We dropped my stepdaughter off at day camp, and as Kim drove her Jetta down Lake Shore Drive toward downtown, we talked. We passed Belmont, and I looked over west into Lincoln Park. I saw what I thought was a dog-- by the color and big ears and paws, I thought it was a Weimeraner (as did Kim, I found out later). I was curious-- there was no owner in sight. Why was this dog sitting there, alone in the middle of a field, scratching behind his ears? As we got closer, I got a better look at it and realized that it wasn't a dog-- it was a coyote!
I said to Kim, "Hey, that's a coyote!" She looked over at it and replied "Oh my god, it is! Do you have your camera?!"To my regret, I didn't-- since I don't have a place to keep it safely at work, I didn't bring it with me. (the picture on this post is not one I took).
I did call the police, who connected me to Animal Control. The coyote had already been reported. I laughed at how this stealthy creature sat there like some big dumb porch dog, scratching his ear in one of the most visible places in Chicago; an open field just west of the busiest non-expressway road in Chicago. Thousands of people must have seen him.
I've been reading about people spotting coyotes in and around Chicago. I finally saw one with my own eyes.
Work was good today. I got thanks from the manager and owner for taking tables yesterday with basically zero training. I've been a waiter on and off for 27 years; 75% of the job is identical wherever you work.
I trained during a fast and furious lunch shift. I was impressed to see Billy the owner (not to be confused with Billy the waiter I'd trained with yesterday) in there seating people, schmoozing, tending bar here and there when the bartender got slammed, checking on servers to see how things were. He clearly loves the business, and is a nice guy.
The big hurdle today was working the documenter-- the system that you ring up the check in. It automatically sends a ticket to the kitchen on what to cook. It's great having a system like it-- it allows you to do things like split checks and time meals much better than the manual system we use at Jury's (i.e. handwritten checks and telling the cooks special instructions). However, the program that runs it is Byzantine and not very user-friendly. It'll take a little getting used to. The stuff I have to plod through today and maybe tomorrow will be effortless by Friday.
Tomorrow pretty much all I'll do is watch food come out of the kitchen while the line chef/expediter tells me what it is. I'd say I can identify about 50% of the menu already. On Friday, I'll take tables, and I'll be on the schedule next week.
On the train ride home, I was able to finish reading my New York Times-- a rare treat. One of the things I most look forward to is that I can get there on the El instead of driving. It builds a couple of hours of reading time into my day.
I had one concern, though. I was reading an article in the New York Times on scientists doing a CT scan on a mummy named Demetrios. Looking at the portrait of Demetrios that archeologists had found buried with him, I wondered....
...has anyone seen actor John Turturro lately? Should we be worried about him?
11 comments:
Hey, aren't coyote sightings great? One of the big advantages to working nights and driving home through some of the forest preserves has been the opportunity to see a good number of coyotes and foxes.
I'm also certain that I'm seeing more hawks and heron out near Mt Prospect. It's impressive. I got to see a red-tailed hawk put an impressive, but not fatal, smackdown on a pigeon a couple months ago. Another time I saw one get a squirrel in an empty parking lot.
"Naturam expellas furca, tamen usque recurret"
The new job sounds exciting. I miss being able to take the CTA to work. I know I've become less intelligent over the years I've spent driving to work instead of riding the train and reading.
We get more than our share of wildlife around here JY, but on Lakeshore drive? WTF! Pretty strange indeed.
OMG, that's an uncanny likeness. I think you should find his fan site and report that you're worried about him.
Coyote and wolves have been spotted near our home. It's wild seeing them in Chicago I bet.
I worked with John Turturro on 'Box of Moonlight' and he is really intense. I last saw him in 'The Good Shepard.' And he is playing Billy Martin in ESPN's 'The Bronx is Burning.'
I see Wile at least once a week out here in the burbs....
Nice thing is that they keep down the rabbit, Kitty cats and rug rat population.
The folks live on the Prarie path and see fox all the time. I no longer have to put a fence around the garden to keep the critters out as the Fox have decimated the local rabbit population....
Possums, raccoons and deer are about all I've seen in Evanston. Glad the new job seems to be working out. Maybe me, you and Bubs can have study sessions together this fall.
Tuturro is in that "The Bronx is Burning" that ESPN has been advertising left and right. I think he plays Billy Martin.
He's also in Transformers and just as creepy as ever.
Turturro! That's hilarious!
I love Turturro. He is easily one of my favorite actors.
What a funny post! New job, new systems, new commute... lots of change to manage, huh?
The end of your post was wonderful. How fun! Thanks, JY.
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