The Unknown Cynic

November 23, 2016 Chicago, Illinois With the exception of a short stint in the ritzier River North neighborhood of Chicago, I've lived in the same apartment building on the south side for the last three years. The first two years, I rented a 400 square-foot studio on the 18th floor. I moved in without much. When I separated from my now-ex-wife, I pretty much took what would fit in my car. I had no furniture, no kitchenware, no electronic entertainment. I had planned to go back and get a few items, because there were plenty more than necessary for her. She, however, told me to give her a list of what I wanted, and she would decide what she would let me have. Fuck that. Not in the mood to kowtow to her over material items, I decided that I'd just start over and buy all new things. And thanks to IKEA, I was able to get the basics fairly inexpensively. Of course, there are always items that you discover you need later on. When I began hosting couchsurfers, I found th...

November 19, 2016 Chicago, Illinois Hello Readers, It's been a few days since my last post. I've missed you. I apologize for allowing myself to get so distracted that I didn't take a few minutes at least to write something. I don't really have a good excuse, but my not-so-good one goes like this: I've been so busy at work and then with trying to sell off my belongings at home and Netflix. I've accomplished quite little that I had hoped to. I tell myself "tomorrow", but then I'm still tired and hungry and unmotivated when I get home from work. This morning I got all busy and motivated. After dropping my roommate off at the train station so she wouldn't be late for her new job, I went and hung flyers in all of the buildings in my apartment complex, even though I wasn't supposed to, according to management. Then I returned home to continue organizing my sale and putting out new items. My living room looks like a consignment ...

November 8, 2016 Chicago, Illinois It's election day here in America. I voted already, but have neither the time nor desire to watch the coverage of the polls. I'm still busy putting my belongings up for sale. I'll find out who won tomorrow morning on my way to work.  Unless the country blows up tonight. At any rate, I'm sharing another story that I composed in the past. This one was penned in 2003. I still remember writing it out longhand with a pencil on notebook paper while at work in a paper mill. And I recall how lost I felt at the time. I'd love to hear how it feels to you after you read it. Barbara Ann I don't exactly recall actually meeting Barbara Ann Hanson.  I was the new kid in the second grade, having moved to this small, Southern community from the northern Midwest.  Everything was so different here.  I had a little difficulty adjusting to the new environment.  I was a little shy.  After some of the other children had ...

November 5, 2016 Chicago, Illinois As I mentioned in the previous post, I came across some older writings that I had tucked away in a file case. This particular story I find fitting because I'm currently trying to organize my belongings for sale and I find myself wondering how I managed to collect all of these items that I have surrounding me. This happened probably about six years ago... On an absolutely gorgeous spring Saturday afternoon, my daughter and I decided to put off our chores for a while and retrieved our bicycles from the garage for a ride. We pedaled first to a sandwich shop where we split a meatball sub sandwich. It's okay, we weren't riding for the exercise anyway. With no particular destination in mind, we ended up following a series of bright yellow signs guiding us to an estate sale in one of the neighborhoods off of the main street.  There were several vehicles parked along the streets in front of and beside the corner house where the sa...

November 5, 2016 Chicago, Illinois Today I began taking pictures of my belongings and throwing them up for sale on Craigslist. I came across a folding file with some of my older writings inside. I thought I'd share a couple of poems that I wrote several years ago, back when I was inspired to write poetry. Hope you enjoy. The Lighthouse Above the waters tall she stands The great lady guiding me Though beaten by the surf and sands Unmovable and firm is she Face to the wind, she does not stoop Nor cower when fierce storms rage She protected lives of countless men Steering vessels in another age If not for her constant light That bright beacon from her lens The world may have had fewer ships The sailor fewer friends Joceyln At times when I am treading gingerly The darkened alleys my mind has created I gaze at her while she is sleeping So peaceful, so trusting, so dependent At this mountainous task I ofte...

November 1, 2016 Chicago, Illinois Holy crap! It's the first day of November and the daytime temperature reached 75 (where's that key?...dammit!...must be some way to....) DEGREES Fahrenheit (24 Celsius) this afternoon. It's unbelievably warm for this late into autumn. But I'm not complaining a bit. The trees are exploding with color, and outside is absolutely gorgeous. My roommate made arepas - a taco-like thing from South America- filled with chicken and avocado, and we decided to go outside and eat our dinner picnic-style on the grassy common area of the apartment complex. Maybe Chicago is trying to woo me into staying. If so, it's pulling out all the stops. This may actually be a historic year. The Chicago Cubs baseball team is in the World Series for the first time in 71 years, and haven't won the championship since 1908. After going down three games to one over the weekend, it looked pretty dismal. But they have clawed their way back, and toni...