There is nothing here to be afraid of, it's just the morning.
If you are fan of music that bleeds the soul of the performer, you may want to listen to Cesária Évora. She is the best known performer of morna, a genre of music that hails from Cape Verde. Morna is sometimes light and playful, sweetly languorous but often mournful. It reminds me of Portuguese fado in that the performer seems raw with emotion, all pretense abandoned.
It was probably 5 or 6 years ago that I was introduced to Cesária Évora; her music played in the background as I ate with a woman who was as intoxicating and complex as the wine served with dinner. The song was Sodade (meaning saudade) and Évora was accompanied by Bonga, an Angolan pop singer. It has to be one of the greatest songs ever recorded and I don't use that expression lightly. It ranks up there with Etta James' 1961 version of At Last.
It was quite a week. It started cold as hell and then warmed up by dumping a blanket of snow on the city.
My buddy Dave was in town so at least I got to catch up with him over a short brick one evening. We're going to meet up for a lakefront run Saturday morning as well. It will be cold, slippery and wet - a good character building run.
As a result of the road construction outside my apartment complex, this manhole cover was obscured by fine gravel that was piled nearby.
Looking north down the train tracks, that anchor the the area to its' industrial past, is the Cassidy Tire & Auto company that now seems out of place amongst the gentrified condominiums.
It's been two years since I saw a movie in a theater. And even back then I went against my better judgment. I see plenty of films on the plane so I don't feel I've missed out on much. During that last trip to the movie theater, I saw the Fantastic Four sequel. It wasn't my idea and it was a huge waste of free time. So it was with some reservation that I planned on attending two movies today. Granted, I wanted to see both of them and they were not the typical Hollywood drivel.
The first was Antonio Gaudi, a 1984 film by Japanese director, Teshigahara showing at the Gene Siskel Film Center. I didn't know what was billed as a documentary would turn out to be an almost wordless video montage of Gaudi's various works including the renown Sagrada Familia. Despite the footage actually being quite interesting the tonal musical score kept lulling me to sleep. At one point I think I startled the audience (and myself awake) with a loud snort as I lost consciouosness and my head fell backwards blocking my airway. Still, the parts I did see reminded me of the trip I took to Spain so many years ago. My recommendation is skip the film and get to Barcelona.
The second film I saw today was the British production Slumdog Millionaire. It is the best film I remember seeing in recent memory. Despite what could be ironically described as a Hollywood ending, the film was interesting, exciting and captivating. Slumdog Millionaire was worth the full price the ticket and perhaps a little more. An extremely good use of the entertainment dollar.
I've been taking walks at night to relax and help me sleep. I carry my Lumix DMC-FX100 in case I come across anything interesting. Chicago is beautiful at night.
Here I caught the Merchandise Mart reflecting of the Chicago River at Wolf's Point.
The first good snow we've had was tonight. After a work dinner, I came home and walked into the west loop area.
Again, holiday lights but this time they had a warmer tone.
The Chicago Christmas tree in Daley Plaza was officially lit yesterday even though it had been on display the entire weekend. I suppose it was lit early to urge people to participate in the true meaning of Christmas, rampant commercialism. Whatever the reason, I enjoy how the fragrant tree brightens up the dreary brown Picasso sculpture in the plaza.
I have been frequenting a relatively new Chinese place for lunch and sometimes breakfast in Chicago called Wow Bao. I learned recently it's part of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant conglomerate started by Rich Melman, a local celebrity restaurateur.
As much as I don't enjoy most of the Lettuce Entertain You family of restaurants, a really like Wow Bao with its' healthy, fast offerings. I have even been enticed to try the Bao, which I would normally avoid because of the carbohydrates (I'm a little girl like that some times). Everything I've had to date and has been very tasty. The service is better than most places of similar style.
If you are in Chicago and have a desire for quick, healthy (westernized) Chinese food, give Wow Bao a try. The breakfast eggs come in little porcelain bowls which you are free to keep, or return, and you have to love the cheeky tag line.
There was an interesting and sickening article in the NY Times this past Sunday discussing the possible conflict of interest that exists when retired army general Barry R. McCaffrey consults on military strategy. McCaffrey is paid by many companies who do business or desire to do business with the US military. McCaffrey is not very forthcoming about his business associations when giving his 'unbiased' opinions on national television that coincidentally fall in line with his significant business interests; a modern day merchant of war.
