There's no smoking in the fireworks tent.

I think I've figured it out. Sure, we've all been alerted that there will be travel delays on the brown line (and red line, purple line and any other line that roughly intersects and can be forced to travel on the same track) and we've been urged to be patient, "leave early, leave late, alternate," all that helpful advice. We've been given numerous phone numbers to dial if we'd like to vent to a recorded message and, in some cases, a bored "operator." But now they've given me the best and clearest picture of the situation with which we must deal; a cartoon depiction of the station personnel's workday. Great, fantastic, the blurry text explains that workers are standing by to deal with issues that may occur. Terrific! Why are two of them holding hands? Is the third one their screen? I'm all for star-crossed (track-crossed?) love affairs, but please fellas, on your own time. I'm telling Ron Huberman.

(A slightly embarrassing footnote- I was en route to the Sedgewick station and on the phone with my mother when I heard a train pull up. I frantically told my Mom that I'd call her back, hung up, pressed the camera function and tried to snap a nonchalant picture before the train opened its doors. I failed. So yes, I was that person who held the doors of the train open to lean out and snap a second blurry picture. I apologize, rush hour rides. So, I guess the delays are due to amorous employees and vigilant bloggers. So Mom, sorry if you thought I was in immediate danger of getting hit by a train. I wasn't.)

This weekend we went to Cincy to see the in-laws (I can write that now, you see) and had many fun adventures. To start things off, after we hopped off the Skyway (a bit out of the city) we discovered that I-65 was closed for oh, about five exits. So, hah ha, they detoured us! For forty minutes! On back roads and alternate highways that led back to Chicago! Gasguzzleriffic. The trip was redeemed in Lowell, Indiana, however. As we were filling the tank (thank you, Failure to be a Good I-65), a girl handed us a coupon for "Five dollars worth of free fireworks" in the tent behind the station. (Anywhere else in the country I feel like it'd be phrased "Five dollars off," but whatever.) So we bought some! Things that pop, sparkle, sizzle and shoot up, and even one with a panda! Aside from the fact that they're sorta completely illegal in the state of Illinois, it's very exciting. More on that as it develops.

And upon our return at 10pm on Sunday night (yes, we had a fun time in Cincinnati, but that's for another post) we discovered that the carnival that parks itself in the Lane Tech parking lot, the one that we always, always miss was in town. A carnival, mere steps from our apartment! We were not going to miss it again! So, with a rented PT Cruiser stuffed to the gills (hubcaps?) with registry gifts procured from the inlaws' storage, we locked the car and ran over to the Fair to see if we could still buy tickets. We could not. However, our puppy dog eyes and deep sighs of dismay did not go unnoticed by a burly security guard. "Take 'em up," he said to the half-asleep operator of the WindJammer. Yes! We were allowed a (free) ride on a contraption that straps you on your belly and lets you soar at a sideways 45 degree angle at vomitous speeds! It. Was. Awesome.

More adventures later... for now, I'm off to pick more strawberries and perhaps float them in the kiddie pool with my two year old boss.