I couldn't agree more...

From page 24 of Fear & Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson:

... Back to Chicago; it's never dull out there. You never know exactly what kind of terrible shit is going to come down on you in that town, but you can always count on something. Every time I got to Chicago I come away with scars.

I'm doing well these days, but that sums up a lot of how I feel about my time in Chicago. And that's why I'm moving elsewhere at the end of the summer.

Note to Chicago-area people:

Go see The Face of A Ruined Woman by Mia McCullough at Stage Left's Leapfest.

 Showtimes are tonight at 7:30 PM, Sunday 6/27 at 7:30 PM & Saturday 7/3 at 2 PM, at Stage Left's space on 3408 Sheffield.

I haven't seen it yet, but Mia's last play, Lucinda's Bed, at Chicago Dramatists, was one of the best new plays of 2009, in my opinion. It took a funny, sexy and also dark look at sex and monogamy through the lens of childhood fears. And it was a damned good play. Face, which is a monologue play about plastic surgery and the North Shore suburbs is sure to be equally entertaining and complex.

Full disclosure: I took a play-writing class at Northwestern with Mia, and I'm good friends with Zev, (who is in the play and their new co-literary manager) and know a few other Stage Left company members. That doesn't alter the fact that Mia is a gifted playwright with an amazing talent. Go out and support her and Stage Left.