Fantastic Week

Wonderful Wednesday

My high school friend Ann, who I only get to see every few years, came to Chicago and we had a lot of fun hanging out.  We went to a local organic restaurant , played at the park, reflected on our past years, and made some guacamole.  It is always fun to see Ann, to see how she has changed and hasn’t changed at the same time. 
Later Alan and my sister and my new bro in law met some friends down in Millennium Park to see BBC's Planet Earth accompanied by the Grant Park Orchestra.  We had an amazing picnic and the highlight was Sarah’s peanut butter frosted chocolate cupcakes with red hearts on top.  They were the talk of the town literally.  Everyone wanted one, but they were reserved for us (I ate 3).  It was great to see Planet Earth outdoors and marvel at the beauty of creation.

 

Farmer’s Market Thursday
Not much to say here, except I love going to the Hyde Park Farmer’s Market on Thursdays!  They have  a great selection and it is great seeing the folks that give us the food on our table.  I just read Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food and have been pretty geeked out about buying REAL food so that is the place to do it!  We weren’t planning on cooking too much this week but still managed to buy some beautiful stuff.


5th Anniversary Friday
So we have been married now for 5 years today.  I feel like I should have some profound words to say about marriage, but I just feel really blessed to know and live life with Alan.  We are different in a lot of ways, but I think those things keep me sane.
This afternoon as I was preparing for our date I was a little anxious, because I was expecting a call from a potential employer.  After awhile, I received a TEXT  (see Alan's post below) with the job offer.  I will be teaching part-time 3 world studies courses.  I love teaching freshman and teaching them to see the world in new ways so this was a great anniversary present.
Later, Alan and I walked down the street to Han 202, an Asian restaurant with 5 courses of deliciousness.  Between us we ate miso soup, crab wanton soup, fried calamari, walnut shrimp, beef and green apple salad, lamb with black rice, duck with veggies, and 2 different kinds of sorbet!  We also really lucked out with the weather because it started pouring after we arrive and settle down a bit on our walk home.
All in all it was a great day, and I am happy to spend it with the one I love! 
-rachel

Exciting!

Even more exciting than celebrating our 5th anniversary today was the news Rachel received.



Is this a sign of the electronic times we live in?

Good thing we pay for texts in our new cell phone plan!

-alan

New sights

This week I was able to visit my future classroom, which was a nice treat. I drove over to the campus and met with my principal, who showed me around. Almost all the rooms are being re-done, except the science labs which were finished last year. So I have little to worry about with construction schedules, because my room is ready to go. The lab is nice - ample storage, new furniture, central air/heat, mounted LCD projector, German ergonomically designed stools, the works. Now I just have to come up with a list of supplies I will need!

Another fun new sight was found when Rachel and I walked across the highway to campus of IIT (Illinois Institute of Technology). It is a surprisingly nice campus, considering that it is sandwiched in next to a highway in a highly urban area. But what startled us was the presence of a 9 hole disc golf course! We saw some guys lounging around, suspiciously...but then as we got closer we realized they were just waiting to tee off at hole #4, which is a par 3 in case you were wondering. The only question is, where to get the proper discs so that we can go play??

-alan

[Note: I am trying to resolve the time zone issue, lest people start thinking I am blogging from the future. No, I cannot tell you what lotto numbers to play!]

Getting closer to being done

Apartment update. Rachel and I finished painting the last bedroom today. The paint is curing as we speak. Once the paint is dry and all the tape removed, we can get the room up and finally finish sorting through our various tubs of stuff. We are getting more efficient - it took us 4-5 hours to prep and paint the room, which was faster than we had done in the past.

Next step - hang pictures, window treatments, mirrors, etc.

In other news, I was sad to see another Chicago cop murdered on Sunday morning. They 62 year old (3 weeks from retirement) was still in uniform as he arrived home at the end of his shift. Three guys shot at him as they were trying to steal his car. While violence in this city is not new, it is scary to think how brash the criminals have become.

alan

Consumerism continues

Returning back to the US, we have the opportunity to make rationale decisions about what we do and do not need in our new lives here. Unpacking our stored possessions, there were a few surprises - we got rid of our electric griddle and baking sheets, for example - but a lot of the basics are here.

We still have some more furniture to get - a couple of items for the living room, in particular. But we went out of our way this weekend to stock up our middle bedroom, from hereon referred to as the "TV room."

