one year

The Door

Trevor, Henry, and I went to Door County last weekend to visit Grandma and Grandpa Madel and Jim in Sturgeon Bay. We drove up Friday morning and were only able to stay until Sunday night, which wasn't nearly enough time. But while we were there, I got to go to my very first fish boil (fish, potatoes, and onions boiling in a ten-foot-high bonfire--awesome). Saturday morning, Trevor, Jim, and I had breakfast



and then headed to the Harvest Festival in downtown Sturgeon Bay, where they had a vintage car show. I haven't seen so many gorgeous cars in one place in my life, and I realized how much I love the Mustang Cobra. Here are a few of the beauties we saw:





Then Trevor and I took a road within a road trip and drove up through Bailey's Harbor, Sister Bay, where we saw goats on a roof


(awesome!)

and then Ellison Bay, where we found a great big bookstore and Trevor found a book club first edition of Player Piano.



We capped the night off at Cafe Launch for tapas style dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, and Jim. The food was great, the place was charming, and we had quite a nice time. We spent the next afternoon with G & G Madel; we ate lunch, had some lovely conversation, and watched a video with them. Henry, back at Jim's house, was having a blast running around in the woods with Vader.



For more pictures of our weekend, check out Trevor's Flickr photo page. More will come soon on this weekend's festivities (which are much fewer). Until then, Power On!

Kiss My Bookmark

Banned Books Week is still over a week away but I'm faced with a bit of a censorship problem of my own at school, so I've decided to bump up the celebration and make my own Banned Books Two Week (sponsored in part by the ALA and in other part by me).

Over the summer I taught a Composition 2 class at MCC, and the class was focused around the literary genre of oral history. We read the book Underground by Haruki Murakami, using oral history to tell the victims' story of the Tokyo subway gas attack in 1995; we read excerpts from Studs Terkel's My American Century to read chunks of oral history discussing World War II in 'The Good War,' and black and white race relationships in the U.S. from the 50s to the 90s in 'Race.' Then to top off the semester, we read Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey, which is a fictional oral history by Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club et al. Palahniuk has been called a nihilist--for good reason--and he has a number of passages in the book that discuss, graphically, feminine sanitation products, prophylactics, and sex itself. The majority of these passages had direct relation to the plot and the book's characters, and the one that didn't sparked an interesting discussion about Palahniuk's alienation of his audience and the uncomfortable--and possible erroneous--choices he made for the book. Needless to say, the papers analyzing this text were particularly interesting for both me as well as for my students.

Now, here comes the problem: one of my students in the class, a former Composition 1 student of mine from the previous Fall '07 semester, approached me with just over a week left in the semester and with the class having already read half of the Palahniuk book. She explained that she had moral and religious objections to the book, would take an 'F' for the final paper (analyzing the book), and hoped she didn't offend me with her objections. I explained to her that no offense was taken, and since I'd rather she not get an 'F' for the paper, I offered her an alternate assignment. She did the assignment, mentioned no other issues, then approached me 20 minutes into the final exam to ask me, "Well, what should I do, since I didn't finish the book?" Having not prepared myself for such a problem, I told her to do the best she could and make sure to answer the essay questions using the first two books of the semester as comparisons to Rant (because I knew she'd at least have finished those texts).

Well, her final grade was a 'C,' not only because of the less-than-mediocre job she did on the final exam, but for her middle-of-the-road writing and absolute zero class participation throughout the entirety of the eight week semester. Well, once she got her grade, the second week in August, she sent me an e-mail about her 'shock' and disappointment in the grade and how she felt I'd discriminated against her. She also mentioned that by simply attempting to take the final exam, she felt she'd betrayed her God. Okay. After I discussed this with my department chair (a gloriously level-headed woman named Joann) that a sit-down was better than e-mail, we tried for the next four weeks to get a meeting with my student and her Pastor, who she decided would be joining us in this meeting. I made it clear that Joann and I would be fine, nay, happy to discuss the processes to appeal her grade or to request an academic withdrawal (disregard the grade for my class and take the course again with another instructor). We would not, however, be discussing the curriculum. Well, my student didn't quite like this, wouldn't commit to a meeting time for three weeks, then let me know she and her Pastor, realizing that we were only concerned with her grade (A'hem. Yes. That's our job.) would "be forced to seek audience elsewhere." Anyone else think that doesn't come from the phrase-book of a 19-year-old college student?

