Catching Up With Atlanta

Aimee and I have been wanting to visit Atlanta ever since the fall. As we found ourselves retracing our steps a year later (e.g. this time last year, Megan and Katie were here; this time last year, we discovered we actually like fall, etc.), we knew a visit was in order. After a few false starts (thank you Delta), we arrived on Friday the 18th, nearly to Michael and Jeff’s house, just in time for a seemingly carsick Crowley to puke all over Aimee and our Camaro (thank you Hertz).

We got cleaned up (thank you Crowley) and then ventured up to Dreamland BBQ with Jeff and Patrick for some lunch. Seated next to a wall of loaves of a white bread, I knew we were back in south. When one of those loaves landed on our table, I was happy to be back.

That night, Michael and Jeff hosted a party at their house with the entire 5pm choir from IHM as well as some other friends, including the pastor and associate priest. It was a great way to catch up with so many people at once. Just like we slipped back into Chicago life so easily last July, it was seamless to ease back into conversation and catching up with these great folks.

On Saturday we ventured down to Highland Bakery and got to catch up with Jordan (sadly Skyler could not attend). We got caught in a refreshing rain storm, but nothing our now smelly Camaro couldn’t handle. From there the whirlwind continued as we went to visit with Daniela (Aimee’s co-fellow), Matt and Noah. They prepared a delicious lunch and the perfect environment to catch up.

Off we went to IHM for the 4pm vigil mass. I played the piano and Aimee helped cantor -- it was nice to be back. In fact, Fr. Juan (though threatened otherwise) announced us after mass. It was definitely one of those (“mom, why are we clapping?” moments). Regardless, it was nice to be back behind the keys in IHM – a parish that has and continues to mean a lot to us.  The contrasting liturgical and ministerial elements are always interesting to experience, especially when juxtaposed so closely with our OSP experience.   Dinner at Rosebud Restaurant with Michael and Jeff followed and then another drink at their house to catch up with our friend Nimale.

In all it was a great weekend. We cannot thank Michael and Jeff enough for their generous hospitality and welcoming spirit. It truly felt like home.

Family, Drama, and Beautiful Singing

I need to start off on a sad note…  On Sunday, October 16th, my grandma on my mom’s side passed away at the age of 94.  She lived a full life, had a welcoming spirit, and has been a memorable, inspiring figure to so many, including me, my parents, and my sisters and their families. Grandma, you are, and will be missed!

 
The funeral afforded us that unplanned time to celebrate her life and be with our close family up in Lansing this past week.  It was a good reminder of the importance of building and supporting the family in our lives and recognizing the loving bonds of relationships that allow those families to grow and prosper.

Pardon the rough transition, but Saturday evening at the opera gave us a tragic glimpse of how those family bonds can be occluded by feuding and conflict.  Through the creative minds and talented performers of the Lyric Opera, Aimee and I took in the first of our 5 operas this season in what I’m deeming our “Opera Experiment”.  Playing on Saturday was Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor.  Susanna Phillips was spectacular and, as the only real female role, shined heads above the rest of the cast.  The drama was ever-present on stage though the music itself, an archetype of the bel canto Italian style, never led you too far away from “pretty” melodies and contented rhythms.  From the Lyric’s website…

In Scotland, Lucia and Edgardo are breathlessly, desperately in love. But their two clans are bitter rivals, so Lucia’s villainous brother Enrico sets out to quell his young sister’s romance. And he deploys every devious device he can muster, including lies, forgery, and finally the false revelation of Edgardo’s infidelity.  Little wonder that Lucia is mentally crushed and destroyed, driven to madness and murder before she dies of a broken heart. 

Turns out that wasn’t the only tragedy on Saturday night as Notre Dame got outplayed by USC and lost miserably.  Avoiding that depressing spectacle, we favored the Halloween Party at Megan’s apartment instead.  We showed our creative spirits and attended, dressed up, as it were, as opera patrons.