Going back to my original point, we could have decided not to get a TV. I toyed with the idea in the past, and Rachel would probably be ok with it. But in the end, I decided that I like watching sports too much to permanently rely on Slingbox. The pixelated internet image was a blessing in China, but here it just would not suffice.

That being said, I convinced Rachel that if we are going to do it, we might as well do it right - so we bought a 40" Sony Bravia and a nice sound system to go along with it. The TV is unpacked but the sound system will take some time to set up. Audio equipment has gotten more complicated in the last few years, now that we are in the digital age.

The next step is to get programming - we are using Sarah's antenna (shhh...don't tell her) to test reception. We get the basic broadcast channels, in HD, with decent reliability. However, if sports were the primary reason to get the TV, then can we stick with an antenna and miss out on ESPN and Big Ten Network?

In addition, we are interested in buying a grill. We have a back door that leads out to a patio that SCREAMS barbeque everytime I walk out there. Looking at reviews, it seems to make sense to pay more to get a small Weber grill (that should last) as opposed to a cheap one that will rust and break down. So the only question is...buy it now while the weather is nice, or wait until our income starts rolling in?

As Rachel voiced, once you start buying, all you do is think of more things to buy. Stores are quite effective as messing with your brain in this regard.

-alan

Wedding pictures

Now that Sarah and Dave are returning from their honeymoon in Kona, Hawaii, I figured I should come back and post a few pictures.

Not that we have many - Rachel had the camera, but was somewhat busy due to her matron-of-honor responsibilities. (matron? really? my wife is a matron?) Dave's cousins are professional photographers, and based on the quality of the engagement pics I am sure they will end up with a nice album.

The wedding went off with few major glitches. We had fun, and the food was great. But most importantly, they got married.








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This cake was ordered by Sarah for Dave, who is a big superman fan. It was made by Dave's friends, who are obviously talented cake makers. It looked great and tasted better. (Any of my friends want to bake me a cake?)

The following are from the bachelorette party a couple days before the wedding. I cannot comment too much about it, other than to say I was the lackey/chauffeur for this event. I drove the girls downtown to the Peninsula Hotel for afternoon tea. Sarah was in my car, completely confused about where we were going and totally surprised when we pulled up to a hotel. From there they walked down to Millennium Park, where I had driven their mom with supplies necessary for a big picnic. They arrived just in time to hear a performance by the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra.


-alan

Quick apartment update

Just to keep you all updated on how our apartment is shaping up, I will post a few more pictures showing the progress.

The biggest improvement came to our bedroom, which formerly was filled with boxes and suitcases. But after the Millers instigated the painting bonanza, we decided to get the room finished before our new mattress was delivered (on Thursday).

So we put all the new Ikea bedroom furniture together. Some of these were a little more challenging than the run-of-the-mill end tables we have done in the past, but the finished product seems (more or less) functional.
The paint job made a huge difference.




Part of me wishes it was all done, but there was just not enough time to get it finished before everyone else arrived. Oh well, we have all summer.

We will post more pictures once the place is decorated and we have the rest of our furniture (yet to be purchased - a pantry/counter top, a coffee table and chair for the living room....and hopefully nothing else!)

-alan

New job

It is official - well, nothing is signed, but that is formality - I will be teaching this coming fall at Ogden International School of Chicago. Despite the private, elite connotation of the name, this is a Chicago Public School.

It has a lot of history - the related Ogden Elementary School dates back to the late 1800s and has been going strong in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood, which is just north of downtown. Last year, they opened a high school school on their west campus, which is on the edge of the West Town / Goose Island neighborhoods, right by I-90/94.


View Larger Map

I will be the new 10th grade chemistry teacher (unless something changes). The school will be adding grades by year, so this year there will be 9-10th grades, then 9-11th grades, and finally a full school in 2012-2013.

It is called an "international school" because the school's theme centers around making the curriculum and high school experience more international for the students. It is all still growing, however, so how that all works out is a work in progress. But I get to be a part of it, which is exciting. An added perk may be the chance to host foreign visitors, and to travel domestically or abroad with students in the future. Again, we will see after I am acclimated to the school how it all works.

But the relief of having a position secured has come, and once Sarah's wedding is over I will have more time to look ahead and plan.

Rachel has a second interview on Tuesday for a part-time position at one of the top high schools in Chicago and in Illinois. Though she is hesitant about teaching at a more elite school for philosophical reasons, in all practical terms it is a great job. We shall see how that goes!

-alan

Amazing progress!