So she tearfully called my dean, who is as gloriously level-headed as my department chair, and he will be meeting with the student and her mother on Friday. The mother will be there because the student is uncomfortable discussing these matters with a male. Really? Guess so. My dean said he's glad he didn't mention that he was Jewish, or she might not have agreed to a meeting under any circumstances. Apparently the family has called a lawyer (Trevor jokingly said it's going to be the same lawyer who threatened the gallery about a political exhibit they had last month. That same lawyer is currently being disbarred by the Florida State Attorney's office because of his frivolous lawsuits. Real reputable thing going on here. I might give the good ol' ACLU a call myself) and my student's grades have been suffering (according to her mother, she's failing all of her classes) because she had to read this book. Hmmmmm. Sounds like bullshit. Lots and lots of bullshit. Our student life administrator and VP of students will also be present at the meeting (they're both women, and terrific women at that), and they've instructed me not to worry because this kind of thing happens. They're ridiculously laid back about the whole thing, which is, of course, reassuring to me. They said that they'll listen to my student and her mother (they refused to meet with the Pastor) and then tell them that they'll get back to them with a 'resolution.' This resolution might involve a statement drafted by our marketing department about the school's curriculum policy, or a statement from the school's lawyer about academic freedom and our policy of making damn-sure that books aren't banned in a public institution of higher learning. Although I'm sure it will be more legalese than that.

It's a weird feeling to watch this unfolding in front of me, knowing that I was the cause. I've spent the last month and a half bouncing between doubting myself as an educator on one side and feeling great about exposing my students to unconventional ideas and seeing the excellent and legitimately critical reactions to those ideas (on the most part--about 99% legitimately critical, 1% religiously fanatical and insane) on the other side. I was flipping through my Guide to Banned and Contested Books this afternoon to get a title list together of books to get for the BBW raffle I'm doing for my students, and it was, quite quickly as I looked through the 1,300 titles or so, all so terribly real. And this kind of thing happens all of the time. In 2008. In the United States of America.

This afternoon, Constitution Day on MCC's campus, I picked myself up a pocket Constitution, and will keep it at my desk for reference while I await a call from the press, an attorney, or a looney-ballooney calling to berate me about being a God-less heathen. And, as I'm learning, it's all in a day's work. Anyone still think that home-schooling is a good idea? Not so much anymore. Or ever.

Did our absence make your hearts grow fonder?

I certainly hope so! Sorry it's been such a long time since our last post. Starting school kept me pretty busy, and then once I got into the swing of the full time thing, my students started in turning in papers for me to grade. Who told them to do that?! I've got most of it under control, now. And I took some pictures of my cool new office now that it's finally settled. I still have an entire bookshelf to fill up, but I'm thinking that it won't take me too long to do that.



At the start of the month, the Borks had one of the last parties they'll hold at their suburban home, a Labor Day barbecue. They had the gang over for pulled pork sandwiches and hot-dogs (all deeelicious) and we enjoyed talking about who'll be adopting their old furniture. I got dibs on an end table for a night-stand, and Greg and Paula are going to hold onto my piano until we get a bigger place (although I do think that we could fit it in the bedroom...Trevor does not agree.) And Mom and Dad are getting more and more excited about moving!




This weekend has been a rainy blur. Yesterday our friend Jessica and I braved the damp weather to wander the Renegade Craft Fair up on Division Street. I got some great stuff for me, for Trevor, for Neill, and even for Henry. Since Hank has outgrown his fancy collar, I got him a replacement accessory:



Last night Trevor and I headed out to Hanover Park for a Team 2 Birthday Celebration. It was a belated party for John, Neill, and Letty (who we called, but Mina said was sleeping, so HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY LETTY!), and a preemptive party for Destiny, whose birthday is on the 15th. We got caught up with everyone about babies (Heather and Don's new little girl!), school (Destiny's in student council at Schaumburg and we anticipate that she'll soon be running that place), work, life, and other assorted topics. We ate snacks, pizza, and cake (the cake was baked by Fran Napier, and was perfection. Fran--I had a dream about cake last night. And it was good, but better at your house than in my head). We watched the beginning of the Saturday Night Live season opener, and wondered at what a great Sarah Palin Tina Fey makes. We've been harping about Sarah Palin for the past few weeks, and won't continue our annoyance-filled rants here. All in all, the party was great, though I'm sure that the Team 3 party will be even better. And guess who's on Team 3? Yes, that's right: I am.