Aimee also sang a wedding on Saturday afternoon at OSP before getting on with the rest of that night.  Then on Sunday morning, I played at the 10am accessibility mass (as I have every Sunday since the beginning of August) but this time accompanying my lovely wife.  Later it was off to Best Buy where I ordered this:  the new Canon PowerShot S100.  If it’s anything like the S95, it will be an amazing camera!  Pictures will surely be posted.

This brought us to brunch at Stax in Little Italy. I had the blueberry pancakes with black pepper bacon and Aimee got the brisket hash with egg whites (pictured below).  All in all, I was pretty impressed with the ambiance, service, and food.  The $5 orange juice was steep, but delicious. 

And for a Crowley picture, here’s a recent one of her perfecting the puppy dog eyes.  In this case, I think she was pining for some cheese (definitely not a mushroom; she demonstrated that she shares our abhorrence for the fungi earlier this week):

We closed out the weekend back at Old St. Pat’s with mass at 5 (more singing!) and a leisurely dinner at Greek Islands.  It was a great way to wind down the weekend and get ready for the week ahead.  Back to Austin!!

Home 2.0

As we pulled into Indianapolis on July Fourth, the unspoken question was lingering in our minds:  could we push on all the way back to Chicago tonight?  Well we did, and so commenced the building of what I’ll call “Home 2.0”. 

People who know us will know this starts with re-arranging the furniture.  However it’s more than just moving the TV, installing a door, and putting up some fresh paint; it’s a chance to move home, to return to a familiar place; armed with the experience of year away. 

The first thing we did was move the furniture.  Then a trip to Home Depot.  We spent an evening in Munster catching up with Aimee’s family and then the next day my parents joined us in Chicago for a few days of housework, eating, and visiting. Pictures will come later as we are not quite done with a few “enhancements”. 

On Thursday, the four of us went to Franco’s near “Sox Park”.  I’m continually impressed by their great food and ambience where the warm hospitality is second only to the hot, fresh bread!  My dad and I went to watch the White Sox get pummeled by the Twins but it was fun to have some time to hang out together!  We even ran into Aimee’s brother, the groom-to-be (keep reading).

On Friday we took my parents to Chinatown (to our favorite place there Moon Palace), followed by another trip to Home Depot, and finally dessert at Caffe Gelato in Wicker Park.

Saturday brought more unpacking following a chance to catch up Kristin and Michael from Boston (as well as Sara/Adam, and Kristen).  It was really great to see them, plus Crowley had the happiest day of her young life when she was reunited with Beamer.  That night we met up with Meg, Wes, Michael, Joanna at the Ravinia Festival for some sushi from Sushi Pink, doughnuts from the Doughnut Vault, wine from all over, lots of music from Germany, and a singer from Wheeling (Debra Voigt!). 

Sure as moving furniture, Sunday brought brunch.  Same crew, this time at Orange on Milwaukee.  As always, a very good food experience.  This particular day, the service was just not very good unfortunately.  No matter.  I’m just happy to be with our great friends – and this weather isn’t bad either.

Next week Aimee and I are going to Jamaica to be with her brother Rick and his fiancee Alex for their wedding.  It will be a beautiful experience I’m sure and a great vacation for Aimee and me.  Till then, we’ll be spending the weekend in Chicago for the Old St. Pat’s World’s Largest Block Party and more work on Home 2.0 (brought to you by the Home Depot).

It’s Been A While

And it’s been busy. But things are coming together as we plan for our move back home and for our move away from what has become a great home of its own.  Departing like this is never easy, but I know we have a great many friends and family to return to!  The route is planned and will be taking us through Indianapolis for a stopover downtown.   Crowley received her summer haircut this past week and we definitely got our money’s worth.  That’s actually not true --  we took her to a new place and the cost was ridiculous but the idiom still holds:  much hair was removed.  Just gotta trim that tail.  And maybe the ears.

On Saturday I spent a few hours with local Atlanta musician Paul Tate at his home for a session on composition and publication, followed by lunch.  It was a great opportunity to step through some of my work and get real-time feedback from someone with his background.  Looking forward to dinner with him next weekend!

