And they're off!

Alright - we're off for Europe tomorrow, so this will be the last update for a few weeks. Hope everyone's August goes well!

Here are a couple of photos - our condo building from the side street, and the impatiens-that-ate-Chicago!

Travel

We're getting ready to leave for a little-over-two-week trip to Europe, before I start my new job. It'll be nice to get away for awhile, and see a part of France we haven't yet seen. (We're also ducking over to Germany for a few days.)

Here are some of the places we'll be staying over there... I'll try to post more details before we go, and definitely pictures after we get back!

Au Nid de Cigogne (Stork's Nest)
Hotel Kloster-Stueble
La Faienciere

And speaking of war...

Thousands dead. Tens of thousands wounded, probably disabled in some capacity for life. Yes, Hussein is gone, but it looks like he'll be replaced by an Islamic-based government, not the democracy that was so highly touted.

There's a woman, a mother, one of many who have already lost a loved one in this ill-considered venture to the Middle East. She's camped outside your ranch, where you're taking a 5-week vacation. She wants to talk to you, ask you why her son died, why all the men and women are dying and what it's all for. You refuse.

In what rational world is your response to the question of why you won't talk to her, why a Little League game and a bike ride are more important, this:

'I think the people want the president to be in a position to make good, crisp decisions and to stay healthy. And part of my being is to be outside exercising.'

(Move over Alice. Whole country comin' through.)

War!

So, for the past few days, I've been completely sucked into this game - Rome: Total War.

We picked it up by chance at Target when we were shopping for our upcoming trip, and I gave it a try over the weekend. It's really addictive. You play one of three Roman families, set on taking over the various other nations of the time, and, eventually, Rome (and the world). It's easy to play, but complex. And far, far too easy to play for hours at a time!

Fruit!

One thing we really enjoy about our neighborhood is the Farmers' Market. It's in a small park, about a 3 minute walk away, and runs from mid-June until the end of October.


We get amazing fruit there - from a little place called Seedling. (The bottom photo is Seedling; the top one is the entrance to the Market.)


Great blueberries, Michigan peaches... Yum!

Thought....

Thought of the week (courtesy of the dojang whiteboard):

Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

I'd heard this phrase a lot, but never really gave it more than a most-cursory thought. Because of the setting I heard it in this time, I gave it a bit closer examination. I've been doing a lot of thinking about things I see as "the darkness," and intend to spend some time over my upcoming vacation deciding how best to light a candle or two.

What are you doing about the darkness in your world? (Drop me a line!)

Taken for a ride

I love taking the El to work. No stress, it's (almost) always on time (or at least close)... and judging from the number of people on my car this morning, it takes hundreds of cars off the streets every rush hour. Think of all the energy saved, pollution prevented!

That said, I think that we El riders are already doing our part by using public transit. There is no need to make us ride in the dark! This morning, it seemed like all the cars on my train were without lights. I wonder if the driver forgot to turn them on, or they were broken? I was just happy I was able to find a place to stand where I could stick my backpack in a corner, safe from potential pickpockets in the dark!

Hope your daily commutes went smoothly today!