The next stop will be…

One of the treats from my recent trip to Chicago was a visit to the Leaning Tower of… Wait for it… Niles, Illinois! It’s true. There’s a half-scale replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in a small city just outside Chicago. But the story gets better.

Behold The Leaning Tower of Niles in its smaller but just as slanty glory.

Oh the half-scale majesty!

Even the Telefono booth gets in on the slanty fun. But the best part is yet to come.

Yup, it’s the Leaning Tower YMCA. It was built well after the tower replica but come on, how can you not love the fact that there’s a Leaning Tower YMCA?

Fortunately for its residents, it’s not slanty.

So I was all primed to write a post this morning, riding my occasional high of exercise and caffeine but then a terrible thing happened. I got busy at work. Huh?!?! It’s true!

My busy’ness then proceeded to consume all of my morning and most of the afternoon. The result? Now I’m out of steam, dead sleepy actually and I still gotta bike home. Oh well, perhaps I can get the proverbial creative juices flowing tomorrow and come up with some creative content for your pleasure. On the plus side, I did solve a software problem that’s been dogging me since Monday.

Sugar must be placed in the mug prior to pouring. Milk or cream, however, goes in after pouring.

I’m sure I have other rules for coffee but that’s all I can think of right now.

Ps. It’s amazing how exercise can stimulate your mind. Or maybe it’s just the caffeine. Either way, it’s all good.

The blog has been a little neglected for the past week or so. The big news is that *E* closed on her house and bought a car. CRAZY!! We’re both a little overwhelmed by the enormity of it all but we’re working through things a step at a time. I see lots of power tools in our future. Cool.

I’m in the beginning stages of searching for a new apartment, hopefully in the Bronx so it’ll be easier for *E* and I to get back and forth to each house. There’s lots of green space up there plus bike paths that I look forward to exploring. And, according to sources who lived there, everything is cheaper in the Bronx. I like the sound of that!

Another set of photos from my trip to Chicago. This sculpture, titled “Agora”, in Chicago’s Grant Park is by Magdalena Abakanowicz and consists of 106 iron cast headless figures.

It’s a bit spooky being amongst the forms. I can’t imagine what it must be like after dark.

My American Lock long shackle padlock. I was playing around with my Gorillapod tripod and liked how this photo came out. The stainless steel looks really nice against the wood grain.

Combine this lock with a Kryptonite bike chain and you can almost keep your bike from getting stolen in NYC.

The Roof Garden at The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a special exhibition every year and this year it’s Jeff Koons. You can read more about it here.

I can’t decide if I like Sacred Heart (Red/Gold) better or Balloon Dog. Regardless, they’re both a sight to see.