For a Long Time, I Used to Go to Bed Early

Goodmorning. I know that isn't one word, but I can't seem to help it. I've been up for over an hour and haven't spoken to anyone. My bedroom door is still closed. Curry and I are having a quiet Sunday morning after a rather taxing day yesterday. I wonder how long I can keep up this muted rejuvenation? Probably only until I open my door.

Tilt your head to the left.


Above, is a picture I took at the Smith Museum of Stained Glass at Navy Pier.

Now you may straighten your head.

Above, is a feast I shared at the Ethiopian Diamond on Broadway in Chicago. I love this place. We had lamb, beef and chicken, spinach, collard greens, cabbage, carrots, salad, beef sambusas, and red lentils. Get the red lentils if you go. They're my favorite.

There is no other news today; I haven't left my room.

Consumer Advice

In lieu of blogging about my gorgeous trip to the Morton Arboretum, or the stained glass Museum at Navy Pier, or the Murray Perahia concert I went to last Sunday, I'm going to share a few items out there that give me a bit of delight (I might come back some day and tell you about my above mentioned adventures).

First however, I'd like to share with you my delight with Kashi Frozen Meals. I just had the lemongrass coconut chicken with quinoa. It has 18g of protein and 7g of fiber and tastes terrific! And only four minutes in the microwave? Score!

Also, not new to the market, but new to me is the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner. Not only is it so very cool for cleaning your shower for you, but it has its own domain name! How hip is that?! [Warning - according to my step-mom, you should not open the shower door or curtain while the shower cleaner is operating.]

And in the spirit of being helpful, here is a link for how best to use Halloween candy.

In other news: Doll-housing crisis set to worsen, mean older brother says (the onion), while Sales of existing US homes fell by 8% in September, the biggest decline in 16 years; Britney Spears is a model parent; Twenty One candidates in Columbia for positions such as governor, mayor, regional assembly members and municipal officials have been murdered in attacks along the campaign trail; And the Museum of Broken Relationships is a hit in Berlin!

Behind the Scenes

Al Gore and the UN climate control panel have won the Nobel Peace Prize. Do you think we should start taking them seriously?

59th Street Bridge

I recently, with the prodding of my parents, purchased an ipass. (A small device that you attach to your windshield that automatically deducts the cost of toll money from your account). I did this to save a bit of money (eighty cents can be a lot sometimes), though I now have no idea how much each toll is costing me. Happily, I am able to zip down the highway without worrying about changing lanes to go pay tolls or having correct change.

However, lately I have had this niggling feeling that I'm missing something. Last night, driving home in the solitary shelter of my mini-van - my personal mobile world - I passed a tollbooth on I-88. As I zipped by in the dark, I wanted to strain my eyes to peer into their boxes. I recognize these people; I have talked to these people; I know these people! But I couldn't make any of them out because I was moving too fast.

In other news: A bunch of hooligans punched a hole in a Monet at a museum in France; Malaysia's first astronaut is set to blast off for a voyage to the International Space Station; Accusations of failings in Sunday's Chicago marathon won't affect the city's 2016 Olympic bid, organisers say (thank goodness, huh?); Britney Spears' new album is coming out early due to demand; And scientists have repaired the nerve damage caused by multiple sclerosis in lab experiments on mice.

An Old Blog I Never Posted

On my day off, when I ought to be lesson planning, I stayed in bed for two hours this morning after waking to read a children's book titled The Princess Academy. I started it when a student didn't show up for a make-up lesson and I was left in my studio with a basket of books I have for siblings. Hehe. I found myself taking every spare minute that day to get in a little more reading. Children's books are so compelling. Their stories are so tidy, they are emotionally uncomplicated, and they communicate very clearly with the reader. There is never any confusion as to what the reader is supposed to take away from the experience.

I learned, from this book, that hard work pays off, that families are important, that sticking up for what you believe is right will win you friends and respect, that marrying a prince isn't every girls dream, and that friendships are opportunities that should never be passed up on.

I love children's books.

Will the smile on my face turn to plaster

I have read about this before, but just today came across this article in Wired. It is all about emotion recognition software which has been put together at the University of Amsterdam. I find it hilarious that we are always so insistent on getting machines to do what we do so well instinctively. According to this "emotion recognition" software, the subject of the Mona Lisa is 83% happy, 9% disgusted, 6% fearful, and 2% angry.

Daisy Miller

Daisy Miller was a lovely little book about society in Europe in the 19th century. James brings two characters together - Daisy, a young and vivacious American girl on a tour of Europe with her family, and Winterbourne - an English student who moves in societies most exclusive circles. Daisy's flirtatiousness and Winterbourne's sense of decorum clash a bit in their courtship and the books ends in tragedy.

Henry James meant, in this book to write about the effects of Americans and Europeans on each other as well as the ideas they had about themselves. I think the only thing that got in the way of this being very successful is that the European character was distinctly male and the American character female.

This is the only book of Henry James that I have been able to complete because I usually find his writing to be so convoluted. I just began Washington Square and am reminded of the stilted style he writes in and only hope the story is as compelling as Daisy Miller was in order to keep me reading!

In other news: The seasons are visibly changing; The president vetoed a bill which would have expanded health care for children; France plans on using DNA testing to test would-be immigrants from Africa who are trying to join their families in France; Britney Spears loses custody of her children; Paris Hilton is an idiot; and Zimbabwe's bakeries are running out of flour.