my blog site could handle the full file.) WARNING!!!! THE LANGUAGE AND SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS VIDEO ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR MI more » (This is a chopped up version of my previous video, as neither Youtube nor my blog site could handle the full file.) WARNING!!!! THE LANGUAGE AND SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS VIDEO ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS. Those offended by coarse language and discussions of sexuality, street life, and drug use should also not watch this video. Jerel really had a lot he wanted to say to me, and he wanted me to upload to the web. The only editing I did was to remove the shots of his prison ID card. Identity theft is a serious issue, and I'm not going to be party to someone exposing themself to it. ...« less

WARNING!!!! THE LANGUAGE AND SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS VIDEO ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS. Those offended by coarse language and discussions of sexuality, street life, and drug use should also not wat more » WARNING!!!! THE LANGUAGE AND SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS VIDEO ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS. Those offended by coarse language and discussions of sexuality, street life, and drug use should also not watch this video. Jerel really had a lot he wanted to say to me, and he wanted me to upload to the web. The only editing I did was to remove the shots of his prison ID card. Identity theft is a serious issue, and I'm not going to be party to someone exposing themself to it.« less

Miracles and beauty are always to be found, you just have to be willing to look past the tip of your nose or the screen of your IPhone. This healthy stand of violets is growing right up against the R more » Miracles and beauty are always to be found, you just have to be willing to look past the tip of your nose or the screen of your IPhone. This healthy stand of violets is growing right up against the Red Line viaduct below the Granville Red Line station. I took two different videos two different days in hopes of capturing both the beauty of the flowers and the context in which they are growing. As always, these videos are can be downloaded at Veoh (where you can also watch them in full D1 resolution), Google Video, or my Multiply page.« less