Susan's First Night Game at Wrigley - Experence #16

Last night, Susan went to see the Cubs play the Brewers, marking her first night game at Wrigley Field ever! (When she lived in Chicago as a kid they hadn't yet installed the lights so all home games were day games.) It was quite exciting to see the park at night -- the skyline forms a really beautiful backdrop for the park. Unfortunately the Cubs lost, 6-1. Carlos Zambrano pitched a great game for the first six innings.

Unfortunately, he was left in for seven. That was when all hell broke loose and the Cubs never really regained their footing. After a really successful June and July Zambrano wound up going 0 for August! He needs to heat up again for the September stretch. The Cubs also need to start scoring some runs! Although they had 9 hits, they consistently failed to bring runners on base home.

Fortunately for the Cubs, St. Louis also lost big last night. As a result the Cubs are still in front of the Brewers by 1.5 games and in front of St. Louis by 2.0 games. Looks like it's going to be very tight going into September!

Place #20 - The Grafton; Lagunitas Censored and Pale Ale - Beers 15 and 16; Fun Fact 5

Last weekend Susan visited The Grafton Pub, down the street from the Old Town School of Folk Music in Lincoln Square. It was chosen by a friend from she met from the (previously blogged) Girls Rock! experience, and we opened up the place at 4:00 for Friday happy hour. We sat at the bar and people slowly joined us, singly and in groups, drinking and eating and talking in friendly fashion. Susan tried two new beers from the Lagunitas Brewing Company, based in California. The first one, called Censored, was a "copper ale". Susan figured that was some new marketing term for amber beer, but the bartender insisted that the term's been around for quite some time. She also explained that they called it Censored because it was thought to smell like marijuana when they brewed it (that should qualify as a fun fact.) It didn't smell like it when Susan drank it, but it did taste pretty good.

The second beer was also a Lagunitas, but it's name was just plain old pale ale. They were trying to decide which one to stock at the bar. Though Susan liked them both, she voted for Censored. That beer will be a conversation starter at this interesting little bar for years to come!

Becoming Jane - Movie #5 and Cousins Middle Eastern - Restaurant # 15 - Fun Fact #4

On Wednesday Kate and I went to see Becoming Jane at an arty theatre on Diversey and Clark called the Landmark. It was blistering hot out and by the time we walked over there we were drenched. Earlier in the day we had been swimming laps, so we were ready for a big meal. We met our friend in front and went to dinner across the street on Broadway at Cousin's Middle Eastern restaurant. Kate had very good baba ganouj and I had falafel that was a little less firm than I'd prefer. Karen's shepherd's salad looked great.

Becoming Jane is a visually beautiful (but not too beautiful) movie that spins out an elaborate story based on the fact of Jane Austen's romance (as discussed briefly, for example, in Carol Shield's short and wonderful bio of Jane). There are certainly objectionable moments -- such as when we learn that the idea for Jane's famous "it is a truth universally acknowledged" line comes from a scorned suitor (although the film does suggest that the line was substantially reworked and made more clever by Jane). And of course, the entire premise of the film is that the central ill-fated romance is what made Jane become the Jane we all know and love through her books. Still, it was entertaining to see a movie all about Jane. It held our attention throughout and provided several wry chuckles along the way. And, despite our collective skepticism, Anne Hathaway was truly excellent

Here's a great Chicago-based fun fact for blogreaders with a political theory background: Did you know that Jane Austen was University of Chicago political theory professor Leo Strauss' favorite author? Do you think it's Jane's trademark irony that attracted him?

Recipe #2 Lamb with Whole Spices

Well, We've been falling behind on the recipe category so here's a great one we just tried from "An Invitation to Indian Cooking" by Madhur Jaffrey. For purists, this is called khare masale ka gosht, but lamb with whole spices works too.

