High Times In Evanston

I've been very delayed in getting up any posts - whether as gratitude logs or just a general recap of what's been going on lately. This lack of documentation is mostly due to my Chicago routine: Monday teach in Madison, Tuesday morning drive to Evanston and take the train into the city, take the train into Lincoln Park Wednesday and Thursday and Friday, Friday night drive back to Madison ... and then do it all again with a few weekends in Janesville thrown in for good measure. Lots of singing to music and car dancing. And no speeding tickets... yet.

I actually like the commute and kind of appreciate having parallel lives in these two places. It's also been great to get a taste of living in Chicago... which I looooovvvve. I'm actually not too crazy about Evanston, but am open to that opinion changing as the weather gets nicer. I'm only a few blocks from the lake and can't wait for the spring thaw for walks and jogs along the shore.

Here are a few of the recent highlights:

There's a cupcakery just a few blocks from my research site that serves (drumroll, please) gluten and dairy free cupcakes. Are you kidding me? Yes, I will give you $3.50 to taste the most decadent, rich, unbelievably scrumptious goodness ever. And yes, I will walk as fast as I can to sneak one in between classes. Almost every day. I also just stumbled across a gluten-free cafe in Evanston with the best bread I've ever had (no sugar - agave syrup instead and sprouted gluten-free grains... so nourishing). I also treated myself to a carrot muffin AND devoured an entire piece of GF/dairy-free cheeesecake in the four minutes it took to drive back to my place. It was not my proudest moment, but one of my most delicious.


This is the view from the living room at the condo where I'm staying. It's truly breath-taking and every sunset has been better than the last. I need to stop taking pictures with my phone, though... the reflection of a huge digital clock doesn't really add to the aesthetics.


This is taken (from my phone camera... not too shabby!) on the L tracks near the Fullerton stop on the Purple Line. More than anything else about Chicago, I love taking public transportation. First of all, no nap is quite as good as a train nap for 15 minutes in the middle of the day. Secondly, trains are the best place ever for people watching. You just have to remember that you're being watched, too.

The Big 3-0

I have been telling people I'm 30 for about 6 months because I was so excited, so February the 5th wasn't necessarily super-monumental. It was, however, still my birthday and I was missing my mom more than usual that day. On the early train ride into the city, a young man sat down next to me. He was adorable - picture Nick Cannon in a winter coat on the El.

I felt like he wanted to say something to me, but this is the rush hour commute. No one talks. They are professionals. He smiled at me, though, with the kindest eyes and asked about whether the purple line route would change in the upcoming budget cuts. We started to chat and he was incredibly warm and friendly. I learned about his job (investigating corruption charges for the Elections Board), his time in the military (a tour in Afghanistan), and his childhood (on the South side). We introduced ourselves and I told him that it was my favorite ride into the city yet. It wasn't until I was walking the block to the bus after we said goodbye that I realized it was the kind of heartwarming, genuine interaction my mom had with people all the time. As I got on the bus for the last leg of my commute, I smiled and got a little choked up thinking that maybe she had sent Darrell as a sign that she's with me on my birthday. As I thought this, I looked over and a school bus pulled up alongside us. The kids were laughing and singing and totally oblivious to the adults across from them. The one little girl across from me had a heart drawn into the dust of the window. I got a little choked up, but totally lost it as the bus pulled forward and one dust-heart became dozens (30, perhaps?) with the word "MOM" written smack-dab in the middle.

Yep. I cried on the city bus. And I cried about five more times that day just thinking about it and thinking about my wonderful mom who I miss so very much. As excited as I am to turn 30 (see ya, 20s) and as excited as I am for my birthday party next weekend, that day has become the day I mourn my mom the most... and that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially when I have special moments like that.

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!

I Am Officially Addicted to Coffee

One small soy latte a day. That will be my max. And if I can help it, I will only have one every other day. But I do love them... oh, so much.


I saw the name of this locally brewed coffee ("Punch in the Face" - see the top left?) and chuckled about it all day. It's a punch in the face I love. A love pat, really.

Carl's Visit

It was such a treat to get to see Carl on his too-quick visit to Chicago last week. As always, we had great Deep Talks about politics and economics and morality... you know, just a quick pre-dinner chat. Eric and Abbey took us to a deep dish pizza place (Lou something-or-other's) where I was able to feast on a gluten-free pizza with a sausage crust. That's right... the entire crust was mashed up sausage. Needless to say, I couldn't eat it all and the leftovers became a skillet for four people the next morning.



Good thing I had Lactaid pills to help me digest the cheese... or are those leprechaun condoms? (I think Abbey asked that).