Concrete comfort

I admit it.  I'm kinda crushing on Chicago right now.

I just spent the last week attending a Digestive Diseases conference (ah..the fun of the job!) in town which, due to the ridiculously early start times of 6.30am and 5.45am each morning, meant that I got to stay in a downtown hotel for the week.  And- although I didn't have any time off to look around the city and see the sights, I have to confess that I really enjoyed being back in a big city, surrounded by all the hubbub and energy and restaurants and bars.  I'm wondering whether Chicago will turn out to be that fun middle ground, not quite as intense as Manhattan, not quite so laid-back as San Francisco - I know I'm only just getting started exploring the city, but I have a good feeling about it.  And people weren't fibbing when they say that Chicago is beautiful in the summer - Spring has finally arrived and the trees are virtually exploding in a cascade of blossoms and buds!  After such a brutal winter, the simple joy of watching the earth come back to life again is deeply satisfying - and, frankly, reassuring.

Site of a breakfast meeting at 5.30am!!  Was too knackered
 to fully appreciate the grandiosity

So I stayed at the Westin downtown, on the Magnificent Mile - so-named (i believe) for the truly spectacular number of ways in which you can part with your hard-earned dosh in the vast array of high-end designer stores and shopping malls.  I think there are some other things to look at (and don't worry, I'll get round to them in time) but alas I was pretty busy at my meeting all week so didn't get a chance to poke round this time.  But, the bus drive from the hotel to the congress center was very interesting, firstly going along Lake Shore Drive right..um.. by the lake, then snaking underground into bus-only traffic lanes directly linking downtown to the Convention Center.   One of the positives of having to get up at the arse-crack of dawn is that I discovered the city looks especially beautiful in the early morning light, whether it be the sunrise over the lake or the way the river reflects off the ultra-modern shiny skyscrapers.  I have no idea why, but I found myself already feeling very fond of the city.  Must be sappiness brought on by extended sleep deprivation.

The meeting itself was very good - was there to increase my knowledge about the disease area i'm now working in and indulge myself a little in the science (although I did go to one scientific session and realized I was completely out of my depth after the first 5 mins - guess you can't leave science for 20yrs and expect to stay with the times!  I slunk out….).  I met an old Pfizer colleague of mine for lunch who I hadn't seen in about 10 years - she hadn't aged a day or changed a bit (which I thought was a tad unfair!) but it was great to see her and to catch up.  (it was a bit of a PFE week - I also ran into another ex-PFE colleague in the hotel gym the previous morning AND I also found out that a good friend who I've known since my young and tender 18yr old Bristol days has also just started working at my company!  its such a small world!)  I also indulged myself in a giggle-worthy picture - puerile, I know, but I just couldn't resist...

Umm…  I think I'll pass, thanks.

Anyway, on one evening during the conference, me and one of my work colleagues did manage to get out and explore the dining scene that Chicago is so famous for.  By sheer luck and being in the right place at the right time, I'd managed to score a last minute reservation at one the hottest restaurants in Chicago, a place called the Girl and the Goat.  The chef owner is none other than Stephanie Izard, winner of Top Chef Season 4 and, rumor has it, also a distant cousin of Eddie.  People wait months for a ressie - and I managed to bag one just 3hrs in advance! Score!!

And it was most definitely worth the hype!  We had an absolutely fantastic time and - in another Jammy Bugger Sarah Moment - we also got the best seats in the house, and were seated at the counter with a direct view into the kitchen.  Dinner AND a show!!  Double score!!  I love watching line cooks in a kitchen - if ever you wanted to show what good teamwork looks like, there it is, right there.  We were sat in front of the vegetable and sides station, and watched the guys turn out plate after plate of spectacular looking food.   Of course, we had to order the braised cauliflower that he'd been making non-stop, if nothing else but for the simple pleasure of being able to point and say "look!  that one's ours!". We also enjoyed goat empanadas, a beet salad with some divine soft cheese sprinkled throughout, an insanely tasty brioche-type bread roll thing plus some other stuff that was so good, the details have blended into a stuporific haze.

Here's the menu in case you are curious and want to virtually dine with me:
http://www.girlandthegoat.com/menu.html

And, if you really want to dine with me, I took a quick vid of the kitchen at work - we were so close to the action, I half expected to have to help with the washing up!

