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Yesterday and before
Feb. 22nd, 2017 10:08 amI traipsed out to Oak Park (in rush hour!) for a meeting, only to find that the person we were meeting with had to go out of town unexpectedly and had cancelled at the last minute. So I took myself to dinner at a place I like out there to give traffic time to ease off.
The weekend was a lot of hanging with friends. A woman I went to college with comes into the area every year for a conference, and we usually meet for lunch when it's over and before she needs to head to the airport. Another friend generally joins us, but couldn't make it this year. It's good to catch up.
On Sunday, I headed up to Wisconsin (just over the Illinois border) to have dinner with some good friends. Not as large a group as usual, because one friend was off in Iowa with her youngest daughter, visiting colleges, and another wasn't feeling well. But those of us who did come had a good time, as always.
Our weather has been crazy warm. We're breaking records, and it may get up to 70ºF today. In February! In Chicago!
Saw my oncologist yesterday, and I am now on annual visits, rather than semi-annual, which is nice.
The weekend was a lot of hanging with friends. A woman I went to college with comes into the area every year for a conference, and we usually meet for lunch when it's over and before she needs to head to the airport. Another friend generally joins us, but couldn't make it this year. It's good to catch up.
On Sunday, I headed up to Wisconsin (just over the Illinois border) to have dinner with some good friends. Not as large a group as usual, because one friend was off in Iowa with her youngest daughter, visiting colleges, and another wasn't feeling well. But those of us who did come had a good time, as always.
Our weather has been crazy warm. We're breaking records, and it may get up to 70ºF today. In February! In Chicago!
Saw my oncologist yesterday, and I am now on annual visits, rather than semi-annual, which is nice.
The Impulsive Traveler
Feb. 14th, 2017 12:44 pmI get regular email newsletters from Atlas Obscura, telling about odd places and things and events. They also do trips. Today, they announced a trip to Venice in July: http://www.atlasobscura.com/unusual-trips/hidden-venice-with-a-psycho-mambo-twist I couldn't resist, and have paid the deposit. I do think that the fates have been conspiring to send me back there. I went to a Chicago Symphony concert the other evening, of music by Vivaldi, Corelli, etc., with mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux, that just made me want to hop the next plane to Venice. And then this morning a friend sent me a video Valentine's card of a canine gondolier! So cute!
In other things:
The cats had their annual vet check-ups this past weekend. Both are in good health, though the vet said they should have their teeth cleaned in a few months. They have a new vet (who had previously worked as a vet/kennel assistant and then vet tech at the practice), as the one they had been seeing has retired. The great surprise was that I was able to get both boys into the carrier without a struggle. Usually, I'm cornering Smoke in the closet (his favorite napping place) and trying to get Shadow out from under the bed. But my timing was right, because I found Shadow asleep on my bed, and just gathered him up in a tight grip. Smoke's appointment was Sunday morning, so he was lying on the Sunday paper that I was trying to read, which made it easy.
My friend Elaine, one of the women with whom I was in Boston, said she was sending us all photos she had taken. I was not expecting what came, a book she'd put together! Really thoughtful, but then she's that sort of person. I see I didn't write about that trip after it happened. Lots of fun. I got there before the others to see exhibits at the MFA and the Gardner, and was joined by one of the group who lives near Boston. The whole group went to the Boston Public Library (a fabulous building) for their Shakespeare exhibit and afternoon tea.
I have been going through my posts and making some deletions, because there were a lot of duplicates from having brought them over from LiveJournal. Oddly, I found situations where duplicate posts had different comments, so in those cases I left the duplicates. I will also have to do something about posts where I linked to LJ communities, since, obviously, those links still go to LJ. And some of my photos seem to have been lost in the migration. But I expect I can retrieve them from Flickr.
In other things:
The cats had their annual vet check-ups this past weekend. Both are in good health, though the vet said they should have their teeth cleaned in a few months. They have a new vet (who had previously worked as a vet/kennel assistant and then vet tech at the practice), as the one they had been seeing has retired. The great surprise was that I was able to get both boys into the carrier without a struggle. Usually, I'm cornering Smoke in the closet (his favorite napping place) and trying to get Shadow out from under the bed. But my timing was right, because I found Shadow asleep on my bed, and just gathered him up in a tight grip. Smoke's appointment was Sunday morning, so he was lying on the Sunday paper that I was trying to read, which made it easy.
My friend Elaine, one of the women with whom I was in Boston, said she was sending us all photos she had taken. I was not expecting what came, a book she'd put together! Really thoughtful, but then she's that sort of person. I see I didn't write about that trip after it happened. Lots of fun. I got there before the others to see exhibits at the MFA and the Gardner, and was joined by one of the group who lives near Boston. The whole group went to the Boston Public Library (a fabulous building) for their Shakespeare exhibit and afternoon tea.
I have been going through my posts and making some deletions, because there were a lot of duplicates from having brought them over from LiveJournal. Oddly, I found situations where duplicate posts had different comments, so in those cases I left the duplicates. I will also have to do something about posts where I linked to LJ communities, since, obviously, those links still go to LJ. And some of my photos seem to have been lost in the migration. But I expect I can retrieve them from Flickr.
Turning into a weather wimp
Feb. 7th, 2017 10:09 amI'm meeting a friend for lunch (it's Chicago Restaurant Week, hurrah!), and this evening I'm going to the Lyric Opera's event announcing the coming season. My original plan was to take public transportation to both. Then I woke to the weather report which said that we'll be in the 50s today, but it will drop to the 20s this evening, and decided I'd take the bus and el to lunch and drive tonight (found a cheap - for downtown - spot - $10! Yay for SpotHero!). But now it's pouring. And I really don't want to stand at the bus stop, walk to the el, and then walk a few more blocks to the restaurant in torrential rain. So I think I'll drive and valet my car.
Busy, fun weekend
Nov. 15th, 2015 02:42 pmYesterday, I was getting ready to head out to a community flea market, when there was a knock on the door. Our management company had sent our maintenance guy out to deal with the air conditioners (moving or covering them) for the season. Without bothering to notify us! So I said, you've got to do it before 11:00, because, although I could skip the flea market, I had to be at my AAUW meeting at noon.
So he finished up just before 11, and I went to the meeting. Then I went to a staged reading of a play called The Amateurs, part of the Goodman Theatre's "New Stages" program, which involves development of new plays. This was basically a play about a 14th-century players troupe putting on the Chester mystery play "Noah's Fludde". I think it's got a good idea, but there was a huge digression in which the playwright talks about his intentions that should be significantly cut.
Then off meet my friend Jeanne to see a French thriller, Le Pont du Nord, which was interesting, but strange. The film was made in 1981, but not released in the U.S. until a couple of years ago. Dinner after at one of our favorite places; I had an excellent steak and mushroom pie.
