oh chicago...

From here, just last week! thanks jessica

Christmas is here!

Wow! I can't believe Christmas is only a few days away! Aaron and I leave tomorrow night to head back to Chicago. Good thing we didn't leave earlier- we might have been snowed in! We got a lot of snow on Saturday, as you can see below. Here I am in front of our new car (not that you can see it). I had to buy one to get to my new job. The car is growing on me I guess, but I still see myself as a non-car person, and hope to get rid of it as soon as I can. I'm wearing Aaron's mom's old Finnish fur cap. It's dramatic yes, but very warm. I even got a compliment on the street!

I've been wrapping away in preparation for Christmas. Ikea had such great nordic inspired decorations this year. I think it's my favorite paper yet!

Oh, and here's Aaron below in the White Mountains. Pretty huh?

Merry Christmas!

R. Buckminster Fuller, at the MCA

On Sunday I joined Joy, a friend, to see the exhibit, "Buckminster Fuller: Starting with the Universe" at Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art. Wow! I was totally blown away. I had never really heard of him before, and was fascinated by how far ahead of time this architect, mathematician, and visionary was. He was very concerned about sustainability, efficient design, and globalization. The exhibit included models of his 4d homes, domed structures, and sea cities. I was most compelled of the video of 'Bucky' standing outside on a windy day with a table of rods and connectors in front of him, explaining why the tetrahedron is the foundation of the universe. While there was a tinge of sadness in it all, as many of his ideas never came to fruition, no matter how hard he fought for them, I was also filled with hope. I am often coming across modular housing, sustainable designs, and alternative materials in my reading, and I now see how foundational the thinking of Buckminster Fuller was. If you're in the city, I definitely recommend going stopping by the MCA. The exhibit ends July 5th. 

Domed Pavilion for the World's Fair, Montreal. still in existence.

Bucky's world map, meant to eliminate distortion and emphasize the interconnectedness.

Here he is with a model of a domed home and foldable interior

most incredible I think is his idea to dome part of manhattan to reduce cost: universal climate control, eliminate snow removal, protect against pollutants etc...

see you later

So I'm probably not going to be around as much the next few days. I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas! It is -6 today here and not very welcoming, but hopefully the weather will improve for the big day. 

snow snow snow

we've had a lot of snow recently. The city is so pretty for about a minute- but what a nice minute it is. 

cold days and children's books

Today is the coldest day yet. I went out to grab a coffee with a friend and it hurt to breathe as I made my way across the ice to the train- and yesterday it was 45 degrees. That's Chicago for you I guess. I'm so happy to be on break. I can spend time wrapping gifts, cooking, and all that other wonderful homey stuff that falls to the wayside during school. 

I went shopping for children's books today for my niece and nephew and had such a hard time deciding. There are so many that I remember as a child that brought such magic to my imagination. I want to give that to them. I think its exciting but I'm sure we're just the boring aunt and uncle who bring books on Christmas. Oh well- thats the justice of childhood.

I settled on The Velveteen Rabbit by Margaret Williams and Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss for Isaak, and Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans for Annika's first book from us. 

Oh how I loved The Velvetten Rabbit. I felt so much for the toy who just wanted to be loved by his boy. I was always a little to empathetic towards my own toys and animals, to this book really struck a chord with me. It's definitely a favorite. One year my sister and I were given stuffed velveteen rabbits; a girl for Katie and a boy for me. I used to get mad when Katie always got the girly stuff because I was labeled early as a 'tomboy,' but was so happy with this gift because he was more like the rabbit I had know in the book. Oh Christmas! Makes me so nostalgic.

I saw this man play this evening with roommate James and his jazz orchestra. Very awesome. The snow was falling outside of The Jazz Showcase where he played, two blocks from my place. I love my life. 

chicago love

I have been falling in love with Chicago recently. Well I've always been in love with Chicago, but the feeling has been becoming more prominent as a walk through the streets. This is for a number of reasons. We have been looking for jobs in Washington D.C. The place where its all at. The destiny our educations have prepared us for. But after spending three months there last hot and lonely summer, it's hard to be excited about it. I love Chicago's jazz history. I love how cold it gets; we all hate it and we all love it.  But its not just me who has a romance with Chicago. I'm not the only one who's chest swells exploring the old book stores in Hyde Park, or walking through Grant Park under a gray sky and surrounded by orange leaves with the Art Institute lions in the distance. I'm not the only one gets giddy when the Christkindle Market pops up in Daley Plaza or when the hot summer brings out the hipster dancers at the six corners in Wicker Park or the cadre of music festivals in all corners of the city. Many others have recognized the unique rough elegance of a city of industry in the heart of the midwest, with a history of labor, slaughter, The World's Fair, Art Deco skyscrapers, and wind in all its definitions. 

