And first balcony breakfast 🙂
Another Long Morning Bike Ride
And first balcony breakfast 🙂
Category: everyday life
Not An Unnamed Company
While explaining my choice of vendor for our conference merch, I was telling everyone that I would rather order from a local vendor than from “an unnamed Chinese company.” Alas, when it came to ordering lanyards, I gave up because I could not find a local company that would be open to the design I had in mind, and even non-local, but at least US-based companies I came across didn’t allow me to build the design I wanted. On top of that, we had a lanyard sponsor, so I was under pressure to make it perfect without overspending :).
That’s how I ended up with a Chinese company on Amazon, and I instantly liked the way they allowed me to change each part of the design to adjust the color, fonts, and all other pieces. They even sent me the proof. Since I still wanted to see the real product before ordering 200+, I started by ordering 50 lanyards and paid for expedited delivery (it was still within the budget). When the package arrived, I realized that the sponsor’s logo was not as visible as I thought it would be (it was a difficult choice of the lanyard color, and actually, the sponsor themselves approved). I know that blue is a difficult color, and it often doesn’t look the same in reality as it does on the screen. However, this time I couldn’t even say it looked different: it was just a subtle difference in shade that made the logo less visible than I would have liked. I reached out to the sponsor, and they came up with a white logo that would work.
I quickly put together a new order, but when I was ready to submit, I saw that it didn’t offer express delivery, and a regular delivery could be late. I became a little bit desperate because I didn’t have time for one more experiment with another company. Then I realized I had a human email address because a real person had sent me the first design proof, and I emailed him. The next morning, he replied: apologies, the person who is in charge of express shipping was on vacation, but now he is back, and you should be able to choose it when placing the order.
I thanked him and placed the order, and noted that I needed a design proof. When the proof arrived the next day, I saw that it was using the previous design, which I already knew would not work. Since I already received a shipping label notification, I immediately replied: “That’s a wrong design! The logo should be all white! Please make sure this big order has the correct design!” They replied: so sorry, my mistake! I will start working on the new design immediately!
The next morning, I received the correct design and approved it, and a week later, the package arrived. I didn’t have to acknowledge its arrival. After all, the sale was conducted through Amazon, but I felt we had already built some connection, so I emailed them back: “The lanyards arrived, and they look great!” They replied:
That’s really great. Thank you for your sincere feedback. Wish your event all the best.
At that moment, I realized that’s not an abstract Chinese company anymore 🙂
A Warm Day! Finally!
Finally, I could bike without the warm gloves!
And I bought more flowers, and found my dream hanging basket.
And I went to the beach! For real!
Things I am Losing And Forgetting
I know that I am balancing on the edge when I start forgetting important things or losing object which are in plain sight. Just two minutes ago, I realized that I didn’t hit “post” on my repost, and didn’t repost here about yesterday’s meetup. And you what – yesterday was amazing! I felt good, like I hadn’t for a very long time! Moving to a new location was all I wanted, plus more!
However, the past week was marked by multiple micro-tragedies. On Saturday, Anna, Kira, and I stopped at the Art Institute before going to the concert, with the background idea of leaving their backpacks at the coat check for the duration of the concert. The idea was great, but closer to the end of the concert, I realized that I couldn’t find the tag, although I was sure I had put it into my backpack pocket. I ended up asking Anna to go to retrieve her luggage, and I found the tag in that very pocket on Sunday evening!
Second. I was cleaning the milk wand on my cappuccino maker, and then… I could tell where I put it! I am absolutely sure I accidentally threw it into the garbage, but I know how small, relatively heavy objects slide to the bottom of the bag almost instantaneously, so I didn’t have high expectations! Since I already had a thought about replacing this machine (I bought it because it cost $35, and I decided I could throw away that much for experimenting). The machine was not perfect, and I was leisurely thinking about the alternatives.
I checked on the manufacturer’s website and found that they do not have spare parts and that they are about to discontinue this particular model. Then, I went to check what’s on sale on Amazon, selected the device I liked, and it was shipped to me the day after. However, I was unable to make it work, and trust me, I am not a complete idiot. Something was definitely broken. I spent 30 min on AWS tech support, and they agreed to send me a replacement (I still had to sign up on the manufacturer’s website to initiate a replacement, but still!). Waiting for it to be over!
