Working all day, everyday for four straight days (and then half of the next day) wears one out as well as keeps one from updating one’s website. One is back, though, and has Tuesday off to attend the Illinois State Fair, home of the butter cow and Rod Blagojevich. Which of these two has the higher functioning brain I do not know, but I suspect it’s the one that has to be kept at a lower temperature.
• My first cousin once removed (my cousin’s kid) Tyler turned one this weekend, and the Rolling Stones performed at his party. Pictures on Flickr.
The Young Victoria download
• Spartatown is BUZZING with the American Trapshooting Association’s Grand Nationals, meaning about 15,000 extra people are running around our town of 4500. You can do math. This means heavier traffic, higher prices as Wal-Mart gouges the out-of-towners (and, of course, its regular customers,) and articles in the Belleville News-Democrat describing traffic problems Night of the Living Dead ipod on state highways that do not run anywhere close to the complex. Good job, guys.
• The Girl and I are most likely heading to Chicago Labor Day weekend, which means a day trip to downtown on Saturday would place us at Marshall Field’s on its last Saturday of existence. On Saturday the ninth, Federated
Testament
flips the switch and all the regional chains it gobbled up officially change to Macy’s. This isn’t a stupid ideas in some places, like here in Mound City where Famous Barr fades away after a century of service and no one really cares (you can already see the Macy’s signs shining through the thin cover that still bears the old name) Even the mall stores that Field’s ran could be converted, but the idea of stripping down the dark green and throwing up ugly Macy’s red at the flagship State Street store will cost Macy’s an amazing amount of business. This is a landmark, part of the history of Chicago, and here comes a New York institution to piss all over it. Dumb move, guys.