A JOURNEY TO THE SUBURBS

Tony and I took a journey to Lincolnwood today to play mini golf. It was surreal and quite enjoyable. Novelty Golf and Games is only a 10-15 minute walk from the Chicago city limits but things changed so much in that short period of time. Our bus ride on Devon Ave is so obviously city. You ride through the Indian part of town with Sari stores and delicious food everywhere you look, then you pass the Hasidic section of town and they also has some interesting eateries. Then you cross a street and are in land of strip malls and cars moving fast on wide roads. I was actually afraid to cross the street against the light.

Novelty Golf and Games is a strange place. It looks all old and run down and seedy but is completely charming. We asked where the ATM was and they said in the game room. The game room was a dingy smelly place, but pretty ok, and we could find no ATM in it. It is small so there should have been no problem. So we go to the Shell station next door and I use their ATM. I thought it gypped me on cash but the money was all up inside the machine. The store clerk I asked about it was kind of an ass. So back to the golf course we go. The course must have been around for ages but was so completely cute. We had a chuckle as we asked for two balls (immature of course but really funny). Neither Tony nor I are very good at mini-golf. There really aren’t many places to play. Some of the holes had little push pedals by the tee and they operated the mechanics, you know, windmill type stuff. We had fairly liberal rules. Like if you take a shot and the ball rolls back to essentially where you started, or goes off the green altogether, you get a do over. We had many of those. Tony actually got a hole in one on the castle drawbridge hole, which was pretty cool. We ran into our first problem at hole twelve. I shot my ball into the Polaroid camera and it never came out. We had to ask for help. Help is a young woman with a pitcher of water who purs the water into holes to flush things out. Didn’t work on hole 12, I had to get a new ball. Did work on hole 15 when Tony’s ball got stuck. Apparently it had been happening all day because there were wet spots around many of the various spouts that balls come out of when you play mini golf. In the end, even with his hole in one I kind of kicked Tony’s ass. I was only fifteen strokes over par to his twenty-eight.

Unfortunately, the Bunny Hut Eatery was closed and we were hungry so we didn’t take advantage of playing the other course for half price, although it was a truly tempting proposition. Instead we stopped at Taco Bell (one of life’s best guilty pleasures undoubtedly) for a proper suburban meal. I really have a hard time finding a Taco Bell anywhere in the city, or at least where I go in the city. I am sure they are here but I don’t know where. I suppose that is for the best. I really did enjoy my bean burrito and nacho supreme (sans meat of course). So back to the city we went and arrived comfortably back at the couch. All in all, a wonderful Saturday adventure. Then we went home and listened to music (and the guy upstairs eventually came and asked us to turn it down (or at least the bass). We have gotten a different speaker system because of this issue and it didn't seem that bad to me it is also 9pm on Saturday so I think music is fine (Then again, I suppose coming down at 9 is better than when they came down at 4pm on a Saturday). When I told him how it wasn't really loud down here he asked me to come upstairs and see I said "that's ok," and shut the door (not very nice of me) but we turned the music off so he should be happy, kind of.) All this music talk has provided an excellent segue.

1. Wait until the war is over. And we’re both a little older. The Unknown Soldier, The Doors. Identified by The Doc and then a few minutes later by Jaclyn

2. Don’t fall in love with me yet we only recently met. True I’m in love with you but you might decide I’m a nut

3. In a forest pitch dark grows the tiniest spark it bursts into a flame like me like me. Isobel, Bjork. Identified by Shadow Falcon

4. I need an easy friend. I do, with an ear to lend. I do, think you fit this shoe. I do won’t you have a clue. About A Girl, Nirvana. Identified by Mom

5. You broke my heart cause I couldn’t dance. You didn’t even want me around. Do You Love Me, The Contours. Identified by Mom