Some Bosco Blogging Before Classes Start

So, I felt that Bosco was under-represented during the last blog post, so I figured that I'd post some excellent pictures here, after I started with a video from his very first swimming lesson (check out his awesome one-piece swimming suit):

Here are a few pictures of Bosco on Christmas Eve-Eve.

Uncle Trevor and the B-man

In case he forgets his name

Overwhelmed by all of his loot

And here are my favorite two of him hanging out with Grandma Bork:

He's already reading. Obviously, this is Grandma's and not Greg's influence.

Auntie Laura got him this shirt. I suspect that on this particular afternoon, some major grandson spoiling went down.

And Fran N. sent me some of the pictures from our New Year's Eve weekend with them up in Door County. Here they are:

Me and T at the Log Den for NYE dinner

Fran and Neill at the Log Den for NYE dinner

Trevor sporting Jim's old denim vest

Happy New Year!

And that's pretty much it! Classes start tomorrow, and although my syllabus have been done for a little while, I'm not 100% prepared (surprise, surprise). Trevor gets his ManDay Monday back, which I have a feeling he's pretty happy about. And I'll be off for now to get a little bit of tomorrow's lesson plan finished, and to figure out what I'll wear. Wish me luck!

Leftover Miami

Guess what I'm supposed to be doing? Working on my syllabus!

Here are a couple of leftover pictures from my last day in Miami when Rae and Letty were in town; I forgot to post them here after I'd come home.

Rachel, Letty, and Trevor next to the CEG booth

One of the many, constant crowds around the Gregory Scott pieces at the CEG booth (and there's T's head in bottom left corner)

Okay, so...I guess that's it. I've already eaten breakfast, worked out, made a number of appointments for eye care and lunching dates, answered some e-mails and voice mails, bought a new calendar for the new year, bought me and T. some movie tickets for Thursday night (The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest!), and eaten lunch. And now. Now. I guess. I should work. bye.

The Holidays Are Over

And I am thankful. It was so nice to see all of our family and friends, but the three solid days of shopping, wrapping, Christmas-carding, and pie-baking, followed by four days of parties, parties, parties was exhausting.

The Sunday before the Christmas festivities really kicked off, we had Dan, Simona, and Maya over for dinner. She got a new Cookie Monster from me and T (let's be honest: everyone needs a Cookie Monster). She enjoyed it, but had a time keeping it away from Henry.

I'm still working on her post-Christmas present--a trio of scarves made from yarn Simona and I picked out about three months ago. Yes, I'll make you a scarf, and yes, I will have it ready by your 89th birthday. I'm almost finished with the first of the three, and it's turned out pretty good. Here's a sneak peek before I do the finishing with fringe.

The week was then spent doing the aforementioned shopping, carding, etc., we were ready to really celebrate.

Although we didn't take any pictures on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day with the Bosco-Bux-Bork family (too busy eating? drinking? talking loudly? all three?! and I'm hoping that Mom Bork can send me some of Bosco doing his first Christmas thing), but we have some nice pictures taken by Trevor's Uncle Doug (and one by Trevor) when we went to Doug and Jean's house for brunch the day after Christmas.

Great Grandma Madel, Sadie, and Angi--picture by Doug Madel

The post-Christmas brunch--picture by Doug Madel (top right)

Angi, Destiny, Fran and Sadie, and me--pic by T-spoon

After brunch, we drove out to Batavia to hang out with Pop and Fran Power for some lunch, games, and all around fun.

Sadie with her new blue pal, Devin

Grandpop Power and Sadie

He's got a little Capt'n in him

Sadie doesn't like the cut of Trevor's gib, so she's coming to get him

Now, when Trevor and I found that blue dog for Sadie, we knew that it was a bit old for her, but we figured she'd grow into it. We are so happy, though, that she can totally bounce on him for at least a few seconds before tilting off! Here's more of her enjoying Devin at home.