Today I did stop by the flea market (actually twice - before and after I did my Robie House tours), and came away with four pairs of earrings (earrings are my downfall), a pair of loose linen pants, a blank journal, and a beaded evening bag - for a grand total of $23.
My first tour at RH was a mother-daughter book club; they'd read Blue Balliett's The Wright 3. They were great, and guest relations had said that, if I liked, I could take them to a couple of outside spaces that aren't regularly on the tour (the children's play lot and the front porch). So I did. When I had a short break between my tours, the house manager came to the break room and handed me a stack of papers, saying, "This came for you." It was a bunch of thank-you notes from a class I'd given a tour to in the summer. Lots of art glass-style drawings, and lovely, lovely notes. So nice!
Tonight I'm going to see Court Theatre's production of Agamemnon for the second time. I have a subscription that's on preview nights, so I saw it last week and loved it. They'd done Iphigenia in Aulis last season, and the same actors portray Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. A woman I know is on the CT's board, and she invited me to the opening night dinner and performance, and I'm thrilled to have the chance to see it again.
Now I'm going to finish the Sunday papers and try not to get overly depressed by how dreadful people can be.
So he finished up just before 11, and I went to the meeting. Then I went to a staged reading of a play called The Amateurs, part of the Goodman Theatre's "New Stages" program, which involves development of new plays. This was basically a play about a 14th-century players troupe putting on the Chester mystery play "Noah's Fludde". I think it's got a good idea, but there was a huge digression in which the playwright talks about his intentions that should be significantly cut.
Then off meet my friend Jeanne to see a French thriller, Le Pont du Nord, which was interesting, but strange. The film was made in 1981, but not released in the U.S. until a couple of years ago. Dinner after at one of our favorite places; I had an excellent steak and mushroom pie.
Today I did stop by the flea market (actually twice - before and after I did my Robie House tours), and came away with four pairs of earrings (earrings are my downfall), a pair of loose linen pants, a blank journal, and a beaded evening bag - for a grand total of $23.
My first tour at RH was a mother-daughter book club; they'd read Blue Balliett's The Wright 3. They were great, and guest relations had said that, if I liked, I could take them to a couple of outside spaces that aren't regularly on the tour (the children's play lot and the front porch). So I did. When I had a short break between my tours, the house manager came to the break room and handed me a stack of papers, saying, "This came for you." It was a bunch of thank-you notes from a class I'd given a tour to in the summer. Lots of art glass-style drawings, and lovely, lovely notes. So nice!
Tonight I'm going to see Court Theatre's production of Agamemnon for the second time. I have a subscription that's on preview nights, so I saw it last week and loved it. They'd done Iphigenia in Aulis last season, and the same actors portray Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. A woman I know is on the CT's board, and she invited me to the opening night dinner and performance, and I'm thrilled to have the chance to see it again.
Now I'm going to finish the Sunday papers and try not to get overly depressed by how dreadful people can be.
Both sibs arrived late afternoon on Thursday. When I drove to pick up Cathy at the airport, my car's air conditioning crapped out, so I took the car in for service on Friday, another insanely hot day. Fortunately, Stacey drove in, so we were able to use her car (though she doesn't have air conditioning!). We hung out at home mostly, but went out to lunch and then browsed a used bookstore (shock!) Despite the fact that they'd both given me books for my birthday, I bought some more.
Friday night, we went to Victory Gardens to see Luis Alfaro's Mojada, an updated version of Medea, set in the Mexican immigrant community of Pilsen in Chicago. It focuses on the idea of exile. It could use a bit of editing, I think. The second act is much stronger than the first, which has a good deal too much exposition. The acting was generally excellent, though.
Picked up the car on Saturday. Of course, having gotten the air conditioning fixed, the weather cooled. Figures!
The memorial service was good, though the retirement home chaplain was recycling some platitudes. Decent attendance, many old friends of my mom's, of course. Later, we went to dinner with Eila's family and some friends, and drank many bottles of wine in her memory. Good food, too!
Stacey had to leave early on Sunday morning to be back home by evening. Cathy & I went to the Art Institute. The Japanese print gallery has an exhibition of Hokusai, which was pretty fabulous, and we checked out the Undressed and Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity exhibits, as well as Kara Walker's Rise Up Ye MIghty Race!. Then we were tired, so we went back to Hyde Park for lunch and a visit to yet another bookstore before I took Cathy to the airport.
The weather was pretty fabulous today, low to mid-70s, sunny, lake breeze, so I went over to the Wooded Island, walked around a bit, and then sat in the Japanese garden there and read a bit. Then I wandered a bit by the lagoon shore behind the Museum of Science and Industry. Astounding numbers of dragonflies were flitting about the plants, and I managed to find one that stayed still long enough for me to get a photo:
Friday night, we went to Victory Gardens to see Luis Alfaro's Mojada, an updated version of Medea, set in the Mexican immigrant community of Pilsen in Chicago. It focuses on the idea of exile. It could use a bit of editing, I think. The second act is much stronger than the first, which has a good deal too much exposition. The acting was generally excellent, though.
Picked up the car on Saturday. Of course, having gotten the air conditioning fixed, the weather cooled. Figures!
The memorial service was good, though the retirement home chaplain was recycling some platitudes. Decent attendance, many old friends of my mom's, of course. Later, we went to dinner with Eila's family and some friends, and drank many bottles of wine in her memory. Good food, too!
Stacey had to leave early on Sunday morning to be back home by evening. Cathy & I went to the Art Institute. The Japanese print gallery has an exhibition of Hokusai, which was pretty fabulous, and we checked out the Undressed and Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity exhibits, as well as Kara Walker's Rise Up Ye MIghty Race!. Then we were tired, so we went back to Hyde Park for lunch and a visit to yet another bookstore before I took Cathy to the airport.
The weather was pretty fabulous today, low to mid-70s, sunny, lake breeze, so I went over to the Wooded Island, walked around a bit, and then sat in the Japanese garden there and read a bit. Then I wandered a bit by the lagoon shore behind the Museum of Science and Industry. Astounding numbers of dragonflies were flitting about the plants, and I managed to find one that stayed still long enough for me to get a photo:
Summer in the city
Jul. 11th, 2013 07:06 amI accidentally typed "Sumer", which is vaguely appropriate since the folks a few blocks over at the Oriental Institute are spending their summer making beer from an old Sumerian recipe.
I, however, have entered the 21st-century. I've bought an iPhone, nudged to it by the fact that my previous provider, U.S. Cellular, sold its local market to Sprint, which means my old phone would stop working in a couple of months.
After handling that transaction, I got to the Pritzker Pavilion for about the last half of the Grant Park Orchestra's open rehearsal for their "Let's Dance" program. Great fun! Tap and tango and jitterbug. During their break, I wandered over to a concession stand for a hot dog and lemonade, not my usual fare, but I tend to indulge once or twice over the summer.
