Great Weekend

Despite the beating that the Cubs took on Saturday (12-0, their worst defeat since 1988), I had a very nice weekend. My former roommate from college, Albert, was in town visiting starting Thursday night. He is from L.A., so needless to say, he is a pretty big Lakers fan. I found myself silently cheering for the Celtics in game 7, but I was happy for Albert that the Lakers were able to capture their 16th championship. Any pain I had from watching Kobe hoist his 5th championship was soon forgotten as we busted into a case of beer like we were back in college. Unfortunately, my recovery time after a night like that isn't quite what it used to be.

Friday night consisted of a trip to Orchestra Hall to see the Chicago Symphony and Bernard Haitink perform Beethoven's 9th Symphony. The orchestra was in top form and gave a fantastic reading of the Beethoven---I particularly enjoyed Haitink's take on the third movement. Albert was extremely impressed with the orchestra and said that as great as his hometown orchestra is, the CSO is on a whole different level. I wasn't surprised to hear him say this as I am constantly amazed at the way the orchestra is able to perform week in and week out. Thank you CSO for a memorable 2009/10 downtown season.

Then came Saturday and the massacre at Wrigley---I should have known it was time to head for the exits when Howie Kendrick lead off the game with a home-run. Instead, I sat through 9 innings where the Cubs were able to amass as many hits as errors (2 of each) in a truly brutal performance. It's bad news when the loudest cheer of the game occurred when a Cubs player was able to reach first base after a dropped third strike by the Angels. The less said about this game, the better.

Saturday concluded with a huge meal in China Town and a night cap at a bar in Millennium Park. I am now looking forward to a week of digestion and detox.