The Monday after Christmas, Trevor, Henry, and I packed our bags and headed out of town (Henry, though, just layed around like a bum and watched while Trevor and I packed his rubber bones into the suitcase). We drove up to Door County to spend a week and ring in the New Year in cheese head style.
We stayed the week with Jim in his new log cabin--a cabin he built himself, with help from his friend Paul. He finished it about a year ago, but we hadn't been up to see it, so while it's not super new to him anymore, it was new to us. He did a terrific job on it and we truly enjoyed hunkering down in front of a roaring fire for all of the reading, knitting (Henry and I did a lot of knitting, but Trevor didn't), napping, eating, and movie watching we did.

One evening for dinner, we visited Jim's favorite supper club, the Nightingale, and the next night we took in a show at the Sturgeon Bay cineplex.

And True Grit was pretty bad a**. Not as violent as we thought it would be (the word on the street had me thinking it would be on par with Kill Bill), but it was just perfectly violent enough for a really dusty, gritty (sorry, it had to be done), gun-filled Western.

Neill and Fran came up on Thursday night to spend the New Year's weekend, and we added "playing board games" to the list of high-octane activities we'd been doing. Here's Trevor posing with some of the games we played--Wits and Wagers was by far our favorite, so thanks, Mom Bork, for picking that one up!

Hmm. That's weird. Pic by Fran Napier

We also got to see Grandma and Grandpa Madel a few times, which was really nice. The lake view from their house was spectacular and we were so thankful not to be a part of the Polar Bear Club that was taking a yearly jump into Lake Michigan on New Year's Day.

We also have some nice pictures from our NYE dinner at the Log Den (where the food was good but the service left a lot to be desired), and Fran's going to e-mail them to me tomorrow, so look for that good stuff.

And now we're home. Our laundry has been done, our larder has been re-stocked, Trevor has gone back to work, and Henry has been sleeping off the vacation for the past 72 hours. I don't return to campus until January 12 (my first 2011 meeting, and even though it's only going to be about an hour, I'll be officially back) so this week I've got to finish my syllabus (no, I haven't finished, and yes, I'm a month late, and no, I don't want to hear any proverbs about procrastination), get my hair cut, meet my friend Kate for lunch in Kenosha, meet Mom for lunch, meet Paula and Bosco for lunch (Paula, I'll be calling you tomorrow), meet my friend Angie for lunch, finish Maya's scarf, Adam's scarf, and Gabe's new hat, finish the two Brock and Kolla mysteries that just came today in the mail (and the other five new books I got for Christmas [and the two books I got in Door County]), get my eyes checked and my teeth cleaned, and use my Christmas present from Trevor, a Swedish massage (!). And I should probably prep for my first week of classes, too. Oh, blah.

Look for a few more posts while I procrastinate finishing my syllabi tomorrow!

Welcome to Miami

I flew into Miami last night to meet Trevor, who's here with the gallery for Art Miami. This morning, Cathy, Trevor and I were picked up by another gallerist/friend of Cathy's and her assistant and the five of us headed to a very interesting space. Apparently, decades ago, the son of a very wealthy family started collecting art--he was 13 years old--and now he and the family have a massive collection that they have opened up for public viewing. They curate different exhibits from the collection, and this one showcased the work he collected from the start until he was 21. The space was huge, and there was some terrific art there. We marveled at the idea of someone having enough money to just go around to galleries and art fairs and buy what they like. I can't remember the name of the space (I have a query text to Trevor and hopefully he'll get back to me soon), but here are a couple of images:

There were a lot of installation pieces, and one interactive piece. The museum was a big warehouse, and there was a small house beyond a wall in the backyard that is set for demolition. So some artists set up a porridge walk. We started by going through a hole in the wall behind the warehouse (there was ivy dripping from the top and it felt like we were about to enter a magical garden) and up a little walkway into this little house in disrepair. The first room in the house held a big table piled high with little white bowls, which we were told to take. The next room held another table piled with soup spoons. Then, in the next room, the kitchen, was yet another table, this one packed with what must have been fifty crock-pots full of porridge. A girl was ladeling out the porridge, and after we had a little bowl full, we wandered to the next two rooms, where there were two more tables: one piled with packets of raw sugar and another with raisin boxes. We ate up our porridge and wound up in the back yard, next to the path we'd started on. It was just charming and a lovely way to start the day.

