memories of ed and janie

last year, my friends ed and janie got married and moved to switzerland. this week, they came back to chicago for a few days to say hello.

a mexican breakfast at cafe con leche is an appropriate chicago welcome.

a wedding gift of bare chests and euro beats from phred, nick, and josh.

groupon it

groupon is a site that offers daily deals for people in Chicago if enough people sign up for said daily deal. the other day, i got a $50 gift certificate at a liquor store for $35. awesome. it's an offshoot of the point, which another friend of mine started as a way for collective action.

through thursday, you can donate to the greater chicago food depository through groupon. but they only take your money if they reach more than $500.

where we act with childlike joy

Despite freezing temperatures, a parking lot of pristine snow is no match against fun!

We came, we saw, we conquered and claimed victory.

snow angel dust.

look at those eyes!

the first observations on chicago winter '08

postmen carry blowtorches. they use these torches to melt the ice that seal the blue post office boxes on the street.

no matter how icy it is outside, people will still run when they see the bus, risking injuring themselves so as not to wait in the bitter, bitter cold.

layering is always good, but your legs are never as warm as the rest of your body.

if one can help it, don't move in the winter. if that can't be helped, one should be careful where one parks the rented uhaul -- stay away from ice and narrow alleys because it's a nightmare getting the uhaul out.



i don't watch as much tv as i did before i left for europe, but the other day i turned it on and flipped through channels. nothing was on, but i did see this common and cee lo performance on ellen. it seemed like the audience -- the majority of whom were white, dancing women -- really liked it. i especially like it when common and ellen break out some carlton moves from fresh prince of bel-air.

where the familiar ice and snow welcome me home

a thanksgiving feast to envy!

i'm back in the chi and it's so familiar, it's a little uncomfortable. landing at o'hare, i saw a blanket of white covering rooftops and streets and i remembered what winter is chicago is like. i was unprepared in my chucks to walk from the el to jenny's house. and i almost kissed the ground a few times, with my heavy northface backpack on the front and much heavier backpacker's backpack on back. the image of ralphie's younger brother from chistmas story pops into my mind and i imagine myself as an upside down turtle on avers -- the street jenny lives on -- unable to get up. will i bring the past five months -- the experiences, the changes -- back with me? starting anew is uncertain and scary but i'm excited for the months to come. all the concrete things feel the same -- the el, the weather, the people trudging through the streets -- but everything intangible is different. these days, i think so much about life that i forget the days of my childhood, looking at the trees and the sky and running through the streets. the big snowflakes and crunching snow last night were awesome.

pumpkin pie can be made in paris when you find expensive pumpkin puree at an ex-pat store.

the last few days in paris were fairly low-key. much like the entire month claire and i spent there. we brought thanksgiving to the french in the form of a green bean-seitan-mushroom casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and mashed potatoes. not as labor intensive as the dinner i cooked last year for 10 or so people, but it was just as good. it was the first time i celebrated an american holiday in a foreign country.

and now, i must find a job.