We gave Sean and Angelique a ride home from Neill and Fran's and after we'd dropped them off, Sean called Trevor to tell him that Neill had just called him to give him some sad news: David Foster Wallace, a favorite author of Sean's and mine and former English instructor at Neill's college, took his own life last night. He was only 46 and it's quite a loss to the literary community. His prose was involved, frequently footnoted, often brilliant, and always interesting. I, for one, will miss his writing quite a lot.



Tonight we're double-dating with Lisa M. and Josh to the movies to see Burn After Reading, about which we're all very excited. Until tonight, though, I'm watching Rocky (really, a great movie), organizing my papers to grade, doing laundry, and, of course, blogging. Which I should stop, now, to actually grade the papers that are so nicely organized. So until later, readers, keep dry and cozy!

The Borks Invade Canada

Mom and Dad Bork just got back from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and they had a wonderful time. Mom made another new friend (remember Honest Abe a few months ago? This guy's even better!)



They saw Hamlet (wonderful!), Cabaret (excellent!), and an adaptation of Moby Dick (interesting...) that turned out to be a ballet (hmph. now that's just odd.). But the trip was an overall success, which is the most important part. The plays, the shopping, and the food were all great.

It's also PAULA BORK'S BIRTHDAY today, and she's celebrating tonight with a dinner. We couldn't make it because of the Henry Tail situation (we've been invited to hang out on a boat tomorrow afternoon for the Air and Water show, and we had to miss that, too). He'll finally get his stitches out on Thursday evening, so we'll be in the clear of our 24-hours-of-every-day-for-two-weeks-with-Henry vacation. I love him, but sometimes we just want to go to the movies. Or dinner. Or on a boat. So in the meantime, he's posed for us to make us remember how ridiculously adorable he is.

Henry Goes to College

He didn't take a class, or anything, but he's the first family member (and probably the last) to see my new office at MCC. I went to school to turn in my final grades for the summer session, and I started the office "nesting" process: general dusting, putting books on my new bookshelves, moving my desk, chair, and computer. Because of Henry's bandaged tail and stapled stomach, we can't leave him alone just yet, so he made the road trip with me and then helped me in my office (as long as "helping" translates to drinking some water, spilling some water on the floor, and staring out of the office window into the hall to smile at passers-by). He got to meet my new mentor, Robert, and the three lovely secretary ladies, Linnea, Cheryl, and Missy. They all loved him, and he loved them, too, showing his affection through his trademark leaping licks. I can't wait to go back next week to continue organizing books and files. Even though I've only just finished with class, I'm super jazzed to get back to Fall semester now that I'll have a permanent place to work. I've already been looking at office supplies on-line, and Monday I'm going to take a trip to The Container Store and Office Depot to stock up on totally, absolutely, quantifiably necessary office supplies. Paper-clips, here I come!

In the meantime, feast your eyes on my handsome summer students (this first picture is of my last College of Lake County class, who [don't tell anyone] were my favorite class of all time, in any school, ever, although it's missing one of my super-favorite students, Will, so picture a tough looking football player in here somewhere.)


These are my two MCC classes--the big one is a Comp 2 class (my oral history exploration, such a fun class), and the little one is a Comp 1 class)



Next week I'll have a picture of my office, so you can all picture me grading papers and planning lessons. Really, it's such an exciting life I lead!

A Much Shorter Happy Tail

After two years of spraying blood around our clothes, our condo, our building, and our neighborhood due to the cut-that-wouldn't-heal, Henry's 'happy tail' is gone.



