"All things go, all things go."

I want to take a break from the serious discussion for a second to just revel a little in two things.

First: One-hitter, baby. Not only stellar pitching, but Zambrano hit a THREE-RUN HOMER. What's the word for that, Astros? Um, oh yeah. OWNED.

Second: I am excited about my upcoming trip. Last night, I secured hotel accomodations for the northbound leg of the trip. Very exciting. Unfortunately, due to money and time constraints, I'm not going to see much, if any, of downtown Chicago. No museums, no nightlife, possibly no EL. (Very upset about this.) But the easiest way to work out hotel and transport to and from the ballgames was to stay in a suburb and work out passage on the Cubs Roundtripper. Not only is it kinda neat, it's CHEAP. And cheap, my friends, is good.

Don't worry, current and former Chicago residents. I will be back in the future. Oh yes, I will be back. To soak the whole city up like a drag from a mile-long cigarette, hold it in my lungs until it burns, and slowly exhale it through my nose.

So yeah. I'm leaving town a week from today. And already, I'm feeling the Illinoise.