Well, all my fears about being hacked to pieces by either my ride from a stranger or the Chicago hostess who I did not know never materialized; I am back and still one with the living. And for finding a ride off of Craigslist I actually couldn't have done much better. Amy was a little bit of a slow driver, but she got us to Chicago (2 hours late which was a non-issue for me) and back to the 612 in time for last call at Grumpy's NE -- and that was even with the beer & cheese pit-stop in Wisconsin which I think is required to be able to re-enter Minnesota.

I got a little bit of the scenic/tourist Chicago when a friend of the Ranger with whom I was staying drove me down Lakeshore Drive (they call it "LSD") at night and then back through the city on the way back toward Evanston. I always knew Chicago was a major city, but was pleasantly surprised to see how legitimate it really is; outside of New York, Chicago really is the only other major city in this country.

The plan for Saturday afternoon was my 1st visit to Wrigley Field and I can't say the place disappointed. An amazingly charming small field right smack in the middle of a bustling neighborhood, you don't come close to getting it until you get to experience it. The over-loaded stands atop all the buildings across the street really are a sight to behold. Chicagoans really love their Cubbies even if there is no actual reason to do so other than they're all they got. On the Southside, the White Sox (despite being a far better ballclub) are an after-thought and something to be mocked.

Sitting in the last row of the upper deck still afforded me a great view of the field. The Wrigley staff and fans are actually more than just mid-west nice. My only real complaint about Wrigley is the beer selection: I searched the entire lower deck for a "real" beer and didn't see a single one on offer. I ate my 1st Chicago "dawg" with everything as I looked, but finally had to settle for a PBR near my upper deck seat. The choices from the beer-men were Bud/Bud light and Old Style; I clearly went with the latter but wasn't really "happy" about it; a second, longer search did net me a Guinnesss.

On the field the Cubbies did their thing. What should have been a pitching match-up that strongly favored the home town team (their best starter Carlos Zambrano vs. quite possibly the worst starter in MLB- Javier Vazquez) didn't quite go the Cubs way. Zambrano gave up 3 in the 1st en route to a 13-3 drubbing, but the fans mostly stayed... mostly.

I got myself pretty freakin' lost downtown after a little pub crawl around Wrigleyville following the last out which with the heat & humidity took its toll on me; I wound up not having any famous deep-dish so I guess I'll have to go back some time...

As for the real purpose of the trip - my Black Rock City Ranger (re)training - was yesterday afternoon. As a 3rd year returning Ranger all that was necessary of me was to show up for the shorter, 2nd half of the training, but since I was there I made myself available to support the trainer. Odd to me, I wound up being one of the most senior Rangers there and assisted the trainer all day long. I sure hope this news doesn't make it back to the powers-that-be who know me; could lead to expectations and/or "promotion" and I'm not really ready or willing to give up the nice and mellow anonymity of being "nothing" more than a dirt Ranger, which is where I feel I still belong.

Long trip home but pleasant company and a pit-stop for good, unavailable in MN beer from WI, as well as some bacon/cheddar cheese and making last call at Grumpy's NE on arrival back in the Twin Cities made for a pretty complete weekend even if it wasn't the one I was "expecting" which is really good practice for That Thing in The Desert.

Okay, time to beat the heat & humidity with a trek down to the ManKave for the Twins game on the telly.

Cheers, Brian