8 TBSP vegetable oil (ok, that's alot but most of it stays in the pan and it's really worth it)
1 2" stick cinnamon
20 whole black peppercorns
15 whole cloves
10 whole cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
1 whole dry red pepper
2 lbs boneless shoulder of lamb cut into 1" pieces
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala (optional)
1 TBSP chopped cilantro (optional)

Pat the meat dry on paper towels. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. When it is very hot, put the spices in quickly in this order (the order seems to matter) cinnamon, black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom pods, bay leaves and hot pepper. When the hot pepper begins to darken, add the pieces of meat and the salt. Stir for 5 minutes or until the pot begins to make boiling noises (I did this in a wok and it began to make boiling noises right away so I went about 3 minutes and it turned out fine). Cover, lower heat and cook for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes or until meat is tender (I think I cooked mine 40 minutes, at which point it started to look a little charred around the edges. Use your best judgement.) Remove the cover and continue cooking on medium for a final 3 to 5 minutes, gently stirring the meat pieces. Take care not to break them. Remove from pot using a slotted spoon to drain off excess oil. You can serve with the whole spices for effect, but they shouldn't be eaten. Serve over rice and sprinkle with garam marsala and / or chopped cilantro.

This takes awhile but it tasted AMAZING. Give it a try!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Movie 4

We waited a little too long and had to drive out to the suburbs to see Harry, as he had left the city without us noticing. But it was well worth the drive. This HP is amongst Susan's favs and though Kate likes the magic more than the good v. evil plotline, she liked the movie quite a lot too. It's interesting to see how they're allowing Harry to grow up in these later films. Susan's ready to read 6, which she never quite got to, and Kate's ready to move on to 7 for the big finale. Don't give away the goods, until we finish, ok?

Koryo - Restaurant #14; Jerry Springer the Opera - Performance #5; Beer #14 Skinny Dip

On Saturday we ate at a great restaurant named Koryo in our neighborhood. Kate had bo bim bop - a sweetish chicken, vegtable, rice, and noodle dish -- and it was delicious. Susan had a yummy garlic, peppers, onions and shrimp dish. They were both fantastic. This was our first introduction to Korean food and we will definitely be returning to this establishment soon!

Afterwards, we walked over to a local playhouse and saw a really over the top send up of the Jerry Springer show (and opera). Great premises, but the plot got a bit thin and the comedy broader and broader as the show progressed. Despite that, the music and the singing were both very good. Still we left wishing that more had been done to move the story along.

We came home to try out a new beer, Skinny Dip, which is made by the same company that makes Fat Tire which was mentioned earlier in the blog quite favorably. Skinny Dip is a summer beer, lighter than the amber Fat Tire, and it has a great taste initially, but we both agreed that it's afterbite left a little something to be desired over the long haul. We'll probably stick with Fat Tire when it comes to the New Belgium brewery.

Cubs in First! Cubs in First! Athena in Town! Athena in Town! Yoshi's Cafe - Restaurant # 13; Kiran Beer #13 ; Unabridged Books Place #18

Yes, the Cubs are alone atop the NL Central (even though they lost today). That's where they've been since we last visited Wrigley with our friend Athena, who was in town on a layover for a day last week. The Cubs won big that day over Cincinnati, busting the game wide open in the 8th inning, ultimately winning 12-4. I'm now convinced that the upper deck seats are the best in the house. Unobstructed views of the whole field, cover from the sun and / or rain, easy access to food and bathrooms, what else could you ask for?

After the game, we went to Yoshi's Cafe here in the neighborhood. Kate had very good lobster gazpacho and Athena had chicken with vegtables. I had shrimp and scallops with pasta, but was surpised when the shrimp was enormous and the scallops tiny. Kate and I also had Kiran beer, a Japanese beer that was described as an amber, but was really more of a lager -- in any case it was very tasty.

Athena's whirlwind tour of Chicago ended with a trip to our favorite neighborhood bookstore, Unabridged Books (which I don't believe I've mentioned or counted as a Place before) before heading out to O'Hare to catch her next flight. We had a lot of fun with Athena and hope to see her again soon!

Girls Rock! Chicago Camp - Experience #15; Performance # 4

On Tuesday, Susan visited the Girls Rock! Chicago summer camp held all week at Avondale School in Logan Square. This is a camp experience designed to provide girls 8-16 years old with a chance to learn to play in a rock and roll band. It is hard to explain how positive the atmosphere at the camp was and how much of an effect it seemed to be having on the girls as the week progressed. On Saturday, at the end of the week, all the bands played a song each at a local club called the Metro, which is located about a block from Wrigley Field. What a great experience! A woman in the M.A. program in Women's Studies at Roosevelt University here in downtown Chicago got together with some of her friends, created a 501 c3 and made the camp happen as part of her thesis project. I became aware of her project when she presented on it at this year's National Women's Studies Association meetings, and was also able to meet some of her WS professors there, Ellen and Anne, whom we met up with at the Metro for the final show. The camp included over 60 campers this year and they plan to expand even further in the years to come. Can't wait to see what happens next! Here's a picture of one of the bands from last year - The Jagged Tulips.

