FC2Video

We had a big snowstorm today on the first day of spring, but it still doesn't make this section of alley other than repulsive. The utility conduits do have a certain Clockwork Orange / Pink Floyd / Alan Parsons "feel" to them, but the grocery bags in the concertina wire... I'm at a loss for words (which people who know me happens maybe once in a decade!) ... all I can come up with is REPULSIVE!

This nice lady stopped to talk with us. She'd seen my MiL Barb taking them to "Doggy Yoga" a few weeks before and was very excited about it, as were they.

While searching for clothes for the needy and for my rugs, I've often come across this fellow, and he gave me permission to to record this conversation with him. Its folks like him who are really doing something about the problem of our overflowing landfills and wanton waste of energy and natural resources. He even takes old broken appliances and removes the recyclable metal from them. He daily does good for the world, and is always good for a fun story too!

I shot the same scene in my last video, but in the evening, and I had two precious papillon trying to pull my arm out of my socket. So I thought I'd shoot the same scene again. As before, no comment on the content- I'm just a chronicler and observer of life here in Chicago. I've enough troubles of my own with my disabled wife and other problems, I don't need to stick my tongue in that light socket. (As I said in the video, I'd rather have an habañero enema than get involved in a political debate right now! First Amendment, gotta love it, Chicago's a fun place to live... that's all I'm sayin'!)

What first caught my eye was the bizarre box like thing on top of the SUV. Then I saw the anti-war banners posted by Loyola students on the corner house. (No comment... I've a very sick wife and enough other things in life, not sticking my tongue in that light socket!) But the most beautiful part of this video is of the Red Line trains crossing the trestle at Rosemont silhouetted by the sunset. Incidentally, I saw just at the end of shooting or just after I hit "stop" that the ugly box on the SUV had wheels, so it was some sort of trolley or dumpster... still the most ugly thing I've seen mounted to the top of a vehicle yet!

Somebody- NOT ME- brewed a pot of tea leaving the tags on the bags. Its probably not harmful, I assume they've tested the dyes used etc. for human (or at least rat) safety, but the taste of cellulose [wood fiber, as in paper] does not well compliment that of camellia sinensis [the botanical name of the tea plant.] So I thought I'd have some fun with it, the entire tone is obviously sardonic and slightly parodic of the great Paul Harvey's vocal style with a more obvious nod to him at the end.

A nice video to watch and just soak in the beauty and peacefulness of a foggy morning down at Lake Michigan. Berger Park is tiny little known gem in Chicago's excellent city park system on the far north side on the northern edge of Edgewater, just south of Loyola U's Lakeshore campus & Rogers Park.

Crossing Sheridan into Berger Park. It was nice to encounter some old friends (both canine and human), they're nice dogs, he's a good guy.

The city is never more enchanting than when its foggy. Walking East along Granville towards Berger Park and Lake Michigan in Chicago's far north side Edgewater neighborhood. Part 1 of 3

Just a stroll through Edgewater with my dogs... capturing some of the daily of life here. The fellow asking for money is harmless enough, at least to others. I do wonder about the significance of $0.35 - what can you buy with that?! Makes me think of the "South Park" episode where the imaginary monster is always asking for $3.50! I'm always horrified at how dingy the strip along Rosemont near the "L" tracks is.

The weather's been so cold, people haven't been too chatty, but this was a nice spring like day, and the papillon worked their magic. I'm especially glad we encountered Jim. He's a good guy, it pains me when I see people avoid him or look askance at him. He's always asking how we're doing, always saying he's praying for us.

The train is heading north, I'm looking south. The first video, leaving the Howard station, is the most visually interesting. This segment... well, it shows why I usually head IN to the city, not north of it! But I still love riding in the last seat of the last car and watching the rails recede.

The train is heading north, I'm looking south. The first video, leaving the Howard station, is the most visually interesting.

I've shot the same thing from ground level, this time head on. I shot this the same day as the Red Line- Rogers Park and Purple Line- Evanston series.

Looking east, late afternoon, winter. I don't usually head out of the city or north of edgewater, but this time I had need to, and it'd been a while since I'd done a "riding the rails" series. The second half of this series is riding the Purple line through Evanston, also northbound.

Looking east, late afternoon, winter. I don't usually head out of or north, but this time I had need to, and it'd been a while since I'd done a "riding the rails" series. The second half of this series is riding the Purple line through Evanston, also northbound.

Another nitty gritty city life video. I assume the same "urban artist" / Dominicks dumpster diver who provided us the flowers and cold cuts in the alley had a hand in this. The video concludes with a stroll over to see how that street preformance art is progressing

This video starts with a dump truck operator, who was getting quite a kick out of my videoing the scene. Then I pan up to show a routine part of Chicago life from, say, November - March: Commuters waiting for the "L" under heat lamps.

I'd just dropped off a load of rug material surplus at the pantry for the needy up here, so for once I didn't have the dogs pulling on me while I was trying to shoot. Think it came out well, if not quite as dramatic as the ones from the alley. That bridge is pretty scary though, especially at night. I'll walk a block or two extra to avoid going through there at night!

Another beautiful Chicago sunrise over Lake Michigan, this time as seen from Rosemont, which is just north of Berger Park in Chicago's far northside Edgewater neighborhood. Berger Park itself and the skyline several miles south are featured.

This was an experiment clipping a video using the free/eval version of virtualedit. It seems to have worked, though I wish I could get it to render in .wmv version- tried that and it conked out. Anyway, its been a while since I've posted a "puppies and people" video, so here you go!

