New Year’s Ambience

Winter is difficult in Chicago – there are no two ways about it. Whether there are several inches of snow on the ground or the days are short and gray (or both), it can be difficult to find the bright spots.

There are a few things that bring their own kind of sunshine to me during these long winters. One is visiting the amazing Art Institute and wandering the through the paintings in the Modernist wing, searching for the Modigliani (more on that another time) and enjoying a glass of rosé in the “clean, well-lighted” cafe. 

One is my favorite Chopin Nocturne in E Flat Major, Op 9 No 2. (check it out here: https://youtu.be/tV5U8kVYS88).

One of those things is a bit more ambitious to experience – and includes bundling up in the cold, taking the train, and waiting in line for the ever-popular museum.

But Chopin is my soundtrack for the other, more peaceful hygge-like atmosphere I’ve been creating for myself before I’d even heard the word hygge. 

For me, January (and Chopin) inspires snow-white flowers and the soft flames and scents of carefully selected candles. I like to incorporate not only the warmth of hygge-like philosophies, but the white of the frost on my windows for well-rounded and honest experience of winter. 

So while winter may seem to stretch out before us interminably, there are small but important comforts to snuggle up with in the meantime. 

Piñon Blanc Candle - Anthropologie https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/kindred-candle2?category=candles&color=014&type=STANDARD

Natural Pine Tissue Box - Amazon https://www.amazon.com/your-orders/pop/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_pop?_encoding=UTF8&gen=canonical&lineItemId=ojjntoqmokmquny&orderId=111-2910649-5212261&packageId=1&returnSummaryId=&returnUnitIndices=&returnUnitMappingId=&shipmentId=M4xVQPT0R

Spray Roses - Trader Joe’s   https://www.traderjoes.com/home

Rose Gold Initial Ring

Wow. It's been a couple of lifetimes since I started this blog. I'm so excited to pick it back up, and yet the old posts still feel like my babies. I wasn't sure quite where to begin... do I hit the ground running or write an update full of nostalgia and explanations about how 150% different my life is now?

I think, as has been a theme throughout my life, I'll just dive right in.

I know I'm late to the game, but I have recently started to fall in love with both rose gold and "Millennial" pink. Can late to the game be the new "I thought it was cool before it was cool?"

Anyway, I actually have loved super thin rings for years now. When I was looking for a new one, I discovered this adorable thin rose gold band on Etsy with a stamped initial! Right up my alley. Super affordable and super sweet, these are perfect for treating yourself without breaking the bank, and they are also perfect for gift giving. I think they would make excellent bridesmaids' gifts! I just love something delicate with a personal touch.

These came faster than expected, but as with any Etsy purchase, I would advise giving a generous 3-4 weeks for delivery just in case.

I mean, how stinkin' adorable is that?

Check them out at TeeBeeJewelry on Etsy!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/557938580/personalized-initial-ring-rose-gold?ref=user_profile

Labyrinths and Wildflowers

I have been appreciating now more than ever the quiet, the stillness-- inside of me, around me. I really feel the place where I live, Hyde Park on the South Side of Chicago, more and more. It has definitely started to feel like home-- although I still don't know what that word means. Where is my "home," the place I can always go back to?

I tried to walk the old faded, cracked labyrinth in Nichols Park. Kids can be so mean; I've known this from a very young age. So again, after many years, I found myself afraid of playground judgment by two little kids trying to catch and/or kill a tiny swarm of monarchs. I wanted to go over and gently tell them how special those butterflies are and that you can tell because they're orange and black. And that they're dying, and it's up to us to save them. But I didn't. I was worried their parents would balk at the crazy blonde girl walking in circles talking to their children. I wish I could have had the labyrinth in even more quiet and solitude, so that I could have figured out how to walk it.

I went through the wildflower path, feeling more than ever my connection with these delicate, fleeting seasonal blooms, never bought and sold or found in stores, not worth much to anyone but me and people like me. I've dreamed of going up to the abandoned hillside on Lake Park some quiet dusky evening, carefully taking our old pair of scissors to some of the abundant purple chicory, white Queen Anne's Lace, and yellow mustard blossoms.

I may be needing the quiet, but I knew the music would be here in the park today, like it is every Sunday in the summer. Hasn't started yet though, I don't know if it will begin by the time I head back home to finish the laundry and start dinner. I struggle between the heat and the humidity and the sleepiness and the moment. Isn't this why I walked this way? But maybe the timing wasn't right.

Vacation Day One: The Community Garden

Whew! It's been a wild ride. So wild, in fact, that I haven't been able to blog. I was busy battling the thesis monster. And it was scary. But I finally triumphed (-ish) and I miss having a creative outlet, so I'm excited to get back to writing.