Yesterday we took Henry in for surgery to dock his tail and remove a little fatty 'growth' from his belly. He's recovering well, although the medication made him a bit loopy all night. I've finished with the summer semester, so he and I are hanging out for the next week so that he can heal up quietly and I can make sure he doesn't lick out his stitches (we considered asking the vet to take off a bit of his twelve-inch tongue, but decided against it, so his licking powers are still in full force). Now, mind you, he's still wagging like crazy, but because his tail's so short, it won't be a hazard to anyone or anything, including himself. Tomorrow we'll go back to the vet so they can change his nubbin bandage and make sure he's healing up okay, and then next week he'll get the stitches taken out of his tail and the staples taken out of his belly from the growth removal (As Trevor said, Henry lost one nubbin and gained another).

Once he's completely healed up, we'll add more pictures of his new nubbin. I'm sure you're all just dying to see it!

A Belated Father's Day Celebration

This past Sunday, 3/4 of the Power kids and their significant others went out with John and Fran Power for a post-Father's Day celebration. All 4 Power kids treated their pop to a day at Soldier Field to watch the Barcelona Football Club beat Chivas Guadelahara 5 goals to 2. We all ate before the game at the Eleven City Diner, where the food was good, though the ambiance left a bit to be desired (see Trevor's first ever Yelp review for the details--an addition to his review, they didn't have macaroni salad, which added a dent on its own to my opinion of the place. What 'traditional' deli doesn't have macaroni salad?!). We had a great time, and Trevor snapped a bunch of pictures to show it. It really brought us back to our honeymoon in December, and for that alone we enjoyed the outing.







(In this picture of Trevor and me, can anyone spot a fellow Manchester United fan in the crowd? Angi took this picture, and she made the comment that it was quite a good shot. I certainly agree with her!)

Lollapaolooza!

Friday night, Trevor got to go to Lollapalooza with Sean. Sean had been invited by Perry Ferrell himself at a party at the MCA. Sean had a VIP pass, so those two stinkers got to see Radiohead from a velvet-roped area while sipping free beer and snacking on cookies. I was jealous mostly about the cookies. Trevor also just informed me that there was some sort of a family night at Soldier Field, and half-way through the Radiohead show, fireworks went off behind the stage from Soldier Field's festivities. It sounded perfect, really. Especially because of the cookies.

I had fun, too, on Friday night. My friend Rebecca and I had dinner at Jerry's on Division, then headed to the Rainbo for beers. We'd been there for about an hour when Jack White and a friend--both festooned with fedoras--came in and sat next to us for a bit. Of course the bar was buzzing with excitement. I recognized him right away because of my own experience with meeting him years ago backstage at a White Stripes concert with my friend Krista (she was the one who got us backstage--I was the hanger-onner). We stayed a while longer to see if anything more exciting would happen. Nothing more exciting happened, so we left and I came home to Trevor, who told me all about his cookie-filled evening.

Today, we're celebrating a belated Father's Day at Soldier Field with John and Fran Power, Sean and Angi, and Neill and Fran at the Barcelona football game! They're playing Chivas Mexico, and it's looking to be an exciting game, though Trevor told me this morning that Lionel Messi has been released from Barca to play for Argentina in the Olympics. Twice now we'll have seen them, and neither times we'll have seen Messi play. He's only one of the best players in the game. Bologna. Trevor's already sporting his Eto'o jersey, and I've got to figure out a cool (literally--it's in the 80s today) way to wear my Barca socks. The eight of us are going to eat before the game, and then we'll wander over to Soldier Field. Our seats are in the 16th row, first section off of mid-field. We're already spazzing out with excitement.

I've got two more days of school before I'll have almost a week off. I just have to collect some final projects and give one final exam--and then grade all of these things and turn in the final grades. Lots of 'finals.' But by Tuesday night, all I'll have to look forward to is the final wag of Henry's tale before he gets it docked. More on that later. Until then, kick, kick, kick, Barcelona! Goooo, Barca!

Trevor is NAKED!

