Category: everyday life

The Rest Of The Weekend

There were tons of things we could do and wanted to do over this weekend, but it was not even remotely possible to fit everything in, so I suggested a couple revisions to our plans to make sure we do what’s most important for us and not rush. We ended up doing only two things today: the beach and Aquarium. Both Anna and I felt we didn’t do enough beach time on Saturday (partially because both she and I had to take calls), and Annd hardly had any beach time this summer, so we decided to skip the market and all other potential morning activities and to spend more time at the beach. Then, we took an Uber to the Aquarium and left all the luggage in a locker.

For her birthday, I gave Anna a Beluga encounter experience at the Aquarium, which ended up being a two-hour thing, and Anna said it was “one of the best things she had ever done.” (Now I want to do it myself!)

Now, Actually Today!

I just realized I didn’t hit “publish” on yesterday’s post. And I know why I didn’t – I wanted to add that for the third year in a row, on Vlad and Anna’s birthday, I think not about the last Russian revolution which was happening when they were born, but about Ukraine Independence Day, and the war, and about everything my generation didn’t do back then. Then I decided that I would write a separate post about it, and then I didn’t press “Post.”

The birthday was yesterday. Today, we just did things together: we went to the beach, had a post-birthday lunch, and then went to Chalk Howard, decorated our square and looked at how others decorated their’s.

The number of people on the beach was insane:

I was glad that we camped in the part which is usually less crowded because there are small rocks in the water. We had a great time and a lot of space around us. And Chalk Howard was a blast, as always.

Our square – I think next year I will buy two or three squares to accommodate all the art our family can create:)
Anna reads Igor’s birthday card

Today

Today, my twins turned thirty-three, and I have no idea when it happened 🙂 I even checked my calculation several times to ensure I was right!

Every year, on the day they are born, I tell myself and the rest of the world that having them was the best decision I ever made. Their presence in my life drove many of my decisions, which would have been drastically different otherwise.

***

This week, I listened to “Moral Decision Making,” one of the Audible Great courses. Once again, the lecturer explained that what Boris and I did thirty-six years ago was completely and unquestionably morally wrong—not like I didn’t know it before. But that was the best thing that happened to both him and me. Not only because there won’t be Vlad and Anna otherwise but also because even thirty-six years later, I smile each time I think about him, and he smiles each time he thinks about me. And this is the most impossible thing in the world, which never happens :).

***

Solar Energy

I have been a community solar farm subscriber for over four years, and I couldn’t be happier about it – not only with the environmental impact but also with significantly lower electric bills. Since the time I subscribed, I have orgotten about the concept of “summer peaks.”

The savings work the following way: Nexamp bills me the price of electricity and sends my credits to ComEd, which subtracts them from my ComEd bill. The problem started at the end of February when ComEd switched to a new billing system and changed all account numbers. Somehow, they forgot to include Nexamp into this conversion process, and it took several months to resolve the issue. Finally about a month ago Nexamp informed their subscribers that the issue was finally resolved. They warned us that we “will receive a gigantic bill” from Mexamp, but no worries, it’s for all these missing months. They also suggested that we should request an immediate refund from ComEd, instead of waiting for them to adjust their bills with our credits.

I decided not to do anything and just wait until ComEd will adjust all the credits. It turned out that is was the right decision! The “gigantic bill” was $48, which I just paid, and ComEd had already sent me two $0 bills. 🙃 And that’s for two months with the hottest temperatures outside. I am wondering whether they will bill me something in September

Shakespeare In The Park

Glenwood Art Fest was this weekend, and I could not make it there until today. On Friday and Saturday, the rain randomly stopped and started, and when it started, it would pour! I got completely wet at least six times during these days!

But today, the rain finally stopped, so I took my mom and went there. Yesterday, when I was exporting, one of my fellow escorts told me that there will be “The Twelve Night” performed at 2-30. so I planned to be at the fest before that, and the timing was perfect.

OMG, they are so good!!! That’s how you should do Shakespeare – on the market, with no mics, with very simple props and costumes. Loudly. Over-expressive. Almost vulgar, but not. To the lough and joy of the audience.

Also, I really liked how they decorated the underpass under the CTA tracks!

