F-word

I got an email the other day saying that sometimes the titles of my entries don't seem relevant to the content of my posts. I am tempted to say that, like the content of the entries themselves, they are largely irrelevant. I operate heavily on free association, so it can be confusing to follow how I get from A to B because I may frequently be going straight to C. It makes sense in my mind. Sometimes. For instance, last entry I titled "You Came in With the Breeze," and then proceeded to talk about Sunday morning. Those are, in fact, the lyrics, to a No Doubt song. Sometimes when I will look back at something I've written though, I do wonder where in the heckamadoodle it came from. So "F-word" is relevant in the sense that it's what I was listening to when I started writing this entry.

When you live a place, I think there can be a tendency to neglect a lot of the interesting places, judging them to be the touristy things to do. I hesitate to speak for all. I'm also pretty sure I've mentioned it before in this very blog. So it is that it's good when folks come to town to send you towards them. This past Saturday, that place was the Lincoln Park Zoo. Now, granted the weather hadn't been exactly tip-top, but nor was it this day and it did not matter. First stop, though, was the Lincoln Park Conservatory. Nature is a good thing, and the swampy atmosphere of the entryroom made this patron long for a little stint of jungle living. It works especially well when you move onto the flower room where the air is much cooler and less humid and imbued with the tasty scent of, well, flowers.

Having started strong, things really came together at the zoo. First of all, both of these venues are free of charge. Next you've got yourself lions, tigers, and...no bears that I saw. To see a seven year-old (estimate) girl and her five year-old (also estimate) brother giggle at seeing the male lion's testicles is the kind of thing that can make you feel good about life. For me, it really came together in the primate wing. I seem to like that phrase "came together." I was more sure than ever of my brotherhod with the monkey masses, where the first group of little fellows were huddled together and had mohawk hairstyles, just as I do at the moment. They're cooler than me. Not all of evolution is a step forward. Some acrobatic apes and the imposing silverback gorilla add that much more. Often I am quite anal about getting in a run first thing to start my booze-recovered weekend mornings, but to step away from that structure and embrace the simplest and most satisfying of things was the right move.

In the vein of the amazing acrobatic motion of the apes whose name escapes me, I found myself watching a bunch of breakdancing videos for not-the-first time the other night. Some of these talented individuals have been brought into the mainstream as in this Ikea commercial. Likewise, this digital alteration of Fred Astaire with David Elsewhere's legs is quite enjoyable.

Also enjoyable is the Starz series about actor-waiters in the catering business entitled "Party Down." It should induce laughter.

That appears to have gotten long in a hurry. Such is my nature. I apologize. I'll end it, then, on a somber note, about the man who once photographed many of my high school cross country meets. You are entitled to think all of life is kittens, but don't forget that they may scratch.