And finally, today, when I was at the ODS making Chicken Alfredo, I heated the pan too much before putting the chicken breasts on it, and hot olive oil made a little explosion straight into my right palm! I am still in pain, but not super severe.
What’s wrong with me?!
Mother’s Day Weekend
When I stopped at my mom’s place on Monday, I knew she was going to tell me everything that was wrong the day before, and I braced myself for a half-hour torture. Fortunately, it turned out not to be “everything bad,” but just the resentment that we didn’t talk solemnly about both Anna and me (and I’d say, she is probably the major reason why we didn’t talk about us :)). Nothing is new; unfortunately, the (formal) words mean to her more than anything else, so I expected that reaction.
As for me, it was probably the best Mother’s Day I’ve had! We started Saturday with the CSO Family matinee,
Then we went to the Buckingham fountain to “Switch on Summer.” For several years, I wanted the girls to have this experience, and finally, Kira had a chance to be there (Nadia was busy with her extracurriculars, and she and John arrived later on Saturday).
Kira was really helpful all the time, not just “I want to help!” but actually helping to set up the table, clean up, and just “keeping me company” when I was doing things in the kitchen. The latter one seriously felt great. I always lament that this apartment isn’t designed for cooking as a family activity: the kitchen is separated from the rest of the apartment, and when I am cooking, I am cutting off all personal interactions. It’s nice when someone keeps you company!
Later, Anna helped me to fasten all loose screws in my flower baskets, and we installed them on the balcony railing, and then she went to visit my mom, for which I can’t thank her enough.
I was hoping that we would be able to squeeze in some biking, and it turned out that Anna had similar ideas, and even more, she was ready to go early in the morning, so that we could see sunrise over the lake. And she actually woke up at five, and we went together and had an amazing time. We went further away than we originally planned, and I started to worry that the girls would resume their previous day’s fighting while we were away, but fortunately, only Kira was up, so she didn’t have anybody to fight with 🙂
Anna ordered food from the Honeybear Cafe, picked it up, then picked up my mom, and we all sat for our late breakfast/brunch; Igor joined us a little bit later.
I also put out the Mother’s Day pastry boxes from Vanille.
I was glad that Igor, Anna, and I had a rare opportunity to sit together and talk about things we were all interested in without major interruptions :).
And finally, we all went to the Windy City Garden Center to pick up flowers for my balcony. That’s one of the few things I can’t manage with Uber, so picking up flowers was a great Mother’s Day present. I thought that after they leave, I would start planting, and I was wondering how long it would take, but the girls offered to help, and they were seriously helpful; to my surprise, we were done in less than an hour!
I will definitely need to buy some extra plants, because it’s difficult to estimate precisely how many will be needed, but the bulk of the work is done!
CSO Concerts
Last week, I attended two CSO concerts again:). On Thursday, I went with my neighbor to the concert featuring mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, who is currently the CSO artist-in -residence. I like mezzo-sopranos more than I like sopranos, and I really enjoyed her voice!
After her performance of Neruda songs, the orchestra played Walton’s 1st symphony. My neighbor, who watched a thousand times more movies than I and is very well versed in the history of American filmmaking, had heard many of his works before, and I didn’t even know his name! I think I will be forever discovering authors, artists and musician that “everyone knows,” but I am totally fine with it :).
I am a little bit embarrased to say that I paid attention to Joyce DiDonato’s appearance, especially because I was just ranting about my mom’s obsession of how the performers look, but I am still going to mention it. I figured she should be about my age, and I later checked that she was 57. She does not make attempts to hide her age, and she puts on the reading glasses when she performs, but she also wore an absolutely stanning black dress with giant golden leaves on the front, with opened back and closed neck. I do not know why I find it important to share my feelings; it was somehow empowering and reassureing: yes, wareing extravagant dresses at this age is OK; and not going for a plastic surgery or botox is OK as well.
Saturday was the day of a Family matinee at the CSO. Both Nadia and Kira were spposed to go, but Nadia had a soccer practice and a swimming lesson, so it was Anna, Kira and I. It was Mother Goose and a Cabinet of Wonders show starring Natalie Merchant. She was dancing in the asles, and the kids were taking off their seats and following her along:). It was almost a mess, but a very exciting one! Probably the best family matinee so far!
Little Soldiers: A Book Review
I picked up this book on a friend’s recommendation. If I were to come across this book just browsing titles, I would most likely think that I have an opinion about the Chinese educational system, and nothing could possibly change it. Based on my friend’s review, the situation seemed more complex, so I decided to give this book a try.
Many aspects of the Chinese educational system remind me of the Soviet schools, and some scenes from the book sounded painfully familiar. Still, there are many differences, stemming from cultural differences and the role of education and formal exams in society, dating back hundreds of years.
To be completely honest, I think that, at least at the time of writing this book, Leonora Chu could not fully foresee the long-term effects of the Chinese educational system on a person’s development, even though she spoke in depth with high schoolers from different backgrounds, with different life goals and aptitudes.
For me, there is no question that fostering the desire to learn, encouraging curiosity, and independent thinking are the most important educational goals, and I feel like the Chinese educational system does the opposite. I do not think that the quality of education is defined by the complexity of math classes (I held this belief for the first couple of years of my children being in American schools, but fortunately realized my mistake early enough).
A side note: I do not understand why, in the twenty-first century, people still consider a “well-behaved child” to be the most desired educational outcome. And by “well-behaved,” I mean a three-year-old who can sit still for the whole duration of the class. Why it is so admirable, is beyond me 🙂
Five Years Later!
Five years ago, on May 9, 2021, I moved to my new home in Rogers Park, and lived happily ever after! I am not saying my life was infinitely happy since them but my home continues to be my source of happiness 🙂
“Unavoidable Like Taxes”
My two previous tax seasons were very eventful, to put it mildly, and not because of me, but mostly because of the organizational changes happening at my tax preparation company, plus me being in the middle of two tax brackets. Details do not matter; what matters is that my tax returns were late twice, the prep firm was filing extensions, and I also owed a lot.
This year, it was a nice change: there were no issues, they filed everything in time, and I ended up with a substantial refund. Only it was two weeks past the tax return was sent and presumably accepted, but I didn’t receive either a refund or approval. I started to worry, especially because the IRS website showed my taxes were not filed, but the prep firm assured me that everything was filed, and most likely, the IRS needs additional verification, and I should expect the letter. They also suggested me to create an online account with the IRS.
Still, nothing was happening. I called the IRS on April 15 and was able to reach a human, and they said that they didn’t have my tax returns, and I went over the full circle again.
About two weeks ago, I finally saw a notice on my online IRS account saying that they sent me a letter to which I need to respond ASAP. But nothing about what this letter is about. I kept waiting. Finally, last Monday, I saw the IRS letter in my Informed Delivery Digest. However, it turned out I spoke too soon: the letter didn’t materialize in my mailbox, and I was worried sick about what was going to happen now. At this time of year, there was no way to reach a human by phone; they kept routing me to the automated system.
Finally, when I was ready to write to our Congresswoman’s office, specifically, last night, when I opened the door to accept a grocery delivery, I noticed an envelope on the floor – it was my IRS letter! I am super thankful for someone who received it, realized that it was dropped into the wrong mailbox, and dropped it at my door!
At that moment, I submitted all additional documentation, and I hope that the issue will be resolved, as they say, within the next 6-8 weeks. When this is over, I will be sure to report details, but now, I am just happy to be out of uncertainty!
American Dream Documentary, And A Surprising Discovery
Since neither Igor nor I had an opportunity to participate in any of the May Day events, and I couldn’t even get out of the office to watch a march, I suggested watching one of the Labor Movement documentaries screening at the Siskel Center during the first days of May. We went to see the American Dream documentary produced by Barbara Kopple in 1990. It shouldn’t be a surprise that I didn’t know about the labor strike against Hormel Foods of 1986. My complete cluelessness added suspense because throughout the whole documentary, I didn’t know how it would end! Sometimes (often?) it’s important to learn not only about impressive victories, but also about great failures.
There was something else, quite unexpected, that caught my attention while I was watching this documentary: the way everyone talked. A couple of weeks ago, I saw an article reporting a recent study finding that people now use fewer words than they did twenty years ago, and this documentary was striking proof of that! As a frequent participant in political rallies, I know very well how even the best speakers talk these days! In this movie, the union leaders, the members, and everyone talked intelligently, used a lot of words, and spoke complicated sentences. Nobody was shouting slogans; instead, people reasoned, considered different aspects of the matter at hand, listened to others’ arguments, and offered counterarguments. And trust me, none of this was rehearsed! There were heated debates, and at one point, a debate turned into a physical fight, but still!
I was shocked! Where did all of this go?! How did we get there? And how can we return to normality?!