Yesterday, I lunched outside at a local restaurant near Robie House, prior to giving a tour there. Perfect weather. In the evening, I fought the "Waste of Chicago" crowds and went to a special event at the Art Institute. The curator of the "Impressionism, Fashion,and Modernity" show gave a lecture, the exhibit was open, and there was a reception in the Modern Wing with French wines and food. Crème brulée! Yum! Also a cabaret act. The show, which includes some paintings that have never been lent in the U.S. before, is fabulous.
There's a memorial service next weekend for a dear friend who died a couple of months ago at the age of 90. Her daughter emailed me to ask if I'd say a few words "if you feel inclined". You better believe I do! Eila was a real treasure and inspiration in my life. I am honored and delighted to have been asked.
I, however, have entered the 21st-century. I've bought an iPhone, nudged to it by the fact that my previous provider, U.S. Cellular, sold its local market to Sprint, which means my old phone would stop working in a couple of months.
After handling that transaction, I got to the Pritzker Pavilion for about the last half of the Grant Park Orchestra's open rehearsal for their "Let's Dance" program. Great fun! Tap and tango and jitterbug. During their break, I wandered over to a concession stand for a hot dog and lemonade, not my usual fare, but I tend to indulge once or twice over the summer.
Yesterday, I lunched outside at a local restaurant near Robie House, prior to giving a tour there. Perfect weather. In the evening, I fought the "Waste of Chicago" crowds and went to a special event at the Art Institute. The curator of the "Impressionism, Fashion,and Modernity" show gave a lecture, the exhibit was open, and there was a reception in the Modern Wing with French wines and food. Crème brulée! Yum! Also a cabaret act. The show, which includes some paintings that have never been lent in the U.S. before, is fabulous.
There's a memorial service next weekend for a dear friend who died a couple of months ago at the age of 90. Her daughter emailed me to ask if I'd say a few words "if you feel inclined". You better believe I do! Eila was a real treasure and inspiration in my life. I am honored and delighted to have been asked.
Catching up before the year is over!
Dec. 31st, 2012 06:29 pmHonestly, I am going to try to do better at posting regularly. If nothing else, it will be easier for me to remember what I want to say!
Gosh, I last posted on Election Day!
Since then, I've been busy.
SOME CULTURAL STUFF:
I see I've spent a fair bit of time at the Art Institute. Their new galleries for Greek, Roman and Byzantine art opened in November, and I went to a couple of events around that. And they had a fun holiday event for donors, with a talk in the photography study room on photographs of snow scenes, and another talk about art from the collection of winter scenes. All very appropriate and accompanied by drinks and cookies.
In the olden days, before radio and television and computers, people used to provide their own entertainment, often in the form of musical evenings. I went to one! A guy I know who is on the musical staff at Lyric Opera, along with a cellist from their orchestra, did a live radio broadcast on our local classical music station. They wanted to rehearse first in front of a live audience, so some friends opened their apartment, and invited about a dozen or so people over to listen to Bach, Debussy, Stravinsky - it was all so lovely and old-fashioned!
Also various operas.
SEMINARY CO-OP:
One of my favorite bookstores moved right before Thanksgiving. Seminary Co-op Books, often called the world's best academic bookstore, was so named because for aeons it's been housed in the basement of the Chicago Theological Seminary. But CTS has a new building, and an economic research institute has moved into the old place, so the University provided a new facility for the store. It's just a block away, next to Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, and it's gorgeous. A lot of folks were sad about the move; Seminary's quirky spaces were much beloved, despite the drawbacks (like lousy handicapped access, no natural light, and low hanging pipes), and there was concern that the atmosphere would be lost. But they made the right move in hiring architect Stanley Tigerman, who has been a Co-op member for thirty years. He has designed a large, light-filled space that still has those beloved nooks and crannies. One of my favorite things are the bookshelf "windows":
Two days before the actual opening, they had a "book parade". The store has always what was known as the Front Table (though it wasn't actually in the front), on which were displayed recent books, generally by University faculty, an honor described by one person as "The Pinnacle of Academic Achievement". So they invited the authors to come and move their books from the old Front Table to the new one. The parade came complete with bagpiper:
Afterwards, everyone enjoyed cookies and tea/coffee/cider/hot chocolate, as well as a sneak preview of the new space.
More on the move, the store, and how much people love it at the The Seminary Co-op Documentary Project.
FAMILY/FRIENDS:
My maternal great-aunt was married for a time to William E. Rodriguez, the first Hispanic alderman in the City of Chicago (and one of two aldermen elected on the Socialist Party ticket). He was also, back in 1912, the first Hispanic graduate of the law school that I attended, so the school had a reception in his honor, at which it was announced that a scholarship was being established in his name. I have been asked to serve on the committee that will establish the criteria by which it will be awarded. Should be an interesting experience; I've never done anything like that before.
An old friend of mine passed away in October. She had been living in Maine since her retirement about 10 years ago, but still had ties to the area. There was a memorial service for her earlier this month at the Friends Meeting in Lake Forest, of which she was a member. One of her daughters, also a friend, was unable to come in for it, but she and her husband and utterly adorable daughter came through town a couple of days ago and some of us got together with them for lunch. It was so good to see her, and it looks as though they will move back to the area (well, Wisconsin, anyway), which will be nice.
I hope everyone has had good holidays. Mine were excellent. I went to scads of parties.
Also, both my sisters came out for Christmas, and we indulged in art exhibits, bookstores, and seeing friends, including a dear friend of my parents' generation who is now in hospice care.
I had said that I did not want to get a Christmas tree, as hauling it up three flights of stairs (and back down) and finding errant needles well into July had gotten old. But Stacey turned up with a tree! It's a tabletop tree, only about 2 1/2 feet tall, and it smells marvelous.
OTHER STUFF:
I have been feeding my addiction to outerwear. Honestly, I have boring black skirts and trousers, and scads of jackets and coats. There's a great store in my neighborhood called What The Traveler Saw, that has items both for traveling, and which the owner has found on her travels. Lately, she has also been taking some items of clothing and jewelry on consignment, and recently brought in a guy who sells vintage clothing. Well, you know I was doomed! For a couple of weeks, I was salivating over a coat in the window of the store, so one day I went in and tried it on:
Then a couple of weeks later, while my sisters were with me (and urging me onward rather than the opposite), I found this on the vintage rack:
The label says "Donald Brooks", so I looked him up. Quite the guy! I was in the store today, and told the vintage guy what I'd found, which he hadn't known. I bet he's going to Google all his labels from now on. (Maybe I shouldn't have told him!)
That's probably more than enough from me right now.
Besides, it's close to time forchampagne Prosecco.
Gosh, I last posted on Election Day!
Since then, I've been busy.
SOME CULTURAL STUFF:
I see I've spent a fair bit of time at the Art Institute. Their new galleries for Greek, Roman and Byzantine art opened in November, and I went to a couple of events around that. And they had a fun holiday event for donors, with a talk in the photography study room on photographs of snow scenes, and another talk about art from the collection of winter scenes. All very appropriate and accompanied by drinks and cookies.
