TuttleTree.com

It's typically difficult to find something bad to say about someone in the process of adopting an impoverished child. But somehow I find it pretty easy to find Madonna's choice in adoptee's distasteful.

Call me ignorant – because kind of I am on this matter – but she's adopting an African child who has a father(?)! This boy has someone to at least try to provide for him. Could she not find a true orphan? There weren't any kids available without parents?

If her intention was to just improve his quality of life, couldn't she just have done what Oprah does – donate millions to the creation and funding of schools and for food and medical supplies? Would it not be better to moderately improve the lives of an entire town full of children than to bring one home with her and give him his own nanny and limo and… ugh.

But then she wouldn't have her little accessory. I think the adopted African child is going to be next year's toy-dog (see: Paris Hilton). And the best part? It goes with any outfit and is appropriate for any season!

October 26th. Not just any day.

Today in 2005, the Chicago White Sox defeated the Houston Astros in the World Series to win their first championship since 1917. Today in 2001 the controversial USA Patriot Act was signed into law. Today in 2000 the Playstation 2 was released in America. Today in 1958 Pan American Airways made the first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 from New York to Paris.

And today-today, I realized that I lost my train pass. I probably left it wedged in the window (where I leave it during my ride so the ticket collector can see it and doesn't need to ask me for it) and forgot to grab it when I got off the train last night. It wouldn't be the first time! I've actually done that twice before, but thankfully there were other passengers who were kind enough to point that out to me before I left my seat.

I suppose I should be thankfull that there are only 4 more days – counting today – that it was good for. I think the ticket collector from the morning train recognizes me; I get on at the first stop and always sit in the same seat in the same car. She's seen my pass 25 other times this month, so I'm guessing she either recognized me and knows I have one and didn't bother to look for it, or she overlooked me while I had my head purposefully burried in the newspaper all three times she came by to check tickets.

Under the assumption that this ticket collector (a.k.a. my new personal saint) will continue to exempt me from the morning pass inspection, my plan is to try to ride for free for the rest of the month. If I take my chances on the train home tonight, and I'm going to, and the ticket collector for my car during my afternoon commute doesn't recognize me – or recognizes me but doesn't have sympathy for me – then I'll have to pay $2 extra for my ticket home as a convenience surcharge or some nonsense because I had the opportunity to buy my ticket at the station. If he lets me slide I may just come off the train with the biggest grin ever. But if he doesn't, I'll end up paying out of pocket for a few tickets before the end of the month.

Best case, and my personal favorite: Ticket collectors recognize me and I travel for free.
Most likely case: Free mornings, paid afternoons – first one costing $2 extra (because I'll buy tickets at the station if I know he's going to ask for it) – for a total of $24.
Worst case: No more free mornings, no free afternoons. $40.50.

No matter how you slice it (ok, there's the free option, but allow me to use the turn of phrase anyway, mmk?) that's a lot of beer money I left on the train last night.

With the exception of a cameraless (doh!) walk in Hibernia Park on Sunday it's been a pretty boring week, picture wise. Trust me when I say you don't want to see a picture of just where I ended up finding a tick on Monday morning.



The windows are too dirty to get a decent picture of Logan Square from here, but this is one I took earlier this week.