So all in all, an excellent feast - not 10-day Detox compliant, but an opportunity I simply couldn't pass up!!  (btw, I'm now 16lbs down and still going!!).

Still not quite believing my luck - best seat in the house,
a glass of rose champagne in hand. - bliss, pure bliss.

My most excellent dining companion, picking up
 the check with a smile!

Another fun activity that I managed to squeeze in at the end of my Chicago lovefest week was to go and see Henry V at the Chicago Shakespeare theatre.  I'm not sure if I've told you this before but, as a way of making the daily commute into a pleasure rather than something to be endured, I've started listening to audio books in the car.  I first worked my way through anything I could get my hands on that was narrated by David Tennant or Benedict Cumberbatch (swoon) and, after I'd listened to the very last episode of How To Train Your Dragon (highly recommended, btw), I figured I'd intersperse the Viking and Dragon tales with a little light culchah!  So, I'm about three quarters of the way through a 50 hr lecture series on Great Classics of British Literature.  I started at Beowolf, made my way through Chaucer, Shakespeare, Spencer, Byron and Keats and am now up to my neck in Dickens!  Its been fascinating (not at all dull!) and was the inspiration to go check out Shakespeare in town.  

Drama and the skyline

Simple but dramatically effective staging.  

It was fantastic.  The acting was brilliant, the staging impressive (especially the slow-mo battle scenes - very cool) and Henry V himself was a hottie.  (Ashley - he totally reminded me of you!).  There was a fair degree of projectile spittalage (you really didn't want to stand in a 3ft radius of dear old Harry) but that was easily forgiven given how good he looked in leather pants.  My new chum Lauren joined me for the show (one of her old acting alum was in it - she played the French princess) and so it was a fun end-of-week adventure.  Apparently the company roams around in the Summer doing a number of outdoor shows, so I'll definitely be looking to check those out - wine, cheese, sunshine and Shakespeare.  A perfect summer combination!

My and my half time ice cream!

The location for the Shakespeare theater is in this touristy bit of town called Navy Piers - like Times Square or Pier 41 in SF, a bit of a tourist trap and not somewhere the locals go!  It was actually less tacky and in-your-face than SF (no stinky sea lions either!) but, other than the theatre and also a ferris wheel, really not much to see.  One unexpected attraction was the exhibition of stained glass windows (apparently the largest in America - who knew!).

The grim reaper on his day off, doing a light
spot of gardening

After my conference in Chicago, I squeezed in a quick trip to NYC for a 1 day work trip.  The trip was pretty uneventful (albeit productive) and I broke my clean eating detox diet yet again to meet the lovely Jason for dinner at a Spanish tapas place the one night I was in town for.  Dinner was great and the company was even nicer, so it was good to see him and catch up.  Before I knew it, i was back at La Guardia (still hate that airport - miss my SFO) and, on the flight on the way home, the pilot announced that the temperature in Chicago was "84 degrees"!!!  WHAT??  Are you sure you're not taking us to Miami by mistake?   But, yes, the day I fly out of town is the day it turns into a mini-heatwave with temperatures into the 90s!!!  Fortunately the weather co-operated after I got back and the warm weather has held - but its turned muggy and sticky, so i reckon we're in for a hellava thunderstorm soon!!

Meanwhile, Operation Elephant Escape continues to gather pace as the day of my impending move draws ever closer!!  I will be so damn happy when I don't have to listen to the thud thud THUD CLUNK of the Satanic Toddler upstairs and his incubus sibling, Screaming Devil Infant.  As per my first move, there lots to sort out - the chap from the Container Store is due to come and un-install, then re-install my closets tomorrow in my new place, the AT&T guys are booked to move my Game of Thrones service and the movers are coming in on Weds to move the heavy items of furniture I can't move on my own.   I can't wait.

Finally, a post script.  Thought I'd share this rather amusing scene I came across in Home Depot this morning, as I shopped for moving boxes.

It wasn't me.

Skinny Minny!!

Well, almost.

Doomsday prepping.  (that is, giving up
 alcohol,  caffeine and sugar)

BUT since my last post, I completed my 10 day detox diet and am now…..drumroll, please…….. 12.6lbs lighter!!!  (I obviously had a lot of tox-es to de-myself of!).

