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'Tis a Wee Bit Late But... St. Patty's Day Trip to Chicago

I know, I know... St. Patrick's Day was two weeks ago, and I already used the word "wee" in reference to it, but give a girl a break. I couldn't sleep last night, I'm feeling vaguely discontent, and rather than continue reading for class on Monday, I'm hoping to drown my sorrows in blogging. Hopefully I'll get more creative as we go along (but don't get your hopes up).

Cristen spearheaded a visit to the Irish-filled land of Chicago so we could get our fill o' green rivers and (for them) green beer. I drove. Cristen brought green cake. And yes, we ate it in the car. I should've known that people who will go to see a river turn green would also deck themselves out in green, but it still surprised me - boas, hats, curly wigs, green jeans, and shamrock-themed boxers on people too old to be wearing boxers on the outside of their pants. I mean, I had on my green argyles and t-shirt. Erica and Cristen were bedecked in emerald hues (Kevin, somehow, hadn't thought of wearing green - crazy Brit), but not to this extent. We parked (and I must say, got a good deal and a good spot!) and then followed the crowd. We all knew where they were headed.

The river was already lined with people. We couldn't find a free spot, so we opted for something one person deep rather than five. We had to wait about 15 minutes before the official greening. We even spotted a leprechaun!

We couldn't quite tell what was going on. Erica and Cristen had to crane their necks...

because there was a horrible woman standing in front of us.

At first, we didn't mind too much because afterall, she was already there. We chose to stand behind her and two of her friends... but then, she invited more of her horrible friends to come up and stand with her in front of us! We were not pleased. You could see it in our dagger eyes. We had to just hold our cameras out in front of us when the river started to change and hope for the best.

It was time for some lunch. Pubs closest to the river (who knew there were so many Irish ones around?!) were already crawling with people. We tried one closeby, but after being ushered down to the basement with no tables and still too many people, we made our exit. A few blocks down, we found Miller's.

They had some Patty's Day specials, like green beer, corned beef, and such, but most of us opted for more everyday fare.

(I'd like to take this moment to point out how awesome the steaming meat on the stained glass behind Kevin and Cristen is. Also, it amused me that British Kevin ordered some fish-n-chips. I don't know why. Apparently, they weren't up to snuff.)

After lunch, we again followed the crowd to view the parade. For a moment, we got separated. The crowd took Cristen and BK across the street toward the Art Institute while Erica and I were stranded on the other side of the road. Frantic cell phone calls were made. British Kevin's head, floating above the crowd, was spotted, and we all reunited again. Others apparently had this problem because we overheard several people on phones, saying "Raise your hand!" The crowd was thick.

Just like the river, we couldn't get a good spot for the parade. My pictures are full of other people and angled from above in an attempt to see over the crowd. I have to admit, the parade was not terribly exciting. Full of plumbers, teamsters, and union workers all just sauntering along, the occurrence of a real float, marching band, or dancers caused us to scream with delight.

I liked these violinists placed on the bow of the ship. They looked so sweet playing music you could barely hear.

There were also lots of dancers - hand straight down, legs jumping, fake curls bouncing.

The best thing about the parade, though, were the handouts. At one point, I got a hat (but only because someone felt sorry for me), and then I got a keychain (again, someone felt sorry for me and gave me it), and then I got some beads. I tried so hard for those beads. It felt like Mardi Gras (sans exposed breasts). But I didn't get them on my own. Again, people felt sorry for me and gave me their excess. I guess I have a sympathetic face. Regardless, I wore that hat with pride!

And then passed it around for others to wear. (But only long enough for a picture!)

We left the parade after we received our fair share of beads and got tired of seeing Irish dancers. We wanted to check out the Chicago River again, now that the crowds had hopefully died down, so we headed back that direction. This, of course, brought us to "the bean," or whatever it's really called.

I kept thinking it was springtime. I mean, it was spring break, even though we were bundled in layers. That's why it surprised me that there were still people ice skating.

Kevin, Erica, and I leaned against the rails while we waited for Cristen and watched the people below. I liked this little girl. She seemed afraid to get on the ice and just sat there on the corner. Her father tried to coax her on without success. Then this little boy came to talk to her.