We attended the Georgia Shakespeare Festival at Oglethorpe University with Jordan and Skyler.  Antony and Cleopatra was playing and it appeared to be fairly well done.  I’m afraid this particular work just didn’t click with me.  It came across as too historical, yet not historical enough; too much pathos and not enough time for the plot to breathe.  Anyway, the play was preceded by a picnic dinner (with a Southern flair) on the Oglethorpe campus (with a slightly mismatched neo-Gothic flair).

Sunday we spent a leisurely morning working around the apartment, handling some “administrative tasks”, and spending time by the pool.  Aimee and I led the choir at mass that evening and, “when the cat’s away”,  Aimee sings solos.  So after a well delivered Panis Angelicus, we made the quick trip out to Bob and Louanne’s for a dinner.  Their hospitality at IHM, over Easter, and this past weekend is just remarkable.  I knew we’d be in for a good meal but, just in case, we took note of this establishment on the way out to Stone Mountain:It’s a little tough to read (but it’s good for a heavily cropped iPhone photo), but this little food emporium features “a taste of Midwest” cuisine.  I really cringe to think of what they came up with.  It’s probably not unlike some northern restaurants that feature “Southern homestyle cooking” that is really just tasteless, fried bits of various vegetables and meats.

Check! Last Sunday, we went to Richard Blais’ Flip Burger with some friends after mass.  This was another restaurant on our list about which I was warned by Aimee that she “would be very sad” to not visit.  Loved the concept but needed to be scaled back and lessen the mass-market direction is seemed to be heading.

This coming weekend marks the final one in Atlanta.  True to form, we’ll ensure it’s a well packed weekend.  Once the movers come on Thursday to take away our personal belongings and once the furniture company comes on Friday to take away our rented belongings, I know we’ll be ready to occupy our minds with something other than moving and packing.  Iberian Pig with Jordan and Skyler on Friday night?  A great start.

Three More Sundays

Weekends seem to come and go quickly these days, especially Sundays.  Between packing and trying to make the most of our weekends, it’s been busy to say the least.   This was no exception and as it’s late on a Sunday and I still need to pack for Austin, I’ll provide some quick highlights:

We finally got to Sotto Sotto for dinner.  I’ve been “under under” the impression that this is one of the best Italian restaurants in Atlanta.  We’ve been to a few and this was just great.  We had fresh pappardelle with braised duck ragu, spinach and ricotta gnocchi, and split a whole roasted fish (orata was the special). 

Brunch brought us back to Rosebud, home of the Nasty Royale, Gordo’s Breakfast, and the Ultimate Stuffed Pancake.  We went with some of Aimee’s colleagues and showed them a good Southern breakfast.

Last food note:  Aimee made Italian sausage and peppers on Saturday night and she did an amazing job.  One of our better meals of late in fact.  We enjoyed a bottle of moscato to go along with it. 

But before the sausage and peppers came a red letter event in Crowley’s life:  swimming.  We took her to the banks of the Chattahoochee just outside Atlanta and slowly introduced her to the concept of swimming.  Most hilarious to me was her pre-paddling wherein she was already making her swimming stroke while still being held in the air.  Have a look:

Crowley Goes Swimming

And finally, Jamaica is officially happening!  We bought tickets tonight and have secured our reservation and our first “all-inclusive”, the Iberostar Rose Hall Suites in Montego Bay.

And with that, good night!

April Showers Bring May Visitors

Crowley had one of the best weekends she’s had in a long time.  Ours wasn’t too bad either.  Kristen came down from Chicago to spend the weekend with us.  We had a really nice time with her and Crowley especially did (after all, she knew Kristen even before Aimee!).  It was busy though:  We had some delicious southern food, took in a little evening fun, visited with friends, and made another video of Crowley.