Trevor and Cathy went to the fair, and once it opened at 11 I came in and did a bit of looking around. I left them after about thirty minutes (I'll go back tonight and again tomorrow with Rae and Letty) and wandered up to the Miami Design District to see what they had going on and scope out an option for tonight's dinner. And this is what I found.

This awesome sight was organized by a group called Friends With You as part of Art Basel (another big fair going on right now here in Miami). Apparently, it's an interactive display meant to play on the Hindu festival Holi, where people toss brightly colored paint powders at each other (it sounds odd but is so much fun [though I haven't done it, but seen it portrayed in a movie T. and I watched]--it's sort of like a food fight, but more fun because everyone is covered in colors instead of meatloaf).

There were lots of people around, walking through and sitting on the blankets that the Friends With You had put on the ground. After looking at more shops and restaurants in the district, I came back at lunch time, got a grilled cheese from a food-stand-in-a-van (there were three stands: the grilled cheese place, a bbq joint, and a sweets mobile, where I scored some mini-cupcakes for me, T., and Cathy to enjoy later on tonight). My picnic was most enjoyable, as was the scenery.

Gruyere and apple grilled cheese, and sweet potato fries

I also wandered into a studio--Swamp Studio--across from the park. It was an odd little place, but there was a rooster. Not that a rooster makes things more normal, but certainly more interesting...

And now, I'll sign off to get ready for this evening. I'm meeting the working folks at the fair and then it's off to dinner with Lisa and Ashley, and Doug and Wally from another Chicago gallery. I'm sure I'll have more after Rachel and Letter come down, so look for it!

It's Done

This was what I was finishing up last night:

My "hybrid" (deemed this by my dean) tenure portfolio

And this is what I'm doing tonight to celebrate turning in what I was finishing up last night:

Leftover cashew tofu and a glass of wine

I'm watching a little trash t.v. right now, and Henry is napping on the floor by my feet. Trevor is at the opening of Art Miami; he left early (6:45 a.m. flight) on Sunday morning, installed the gallery's booth yesterday, and was hanging around South Beach today before he and Cathy had to be at the opening. I'm leaving to meet him on Thursday afternoon, and I can't wait. The weather in Chicago today is getting me down, and it's currently 82 in Miami. Ahhhhhhhh, that sounds good.

And now, I must re-fill wine glass and watch more trash t.v. I should do some work, but it's just so nice not to. So, I won't. G'night.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Trevor and I have a visitor for Thanksgiving this year: our friend Adam, who's in town this weekend for his cousin's wedding. While Trevor grabbed him at the airport Thursday morning, I started cooking. The boys kept me company in the kitchen with a game of Trivial Pursuit, and then later on in the afternoon, we sat down for a Thanksgiving supper. It was all pretty good, if I do say so myself.

It was a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal, starting with a goat cheese and pumpkin dip snack, baked macaroni and cheese as a main entree, and sides of carrots with dill butter, candied sweet potatoes, stuffing, "Harvard" beets, jellied cranberry sauce, and crescent rolls. Here are some pictures (though please be warned that the jellied cranberry sauce looks a bit like liver):

Adam, getting ready to eat

We ate until we couldn't eat any more, and then Adam, Henry, and I took a nap while Trevor, amazing husband that he is, cleaned up the dishes.

Or we thought that he was doing dishes; he was really taking candid pictures of us sleeping.

When we woke up, we played a game of Scrabble while snacking on Maurice Lenell cookies (I got a tub of holiday cookies, which are almost worth it, but only almost, because they seriously skimped on the jelly stars...) and then some of the Indian rice pudding I'd made first thing in the morning.