Apparently he succeeded. I got distracted for a moment by a strange woman asking me to donate money to something or other and when I turned back, she was on the ice.

There were still a lot of people near the river taking pictures. You can't blame them. The river was a vivid kelly green.

We kept walking up Michigan towards the Apple Store. I had a big purchase to make (the macbrook pro I'm typing on right now!) I got rid of my hat first. I couldn't picture myself in the apple store buying a very sophisticated computer while wearing a plastic green tophat. I forgot about the shamrock sticker on my cheek and the beads around my neck. It's no wonder the apple store clerks were skeptical of my ability to make such a serious purchase, especially when I told them I didn't have any questions. But they sold it to me anyway, and I carried it, firmly grasping the handle, back to the car as we stepped over at least one drunk stumbling out of a pub.

Spring in Lafayette

I'm a little behind on some photos here. I thought about just forgetting about them and moving on with my life, but that would be cheating us both out of some great photos. Ok, they might not be great, but I took them with the intent of blogging about them, and I don't want them to go to waste!

Over spring break, after we got back from Cleveland, the weather was perfect. I did mention it as a sidenote in the midst of all my Cleveland entries. But I didn't leave it at that. I actually partook of it. Erica and I decided to go for a walk downtown. We took Ferry St., which has a lot of great historic houses. One of them had an apartment for rent and it looked empty, so we peered in through the windows.

I want to move in right now! I love the parquet floor, fireplace, and chandelier. There's another fireplace in the room beyond the doors. I was mentally arranging all my dream furniture as I ogled the room. Someday...

I like this old building, too.

Our objective for our walk was the walking bridge over the Wabash into West Lafayette. Apparently a lot of other people were taking advantage of the weather and the bridge, too. Lafayette/West Lafayette isn't exactly known for its public art, but it does have its fair share of sundials. Not the least of these is this futuristic one on the bridge. But something was off. It was definitely not telling the right time.

Maybe it wasn't a sundial afterall.

There's a train up to Chicago from Lafayette. Sometime I want to take it. But only if I can carry a round suitcase, wear a hat, and wave a hanky.

The wind picked up and we started to feel little droplets, so we decided we better head back to Erica's apartment. Now a couple weeks later it seems like spring is here for real. The trees have blossomed.

Here's a Little Sumthin...

especially for you, Tanker. I keep forgetting to put it on a CD.

Goldfrapp: Utopia

My New Form of Procrastination

Photobooth on my Macbook Pro makes it so easy for me to procrastinate. I just take pictures of myself instead of writing my thesis. Does it matter that it's 3 am? Not one bit.

Passing Notes in the Library

Found this in my library book yesterday. I love that some self-important purist has to make a permanent comment about the marginalia.

A Wee Bit o' St. Patty's Day

Erica uploaded this video to YouTube. It's a little taste of our St. Patty's Days trip to Chicago. I really want to blog about the rest, but unfortunately, this is a bad week. I have to finish up my second memoir, write the rough draft of my thesis (which I haven't even started!), and grade some papes for my kiddos. Yeah, it's gonna be crazy. But just 6 weeks. Yay!!!

Spring Break in Cleveland: The Return Home

Erica and I were excited to see Columbus in the day, since we had only driven through it in either the very early morning (on our way to DC for ASA) and at night (our drive to Cleveland, where all we could tell of the city is that it interrupted my iTrip... grrr... ) Plus, we really wanted to see Ohio State's campus. The first thing, though, that I learned about Columbus is that it's the headquarters of Wonder Bread.

When I was a kid and went trick-or-treating, there was a kind old man in my neighborhood who worked for Wonder Bread, and he would give out little loaves. His house was just as much a "must" on our list as the house down the street that gave out full-size Snickers.

We weren't exactly sure where the university was, but once we saw the American Apparel store, we knew we must be close.

We scrolled all the way to the very tip of the visitor parking lot (which, incidentally, has a much better rate than Purdue's) and then got dizzy as we ran down the spiral stairs to the campus. It was rather nice! We wandered a bit.

