doodledee

I'm blowing thru Hartford again this week. It's about like I expected. I spend my days feasting on Dunkin and working in a windowless cell and my nights testing the elasticity of my per diem. (Update: surprisingly inelastic.)

So far the highlight has been my cab driver on the way in, who almost got in a fist fight with another cab driver at the airport right before I got in his cab. Um, I'll wait, thanks? Then he spent the first 15 minutes of our ride GOING OFF about the other guy and how he was such a "wise guy". Meanwhile, I spent the first 15 minutes of the ride praying silently that I would make it to my windowless cell in one piece. Seriously, I was a little freaked out. I was trying to go all peacemaker on him, talking about the weather and doing all my "dumb Minnesotan" bits. There'd be a lull and I'd be all "So, you call it a grinder, eh?" and he would be all "THAT GUY IS A WISEGUY!!" and I'd quickly resume my praying. At least we took the carpool lane so it was a quick ride.

Tonight the team rocked out this Vaughan's Irish Pub joint. It's the best place we've been to so far for dinner. Good atmosphere, good food, absurdly great homemade irish cream. And yeah, that's maybe kind of a sissy drink (right?) but whatever, next time I'm thinking maybe I'll just skip dinner and get 6 of them instead. That good. We clumsily begged the waitress for their secret recipe and she humored us by asking but - duh - it was a nogo. I looked around online a bit and it's actually not that crazy hard of a recipe. I'm sure my sister has made it 50 times and serves it up in matching mugs with a dollop of whipped cream and a handwritten Yeats poem for each person. This weekend, maybe? Love to, thanks.

Can we talk about this NPR Wilco show streaming live to my hotel room right now? Because it's ridiculous. Reaching back to 'AM'. To 'Being There' (!!). The new stuff. It's all so comfortable now. Top of their game? Some say yes. I d/l'd a couple of the recent Chicago run shows and haven't listened yet but they clearly must have been inspiring. DesMoines on the 9th? Tickets are still available?! Temp. Ting.