We ended the day by watching a couple of movies and then heading off to bed. Today, Trevor's back at work and Adam is planning a lovely morning running around to the galleries and museums of Chicago. I am looking forward to a day of working on my tenure portfolio, which is due on Tuesday. I'm about ten pages into the narrative, with maybe another ten to go, and I have to organize and link up to all of my documentation, most of which I scanned in on Tuesday night before leaving campus. I plan to only leave the house twice more this weekend: once for my appointment with Bob, the personal trainer at the West Loop Athletic Club (I joined a gym in October. Yikes.), tomorrow at 10 a.m., and again to drive Trevor to the airport on Sunday morning (his flight is at 6:45 a.m., so I'm guessing we'll leave about 5, or even before because Cathy likes to get to the airport early. Gross.). But since the Sunday morning trip will be so early, it barely counts. And then I'll be up and awake and ready to start working when I get back home.

Before I sign off here to do some work, I'd like to show you all some of the Halloween pictures I forgot to post up here last month. Sadie and Bosco were both styling in their devil and pumpkin costumes, respectively.

She's also wearing a cape (because that's what devils do...)

Sadie, trying to figure out a glow-stick before Sean adds it to his awesome Halloween lawn display)

Trevor and me with the jack-o'-lantern, courtesy of Paula

So I guess that's all for now. I have two more weeks of classes and then one week of finals. I'm behind on my grading, and I wish I could use the tenure portfolio as an excuse, but I can't; I'm just behind. I cannot tell you how much I'm looking forward to this winter break. While on break, I might blog a little more, or I might just sit on the couch, sip a cup of coffee, and stare at the bookshelf.

Trevor leaves for Art Miami on Sunday (the 6:45 a.m. flight), and I'm going to join him on Thursday afternoon for just a few days. We'll be seeing Rachel and Letty, too, and I'm really looking forward to some post-tenure portfolio (but still grading) relaxation. And hopefully I'll post the pictures we have from the trip up here right away. But no promises.

Happy after-Thanksgiving to you all, and here's hoping no one gets trampled while shopping today!

The Roof, The Roof, The Roof Is On Fire...

Trevor, Henry, and I had an anxious experience in the wee hours of Friday morning. We'd spent Thursday night hanging around at Juli and Matt's new crib, drinking some beer, eating some pizza, and watching the start of the new season of NBC sitcoms (Outsourced was d.r.e.a.d.f.u.l.). We were home and in bed by a little after ten and sleeping soundly.

At about two in the morning, our neighbor, Doug, pounded on our door, waking up Henry and Trevor instantly (I took a bit longer, as I tend to do...). When Trevor answered the door, Doug was already back down the hall, having banged on everyone's door, and he shouted, "Get out of the building, there's a fire on the roof." So we quickly got dressed, grabbed Henry, and were out. Our hallway was full of shattered glass from the door leading out into the parking lot, but otherwise, there wasn't much noise other than our muffled footsteps and the murmurs of confusion from us and our next door neighbors, Poppy and Jason. But as soon as we got outside and looked up at the building, this is what we saw:

The street was lined with fire engines, ambulances, and police SUVs. The men from Ladder 19 had their giant ladder up to our roof and they had the fire out in about thirty minutes (see some footage on the NBC website here and another story about it from CBS here). We saw right away that no one was being carried out of the building, and the ambulances weren't going anywhere, so we just stood around, watching the flames and smoke filling the sky, and then watching the firemen to firemen-type activities for two hours. Henry was in a state of pure excitement since many of our building's residents have dogs, and he was trying to get to all of them. We were finally let back in with the rest of the pajama clad residents at around four in the morning (and I was finally able to use the restroom--that'll teach me to say, "No, I'd better evacuate the building instead of waiting to use the facilities, because I might die in a fiery inferno," and blah blah blah).

The next morning--or, later on that same morning--Trevor took some pictures of the damaged deck from our common deck on top of the six floor roof.

The rumor in the building is that a coal grill turned over, setting the deck on fire. I wouldn't be surprised if that was true, since the wind was blowing like mad that night. Thankfully none of the other decks--and no roofs of adjacent buildings--caught on fire. Some of our neighbors, the ones in the center of our hallway around the same place as the fire four stories up, got a lot of water damage in their units, but we, thankfully, had none. The management company set to cleaning up the damage pretty quickly on Friday morning, and they worked on it all day yesterday as well.

