Quiet, please. At least some of the time.

Readers of this blog know that for a time - a time I thought would last, if not forever, then for a very long time, I lived in New Mexico. It's quiet there. It's one of the things I liked about the place.

Chicago is not quiet. At least not very often. I knew that, of course. I've lived here before, but I don't remember it bothering me as much. Or maybe my memory fails me.

It's not all of the noise that gets to me. I don't mind the sound of the El or the traffic - in fact the traffic is oddly soothing, an urban version of a river, or ocean. Sirens don't bother me, and car alarms seem to have improved greatly, I rarely hear them.

What I don't like are noises from the apartment above me or the apartment below me or people in the alley talking loudly in the middle of the night. D says it's because I don't like noises I can't control. I don't think it's that. What it comes down to is there are certain places where I want to be able to escape the racket and home is one of those places.

Maybe the solution is as simple as finding a new apartment. One where there's no one above me and only very quiet senior citizens below me.

Turning off the Spam

Spam. It's evil and pernicious and it has found my blog. Recently I have been getting comments and when I go to see what the welcome reader has posted it all starts innocently enough: "Hi! I came across your blog and I agree with you" or some such nonsense and then it goes on to give me a link where I can buy a Hoover vacuum cleaner, a steel slide to better play my guitar, or slightly-used women's underwear.

Therefore, and immediately, I have commenced using word verification (you know where a window pops up telling you to type the slightly garbled letters that appear) and now the spam should spot. But if a real visitor is inclined to leave a comment, they can - after they verify.

First no-smoking in bars (for which I was given a button today - while I was smoking, and happened to stumble upon a rally in Federal Plaza) and now spam on my blog. When will the madness end?

Up in arms, Up in smoke

Let me say up front - I'm a smoker. Not a big smoker - less than half a pack a day, most days. Let me also say that I've quit a few times and when I was a non-smoker I didn't recognize myself as well. But we'll leave that for another time.

No-smoking in restaurants is a good thing. No-smoking at the office, on trains, on planes, even in your seat at Wrigley Field is, I guess, a good thing. But in bars?

As soon as April 1st, Chicago may very well ban smoking in any enclosed public building and this includes bars. This is not a good thing. Even if I were non-smoker this is not a good thing.

I understand the argument that people who work in bars are dying from second hand smoke. But these people are choosing to work in bars - I'm sorry, but I don't believe they are not able to find other means of employment.

Why couldn't it be as simple as having smoking bars and non-smoking bars. Then those who want to work in bars and those who want to smoke in bars will have a choice.

What the hell is this country about except having a choice? Geez, I might as well have stayed in California.