Lent and the Lake

Mira here. The best indicator of the weather for us here on Eastlake Terrace is often not the sky, but the lake. Over the past two weeks, the lake has changed dramatically. With the mild temperatures we had for so long, the lake water was deep blue and clear for much of January. When the snows and winds arrived about two weeks ago (see pics from a couple of posts back), the lake roared for a bit, then slowed as it became lumpy and then solid--ice!. Then suddenly, this past week, it was almost 40 degrees and the water reappeared, but the strong wind sent the waves crashing onto the shore with so much force that we could hear them from inside our apartment. And today, there was another shift. Drizzly snow this morning gave way to freezing rain, which caused the still lake's color to be covered over again with a layer of slushy ice. After church, the lake had become downright chunky, and now, the rain drops have become huge fake-theater-snow and the shoreline is not quite decipherable from our apartment window. The blue-white of the shore fades into a muted teal color where the water begins.

It feels like Lent. A bit dreary...moods and circumstances changing, sometimes by the hour...the desire to curl up in a blanket with a cup of tea (maybe a bowl of cereal in my case) on the couch and light a candle or read or hide. I so appreciated the sermon that Michelle, a member of our church and guest preacher today, gave this morning. It was a "pro-Lent" message. She shared about Lent, this 40-day preparation period before Easter (of which today is the first Sunday), being a time of grief--of examining our lives, of taking note of where we have wandered off-course in relationships and in our spiritual lives, of acknowledging all that is broken in the world, of seeking to know where we are being led. But the "pro" part of the message is that we need these seasons of grief so that we can fully experience the joy of renewal...it is not healthy to push away the grief, but we must walk through it. And even though we often feel very alone when we are grieving or confused or completely lost, we are not alone. Walking together in community is our constant reminder of this.

This Lent, Eric and I will be co-leading one of four small groups that will meet on Wednesday nights to share in some good Lenten reflection. There will be a community meal, then groups will meet for a bit of conversation, and we will end with a short candlelight service. We are both really excited to get to know some new people in a deeper way and share a bit of the small-group experience that impacted us so much in the fall. This will be another chance to walk with one another.

Michelle said that Lent is a season that she "gets." It seems more real. I can relate to that. I can relate more to the reality of wandering, of desiring simplicity and closeness in relationships, of grieving, than I can to a season of, say, expecting a baby (like in Advent). How great that this is a time that it's not only OK, but encouraging to admit when we feel lost and afraid (heck, I'm sure Jesus felt that way after wandering in the desert for forty days!). And to admit that we need guidance and comfort. And to occasionally find glimpses and moments of that guidance and comfort.

So...even though at the moment I feel a bit like curling up and watching the flakes safely from our toasty apartment, I think I will head back out into the snow and make my way to the coffee shop where the church's women's group is meeting this evening. And maybe I will make a stop at the beach to see up close how the water is changing.


P.S. In case you are interested in reading more about Lent or finding some reflection materials, this is a good page to visit. It's from the United Methodist Church website. I especially like the Upper Room devotions and the article "Lent 101."

a truly foul mouth

Last night we had a great time with our friends Josh and Deborah and Josh's Mom who is visiting from Reno, where we enjoyed some of the best lasagna ever (eggplant) and some good laughs.
However, all was not well on the way home. Mira and I were riding home from their place and had a terrible train experience. When we got on, we noticed a pretty strong odor, probably coming from the man who had no place to call home. This in itself is not the part of the ride that made the trip terrible; sometimes people smell bad--sometimes I smell bad. When it happens, you just have to tough it out and be mindful of our incredibly privileged position to shower, which is something that most people in the world are unable to do on a regular basis. This is a concept that was quite obviously lost on the three gentlemen who sat behind us. I am not sure if they had been drinking, but even if they were, it gives them no right to say some of the hateful things they were saying about "the smell," which probably came from "some rotting homeless guy." The most frustrating thing for us was being frozen in our inability to respond to their terrible and loud comments. Is it worth getting into a (perhaps physical) fight over? Is it right to humiliate them for their own rotten behavior? I just cannot understand how anyone could possibly treat another human being this way. Truly they represented white American privilege in the worst way.

