General

I had breakfast this morning with my friend Paolo from Milan Italy. Paolo teaches screen writing and the business of television in Milan and we had a wonderful conversation about the state of television both here in America and over in Europe.

What was perhaps even more interesting, however, was to discuss the state of politics in Europe. One of my biggest concerns in this country is how divided we’ve become. It scares me that my republican friends hate the democrats so much and my democratic friends hate the republicans so much.

There’s a chill in the air and almost all the leaves have dropped off of the tree outside the door to my apartment building. Winter is arriving.

And with the change in season, it’s time for a change in cocktail. Last winter was all about bourbon, but while bourbon should retain a place in your holiday season’s imbibing (mix a couple fingers of Maker’s Mark in with your ‘nog as you sit by the tree this Christmas Eve), it is the martini that will get you through the office holiday party this year.

I really like Allen-Edmonds dress shoes. They are amazingly comfortable, cut in a sort-of timeless style and they are built to last. They are traditional leather dress shoes with leather soles and yet I frequently walk home from work in them (about 4 1/2 miles) and they’re totally comfortable. So, ok, they’re incredibly expensive. But unlike some shoes, they really will last a long, long time and do I’d argue that over the long run they’re not much more expensive (maybe even cheaper) than buying several pairs of cheaper dress shoes.

Maybe it was the walking 4 miles a day on concrete in them, but after a couple years I finally wore through the soles. I was crushed, but I had heard that you could have them “recrafted” by Allen-Edmonds, so I dropped them off at the store to try out this service.

I went to Starbucks for coffee yesterday and I went to Caribou for coffee this morning. Both have their holiday cups out in force, which is just wrong. It’s not even Thanksgiving yet and I am not ok with this premature holiday celebration. Don’t get me wrong. I love the Christmas season. I love everything about it. But I’m not ready for it yet. Can’t we enjoy Thanksgiving first?

In any case, I have to say I hate the Starbucks holiday cups. Way, way too red. So Caribou, with cups in several pleasantly muted colors, wins on cups. Also in Caribou’s favor: at least in Chicago, they have pastries from Deerfield’s bakery which are very, very yummy.

Every strong, quality relationship, from time to time, is beset with arguments. So it was last night with one of my closest relationships.

I had a fight with my TiVo.

I know, I know. Everyone who knows me knows that I usually have nothing but praise for my TiVo. We’re such a great couple. How could we be fighting? After all, TiVo changed my life. I no longer watch commercials and now look at the rest of the world and wonder how they can bear to watch television without TiVo.

Some people were thrilled with the results of last week’s election and others were horrified. I can sympathize with both points of view and have friends of both political persuasions. So I was fascinated by the election. I think it is amazing and more than a little scary that our country is so polarized right now. I mean, my Republican friends hated Kerry and the Democrats. My Democratic friends had a similar hatred, an almost visceral dislike, of George Bush and the Republicans.

Anyway, This American Life, one of my favorite shows in NPR, did this fascinating story on the Republican Party. They go beyond the basics and really dive into why more and more people in the country have been voting Republican, even when in some cases it seems to be at odds with the interests and beliefs of these very people. It’s really quite fascinating from an almost psychological perspective.

So I guess we still don’t have a president.

I was watching the election result last night and it occurred to me that they are unique in that they are simultaneously thrilling and quite boring at the same time.

Anyway, I’m ready for this all to be over.

Popularity: 17%

Pepsi Holiday Spice hits stores today, but we found some in Pilsen over the weekend. We had no idea what it was when we found it, but described as “spiced cola,” it was just weird enough that we had to buy it.

It’s reddish, first of all, which makes it a little odd. And it doesn’t really have a strong cola taste, or a spiced taste for that matter either. Still, I liked it and it reminded me of something and I couldn’t figure out what. It bothered me for a moment and then I realized:

It tastes a little like Cheerwine, the southern pop (I know, southerners would never say pop, but I live in Chicago now) I fell in love with while living in Virginia.

I had breakfast this morning with my friend Jayne. As always the conversation was good and we had a nice time catching up over coffee and eggs.

It was raining and after breakfast we decided to walk for a bit. We decided to walk despite the rain and even though I had an umbrella in my backpack, I didn’t use it. It wasn’t too cold and there was something just nice about walking in the rain.

I love the rain. Isn’t it great to just sit inside and listen to a thunderstorm? And it’s so nice to just walk and let the rain wash over you. I felt like we were five years old again.

Popularity: 20%

Britney has written to her fans. You simply must read her epistle. I won’t spoil it by giving away too much, but know that you can look forward to these gems:

The phrase “the reason being is so”

Her mom is “running behind my sister like crazy” (what the hell does that even mean???)

She’s going to “just chill & let all of the other overexposed blondes on the cover of Us Weekly be your entertainment… GOOD LUCK GIRLS!!”

…and so much more. Honestly, I nearly spit my coffee out from laughing while I was reading it.

Screw it, here it is in full-

Dear Fans,