When we left the parking garage, I got a whole nice handful of change, including a brand new George Washington dollar coin. (I hope this attempt works better than the Sacagawea one.)

We didn't have much time after lunch to look around other than to drive through town on our way back to I-70, but I snapped a few pictures of Columbus through the windshield.

(This is the capitol building.)

And then we were back on the freeway and soon had to say goodbye to Ohio.

There was nothing much to recommend Indiana. We weren't terribly happy to be heading back. But I'll say one thing for Indiana - sometimes it has an amazing sky.

And occasionally an incredible sunset.

We couldn't quit taking pictures of it.

So now we're back. Spring Break officially ends tomorrow, and I have done nothing in preparation for my thesis rough draft due in just over a week. But oh well. In just over 6 weeks, I won't even be thinking of it. All that will be done, and at least I have something to blog about.

Spring Break in Cleveland: Day 2, Part C

We still wanted to explore Cleveland by night (at least, those areas in which we wouldn't get shot), and we were ready for a little dessert. The cajun place Cristen wanted to take us to originally closed at 10 on Sunday (seriously, what restaurant closes that early?), so we ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe, which was awesome because I wanted to get a picture of that huge guitar all lit up with neon anyway.

One of our first stops was this beautiful church. Cleveland seriously has its share of churches.

Then we walked over to the Soldiers and the Mariners Memorial. A peace rally was happening right on the sidewalks, too, but we didn't join them (although, we're all for peace).

Ok, we did drive around just a little bit in the dangerous part of town because we wanted to see the bridges, but don't worry - we stayed locked up in the car and just took quick pictures out the window.

Oh look, another church!

And of course, the I.M. Pei's glass Rock Hall looked awesome at night.

I liked the rays the large overhead lights created when I took this pic of Cleveland.

Sadly, this was our last glimpse of Cleveland. The next morning, Erica and I would head back to Lafayette via a short sidetrip to Columbus, OH! Stay tuned for pictures from that adventure.

Spring Break in Cleveland: Day 2, Part B

After lunch, we toured the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame. You can't take pictures of all the artifacts in the basement, but they let you take pictures in the lobby area, which was awesome on its own. The RRHF (as I'm affectionately acronyming it) was kind of overwhelming for me. There was just so much to see. My favorite thing, though, were some report cards and early drawings by John Lennon. I also loved the costumes! Anyway, here are a couple photos.

Afterwards, we took a walk down by the pier and saw a frozen Lake Erie.

That night, Cristen's parents took us out to dinner a Nuevo Acapulco, and we went home so stuffed we didn't know if we'd be able to do anything. But after lounging around watching American Idol Rewind for a while, we got our second wind. But more of that another time.

Spring Break in Cleveland: Day 2, Part A

On the second day of our trip, we returned to Case Western to visit the Monet in Normandy exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art. (The rest of the museum is still under construction because they're expanding and updating it.)

I enjoy this hot dog stand at the entrance to the museum. It reminded me of New York. Then we saw these ladies walking into the museum.

I would like to join any sort of club where they require you to wear a hat (except an athletic one because those hats are too utilitarian).

We couldn't take any pictures inside the museum, regardless of how kindly I asked, so I had to satisfy myself with just this one.

You can't go wrong with a Monet exhibit. After the exhibit, we walked around the Circle at Case and took a few pictures at the Museum of Natural History and the Cleveland Botanical Gardens.

And we kept seeing the tip of this Frank Gehry building peeking out.

By this time, we were totally starving, so Cristen took us back to Coventry so we could eat at Tommy's. All of the places we ate at while in Cleveland were delicious, but I think overall, Tommy's was my favorite. Mmm... just thinking about it makes me hungry! The funny thing about going back to Coventry to eat was that we parked in almost exactly the same location as the day before except just on the other side of the street. I like the apartments near there. They look like this:

Sidenote:*

It is the most beautiful day outside. 75 degrees, breezy, sunny. I am wearing flip flops and short sleeves with no jacket and feel perfectly comfortable. A hearty welcome to spring. Please stay a long time.

