Within a few months here, I had seen one across the street from the 11-story building where I work, but it was pretty young and scared and injured. Poor thing. It climbed a tiny tree that looked like it wouldn't hold a monkey. They drove a pickup truck underneath it and darted it and it fell right into the truck. I think they fixed his paw and took him somewhere remote to release him. I tell myself this, anyway.

This guy was nothing like that. He was pretty darn big.

We need to hold a Chicago'istas Welcome Shrift type event.

Totally.

My schedule is pretty open the next few weeks.

I saw a bear cub cross the road. While I was driving an old Ford Escort through Ontario. It was a hot summer day, and the car tended to overheat. It also was hard to start when it was overheating.

I decided just to keep on going, as I didn't think the car could protect me that well if I got between the cub and its mommy....

Okay--I have a bottle of Chandon Brut Classique and one of Piper Sonoma Brut. Not that I think there'll be any inveterate wine snobs there, but are either of those tacky or nasty?

Moose are scary. Well, not so much from a distance, but they get ornery and can stomp you. My cousin was stomped by a moose. Fortunately, she was on a huge pile of snow at the time, but it's no fun.

Black bears usually run the other way.

I saw a moose, also in Ontario. We were in a little boat and the moose was in the water near the shore. It just stood there. The thing was huge....

Sometimes moose will charge small boats that come by the shore. And one year my dad was fishing with some friends in Ontario when the guy steering the boat ran over a moose. (The moose was submerged at the moment, apparantly eating stuff growing on the bottom of the lake.) The moose's back did get cut up a little by the boat prop, but it was otherwise OK.

Moose are scary.

I don't want to give a moose a muffin or anything, I just want to see one.

Shrift, Chi'istas, would next weekend (the 2nd or 3rd) be a possibility? A dinner & drinks type thing? Should I take this to the Chicago mailing list?

I think that weekend should be good for me - I suppose I should finalize my going-out-of-town-soon plans, but I don't think I'll be gone that weekend.

But if I do go out of town I could probably still make a Friday gathering....

aurelia, I believe I will be in town next weekend. And I'm pretty sure I'm on the Chicago mailing list if you take it there.

I'll e-mail you my phone #s now, just in case.

aurelia, I think I'm on the Chi'ista mailing list, but in case not could you also post in the F2F thread so I can find relevant posts easily? Next weekend sounds great, by the way. Ta, ever so!

I don't think I'd want to see anything that could potentially eat me unless said thing were under control. Pictures are fine.

I am watching the JLo version of Shall We Dance? It is really not good.