I've Found a Diversion...

And it's name is Yelp.  Thanks to Meghan who suggested to me that I should do this, I am now addicted to writing reviews on this site.  I've also noticed that I eat out A LOT and that I'm generally fairly happy with my experiences.  I find that this activity, writing review after review of neighborhood place, is just so satisfying and i'm not sure why.  I know these reviews really won't be considered too much (or even seen) by people; but just being able to have my say is mesmerizing. 

And it's its own verb.  I can say things like, "I yelped for 3 hours this afternoon."  Of course, saying that somehow doesn't sound decent.  Do I want to admit to yelping when it could mean so many things other than writing reviews of my favorite take-out places?

I also realized I had a problem when I found myself reviewing Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church (home of the Varsity Choir).  Do I really need to be reviewing a Catholic mass?  But then, I wasn't the first, so maybe I do. I could conceivably get wholly consumed writing reviews for places that are not based on customer service or a business transaction--the reviews of the beaches, Lake Michigan, and Wrigley Field were some of my favorites to read and write.  I can't say I've ever seen a review of a Great Lake before, but since I now know they exist, I could finally make my peace with Lake Erie.  The possibilities are at the same time overwhelming and exciting.

So that's been my afternoon.  I've spent hours meandering the Yelp site, contemplating others' experiences of places that have been formative to my time in Chicago...and I'm not entirely ready to give up this venture yet.  I could be there another couple hours...at least.