"Snow with gusts of wind and blowing snow"

That is what the weatherpeople (redundantly) predicted, and they were right. Our street has been especially gusty today and the snow has drifted over parking spaces and cars and even one of the entrances to our building.

3 Cheers for Surprises!

Eric here. So, Mira mentioned something about surprise activities on Valentine's Day (we celebrated on Sunday instead of Wednesday since Mira usually has to work until 8 or so and doesn't get home until close to ten). I was excited, thinking about a possible vegetarian restaurant visit or a trip to see a movie or something to that order. Little did I know the lengths her sneakiness could go! Mira led me through the city deftly and without so much as a clue as to what our next activity would be--whenever I would ask how we would be arriving, what the nature of the activity would be, or something specific, she would respond only with general answers like "I don't know" or "Maybe." I really had no idea. So, for the first activity, I was right about the veggie restaurant, but I didn't know we would be going to Karyn's Cooked, downtown! For those of you who aren't familiar, here is a website linked to Karyn's establishments. While her other place is a raw food restaurant (nothing cooked over 100 degrees), this restaurant is "only" vegan, meaning it serves no animal products whatsoever (milk, eggs, honey, etc), but cooked. I had the French Toast with bananas and a raspberry sauce, cooked with tofu and soymilk. It was amazing! Mira had the taco-style seitan and the scrambled tofu with homemade tortillas. Since she wasn't able to finish, I begrudgingly batted cleanup, polishing off the rest in 3.6 seconds! For those of you who are at least curious about a vegan lifestyle, or just a completely cruelty-free meal every once in a while, Karyn's Cooked is a good place to see that it really is possible to have flavor and sensibility in one setting.

After our wonderful meal and a short el-ride and walk, we arrived at step two: The Chicago History Museum. Mira mentioned her visit in a earlier blog ("Life in the office, the Y, the museum, and the Gallery"), but I was not able to go with Mira, Joey, and Maiko for that visit. A great display of Chicago history, this visit was particularly meaningful since we have both read two books are set in Chicago, Erik Larson's Devil in the White City and Alex Kotlowitz's Never a City so Real, which, along with one of my favorite books, Upton Sinclair's The Jungle paint vivid pictures of the awesomeness and the horror of this city's past. Many of the names and neighborhoods figure prominently in the museum, so it was cool to have an association. I am fascinated by the ever-changing history of the most American of American cities, so Mira's second surprise was a great match.

The third surprise would be little while after the museum closed, so we shared a smoothie and a sandwich at a local place, and Mira was her usual unhelpful self when pressed to give clues for our final destination. A visit to a bar I had never been to? A street performer who could tie himself into a half-hitch knot? A zip-line trip from the top of the Sear's Tower to Navy Pier? All suggestions came with the same response: "Maybe!" As we got off the bus in front of the Lincoln Park Zoo, I thought, "Huh. Maybe we're going to a special presentation on the mating habits of Siberian Tigers" which is not something I am totally intrigued by, but hey, whatever! But the zoo was't open, so that couldn't have been it. No, we crossed the street, approaching a theater--the Park West theater. The sign with the list of billings said this: Feb 11 Josh Ritter. "Wait," I thought, "that's tonight!" And then we walked inside. Mira had bought tickets for both of us to see Josh Ritter, who is one of our favorite singer/songwriters (and Moscow, ID native!!!), introduced to us by my brother Mike. Mira purchased the tickets with stealth and cunning, never so much as mentioning anything or leaving anything around. I had completely forgotten that he was going to be in town, so it wasn't even on my radar! Anyway, the show was amazing and the Park West was a great place to see it. Another singer/songwriter named Stephen Kellogg opened for him and proved to be very enthusiastic, funny and tight performer in his own right. He ended his performance with a song that included many lines from hit songs over the past 50 years (he called it an "introduction to musicology"), and got a standing ovation from a crowd that, for the most part, didn't even come to see him! Josh's performance was totally amazing. His songs are hypnotic with their imagery and feeling. Mira and I were both impressed with the passion that accompanies his obvious talent. Although we only have one album of his ("Hello Starling"), we were just as excited to hear the music we weren't familiar with as our old favorites. From the sounds of it, we need to buy his latest album as soon as we possibly can! Two songs he sang unplugged (for which I was glad for our fifth row seats!)--just him and his guitar and no microphone or amplification. After he was "encored" by the crowd, he called up Stephen to the stage and they harmonized together and Josh ended the night with an a capella, traditional Irish blessing. It was truly the best Valentine's Celebration ever!