A few weeks ago Pastor Bob at Grace Chicago read Sandburg's 'Chicago' to use the city as an illustration of God's love for his children. We are broken. We are sinful. And yet there is value there, and we are loved. Chicago is that rough sinful person in all its beauty.

"HOG Butcher for the World,
     Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
     Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
     Stormy, husky, brawling,
     City of the Big Shoulders:

They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I
     have seen your painted women under the gas lamps
     luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it
     is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to
     kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the
     faces of women and children I have seen the marks
     of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who
     sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer
     and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing
     so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on
     job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the
     little soft cities;

Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning
     as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
          Bareheaded,
          Shoveling,
          Wrecking,
          Planning,
          Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with
     white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young
     man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has
     never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse.
     and under his ribs the heart of the people,
               Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of
     Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog
     Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with
     Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation."

- Carl Sandburg, 1916

No matter where I go, or how long I'm gone, Chicago will be with me. I will be a Chicagoan. I love listening to the Illinois album by Sufjan Stevens. The state is used as a means to communicate many things, again often our relationships with God, but I still feel kindred with lyrics that appreciate the beauty and significance of our often dreary midwest state. 

labor pains begin

Since I've been in Chicago the fellas of 1408 have hosted a Birthday/Thanksgiving party, entitled Birthgiving. And tomorrow it occurs again. Matt and Ben celebrate their birthdays, Aaron makes a turkey and pies, and everyone eats. This year we live at 1408 so we get to host. I love this day. Friends, food, and holidays.

Old 1408 residents are coming in from out of town, such as Jon Garda: 

Here is the beginning of cranberry relish with orange,

and yummy veggies ready for roasting.

President Elect

Tuesday night was quite a night! Congratualtions Barack Obama! Now it time to earn those votes! I had the privilege to go to the rally in Grant Park and hear Obama accept the Presidency (thanks Katie for your +1). What an incredible experience to be in my own city, blocks from my apartment, and be a a part of the candidate I supported to become president. I surely will never forget it. 

Next up- Al Franken. Can you believe the vote came down to 500 of more than 2 million? It should be recounted but hopefully the Franken will come out as victor. Minnesota- you can do it!

1408

(our future view)

Aaron has always had the chance to live in great apartments. 1212 S Michigan was pretty awesome. And 1408, as many of you know, is a staple in our Chicago crowd. Aaron lived there for two years before we were married, and his friends always lived there. Many traditions have lived on in those walls. Owned by our friend Jon Binder's dad, it is now available. Aaron and I have been struggling to find a place in Chicago, especially since we have to live an a more expensive part of the city to have quick access to school without getting stuck in Hyde Park. Our friends Steve and James have been having a hard time finding a place too. So it was decided. We would keep the 1408 tradition alive. A PERFECT location in the south loop, all utilities included including internet, dish washer and in unit washer and dryer... it is amazing. I am a little nervous about having roommates though. Aaron and I will be a little separated form the other bedrooms, we have our own bath, and James and Steve are quiet and respectful. But it will be much different than were used to. It's only for nine months though, and its cheap, and Laney will love it. This apartment will never leave us... which is fine by me!

DC here we come... not quite

Boston flight cancelled. Sleeping in the airport. It's an adventure right? I did get to see Mayor Daley today though. That makes it all worth it right? Um... maybe not.

Last class with PC

This is Patrick Callahan. Today I had my last class with him. I took 'American Foreign Policy' with him during my junior and it put me on the path toward my career. The interactions of American foreign policy and the rest of the world was fascinating. Learning about the history of foreign policy through each president since Nixon showed me how the decisions of the past are still very much effecting us today and that there have been so many unintended results from those policies. Needless to say... I was hooked. I did an independent study with him in the spring and I just completed a course about the UN and world problems with him. He wrote my recommendation for graduate school.

I have to thank him for so much because without his teaching I may have had a very different path. So now is the time to sing his praises. He is always so funny and enjoyable in class. He facilitates great discussions that somehow always lead to insight. He's always able to bring the topic to a deeper theoretical level.

I always envisioned him as my secret advisor as I enter the IR field. He would be my brains when I had a question with no answer. And I can still contact him. But realistically this is the end of the road for us. I just wanted to introduce him as the person to whom I owe any professional success in the future. Thanks Callahan.