Cutting the Cord

So it's come to this.

A year and a half into my tenure at a leading Chicago law firm, I find myself on the wrong side of the paradigm many call 'the American Dream'. Disillusioned by the fatal combination of low wages and no reasonable prospects of upward social mobility, today I've made a life changing decision. Today, this 6th day of June 2008, I have officially cut the cord. No longer will I be a wage slave living on the fringes of corporate America. Starting now, my work will consist of developing Brand ME. As I write this, I'm subconsciously contemplating the stages that have led me to this epiphany; life, death, self discovery, rebirth. See the problem is, I know my worth. No one can sit behind a desk and put a dollar value on me. I've been to the puppet show and have seen the strings. I realize to get to where I want to go, I have to make my own breaks. Which has led me into the world of blogging.

Up until a couple of years ago, I didn't know what blogging was about. Beyond that, I haven't had the slightest interest in finding out. I'm generally a 'meat and potatoes' kind of internet user. I usually check my email and make my way over to ESPN and maybe a couple of music sites. I'm not a facebook or myspace user, I don't chat, and until recently, I hadn't had any inclination to debate with anyone over the internet. This changed after responding to some posts on a message board following a story on Suntimes.com.

There were a couple of things that stood out for me during that experience. First, I entered the fray in a decidely non confrontational posture, only to be attacked by a couple of people that characterized me as 'a liberal fool'. What I gathered from this is that there are people that are highly passionate about their positions on issues and will literally 'start a fight in a phonebooth'. That's a good thing. I don't look for everyone to share my opinions and I think a little debate is healthy and necessary for the advancement of all that is good. The second lesson I learned from this little excursion is message boards, and blogs by extension, are truly the wave of the future. Okay, so I'm a little behind the curve. I get there, though. That's what's important. So I give you this, my first installment of Windy City Crimes. Here, we'll be examining all things shady and sinister in the 'Chi'. Strap on your seat belt and take a ride through the city that brought you Al Capone, Jeff Fort and Richard Daley (ha!). It'll be fun...