We started off right by going straight from ATL to CFA (Chik-fil-a) for some chicken nuggets.  That night we crossed another item off the list and went to watch the Braves attempt to compete with the Phillies.  We were all really impressed with Turner Field:  clean, fun, nice people, and great food -- Kristen managed to tell of her Savannah Shrimp Po’ Boy to her entire family, several friends, and a few strangers.  The picture below is from our seats.

Also, I learned that the proper lyrics of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” do not pluralize “Cracker Jack”.  Anyway, despite our cheering, the home team didn’t win, and while you might call it a comedy of errors, we saw a true comedy the next night at the Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern.  I had to see it to believe it:  the audience sits at tables and there is a cafeteria in the back of the theatre where you get dinner before / while watching the show.  We saw Shakespeare’s comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.  To be honest, they aren’t Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, but where else can you have a pasty and a beer while taking in some local culture?

Crowley also got groomed this weekend. See her below with her bows (“please take these out now”) and with Aunt Kristen.

  

On Sunday, we took Kristen to IHM mass in the morning and then crossed another restaurant off our list by finally getting to Ria’s Bluebird down in Grant Park.  I was very impressed.  “World’s Best Pancakes” (according to the N.Y. Times) is a tough claim to support but they sure were delicious.  After Kristen left, we double dipped on mass and then had dinner with some friends and had an opportunity to talk music with Paul Tate.

Last and simply not least:  we recorded another video of Crowley in an attempt to catalogue her tricks.  She’s been practicing a lot lately so a little You Tube-ing was well deserved:

Crowley Tricks

This Joyful Eastertide

Though we debated trying to be back in Chicago for the Triduum, we’re very happy to have been able to participate so fully in the Easter season here, from start to finish.  A Chicago trip would have broken up the experience and this way we’ll be able to fully partake next year.  As always, our friends in the music ministry were more than willing to let us be involved and it was incredible fulfilling. A brief summary:

• Holy Thursday – “Mandatum novum do vobis”.  We commemorated the Last Supper and the washing of feet.  In addition to my piano duties, I also was in the hand bell choir.  This was a first.  And likely a last, but I enjoyed the new experience.
• Good Friday – Aimee sang (as she has the two previous years) “Zerfließe mein Herze”, an aria from Bach’s St. John Passion.  We had a flute and oboe join us from Emory and it was beautiful.  The poignant text lends itself perfectly to the Good Friday service:
  
  

  Zerfließe, mein Herze, in Fluten der Zähren dem Höchsten zu Ehren! Erzähle der Welt und dem Himmel die Not: Dein Jesus ist tot.

  Dissolve, my heart, in floods of tears, In honor of the Lord Most High! Tell the news to the earth and heavens: Your Jesus is dead.

• Easter Vigil – this was our first Vigil that really stepped through the liturgy as prescribed by the Church.  It was longer than I’m used to but very well done. 
• Easter Sunday – we did both the 9am and 11:30am masses Easter morning.  It’s always interesting to see the change in “prayer dynamic” from the people that attend the Thursday-Friday-Saturday services to the people that attend the Sunday mass.  Often one of the few masses many people attend all year, it’s always important to put your best foot forward.  Our collective feet were forward as I accompanied Aimee singing “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth” from Handel’s Messiah.

In all, I would describe the Triduum at IHM as “very ritualistic”.  Speaking of ritual, did we dye eggs?  You bet.  Except I decided to forego the Paas go a bit more natural. In honor of Angry Birds (not the ones currently swooping around outside our apartment, but the iPhone game), I made several Golden Eggs.  Turns out turmeric, lemon peel, and vinegar all boiled together with eggs makes a fantastical dye.  They are well hidden too, just look in the fridge.

This week, Aimee and I are in Austin together.  I’m here for work and she’s here for vacation.  My family is coming to town on Wednesday for a family wedding but also to help celebrate my 30th birthday.  We will be dining at La Traviata in downtown Austin.  Aimee had some more days off to take before the end of her year so we decided to spent the time together in Austin.

