Canto VI

So how about our most recent adventure in Chicago? We visited an old friend of mine, Nels, and his wife Val and got to check out the city. Walked around downtown and saw Millenium Park with the cool Bean. If you've never been, it's a highly reflective bean-shaped object. It's really cool. Although I really enjoyed looking at the sidewalk grid projected onto the Bean. It's not an isomorphism (there were points that seemed jumpy, but that may have been the lighting), it's still very smooth and beautiful. Also did two architecture tours of some of the famous buildings and Frank Lloyd Wright homes there. No, we did not go to the top of the Sears Tower or the Hancock Tower. But we did see them. Steph did not remember her Married... With Children, which features Buckingham Fountain in the opening credits. It was like my Graceland.

Our hosts were gracious enough to show us an all-you-can-eat sushi place (really just Maki, the rolls). With 5 people there, we were able to polish off 20 rolls. Keep in mind that one person gave up after only 2 1/2 rolls and Val quit after 3 rolls or so. Even Steph gave up after 4. It was up to Nels and me to make it to 20 rolls, and we did. I'm not sure I really remember any taste difference between the later rolls, but it was all good.

I don't know if I'm the only one who, after using chop sticks for an hour, wants to give up and just dive in with my hands. It seems that chop sticks only take away from your fingers, down from 5 to 2. At least with a spoon you can scoop better than with your hands, a knife cuts things your nails might not be able to, and the fork is able to spear things and bring them to your mouth. Really, at some point in the future our descendants will decide that KFC was onto something with the spork and just go with that, with one side sharpened to cut things. What can you do with chop sticks? You can't cut or scoop with them, and it's bad etiquette to stab things with them. It seems that they only take away from the food-to-mouth delivery system.

We also went to the Green Mill bar, where Slam Poetry was invented. From what I had heard about it, it was roughly what I expected but that meant it was a lot of fun. Someone got snapped off stage, The Wierd Sisters were hilarious and $10 was won (not by me). Frankly Nels, you made Chicago too much fun and now I want to go back and stay with you guys again.