dumb luck

After a near record rainfall over the weekend of 8"-10" in Chicago and the surrounding areas, it was almost a flip of the coin on where the flooding would hit next.

Chicago is a city of" neighborhoods." When you live here, and folks ask you where you're from, you give your neighborhood as a point of reference. I live in Wicker Park. I live in Uptown. Well, I live in the hood that got royally swamped this weekend. I live in Albany Park.

Specifically, I live just three blocks south of the Chicago River. This far out from the lake, the river is usually pretty low and looks more like a big creek. Not even big enough to fish in...although, just a few blocks east, it's much wider and deep enough for boating, canoing and fishing. One of the routes I used to walk Olive on included an old wood walking bridge over the river. I guess Mother Nature decided to crank it up - north of the river, the land is a bit lower and they got the brunt of it...while the blocks nearest our building (while wet and swampy) didn't flood.

It's just dumb luck (and a bit of gravity) that, while I was out with some friends watching Pineapple Express (yes...for the 2nd time) on Saturday night, other folks were being evacuated from their homes just blocks away.

Man. I just wanna hug this kid. He's got his shovel and ready to get to some sandbags. I just hope he's had a tetanus shot, walking around in that sewage tainted water.

These folks live about 2 blocks north and a block over from my building.

My first thought when I saw this....(sigh)...."Renters."

Of course, none of this compares to what's going on in Galveston and other parts of Texas. Which makes me look at the picture of that young family again and think maybe they have the right idea after all, "It's all perspective....even when your glass is half empty...at least you have a freaking glass."