Day 275

I love when my friends do me the favor of giving me things to take pictures of. It's winter, it's gray, and I'm boring right now--all of which make maintaining this picture project fairly difficult. "I'm busy hibernating!" I cry. "How about another picture of the cat? I took it from the couch." I actually took a picture of the remote control the other day...and then cried at how pathetic my pictures have become--or at least I should have.

I'm grateful for times like this past weekend. Amy M. and I went down to Chicago (well, Naperville) so that she could audition for a new Gordon Ramsay cooking show. I should know what it's called, but I didn't retain that part.

This was the line when we showed up shortly after noon (when the tasting/judging began). What you can't see is that it wraps around in front of the store and all the way from the front of the building to the back inside the very long store as well.



This was the line about two minutes after we got there.



Can you see those two things that look like tall floor lamps toward the front of the line? Those are heaters. The ONLY heaters. The day didn't start out all that chilly--high 30's or low 40's, probably. And then it started to rain. No problem, you say, you're under a roof. Ah, yes, the wind tunnel.

We slouched against cold, moist air. For about three hours. Carrying variably handled parcels. Getting muscle cramps and losing feeling in our extremities. It was cold and uncomfortable--and fun, mostly.

This is Jeff.



Jeff was playing "Production Assistant #9" for the day. As we slooooowly moved toward the front of the line, Jeff became first our entertainment and then our friend.

He passed out applications to those who needed them, wrote on the front of them, handed out tags with the official entrant numbers on them, like the one Amy's wearing below.



He stapled forms together and pictures to the back of forms. He managed to somehow look Jeremy Piven-like when photographed (below), even though they look nothing alike in person...and, now that I look again, David Arquette-like in the photo above. Way to be a chameleon, Jeff.



Jeff was a good man in a storm, a friend to the masses.

Until we reached the front of the wind tunnel.

We thought he was our pal, that he sympathized with our plight. He came for the next group to head into the store. We walked forward, eagerly straining for the warmth and shelter...and he grinned and stopped us cold. "Sorry, not you," he said, cackling maniacally. I cursed him and threatened him with the grilling pan I was toting, but he had police backup and stood firm, gleeful at our chagrin and suffering.

He wouldn't even bring us hot chocolate.

*grumble*

Fine. Maybe the grin was rueful and not merry. Maybe he apologized for being the bad guy. Maybe he said he'd already asked and wasn't allowed to bring us hot chocolate. Maybe he was a little sorry.

All right, Jeff. We can be friends again.