DNC

My friend who lives on the West Side was planning to visit me the upcoming Saturday. We planned this day several months in advance: my schedule is busy, and it’s a long way to her. She uses paratransit, so she needed to arrange a ride. On Monday she texted me: sorry, I won’t be able to come. When we talked the next day I asked her what happened. She said: I know we planned this visit several months ago, and I know that it might mean I won’t see you for several more months, but the there will be protests because of the DNC.

I told her: wait, the DNC does not start until Monday. She though for a moment, and then said: I know for the fact, that there will be protests over the weekend. She continued: you know how they sometimes go wild, and if the car happen to be in the middle of it, they might encircle the car, and then the passengers will be in trouble, and I do not want to end up in jail. I paused for a moment to process and said: you are right. I have nothing to say.

I managed to find an alternative time for her visit, so we will see each other before fall, but it looks like the prevailing mood in Chicago for the next week is worry about what is going to happen. It’s sad, but not unjustified.

Tranquility

On Wednesday morning, I finally did what I wanted to do since Boris’ departure: I went to the beach between working out in the morning and going to work. I just got the sunrise, and the water was warm, and there was absolutely nobody on the beach!

It felt so good and gave me a great start to the day!

Then, I took a short break from work in the afternoon and walked to the Tiny Cafe on the Riverwalk. This summer, they finally opened their coffee corner, and they have ice cream again (and great espresso!). I took an ice cream cone and espresso and sat on a stone step, looking at the Chicago River.

And one more time, I was not running anywhere, if just for five minutes!

Election Cookies

About a week ago, Vanille Chicago announced a new line of cookies, and when I saw them, I placed an order immediately. My friend Lena whom I was going to visit and her husband just became US citizens, and the upcoming elections will be the first one for them.

The reason I ordered a couple of Trump cookies and macaroons is that I wanted to have an opportunity to bite his head off!

Lena lives in a Democratic neighborhood, but Michigan is a swing state (which was news for Lena and her husband). They know that their voices are essential, and I hope that there are enough people in Michigan to defeat Trump.

Books

Once again, I didn’t update my Goodreads progress for two months or so, and now I have a long list of books I read without marking them as “currently reading.”

Learning to Love Midlife I know why I picked this book: there was a WBEZ episode with Chip Conley, and it sounded interesting. But the book was disappointing. I know that the older I get, the more I love my life, and I don’t understand why it should be otherwise. In the first half of this book, the author explains why midlife is hard, and then he explains why it should not be. I do not need either of this 🙂

Yoga Life by Brett Larkin – surprisingly good and agreeable with how I perceive yoga (yes, confirmation bias :))

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. I am ashamed I only read it now, not twenty years ago when it was first published. Now, it’s a Chicago classic, and it is possible I wouldn’t have enjoyed it that much twenty years ago as I can enjoy and appreciate it now!

Murder by Lamplight. I am not as much of a mystery reader now as I used to be, and this book was a pleasant surprise. I am not sure I will continue reading mysteries, and even less sure I will continue these series, but who knows!

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. OMG!!! That was something! So good! This is the book for our Book Club at work. Same as with mysteries (and probably more), I completely lost my previous interest in Sci-Fi. When this book was voted to be the next book in our Book Club, I was extremely disappointed and didn’t even sign up to receive a free copy. But then I decided to give it a try, and I couldn’t take a break from listening to it! One of the best things I read recently!

International Film Festival Summer Movies: Radiance

That was something incredible! A Japanese female film director, Naomi Kawase, is almost unknown in the USA despite the impressive body of work she produced and multiple international awards, and that was the first exposure to her work for most of the audience.

For me, the plot of the film was very emotionally resonating: the famous photographer gradually losing his vision, hanging to whatever vision he has left, trying to be independent. Masatoshi Nagase, who plays the main male character, displays all the typical gestures and movements of visually impaired people (the way they check their phones, work on large screens, walk around) with frightening accuracy. I can’t describe how I felt. Also, the typical reactions of others around… One person in the audience mentioned during the after-screening discussion that she worked with visually impaired people and how she was grateful for this movie… It’s amazing. The trailer does not do the movie a justice.