“When I first moved to Chicago,” says Mike, “my grandfather told me about parking in the winter. One would dig out a spot and insert a chair, reserving the spot for your trouble.” One of his neighbors, it seems, didn’t get the benefit of such grandfatherly wisdom.

Neither, apparently, did Chris…who made the mistake of parking [...]

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“I live in a condominium building that is popular with the elderly,” writes our submitter from the Chicagoland area. Recently, he says, the building’s board of managers put copies of this note in everyone’s mailboxes and posted it in the lobby (so guests wouldn’t be spared the details, either.)
Adds our submitter: “I don’t know what’s [...]

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Writes Michael in Chicago: “Apparently, some of our neighbors had a problem with us being naked in our apartment.” Without knowing any other details of this situation, I’d have to say:
a) “Be more private with yourself” is a phrase I am going to try to work into future conversations whenever possible.
b) Michael, while I 100% [...]

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This note — spotted by Erik in a break room at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism — takes me back to my days as a bright-eyed young reporter cheerfully slaving away at my college daily, where the grizzled old alumni “mentors” working at the Times or the Globe always seemed to have the same advice:  [...]

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jen says this liquor store in chicago’s lincoln square is completely plastered with notes like these, but — vexingly enough — the guy at the register was such a hawk she was only able to snap a few photos. happily, i’d say jen scored a hat trick for insolence with these three.

related: free markets, free [...]

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i’d say this whiteboard notice — from a student at northwestern university in evanston, illinois — is neck-and-neck with this for “most unnecessary and inappropriate analogy ever.”

‘plex, by the way, refers to (in the words of our anonymous submitter, the note’s recipient) a northwestern residence hall, foster walker complex, “that’s full of disinterested seniors and [...]

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ashley in chicago says her roommates are the king and queen of passive-aggressive notes. (“if they ever found this site, they’d think it was a self help group,” she says.) the latest example:

ashley’s still fuming over this one. “i mean, come on just throw it away yourself! you’re probably exerting more energy writing the email [...]

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attention: corporate emergency in the chicagoland area!

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says kristi in chicago: “this was from our receptionist to the ENTIRE office except, for some reason, me (thanks to my other co-worker for forwarding it and including me in the fun). it’s her job to order supplies and put away deliveries. someone signed for a delivery of paper and apparently the receptionist doesn’t like [...]

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Our anonymous submitter lives in a 30-story condo building in Chicago. Her father works in the same building, and received this note in the suggestion box.
“I found the letter slipped under my door one day,” she says. “My dad had put it there after reading it with his boss. I’m sure he’s damn proud of [...]

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