Today was the first day of my first official vacation since 2007. (I'm not counting the time we spent moving OR the time I broke my arm). It's also the longest vacation I've had since 2003. When I was considering where to go and what to do with this precious time, I began with France because it's a dream I have to go there, and I've never been outside of the US. But Vu couldn't go to France, and I didn't want to go alone, so then I thought maybe Spain. But then the responsible voice in my head said, "Kate, you really shouldn't spend almost all of your savings when you still have the same job you had pre-MA, and you have 60,000 dollars in student loans now."

Ok, well, how about California? I miss the West Coast like mad. But then that was expensive too, and I remembered how exhausting it was to go across the country and rent cars etc., etc. And I only have 2 weeks, after all. Then I would be going back to work recovering from my vacation.

So, we're staying here. I'm staying here. Mostly, except for a small excursion, which will consist of being in nature and appreciating rivers, trees, and some silence. When I stepped back to assess what it is that I needed, I realized that I need to REST. I need to spend some time catching up on life after the past 2 years of school. I need to read and get out of traffic and have some quiet and peace in my life. So that's exactly what I'm doing.

Today: Day One. I spent it taking my time at the Farmers Market and even the grocery store, finding pleasure in the tasks I usually rush through just so I can be at home for, like, 5 minutes. I cooked and ate 3 healthy meals. I drank 2! cups of tea, a bunch of kombucha, and no stress-necessitated wine. Vu and I took a nice walk around our boring (thank goodness!) quiet neighborhood and enjoyed looking at the architecture and the trees. And I cut the beautiful flowers in the picture above from the amazingly lush community garden across the street from our house. It's such a treasure, and I've been longing to spend time there.

AND I Instagrammed them, AND I'm getting to write a blog post for the first time in forever! I wish I knew what these flowers were. But I don't. I just know they're beautiful and perfect, just like my quiet little day. I'm learning to appreciate the moment, and I am just now really understanding what that even means.

Rosé Wines for Spring

I think rosé wines are absolutely perfect for spring-- especially when you now live in a town where April resembles February where you're from. Rosé is the perfect in-between: the longer, (slightly) warmer, (sometimes) sunnier days are dragged down by too dark and heavy a red, yet are not quite sweaty and grill-smokey and bright enough for summer whites.

I used to say I hated rosé wines. That's because the only rosé wines restaurants ever serve are White Zinfandels, which, to me, taste like Arbor Mist. They're the cheapest wines on the menu because they should be.

But a few months ago when my mom was in town, we went to a nice, brightly lit restaurant inside the Art Institute of Chicago, and she ordered a rosé called "Whispering Angel." It was a revelation. It was dry, light, and crisp-- not sweet and syrupy. We both loved it. So I ordered us each a bottle when we got home. Ever since then, I've been investigating dry rosés, and here are my top 3:

1. Whispering Angel, 2010 Cotes de Provence, by Chateau d'Esclans, $15.99- jjbuckley.com

Wine Spectator says, "Robust, with dried red fruit flavors accented by herbal, minerally overtones. The firm, juicy finish is powered by hints of licorice. Drink now."

I know Wine Spectator knows more about wine than I do, but I disagree with the "robust," and especially with the "licorice." I think the wine is quite light, not robust, and I despise licorice, so if I sensed it (and I would have!), I would not like this wine. But minerally, dried red fruit flavors is pretty spot-on.

I ordered mine online here.

2. Gris de Gris, 2010 Vin des Sables, by Domaine de Figueirasse, $7.99- Whole Foods Market

Not as impressive as the Angels Whispering and all, this Gris de Gris is still quite crisp and nice. Here's what the people over at Artisan Wine Depot have to say about it: "Made for summer and fresh seafood. A pale pink sunrise in the glass, this rosé reminds of framboise, ripe blood peaches, fresh buttery pie crust and cherry juice in its aromas. Very expressive! The mouth is a wave of fresh flowers and pink fruits, with suggestions of rose water and white pepper. Figueirasse makes its home near the Camargue delta along the southern French coast, and its terroir is almost exclusively sand. These unique soils give the wine both a bit of texture in the mouth as well as a sea-kissed, mineral freshness. Orange zest and more white pepper offer a lively kick to the finish. A very unique blend of 30% Cincault, 20% Grenache Gris, 40% Grenache Noir and 10% Grenache Blanc."

Considering that my ideal preferred "terroir" is "almost exclusively sand," this wine is AWESOME, especially for the price. I got mine at Whole Foods for $7.99! Call your nearest location, or, if you don't have one near you, it's available online, too.

3. 2010 Cotes de Provence, by Quinson Fils, $5.99- Trader Joe's 

Another Côtes de Provence, this lovely rosé is a Trader Joe's exclusive. I found it on the bottom shelf of an obscure (read: NOT Charles Shaw) aisle of ol' TJs. It's quite nice, and a bit like its Côtes de Provence rosé cousin, "Whispering Angel," though not quite as elegant. For $5.99 though, it's pretty darn good!