Halsted Street Market Days - Experience # 14; Center on Halsted - Place #18

Last Sunday, our friends Wayne and Helena stopped in to visit on their way from Philadelphia to Seattle and it was great to see them. We wandered over to Halsted Street Market Days, just a few blocks from our place in what is affectionately known as Boystown, because it's where all the boys hang out. (We wish we had a picture of the phallic / rainbow colored streetlight fixtures to attach here to demonstrate the point, but this picture of Wayne with a local boystown resident will also serve well. As you can see from the review attached above, some people regard this festival as the best of all the summer street fairs. It features a variety of food, music, and swag options. We saw my guitar teacher's band there, Congress of Starlings, as pictured above. They have a great song about the greater significance of the recent cicada influx (which, happily, we just missed) complete with original chirpings from the lovely creatures themselves. Check out their web page and give it a listen.

While down in Boystown we also checked out the new GLBT Center on Halsted and it is fantastic! Just opened in May, this two story structure is complete with large amounts of meeting space, a library, and a variety of other features, and has multiple events going on every day of the week. The Center is also attached to a Whole Foods store so that folks buying ready made food there can eat it right there in the main lobby of the Center. What a great addition to the neighborhood! (W & H and the Center too!)

Jackson Park Golf Course - Place #17, Fun Fact #3

Susan was going to golf earlier today, but was rained out. It has been raining pretty much all day. However, she did golf last Saturday at Jackson Park a fantastic public course on the south side of the city just beyond the University of Chicago. Originally the site of the 1893 Columbian exposition, this is a beautiful course lodged right in the city with a number of unique features. On the day Susan golfed these included a community garden near the second hole, wild parakeets around the 11th, a dude out bbq-ing early on Saturday morning, excellent burgers in the clubhouse, and various pieces of clothing strewn about the course perhaps suggesting vigorous usage of the course the night before (wait, wouldn't that count as a fun fact?) A total of nine golfers showed up in this group and Susan joined two new golfers this round, Patty and Ronnie, and had a great time laughing and talking about a wide variety of subjects. Patty was a gold medal golfer when the Gay Games were in Chicago, at this very park. Turns out Patty and Ronnie are also poker fans. How great is that? Guess they'll be making multiple appearances in this blog over the next several months!

Opart Thai House - Restaurant # 12; Fat Tire - Beer # 12

On Friday night we visited the Opart Thai House with some of the friends we've met since arriving in Chicago. This restaurant, one of the most highly rated Thai restaurants in the city, is located in Lincoln Square, just across from the Western L station on the Brown line. It features a very interesting huge statue of Ganesh, the Hindu elephant - God in the dining room. We started out with some delicious appetizers that included crab rangoon and chicken satay. By the time we were halfway done with the appetizers I was persuaded to head out to the liquor store two doors down for some Fat Tire amber ale. Although I'm sure I had it since arriving in Chicago, somehow it has escaped blog commentary. It's a great tasting amber on the heavier side, with a little bit of a bite at the end. Not quite as good a name as Fatty Boombalatty, but still a very good beer. Pad thai was the main course and it was a very good version of that classic dish. And it was all very affordable to boot, making for a great all around dining experience.

Kettle Hills Golf Course - Place #17; Fox and Hounds - Restaurant # 11

On my last day in Milwaukee I played golf and visited with my old friend Paula. The day before I had a great massage that prepared me to play from Mary Jean at The Body Mechanics, who I used to see regularly when I lived in Milwaukee. She was especially good at working with my scars, which are coming along well (but maybe not always as quickly as I'd like).

Paula and I originally met in the late 80's when we were both playing soccer and then we discovered that we both loved golf. So we started meeting every Saturday at an absurdly early hour of the morning to play this challenging course, Kettle Hills, about 40 minutes northwest of Milwaukee. So this was a homecoming of sorts and we laughed about as much as we did way back when. Paula golfed well as usual, but I didn't until I finally warmed up on the last couple of holes. In between we had a great time catching up and talking about the old days. This was followed by a meal at Fox and Hounds, a kind of steak and ribs place where we were the youngest in the crowd by about twenty years! Fueled by the good conversation and ribs I had for dinner I drove home to Chicago to await Kate's return from Maine the following day. We hope to host a Chicago visit soon from Paula and her family!

