Things I Like — Little Free Libraries
Take A Penny; Leave A Penny applied liberally to books, and in adorably tiny bookhouses. Is there a single thing to not love here? (Unless you’re zealous California planning commissioners.) A Little Free Library has appeared at the end of our block recently. Cherry red, sporting a distinct bird house vibe. Today’s haul: a beatup … Continue reading
Things I Like — A Lake Michigan Breeze
It’s a five minute walk to one of the world’s most beautiful bodies of water from my house. I love the shrift of sand, the crinkle of lapping tides, but this time of year I’m thankful for the gentle breeze skimming the lake’s ice-cold depths. Work’s a 45-minute drive in the opposite direction. I get … Continue reading
Adrian.
Last summer, when we’d only just arrived, I was out exploring our neighborhood one afternoon and realized I needed to buy bread but didn’t have my wallet. I turned back toward home to grab it and on my way a kid — maybe late teens or early twenties — stopped me outside our L station. … Continue reading
The Not Knowing
Lately I have been pinch-hitting at a local school. It is super fun. I get to work with kids and explain things like rainbows and dipthongs and fractions. I bring in library books for story time and host Jeopardy for the older ones if we finish early. I get asked things like “What color is … Continue reading
Our Neighborhood
About a million years ago I joined #MakingTime, a month of daily prompts to reclaim life and find balance in the little spaces between Stuff. It had some pretty awesome things about it and I enjoyed my escapades. One of my daily challenges was to take 20 pictures of my day and really spend time … Continue reading
Chicago Botanic Garden
One of the true hidden gems of our Chicago explorations so far. Despite the first part of the name being slightly misleading — the Gardens are a full 25 miles north of downtown, on the edge of a pretty suburb named Glencoe, I can attest it is absolutely 100% worth the journey. A traditional Botanic … Continue reading
Chicago at One Month
We moved to the Windy City four weeks ago. It feels much longer somehow. Moving in was the traditional small-scale saga, starting with a farce of a landlord having no key for our bolt and ending in a beautifully crafted climax: a gaggle of family perched, in pairs, up each section of our fire escape … Continue reading
Ten Things I Did Not Know I Would Love About Chicago
The sailboats ambling by the end of our road The distant rumble of trains reminding me of the hurtling city a few miles down of the line Drag Performance Debates The big yellow school bus that stops on our leafy street The sunpatch-cum-mini-patio at the top of our fire escape The inspiring homeless guy … Continue reading
The Case for The Long Game
While I’ve taken some interviews and been hunting for work, the commuter’s 9-5 has never held great appeal, so between gigs I’ve been pondering alternative solutions. Ones we can take with us when Bean’s course ends in two years and we are once again faced with option to uproot to new lives somewhere else. They … Continue reading
Hello, world
Once a month I have a night or two of insomnia. Despite a double-dose of painkillers my aches crunch on, dulled but unabated, and so I am left to ponder the world in a quietude all my own. I’ve come to enjoy the peaceful time, the botherings aside, and consider it a small space where … Continue reading
Que Sera Sara? 