Even More Chicago

More Chicago

If you are in Chicago, you must eat hot dogs. Right? So, we went to Hot Doug's, of Anthony Bourdain fame. We got a rib eye dog, a rabbit dog and...maybe a duck dog. Anyway, one had foie gras on it. They were great and the service was exceedingly good. It was worth the 30 minute wait in the rainy line.

Rain

It is downpouring, so Jaime's and my early walk was relatively brief.

Chicago

Due to unexplained technical difficulties, I have so far been unable to log on to my work computer this morning to work, as planned, from Chicago. During this technologically-imposed break, I took a few pictures.

"Spin Till You Die"

A record sleeve design I stumbled upon. Take it all in.

Steely Dan at the Paramount

Fall Falls

There is a certain aesthetic that inheres in climates like Seattle's when fall comes. The air gets saturated and the wind blows unpredictably and sometimes violently, like it's running from the impending arrival of something. The leaves drag across the concrete and pile up like hastily discarded belongings. Everything feels suddenly haunted with meaning and sentiment and memories.

I am experiencing a particularly fruitful period in that I think I am producing some of the strongest music I have in a long time. I am working on lyrics for a song right now and trying to capture the spirit of the fall aesthetic, but not making a lot of progress. I really want to do justice to the ambiance that I feel so clearly, but to which I have trouble giving life in words.

Of no consequence: I am re-reading James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.