With Lent behind us, thought I would share a picture of one of the meatless entrees I created:  green peppers stuffed with quinoa and roasted vegetables, topped with feta cheese.  They tasted better than they look below:

And last but not least (well kind of least): Some pictures of Crowley after her Easter grooming:

Special thanks to Michael and Jeff for their willingness to help us take care of Crowley when we’re out of town and for those times in life when you just feel like a deflated, punctured tire.

A Rainy Atlanta Weekend

We were the recipients of some lovely weather this weekend so we made it a mental health weekend and did some relaxing and cleaning.  Aside the rain and hail storm on Saturday, there were a few key highlights:

The iPad 2 arrived. Hardly has it left Aimee’s side.  I have to say though, I’m really impressed by this thing.  It’s zippy and is a good addition to our technology arsenal (which admittedly isn’t that imposing).  Here’s a picture of a happy Aimee unboxing it:

As we progress through Lent, we celebrated Liturgy for the 3rd Sunday of Lent at IHM tonight.  We have introduced Crowley to the season of Lent as well.  Since a) we cannot presume to understand how dogs might perceive the concept of “prayer” and b) Crowley has no alms to give, it was determined that she will be fasting until Easter.  As such we have changed her food from Orijen Regional Red (all red meat) to their 6 fish variety.  Strangely, I don’t think she appreciates the sacrifice much.

Most notable this weekend was the “We Will Follow the Cross” concert at IHM.  This was an evening of Lenten music featuring the music of Michael Mullink and Michael Vrazel.  Together they have written numerous inspired pieces of music which draw on their experiences in work, daily life, and major church events.  They graciously asked Aimee and I to be an important part of the evening.  Aimee participated in the schola group and sang a solo (“My Thoughts Are Not Your Thoughts”); I accompanied the group on piano and also played a piece I wrote for the occasion based on “What Wondrous Love” and “Were You There”.  I’ll post a recording when I get my hands on it.  Until then, here are some pictures:

A couple updates…

February 12th was President Lincoln’s birthday.  Had it not been for his untimely death, he would have turned 202 on Saturday.  Aimee and I thought it would be a good day to visit the Atlanta History Center in Buckhead. Here’s a quick snippet from their website:

In 1926, fourteen civic-minded Atlantans chartered the Atlanta Historical Society to help preserve the city’s history.  These founding members met at each other’s homes, collected early manuscripts and photographs, and published research bulletins – all “to arouse in the citizens and friends of Atlanta an interest in its history.”  Over the past 82 years, the organization has grown substantially  in both scope and size, and in 1990, the Atlanta Historical Society and all of its holdings officially became the Atlanta History Center.  Now located on 33 acres in historic Buckhead, the Atlanta History Center strives to connect people, history, and culture through one of the country’s premier History Centers.

So we got to cross this one off our list of things to do in Atlanta and enjoy a beautiful day, marking the early warm up of spring in Georgia.

The Swan House Mansion

U.S Army Medicine Kit

A pretty fascinating artillery display

An antique piano, pre-dating the modern instrument

The museum stepped us through the various turning points and pivotal battles in the Civil War.  They did a phenomenal job showcasing this glorified and romanticized event in our history while candidly presenting the horror and destruction it brought about. Naturally there was a section devoted to Sherman’s March.  The quote below was good reminder of how Atlanta was utterly destroyed by the Union army and has made, by all accounts, a fine reconstruction of its own.

February 5th through 10th was the annual North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS) Conference.  This year Aimee traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia for the meeting and stayed in the lovely Fairmont Hotel downtown on Georgia.  Vancouver is such a beautiful city, I’m so glad Aimee finally got a chance to visit!  She went with her current and future colleagues and had the opportunity to present her research (along with enjoying some good restaurants). Below is a picture of her poster on Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) followed by the group of past and current Emory neuro-ophthalmologists, and he co-fellow Daniela:

 

Let’s see, what else…

Crowley’s doing well and making a few more friends around here, including “Piper”, her best friend (in Atlanta).  We’re also finally expanding her freedom in the apartment when we’re gone and she’s doing great.  In fact, the other day I came home and she was watching a DVD – Christmas Vacation.  The strange thing is that she managed to turn the DVD player on by herself!  Evidently she had nosed the player (which automatically turns on the TV).  This means two things: 1)  Crowley seems to enjoy Chevy Chase and, 2) we haven’t watched an actual DVD since before Christmas.

