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Dear Chicago,

As a city, you are second to none. I love your lake. I love your museums. I love your raw artistic attitude. I love you, Chicago, I really do. I’m so happy I choose to go to Columbia College Chicago so I could get to know you. But even the most rock solid relationship can hit a few bumps. That’s when it helps to get a little space.

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It’s nothing personal. Sometimes things just rub me the wrong way. Here’s an example: street parking for four bucks an hours. YIKES! It makes me truly appreciate my Upass. So I decided to spend a little more time embracing the west suburbs.

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Recently I took in some suburban sports. It wasn’t baseball with the Kane County Cougars, or harness racing at Maywood Park. I decided to watch the Dragons from the Oak Park youth soccer league. I had to check them out because my nephew plays on the team. Just a reminder: my nephew starred in my first project ROBOX.

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Going to a youth soccer game is like watching two mini-zombie hordes going to battle. When they aren’t picking their nose or rolling in the grass they stumble up and down the field kicking a ball. They barely know the rules. The coach just points the kids in the right direction and hopes they shoot and score. Sometimes it works, most times it doesn’t. It’s not about the score; it’s about playing the game. This is competition in its purest form.

The only thing more interesting than watching the kids is watching the parents yelling on the sidelines. They aren’t just cheering. They’re watching their works in action. It’s kind of like when you screen a film for the first time. You’ve made all the edits and now you have to let it stand on its own. So along with really amateur sports and affordable parking, the suburbs has a lot to offer. It reminds me why I’m at Columbia College Chicago. I’m here to tell stories in the purest way possible.