Here are some pictures:
Mira and I on the platform between surprise numbers one and two.

















Here I am looking at some Chicago innovations. A lot of items, like the color and style of the Schwinn looked very familiar, but the thing I was pleasantly surprised to see was one of my favorite childhood toys,"Mr. Machine," which can be seen beneath the front tire of the Schwinn. Mr Machine didn't do much--except play music, dance, scoot around, and spread joy and happiness to millions of people around the world. That's all.





Here I am trying to figure out when this stupid el train will get moving again! When will the CTA ever figure it out?! Don't give that "It's from the 1890's and doesn't operate anymore and you're scaring the children" excuse that I must have heard a hundred times!









Photo of Josh Ritter on Feb. 11 and he and his band on Letterman, Jan. 12




And just in case you were wondering if I had any plans up my sleeve for a Valentine's surprise, I think this sign pretty much sums it up (Don't tell Mira!):

Bear Down-er

From Eric: Having been a Bears fan all my life, I have to say that last night's game was quite an emotional roller coaster...although this ride only had a short uphill and a long and painful downhill.

For all of you Rex-haters, which includes pretty much all Chicago media, there really is no quarterback controversy in Chicago. I will echo Lovie's words exactly: Rex is our quarterback. There is some reason to my rhyme. First of all, this was his first complete season--and taken as a whole, it was a pretty darn good first season at that: 13-3 record, 3193 yards, 23 TD's vs. 20 int's, and a 74.8 passer rating. If we compare that with Brett Favre's first complete season as a starter, we do not see a huge difference: 9-7 record, 3303 yards, 19 TD's vs 24 int's and a 72.2 passer rating. Secondly, Grossman led the Bears to a Superbowl appearance, although I will admit that was shaky--but that was something Favre, although successfully, didn't do until his fourth complete season. And finally, players are allowed to have bad games--and many of the greatest have indeed come back from the worst of games to have great careers. John Elway lost his first two Superbowls, the second of which his stat line looked like this: 14-38, 258 yards, 1 TD, 3 int's in a 46-10 loss (his third Superbowl appearance was even worse: 10-26, 108 yards, 2 int's in a 55-10 loss). Three lost Superbowls with a combined score of 40-136. We would all agree that Mr. Elway went on to have a pretty good career after that first Superbowl loss, right (4 more Superbowl appearances and 2 Superbowl wins)? Now, there is no way for me to say that Rex will turn into anything compared to the guys I just brought up--he certainly has a lot of growing up to do--but the things they had going for them was fans who believed in them, supportive and disciplining coaches, and they didn't live in Chicago where the collective media will fall madly in love with you one week and rip you to shreds the next week--unless the columnist is Jay Mariotti, and then you will be ripped to shreds every week. I hope that Chicago and its media will soon take a lesson from the "hated" Green Bay Packers fan base and just love your team no matter what--with a media that supports and merely reports on its team rather than put their fans and players through this constant editorial barrage. By the way, Elway's first complete season looked like this (15 games): 13-3 record, 2598 yards, 18 TD's 15 int's, loss in the first round of the playoffs.

