Place # 5 Sunset Ridge Golf Course, Performance #3 - The Knitters, and Place #6 - Annoyance Theatre

The Sunset Valley golf course is located in Highland Park, about 20 miles or so north of the city. It's a beautiful course with narrow fairways and a good bit of water. (Not sure how it got the name Sunset Valley, as it is about as flat as anything else is here in the mighty midwest.) Challenging but not impossible. Susan played 18 holes there yesterday with several new acquaintances, one of whom (Josie) revealed that she has two half season tickets to the Cubs and is often looking for someone to join her -- how great is that? She was shocked to hear that we had not yet been to a game.

By the way, the Cubs won again today to sweep the Astros on their weekend homestand. Right now they are a mere 3 1/2 games out of first place with half the season in front of them! Who knows, the Cubs could move into first when they beat the Mets while Nicole, Susan, Maddy, and Maya are in town to see them play at the end of the month.

After golf Josie and I met Kate and Karen for a concert in the park sponsored by the Old Town School of Folk Music where I take classes. We saw The Knitters, who bill themselves as traditional music meeting punk. They are led by John Doe and Exene Cervenka, who fronted the L.A. based punk band X in the 80's. (They had a great song entitled "Johnny Hit and Run Pauline" which I use in my women and rock class. John Doe has said that they eventually decided to stop playing it live because even though they intended it as an anti-rape song a significant part of their audience felt compelled to root for the rapist when they played it live, much to the band's dismay.) Great show here in Chicago, though we didn't find much punk to speak of in this particular performance.

Finally, we headed off for a nightcap at the Annoyance Theater which features comedy with an edge, and including a storefront bar in the Uptown neighborhood, an area which seems to be gentrifying in a somewhat gay direction. The bar was crowded and active, but we were able to find a table to sit and have a drink and talk. All in all it was quite a good day, with lots of fun, activity, and distraction -- just what the dr. ordered, so to speak.