Category: everyday life

Chicago River Goes Green, At Least Partially

I was escorting in the clinic this morning, when one of my fellow escorts mentioned that the River indeed went green this morning. I decided, I need to check on that, because Igor didn’t mention anything like that yesterday.

Turned out that Mayor Lory quietly sanctioned the dyeing of the river:

The Chicago River glowed Kelly green downtown this St. Patrick’s Day weekend after all, but the usual cheering throngs crowding the banks during the annual dumping of the dye were much thinner.

In a remarkable attempt to give Chicagoans a bit of mid-March normalcy, while also trying to avoid the kind of large public gathering she’s still discouraging during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Lori Lightfoot sanctioned the famous river dyeing to proceed Saturday without confirming the exact time, marveling passing revelers, dog walkers and joggers alike.

Chicago Tribune, read the whole story here

And here is what I saw at noon (click the arrows to see all the pictures)

Starting A Big Move

Looks like this is the best way to let my friends know: the decision is made. I (or rather the whole family) initiated the project “Hettie’s Big Move.”

I am moving to the city, and moving mom to the city, and there are hundreds of moving parts in this process. The only thing i know for sure is that the move has to be completed by July, which is if you think about it, coming very soon. So, as I’ve said earlier today – this spring is going to be really exciting!

No More Flashlight

The days are getting longer, and now that the dark season is almost over, I realized that my night vision improved dramatically after the cataract surgery. I had a flashlight ready for several years when I was walking to the gym in the mornings. And not just any flashlight, but I was making sure it is bright enough. And this year, there was no need. I remember taking it with me several times, thinking I will turn it on when I need it, and the need never come! Then I stopped taking it with me. A couple of weeks ago, I put away the bright headlight I had on the table by the coat closet. I only left one small flashlight out to use in case of some crazy power outage. It’s a really small thing, but it makes me happy 🙂

Done With Mom’s Vaccination

Just returned from her second boost. And unsubscribed her from other three places where I originally put her on wating lists. Now I feel like I want to lay down and sleep :). Mission accomplished.

Mojo Coffee

I am so glad they stayed open when so many places in the city didn’t survive. I love everything about then, but especially their Mocha. Whenever I order anything, large mocha in included by default:)

Trying To Make Work Work

For over a week now, I am working on a slightly modified schedule when I start working between 7 and 7 -30 AM and sign off at 4 PM. Such a schedule gives me about 1.5 hours of uninterrupted problem-solving in the morning. It can be some complicated coding or thinking about some global questions, like how to modify the access groups or what should be done to enhance the system scalability.

I am not saying that I am not working in the evenings. Unfortunately, it happens most of the nights, but I have time in between, and also, late in the evening, it is somewhat quiet as well.

Unfortunately, this week was very frustrating. There were unplanned emergencies; also, I was trying to do one thing the right way, and it didn’t work, and I had to back up after spending almost twelve hours unproductively.

Finally, we are hiring one person for my team. Unfortunately, it means that I will need to spend time on candidates screening and interviewing, and most likely not finding anybody:(. The job posting was published today, and I had a storm of recruiters calls and no organic traffic… If it weren’t for happy things happening in my life, I would be miserable…

Masks One More Time

I just finished watching this video about ethical questions and COVID vaccine One of the things which were discussed was a fact that not wearing a mask is a disrespect to everybody around you. I agree with this statement entirely, and that being said – back to masks in the gym. After I published that post, I went to the gym on Sunday and discovered the sign requiring to wear masks on the gym door:

I thought that having this sign is out there I will feel comfortable calling out the maskless people. But when the situation presented itself, I didn’t say a world. That kind of behavior does not make me look good, but it is what it is. I quite literally felt scared around these big guys!

Now, I need to decide whether I will be ready “to say something,” or I should just stop going to the gym till the end of March!

It’s Just About Time :)

I suspect that somebody complained on Saturday :). Whatever it was, I am glad that now I can reprimand people officially 🙂

Spring Mood

A week ago, I could not imagine seeing the snow disappearing in earlier than three weeks. But the amazing warmth and sun did their job. Soon, I will stop being jealous of my friends posting the first spring blooms 🙂
The only thing I can post at the moment is the melting ice, but still…

I am in such a spring mood now! There were several big decisions I had to make, and although none of them materialized in actions yet, I know what I want, and I know which way to go. And I can tell that that’s really what I want to do because I smile when I think about it and because I am calm and content. I even attended a yoga class online yesterday, something I didn’t do for months :). 

The Art Institute Is Open Again!

The Art Institute reopened two weeks ago, but it was only today that i got a chance to visit it.

I can’t even describe how happy I was to stroll through my most favorite rooms!

Also, I knew that there was one more new exhibit open, and I wanted to check it out.

It was a Bisa Butler exhibit. I never heard about her, and I was stunned when i entered the exhibit. The Art Institute website says:

Although Butler’s finished works are exclusively fabric, her methods remain interdisciplinary: photographs inform her compositions and figural choices, she layers fabrics as a painter might layer glazes, and she uses thread to draw, adding detail and texture.

Continue reading “The Art Institute Is Open Again!” →