Okay, the good news about the Superbowl (aside from the first 10 minutes) was that we got to go to our friend Jen's house for a party. There was an assortment of snacks and drinks, including football shaped cookies and a biscuit and yoghurt combination that Rich called the Wacker, in honor of Chicago's Wacker Drive. At halftime, two of the guests decided to go outside and play some football themselves, only to come in 2 minutes later complaining that their lungs had frozen solid. Here are some more pictures of our night:

Carting along

Much moreso than in the past, getting from here to there seems lately to be work. With a walk to the El or bus stop a given, and the wind and snow coming with more regularity, completing an otherwise ordinary task (like going to the gym or to the store) can sometimes make us sigh and consider whether this is really something that needs to happen immediately (unfortunately, we are sometimes successful at talking ourselves out of important activities). But today we decided to take an momentous step to improve one of our regular excursions (to the grocery store).....we bought a cart! If you live in Chicago, you are aware that all women over 65 are required to own a 4-wheeled shopping cart. Not really...but there honestly aren't many folks under that age that you see pushing these things around. But why not??? They reduce shoulder soreness from multiple bags on each arm and they prevent the classic "your eyes are bigger than your biceps" syndrome. With the cart, one can wheel around the store and collect the necessary items--but stop when the cart is full. The full-size shopping cart can be deceptive--Eric and often ended up getting way more than we could carry comfortably for 7 blocks, which is how far we live away from Dominick's. But today, we arrived home with a full load of groceries--and no sore shoulders! We love our new cart!

Despite getting tired of trekking around at times, we are loving Chicago. The current show in our church's gallery space has been by an artist (whose name we don't know) who takes photographs of Chicago. For some really neat city shots of all kinds, check out this website: http://www.dmogalleries.com/index.html.

We have also been reading lots about the city. Eric and I both recently finished reading The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, an amazing and dark revisiting of Chicago in 1892-93 and its journey toward and through the World's Columbian Exposition. It tells two parallel stories--one of Daniel Bunham, the principal architect for the World's Fair, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer who took advantage of circumstances related to the fair and the changing city to lure his victims. A very intriguing story--and true!

I also just finished reading the 2004 book Never a City So Real: A Walk in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz (I linked the title to the desription that I did because it's by Powell's--the best book store ever in another one of our favorite cities--Portland!). Kotlowitz basically hangs around with some ordinary people in Chicago who have done some really interesting things--and who make Chicago the great and sad and complex and exciting city that it is. There is one section about a guy who owns a diner in Albany Park, on the northwest side. As I read the description of the place and the owner's interaction with the day laborers who gather in the parking lot seeking work each morning, I realized--hey, we've been there! Three years ago, Eric and I participated with Seminarians for Worker Justice in a rally there to support the day laborers as they fought for a Worker Center--on the coldest Martin Luther King Day ever! We stood in that parking lot and we drank hot chocolate from GT's diner (these were the pre-coffee-addiction days) and used their restroom. How cool. Though there are still challenges for the laborers, they have since been successful in opening a Workers Center! Here is a 2005 article that tells a bit about it.

The building right behind us is GT's:

Jenny

It's been about a year since we got rid of our television, but it seems like less of a sacrifice now that we have access to so many entertaining things on YouTube (not to mention full episodes of Grey's Anatomy on abc.com). We don't usually post videos, but here is one from Flight of the Conchords, the "the almost award-winning fourth-most-popular folk duo in New Zealand." If you like this, you should check out their other stuff on YouTube.com. I can't count how many times we've watched their videos and they are still hilarious!

Winter Sky

Today was cold! The "feels like" temperature this morning was minus 6 degrees! But it was such a beautiful day! There was a patch of blue when we woke up, but the clouds took over and the flurries began. Soon the sparse flakes became an honest-to-goodness snowfall, with folks piling on the train and shaking the accumulation of fluff off their shoulders and bags. And then this evening, the sun came out and turned the sky a faded purple color I hadn't seen for so long! This picture just couldn't capture the lovely light and the roaring whitcaps on the lake, but it was so cozy in the apartment I just couldn't bring myself to go outside. But I could hear the waves from where I stood.


Amazingly, Eric rode his bike to work today. And he is on his way home as I write, no doubt excited to come inside and open the hot seitan quesadilla's he's bringing home!

