By Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Strange but true: To pave the way for your next liberation, you will have to impose some creative limitation on yourself. In other words, there’s some trivial extravagance or unproductive excess in your current rhythm that is suppressing an interesting form of freedom. As soon as you cut away the faux “luxury” that is holding you back, all of life will conspire to give you a growth spurt. Read the rest of this entry »
1
Saul Bellow
The Pulitzer Prize-, Nobel Prize- and National Medal of Arts-winning author attained in death what he probably always wished for in life: Gazillions of his books in the Chicago Public Library. “The Adventures of Augie March” is the latest “One Book, One Chicago.”
2
Rahm Emanuel
The passing of the mayor’s first hundred days might not have been worthy of an FDR comparison, but given Chicago’s record, they weren’t too shabby either. Read the rest of this entry »
By Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I predict that in the coming weeks, you will be able to extract an unexpected perk or benefit from one of your less glamorous responsibilities. I also predict that you will decide not to ram headfirst into an obstacle and try to batter it until it crumbles. Instead, you’ll dream up a roundabout approach that will turn out to be more effective at eliminating the obstacle. Finally, I predict that these departures from habit will show you precious secrets about how to escape more of your own negative conditioning in the future. Read the rest of this entry »
This week’s biggest gainers:
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Tex Winter
After being nominated (and rejected) seven times for the Basketball Hall of Fame, the former Bulls assistant coach and Triangle Offense guru discovered the eighth time is the charm.
2
Edward Alexander
Punched his way out of a robbery at gunpoint in his front yard in Chatham. If he’d been a few years younger than 85 years old, he’d have really kicked ass. Read the rest of this entry »
By Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Time magazine asked Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough why he started writing a biography of Pablo Picasso but never finished it. McCullough said it was because the famous artist turned out to be boring. He attracted a steady flow of new lovers, and he made hundreds of paintings, but he didn’t actually live an interesting life. I’m urging you to be the anti-Picasso in the coming weeks, Aries. Put the emphasis on the quality of your adventures more than on what you produce. Regard your life as your most important work of art. Read the rest of this entry »
Dottie Brackett is the Martha Stewart of the Chicago bike scene. Often spotted cruising the streets on her stately black Dutch bike or sprightly robin’s egg blue Rivendell, elegantly dressed in a skirt and heels, she belies the notion that urban cycling is only for sweaty guys in Lycra or skinny jeans. Since early 2009 her blog “Let’s Go Ride a Bike” (LGRAB) has shown thousands of people in Chicago and beyond how easy it is to use a bicycle for transportation and look good doing it. Read the rest of this entry »
Photo: John Greenfield
The other day I was pedaling with friends under azure skies to Evanston’s Blind Faith Cafe when I was reminded of an old political fight. We were riding on the North Shore Channel Trail, a scenic, nearly car-free route from Albany Park to Evanston, when we came to the notorious gap in the path just north of Peterson. The trail ended abruptly, so we spun north on Kedzie a few blocks, turned west and rode on hectic Devon Street across the channel, then turned north to continue on the bike path into Lincolnwood.
If it weren’t for opposition from former 50th Ward Alderman Berny Stone, we would have been able to instead make a car-free transition to the section of the trail west of the channel via a bike-pedestrian bridge. Read the rest of this entry »
This Week’s Biggest Gainers:
1
Barack Obama
The prez celebrated his fiftieth birthday with a l’il ol’ star-studded bash in his hometown.
2
Carlos Zambrano
Big Z seems to be the front runner on the Cub’s unanticipated midseason sprint, helping the team to their longest win streak in three years with homers and Ks a-plenty. Read the rest of this entry »
By Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Dr. Larry Dossey thinks we shouldn’t just automatically dismiss the voices that speak to us in the privacy of our own heads. Some of them may actually have wise counsel, or at least interesting evidence about the state of our inner world. Besides, says Dossey, “it is vital for our mental health to keep the channels open, because when the voices of the gods are shut out, the devils often take up residence.” This would be good advice for you to observe in the coming days, Aries. Don’t let the nagging, blustering, or unhinged murmurs in your head drown out the still, small voice of lucid intuition. (Dossey’s book is “The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things: Fourteen Natural Steps.”) Read the rest of this entry »
This week’s biggest gainers:
1
Lawyer Mother
An unnamed Northwestern University Law Schooler went into labor while taking the bar exam, finished the test, then walked across the street to a hospital and gave birth. Perhaps she’ll go into labor law?
2
Rahm Emanuel
Pledged to plug the budget gap without new taxes. Read the rest of this entry »
