atop the ladder atop the box atop the earth in chicago
I thought of an old friend yesterday as we zipped through Rogers Park for a mid-evening jaunt to Best Buy last night.
Jerry Riggs, the kid who could (or thought he could) concoct anything from nothing.
You may know the type. Don’t go down to his basement for fear that the hodge-podge of wires with q-tips and masking tape keeping them together will have you shaking your coffee cup until you head back to your own home.
Jerry was the kind of guy who, no matter what the destination point was had in mind a way to get there. I thought of him as I snapped the picture below on Clark Street as the guy atop a 20-foot ladder made into a 23-foot ladder with the use of something he probably found in the alley triggered a flood of memories.
And so, with grit, determination, a destination in mind and maybe just a little bit of crazy, our man lit up the ladder to emblazon the finishing touches on the newest taqueria ready to ply its culinary majestics on Chicago’s north side.
As with Jerry so with my own dad. Jack McCarey, God rest his soul, was the proverbial jack of all trades and master of few. Wherever you look in his last home you will see the markings of a man engaged in projects without a blue print, without the right tools but a creative mind to make due and cobble together rudimentary solutions.
And make due he did. Most of the time the Rube Goldberg creations worked (or so we hope). A shim below a post keeps the structure balanced (mostly) for years at a time. The shelving units comprised of found objects still hold stuff in place with the old coffee cans years after dad continued his spirit’s journey.
And so as I spied this valiant man conquering the heights on what can best be described as a contraption I tip my hat and say a silent prayer that the angels have their wings wrapped around him as he simply takes steps toward his immediate goal, as he does his job.
In a moment’s time I will join him in the fray, taking my simple steps toward my goals as I make my way to an 11.30 showing of my East Village home at 1858 Race following it with an open house that I will conduct at 1728 Huron, another East Village home that, like its counterpart, offers an attractive price for a great Chicago home in a vibrant Chicago neighborhood.
Less Two Wheels . Two Wheels Balance
It happened yesterday. Jackson asked to ride another kid’s bike at “The Choo Choo Train Park.”
And sure enough, with a little boost he continued on his merry two-wheeled path. It wasn’t a trek across the Pyrenees but it was the start of what likely will be a lifelong love affair of the bipedal variety.
On the way home, skimming the ground on our “Blades,” he asked the inevitable question, “Daddy, will you take the training wheels off my blue bike?”
Of course.
And so today marked the first official day of moving forward without training wheels. And what a first day it proved to be. With the grace of an arcing angel’s wing, Jackson swooped to the left and to the right, extending gentle circles around and through the park at The Hayt School in Edgewater.
Training wheels are an awesome metaphor. We need them to lend stability on the front end. For kids training wheels are critical, letting them gain their balance, accrue confidence and get to the point where the training wheels can come off. Because at the end of the day the point of training wheels is to not have training wheels.
But the idea of training wheels much beyond single digit years is a bit of troublesome. This is especially true when it comes to finding somebody to help you find your new Chicago home or somebody to market the sale of your Chicago home.
A “training wheel” moment occurred last weekend when I showed one of my East Village homes to a couple who saw the home without their agent. They had a lot of questions that I Â answered. Toward the end of the showing they plopped down on a sofa in the lower level family room, admitted their agent was new and inexperienced and asked if it would be appropriate to have more than one real estate agent.
No, I said, one is really how many you should have. Just take care to choose the best one.
And make sure their training wheels are off.
Did You Hear About the Flight Attendant…
Did you hear about Steven Slater? First he lost his cool and probably his job as well.
Slater is a flight attendant. Was, anyway. He had a scuffle with an early-to-rise passenger when their flight landed and before it made the gate. The passenger refused Slater’s admonition and took down his bag from the overhead bin. In the process he bonked Slater in the noggin and set in motion a flurry of events that could be coming to a movie screen soon.
With an inch and a half gash in his head Slater made his way to the intercom where he excoriated the passenger in colorful language, cited his length of service in the air and in no uncertain terms said sayonara with two cans of beer in his hand and and the emergency escape chute deployed.
Wow, that’s one heckuva dramatic good bye!
As with any narrative, it’s not so much that there is one or another side. Instead, his story, and indeed all of our stories, can be viewed through a prism that allows for myriad interpretations, multiple sides. On the one hand there’s job stress that has him constantly on the road working. Then there’s his aged and infirm mother for whom he cares cross country. And there’s his dad who died recently from Lou Gehrig Disease. And then there’s the bop on the tater that completely mashed his potatoes and has pitted him on the societal horns of a dilemma that has one side applauding him as a folk hero and the other castigating him as what’s wrong with the air industry.
The one thing I have not seen in either of the two stories I have read today is the eerie parallel between Slater and Howard Beale in “Network” when his spit-flecked lips spat, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore.”
What also has crossed my mind is why we haven’t seen more Chicago real estate professionals or Realtors in other locales hitting the wall with such a spirited self-immolation. True, most of us aren’t getting knocked in the noggin like ole Steven Slater.
I suppose what we lack is a means of dramatic departure. I mean there are doors to slam but there’s no actual escape chute to go tumbling down. Perhaps that’s why there are so few made-for-tv movies focusing on Realtors.
Hmm, maybe that’s a good thing. Although whenever the kleig lights want to kick in to follow the team at The Real Estate Lounge Chicago we are ready!
Which Way Points the Thumb?
The president just flew over my Edgewater home.
The roar of his chopper and his flying armada filled the sky for minutes prior to his arrival above, filling my chest with a sense of imminence. And then they appeared, majestic and aloft, somewhat staggered in their flight plan, immediately overhead and slowly making their way east in the direction of the lake front.
The cat and I, situated on the back porch to get some early morning work done, had slightly different responses. The copter’s droning sound caused her to drop a half-eaten bug and dash up the steps with her ears laid back on her small head, filled with terror. Me, just seeding my listings on craigslist, set down my macbook and went up another half flight to wave. As I waved and gave President Obama a thumbs up from the ground I think I saw him doing the same from a few hundred feet up.
Thumbs up!
A simple gesture linking people or groups. Nothing profound, just a gentle reminder of the intertwining nature of our lives and the fact that by working together we may reach our common goals. Not only reach goals more easily, but reach them at all, have a chance.
Amid the current environment where acrimony has displaced civility I would be thrilled if the thumbs up became our chief domestic product, replacing cynicism with a clear-eyed realism that the ceiling is too low when we stand in opposition simply for the sake of opposition.
Bottom line, I suppose, is if we fail to come together on some of this stuff  the only true use of the thumb for most people will be to flick it out as they try to hitch a ride out of town.
Thumbs down on that.
Taking Steps toward the top of the Chart
One of the things I enjoy doing is establishing an online imprint for my listings and my overall work.
More than 8 in 10 people lace their running shoes to dash online to begin, continue and complete their search for a home. Just two days ago, days before my new single family rental listing hit the mls (but with several days of online guerrilla marketing), I received a phone call to arrange a showing that will take place this afternoon.
And across the board for each listing the system that I have developed and continue to work with propels my clients’ homes to the top of the charts on google. With last week’s recognition of The Real Estate Lounge Chicago as one of the best blogs in Chicago I thought to myself that I would take a moment to draw a bit of attention to this nomination.
And voila, there we are on the first page in the first position. Curious how this system will impact the marketing of your home or how we find your new residence in Chicago? Call or text me at 773.848.9241.
And by the way, don’t forget to click the Zillow badge to cast your e-ballot for best blog. For some reason you can vote once a day through August 11th.
