Day 90 - She Is The Road Crew

Day 90 - She Is The Road Crew, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 29, 2011.  Today, my Dad left to return to Austin. We went to the Bongo Room for breakfast, though, where we encountered a paving crew on the way. I took a picture of a truck full of asphalt backing into the street to be paved,and this flagger to my left posed. Of course, I quickly shifted to her and fired a series of out-of-focus shots. Despite the technical shortcomings, she still got me my favorite photo of the day. Thanks, flagger lady!

Day 89 - Chuckling Dad

Day 89 - Chuckling Dad, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 28, 2011.  My Dad seemed to have a good time with us at Bin café, even though he didn't particularly enjoy it. He did enjoy the arancini, though. He also felt that tapas style was a stupid way to order food, but he was still a good sport. After dinner, we took him to Santullo's and got him a slice of the veggie flatiron bbq, which he did enjoy. I was full from Bin, but had a tasty root beer. Thanks, Santullo's!

Day 88 - Theater

Day 88 - Theater, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 27, 2011.  The Muppets! Go see it. If you hate Muppets, don't go see it, but don't come see me either. I want nothing to do with you.

Day 87 - Balls

Day 87 - Balls, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 26, 2011.  Christmas decorations are all over the place now. These are on my way home from work.

Day 86 - Dad and Snowflake

Day 86 - Dad and Snowflake, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 25, 2011.  My Dad is a fantastic guy, and is visiting me and Shereen for Thanksgiving. I cooked a feast (Shereen made cornbread) for the three of us, plus a friend who doesn't get to have her Thanksgiving until Monday. Friday night, rather than eating leftovers, we went out for dinner, and I made this photo of my Dad on the street while taking a stroll around the neighborhood.

Day 85 - Texas Fight!

Day 85 - Texas Fight!, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 24, 2011.  This was the coffee mug of choice while watching Texas vs Texas A&M and eating pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. And it's goodbye to A&M.

Day 84 - Fight The Power

Day 84 - Fight The Power, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 23, 2011.  On my walk to work today, I encountered this graffiti. The bomb has actually been there for quite some time. "Fight the Power," I first noticed today. Now I have Public Enemy stuck in my head, and I'm ok with that.

Day 83 - O'Hare Terminal

Day 83 - O'Hare Terminal, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 22, 2011.  My Dad came up to Chicago for Thanksgiving, and I took the train to the airport to bring him back to the house. This is the end of the Blue Line at O'Hare Airport. Eddie O'Hare was a lawyer associate of Al Capone's who helped put Capone away for tax evasion. While driving his car, he was gunned down from another car. The airport was named after his son, Butch. Butch graduated from the US Naval Academy and was a decorated fighter pilot during World War II. He was the first WWII flying ace after shooting down five Japanese bombers while the only other plane available to protect his carrier, the USS Lexington, had a problem with jammed guns. He was also the first naval aviator awarded the Medal of Honor due to that day's action. He received other honors during the war, but was eventually killed in battle with another squadron of Japanese bombers.

Day 82 - Metal & Smoke

Day 82 - Metal & Smoke, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 21, 2011.  This is the metal recycling facility near my work. On my way home, I looked over and saw the lights and the smoke and knew I had to head over for a few shots. I don't think you can really grasp the scale in this shot, but that claw easily picks up cars. Sometimes there is a row of cars climbing the conveyor belt into that furnace. This might help: Day 10

Day 81 - Hat Head(s)

Day 81 - Hat Head(s), originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 20, 2011.  After dinner at Pequod's Pizza, I had no interest in joining Shereen and our friends at the movie theater for the new Twilight movie, so I walked home. I took a very meandering route which resulted in a lot of graffiti shots and some shop windows. This one belongs to New'd near Division and Damen, if you're looking for a hat.

Day 80 - Cameras Galore

Day 80 - Cameras Galore, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 19, 2011.  This is a piece of an image from a photoshoot Saturday night.

Day 79 - This Chicken

Day 79 - This Chicken, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 18, 2011.  I found a green rubber chicken in the studio, so there.

Day 78 - Sunshine

Day 78 - Sunshine, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 17, 2011.  Cold today! Below freezing at last, but it should be warmer the next few days. It won't be long till the cold is permanent though. I'm not really looking forward to my face feeling like it's going to break if I touch it, even while wearing a balaclava. That's just the way it is up here, though, at least on a bike.

Day 77 - Dump 'Em

Day 77 - Dump 'Em, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 16, 2011.  I spied this dumpster down an alley on my way home from work.

Day 76 - Fritesnatcher

Day 76 - Fritesnatcher, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 15, 2011.  After a long day where even I held a class, it was nice to hang out at Bar Bar Black Sheep, where the highlight was parmesan truffle fries.

Day 75 - Harbinger

Day 75 - Harbinger, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 14, 2011.  A few days ago (Thursday, when it sort of snowed), I saw my first snow plow of the season. The plow on the front of the truck was brand new, clearly never touched by snow. This is the second one I've seen, and it appears to have been put to the task in the past. Last February was a sizable task, too. Predictions claim that this winter will be similar to the last, which was pretty freaking heavy. At least it wasn't as cold as 2008/2009. I hope the approaching winter doesn't reach those lows, even if it does drop two feet of snow on us at a time.

