for all the Madison folks who follow me on here, take my partner’s salary survey so she can write about cost of living in the Cap Times!

Sometimes on my travels, things make me pause and contemplate the cost of freedom…

the killer you-couldn’t-make-it-up detail here: public tickets are $1.5 million each

The Squamish people of what is now Vancouver were illegally dispossessed of their land 100 years ago. They sued, got the land back, and used their sovereignty to ignore local zoning and build 6,000 new homes over the loud objections of nearby wealthy NIMBYs. Now other tribes are getting in the game.

Bought my rain coat. Must’ve been literally raining cats and dogs as they seemed to be the only souls still in business today up on Gubałowka.

Good to see Mo still working

One of my missions for today was to buy a new rainproof windbreaker. Perhaps I should have made that the first thing I did. ☔️⛈️

Zakopane: what if Banff and Wisconsin Dells merged, but it’s Polish.

Buiten mijn hotel… Loesje in ‘t Pools! 🇳🇱🇵🇱

Never forget…

not The Onion

It’s after 9pm and I’m in a mall where near everything is still open. Not only is Poland better than almost all of Europe in this regard, but North America as well.

ai will never know what it’s like to change 56 em dashes in a writer’s draft from -- to —

⚖️🇵🇱 I am presenting this photo of Bogdan Święczkowski, the President of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal, without further comments beyond translating that the cap reads "Make Poland Great Again" (c) Polish Press Agency

Finally, Orgasm in a can! For when you really need to get off, on the go! (Part of an installation called “Satisfaction Guaranteed” by Joanna Rajkowska, at MOCAK, Kraków)

First full day in Poland so of course the first thing to cross off my list is some Catholic Brutalism. Church of Our Lady of Poland, aka Arka Pana.

Krakow is definitely a tram town, though I’m also envious of these cute little classic vans I’ve seen around town.

Stinkeye selfie as I do NOT love Krakow airport. Most janky ass arrival experience I’ve had in a long time. Highlight was having to follow the confused Midwest accents around the baggage hall to find my bag on a carousel labeled for a Ryanair flight from Bulgaria. 😂

European airports: Design a passport control area that isn’t a claustrophobia-inducing sauna. CHALLENGE IMPOSSIBLE.

As I got to my gate, the clerk at the counter was making a prolonged announcement in Polish that made the whole crowd let out a collective sigh, then a laugh. I could pick out that Warsaw was being mentioned an awful lot for a flight to Krakow. I have concerns. 😅

please take your kids on public transit

The way that sign skips all the way over "bikes will not replace cars" straight to "bikes will not replace us."😂 We got full-on Car Owner Replacement Theory going on here.

Nice day. Good for flying. Feeling frisky, might go to Poland. 🤷‍♂️

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA Button Block Building (1892) on Water and Clybourn

Bluesky is an echo chamber (all my internet friends got together under a big metal dome and started hooting like owls)

faking an assassination attempt so you don't have to go to a wedding sounds like a curb your enthusiasm episode

There are some very baked rich kids on this bus, some on their very first CTA bus experience, and it’s like they’re on a very chill safari. Hilarious to watch. Crossing the river… “ooooh wooow, I can see a turtle from here!” 🐢😂

Transit app advised me to transfer to the 72 at North/Clybourn for a trip over to Quimby’s. Oops, getting off the Red, the @offcolorbrewing.bsky.social autopilot kicked in. I needed a hydration break anyway.

I say this as a Cubs fan but also as a Badger: this is the worst abomination imaginable. It should not exist. This will bring a curse upon the Cubs a million times worse than the Billy goat. 🐐 🦡

Anyone who was an adult at the time knows this to be false. "Homeland" was a deeply weird choice. That word had never been in wide use to refer to the territory of the US, and had a distinctly fascist vibe. This was widely remarked upon at the time.

Working on a new personal record for “pre-flight garbage time” to kill and the temptation to day drink is strong (Nisei Lounge, right over there!) but I’ve got a whole business lounge to work up to. Gotta pace myself. 😂🍻

I mean, who among us has not eaten a "frustration döner"?

The only “ICE in the US” this American has time for: railfaneurope.net/ice/ice_usa....

Briefly entertained thoughts of another brunch option, but I’m a man of habit, and one of my Chicago habits is the cinnamon rolls at Ann Sather. Glad I went—the Belmont outlet is moving to Division, so I soon won’t be able to hop off the Red Line quite as easily for Swedish Potato Sausage. 🇸🇪

TIL that Wisconsin is overrun with “ironists”

Big crowd waiting for the L after the show and a lady behind me hears the “doors closing” and decides she’s just going to KoolAid Man through the rest of us entering the car. Like chill out, the conductor is still gonna wait for these 200 people to get on! Some people shouldn’t be in public. 😂

Well now the free pickles make sense… the pickle is a member of Nothing! 🤘

New phrase to whisper in a lovers ear as you are making love

A very specific problem I’m having going to a shoegaze fest is the genre is one of my favorites to nap to, and I’m very tired. Missed an opportunity by not having a VIP Nap Pod option. I totally would’ve coughed up cash to snore to Nothing and Hum live—probably would be the best sleep of my life. 😴

Local West Coast-style IPA. If you don’t have a local I’ll still take an “import” on tap. It better be a crystal clear actual West Coast style though. If you hand me a haze bomb I’ll be judging you. Bonus points for Black IPA/Cascadian Ale… I’ll go for that if you got it (a rarity).

During Sabbatical part I last year I committed to dying of 5+ hours of Wagner opera. For Sabbatical part II, I shall overdose on 6+ hours of shoegaze.

Every summer I repost this article on how to spot drowning. Please read it and pass on. In the last few years I’ve had SIX messages from people who saved a kid’s life after clicking on the link from my feed. slate.com/technology/2...

I try not to be too pretentious about beer (not out here writing treatises on Miller Lite, LOL), but I’m duty bound to stage an intervention at the other side of this bar, on behalf of the Nederlandse Taalunie, to stop the guy who keeps saying “Hoegaarden” as HO-garden. 🙉

A spot on thread…

“Does your building have a doorman?” “ummm… sort of?” 🦴

Haven’t encountered any sexy cops with flogging materiel so far today, but already seen a handful of bar vests deployed in the Loop. So funny to see that scene mixed in with all the normy tourists out and about for the weekend. 😈

Why the hell do you need your emotional support dog in the damn Olive Garden? Those unlimited breadsticks got you stressed the fuck out?

Taking the Blue Line rather than the bus in today, so I’m not doing my customary “How many Rise Againsts?” measure of traffic congestion… but maybe I should since this train has been crawling. 🤷‍♂️

The government that ripped out bike lanes and banned automated speed enforcement wants to talk to you about safety…

A lovely article by Zachary Nauth about the very last barrel of Schlitz served at Schubas earlier this week: