Yesterday, Rob and I went out to eat. We went to Hi Ricky, one of our favorite pan asian restaurants. We got there and it was virtually empty. The hostess went to seat us. Now, near the kitchen there are three seats, very close together. This is part of the smoking section. However, also in the smoking section are some very spacious seats, none of which were occupied. The waitress sat us in the last of the three uncomfortable seats. I requested that she seat us in one of the more spacious seats. She flippantly said "oh we're just having smoking over here tonight." Being that the smoking section was designated, and that there was a sign over the section she refused to seat us in saying it wsa smoking, this seemed a bit ludicrous. Just because she personally has an attitude about smokers doesn't mean we had to dine uncomfortably. She gets paid to sit us, and we pay to eat there. If we didn't get a decent seat, we were both prepared to go to one of the other fifteen restaurants in a five block radius.
The waiter came by, and I requested that he move us, which he obliged.
After the dinner, we went next door to Quimby's. It was depressing. No new good comics have come out, and the self published section was depressing. Mine hadn't sold and in fact, almost none of the comics there seem to sell. The only one that did sell was this local musician's comic. At first it looked intriguing. There was a rather shallow character but also a fairly interesting and honest character. It was a semi autobiographical comic. As I perused further, however, I noticed that the shallow character was actually the protagonist. By his thought balloons, it showed him making fun of the honest character! Apparently, this guy was someone he knew, and the author of said comic felt the need to mock this guy who he obviously hadn't had the balls to contradict in real life.
Yuck. And this was the only comic that sold. I fucking hate this town.
It epitomized every thing I hate in people. The tendency to insecurely berate anyone who isn't exactly like you but never have the nerve to contradict them openly. The tendency to dissect them in the most vicious way possible when they leave the room, all the while shmoozing them when they're around in the off chance that you might need them someday, when all your other friends finally figure out what a tool you are. God, that comic summed up about 85% of the people I have had the misfortune to meet in this town.
We still had aspirations to go for a few drinks and went by Lemmings but there was no parking within a reasonable walking distance so we went home and watched some tenchi.
As the days encroach toward the moving date, I am filled with eagerness. I am ready to shut the door on this whole Chicago experience, and look at all the fun stuff that's coming up. Our friends in Kalamazoo, my enrollment in school, getting to go to Italy with my dad this July and doing an art show at my Dad's bookstore this September.
I think that moving to Kalamazoo is about the best Christmas gift that I could realistically hope for...