And it's freaking me out. His face, not the rest of him, startled me this afternoon as I walked up to meet him, Dan, and Simona Segar at J. Patrick's. They'd gone to see a space for rent with Desiree and Russ Grant, and met me up the street for a beer to talk about what they'd found before Dan and Simona had to go off to work. As I approached their sidewalk table, I noticed that Trevor looked different, even from the side. The stubbly profile I'd grown so accustomed to over the past few years seemed oddly absent. As he turned full-on to greet me, I realized that he'd SHAVED OFF his ENTIRE BEARD. And I'm still getting used to his totally, obscenely naked face. He apparently snuck in some shaving implements from the drug store yesterday afternoon and did it sneakily while I was at school this morning. He dropped about ten years and I'm still getting used to the change. He dimples are bigger, and I won't get any beard hairs in my smooches, which is great, but I still need a couple of days to get used to my new husband.

Pictures are coming, so you can see the nudity for yourselves. Happy Monday!

Yep, so, I've got myself a nameplate for my new office. I won't get keys to my new office until the second week of August (although I can get into it with the secretary's keys...) but it's still pretty cool. I requested that my title be listed as "Super Hero," instead of "Instructor of English," but I guess the sign guy didn't get the note. The office doesn't have a window, but there are loads of bookshelves upon which I can pile tomes and tomes of teaching materials and robots of various sizes. Now, after a nice long (but quite rewarding) thirteen hour day, I'm sitting here with Trevor and Henry, watching Keith Olbermann on MSNBC (he's so over-the-top and hilarious), drinking a glass of wine (Henry passed on his glass, but that's not stopping Trevor and me) and contemplating dinner.

Last night we met with Dan and the Grants to talk about the restaurant biz. After seeing the Grants' new venture, Logan Bar and Grill, we were thrilled to be able to pick their giant business brains about opening a bar. They were tremendously helpful for Trevor and Dan, and they're still willing to answer the boys' questions in the future, which is a tremendous help. As a bonus, we ate at Crust on Division and it was taaasteee. It's one of the only all-organic restaurants in the state (I think that's the right credential, though I might have gotten it wrong) and specializes in flatbread pizzas. Those were great, as was the bowl of gazpacho I slurped down, and as was the lemon cheesecake. Yum to the tum. Plus, Dan's old chum was the manager and he was awfully friendly to us, which we loved, of course. Afterwards the two boys and I went to Archie's in Dan's neighborhood to talk further shop and have a beer. An enjoyable evening all around.

Last weekend we saw The Dark Knight, and although I didn't spot myself in any of the scenes in which I was an extra (two scenes--look for me, I"ll be tiny, blurry, and short-haired), it was an AWESOME movie. Mom and Dad Bork got to see it at a premiere at the Navy Pier I-MAX; one of Dad's clients is a large machine dealer, so all of the weird machines in the film are his. They didn't enjoy it quite as much as Trevor and I did, but they said it was lot of fun when all of the machinery guys in the audience cheered when they spotted one of their machines. Tomorrow I'm going to go to the X-Files movie (Trevor's opting out of seeing it...) and I'm quite excited about it. I might go for a taco afterwards, and perhaps make a stop at Nordstrom on the way back. The new fall shoes might be on the floor, and I certainly can't go back to school wearing these old and worn flappers. Mulder, Scully, tacos, and new shoes--really, a perfect day. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.

I want to believe, my fellow Lone Gunmen.

The Borks Come to the City!

Well, they're almost here, anyway. Mom and Dad Bork are thinking seriously about selling the house in the suburbs and moving downtown. We'd be thrilled to have them so close, and the place they're considering is sooooo coool. It's an old office building on Michigan Avenue that's been converted to condos. The windows in the units are the same windows from when it was an office building because it's a historical landmark and the facade can't be changed. I have a super crush on these big black-paned windows and am sold on it for those alone. It's also across from Millennium Park and the Bean, and walking distance to Macy's, also a major selling point. For me, anyway. I took some photos when we got to the unit after climbing up three flights of stairs from the 10th to the 13th floor (yes, they might live on the 13th floor. I warned my mom about poltergeists, but she didn't seem too concerned. We'll see how concerned she is when her furniture is stacked to the ceiling and her toy clown is trying to strangle her...). I was motivated to take the pictures because of our headgear.