Chocolate and Football and Snowy Days

It's gotten a bit chilly again (in the single digits), and though we haven't seen much accumulation, the snow has been falling...and things are freezing! Here are some icicles on the iced-over pier at the beach down the street. Remember, no diving.

The view from my office a few nights ago.


It has been a full weekend! On Friday night, we finally made it to the Brew and View without encountering any firetrucks (see last week's posting). Josh, Deborah, and Joseph met us there for Borat and the Tenacious D movie. Borat was shocking at times but without a doubt the funniest movie we have seen in a long time. We made it through about 20 minutes of the second show before giving up (sorry Jack Black lovers).

After hanging out a bit at some place down the street, we caught the bus (it was so stinking cold at that point) and headed home. While we waited, we hid out in a doorway to avoid the wind. Here are Goose, Josh, Deborah, and Joseph.


Eliser brought the ridiculous hat I am wearing as a Christmas present for Eric, but his head is simply too big for him to wear it. The majority of folks I see wearing ones like this are either over 75 or work for CTA (not that there's anything wrong with fitting into either of those categories), but it is the warmest hat ever! You will never see me in any other cap when the temperature is below 27.


On Saturday morning, we met Barrett and Megan, two friends who started attending our church around the same time we did, for breakfast at the Heartland Cafe. We had a lovely time talking about life and eating breakfast burritos and berry pancakes.

We planned to take CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) to our next destination, an informational session on Co-Housing at the Sulzer Library...but it turned out that the library was only 2 blocks from Megan's place, so they gave us a ride! For as much as we support and appreciate public transportation, sometimes it is SO NICE to get in a car!

The presentation was by a group called Prairie Onion Co-Housing. We had come across an ad in a local magazine about this community living project and later joined their Yahoo Group to receive updates. Basically, Co-Housing (check out this website for more info) is a way of living in community that involves individuals and families living in their privately-owned (but small and modest) homes or units and then sharing common space and resources. Decisions from the beginning are made by members through a concensus process, and living areas are constructed with social interaction part of the plan. For example, parking is always located at the periphery of the community and entrances are gathered around a pedestrian area so people see each other frequently. One or more meals during the week are shared (though not mandatory) and a common house, in addition to having a large kitchen and dining area, might have guest rooms, a game room, a children's play area, a library, a workshop...really whatever the group decides to include.

Prairie Onion, the group that has formed in Chicago, is working on getting land at this point, and after the property has been purchased, it would be about two years before people start moving in. So...it's good to have some time to figure out whether or not this would be something we would like to do (and hopefully become a bit more stable financially), but it is definitely an idea that excites us. Co-Housing groups are committed to "green" building techniques and materials along with sustainable practices and seeking overall to reduce our ecological footprint (calculate your own footprint here)...and they are made up of folks who want to really know and live with their neighbors! There are so many people in this big city, but there is also so much isolation.

After the gathering, we took the train back north. This shot is looking south toward the Loop from the Wilson stop.


Justin and Andria, who were married in December in Grand Rapids, were in town for the weekend and Erin and Matt had a fondue party to celebrate! Look at that sweet chocolately goodness. I can't think of anything better than a skewer with a banana slice and a huge chunk of chocolate brownie dipped in melty chocolate!


Eric could not believe that I actually let him eat this last piece of mine (I'm nice sometimes).

Crazy thing. After we met Alex and Emma, who are friends of Matt and Erin, for the first time that evening, we discovered that we had been sitting at the table immediately next to them at the Heartland Cafe that morning. Even Chicago can feel like a small world sometimes!


After church today, we visited the Wishbone restuarant for lunch. So delicious. While we ate, two guys in full bear costumes (with the giant mascot head and everything) and Bears jerseys came walking up the street. They paused for a moment and peered in at us with their paws on the window, then came in the restaurant and had a drink at the bar. Later they stepped out for a smoke break, then moseyed on down the street. Strange.


