Downtown

There's always an interesting variety of characters downtown. A couple of weeks ago, I saw somebody riding a unicycle on Randolph and Church. And of course, there is the two dollar lady. Everyone who's spent time at any of the downtown bars and restaurants has heard "Hey mista, you got two dollars?" Even if you're a woman you've heard that. Not one, not three, but two dollars is what she wants. She's very clear about that. And then there's Legs-the guy who sits outside of Cafe Kopi and wears short pink or yellow shorts. All I gotta say is thank goodness he keeps his legs crossed when he sits!

The newest character I've seen lately is someone I call Slow-Walkin Dude. I was going to call him Creepy Slow-Walkin Dude, but I decided that's not very fair since he's not really creepy, it's just the way he walks. He walks by the bank every morning about the time I get to work, and sometimes I see him walking back when I leave. Although I have not timed him, he probably takes a good 15-20 minutes to walk one block. He doesn't appear to be impaired in any way, he just takes very slow steps. He's not that old either, probably in his mid to late 50's. I don't know where he goes every day, but I do admire his perserverance. If it took me that long to walk one block I don't know that I would bother to leave the house.

In other downtown news, Ebertfest is going on now. I wish I had looked at the schedule sooner-there's some pretty interesting movies playing. Gattaca opened the fest, and the directorial debut from Joey Lauren Adams (Chasing Amy, Big Daddy) called Come Early Morning just started a few minutes ago. And yes, CNN, Ebertfest takes place here in Champaign, not Chicago!

I really hope I don't have to move when the merger happens. I enjoy working in downtown Champaign, there's so much to offer here! I'll especially miss Friday morning breakfast at Cafe Kopi-sesame bagel toasted with veggie cream cheese. Yum!