In the olden days, before radio and television and computers, people used to provide their own entertainment, often in the form of musical evenings. I went to one! A guy I know who is on the musical staff at Lyric Opera, along with a cellist from their orchestra, did a live radio broadcast on our local classical music station. They wanted to rehearse first in front of a live audience, so some friends opened their apartment, and invited about a dozen or so people over to listen to Bach, Debussy, Stravinsky - it was all so lovely and old-fashioned!
Also various operas.
SEMINARY CO-OP:
One of my favorite bookstores moved right before Thanksgiving. Seminary Co-op Books, often called the world's best academic bookstore, was so named because for aeons it's been housed in the basement of the Chicago Theological Seminary. But CTS has a new building, and an economic research institute has moved into the old place, so the University provided a new facility for the store. It's just a block away, next to Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, and it's gorgeous. A lot of folks were sad about the move; Seminary's quirky spaces were much beloved, despite the drawbacks (like lousy handicapped access, no natural light, and low hanging pipes), and there was concern that the atmosphere would be lost. But they made the right move in hiring architect Stanley Tigerman, who has been a Co-op member for thirty years. He has designed a large, light-filled space that still has those beloved nooks and crannies. One of my favorite things are the bookshelf "windows":
Two days before the actual opening, they had a "book parade". The store has always what was known as the Front Table (though it wasn't actually in the front), on which were displayed recent books, generally by University faculty, an honor described by one person as "The Pinnacle of Academic Achievement". So they invited the authors to come and move their books from the old Front Table to the new one. The parade came complete with bagpiper:
Afterwards, everyone enjoyed cookies and tea/coffee/cider/hot chocolate, as well as a sneak preview of the new space.
More on the move, the store, and how much people love it at the The Seminary Co-op Documentary Project.
FAMILY/FRIENDS:
My maternal great-aunt was married for a time to William E. Rodriguez, the first Hispanic alderman in the City of Chicago (and one of two aldermen elected on the Socialist Party ticket). He was also, back in 1912, the first Hispanic graduate of the law school that I attended, so the school had a reception in his honor, at which it was announced that a scholarship was being established in his name. I have been asked to serve on the committee that will establish the criteria by which it will be awarded. Should be an interesting experience; I've never done anything like that before.
An old friend of mine passed away in October. She had been living in Maine since her retirement about 10 years ago, but still had ties to the area. There was a memorial service for her earlier this month at the Friends Meeting in Lake Forest, of which she was a member. One of her daughters, also a friend, was unable to come in for it, but she and her husband and utterly adorable daughter came through town a couple of days ago and some of us got together with them for lunch. It was so good to see her, and it looks as though they will move back to the area (well, Wisconsin, anyway), which will be nice.
I hope everyone has had good holidays. Mine were excellent. I went to scads of parties.
Also, both my sisters came out for Christmas, and we indulged in art exhibits, bookstores, and seeing friends, including a dear friend of my parents' generation who is now in hospice care.
I had said that I did not want to get a Christmas tree, as hauling it up three flights of stairs (and back down) and finding errant needles well into July had gotten old. But Stacey turned up with a tree! It's a tabletop tree, only about 2 1/2 feet tall, and it smells marvelous.
OTHER STUFF:
I have been feeding my addiction to outerwear. Honestly, I have boring black skirts and trousers, and scads of jackets and coats. There's a great store in my neighborhood called What The Traveler Saw, that has items both for traveling, and which the owner has found on her travels. Lately, she has also been taking some items of clothing and jewelry on consignment, and recently brought in a guy who sells vintage clothing. Well, you know I was doomed! For a couple of weeks, I was salivating over a coat in the window of the store, so one day I went in and tried it on:
Then a couple of weeks later, while my sisters were with me (and urging me onward rather than the opposite), I found this on the vintage rack:
The label says "Donald Brooks", so I looked him up. Quite the guy! I was in the store today, and told the vintage guy what I'd found, which he hadn't known. I bet he's going to Google all his labels from now on. (Maybe I shouldn't have told him!)
That's probably more than enough from me right now.
Besides, it's close to time for
Elections and other things
Nov. 6th, 2012 02:51 pmI was a good girl and voted today. The judicial ballot was annoyingly long as usual, and I spent inordinate amounts of time on the web reading the various bar association and judicial commission reports trying to figure out who to vote for. The one race I chose not to vote in was for our Congressman. The incumbent is someone whose positions I generally agree with. However, he is suffering from a depressive disorder that has required multiple hospitalizations. While I certainly don't think that illness of any sort should be an automatic reason to vote against someone, in this case it has interfered with his ability to perform his duties, and I was also very unhappy with the way he and his staff handled the disclosure of his situation to his constituents. He had two opponents, one a Republican whose positions - where he actually disclosed them - are the opposite of mine, and the other an independent candidate who can't put together a coherent sentence. (He also has a really annoying website and misuses quotation marks constantly.) So I sat that one out.
I plan to spend election night watching the returns in the hotly-contested race in 14th-century Genoa between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. (I'm seeing Simon Boccanegra at Lyric.) Also keeping an eye on traffic as the Prez is in town, and what I hope will be the celebration is to be at the McCormick Place convention center, right on my way home from the opera.
Has it really been two months since I posted last? Apparently so. I will not even attempt to say what all I've been doing. But a few brief highlights are in order.
Our local branch library, the oldest in the city, participated in the Open House Chicago program, a weekend during which historically and architecturally significant buildings are open to the public free of charge. I organized the volunteers to staff the branch, and had a lot of fun. Then I went and checked out several other places that were open, places that normally aren't.
Some friends and I went up to Wisconsin a couple of weekends ago to check out the new Sir Norman Foster-designed building at S.C. Johnson company (famous for their Frank Lloyd Wright administration building). We drove by a couple of other FLW buildings in Racine, went to the Racine Art Museum, and then headed to Kenosha to the Kenosha Public Museum and dinner at a very good, upscale Italian restaurant. We had a great, if tiring, time.
This past Sunday, I went to one of the Chicago Humanities Festival events, "The Making of an American Opera", about the opera Lyric has commissioned based on Ann Patchett's book, Bel Canto. The composer and lyricist were discussing their collaboration, how the commission came about, etc. All quite interesting. Later the same day, I saw Beppe Severgnini's documentary Portland 2 Portland: A Political Train Journey Across America. Afterwards, Severgnini and two of the crew talked about the trip and some of the technical challenges of filming on a train.
I've also been to a couple of plays, some concerts, and some art exhibits.
Non-cultural stuff: a new coffeehouse opened across the street from me. I can recommend their carrot cake.
I plan to spend election night watching the returns in the hotly-contested race in 14th-century Genoa between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. (I'm seeing Simon Boccanegra at Lyric.) Also keeping an eye on traffic as the Prez is in town, and what I hope will be the celebration is to be at the McCormick Place convention center, right on my way home from the opera.
