Writing Boots

You try to guard against swearing gratuitously, you don't let her catch you saying you "hate" a person, you try to make her feel she's growing up in an orderly society, and then ….

Driving 6.5-year-old Scout home from day camp yesterday, I'm talking to Cristie on the cell phone, which is illegal in Chicago.

A police car pulls up beside us.

"Oh, there's a pig, I gotta go," I say, snapping the phone shut.

"Where's a pig, dad?"

POSTSCRIPT:

On the way to camp today, Scout complains that at yesterday’s camp, the kids had most of the morning to kill before a trip to a water park.

“What did you do to pass the time?” I ask.

“I dunno,” she says. “Played leapfrog.”

Recently here we had a conversation about what does and doesn't constitute a working-class hero. Steven Slater, you are no John Andrews, a Chicago Police lieutenant who posted and signed a 3,000-word screed devoted to "Understanding the Organizational Paralysis of the CPD and the Mission to Recovery."

The piece is thoughtfully written, full of evidence and at once even-handed and devastating.

And courageous goes without saying. Andrews is quoted by Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg on the career consequences of his move.

"Myself, yes, I had aspirations of rising higher than the rank of lieutenant. I don't think it'll happen now that I've done what I've done. But not everybody has to be a chief. Maybe there are too many chiefs already. Maybe we need some stronger Indians."

I like Facebook because every scan of the newsfeed is a poem, compiled by people I know; here are various posts from from various Facebook friends on the first page of my newsfeed four minutes ago.

Mercury is retrograde through Sept. 13.

[My] mom just got shit on by a seagull. … she's just amazed it took this many beach trips to happen

Sucks being a grown up…

just found out that what sounded like an A/C compressor about to give out was actually just a belt tensioner.

Primary turnout shows big GOP enthusiasm edge

Flipping through Good Housekeeping at the health center (it was the best of my options). The Sept. 2010 issue celebrates the 50th anniversary of Betty Friedan's article, "Women are People, too!"

got to meet the great James Surls today–one of my artist heroes and a great guy…

My daughter's bus driver looks like Santa Claus.