Speaking of Bears, it was an excellent day to be in Chicago and, in my opinion, inside a toasty living room watching the game on a giant TV! Unfortunately, Eric had to work this afternoon, but I sent him off with an oldschool walkman to listen in his slow moments. While Lewis napped and the snow fell and fell outside, Andy and I enjoyed the game on Lewis' High Definition TV. And, hard to believe, the Bears are going to the SuperBowl for the first time in 21 years!!!! (I'm not going to lie--I've never been this excited about footbal before--I must be hangin out with Eric a little too much!).

Well, I'm off to the el stop to meet Justin Horn, Eric's college friend and perhaps the most spontaneous and carefree person we've ever met. He and his girlfriend, Ruby, are staying over tonight.

Heart of Gould

The weather has been a bit crummy (the meteorologists like to call it a "wintry mix") but the weekend was still lovely. On Saturday, we met Amy, a friend we met in Guatemala who moved to Chicago in the fall, for Thai food in Logan Square, and had such a nice visit. We didn't take our camera with us, but here is a picture of the three of us making rellenos (plaintain pockets filled with sweet black bean paste) during our time at the mountain school near Colomba, Guatemala:


We sat and talked in the restaurant for so long that we started to get a bit hungry again and the sun began to disappear (in his workplace, Eric calls people like us "campers"), so we re-wrapped our scarves and walked around the neighborhood for a while. Logan Square is north and west of downtown (pretty much straight west of Lakeview, where our church is) and is a diverse and happenin' place. Eric and I have done quite a bit of talking about where we might move (within Chicago) when our apartment lease is up (which will be in July) and Logan Square is definitely a possibility. There is a high Latino population and there are lots of great restaurants and even a discount movie theater! Plus it's along the blue line of the el, which allows for quick trips to both downtown and to O'Hare.

Later, we moved the kitchen table into the living room and played an intense game of Euchre with Lewis and Andy. It was close to the end, but Lewis sealed the deal by going it alone and taking all five tricks! Non-midwesterners, we would be happy to teach you to play Euchre any time (you just might have to come visit us, though)!


After church today, we managed not to be the very last people in the building besides the pastor (like last week)--but only because the Bears-Seahawks playoff game started at noon! We enjoyed the High Definition viewing at the Hidden Shamrock pub and the Bears did not disappoint! It was a close and intense game that ended in overtime with Robbie Gould (pronounced "gold") matching his career distance for a field goal--49 yards--putting the Bears up 27-24! We kept singing this terrible version of Neil Young's song that we heard one of the morning sports talk-show guys sing the other day. Instead of "Keep me searching for a heart of gold...and I'm getting old," he sang, "Got a kicker his name is Robbie Gould...next stop Super Bowl!"

We hung around Lakeview for a while (drinking coffee, thrift-store browsing, window shopping) because we had plans to meet Josh and Deborah at the Brew and View, a cheap movie house that also serves beer (hence the name). We were really excited because they were showing Office Space (an old favorite we had developed quite a hankering to see again) and Little Miss Sunshine, which we have been wanting to see since it came out. Only $5 gets you in to see both!

We approached the Brew and View a bit early to get good seats and a man in a leather jacket with wild hair was standing in the doorway and asked if he could help us. Eric said something to the effect that we were interested in seeing the two movies that would be showing that night. The man said that they were not open. Eric told the man that he had seen on the webpage that they would be open tonight. The man simply replied that yes, they were supposed to be, but the boss had said that they were no longer open for that evening. When Eric asked why again, he just mumbled something. We were a bit confused and disappointed and we walked down the block to call Josh and let him know that the place was mysteriously closed. Suddenly, a fire truck came roaring down the street and stopped in front of the Brew and View. A few moments later, a police car turned down the street, then did a U-turn to block off traffic. While Eric walked around the corner to try to hear over the sirens, three more fire trucks and four more police cars zoomed up. Firefighters jumped out and ran into the building. Curious onlookers gathered. To avoid the cold and decide what to do (and because I wanted to buy some arch supports for my work shoes), we went into the Walgreens across the street. By the time we emerged, only one police car remained. We wandered by the entrance and Eric, through the smoky air, called in to some guy and the police officer, "You're closed, right? Ok, yeah." So...we went home. Maybe another night. Hope everything is ok at the Brew and View.