Rufus Wainwright - Release the Stars - CD#3

If you can resist a gay man in lederhosen then this cd is not for you. (That's what Rufus Wainwright is wearing on the back cover of this CD). But if you find that kind of thing intriguing, then you might be interested in his new CD "Release the Stars." Yes, he poses and is incredibly self-indulgent at times, but his cops to that right up front and offers creative, original music like no one else in return.

Our favorite songs on this disc are Going to a Town (a scolding of post 9-11 America), Do I Disappoint You (a scathing criticism of his famous father, Louden Wainwright III of "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road" fame) and the beautiful confessional Not Ready to Love. The cd also includes classic Rufus over the top numbers like Between My Legs. We're guessing you don't need us to tell you what that one's about. We'll be seeing Rufus at Ravinia in a few weeks, and will undoubtedly have more to report at that time.

If you're new to Rufus, you might want to start with his truly remarkable cd, "Want One" one of the best new ones in the last several years in our opinion. While "Want Two" wasn't really a worthy follow up, Release the Stars is. We highly recommend giving it a listen.

Broad Vocabulary - Place # 16

While in Milwaukee, Susan also stopped in at Broad Vocabulary, the city's own feminist bookstore, in the Southside Bayview neighborhood, where many of the girls live in Milwaukee. This is a great bookstore that offers so much more than books, including readings and meeting space for community groups. It was founded by three Univeristy of Wisconsin - Milwaukee graduates of the Women's Studies Program, which Susan used to direct when she worked there. How great is it to see grads of the program making positive change in the city! If you're ever in Milwaukee you should definitely stop in to this interesting place on South Kinninckinick (KK) street and see what new plots the girls are brewing.

The Social - Restaurant #10; Fattyboombalatty - Beer #11

On Tuesday night Susan had dinner with her old friend Jude at The Social, a hip restaurant in Milwaukee's trendy 3rd ward. (Although she had been to this restaurant, Susan had not been to this new location.) Susan had a tasty tilapia dish that had an excellent corn salsa with an unidentifiable spice that made the dish, along with oddball Social trademarks meant to connote comfort like hushpuppy potatoes (which were left uneaten.) Jude had a gourmet pizza which was also very good, along with a Fatty Boombalatty, a creamy amber beer brewed in Black River Falls Wisconsin.

Of course, there was much talk about the name of the beer, and when I got home I found it out it refers to, not surprisingly, a large person, or somewhat more surprisingly, a rather oversized spliff. Jude brought a six pack home the next night for me to try out. We sat out on the front porch like we used to after work when we lived down the block from each other. The Fatty tasted like an amber beer mixed with a belgian creamy beer like a Blue Moon. Very good and very unusual at the same time. Needless to say, it was also great to visit with Jude who graciously let me stay with her for the duration of my trip to Milwaukee.

Cempazuchi - Restaurant # 9

On Tuesday of last week Susan went up to Milwaukee for a few days to catch up with some old friends. First on the list was lunch with Alex, who used to live in Athens, but has since moved to Sheboygan where her husband Rick has just landed a great new job. Alex drove down to Milwaukee from Sheboygan and Susan drove up from Chicago. They met at a great Oaxachan restaurant on East Brady Street called Cempazuchi. Susan had her favorite dish there, called De Cameron, really good shrimp tacos. It was great to catch up with Alex over lunch, and then tour her around the eastside and introduce her to many of our favorite spots. Hope to see her again soon -- maybe down here in Chicago next time!

Some might wonder whether a Milwaukee restaurant should be counted in the Chicago 10x40, especially when it's one that we've been to before. We say yes. After all Alex hadn't been there before and what is Milwaukee really, if not a (rather large) suburb of Chicago? lol.

Field Museum - Place #15 and Leona's - Restaurant #8; Beers #9 and 10

The last day of the visit brought a return to the Museum Campus in the form of an all day outing at the Field Museum of Natural History where we saw an excellent exhibit on evolution and the five great extinctions. We met up with Emma and who had just moved to Chicago from Ohio last week. It was great to see them and to share tips about life in the neighborhood. We ate at Leona's, a friendly restaurant in the neighborhood featuring a huge menu with several excellent beer choices. Susan B. tried a Dupage -- an amber beer with a pleasant smoky taste, while Kate had a pale ale with a bite which she liked very much.

