Machine Guns and Chicago!

Ever have one of those days where things are going really badly, but then one little phone call turns it all around?

Friday was one of those days for me. Here’s how badly the day was going for me : While at Starbucks (getting my usual, “Grande, Long, Americano” if anyone wants to buy me coffee some day) I was checking the messages on my phone and I actually knocked over the rack holding all of the lids. I must have scattered 50 lids all over the floor. The only positive part there was that one of the messages was an old one that I’ve saved because it’s a funny message. At least that made me smile.

So, I took my coffee and started to walk home, annoyed with the way my day had gone, and embarrassed by the fact that I had just wasted 50 plastic coffee lids. My phone started ringing.

“Great,” I thought, “another phone call from someone who’s pissed off at me.” Before I flipped open the phone, I saw the caller id tag: Maloney. One of the friends from the saved message. “What the hell? Did I somehow dial her when I re-saved her message?”

CK - “Hello?!”
KM- “Court. I can’t make this long. This is an international phone call. But some guy on a bike in the middle of the street here in Chicago is playing your song.”

It turns out that there was some sort of Memorial Day, War Protest, Critical Mass (which is also the name of another Sheep song) event taking place on the streets of Chicago. I assume. Not sure about that. But that’s my guess. Damn Hippies. 500 people on bikes riding against the car traffic, like salmon on a spawning run. Many of them with small speakers, playing music. One in particular playing a song that Maloney recognized. It was Machine Guns and Jesus Christ. We chatted a little bit more, and the she ended the call with these memorable words:

“Oh shit, a cop. I’ve gotta get off the phone.”

Friday turned out to be a pretty good day after all.