Over at cellartracker.com, on 11/17/2011, Jason Rzutkiewicz tasted this wine and rated it 83 points: (12.5%) Nice pale salmon pink color (not dyed). Medium bodied, pleasant Grenache like strawberry and watermelon fruit. Spiced minerality. Dry, crisp and pleasing. Perhaps a bit faint or simple on the back of the palate but no flaws here. Still delivers for the price point despite the strange bottle. If you are looking for a rosé this is as good as it is going to get for $5.

Exactly, Jason. But, hey, buddy, I like the strange bottle. 

Hopefully soon I will be able to deliver reviews such as this one, or even USE the word "minerality" (at all, somewhere), but for now, all I can tell you is they taste good. And they are not White Zinfandels. Which is good, unless you like White Zinfandel. In which case, enjoy ordering the cheapest wines on the menu, gosh darnit.

Probiotics!

Garden of Life Probiotics

This is a subject very dear to my heart. When I was a teenager, I was given 8 straight months of a strong dosage of tetracycline for teenage acne. What I, and (I was to find out later) many doctors, did not realize was that while antibiotics kill bad bacteria in the body, they can also wipe out the literal host of good organisms that keep our immune systems strong, help our digestive systems function, fight off infectious microbes, and even manufacture vitamins and enzymes for us.

Needless to say, I became very ill for years. I lost a ton of weight, and doctors didn't know what to do. They told me it was psychological, food allergies, everything. It wasn't until my family doctor came back with a sample showing an inordinate amount of yeast in my body that I started finding out about the balance of microbes in the system, and started to seek out doctors who knew about these "probiotics" I seemed to need.

Fortunately, I found an osteopath who prescribed me probiotics from Garden of Life. I have been taking them ever since (though sometimes less frequently than others). I also have frequent bouts of bladder infections, which I recently found out could be related to all of this, so I've been taking probiotics to target this as well.

Jarrow Formulas Fem-Dophilus

All this might sound like crazy hippie talk to most people. But the other night I was listening to NPR, and I heard a scientist who is on the "cutting edge" (funny because some doctors have been talking about this for 20+ years!) of friendly-microbe research.

Listen to the article here:


It's amazing. I want to read some of his books now. It's always so affirming to hear mainstream science broach this subject, since most of the time it's relegated to health food stores and "alternative" health. Actually, it's not alternative at all. It makes perfect sense!

I try to eat a healthy diet with as little refined sugar as possible, I try to eat fermented foods with natural probiotics in them (like Greek yogurt and kefir), and I try to remember to take my probiotics every day. The next one I want to try is a new one by Nature's Way:

After listening to Carl Zimmer's interview, I'm interested in the fact that this product is from human digestive strains only. I'll let you know! Good flora to you!

Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence

Being the English major that I am, I always find it hard to write a cute little blurb on a book, as I'm used to writing 10-15 page papers exploring the hegemonic and Marxist readings of New York society in the 1870s blah blah blah. But I will do my best here.

I love this book. I know I'm going to be inflammatory and divisive, but this is what Jane Austen would be if she were as great as everyone thinks she is. This, too, is a novel of manners, but in a more interesting way.

First, it's refreshing to see such a novel in an American setting. I had never before read anything like this that was not set in England. There is much debate about whether or not Wharton is criticizing New York upper class society or vindicating it. An article on "The Millions" recently advocated Wharton's stance on morals.

I respectfully disagree. Writing from a Realist perspective, Wharton exposes us to this society, with both its criticisms and its vindications. More importantly, she lets the characters struggle with this duality, without much narrative interruption. 

Wharton's characters, especially her female characters, contain a level of complexity that is often lacking in novels such as this. For example, Madame Olenska, the Europeanized cousin of the society ladies, is not really a rebel. She wants to fit in, to please her family, but she just can't quite figure it out. She also can't quite squash her needs, her inspirations, her self in order to please everyone. But she is a vibrant, strong character with both a conscience and a heart.

Much of the novel deals with a society that is a relic from the past. But the book also asks us to explore the ever-relevant question of how humans navigate our societal and familial obligations, which often grate against our innermost needs and emotions.

If the book were written today, it would have ended differently. But that would have been an endorsement of a certain morality and mentality, which I think Wharton wanted us to figure out for ourselves. I love writers who know their readers are intelligent.

I highly recommend this book. It's FREE on Project Gutenberg, which you can also get FREE through iBooks on the iPad. Or there's always the more traditional routes. It's a fast read, and it makes you think, while also exemplifying a beautifully composed novel with dazzling detail. 

Happy reading!