Tales From the City - Part Two...

Today I experienced another one of those fantastically surreal moments that can only occur in the city. I was walking out of work, headed toward the bus stop, when a ruckus ahead of me caught my attention. There he was, a man who might have been homeless, although it wasn't immediately obvious. Around his waist were two cords, tied together and tied to a plastic milk crate, which he was dragging behind him on the ground, which was the origin of the noise. Since his burden was slowing him down, I quickly caught up with the man, upon which I observed that his milk crate was full of prescription medicine bottles. It was all just too bizarre, so I whipped out my camera to grab a photo clandestinely, but the man looked right at me and caught me, so I had to stow it quickly. The paranoid frenzy with which he was glancing around was a little scary, so I sped up and crossed the street, where I got my picture in relative safety.

The other patrons at the bus stop, a group of college students, were similarly intrigued by the unusual spectacle, and were all snapping pictures on their camera phones. They mused if he was some sort of performance artist, perhaps making a statement on our national healthcare crisis -- literally, healthcare was weighing upon him and becoming a burden in his life. It's possible, I suppose, but I think that explanation is akin to hearing hoofbeats and assuming a zebra is coming, when a horse is the more plausible culprit. I suspect the man was just crazy. After all, if he was performing some sort of one-man show with a political statement, wouldn't he have been downtown doing it, instead of roaming around near Lincoln Park? The world may never know...

In a healthcare-related update, I finally gave in and dragged myself to the doctor this morning. Turns out, my transient illnesses of the past two weeks were the result of a severe kidney infection. I've got antibiotics now, so hopefully I'll be back to normal before I head on vacation next week.