chicagodads

Truth be known, I have no particular desire to post anything of any true value today. I have just got done writing some rather intense posts yesterday and the day before (especially the day before) and now I’m down to the wire in writing this one. I will say this: I’ve talked previously about the absurd key party that is the relationship between developers and aldermen in this city and now I’ve only just found out that the Chicago Tribune has been doing a year-long multi-part series on these zoning changes and the effects they have both on the ground and in City Hall. I haven’t gotten around to tackling it, but I would like to see how far a newspaper now owned by the cloutiest of real-estate barons (although one I’ve never heard tied into these types of shady deals) would handle such an investigation - especially one that covers ten full years. You can catch the latest one here (via facebook).

I’ll tackle more city politics tomorrow, I suppose. I still owe a closing to the Arne Duncan deal, though I suppose my ham-fisted manifesto the other day spilled some more beans than I meant to leave the stove. What I’m more interested in today is doing some dialogue. I’d like to list some of my most memorable moments from the last year, in no particular order. And maybe hear some of yours afterwords (because mine probably are the dullest…):

Finally seeing The Three Colors Trilogy: Blue in December. One of the most wonderful, beautiful movies I have ever seen in my entire life. Leaps and bounds beyond anything from The Decalogue.

Watching this fast evolution of my daughter’s motion. Seriously, really, learned how to run before she learned how to crawl.

Seeing Joss respond to and manipulate words and melody, time and again. Especially becoming more apparent now.

Seeing her develop a love for books, sounds, words, and colors. She has always loved the tactile books, but now

The sights and sounds (and to a lesser degree, the tastes) of Medellin, Colombia. The weather was always gorgeous. My only regret (well, besides the next item) was in not being able to take our daughter.

Getting my camera pickpocketed in Medellin. I’m from Chicago. I’ve been to the Taste innumerable times and how many times in overcrowded streets, busses and trains. I don’t remember once before getting pickpocketed successfully. Gotta hand it to ‘em…

The light and fire in my wife’s eyes as we left Bogota, Colombia. My wife is a woman of passion for helping other people. It is why I’m crazy about her. And to see her again instilled with passion about something that gives flesh to meaning in her life gives me hope and instills me with passion.

Voting in my first primary for Barack Obama and taking Joss along for this momentous occassion.

Witnessing the moment when Barack  Obama was declared the winner of the US Presidential Elections. I’m all for the elites running government. But this time, the elite wasn’t a white male and he wasn’t born into his status. It made me hope for the children I taught and my children and grandchildren. And the US in general.