More on that MRX

• Mercury hits 20° Scorpio 10/20.
• Mercury bounces at 6° Sagittarius 11/7-13, turning officially retrograde on 11/10.
• Mercury slides back to 20° Scorpio 11/27-12/1, direct on 12/1
• Mercury reaches 6° Sagittarius again on 12/17.

More on that MRX

Sagittarius is mutable fire sign. Maybe not the best fire, that’s usually Leo, but we are companionable. Recent eclipse action, Virgo/Pisces then Virgo/Virgo (opposite Saturn/Neptune)? That paved the way for some new deconstruction, reconstruction. That’s what this is about as Retrograde Mercury dips from fiery Sagittarius back into watery Scorpio, then forward again, culminating at almost the same time as the Sun crosses into Capricorn, the Winter Solstice.

Back in the bad, old days, I used a product as a gasket sealer, called — don’t know the name. It was yellow, branded with a Yamaha tube, nasty kind of glue that withstood engine heats. Used it on European motorcycles because it worked better than anything else. It was nasty stuff. Sickly yellow color. Probably no longer available, and possibly poisonous. But it worked, back then. Tear a motor down to pieces, then gradually reassemble it, and use that yellow Yamaha-brand gasket-sealer as part of the process.

We all need some possibly hazardous “gorilla snot” help glue this together — after Mercury goes direct and gets back to its starting point.

More on that MRX

Sun into Scorpio 10/23 4:38 AM Mars into Sagittarius 11/4 7:01 AM Venus into Scorpio 11/6 4:39 PM Sun into Sagittarius 11/22 1:32 AM Venus into Sagittarius 11/30 2:14 PM Solstice — Sun into Capricorn — is 12/21 at 9:03 AM local.

the Portable Mercury Retrograde

Please support public libraries. #shakespeare #horoscope

3 Hot Dogs

Going to baseball games brought a growing awareness to hot dogs as a culinary delight. They vary greatly. In my north side neighborhood, there are three place I’ve been. My favorite, the best of them? It depends on which one I was last at.

Wriglyville Grill (link)

In the center that’s next to big boots, across the parking lot from Alamo Drafthouse, maybe. Shotgun affair storefront, festooned with authentic-looking Wrigleyville material on the walls. Go Cubbies? Odd selection of a few White Sox mentions scattered throughout. The hot dogs are typical Chicago-style, that’s an all-beef hot dog on a poppy-seed bun, dressed with peppers, tomato slices, green relish, a pickle spear, and yellow mustard. I’m missing something, but that’s close enough, for now. Visual feast along with a delight for the taste buds. Served with French Fries.

JK Chicago Dogs (link)

Tucked into a strip mall just behind an auto-body place? Shouting distance to the freeway itself, but not really on the expressway? The Chicago-style Hot Dog is good, done proper, but the real trick is a secret menu item, the Coleslaw Dog. Poppy seed bun, sure, and the hot dogs, the 100% all-beef, Vienna hot dogs, sure, they’re good. I suspect they are boiled in a special spices, or grilled like that, but the Coleslaw Dog is a personal favorite. Hot dog, bun, then the just the right amount of coleslaw covering the hot dogs so just a tiny little end is sticking out behind the bun and the slaw. As a topper, a strip of yellow or brown mustard runs the length of the serving. Tasty treat, complete meal unto itself.

Chicago Hot Dogs (link)

A buddy suggested that San Antonio’s Chicago Hot Dogs was the best. While I wouldn’t award it thusly, as they are all good in their own way, the San Antonio (something) special was my favorite. Instead of “chili,” it’s smothered in a bacon/something jam, then dressed with jalapeño slices. Perfect kind of hotdog. Really, with a nod to Cubs fans and the White Sox, still, the best of the local ones, in my not-so-humble opinion. Served with fries. “No, man, Chicago Hot dogs, over on Jones Maltsberger is the best.” Opinions vary. The current pope has ruled that ketchup on a hot dog is heresy.