Yesterday’s two hours of school went off without a hitch. Today it’s a full day of school, and with Jon and Stephen also graciously going on vacation, I’m feeling full of possibilities, as long as those possibilities include a run to the grocery store. I’ve made great progress on the backlog of magazines. All that’s left? Last week’s New Yorker, and Blueprint. (Blueprint looks really good, by the way.) I still have to clean and organize the closet (no matter how many articles I read about getting rid of stuff, I still have unworn things hanging there, waiting for “someday”) and I must pare down my email inbox.Speaking of email, it seems there is a new email term out there, coined this past weekend at a PodCamp Web conference. “Bacn” is that email that isn’t spam (you’ve requested it), but you don’t necessarily need it. Yep, I’ve got a lot of bacn. And in the name of simplication, I’ve been trying to figure out which bacn I need, and which just shows up, only to be quickly deleted. Daily Candy is tasty, much needed Bacn. However, it’s goodbye to eBay and Bluefly’s daily updates. And there’s more work/unsubscribing to be done. Read Steve Johnson’s Chicago Tribune column about Bacn online and stay tuned to see if the term catches on ….
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Ahhhhh, and school has begun. Only two hours today, but still …… My son will never admit it, but even he is happy to be back – seeing friends, learning, and most importantly, not being bored.I’m going to savor the quiet. In the meantime, if you’re like me, I think you’ll like the work of Kate Sears. (Thanks for the tip, tt!) Those cookies are making me salivate ….Until tomorrow, then.
Hooray! I’m happy because a. It’s Friday b. School starts on Monday c. This is the last day of rain for a few (I’m coming down with cabin fever big-time, and my son is w-i-r-e-d. Just ask R.)I’m eager to get back to a schedule of sorts. So without further discussion, I give you the last Five of “summer”.
- The Bounty
- Sweet goodness
- P8190600
- Water droplets 2
- Race Point
Have a wonderful weekend! Raise a cup of coffee Monday morning for me (and cross your fingers that the bus arrives …..)
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Don’t be fooled by the sunlight in this photo. The wet leaves say it all. It just stopped raining (again), after two rounds of thunderstorms last night. Can’t you just feel the humidity with highs in the 90s forecast for today?On to happier things. Yesterday, the Tribune’s food section had an article about Chicago Localvores – and my neighbor was pictured (and interviewed)! After an email exchange, I’ve learned that there is a website, a Flickr group, and a Localvore Challenge taking place September 10-16. This is exciting – after reading the Omnivore’s Dilemma, I’ve been trying to make small changes to how and what our family eats, but this is a chance to make bigger changes, with help and support. Don’t get me wrong – I am totally skeptical about the practicality of localvore-ing during a Chicago winter, but that doesn’t excuse the rest of the year. You know, those five or six warm months? (Four or five?) I hope to have updates for you over the next few months as I find ways to get involved with the group and translate that into changes at home. By the way, you can read the Tribune article online, I think. And check out the Chicago Localvores site – if you’re local, join me! In today’s NYTimes’ fall-fashion themed Style section (now we’ve switched from sustainability to fashion – my odd dichotomy) there is a great article about the attention paid to detail in the making of Mad Men. The costumes are so appealing in this show. I have to keep reminding myself that the women are wearing girdles, and I do not want to sign up for that, thank you. Although I wouldn’t mind a one day visit to Madison Avenue, 1960 via the way-back machine. I’ve really enjoyed watching Mad Men this summer (Don Draper: enigma wrapped in a puzzle) – it’s been a nice respite from The Weather Channel.
And in a nice combination of fashion and sustainability, check out today’s Bride’s Guide post about Susan Spungen’s wedding at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. All food was grown on the premises, and you know the event was gorgeous to boot! (which issue of Weddings will it be in, is my question?)
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Another day; another thunderstorm. This one arrived at 4am with some strong winds, followed by more rain. On the positive side, the grass is lush, and green. (and I can always escape by looking at my photos from Boston, including this one, above, taken of a sidewalk in the South End) On the negative side …..I was watching reality tv last night (it was that or go outside and hang with the mosquitoes). My poison of choice? Flipping Out. Let me just say, this is the first time I’ve seen a full episode, and it’s like a car crash: I could not look away. Very amusing. Where do I start? Having your assistant take your cat for acupuncture. Telling your “best” employee that she’s so good, you’ve only had to fire her two or three times. I could go on, but there were so many, and they were detailed in a you-had-to-be-there kind of way. The good news is, it put me to sleep, which gave me a head start on the 4am wakeup.It also reminded me of another show I watched a couple of weeks ago: the Fashionista Diaries. Six contestants were competing for jobs at a magazine, a PR firm, and a cosmetics company. Favorite crazy quote from that show? “This is a very exciting time to be working at Jane (magazine).” Yeah, I’m sure it was thrilling to be working on the very last issue before you were shut down. Great time to be getting on that ship. (Nothing against Jane magazine, by the way. It was just funny, in a sad way.)Finally, this morning I got an email from MyFonts, featuring the work of Frantisek Storm. I was smitten with his Splendid Quartet, especially the script font. But what I’d really like is the script font for Stir, located in Boston’s South End. (and we come full circle) Anyone know what it is? By the way, Stir is a charming compilation of cookbook store (interesting selection) and demonstration kitchen, housed in an adorable space that is supposed to replicate chef Barbara Lynch’s kitchen. I would totally go for a girls’ night out class if I lived there. Which I do not.
