I'm revisiting my blog and am hopeful I may be able to start posting again! So much has happened since my last post in 2011, but that's a different post.
On May 16, 2011 I blogged about some observations I've made about some panhandlers I used to see frequently on my commute to work. I wanted to share this article about Bonita Franks who I have found out is the nicely dressed, pulled-together woman that I notice out on the streets. I hadn't seen her in a while, but have started to see her again in the last year. Now she holds up a sort of sign resume with her name, and also what appeared to be a newspaper article. I got her name off her sign resume and Bing'd it - Bingo I found her! I'm relieved to see that my initial thoughts about her were accurate and she is really trying to find a job. I'm sad for her that she was only off the street for a relatively short period of time, but she certainly keeps a good attitude and she really is a good person, just down on her luck.
Two of the other "regulars" I mentioned (the elderly African American man who would tell us when it was his birthday) and the elderly hunched over woman (one day I also noticed a huge tumor/grown on her arm the size of a tennis ball) have been gone for a t least a year. I think about them and can't help but wonder if they are OK or if they have passed away.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Middlesex
"Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Loved everything about this book - from it being set in Michigan (my former home state) to following the three generations of the Stefanides family to hearing how Cal's life and self discovery unfold. I listened to the audiobook and understand that Middlesex (in addition to winning a Pulitzer) won an "Audi" award. I'm not surprised; the narrator was wonderful - so much so that I wonder if reading the paper book would have impacted my love of the story since I'd have to create the voices in my head.
I also enjoyed the historical fiction aspect, which I hadn't expected when I started the book. Bonus!
Loved everything about this book - from it being set in Michigan (my former home state) to following the three generations of the Stefanides family to hearing how Cal's life and self discovery unfold. I listened to the audiobook and understand that Middlesex (in addition to winning a Pulitzer) won an "Audi" award. I'm not surprised; the narrator was wonderful - so much so that I wonder if reading the paper book would have impacted my love of the story since I'd have to create the voices in my head.
I also enjoyed the historical fiction aspect, which I hadn't expected when I started the book. Bonus!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Winter Garden
Winter Garden by Kristin HannahMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow. That's all I could think when I finished this book last night. I listened to the audiobook and while I was a little frustrated with the characters at the beginning of the book I got pulled in and blew through the last 5 discs last night; I just couldn't put it down. I was also pleasantly surprised that I got a little bit of a history lesson regarding the Siege of Leningrad. I haven't read a book this good in a long time. I've also tried to make this spoiler free so no specific details included ;-)
View all my reviews
Monday, May 16, 2011
Panhandlers
I've written about this before and it's something that I never quite get used to, although after working in Chicago for 14 years one would think I wouldn't even notice anymore.
I don't know what the PC term is, but I usually say panhandlers. These are the people that hang around outside asking for money. Some hold signs, some stand wordlessly with plastic cups in their hands, some drone on like carnival barkers "spare some change t'day?" others stand or sit in the midst of the commuter route which forces the throngs to either see them or trip over them. Then there are the ones that bring their children with them which is particularly heart breaking. The one woman I see frequently always has very nicely dressed children, so that gives me some comfort that they are being cared for.
There are the regulars that I get used to seeing every commute into the office and every commute out to the train; if they aren't there I notice it. Two of these fixtures outside Union station are the elderly African-American man (he puts up a sign in July on his birthday which last year said he was 91 years old) and an older, hunched over Caucasian woman. They each stake out their respective territories; she holds her Streetwise magazines for sale and sometimes can be seen sitting and reading. He wears dark glasses (for the longest time I thought he was blind but have since figured out he is not) and has perfected the art of sleeping sitting up straight in his chair; now I know why he wears the dark glasses. They are both at their stations pretty much daily, regardless of weather.
I noticed three new faces these last few weeks. One was a nicely dressed woman in her 50s. She wore a hat and held a sign that read "Lost my job, behind in my rent". She placed herself in front of a large utility box, maybe as a wind break or maybe to give herself a place to lean against. She was carefully made up and stood motionless, not saying a word. The first time I noticed her she startled me because she was so very still until I met her gaze and she looked at me hopefully with her dark brown eyes. She had a purse and a carry-all bag next to her, one that she may have used when she was still employed. Something about her eyes and her quiet grace stuck with me.
Further on my commute, next to a Starbucks, was a young man who also held a cardboard sign. His said "Out of work. I just want to feed my Family". He had underscored the word "Family" three times. He didn't say anything as he stood there, shifting his weight from foot to foot, but he had a nice smile, a hopeful smile on his face, as he tried to catch someone's eye.
Then there was the older gentleman with the sign that said "Need to pay for daughter's graduation/prom". This almost made me stop and say "are you kidding me? Really?" Then I thought, "well, at least he's honest".
After passing the quiet, dignified woman for several days I decided I would give her some cash. It wasn't much, but I folded up a $5 bill and put it in my coat pocket so it would be easy to get to when I saw her. But she wasn't there. She wasn't there the next day or the following day either. I wondered if she was OK and even thought that maybe she was able to find work and didn't need to ask for help anymore.
So today I walked with my $5 bill to the young man that just wanted to feed his Family. I approached him and as I took my hand out of my pocket, he extended his. I touched his hand and put the bill in it; he smiled and said "thank you, thank you". I smiled and kept walking. I heard him pause behind me and then call out "thank you so much!". As I walked I imagined him gathering up the money he collected today and going to the store to buy groceries. I hope that is what he is going to do and I wish him the best of luck.