*Title is an homage to Cristen, who has made that word a part of my daily vocabulary.

Spring Break in Cleveland: Day 1, Part B

Cristen drove us through the city (we would return the next day to do some more walking around and touring of museums, etc.) on our way to the Coventry area. I just snapped some shots through windows as we drove by or stopped at the lights.

Cleveland has a lot of stadiums for their many sports teams. Here we have where the Browns and the Indians play. I also saw the Q (where the Cavs play), but I didn't take a picture).

And of course, the gigantic guitar sign for the Hard Rock Cafe.

We went through Little Italy on our way to Coventry Village. Cristen teased us with the promise of wedding cake by the slice, but unfortunately, we never turned that tease into a reality.

One of my favorite places we went to was a store called Big Fun. Like Flower Child, it was overflowing with toys from my childhood. Look at all these transformers!

And there were Star Wars toys, Rainbow Brite, Carebears, Smurfs, My Little Ponys, etc. etc. Even though it was a store and you can buy all of this stuff, it really felt like a museum. They also had all the fun penny toys and candy that you remember from your youth. Along with Elvis hair.

Cristen drove us around the Circle near Case Western. The campus is beautiful! We jumped out of the car to take just a few pictures.

On our way back to Cristen's, the sun was setting.

That night, we ate filling pierogi at a local restaurant and then met up with some of Cristen's awesome friends for drinks. It was, as you can tell, a very full and fun day.

Spring Break in Cleveland: Day 1, Part A

While my students vacation in Cancun and Florida, I went the opposite direction for spring break this year. Erica and I took Cristen up on her kind offer to show us why Cleveland totally rocks. The trip officially started out last Friday after I got off work when Erica and I took to the road. While we had a fantastic (and surprisingly short, it seemed) drive, I didn't take any pictures. And we all know the blog entry doesn't start until there are pictures.

First things first, on Saturday morning, we went shopping at all the stores we don't have in Lafayette: H&M, Urban Outfitters, Steve Madden, etc. The shopping center was one of those planned areas that is trying so hard to bring back multiple use spaces and the town square effect. It had apartments over the stores and a little area in the center where you could play a big game of chess, sit by a fire, or buy a hotdog from a stand.

After a full morning, we needed a hearty meal, so Cristen took us to one of the many Irish pubs in and around Cleveland, Sullivan's.

I liked it immediately. It felt warm and inviting. There was a big party of people just standing around their table drinking and talking. There were books. And of course, delicious food.

After lunch, Cristen took us to her favorite vintage clothing store, Flower Child.

It was easy to see why she liked it. It's full of fascinating items from days gone by. We felt like kids in grandma's attic exploring everything, trying on hats, and pulling off clothes from the racks. I've discovered that if I take my camera places, I have no need to actually purchase anything. I feel the same sense of satisfaction just taking its picture. It's a new phase I'm going to call photographic consumption. It's much healthier for my wallet. Here are just some of the things we found.

Seriously, the hats were the best, and Flower Child had just so many of them.

But we also found some nostalgic items, like these toys from the 80s.

And some toys that I didn't even know existed, like a Mork doll.

Or a Brooke Shields doll. Honestly, I didn't realize she was that popular.

But I guess her popularity spanned all sorts of audiences because she also just happened to be on the cover of an old Playboy that was also sold at the store.

Some items, like this gold deer thermometer, we never could figure out why anyone wanted it in the first place.

The rest of the day will be in the next entry because this is already way too much fun for one entry. I like to spread them out.

Happy Birthday!

My best friend had a baby on Friday. This makes me so happy.

The Best Deal Ever

I just picked up volumes A and B of the Heath Anthology of American Literature for $1 each at Borders. That's a savings of around $82!! At first I wasn't sure if I wanted volume A because who really wants to read about the Puritans and Equiano? But then I figured I might as well because I wanted to complete my set and hey, it was just one measly dollar. I love getting a good deal!

Arcade Fire's Neon Bible

Ocean of Noise

I can't stop listening to this song. This morning, I had it on in the car on my way to school, I sat inside the car while it finished, and then when I put in my ipod headphones, I turned it again to this song.