Chicago: customers are advised to allow extra travel time

It's been nice unlurking. Have a good night, Chicago thread.

Woah, big branches all over the ground on Belmont near the Beat Kitchen and on the side streets. Someone on the street said that a tornado hit Lincoln Square -- looks like something heavy hit here too. I was on the brown line for over an hour because some heavy branches were on the tracks at Paulina.

Yeah, Kr just called and said the Metra is not running in Evanston because of debris on the tracks.

Oh, wait, I'm sorry, someone said a tornado hit *Logan* Square, not Lincoln. Whatever happened here was either high crazy winds or some kind of funnel action -- like I say, *big* branches everywhere.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-web_rainy-weatheraug24,0,1058127.story?coll=chi-homepage-utl

Police in Bolingbrook reported a tornado may have touched down shortly before 4 p.m. in the Green Valley Forest Preserve, said spokesman Ken Teppel.

Whoa, he was the security guard at my high school. He was young and buff and had strong Anglo-Saxon features. We called him "the Mountie."

In Chicago, a line of trees was uprooted on Logan Square Boulevard.

...

The back wall of a four-story building in the 2700 block of North Ashland Avenue collapsed at about 3:50 p.m. due to weather conditions, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. No injuries were reported. The building was under construction.

Round two just came through here, worse than the earlier one. Tornado sirens for about ten straight minutes.

we just drove back from evanston (i had an interview in lincolnwood and picked toby up from work) and it was INSANE. black skies and rain and tornado sirens at first, then when we got back into the city whole trees across the road. not just branches, whole trees! going down sheffield from where it starts at sheridan was pretty insane, and cornelia is closed off because there's a whole tree blocking the road. when we turned into roscoe, toby said 'whew, no trees down here!' so of course, our alley was blocked off with a tree. we went around and got the only dry spot. the end.

OK, now the clouds above my place are swirling in different directions -- that's a little scary.

In Chicago, a line of trees was uprooted on Logan Square Boulevard.

Umm...fuck. That's, like, two blocks from where I'm sitting right now.

I'm kind of over this weather now. Let's get sanity back online now, nature. Okay? Thanks.

Yeah, I'm ready for this to be over too. I do not thank Allah for this weather.

I do, however, have to offer a hearty thank you to Allah for the best birthday ever. Low expectations helped, but not only did I get doused with warm wishes (from here, there and everywhere), I got the most awesome, thoughtful gift from D.

He had SHIRLEY C0LLINS send me a birthday card. I also have a signed Shirley Collins poster. That's right. IT HAS MY NAME ON IT. I cried I was so happy. Such is my intense, unwavering love for Shirl that I have set aside time to write her a thank you note on special stationery that I save for special occasions. I'm going to try not to cry on it, as that would be weird.

Best birthday evar.

happy birthday amanda! YAY for awesome birthday despite the apocalyptic weather.

The tempest seems to have subsided for now.

Hello JuliaA. I don't recognize you from my months of lurking. Are you new here, too?

new-ish, anyway?

no, just quiet.

very respectable.

I had to go downtown to file some stuff at the federal courthouse today. The secretary at the judge's chambers told me that there was a heavy storm coming and that I should be back at my office within 10 minutes. That didn't happen. I got soaked.

While my bus was crossing the river I thought of Jeff's disdain for people's having a fascination with the weather. I had a clear view of several buildings on the west side of the river, and on every floor I could see in every building, people were congregated at the windows watching the heavy rain and lightning. People love weather.

So my commute home began at 6:45 PM and ended at 10:40 PM, what a fucking day. Started out in my car, ended up turning around and going back to the office to park my car and take the Metro. The Edens was absolutely insane.

JLD, you should try to creep us out by posting everything you know about us.

ended up turning around and going back to the office to park my car and take the Metro.

Going home via Paris takes a while, but it's beautiful.

Hah. That's just how long of a day it has been.

that was an exaggeration. not every single floor. but most.

mornin

So I got to the office this morning and the power was out in our office building. My boss and I climbed up the stairs in the dark and called everyone to tell them to go work from home. However, as you all know, our computer is in the shop. So my boss took me and two other coworkers to our mysterious "south campus," which appears to be a totally different office a couple of blocks away in Evanston. So far no one else is here except for us. I asked my boss what this office is for and he just said "back-up, and for situations like this." Which is news to me, because any other time we've had technical problems he's just sent everyone home to work from there.
It's been a very weird week.

Lost power at home sometime after 1. trees blocking a bunch of sidestreets here in rosc vill.

Everything solid for us. Except our back porch is now gone. But that is so a new one could be built.

Courtney, Jenny, and I got caught in the rain last night and it SUCKED. SUUUUUUCKED! We walked from Van Buren and Wells to Van Buren and State trying to get a cab to Navy Pier to see Harry Potter. Finally we gave up b/c we were soaked, so we just went and got a carafe of wine at the Bono Vino or whatever that Italian place is. Our head were dry from the umbrellas. That was it though. Courtney had already bought her ticket, but she ate the loss.

My shoes are still soaked this morning.

secret backup office is crazy, that's like some Lost shit

lol, check out the air condition in my new place:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1016/1222264029_bf48f1aa02.jpg

It's gonna be a long fucking Friday, because it was a long Thirsty Thursday. Plus I work at the restaurant from 4:30-11-ish.

:(

vintage air conditioning. Swanky.

HI. Jesse you didn't tell them the part about how we had bought little bottles of bad wine to drink during the movie and proceeded to surreptitiously refill our carafe with it.

This is the second time Courtney and I have been thwarted in our attempts to see four-story tall 3-d Harry Potter. We're going to try again on Sunday.

WHOA, exactly what I just said to one of my coworkers over chat:

"I feel like on Lost when they found out there were other people on the island"

She kind of explained the secret office to me but it's still a little unclear.

Guise, a pay day loan company is advertising for in-house counsel on my school's job board. Do you think that's the lawyer job for me?

Is there a closed circuit video loop of the other office?

Did you have to take a ride on a submarine to get there?

Did you drink orange juice first?

Are you sure the loan company isn't called "guys"?

Power's out at Sarah's office too. Yee hah.

When I got home last night, the power was out on the other side of my street (I saw candles flickering from windows), but apart from a small branch on the sidewalk, it doesn't look like my neighborhood was hit particularly hard.

I think our work has a 2 hour policy about power outages. Like, you get to go home if it lasts longer than two hours.

i have to work tomorrow :(

Aw... I wish OUR power was out! Total gyp.

Yeah, me too!! More power outages!

My mom called the other night to say they were lighting the house with candles, now that's some fun times.

Kr's company is having a picnic today, complete with like three-legged races and shit. Although apparently if the weather doesn't comply, they just send them all home. In which case, she says, she'll likely just go to the bar with co-workers. JEALOUS.

Sarah said she's basically just reading her book at her desk. She finished all the work that she doesn't need a computer for in like 20 minutes and doesn't have anything else to do until the power comes back on.

What's a good bar near Broadway and Belmont for my brother and I to meet up at for some pre-Kumail drinks? I'm so rarely in that neighborhood ever.

I forgot to wish Amanda a happy birthday yesterday! Sorry, Amanda!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Whoa, looks like I missed some weather yesterday!

Happy Bday @|\/|@|\|D@

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