Bye Bye, Naperville... Hello, Evanston!

I had such a wonderful fall semester for many reasons... good times with Abbey and Eric, ridiculous dates with my little cousins (like the afternoon Gwen and I spent creating the ugliest possible Mii characters on the Wii),

and fairy tale-like nights in the city going to the best restaurants, plays, and sports events. Check out how gorgeous Union Station looked at Christmas during my last train ride home in 2009:


Now I'm in Evanston staying with a friend while I collect data from a school in the city. Yesterday was my first day and I was quite proud of myself for taking the purple line and making a connection with bus #22 to get from Northwestern all the way down to Lincoln Park. Let's hear it for public transit! (Though CTA is going to have to cut services basically in half because of budget cuts... ugh). So far, things are going great. My friend and I used to work together out east and we got along really well. I can't tell you how hard I laughed when I saw his baby picture in the living room:


Yep. That's him. How ridiculous is that picture??? The hair. The suit. The little strut. Seriously.

Here's to a new phase of the study and to keeping my eye on the dissertation prize! Stay focused!

Worst Days Have A Way of Bringing Out the Best

You know when you have a day that you can't wait to end so you can just start fresh tomorrow? That is today for me. It could be worse. It could be much, much worse... but being sick in the wee hours of the morning (like shivers, cramps, needing to be in the bathroom for multiple reasons, etc.), then having romantic hopes challenged, then worrying that your cat might be dead (she's fine), then finding out your car battery has died and the hood is both broken and partially frozen shut is enough for one day, thank you very much.

However, at every step of the way, I encountered kindness and compassion: pulling back my hair and finding medicine and rubbing my back while I was sick, phone calls with supportive friends and soup from sister to listen to woes, buddies willing to go out of their way to check on Lois, and a neighbor and brother-in-law who stay outside in the freezing cold with a crowbar to jimmy open a broken latch. Thank you!!! Interactions with me today provided ample opportunity for karma bonus points.

Is that a silver lining, or what?

Happy New Year

October??? Is that really the last time I posted? This blog started as a way to be grateful on a daily basis and evolved a bit to capture snippets of my life. It's amazing how the specifics of many fleeting moments are forgotten, but are what builds a life. Here are some of the highlights from '09...

COSTLIEST DAY
The costliest day of '08 was separated by the costliest day of '09 by only a few months and both involved automobiles. My Corolla needed repairs after I ran a stop sign and then, in March, I rented a car while in Seattle and got a rather pricey speeding ticket. Wince. I think I should do more walking this year.

CRAZIEST DAY
That would be a couple of months ago when I was able to hear Howard Zinn speak, then DROVE WITH HIM IN A CAR where I got to TALK TO HIM ABOUT MY RESEARCH and chit chat about much more interesting and important things like his family, visited Emma Goldman's grave with him and got personal stories from him about many of her permanent neighbors, stopped off at the coolest bookstore I've ever been in on the U of C's campus, then ate a fabulous gourmet dinner at a certain UIC education professor's house who became quite famous during the '08 Presidential campaign. And then a great date night at an Argentinian cafe where we ate large quantities of all kinds of meat and drank wine for hours. What. A. Day.


BEST DECISION
To stay in Madison for the summer. I used to love Madison, but this summer I fell in love with that amazing city. I'll probably gallavant again this summer a bit and move to Chicago sooner than later, but we'll always have the summer of '09, my dear City of the Lakes.

HIGHEST MOMENT
That would be on the top of Mt.Evans... about 15,000 feet? Am I making that up? Ahh, the sign says 14,000. Let's round up. Viva los Montadores! If I'm talking about pride, though, I would have to say becoming a dissertator. It's not even the academic, intellectual work that has been so challenging - it's definitely the paperwork and bureaucratic hoops.


LOWEST MOMENT
Literally, when I laid on the floor writhing in pain because of some mysterious shoulder injury that likely occurred because of typing up my prelims for hours in a row in a super uncomfortable chair. Thanks, grad school. Also, "lowest" as in "least proud" would probably be calling the TV station when The Bachelorette was interrupted by weather reports.

MOST INSPIRING PERSON
My little sister who kicks ass. There's no other way to say it. I have witnessed her commitment to fitness firsthand and am actually trying to live up to her example a bit. We'll see.


FAVORITE NEW TRADITION
This is a toss-up... I love the monthly dinners I've been having with three of the best girlfriends anyone could ask for. I also love the evolution of my family's Christmas traditions with the idea of a "theme". First year, gifts that start with the letter of the recipients' first names... second year, colors. This year was regions of the country. Dad and Karen got Maine-lobsters, Abbey got rainboots, and Eric got an LL Bean sweater (and a super fun new card game called "Moose in the House" - totally recommend it).

TOUGHEST GOODBYE
Not getting to see my family (the Swalwells East clan and the Chicago Hendersons) on a regular basis. Hopefully, it's just a temporary good-bye. Also tough was my friends Heather, Dave, Alexa, and Ana Maria moving away. One of the bummers of Madison is that people are always leaving (but new people are always coming, too). Oh, and dairy. Bye, dairy.

The most recent This American Life episode was about predictions for the new year - things we know for sure will happen. I'm not sure there are any clear moments coming up... my Janesville learning community will graduate and my data collection will be done. Aside from that, I know that I will be surrounded by amazing family and friends. Nice to meet you, 2010!