Has it really been two months since I posted last? Apparently so. I will not even attempt to say what all I've been doing. But a few brief highlights are in order.
Our local branch library, the oldest in the city, participated in the Open House Chicago program, a weekend during which historically and architecturally significant buildings are open to the public free of charge. I organized the volunteers to staff the branch, and had a lot of fun. Then I went and checked out several other places that were open, places that normally aren't.
Some friends and I went up to Wisconsin a couple of weekends ago to check out the new Sir Norman Foster-designed building at S.C. Johnson company (famous for their Frank Lloyd Wright administration building). We drove by a couple of other FLW buildings in Racine, went to the Racine Art Museum, and then headed to Kenosha to the Kenosha Public Museum and dinner at a very good, upscale Italian restaurant. We had a great, if tiring, time.
This past Sunday, I went to one of the Chicago Humanities Festival events, "The Making of an American Opera", about the opera Lyric has commissioned based on Ann Patchett's book, Bel Canto. The composer and lyricist were discussing their collaboration, how the commission came about, etc. All quite interesting. Later the same day, I saw Beppe Severgnini's documentary Portland 2 Portland: A Political Train Journey Across America. Afterwards, Severgnini and two of the crew talked about the trip and some of the technical challenges of filming on a train.
I've also been to a couple of plays, some concerts, and some art exhibits.
Non-cultural stuff: a new coffeehouse opened across the street from me. I can recommend their carrot cake.
I think the world has come to an end.
Jul. 17th, 2012 02:26 pmA Chicago cab driver declined a tip. Truly. As I was getting tip money from my purse, he said, "Forget about it." Weird. This was my second interesting cabbie of the day. Earlier, I'd managed to snag a cab as he was depositing an earlier fare. Turns out it was his first day on the job, so we were giving him tips on the best way to get places. Like most Chicago cabbies, he was an immigrant, but I've never had an Uzbekistani cabbie before!
I went to see Luis Alfaro's Oedipus El Rey at Victory Gardens Theatre last Friday, because I know some of the cast members. It got rave reviews, though some friends thought it mediocre. I fall somewhere in between on the play itself (an updating of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, set in South Central L.A.), but my friends absolutely deserved the accolades they got.
I was planning on going to the DuSable Museum's Art Fair on Saturday, but just as I was getting ready to get in the car and go, the heavens opened and it poured. Not enough to vitiate the drought, but enough to stop me. I went the next day instead. The event always falls on or just before my birthday, so if I see something I really want , I can use the "It's my birthday present to myself" excuse. It's usually jewelry, but this year it was a coat:
Before going there, I'd been to the home of a friend whose garden is always part of a neighborhood garden walk. On that weekend, she invites people over for cookies and cold drinks, and it's always nice to see her. She'd recently been on an opera tour of Italy, and so I admired her photos and was jealous (she had tried to get me to go with her, but the timing was bad).
It's ridiculously hot today (100º again), and our forthcoming "relief" will be either mid- to upper 80s or mid-to upper 90s, depending on which forecast you believe. Either is too hot to get my walks in, and I'm getting to the point where I think I'll take the bus to Block 37 or Water Tower Place (vertical shopping malls) and walk there. I miss my exercise. Now there's something I never thought I'd be saying!
I went to see Luis Alfaro's Oedipus El Rey at Victory Gardens Theatre last Friday, because I know some of the cast members. It got rave reviews, though some friends thought it mediocre. I fall somewhere in between on the play itself (an updating of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, set in South Central L.A.), but my friends absolutely deserved the accolades they got.
I was planning on going to the DuSable Museum's Art Fair on Saturday, but just as I was getting ready to get in the car and go, the heavens opened and it poured. Not enough to vitiate the drought, but enough to stop me. I went the next day instead. The event always falls on or just before my birthday, so if I see something I really want , I can use the "It's my birthday present to myself" excuse. It's usually jewelry, but this year it was a coat:
Before going there, I'd been to the home of a friend whose garden is always part of a neighborhood garden walk. On that weekend, she invites people over for cookies and cold drinks, and it's always nice to see her. She'd recently been on an opera tour of Italy, and so I admired her photos and was jealous (she had tried to get me to go with her, but the timing was bad).
It's ridiculously hot today (100º again), and our forthcoming "relief" will be either mid- to upper 80s or mid-to upper 90s, depending on which forecast you believe. Either is too hot to get my walks in, and I'm getting to the point where I think I'll take the bus to Block 37 or Water Tower Place (vertical shopping malls) and walk there. I miss my exercise. Now there's something I never thought I'd be saying!
I think the world has come to an end.
Jul. 17th, 2012 02:26 pmA Chicago cab driver declined a tip. Truly. As I was getting tip money from my purse, he said, "Forget about it." Weird. This was my second interesting cabbie of the day. Earlier, I'd managed to snag a cab as he was depositing an earlier fare. Turns out it was his first day on the job, so we were giving him tips on the best way to get places. Like most Chicago cabbies, he was an immigrant, but I've never had an Uzbekistani cabbie before!
I went to see Luis Alfaro's Oedipus El Rey at Victory Gardens Theatre last Friday, because I know some of the cast members. It got rave reviews, though some friends thought it mediocre. I fall somewhere in between on the play itself (an updating of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, set in South Central L.A.), but my friends absolutely deserved the accolades they got.
I was planning on going to the DuSable Museum's Art Fair on Saturday, but just as I was getting ready to get in the car and go, the heavens opened and it poured. Not enough to vitiate the drought, but enough to stop me. I went the next day instead. The event always falls on or just before my birthday, so if I see something I really want , I can use the "It's my birthday present to myself" excuse. It's usually jewelry, but this year it was a coat:
Before going there, I'd been to the home of a friend whose garden is always part of a neighborhood garden walk. On that weekend, she invites people over for cookies and cold drinks, and it's always nice to see her. She'd recently been on an opera tour of Italy, and so I admired her photos and was jealous (she had tried to get me to go with her, but the timing was bad).
It's ridiculously hot today (100º again), and our forthcoming "relief" will be either mid- to upper 80s or mid-to upper 90s, depending on which forecast you believe. Either is too hot to get my walks in, and I'm getting to the point where I think I'll take the bus to Block 37 or Water Tower Place (vertical shopping malls) and walk there. I miss my exercise. Now there's something I never thought I'd be saying!
I went to see Luis Alfaro's Oedipus El Rey at Victory Gardens Theatre last Friday, because I know some of the cast members. It got rave reviews, though some friends thought it mediocre. I fall somewhere in between on the play itself (an updating of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, set in South Central L.A.), but my friends absolutely deserved the accolades they got.
