After the Rain

Rain finally came and cooled things off temporarily. Everything had been sun-baked over the past few days and the scent released by the rain reminded me of camping trips I had taken as a young boy.

Most if not all of those campgrounds either had natural bodies of water or manmade lakes that were full of Sunfish and Bass. As summer progressed these lakes would slowly evaporate yielding dead fish that would bob and float to the outer edges. The odor was distinctive and foul. Dead fish and stagnant water, this was the scent being released right here in Chicago as I walked to the bus stop. Not something pleasant like fresh cut grass.

The storm from last night had apparently been more intense than I imagined as there were several trees that had lost limbs. I only hope they get these removed before the weekend as Market Days is upon us- queens and downed tree limbs do not mix.

On my lunch break I saw something rather unique, and I say this due to location. It was still drizzling, but not enough to warrant an umbrella. On the corner of State and Ohio were two artists with canvas and easels painting a view of the recently restored Tree Studios building. Seeing this somehow felt very European as I am akin to romanticizing the living shit out of most things. They were impressionistic in execution and quite beautiful, I wished I could have watched them longer or taken a picture.

Heading back to work with this mental image I was jolted back to reality by a couple that were walking in front of me. The woman had on a pair of ill-fitting shorts that did not adequately accommodate her oversized derriere and one side of these was being swallowed by her ass.