Film School Application

Eric here. I have to thank Mira for keeping up with the maintenance of this blog--left to my own devices, y'all would be wondering if I ever made it to the "big time" of being a waiter at the BFC!

Anyway, as you know, one of my goals for this year was applying to a film school in the Chicago region. With a January 3rd deadline, I set out early on to get Columbia College's application in on time...and I did! I was blessed to be the benefactor of two letters of recommendation from two beloved friends and former bosses. And, since I have no actual film experience, I also included a proposed film idea that I would be glad to talk to you more about if you so wish. Because I want to make this film and have devoted some considerable time, I won't share exact details, but the picture at left is a "photoshop" creation to give you a clue regarding its potential subject matter.

For Columbia to accept me takes a good amount of faith on their part in my potential, and given the number of candidates that have potential and physical evidence of filmmaking ability, I would not be surprised if they choose not to accept me. I am hopeful, however, that they see my heart and soul resides in helping folks to share their stories in creative and life-changing ways and that I need them to mold me. My future does not rest completely in their hands, however, as I plan to make documentary films regardless of their decision.

Anyway, since I have completed the app and we have our weekends off together, Mira and I have gotten more time to spend with each other, just hanging out. Today after our church's wonderful Epiphany service, we actually spent the whole day walking around this beautiful city of ours (for those of you who know Chicago, we went down to Wicker Park, and then up through Bucktown, Lincoln Park and Lakeview), talking about our hopes and dreams for the future. If you haven't done that with your significant other lately, I highly recommend it.

Happy Epiphany!

Hello friends.

If you scroll down past the most recent blog ("Pounding the Mochi"), you can see pictures from the rest of our Christmas week ("Happy New Year") that were just posted. Or you can just click on the "Happy New Year" link in the right hand column.

Pounding the Mochi

Mira here. Unfortunately, Eric had to work today, so he wasn't able to join Maiko, Joey, and me on our excursion to Mitsuwa Marketplace, the Japanese "mall" in Arlington Heights (a suburb of Chicago). It's the only place like it in the Chicagoland area and Maiko (who moved here from Japan about five years ago) was really excited to eat mochi, a doughy rice treat covered in bean paste that is a common treat in its processed form, but is generally only made fresh on New Years Day.

In Japan, some families own their own old-fashioned pounding bowl and mallet for this New Years event and, traditionally, the father figure pounds while the mother reaches in to move around the ball of dough. When the lengthy process is finished, the man offers mochi to each person as a symbol of his ability to provide for the family. We arrived at Mitsuwa in time to see their last "pounding of the mochi" demonstration of the day. First, the bowl is cleaned with a cloth and water, then a tub of steaming rice is dumped inside. One person walks round and round, mashing the rice down with the mallet. Another person wipes the sticky rice off the mallet occasionally with a rag (Joey suggested that they develop a non-stick mallet). It is obviously strenuous work and the men switch places often.

After some time, the pounding begins. There is a rhythm to the work, with the crowd giving a shout (I can't remember the Japanese word now) at each whack, and then an "oy" on the off-beat, when the other man reaches in to fold the dough, just narrowly avoiding his hand becoming a pancake.

Between each session, someone else would pull the dough out and throw it back down.

Eventually, they started inviting men from the audience to pound as well. The folding guy got his hand whacked once by a guest pounder.

The children were enthralled at the beginning...

...but some grew quite bored...

...until they were invited to pound the mochi as well.

It was worth the wait! Mochi is really sticky and gooey and naturally sweet. And the bean paste that they slather on top is so great.

There are now machines that make mochi, and very few families make it the old-fashioned way anymore, so it is quite a treat for lots of folks to both see the process and taste the treat fresh off the mallet.

Here is another blog I came across that talks a bit about the mochi-making tradition in Hawaii and in Japan, in case you are interested.