We were exhausted at work all day--I usually don't go to campus on Fridays, but I had two meetings, one of which I'd called, so I needed to go in. And we of course had plans on Friday night to go see the MCA/Redmoon Theater collaboration, "The Astronaut's Birthday," on the steps of the museum. Here are a couple of pictures of the production:

They'd set up three levels of puppeteers in the front windows of the museum, and bleachers and empty space on the front. We were lucky enough to get bleacher seats instead of plunking down straight on the concrete (though our butts were achy nonetheless after a very long hour). The graphics and presentation were terrific, but the story left quite a bit to be desired. The show did, though, remind us of how much fun we'd had at a previous Redmoon show and that we should go back again soon, especially since their space is just a few blocks from our place.

By the time we got home that night, having both worked full days on just a few hours of sleep, we were ready to crash. And we certainly did.

So, that was our mid-week excitement! Friday morning on my way in on the train, there was a pedestrian accident at the Barrington Metra station, so my train was delayed--only about twenty minutes, while the in-bound trains were delayed over an hour. I was on pins and needles all day, thinking, "These things come in threes, isn't that what people say?" But thankfully there wasn't a third disaster; or at least not one in my immediate circle of life.

Well, now I've got to go, since I spent most of yesterday being a vegetable to make up for my lack of vegetableness on Friday (a day usually reserved for me doing 3.47 hours of work and then being a couch zucchini [a much lazier vegetable than a potato, f.y.i.] for the remainder of the day), which means that I didn't get much done. I'm doing laundry at present, and blogging instead of working on tomorrow's lesson plan, grading the forty-odd papers I have to grade, and working on my tenure portfolio. Yikes. I'll sign off, and here's to hoping that the temperature doesn't drop much below sixty for at least another month!

Some Things I've Been Forgetting

First:

Trevor was at work last month, minding his own business, when he received a phone call from a fellow named Lucas, an artist and writer of the Meaning In Art. Lucas asked Trevor a few questions, and, for being such a helpful chap, Trevor got quoted in this piece! (scroll about halfway down the page) We were very excited about this, and even more excited that Trevor was called a "nice gentleman." Of course we know he's a nice gentleman, but it's always lovely when someone else recognizes it.

Second:

Trevor and I were home a few weeks ago, and we noticed some odd stirrings in the alley behind our building. For those of you who have never been to our place, or those who have never been in our bedroom (probably many of you have been to our house but not in our bedroom. too bad.), just outside of our bedroom window is an alley we share with a charter high school and a church rectory. Not bad neighbors. But, since we're also at street level on the first floor, we do get our share of weird passers-by.

But last month, we witnessed what was certainly the most hilarious spectacle we'd seen or heard in the past five years. It involves a middle school-aged boy with a great imagination and lots of time on his hands, some empty milk crates, and two total voyeurs with a video-recording feature on their camera (that's us). That's all I'll say, because now, YOU MUST WATCH THIS VIDEO. Thanks to Sean Power for the amazing editing and soundtrack.




We fondly call him Crate Boy, and we seem to constantly see him in the neighborhood, riding around. He lives somewhere on the street behind us and we share the alley. I've never been more thankful for that alley. I hope you enjoyed it; I know we did. That jerk near the end of the video is us bursting into hysterics and Trevor dropping the camera for a second. Please share it with your friends. But don't tell them what's coming. Let them experience it for themselves.

Third:

The 2010 issue of our literary arts magazine, Voices, came out a couple of weeks ago, and I must say that I'm pretty proud of it (though there's one typo that will drive me crazy for the next year, if not forever). Check it out on our website in the PDF or Flash editions.

And that's it! I think. If I remember anything else, I'll let you know. Until then, goodnight Maya, Gabe, Olympia, Jameson, Sadie, and Bosco!