Babies are the New Loud

Ted and I were driving tonight, north on Ravenswood, and we began talking about this sort of phrase. You know the ones: "White is the new black." "Orange is the new pink." "Quiet is the new loud."

So we posit the following:

Fascism is the New Democracy
Hunger is the New Food
Anger is the New Calm
War is the New Peace

Ted then suggested using any two words at the beginning and the end. I decided that since a lot of our friends now have babies, and don't go out as much and get as crazy, that their new parameter for volume is the sound their children make. So Babies are the New Loud.

After we spout some of these out, Ted stops the car near Peterson. "Look!" he said. "Two coyotes!"

I only saw one. But it was, indeed, a coyote, staring down at us from the little berm leading up to the Metra tracks. We stared. It stared. It was absolutely beautiful, looking almost like a wild wolf with its open, appraising, but somehow calming, stare. It appeared fully and completely honest.

(Of course, we attribute human qualities to animals, because we can't conceive of them having an expression or experience that we can't somehow relate to. We have to interpret their experiences through our own lens, rather than simply observe them and let them do what they do.)

All this came after an evening of singing (lots of old songs and some new) and listening to music. Prior to the music, Ceci, Phillip, Josh and I ate dinner at the fabulous Indie Cafe, where we later were joined by Ted.

We're all happy that Josh and Shannon, along with their baby Evan, are moving back to town. Cecilia has to work because she's doing three presentations at two separate conferences next week. I'm getting interviewed tomorrow for an HBO documentary on Cubs history. Things are going well. Life is good. I hope it's good for all of you.