Here's a picture of K and S out in the great weather that we enjoyed for the entire visit, until it was time for the Athens crew to return home on Sunday, at which point a cloudburst ensued. What a great visit! Hope that the SNMM show rolls back into town again soon!

Wrigley Field - Place #14

Those who have been following the Cubs are no doubt already aware that they ascended into first place when the SNMM show rolled into town. But did you also know that the Mets were in first also? And that Nicole is a huge Mets fan from way back? So the stage was set for big drama. As you can perhaps see from this picture, we were a bit surrounded by Mets fans (Susan B. was even sitting next to a Yankees fan of all things!). The Mets blew the game open in the 8th, but it was a close and exciting game up until that point! Despite the unfavorable outcome (at least as far as Susan B. was concerned), everyone had a great time. All agreed that Wrigley is, along with Fenway, the best venue to see a major league game. Fortunately, the Cubs were able to win the game on Saturday. They are playing for the series tonight in a nationally televised game on ESPN.

Shedd's Aquarium and the Planetarium - Places #12 and 13

On Thursday we headed down to the Museum Campus, just south of Grant Park. There was so much to see, but the girls especially loved the dolphins, the sea otters, and the penguins. The Planetarium had lots of hands-on exhibits to interact with, including a chance to navigate a space ship around the surface of Mars, a huge crowd pleaser. Here's a couple of pictures of the girls just outside the Planetarium.

Clarke's - Restaurant #7; Millenium Park - Place #11

We started out the visit by meeting SNMM at the El station and immediately went across the street to Clarke's, a fun diner with a huge range of selections at affordable prices. Fortified, we set off for home for some r&r before we took off for Millenium Park downtown. We checked out the world-famous bean. Can you see us reflected in it as Susan R. takes a picture of us all?

We also visited the water park which includes huge waterwalls that have enormous pictures of faces on them that periodically spit water at all the kids wading around. There were tons of folks down there -- probably due to the mid 90's heat that was hanging on even as late as 6:30. Luckily S&N brought along an extra change of clothing that the kids could slip into before we headed off to Carson's for rib dinner and a piece of tiramisu so big that the whole table shared it with more than enough to go around. (No change of clothese for the big kid in the green shirt, but the ribs more than offset any residual wetness!)

The SNMM Show Hits Town

On Wednesday our friends Susan, Nicole, Maya and Maddie came to Chicago for a visit that lasted through the weekend. We had so much fun during their stay we didn't really have time to blog for the last several days. The next several entries should get us up to speed, but let's start off with a picture of the crew with the big city as a backdrop. They look pretty good together don't they?? (the family and the city, we mean)

Freed from Radiation - Experience # (lucky) 13; Restaurant # 6 Jack's on Halsted

Last week we went to see Dr. Khan, who did my surgery a couple of weeks ago, and she presented us with the surprising and happy news that she did not think that radiation was necessary for me. Because my tumor was very small (4mm) and the margins free of cancer large (about 4 cm) they are pretty sure that they got everything out. In addition, the chances of recurrence in a case like mine are pretty low, maybe about 6% or so in the first several years. The tamoxifen that I'll be taking also combats recurrence (as well as cancers that might emerge elsewhere in the body, which I'm now more prone to). While radiation would cut the recurrence probability in half, since I'm already at 6% that wouldn't amount to much, particularly offset against the drawbacks of radiation, one of which is once you do it in one area it can't be done again. Needless to say, we were delighted to hear this news, and went out to celebrate with a really tasty fish dinner at a neighborhood restaurant, Jack's on Halsted. The grouper I had was delicious and Kate's salmon was very good too, but the desserts were really out of this world!

Anyway, Dr. Khan cautioned us to talk in more detail about this in more detail to the radiation oncologist, who I visited yesterday. Dr. Kiel presented roughly the same numbers that Dr. Khan did, and did not resist the idea of observation plus tamoxifen rather than radiation. She suggested that I consider getting an MRI to better ensure there is no cancer currently growing elsewhere in my breast. They do this by observing chemical and blood flow patterns, rather than the density of the tissue (as in the mammogram). The problem is, MRIs are not super refined in this area, so they are currently producing about 40% false positives. Hmmm.

In any case, the very good news is no radiation this fall, no more hospital visits for several months (except a few more for cancer school, to donate fluids to a breast cancer study, for the MRI, and for one other test -- ok, maybe that's more than a few, but it's better than every day which is what the radiation would have been!)