Day 74 - Photo Booth X-Ray

Day 74 - Photo Booth X-Ray, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 13, 2011.  I had been sitting in front of my computer, choosing photos to go into a presentation for a college art class. I hadn't shot anything worth reviewing all day, so I turned on PhotoBooth and snapped a few shots. This one wins!

Day 73 - Turtle!

Day 73 - Turtle!, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 12, 2011.  Yes, a giant plush turtle. Like that's not going to be the photo of the day.

Day 72 - The Great Concerto

Day 72 - The Great Concerto, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 11, 2011.  I attended a college function where Shereen works, and encountered Naperville's Central Park on the walk from the train station to the Fine Arts Center. This is the mural at the Naperville Concert Center. It appears that this is actually the stage for outdoor performances.

Day 71 - A Dash of Snow

Day 71 - A Dash of Snow, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Nov 10, 2011.  It was just yesterday that I wondered when I would be shooting the first snowfall of the season and what that would look like. The snow didn't amount to much of anything, but here is some falling from the sky. It was grey and cloudy a couple of minutes before, but when the sun burst out along with another snow shower, I ran down the stairs, grabbed my camera, and went out to snap whatever I could.

Day 70 -Marshfield

Day 70 -Marshfield, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Another wet, nasty, chilly day in Chicago, and here's a sizeable puddle. Fortunately, it was only half the road so I didn't have to go through it. I hate having cold, wet socks when I'm riding my bike.

Day 69 - Eamon DeValera

Day 69 - Eamon DeValera, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

A few days ago while testing an AlienBees strobe and some wireless syncing stuff, I dropped a receiver in Eamon's water bowl. I immediately opened it, removed the batteries, and let it dry. Today I tested it on Eamon, and it works just fine.

Day 68 - Bobby Rock

Day 68 - Bobby Rock, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Monday night, I got to see my friend Bobby, which was pretty exciting. It was also exciting that he was playing with Honky that night, and Fu Manchu was playing, too. I'd be very happy with any of those three occurrences. The show rocked on all fronts, and I love those Landgrafs, who always treat me like family, and even say I am part of the family through the three generations I know. Likewise, they are all family to me.

Day 67 - The Wheel Remains

Day 67 - The Wheel Remains, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

There is a fair amount of bike parking at the Clybourn Metra station, though I often found it to be not quite enough when I used to take the train to Evanston. Unfortunately, many bike riders don't really know how to lock their bikes. Frame, wheels, and rack, y'all!

Day 66 - Bouncing Soles

Day 66 - Bouncing Soles, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Saturday night, I had the pleasure of dining with a quartet of lovely ladies, then going back to the house for some games. Mmhmm. These feet belong to the moistest one.

Day 65 - Animal

Day 65 - Animal, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

One of the things that occurred to me regarding how to do 365 photos was the use of history for each day's photo. I looked up this date in history, November 4, and the lead story was the Soviet crushing of the Hungarian uprising in 1956. In 1928, Arnold Rothstein was killed. He was a gambler, bootlegger, and central figure in the Black Sox scandal. But later in the week - November 10 - is the anniversary of the debut of Sesame Street in 1969. I didn't have anything Sesame Street to photograph, but I had another fantastic Muppet. This Animal has been with me for 33 years or so. His fur is not looking too sharp, and the sun bleached most of his color when I let him ride in my car in Austin, Texas for a year. Thanks to my childhood Irish Setter, Molly, he has a ragged lapel and his left arm has been sewn back on above the elbow. He's missing a finger on his right hand, rendering a permanent rock 'n' roll "Secret Satan Sign" (Bloom County/Billy & the Boingers Reference). That's also thanks to Molly. So anyway, November 10 while i'm watching Morrissey perform in Chicago, I'll be saying "happy birthday" to Grover, Oscar, Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster and the rest.

Day 64 - Return of the Mac

Day 64 - Return of the Mac, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Noodles & Co. serves a really tasty macaroni & cheese with mushrooms and truffle oil at certain times of year, and it came back on to the menu this week. Hurray for my belly!

Day 63 - Ofrenda

Day 63 - Ofrenda, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

I spent the evening of Día de Muertos in Pilsen where the Mexican American community there has a day of activities, a procession, and ofrendas up and down the streets. This is the ofrenda at Saint Procopius Church.

Day 62 - Paul Ballin'

Day 62 - Paul Ballin', originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

These are my coworkers, Elias on offense, and Paul on defense. This was Paul's last day before he moves away to New Hampshire. We celebrated with pizza and a basketball break in the middle of the day.

Day 61 - Zebra Dan

Day 61 - Zebra Dan, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

For Halloween, I hung out with my friend Roberto in Boystown. He introduced me to Zebra Dan here. That's short "e" Zebra, not "Zee-bra." This is Zebra on the dance floor at Charlie's.

Day 60 - They Eat Their Young

Day 60 - They Eat Their Young, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Riding to work Sunday morning, after a difficult waking-up, I saw these pumpkins on a porch. Naturally, I grabbed my brakes and did a u-turn to photograph them. Hi, neighbors! I just reminded myself of a day where a few of us popped out of work to walk around the block and snap some photos. In front of some house in Lincoln Park, probably built in the 1880's, we stopped while one of our group took pictures of something interesting about the house. Immediately, the door flung open and some lady snapped "Can I help you?" Needless to say, we told her she couldn't.