I love showing views of life and events we normally miss or don't see. The contrast of the ultra modern electric train, and the dumpsters and alley which- except that the dumpsters are mostly plastic now- look like something you could have seen 100 years ago is quite striking. (Yes, I know, such trains ran 100 years ago too, but they've changed and modernized, while in alleys you feel lost and cut off from time... society... etc.)

I don't know what this plaster thing was supposed to be, or is, and I'm probably happier that way!

While its debated whether Chicago was given the nickname "The windy city" due to the winds off Lake Michigan or the winds out of the mouths of its politicians... here on the Lake Shore, we do get a lot of strong breezes blowing. The first few seconds of the video are a little poor, but a bit into it you see a dumpster lid being blown open and falling closed by the winds.

Its rare that my wife Tess is up to walking the dogs with me. On this snowy primary election day, she was up to it, and we walked down to Berger park in the morning. There's a lot of puppy play once we get to the park with another dog, don't remember what kind.

Its rare that my wife Tess is up to walking the dogs with me. On this snowy primary election day, she was up to it, and we walked down to Berger park in the morning.

Its rare that my wife Tess is up to walking the dogs with me. On this snowy primary election day, she was up to it, and we walked down to Berger park in the morning. There's a lot of puppy play once we get to the park with another dog, don't remember what kind.

Its rare that my wife Tess is up to walking the dogs with me. On this snowy election day, she was up to it, and we walked down to Berger park in the morning.

After shooting the sunrise over Lake Michigan at Berger Park, I noticed how lovely the ice formations caused by the recent snow melt and rain were. My dogs make cameos, but as much as they love snow they hate ice.

The wind was howling such that I don't even know that my stentorian voice is loud enough to be heard on the video. As I was walking the dogs, I was struck by the ferocious beauty of the view, and decided to roll the camera.

Apparently this didn't make the margarita properly... I've heard of someone smashing cheap dishes to work out frustration, but a BLENDER?!

When I first saw this last night, it was in a shopping basket. I tried to take video of it this morning, but even at two stops over exposed, the alley was too dark for it to be really visible well. I may upload it at a later date if I think the dark dinginess is poignant enough to overcome the lack of visual clarity.

I had my camera in a baggie and set to two stops over exposed, so this accounts for some of the fuzziness and distortion in the video... I think it adds to the grittiness.

See previous video's description

This is pretty much like previous such videos, except that I over exposed by 2 stops, and I put a plastic bag around the camera so that the wet snow wouldn't ruin it.

My wife Tess on an especially bad day describing how she manages for our blog friends, and my testimony of my love for her regardless. Hilde our Papillon keeps guard by sitting on her chest comforting her. I'm sorry Tess voice is so hard to hear. I don't have software capable of editing the audio levels. If anyone does and would like to mix it, it can be downloaded from the videos section of my multiply home page, which is listig-dot-multiply-dot.com

An affectionate but playful video tribute to a beautiful person and a beautiful city- Chicago. This is by permission of Snark himself... I don't generally post videos identifying specific people or where they domicile. This is Chicago's far north-side Edgewater neighborhood and the hidden gem Berger Park at sunrise. Notice especially the frozen lake, and the umbrella I found for my rugs!

This was an experiment. I wanted to record this beautiful snow, but I didn't want it to ruin the camera (I've come close before) so I put a zip loc bag over it.

This video got cut short by a thunderstorm (camera isn't waterproof) but I especially love the little stream of runoff through the ice between the sidewalk and the street.

Its amazing how beautiful snow is when it falls, and how ugly it is when it melts. But I have always been fascinated by the little micro-water systems of a snow melt... its like watching a model of the glaciers receding.

The end of the road to Truman College

The title says it all

See title

The previous video was the original one, but Youtube and other sites only take 100 meg uploads, so we quickly shot this version

Toothbrush rugs are the most beautiful and durable way to recycle and reuse old clothes, linens, plastic bags, and other items which would otherwise fill our landfills or sit useless around in our homes. In these videos my wife and I talk about the garments and process behind my "magnum opus" anniversary rug. Go to my blog for more information

Toothbrush rugs are the most beautiful and durable way to recycle and reuse old clothes, linens, plastic bags, and other items which would otherwise fill our landfills or sit useless around in our homes. In these videos my wife and I talk about the garments and process behind my "magnum opus" anniversary rug.

Title speaks for itself

This alley isn't as picturesque, but the bit of dialog before I got to it is interesting, and I'm glad I got the "L" going by. The puppies as always love the snow, we got half a foot of "lake effect flurries"

I know I've heard that aphorism somewhere, but for the life of me, I can't find the citation. Regardless, I was struck with gritty intensity and even "beauty" (of a sort) of this alley the first time I walked it. One feels like Pink Floyd or the Rolling Stones ought to be playing on a rooftop. I love this alley. This may become a series, but so far none of the other alleys I've walked have been so intense and stunning.

These came from Rosella's of South Dakota- I met her because she took an interest in my rug videos, told me of her site, and I was captivated... I wanted to order everything. But I settled on the necklace for my wife, and the scrabble earrings for both of us. Rosella's is at rosella's dot madeinsouthdakota punkt com They're just perfect for us... we've vacationed in the Black Hills where these come from, we flirted by correcting each others' grammar, took scrabble on our honeymoon, and still consider word games to be our favorite sensual "warm up" activity.