We wandered through Mitsuwa's bookstore, which had some very *interesting* magazines. This one is almost entirely filled with tiny dogs wearing really elaborate clothing and costumes. A little bit disturbing, if you ask me:

And of course we had to eat some Japanese food! Yakisoba noodles were a must, and I also sampled okonomiyaki for the first time--it's kind of like a big hashbrown patty, but it's got cabbage and egg and all sorts of other yummy stuff mixed up in it before it's fried. Maiko says that people ask her all the time if she makes a lot of sushi, but she says that that is only for special occasions (mostly because it is so much work to prepare!). The Japanese food that she eats most at home is noodles and she tries to eat okonomiyaki every chance she gets--though it can be expensive to make for only one person.

Joey and Maiko have cleaned their plates and have nothing left to feed each other. So sad.

Japanese desserts are also very interesting. Unlike in the U.S., their after-meal treats are not usually super sweet, and they often have a mix of different flavors. Also inside Mitsuwa is the Pastry House Hippo. You've got to go to this website and click on the links to see the goodies. Like かめさん for example. You can't tell me that a turtle-shaped pastry resting on a doile is not cute. And 三色パン -- it looks like an ordinary pastry, but you'd never guess that inside that little bun would be hiding a trio of surprises including red bean paste, fluffy cream, and chocolate cream! It's called "san-shoku-pan" ("san" means three, "shoku" means color, and "pan" means bread)."

For dessert, we opted for the green tea parfait, which combines ice cream, red bean paste, green tea "topping," a "pie" (flaky stick), some multi-colored mochi, and some sort of green jelly made from seawee at the bottom. It was unlike anything I had ever had--and quite delicious (except for the green jelly, I must admit).

Well, Mitsuwa was definitely an experience--and it was so nice to visit lots with Joey and Maiko and learn more about the Japanese New Year!

Arigato for reading through the whole blog. And happy new year to you!

Happy New Year

Well, I never posted this entry in which I shared about New Years Eve and posted pictures (in random order) of the rest of our week with Eliser. So, here you go. I'll start the blog with a Christmas day picture sent to us by Jim, my step-dad. It's called, "Spatula Bliss." The moment was really captured here.

We had a really nice, relaxing New Years Eve. The Bears played that night, and we met Erin at Merle's, an excellent barbecue place, to watch the (very disappointing) game against Green Bay. You might think that we chose this location because of their amazing vegetarian barbecue options, perhaps the BBQ seitan sandwich or mock-chicken wings, but no (not even their mac and cheese is vegetarian), we went because Erin's husband, Matt, is a manager there. We did enjoy some "carnitas," an inherently meaty dish that can amazingly be prepared without the carne--and Erin and I had the most potent margaritas ever made.

We went back to Erin and Matt's after the restaurant closed and hung out for a bit, then had a nice walk home to welcome the new year. It was a very nice evening.

We enjoyed the rest of our time with Eliser by sleeping in, then touring a different part of the city each day. While Eric worked one afternoon, Eliser and I went to the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen (the same neighborhood where I work). It was really impressive and will definitely go back--there is some more to see. If you haven't been there and you have the opportunity to go sometime, I would highly recommend it. This is the staircase in the 18th Street stop on the Pink Line. Almost every surface in the entranceway and platform is covered in murals. I love it!


After the museum, we visited Millenium Park downtown. Here's what the giant jelly bean looks like at night:





The ice rink, being Zambonied:

Wrigley Field from the el stop:

Our favorite sandwich shop, Potbelly:

From the point at Northwestern U:

Back downtown the day after Christmas--it was a zoo!

The view from the observatory in the Hancock building:


Eliser washing the windows:


Opening gifts from Sarah. The Oregon placemats are amazing!

The Sun Magazine--best publication ever.

I have no idea what this gift was:

One night, we helped serve and visited with folks at our church's weekly community meal, Dignity Diner. The kids up front are leading everyone in Christmas carols.

An intense game of Yatzee: