Hello, Sunday.

Well, we made it into a new week.  Well done all of us!  And while the air is most definitely brisk, the weather this weekend here in Chicago further supports my theory that the weekend of October 16-17-18, or however those dates may fall plus or minus a few days, is always, always the perfect fall weekend; the air is brisk, the leaves are that perfect shade of red and orange, and the sky is that certain shade of autumn blue.  

It’s the reason that I always choose this one to head back to campus for football, and yesterday as Tomato and I walked around a campus that has much changed in the 13 years since we left its hallowed halls, the magic in the air made us feels as if we were 21 again, and as we stood on the stadium bleachers shouting out the lyrics to “Shut up and Dance,” you’d have thought we were 21.  

We were standing alone. And singing alone.  Stone cold sober.  That’s how we do it.

On that note, great win last night, Irish. 

The internet taught us a lot of things this week.  Here are some: (more…)

We live in distracted times, and end up with distracted minds.  We check our phones, our computers constantly. Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. How many followers do I have? How many likes?

It’s become so much the new normal that it takes such a conscious effort- a test of wills- to disconnect. To not sign on, to not scroll down.  This past weekend I spent some time on a beach chair, staring endless blue; blue from the pool that bled into the bay which bled into the sky- for as long as I could see save for the smallest cotton ball cloud in the sky, and I couldn’t help but feel restless to go inside.

For what? To troll mindlessly on the internet?  I was mad at myself for being so, and knowing that I probably wouldn’t find myself in a similar state until December, I made myself sit my ass on that beach chair because dammit, I was going to enjoy every minute of the fresh air and sunshine and autumn warmth before it disappeared from my life, not to be seen again for months and months.

But why is it so darn hard?  Seems counter-intuitive and its seems that those quick weekend getaways to unplug and recharge are more necessary than ever to shut. it. down.

#PoolsideThoughts

That’s neither here nor there.  

Moving on…before I landed in Cambridge for my girls’ weekend, I spent a few days in D.C.  I find myself in the Capital at least once a year, twice the past few, but rarely stay to pay any mind to the city itself.  It ends up being more of a stopover onto someplace more exciting or relaxing, and because Lettuce and Yam have lived there for at least 10 years, I often forget that D.C. in and of itself is a place to go and be, much in the same way that I take Chicago for granted as I push my way past the throngs of tourists that crowd Michigan Avenue during the summer months.  On this trip, I found myself with more time to dawdle than usual, and as I walked the Mall under the cloudless blue sky, surrounded by the monuments and museums, places of law and justice, I remembered that D.C. really is a pretty cool place to be.

A bit ago, Marie Claire published a quick guide of sorts to a perfect day according to Serena Williams.  Biscuit followed suit with a quick and dirty of Calgary, and after this trip, I borrowed the idea and sought the counsel of my girls to do the same for D.C.  However, a snapshot of D.C. in total, being quite large, seemed overwhelming, so my two favorite Washingtonians provided a snapshot of their D.C.

Both reside in the little area known as the 14th Street Historic District/the U Street Corridor.  Lined with the most adorable row houses, cute shops and restaurants, it’s the perfect strip of D.C. to explore once you’ve completed the sightseeing checklist, and you can’t fathom another minute in a museum.   (more…)

It’s a new day and a new region!  We’re back in the U.S., so let’s get things off on the right foot.  And because we start each day on the right foot with a good breakfast, let’s start with that as, after a long hiatus, we re-enter the U.S., starting with it’s southern parts.  And I think biscuits & gravy is just the way to go with it.

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