exhibit hall, wolves game

 another active day in Chicagoland for me. i liked starting off with the continental breakfast at the hotel, especially the 'make your own waffle'. then i drove around a little in the nearby northwest suburbs, to familiar areas. i went to the heavenly massage in mt. prospect, near the mall. after that it was on to Des Plaines, the town i once lived in. a few things had changed, no surprise there. i spent some time around the Metra station in the middle of town and got a pic of the sign at the former movie theater, now an event venue. there was an ad on their electronic sign inviting people to watch the bears-packers playoff game there. and in a window, i saw a poster about a drink called 'Marlot' that said 'do not enjoy responsibly'. i also got a pic of the small Lincoln statue inside the library after i went in to use the bathroom. i noticed the place called 'gift depot' is gone, replaced by a larger building that looks like housing. it was lunchtime by then, and i went to the first 'Ray Kroc McDonald's, or actually, the one across the street from the site of it. it is in a newer building, with no indoor seating. not a big deal, i went inside to place my order and then ate in my rental car in the parking lot. the house i once rented a room in now has a sign in the window saying, 'notary public'. i think i did research before that my ex-landlord no longer lives there. some nearby houses still had Christmas decorations up, some of them inflatable. i got a pic of one that had some snoopy decorations, another had the grinch. then it was on to Rosemont to take the train into the city. i looked around at the exhibit hall and bought one book from the u. of Missouri press. it was about baseball, i know, shocking. it is about the sport and 'the liberal-republican tradition in America'. i also got a pic of a couple dressed up in American revolution-era outfits. the dude wanted to share with me the letters from famous people about his cross-country walk in that outfit. i got some order forms from other places, since not all were selling their books at the convention. when i was leaving the convention i heard the smashing pumpkins song '1979' and saw many on the streets in bears gear as soldier field was nearby and it was game night. i needed to get on the train back to Rosemont to attend the Wolves hockey game. the wolves lost to the Texas stars, 3-1, final goal was on an empty net. when i was looking for beer to drink back at the hotel while writing, after the game, i was checking the score at two stops. when the wolves game ended, my phone said the bears were trailing early in the 4th. first stop, still trailing but narrowed the gap. then i ended up at a bar, but found out no karaoke, i found out THEY WON. must have been a wild 4th quarter.