The junior senator from my state is, barring natural disasters in the next 24 hours in crucial swing states, going to be the next President of the United States. He will be giving his acceptance speech in a park just over 5 miles away from my apartment, and I've got a ticket to the party. Even if I wasn't lucky enough to score a ticket, I would join the thousands of supporters who will be happily swarming the rest of Grant Park. When the opportunity to be part of a historic moment drops itself into your lap, how could you say no? 21:06
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Thy neighbor's recycling bins
Blue bins are finally rolling out in Chicago, ward by ward, decades after other cities instituted similar programs. My little side street must be a ward line, because from my back yard I can see a nice long line of blue bins in my neighbor's alley, while my alley has none. Do I occasionally sneak across the street at night with a bag of recyclables? If I did would it be so wrong? :) 20:57
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Lately
I've been rereading Under the Tuscan Sun while riding the train and bus (totally different from the movie---definitely not a single woman's empowering renovation journey, but good all the same). Reading other fun books. Working a short-term job for a sole practitioner in the middle of a big trial. Still looking for a regular job. Cooking. Baking bread. Going to the gym. Slowly exploring the neighborhood. Spending time with Josh and my friends. Going to Michigan. Picking apples. Taking photographs.
Taking a look at the big picture and feeling content with my life. 19:57
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Wednesday, September 17, 2008
New favorite technique
I've recently started cooking more, because I have more time and less money than I used to, and I find that when I'm not rushing I actually enjoy it. My new favorite technique is roasting. Not revolutionary or novel, but nice and easy and hands-off. I had been roasting tomatoes at a high temperature, which caused the smoke alarm to go off and scare the dog, but Lindsay tipped me off to slow-roasting at a lower temp, which has made Henry much happier. Garlic is lovely roasted, as are chunks of sweet potatoes. 13:30
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Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Regulars
This is only my third day hanging out at the Bucktown-Wicker Park library, and while Comcast is *finally* coming today to hook up my internet connection, it probably won't be my last. It's a good place to get out of the house and get some work done. Quieter than a cafe, free internet, and the supportive presence of neighbors also tapping away on their laptops.
I'm already recognizing people. The woman with the reddish hair who stares around the room with red-rimmed eyes half the time. I can't tell if she's tired or if she's recently been crying. The woman with highlighted and product-filled hair and a Mac. The guys with their dark-rimmed glasses all kind of blend together. 09:55
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Thursday, September 04, 2008
On moving
When I move to a new neighborhood, the entire city suddenly feels unfamiliar and everything I knew seems far away. By moving a few miles I change grocery stores, Thai take-out places, drug stores, dog walking routes, bus routes and neighborhood landmarks. I need to learn names of new side streets, and parking regulations for when friends visit. Henry and I will learn the names and smells of new neighborhood dogs.
For the first few days I feel like my new apartment is a ship. Inside we’re safe and cozy, albeit surrounded by our boxed-up belongings. Outside is the great expanse of the unfamiliar. The idea of exploring after days of unpacking and organizing sounds exhausting, but necessity forces me to make a few expeditions with specific purposes. Café with internet? Check. Tasty lunch spot? Check.
Soon it will all be old news, so I suppose I should revel in the process of learning the new neighborhood. Which by the way, is either Humboldt Park or West Wicker Park . According to maps I’ve looked at we’re in Humboldt, but realtors (and the proprietor of the café a block away) call it West Wicker Park . 16:07
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Monday, August 04, 2008
Getting my brain back
The bar exam is over (it was last Tuesday and Wednesday) and I've spent the past five days relaxing and returning to a normal state of being. You know those little toy race cars that you can wind up by rolling the car backwards, and then let go? And remember how you could only wind the wheels back so far, because they would grind and not go any further? My brain right before and during the bar was like a tightly wound race car wheel. This week, the car has been coasting.
Movies, brunch, dinner, drinks, talking with friends, sleeping, Lollapalooza, reading favorite books from childhood (John Bellairsanyone?), and working on my mojito recipe have all helped a lot. I'm no longer dreaming of test questions. I'm starting to feel like the whole thing wasn't that bad. Just kidding, it did kind of kill my summer, but hopefully it'll be a one time experience. 15:26
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Friday, July 18, 2008
I'm not usually big on tea, but...
I've taken to studying in cafes and coffee shops during this bar studying summer, and I'm not a huge fan of iced coffee drinks, so I've switched to unsweetened iced teas. A fellow bar studying friend in the neighborhood has been studying with me at my apartment this week, so I've been making big jugs of iced tea for us. Considering that I'm not a huge tea person and don't have a ton of awesome teas sitting around the apartment, it's turned out quite well. A few bags of Irish Breakfast tea, some manzanilla con menta (chamomile mint) I randomly picked up from the Mexican grocery store, and a handfull of fresh mint leaves makes for a tasty brew. I'd been growing the mint plant with mojitos in mind, but I haven't had much time to drink lately. 12:57
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This closely parallels many conversations I have with Josh
I'm the one filling in the blanks, he's the one communicating visually.