I don't know what the PC term is, but I usually say panhandlers. These are the people that hang around outside asking for money. Some hold signs, some stand wordlessly with plastic cups in their hands, some drone on like carnival barkers "spare some change t'day?" others stand or sit in the midst of the commuter route which forces the throngs to either see them or trip over them. Then there are the ones that bring their children with them which is particularly heart breaking. The one woman I see frequently always has very nicely dressed children, so that gives me some comfort that they are being cared for.
There are the regulars that I get used to seeing every commute into the office and every commute out to the train; if they aren't there I notice it. Two of these fixtures outside Union station are the elderly African-American man (he puts up a sign in July on his birthday which last year said he was 91 years old) and an older, hunched over Caucasian woman. They each stake out their respective territories; she holds her Streetwise magazines for sale and sometimes can be seen sitting and reading. He wears dark glasses (for the longest time I thought he was blind but have since figured out he is not) and has perfected the art of sleeping sitting up straight in his chair; now I know why he wears the dark glasses. They are both at their stations pretty much daily, regardless of weather.
I noticed three new faces these last few weeks. One was a nicely dressed woman in her 50s. She wore a hat and held a sign that read "Lost my job, behind in my rent". She placed herself in front of a large utility box, maybe as a wind break or maybe to give herself a place to lean against. She was carefully made up and stood motionless, not saying a word. The first time I noticed her she startled me because she was so very still until I met her gaze and she looked at me hopefully with her dark brown eyes. She had a purse and a carry-all bag next to her, one that she may have used when she was still employed. Something about her eyes and her quiet grace stuck with me.
Further on my commute, next to a Starbucks, was a young man who also held a cardboard sign. His said "Out of work. I just want to feed my Family". He had underscored the word "Family" three times. He didn't say anything as he stood there, shifting his weight from foot to foot, but he had a nice smile, a hopeful smile on his face, as he tried to catch someone's eye.
Then there was the older gentleman with the sign that said "Need to pay for daughter's graduation/prom". This almost made me stop and say "are you kidding me? Really?" Then I thought, "well, at least he's honest".
After passing the quiet, dignified woman for several days I decided I would give her some cash. It wasn't much, but I folded up a $5 bill and put it in my coat pocket so it would be easy to get to when I saw her. But she wasn't there. She wasn't there the next day or the following day either. I wondered if she was OK and even thought that maybe she was able to find work and didn't need to ask for help anymore.
So today I walked with my $5 bill to the young man that just wanted to feed his Family. I approached him and as I took my hand out of my pocket, he extended his. I touched his hand and put the bill in it; he smiled and said "thank you, thank you". I smiled and kept walking. I heard him pause behind me and then call out "thank you so much!". As I walked I imagined him gathering up the money he collected today and going to the store to buy groceries. I hope that is what he is going to do and I wish him the best of luck.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Japanese Noodle Soup
I love noodles. Love.them. It can be cheesy, saucey Italian, sweet Pad Thai, chewy Kluski egg noodles, Spaetzle or Udon. I won't turn down a plate (or bowl) of pasta. Never.
Tonight we were craving Udon noodles. There is no good noodle shop anywhere near us so we decided to try and make our own soup. I found Asian Mushroom Soup on my favorite cooking website and decided to give it a try. Here's what I ended up with:
It turned out great! It was very simple to make and hearty too. I didn't even add the chicken breast but we didn't miss it. Seems my store didn't have anything smaller than a 4 lb head of cabbage so instead I used a bag of pre-cut cole slaw. It was the exact amount I needed, a time saver and was even on sale. I bought some fresh ginger to use but apparently the bagger missed it as it wasn't in any of my bags when I got home. I'd like to know how much of a difference that would have made as I thought the seasoning was pretty good as it was. Hubby did add a few drops of fish sauce to his bowl and deemed it "perfect".
Tonight we were craving Udon noodles. There is no good noodle shop anywhere near us so we decided to try and make our own soup. I found Asian Mushroom Soup on my favorite cooking website and decided to give it a try. Here's what I ended up with:
Monday, March 7, 2011
Answer
Good guesses!
Yes, it was a cardboard tube. No it didn't have a slug trail on it and no it didn't used to be inside a roll of paper towels.
Drum roll please.....
It was the cardboard tube inside a roll of foil. However, the cardboard tube was in the kitchen drawer where I keep the foil, waxed paper, etc. The box (also empty) was found on the counter. I don't even want to try to understand why my husband put the empty cardboard tube back into the drawer and left the empty box on the counter. Wouldn't you at least put the tube back into the box before putting the whole (empty) thing back in the drawer for me to find when I went to pull out some aluminum foil?
Thanks for playing - it was fun to see your guesses :-)
Yes, it was a cardboard tube. No it didn't have a slug trail on it and no it didn't used to be inside a roll of paper towels.
Drum roll please.....
It was the cardboard tube inside a roll of foil. However, the cardboard tube was in the kitchen drawer where I keep the foil, waxed paper, etc. The box (also empty) was found on the counter. I don't even want to try to understand why my husband put the empty cardboard tube back into the drawer and left the empty box on the counter. Wouldn't you at least put the tube back into the box before putting the whole (empty) thing back in the drawer for me to find when I went to pull out some aluminum foil?
Thanks for playing - it was fun to see your guesses :-)
Sunday, March 6, 2011
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