it's over (sort of)

that's it, i'm fed up with blogger and i'm moving to wordpress. never thought i'd say that, but i was encouraged to move my work blogs to wordpress, and i'm very impressed with all the exciting tools and techie features.
so after two years with blogger, it's time for a change of scenery. from now on you can find me at readingkiki.wordpress.com. change your bookmark and RSS feed right now! and i'll see you on the dark side.

done and done

i finally finished "the historian" yesterday. it took me longer than usual because i couldn't even pick up the damn thing after it got dark, or really even when it started to get dark. (side note:this is one of the hazards of living alone - you can't read scary books or watch scary movies because you will swear there's someone waiting for you behind the shower curtain.)

overall it was a pretty enjoyable book. more in the "da vinci code" category than what i usually read, but entertaining nonetheless. it was well-written and obviously well-researched, but it was just a bit too pulpy for my taste. it's perfect beach reading, partly because it just falls in that category and partly because dracula would never come out to the beach on a sunny day.

currently listening to: grateful dead, aoxomoxoa

one of these things is not like the other

just before vacation, i bought my very own digital camera. i love my camera. it's easy to use, it takes good pictures, and it's pink. the only problem is that my new pink camera did not come with a case. i've been carrying it around in a plastic bag so it doesn't get scratched.

yesterday, the pink camera and i headed to indiana to visit a friend and escape my overheated apartment.

"sara," i said as we perused the deliciously air conditioned aisles at jo anne fabrics, "i have been wanting to make a case for my new pink camera. you are a sewing goddess; could you help me with a little project?"

"of course!" she said, and led me straight to the 20-cent fabric bin.

first we picked out a nice bright blue felt, and then some cute orange floss for the stitching. when we got home i used the plastic bag as a pattern to cut out the design, and i stitched it up with my own two hands. i even sewed two snaps on the top so my special pink camera won't fall out. i felt very crafty and resourceful. check it out:

this morning i took the train back home and met my mom for lunch on her way to michigan for a few days. after lunch mom and i walked back to her car. she had two gifts for me: one was a window fan for my oven, um, apartment, and the other was a cute, quilted bag.

"cute fabric!" i said when she handed it to me. "what is it? did you make it?"

"it's a camera case," she said. "i made it for your new pink camera."

look at how adorable this is:

and now look at it next to the one i made:

sigh. tell me again why i didn't inherit the sewing genes?

now i'm REALLY cool

i knew i picked the right profession. the new york times finally picked up on the fact that librarians are cool.

a day in the life

i was inspired by liesl's post about our walking tour, so i decided to take advantage of my day off to share a tour of my neighborhood, chicago's historical uptown. first, though, a quick detour to chinatown.

this is my el stop, where i wait for the train every day (often multiple times a day).

i've taken this shot tons of times before, but i always love it.

i stopped by my favorite chinatown store for a few fun things.

back in uptown.

my apartment is about three blocks from some of the best venues in the city, including the green mill, al capone's old haunt and the best jazz club around;

the beautiful (but shuttered) uptown theater;

the riv;

and the aragon ballroom.

a fantastic choice of colors for a house.

under the el and looking toward the loop.

a peek into graceland cemetery, where mies van der rohe, potter palmer, louis sullivan, and a chorus of other famous chicagoans are buried.

looks like someone wants to get into the cemetary a bit early, huh?

a chance to cool off on a hot day.

ah, home sweet home.

thanks for sharing my day off with me! i hope you enjoyed it as much as i did.

sometimes i've believed as much as six impossible things before breakfast

after today's new york times excitement (and a reprint in the boston globe), i headed over to the lookingglass theatre to see lookingglass alice, a wonderfully imaginative play based on "through the looking glass" and "alice in wonderland." i actually saw the play a few years ago, and i was so impressed that i wanted to make sure to see it again. i dragged a friend along with me (theater and dining out are two things that are always better when shared) and we were both blown away by the acrobatics and sheer brilliance of the production. if you ever get a chance to see this play, drop everything and go.
when i got home later i picked up the book i've been reading, "the historian" by elizabeth kostova. the funny thing about this book is that normally i would have finished it days ago because it is a quick, easy read, but i am terrified to read this book at night! i have absolutely no belief in vampires or dracula, but for this book has somehow succeeded in scaring me out of my wits and making me jump at every noise in my apartment.
how interesting, i thought about this juxtaposition, that i enjoy letting my imagination run wild with alice and the mad hatter, but when it comes to dracula i absolutely refuse to let my mind wander. the craziness and hilarity of the lookingglass seem so innocent compared with the blood and gore of "the historian," and yet they are both incredible works of the human imagination. where and how do we decide to draw the line of what we chose to enjoy? and is it even a choice, or is it something deeper than that?
whew, that's enough deep thinking for today. i'm looking forward to my day off tomorrow and a chance to catch up on some errands and also do a few fun things i've been looking forward to: a quick stop in chinatown, a visit to the new installation at columbia, and fireworks as seen from a rooftop on the west side.
and maybe even a chance to finish my book (just as long as it's sunny and the vampires can't come out).

currently listening to: mocean worker, cinco de mowo!

this is IT

guess who is on the front page of the new york times this morning: US! read it here and be sure to watch the video. shakeela is a woman we helped, and through organizing other RYM Tech victims, NTIC froze felix daniels' assets and banned him from practicing in illinois, and now he's awaiting criminal prosecution from the state.