It's warm here in Chicago, and humid, though not nearly as humid as the weather gurus kept predicting, and for that I'm pretty happy. I had to go to the Michigan Avenue Mac store yesterday to pick up Trevor's computer (the screen was getting fixed), and it was the release of the new iPhone. There was a line two blocks up the street and I overheard one of the employees say that the wait was 3-5 hours just to get in the store and buy your phone. They wouldn't even let me in! I had to show the guy my ID, give him the receipt for the repair work, and he went and got it for me. Luckily, all of those crazy folks only had 80-ish degrees of gorgeous weather to wait it, and not the 96 degrees and super-high humidity the news had promised. I think all of the rain we got Thursday night cut down on the heat.

Last night Trevor and I met both Dans and Mona at the AllRise Gallery, which has just relocated from Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park to a half block away from us on Grand (right across the street from our video store!). The show was actually really interesting, and the space is terrific. We'll certainly go back, and I hope they get some people in there to buy some art so they'll hang around.

After that, Trevor and the gang went out to Archie's Bar in Dan's neighborhood. I, being tired and lazy, went across the street to the video store to rent The Ruins, a B horror movie based on a book by Scott Smith. I'd listened to the book on tape a couple of months ago while commuting, and it was so much fun and terribly stressful; I was constantly yelling at the car stereo and gripping the steering wheel for dear life. The movie didn't disappoint, though it was less stressful simply because of the cut down length (which was necesssary), and the fact that the book was able to get, though the perfectly done third-person limited narration, into each of the four main characters' heads throughout their terrorizing journey. The movie was terrifically gory, which was absolutely to be expected since the book was just as, if not more, bloody. And it was pretty well done, even though some of the character traits were shifted, and of course plot and story points were changed. Scott Smith co-wrote the screenplay, which I'm sure contributed to the faithfullness to the book's creepiness. I'd not recommend this for the faint of heart, but if anyone's looking for a disgustingly bloody B horror movie, absolutely check it out. Read the book, too!

And speaking of third-person narration (when does anyone get to say that?) I heard the "Dueling Critics" on our WBEZ program 848 yesterday morning discussing the new play at the Chopin Theatre, The Strange Elephant. It's apparently a fantastic piece of 'meta-theater': the characters spend much of the play trying to capture and destroy the third-person narrator. It sounded like fun, and the production itself with the set pieces (an enormous mechanical elephant--who wouldn't want to see that?) would be a hoot. I'll try to convince Trevor to go. We also have to see the zombie play by the Sandbox Theatre Project. It's called Multi-Purpose Doom, and Lovely Lisa Munzenrider's boyfriend, Josh, was asked to participate. He turned it down. He turned down a play about zombies. I will never forgive him. We of course will go to see that one, especially since it's a guaranteed good time. The last play I saw them do was a romantic comedy set in a storefront neighborhood gym. One of the actors spent the entire 90 minute play on the treadmill. Seriously. It was hilarious.

And speaking of Lisa, we've got a lunch date so I'm going to spruce myself up to something presentable and meet her for a sandwich. I might persuade her to go the Penelope's to do a bit of shopping...

Rock on, True Believers!

A Words Only Post

Well, gang, we've had a busy couple of weeks and, as a result of our social butterflying, I let the blog slip along the wayside. But I'm back to share what it is we've been doing.

First, I will be the newest full time faculty member at McHenry County College! I got the job offer on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., accepted on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., and have been planning how to organize my office since Wednesday at 2:31 p.m. It's all very exciting. It means good benefits for me and T., a bit more dough coming in to our bank accounts, and no more teaching out of my car between three campuses! It'll be really nice, especially since I'm already familiar with the school and the rest of the English faculty; it'll be a fairly easy transition.

Last weekend we got together with multiple out-of-towners. Sunday, my friend Brenda and her husband, Derek, were in town from Fargo. They were doing some style re-con for Brenda's brother Mark's gallery (also in Fargo). They're planning on having an art gallery in the front of a space they've found, a yoga studio in the back for Brenda to teach classes, and (in the future) a coffee shop there so that the Fargo-ans will be able to get a decent cup of joe (which apparently they're sorely lacking now). So they had a list of cool spots to check out for style/architecture/design ideas, and we met them for beer and pizza on Sunday night. We hadn't seen either of them in over a year--actually, more like two, when we visited the Northeast and stayed with them in Portland a couple of summers ago. It was wonderful to see them, and we hooked up with them on Tuesday night, as well, for dinner at the Green Zebra.