I was planning on going to the DuSable Museum's Art Fair on Saturday, but just as I was getting ready to get in the car and go, the heavens opened and it poured. Not enough to vitiate the drought, but enough to stop me. I went the next day instead. The event always falls on or just before my birthday, so if I see something I really want , I can use the "It's my birthday present to myself" excuse. It's usually jewelry, but this year it was a coat:
Before going there, I'd been to the home of a friend whose garden is always part of a neighborhood garden walk. On that weekend, she invites people over for cookies and cold drinks, and it's always nice to see her. She'd recently been on an opera tour of Italy, and so I admired her photos and was jealous (she had tried to get me to go with her, but the timing was bad).
It's ridiculously hot today (100º again), and our forthcoming "relief" will be either mid- to upper 80s or mid-to upper 90s, depending on which forecast you believe. Either is too hot to get my walks in, and I'm getting to the point where I think I'll take the bus to Block 37 or Water Tower Place (vertical shopping malls) and walk there. I miss my exercise. Now there's something I never thought I'd be saying!
July 4, 2012
Jul. 4th, 2012 09:12 pmI have one thing to say:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CYjE9Gv3A4&feature=emb_logo
We hit 102º today, and may get three in a row. Other than that, it's been in the '90s. Ugh. Way too hot to do much of anything.
The neighborhood 4th of July parade goes right in front of my building, so we went down to enjoy that. The usual politicians, kids on bikes, etc. There's a party in a park a few blocks away afterwards, but I didn't feel I could handle the heat. But my sisters walked down to check it out.
Cathy came in on Saturday, and on Sunday we went up to my friend Margaret's for dinner. We hung out and grilled, and Cathy had made gluten-free cream puffs which were excellent. When we got home, we were just coming off the Drive when we saw Stacey trolling for a parking spot. It was pretty tough because so many people were hanging out in the park down the street from me to avoid the heat, so she ended up a few blocks away.
We mostly just hung out inside because of the heat, but yesterday went to have dinner with some old family friends.
Stacey left this afternoon as she has to be at work tomorrow, but Cathy will be here until Friday. It's good to have them visit!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CYjE9Gv3A4&feature=emb_logo
We hit 102º today, and may get three in a row. Other than that, it's been in the '90s. Ugh. Way too hot to do much of anything.
The neighborhood 4th of July parade goes right in front of my building, so we went down to enjoy that. The usual politicians, kids on bikes, etc. There's a party in a park a few blocks away afterwards, but I didn't feel I could handle the heat. But my sisters walked down to check it out.
Cathy came in on Saturday, and on Sunday we went up to my friend Margaret's for dinner. We hung out and grilled, and Cathy had made gluten-free cream puffs which were excellent. When we got home, we were just coming off the Drive when we saw Stacey trolling for a parking spot. It was pretty tough because so many people were hanging out in the park down the street from me to avoid the heat, so she ended up a few blocks away.
We mostly just hung out inside because of the heat, but yesterday went to have dinner with some old family friends.
Stacey left this afternoon as she has to be at work tomorrow, but Cathy will be here until Friday. It's good to have them visit!
Everyone was there! Hecht, of course, and Margaret Anderson of The Little Review, Eunice Tietjens, Sherwood Anderson, Max Bodenheim, Vachel Lindsay. Okay, so it was actors playing the parts. But still, it was the house where Ben Hecht lived for a while (it was a rooming house):
We were entertained with music, poetry and a magic lantern show, and there was food and drink. There was even a costume contest, which I didn't know about, but I got Honorable Mention, basically for being mouthy to a lecturer. (He said something about having too much money to spend on books, and I said, "Lucky you!" He liked my "20s attitude"!) I live in a fun neighborhood.
I've been down to the Art Institute a couple of times over the last week for special events. Last week there was a lecture to preview an upcoming exhibit of Byzantine art, mostly borrowed from the British Museum, which coincidentally is closing their Byzantine galleries for renovation just as we are re-opening ours. So the show will be up for nine months, and it sounds like it's going to be fabulous. At pretty much the other end of the spectrum, there was a lecture about the current Roy Lichtenstein retrospective, followed by a reception and viewing of the exhibit. I'm completely in love with Landscape in Fog. There's actually a sign at the entrance to the exhibit encouraging photography (for personal use), a rarity for special exhibitions.
Last Thursday was "Make Music Chicago Day", with all kinds of music being played at venues all over the city - all day. Tremendous fun! I went down to the Fine Arts Building and heard Miss Chicago 2012 sing opera, and then to the main library for a dance tribute to Katharine Dunham. That was so good. They showed video clips from the Dance collection, and then a local dance troupe did some of her work, but then there were also hip-hop and South Asian dancers, influenced by her. Very cool. In the late afternoon, I went over to International House at the University of Chicago for jazz, more opera, and the Chicken Fat Klezmer Orchestra. There was also food and drink there, which I was not expecting, so I noshed a little but still stopped on the way home, as previously planned, for Thai carry-out.
And I saw the cutest movie! It's called "The Cat Returns" and is an animated Japanese film about a schoolgirl who saves a cat from being hit by a car. It turns out that this wasn't just any cat, but the son of the King of Cats! The King's attempts to show his gratitude lead to all sorts of complications.
And in "small world" stuff: I had lunch yesterday with the daughter of my high school biology teacher, whom I had met a couple of times years ago. This teacher was instrumental in my choice of college. Now, one of the women in my graduating class happened to mention that she sometimes comes to Chicago, and has a good friend here. You guessed it - my teacher's daughter. They know each other because their husbands went to school together. On top of which, L is a friend of D, someone else I knew way back when, and we are now hoping that the three of us can get together when D visits here in late July.
My friend Hilary was in town over the last weekend, visiting her two kids and her mom, so she stopped by on Sunday and we gabbed and ate pastries.
I have been swilling sparkling water all day. It's currently 96º and it's supposed to be in the 90s at least for the next week. At least so far, it hasn't broken 100º. We're also supposed to get isolated thunderstorms over the next couple of days.
Sorry about the length, but it's been so long since I last posted that I can't help it! I'll try to do better.
We were entertained with music, poetry and a magic lantern show, and there was food and drink. There was even a costume contest, which I didn't know about, but I got Honorable Mention, basically for being mouthy to a lecturer. (He said something about having too much money to spend on books, and I said, "Lucky you!" He liked my "20s attitude"!) I live in a fun neighborhood.
I've been down to the Art Institute a couple of times over the last week for special events. Last week there was a lecture to preview an upcoming exhibit of Byzantine art, mostly borrowed from the British Museum, which coincidentally is closing their Byzantine galleries for renovation just as we are re-opening ours. So the show will be up for nine months, and it sounds like it's going to be fabulous. At pretty much the other end of the spectrum, there was a lecture about the current Roy Lichtenstein retrospective, followed by a reception and viewing of the exhibit. I'm completely in love with Landscape in Fog. There's actually a sign at the entrance to the exhibit encouraging photography (for personal use), a rarity for special exhibitions.
