Events

I've posted the Chicago Sunrises 2026 page a few days before the end of the year in part because I'm still thinking about the way the new blog engine will handle static pages. The fundamental abstraction in the new blog engine is an Event, which is a thing that occurs in time; static pages are, well, static. The solution I'm experimenting with is to have "favorite" or "pinned" posts, which will show up second on the main landing page. First, I have to finish comments, which has led me to re-evaluate...

Here's the annual Chicago sunrise chart. As always, you can get sunrise data for your own location at Weather Now. Date Significance Sunrise Sunset Daylight 2026 3 Jan Latest sunrise until Oct 29th 07:19 16:33 9:13 27 Jan 5pm sunset 07:08 17:00 9:51 4 Feb 7am sunrise 07:00 17:10 10:09 20 Feb 5:30pm sunset 06:40 17:31 10:50 27 Feb 6:30am sunrise 06:29 17:39 11:10 7 Mar Earliest sunrise until Apr 12th Earliest sunset until Nov 1st 06:16 17:49 11:32 8 Mar Daylight saving time begins Latest sunrise until...

The US Supreme Court used its infamous shadow docket Monday to tell the OAFPOTUS he can't send the National Guard to Chicago anymore: In its three-page unsigned ruling against the administration, the court refused to grant the president broad discretion to deploy the military in U.S. cities, citing an 1878 law, which bans the use of the military for domestic policing. It represented a rare departure from recent cases, in which the conservative majority has overwhelmingly sided with Mr. Trump in...

So far today, in addition to my usual activities, I've nearly completed the Tags features for the new blog engine. It looks more and more like I'll have something to show the world before the end of the year. Stay tuned!

While waiting for Visual Studio to update (it was too early to go to lunch when I started this post), I'm reading these: Someone handed the OAFPOTUS a new crayon, which he used to scrawl his name on a new class of battleship the US Navy wants to build. (Since the Navy won't even lay down the keel of the first ship in the new BBG class until the mid-2030s at the earliest, long after this elderly toddler has shuffled off his office and likely also this mortal coil, there is no actual possibility of any...

My morning commute today had mild temperatures, clear skies, and a nearly-empty platform: My office is nearly empty, too. And I'm leaving early-ish, though my laptop will stay here until Monday. And I have no meetings, so I can fix a lingering bug without anyone interrupting me. So far, today doesn't suck. I shall endeavor to enjoy it.

The Brews & Choos Project will celebrate its 6th anniversary on February 7th. When I started in 2020, I thought I would get most of it done that year. I managed to visit 25 breweries by March 7th (Lunar Brewing in Villa Park was 25th), before pausing in the pandemic panic until breweries with outdoor seating opened up again. It turns out, I only have 9 places to visit within the Chicago city limits, and another 13 in the Metra zone outside Chicago. Short of another pandemic or massive economic...

Just so I can keep track, my month so far: Mon Dec 1, Messiah dress rehearsal, Millar Chapel, EvanstonTue Dec 2, chorus fundraiser planning committeeMon Dec 8, Messiah rehearsalThu Dec 11, Messiah tutti rehearsal, Holy Name Cathedral, ChicagoSat Dec 13, Messiah performance, Holy Name CathedralSun Dec 14, Messiah performance, Millar ChapelTue Dec 16, Messiah sing-a-long, EvanstonWed Dec 17, Christmas Eve rehearsal, EvanstonSun Dec 21 (morning), 4th Sunday of Advent service, EvanstonSun Dec 21...

Well, some of it is interesting, anyway: Adam Kinzinger uses the Great Drone Panic of 2024 to remind us how right-wing media spin people up over nothing. O'Hare may reclaim its title as the World's Busiest Airport if the Federal Aviation Administration confirms flight-tracking company AirNav Radar's statistics next month. Sam Kahn explains "how the New Yorker became irrelevant." Duke evolutionary anthropology PhD student Hannah Salomons conducted a study of how puppies learn that has recently been...