I did! And once again, in many aspects it is not what I planned, but – I liked it. Friends, I will tell you all about it :), just not today.
Category: everyday life
“Be The Change”
I acted according to this statement multiple times in the past couple of weeks. I posted this photo on the instagram today and steered some discussion. Luckily, i have enough supporters 🙂 I am so tired of all this “but it is impossible to wear mask all the time!”
Yes, it is possible to workout in a mask! I purposely chose the hardest on your breath machine for this photo – the stair-climber.
One More Activity Is Back: Canvassing
Today, I went canvassing for the first time since sometime in 2019. Or even earlier. Most likely, since the 2018 campaign when I was canvassing for Maggy Trevor.
Last fall, there was no in-person canvassing, only phone banking. I never do phone banking because I am not good at it and because when people do not see me, they react negatively to my accent. But I truly love in-person canvassing. First, I know that it works, and second – when people see me, they do not care about the accent that much.
I was delighted when I read in the Palatine Democrats newsletter that they are doing in-person canvassing again. I waited for the warmer weather and then started to look for signup.
It turned out that these days, all things are done differently, and canvassing is not an exception. I had to submit a form on the website, and then a person in charge of canvassing emailed me, and then we talked. He told me I need to install a MiniVAN application – a special application for canvassing.
loved it. It is so much better than the canvassing I did for years – with a paper turf and a clipboard. You can switch from a map to a list of households and back; you can look up people and leave notes, and you are syncing, so you make sure you didn’t miss the house and didn’t visit a house twice.
The person in charge of canvassing is doing an outstanding organizing job. Everything is planned the night before, the turfs can be loaded into your app well in advance, and you are good to go.A funny thing happened. When I talked with this person on the phone, I told him that I was canvassing for years. Still, since he didn’t know me, he told me he wanted to start the turf with me to see how I am doing it, and then we can canvass separately. I understood that it was a responsible thing to do and didn’t object. He took the furthest turf in Rolling Meadows, and I asked him to drive me there because I could get lost with my geographical disability.
When I saw him in person in the Democratic office, I realized that he was very young. Since he mentioned earlier that he lived in Palatine, I had a suspicion that he might know Vlad and Anna. And as soon as we started walking to his car, he turned to me and asked: Do you know Novikov’s, Anna and Vlad? And I am: yes, I am their mother.
It turned out that not only he knows them well, but he also worked with Anna on Matt Flamm’s campaign when Anna was a campaign manager.
So, we had a lot to talk about on our way to the turf 🙂
First Day Of Spring, And Looking Forward To Summer
In yesterday’s email from our Park District, they mentioned that they are hiring lifeguards and swimming instructors, which means… yes! which means that pools will be open! Yes, most likely, I won’t be there by the time they open but still :). I am happy for Palatine right now.
I am not a sports fan in any sports and any capacity, so I can’t appreciate that they started to sell tickets for some games. But Ravinia… that’s something which makes me smile and anticipate!
I hope, hope, hope one million times that a good portion of the summer things will be back for summer. My mom is keeping asking, “when will we be able to go around without masks,” but as for me, I won’t mind wearing masks for several more months as long as places are open and we can do things.
Move Update
Not precisely the “move,” but I have my mortgage preapproved, so now we are starting to look at the houses for real. this time around, it is way more difficult than it was twenty three years ago when I was looking for my first house. At least, I didn’t need to travel 🙂
We’ll see. It will be interesting.
Metra Return To Work Summit
Earl Grey Tea And Orange Cake With Dark Chocolate
It was an amazing cake 🙂
Absolutely amazing recipe from the NYT Cooking. I am not sure whether it’s me or my oven, but it took me 45 min until the cake was ready. Otherwise, it turned out being not as complex as it looks from the first glance:
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE FROSTING:
- ¾cup/180 milliliters heavy cream
- 2teaspoons loose Earl Grey tea
- ¼cup/30 grams confectioners’ sugar
- ½cup/115 grams mascarpone or softened cream cheese (see Tip)
FOR THE CAKE:
- ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 ½cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
- 1tablespoon loose Earl Grey tea
- 1teaspoon baking powder
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
- 2teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (from 1 large orange)
- 2large eggs, at room temperature
- ½cup/120 milliliters whole milk, at room temperature
- ¼cup/45 grams chopped dark chocolate
Add to Your…
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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 🙂
Hettie's Reflections 