Last Thursday was "Make Music Chicago Day", with all kinds of music being played at venues all over the city - all day. Tremendous fun! I went down to the Fine Arts Building and heard Miss Chicago 2012 sing opera, and then to the main library for a dance tribute to Katharine Dunham. That was so good. They showed video clips from the Dance collection, and then a local dance troupe did some of her work, but then there were also hip-hop and South Asian dancers, influenced by her. Very cool. In the late afternoon, I went over to International House at the University of Chicago for jazz, more opera, and the Chicken Fat Klezmer Orchestra. There was also food and drink there, which I was not expecting, so I noshed a little but still stopped on the way home, as previously planned, for Thai carry-out.
And I saw the cutest movie! It's called "The Cat Returns" and is an animated Japanese film about a schoolgirl who saves a cat from being hit by a car. It turns out that this wasn't just any cat, but the son of the King of Cats! The King's attempts to show his gratitude lead to all sorts of complications.
And in "small world" stuff: I had lunch yesterday with the daughter of my high school biology teacher, whom I had met a couple of times years ago. This teacher was instrumental in my choice of college. Now, one of the women in my graduating class happened to mention that she sometimes comes to Chicago, and has a good friend here. You guessed it - my teacher's daughter. They know each other because their husbands went to school together. On top of which, L is a friend of D, someone else I knew way back when, and we are now hoping that the three of us can get together when D visits here in late July.
My friend Hilary was in town over the last weekend, visiting her two kids and her mom, so she stopped by on Sunday and we gabbed and ate pastries.
I have been swilling sparkling water all day. It's currently 96º and it's supposed to be in the 90s at least for the next week. At least so far, it hasn't broken 100º. We're also supposed to get isolated thunderstorms over the next couple of days.
Sorry about the length, but it's been so long since I last posted that I can't help it! I'll try to do better.
Back last April, at B.C. in D.C., I won the raffle for a free weekend at the Sheraton Crystal City (the convention hotel). When I went to New York last July, I volunteered to be bumped from the plane in exchange for travel vouchers. So this past weekend, I put the two together and went to see the cherry blossoms.
I arrived on Friday by early afternoon, plenty of time to dash off to the National Gallery of Art for a very excellent exhibit, Marks of Ownership, of books drawn from the NGA's library showing bookplates, coats of arms, and just plain signatures. I had hoped to see another small show there at the same time, but the gallery was closed that day (guard shortages, apparently). I was able to see that exhibit, The Fleeting Structures of Early Modern Europe the next day, though.
The NGA people aren't dumb. To get from the West Building to the East Building, you must pass through three gift shops. Seriously. Two books and a necklace later . . .
After resting up a bit at the hotel, I went to Alexandria, wandered about a bit, and had a good pizza sitting outside at a restaurant on King St.
I started the next day at the Sackler, where an exhbit of Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji was opening, just in time for the Cherry Blossom Festival. There was also a koto concert going on just outside that gallery:
(I have no idea why this is sideways, and I can't rotate it. But enjoy the music.)
There was a light mist happening, which caused them to move the bento boxes from the garden to inside the museum, so I decided to head for the Tidal Basin before the rain got more serious. The cherry blossoms were seriously beautiful, and it really did look like a postcard:
I walked back to the mall, to catch the Fleeting Structures show at the NGA, pausing to listen to a bit of the Reason Rally, which was, in fact, only
and had a quick bite to eat at the Museum of the American Indian.
Back to the hotel to rest up, and then have dinner with my friend Soching and her husband, both retired foreign service. Good dinner, good conversation.
The plan on Sunday was to go to the Folger, but as they did not open until noon, I first went to the U.S. Botanic Gardens, where there was an orchid show going on:
I got a bit too distracted by the flowers, because it was already 1:00 by the time I got to the Folger, just as a tour was starting. I joined the group, but peeled off after a bit so I could spend more time with my reason for being there, namely, the Shakespeare's Sisters exhibit. Lots of gorgeous books, written by, owned by, translated by, women from 1500-1700 (well, a few were later). Including (nod to the NGA exhibit) marks of ownership:
Uneventful flight home (as they all should be).
I arrived on Friday by early afternoon, plenty of time to dash off to the National Gallery of Art for a very excellent exhibit, Marks of Ownership, of books drawn from the NGA's library showing bookplates, coats of arms, and just plain signatures. I had hoped to see another small show there at the same time, but the gallery was closed that day (guard shortages, apparently). I was able to see that exhibit, The Fleeting Structures of Early Modern Europe the next day, though.
The NGA people aren't dumb. To get from the West Building to the East Building, you must pass through three gift shops. Seriously. Two books and a necklace later . . .
After resting up a bit at the hotel, I went to Alexandria, wandered about a bit, and had a good pizza sitting outside at a restaurant on King St.
I started the next day at the Sackler, where an exhbit of Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji was opening, just in time for the Cherry Blossom Festival. There was also a koto concert going on just outside that gallery:
(I have no idea why this is sideways, and I can't rotate it. But enjoy the music.)
There was a light mist happening, which caused them to move the bento boxes from the garden to inside the museum, so I decided to head for the Tidal Basin before the rain got more serious. The cherry blossoms were seriously beautiful, and it really did look like a postcard:
I walked back to the mall, to catch the Fleeting Structures show at the NGA, pausing to listen to a bit of the Reason Rally, which was, in fact, only
and had a quick bite to eat at the Museum of the American Indian.
Back to the hotel to rest up, and then have dinner with my friend Soching and her husband, both retired foreign service. Good dinner, good conversation.
The plan on Sunday was to go to the Folger, but as they did not open until noon, I first went to the U.S. Botanic Gardens, where there was an orchid show going on:
I got a bit too distracted by the flowers, because it was already 1:00 by the time I got to the Folger, just as a tour was starting. I joined the group, but peeled off after a bit so I could spend more time with my reason for being there, namely, the Shakespeare's Sisters exhibit. Lots of gorgeous books, written by, owned by, translated by, women from 1500-1700 (well, a few were later). Including (nod to the NGA exhibit) marks of ownership:
Uneventful flight home (as they all should be).
What I did in New York City
Feb. 11th, 2012 08:58 pmI had fun! Well, you knew that, but to get more specific . . .
Arriving late Sunday afternoon, I didn't do much that day other than wander a bit around the neighborhood of my hotel. This managed to include a visit to a bookstore (Westsider Books) where a couple of books did insist on coming along with me. Not my fault. Then dinner at a very nice Turkish restaurant, Savann, on Amsterdam Avenue.
( Monday )
( Tuesday )
( Wednesday )
( Thursday )
I had plenty of time at the airport before my flight, which then arrived in Chicago right on time. Went home and tried to unpack, but for some reason found that a bit difficult:
Arriving late Sunday afternoon, I didn't do much that day other than wander a bit around the neighborhood of my hotel. This managed to include a visit to a bookstore (Westsider Books) where a couple of books did insist on coming along with me. Not my fault. Then dinner at a very nice Turkish restaurant, Savann, on Amsterdam Avenue.