Monday night was a family night: Trevor's cousin Amy (Trevor's dad's sister's daughter) was in town from Toronto at a medical conference. She's a doctor in Canada, though she's only been there a couple of years. She likes it, but misses Dublin (her hometown) a bit. Trevor and I, his dad and Fran, and Sean and Angi were able to go to dinner with her at a great restaurant in our neighborhood. Regardless of where she'll be in the near future, we plan to see her again, hopefully soon. Trevor had spent time with her when he was visiting the family in Ireland, but that was years ago. The seven of us had a wonderful time, and we're going to harass her to see us again.

Tuesday was my second sitting for the tattoo, and after three hours in the chair (lordy it was painful by the end of that third hour...) I met up with Trevor, Brenda, and Derek at the restaurant for some deelicious dinner. I wasn't able to enjoy the second part of the meal, though, because I was achy and exhausted after my sitting. Luckily, the next afternoon, after I'd finished with class, I swung downtown to pick up B & D, then we visited Trevor at the gallery. They really liked it--the show is a lot of sculpture and installation, and quite interesting. The three of us headed to our hood (the terribly far 1.2 miles away from the gallery) and we grabbed a beer before I took them to the few blocks to the Blue Line to catch the train back to O'Hare for their 8 p.m. flight. I graded papers the rest of the night (or, as some would say, I passed out from exhaustion on the couch) and then was back up at 5 a.m. to head out for class.

Thursday, I was happy not to have a thing to do after class. It was 2 hours of driving to get back to the city from Crystal Lake on Thursday afternoon because so many people were heading downtown for fireworks. And of course I'd left my phone at home on the charger, so I had to listen to music instead of finishing my book on tape (Hell House by Richard Matheson--it's just okay, but it's almost over and I have to see who else survives the haunted mansion). But home was lovely once I got there, and Trevor and I did not much of anything to prepare for the Segar's BBQ the next night.

The Fourth of July came, and T. and I went to see Wall-E, which was cute, fun to watch, and just plain enjoyable. We thought of Greg because during the previews we saw a trailer for Beverly Hills Chihuahuas, and we know that he, Paula, and the girls will be going to see that one as soon as it comes out. That night we went to Dan and Simona's BBQ. Lots of food was eaten, and lots of fireworks were set of by us (not me specifically, but Trevor) and the rest of the neighborhood. We didn't stay the whole night, because I'm an old lady who tires easily (and gets eaten by mosquitoes easily), but we had a great time.

Saturday came and we attended another BBQ to see some more out-of-towners. My old roommate Jenn was in from Massachusetts with her husband, Jeremy. Their friend Tara had a barbecue for them in Rogers Park, and we headed up there to grill up some Tofurki Sausage (tasty, actaully) and catch up with the Evanses. It was great to see them, and Jeremy admired my new tattoo (though made fun of my Sherman the Robot. Rude.). We're hoping to see them again before they leave, but they're not here for too long and seem to have a booked schedule. No matter what, though, it was so good to see them and it made us crave a visit out East soon.

Today, Trevor had an appointment at the Mac store's Genius Bar to fix his computer screen. His iPhone also had a screen issue, and they gave him a new one on the spot! His computer will take a couple of days to fix, but he backed everything up and is good to go on his old computer for the time being. We walked up to the MCA to catch the Jeff Koonz exhibit. We agreed that it wasn't our taste in art, but there were some terrifically interesting (and eye-catching) pieces. I think we spent more time in the MCA store than walking through the exhibit. We stopped at Chipotle for tacos, found some folders I needed for school tomorrow, and then saw Iron Man, which was F-U-N. Robert Downey Jr. was charismatic and made the movie as fun as it was. It looked great, was funny, charming, and just a perfect summer movie. Better than Wall-E, though they're not quite in the same genre, so it's not fair to compare them.

And now, after eating at our favorite Thai restaurant for dinner, we're home for the night with Henry (who, I haven't even mentioned, has been a kennel-coughing, blanket-eating, blanket-barfing, collar-gnawing spaz for the past two weeks). I am supposed to be grading student papers, but am writing this blog instead. And now that I have nothing else to describe, I guess I'll go do my work. Blergh!

A blog without words.