We ate at Antico Pizza on Friday night which is just amazing for Neapolitan pizza, and then at Perla Taqueria which was slightly less amazing.

Five months to go, let’s get our act together

It’s February 1st, which means we have 5 months, more or less, in Atlanta.  As the weather starts to warm up, it’s occurred to us both that we have a lot planned for the spring, between visitors, trips, and just activities around Atlanta.  So we made a list of goals.  For those who know Atlanta or the southeast, I’d love to hear more.

1. Aquarium
2. CNN Studio Tour – check.
3. High Museum of Art
4. Something at the Fox Theatre
5. Spend the day at Stone Mountain
6. Spend a weekend in Savannah at a B&B
7. Visit Amicalola  Falls / Appalachian Trail, bring camera
8. Take in a concert at the ASO (planned for May)
9. Continue to meet more friends

Meeting friends here has been a good experience and while we want to keep it up, it’s been great to have the impromptu dinners and evenings with friends we’ve already made.  On Saturday our friend Tommy hosted us and 20 others for a pot luck Mexican Fiesta.   Aimee made chicken enchiladas (that turned out a bit spicier than anticipated) but incredibly flavorful:

And I made my guacamole which, despite some avocados that were a touch too “young”, turned out nicely.  It’s not secret recipe but the ingredients I like to use are below:

Avocados, lots of chopped fresh cilantro, coarse salt, diced jalapenos, lightly roasted garlic, plenty of lime juice, coarsely diced tomato, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, ground cumin, and diced onion.    It was a great time, we enjoyed hanging out, eating some good food and finishing the evening with a fine sipping tequila.

Lest we forget the old friends…  Wes is in town for work and stopped by last night for visit.  He flew in late, checked in at the hotel, and still made time to come see us before having to prep for an 8am client meeting this morning.  It was a quick trip for him but I have a sneaking suspicion it may be made longer by the impending apocalyptic precipitation up there.

Lastly, for the second time in only 18 months, Squeaker has undergone surgery at the hands of Dr. Aimee.  This particularly nasty item came home from the breeder with Crowley and it’s been her far and away favorite toy so we do what we can to persist the obsession.  Crowley watched intently as the operation was underway to becoming a great success.

 

Off to Austin tonight for me and Aimee is off to Vancouver on Saturday for the Neuro-ophthalmology conference.  I’m only a little bitter that I’m not going, but I’ll enjoy the time at home for sure.

Thankful for the weekend

One of the consequences of living outside a walking distance from a host of delicious restaurants (Moe's doesn't count), is that we cook a lot more. Thought I'd share a few examples. First is Chicken Fricassee. I even made a great gravy to go along with it. This comment may only connect with a few of you, but I thought Bill Knapp's actually invented Chicken Fricassee. Man, theirs was good though...

Next I used a family recipe to make a batch of scalloped potatoes. It's amazing how good potatoes can taste with just some milk, flour, onion, and salt and pepper.

Not pictured is Panko encrusted shrimp with edamame and vegetables. Also not pictured is the Test Turkey that we are preparing this afternoon. We are hosting Aimee's parents for Thanksgiving and are new to the realm of "large bird roasting". For the rest of today we have some errands to run and likely some traffic to sit in. Hopefully sporcle.com only takes up small percentage of our day. My favorite quiz? I encourage you all to take it and refresh your memory of our U.S. presidents. Also happy birthday to my nephew Ryan -- he's 11!

For the dog picture-of-the-post, I present Crowley with Duchess, a Harlequin Great Dane who we met at Gotham Park.