I cannot believe my eyes.

In the last 2.5 days, we have painted our living room, kitchen, main hallway, and bedroom. 6 pieces of Ikea furniture have been assembled. 2 bathrooms have been given a deep cleaning (Rachel's mom even recaulked the tub. Unbelievable!) and the kitchen has been degreased and sanitized from floor to ceiling. Many (but not all) boxes have been unpacked and the majority of the areas (if you ignore the closets and laundry room) are free of clutter.

I'd say that this place could easily go for another $100 rent based on the improvements we have made. Easy.

Big thanks to the unstoppable Miller family for their help in getting this place in a respectable condition. Becca walked in today and said, "Oh, this place actually looks like a house now, and not a crime scene anymore." Thanks for the compliment?

Grandpa John (Rachel's Dad's Dad) is coming on Amtrak tomorrow, and my parents will be in town on Friday. It will be a full house!

-alan
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The paint train has come to town

Yesterday, I traveled to O'Hare to pick up Rachel's parents and brother, who flew in for Sarah's wedding this coming weekend. After a flurry of activity, we got the apartment in a reasonable state of cleanliness and order prior to their arrival.

We helped with some wedding tasks in the morning, but Rachel's Dad was insistent in his calls for us to get back to our apartment and start painting.

Which we did - from 2 in the afternoon until 11 at night. We finished about half the house. I could not believe it. He is an endless vault of painting energy. When I woke up at 8:30, he was in the living room using the last of the paint to do some edging.

It has made a big improvement. This place had been rehabbed in 2005, but obviously was not maintained since then - no cleaning, no maintenance. So I feel there is a good apartment hidden in here, under the grime and scuffed walls. We'll see if we can make it reappear.

The goal is to keep painting and finish up within the week.

-alan

The Taste, and clean up day #1

This afternoon after my interview, we treated ourselves to a trip downtown for the Taste of Chicago. There's nothing like an overwhelming horde of sweaty people jammed into small areas while eating food from street vendors to remind you of China!


We took Becca along, for experience sake and because we owe her big for helping us move and clean the place up.

As you can see above, Rachel forgot her sunglasses. It was a hot, sunny day. This is Rachel's squinty face.

People are very divided on Taste of Chicago. Detractors say it is too hot, too crowded, overpriced, and a scam. While it may be a little pricey, I tend to agree with those who attend, that it is fun to be downtown while eating good food from Chicago's famous restaurants. The only problem was trying to keep ourselves from buying the food from our local restaurants - we should just walk out and eat at those places!!

The rest of the evening was spent trying to put our lives here in order. It will take awhile. Rachel stayed up a couple hours after I went to sleep, and managed to get some things organized. I was impressed.

Today, with much help from Becca, we: washed dishes, cleaned the kitchen cupboards, cleaned one bathroom, cleaned the laundry area, and put some dishes away. The exhaust hose from the dryer was disconnected; who knows how long that fire hazard was left unnoticed.

What will one day be our bedroom

Becca cleaning the kitchen

Rachel doing nothing on our "new" couch

We also found out tonight the value of screens. We went out to buy a bookcase off Craiglist, and when we returned the landlord was on the stoop. He helped us carry inside, and then stayed to chat a bit. There is a front door (which was open) and a tiny vestibule that leads to our apartment and upstairs. Both were open as he stood there. Finally, Rachel asked him to close the door....but the damage was done, and Rachel commenced using the Shop Vac to suck up hundreds of little gnats that had migrated towards our living room lights. Yuck.

-alan

We're here!

We have awoken from our first night in our new apartment. [sigh of relief] Though I appreciate the hospitality and flexibility of Sarah (who allowed us on 3 occassions to stay in her apartment on short notice) it is a relief to have our own place here.

We slept last night on our new futon, since our bed frame is not assembled and we will not have a mattress until next week. It was comfortable enough to spend a week on with no worry.

Our apartment has promise, but needs work. The place has dirt, grime, and grease in all kinds of unfortunate places. The walls badly need paint, immediately. The window treatments could use some updating. There is a scary amount of lint built up behind the dryer. We do not have a key to the back door. ....and that is just the start of my mental list. I'm sure Rachel could supply you with a dozen more things to be done right away. It makes it a chore to figure out how to unpack to some extent, since some of these things (like painting) will take some time.

Today, however, will be a good day - return the moving truck, go to a job interview, and then go with Rachel's sisters to Taste of Chicago in the afternoon.

-alan