( Monday )
( Tuesday )
( Wednesday )
( Thursday )
I had plenty of time at the airport before my flight, which then arrived in Chicago right on time. Went home and tried to unpack, but for some reason found that a bit difficult:
What I did in New York City
Feb. 11th, 2012 08:58 pmI had fun! Well, you knew that, but to get more specific . . .
Arriving late Sunday afternoon, I didn't do much that day other than wander a bit around the neighborhood of my hotel. This managed to include a visit to a bookstore (Westsider Books) where a couple of books did insist on coming along with me. Not my fault. Then dinner at a very nice Turkish restaurant, Savann, on Amsterdam Avenue.
( Monday )
( Tuesday )
( Wednesday )
( Thursday )
I had plenty of time at the airport before my flight, which then arrived in Chicago right on time. Went home and tried to unpack, but for some reason found that a bit difficult:
Arriving late Sunday afternoon, I didn't do much that day other than wander a bit around the neighborhood of my hotel. This managed to include a visit to a bookstore (Westsider Books) where a couple of books did insist on coming along with me. Not my fault. Then dinner at a very nice Turkish restaurant, Savann, on Amsterdam Avenue.
( Monday )
( Tuesday )
( Wednesday )
( Thursday )
I had plenty of time at the airport before my flight, which then arrived in Chicago right on time. Went home and tried to unpack, but for some reason found that a bit difficult:
Blow, thou winter wind!
Jan. 12th, 2012 09:45 pmI have just come in from clearing a few inches of snow off the car. It's supposed to snow all night, and since I have a class in the morning, I wanted to get a head start. A friend of mine is supposed to be flying in from New York tonight to see her mom and her two kids (I say "kids", but they are college grads); I hope she makes it.
Hard to believe it was 50º(F) yesterday! (Well, maybe not. This is Chicago, and it is January.
It's been a fairly quiet week. I ushered at a concert on Saturday - very nice early music, featuring a pair of cellists. Went to hear The Magic Flute last night, which is always a treat. Also went to an event at the Art Institute - a conversation between a curator and a collector, followed by drinks, noshes and a viewing of an exhibit of drawings from said collector's collection. There was one piece in particular that I coveted, "Second Roebling", by Christopher Wilmarth. I won't post the image of it that I found on the web, though; it just doesn't do the piece any justice.
Did a bit of shopping. I lost my good black gloves on the bus on Friday, so had to replace them. I was really annoyed because I'd only bought them a few weeks ago. Also did some boring but necessary bra/undies/socks shopping.
I went to the library yesterday to return one book, and pick up another that was on hold. I actually returned home with four books; it's so nice to have the time to sit back and read.
I finally worked out exactly when I'm going to head off to the BC convention. I'm going to go to Glasgow first, and then Dublin. I bought my airline tickets today and booked a hotel in Glasgow, and am waiting to hear from someone who might share a room in Dublin before I book that (though I'm not going to wait too long). I had to change a couple of theatre tickets here, but that was no big deal.
Hard to believe it was 50º(F) yesterday! (Well, maybe not. This is Chicago, and it is January.
It's been a fairly quiet week. I ushered at a concert on Saturday - very nice early music, featuring a pair of cellists. Went to hear The Magic Flute last night, which is always a treat. Also went to an event at the Art Institute - a conversation between a curator and a collector, followed by drinks, noshes and a viewing of an exhibit of drawings from said collector's collection. There was one piece in particular that I coveted, "Second Roebling", by Christopher Wilmarth. I won't post the image of it that I found on the web, though; it just doesn't do the piece any justice.
Did a bit of shopping. I lost my good black gloves on the bus on Friday, so had to replace them. I was really annoyed because I'd only bought them a few weeks ago. Also did some boring but necessary bra/undies/socks shopping.
I went to the library yesterday to return one book, and pick up another that was on hold. I actually returned home with four books; it's so nice to have the time to sit back and read.
I finally worked out exactly when I'm going to head off to the BC convention. I'm going to go to Glasgow first, and then Dublin. I bought my airline tickets today and booked a hotel in Glasgow, and am waiting to hear from someone who might share a room in Dublin before I book that (though I'm not going to wait too long). I had to change a couple of theatre tickets here, but that was no big deal.
Tags:
Mojosmom and the blustery day
Jan. 2nd, 2012 08:17 amThe scales having confirmed that the holiday parties have resulted in a weight increase, so despite the fact that it was a gray morning, I decided to start the New Year with a walk along the lakefront. I bundled up and went out. Gosh, it was raw! Damp and windy. Nevertheless, I got in nearly a half-hour's brisk walk and then came home to a nice, hot cup of tea.
Later, a friend called to see if I'd like to meet her for a drink. I did so, then came home, had dinner, and settled in to watch an installment of the Commissario Brunetti series.
Woke up this morning to find that it snowed during the night! Not too much, though.
Later, a friend called to see if I'd like to meet her for a drink. I did so, then came home, had dinner, and settled in to watch an installment of the Commissario Brunetti series.
Woke up this morning to find that it snowed during the night! Not too much, though.
More holiday stuff + a movie
Dec. 20th, 2011 03:12 pmThe Lurie Garden at Millennium Park had luminary walks last Friday evening, short guided tours of the garden with luminaries lighting the pathways. It was cold (gee, December in Chicago, what a surprise!), so they started the tours with hot cider.
I had quite a bit of time afterwards before I had to head over to the Siskel for a movie (see below), so I wandered over and watched the skaters, and then to the Bean for a bit of caroling. Had a bite to eat, and then went to see The Interrupters, a really great documentary about Ceasefire, and the work of its "violence interrupters". Watch the trailer and learn more here.
On Saturday, I seriously partied. I went to eat latkes at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tzurriz' annual Hanukah party, and then went to Jim & Kevin's for their annual holiday party. Ate more than I should have, but I had a lot of fun at both.
Then on Sunday I went up north to Margaret's for the XYZ dinner, and, as always, we exchanged gifts. M. made a turkey, and the rest of us brought a variety of side dishes. I ate too much again, and came home with leftovers. Among other things, I received a book which has been added to my holiday pop-up display:
I had quite a bit of time afterwards before I had to head over to the Siskel for a movie (see below), so I wandered over and watched the skaters, and then to the Bean for a bit of caroling. Had a bite to eat, and then went to see The Interrupters, a really great documentary about Ceasefire, and the work of its "violence interrupters". Watch the trailer and learn more here.
On Saturday, I seriously partied. I went to eat latkes at
tzurriz' annual Hanukah party, and then went to Jim & Kevin's for their annual holiday party. Ate more than I should have, but I had a lot of fun at both.Then on Sunday I went up north to Margaret's for the XYZ dinner, and, as always, we exchanged gifts. M. made a turkey, and the rest of us brought a variety of side dishes. I ate too much again, and came home with leftovers. Among other things, I received a book which has been added to my holiday pop-up display:
