Hi, Miss Julie

I don’t care much f or sports. I recently watched a football (rugby? It was Brits; I rooted for Liverpool, per the instructions I was given) game, and I greatly enjoyed myself (the pot of tea I had helped with that), but generally I don’t get excited about sports. If I were to call myself a fan of anything, however, I’d call myself a Cubs fan, in honor of my grandmother Theresa who was one (it would be interesting to see how many Cubs fans are fans because of a family history). Since I lack the fervor of a true fan when it came time to answer Barry’s taunt question, “As a lifelong Red Sox fan, are there any words of hope or comfort I can/should proffer to Cubs fans?” I was stumped.

I decided to ask my coworker, Miss Stephanie, who is a fervent Cubs fan, but all she could say was “THE RED SOX GET EVERYTHING.” Then she hid in the back room for a long time. She’s okay now, though. I think.

Then I sat on it for a long time (I began this post on March 4th), until finally, this morning, I remembered Steve Goodman and his two songs about the Cubs, “Go Cubs Go”, and “A Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request”. What this tells me about Cubs fans is that it is not about winning (although they’d love to) or losing (which they are tired of), it is about the traditions, the experiences, and the communal joy in rooting for a common cause. Which I suppose is true for any fan of any team, really.

So Barry, there are no words you can offer–Cubs fans already have all the words they need, and set to music, no less.

Another of Barry’s questions was, “If a friend was considering moving to Chicago, what would you tell him/her to seal the deal?”

I wish all of my friends lived in Chicago, because wouldn’t that make life easier for me? But if someone was unsure about whether or not to move, I’d tell them all about the thriving theater scene (there’s a theater company for every man, woman and child in the city), the music scene (there’s a ukulele for every 4 people, and an open mic for every 3), and my god the FOOD. Dieters should not come near or reside in Chicago. The deep dish alone will kill you on sight.

Although, since I am a nice Midwestern folk type person (as many Chicagoans are), I would have to warn my friends about the Cook County sales tax (highest in the country, I believe), the insane parking box situation (75 years worth of money mostly GONE), and the WINTER, omg the WINTER (never ending, brutal, and exacerbates existing stupid parking situations).

On a somewhat relate note, the John Prine song “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You into Heaven Anymore” is a perfect seed song for a playlist to go with Barry’s novel Hero-Type. Anyone have any songs to add?

Still to come….talk of novels turned musicals/plays, and collaboration!