Yep, I survived the Hell that is Life Without Caffeine, Alcohol and Sugar and my body seems to like it very much!  As per my last post, the first couple of days were definitely the hardest - I had zero energy and just felt, well, off, but by day 4, I was starting to feel better.  Now its day 13 and counting and I feel completely fantastic!!   Now I won't bang on about it too much like an evangelical bore, but it was surprisingly easy (once you got past the first couple of days) - I was following the plan in the 10 Day Detox Diet book by Dr Mark Hyman (he also wrote the Blood Sugar Solution diet) and I loved that it told you what to do and when for each day, so you didn't have to think, just follow instructions.  The food was GREAT - all his recipes were fantastic and I found myself rediscovering the fun of cooking.  Pootling about in the kitchen while making supper and listening to Radio 4 Extra is just so comforting and homey.  Love it.

Now this was bloody lovely.
Steamed sole with ginger and scallions.

One of the hardest bits was committing to getting up at 6am each morning to get to the gym for 30mins of exercise before breakfast but now I'm over that initial hump and I'm actually - shock horror - starting to look forward to my morning run!!  I've even signed up for a 5K run round Lincoln Park Zoo on June 1st!!  And this time I won't be hungover or wearing a penguin costume!  So yey me - and here's to the next 12lbs - onwards and downwards!!  The only question i have is - why, o why, did I not know about this book when I was doing the Get Lean and Loopyliscious Challenge?!!!  Just think of all those forfeits I wouldn't of had to have done!!!

Grilled tofu with basil cilantro pesto
and grilled courgettes

Anyway, enough of that, but I wanted to share as I'm feeling in a rather chipper mood and considerably more perky than I've been for a long while.  It also helps that its not sub-zero temperatures outside any more and the whole town seems to be bursting forth with life and sproutiness.  Walking to go buy a paper last Saturday (and to have a hot stone massage to treat myself and my new Temple-like body), I walked past a little crop of bluebells, right by the train station.  It reminded me of growing up in Cornwall, the vast swathes of bluebells and daffodils that used to dot the countryside, and it made me feel warm and vaguely nostalgic.  I think i'm definitely getting soft in my old age.  Its also getting more and more beautiful around town, as the trees start coming in to blossom - today, it was a glorious 65 degrees and the simple joy of feeling the warmth of the sun on your face is definitely appreciated more after the Snowmaggedon I've just endured!  Its even getting warm enough now so that a trip up to our gorgeous roof deck is now completely pleasant and a sensible thing to do, rather than a hypothetically good idea that turns out to be bloody freezing, but which you sit out for at least 10 mins anyway, in an act of futile meteorological defiance!  It did, though, force me to finally figure out how the fire pit worked, so that trip wasn't completely wasted!

Its alive!!  The ground has finally unfrozen and it lives!!

So, the date for Operation Elephant Freedom draws ever closer.  I am SOOOOOOO excited to move and, not surprisingly, to actually see the new apartment I've already committed to living in for the first time!  I'll be able to get access on May 10th so as to measure up, then I get the keys on Tues 12th!  WHOOOOO-HOOOO!!!!

I've got the movers booked, the Elfa people on standby to do a rapid turnaround of Old Closet to New Closet, the cable man sorted, the new furniture delivery sorted AND I figured I might as well throw a Housewarming party into the mix for good measure!  One day off my clean living detoxed diet to enjoy champagne, sushi, pie and pizza!  Yey!  I've invited a bunch of folk from work and from the building and am also going to invite my immediate neighbors on the 5th floor - be nice to start to get to know a few more folk in the building.  I already know one guy - I sold him my acoustic Martin guitar (yes - I finally parted with it!) so perhaps he can bring it, so i can hear how it should be played!  I can't wait to share my new place with you all - the main living area and bedroom are very very different from the style I've had since I moved to NYC over 10yrs ago.  I just fancied a change - and the tax return man kindly obliged, so I thought, why not?  Today the indoor/outdoor table-top ethanol fireplace arrived and looks very fancy - it'll be perfect on my new black honed granite dining table or on the cocktail table in my patio outside.  The cats are also enjoying trying to destroy the lovely tiffany blue and cream swirly indoor/outdoor rug I bought for outside, so the sooner I can get that out of the way of their little Feet of Destruction, the better.  Also, it goes without saying that - as soon as my move is done, my place is open for visitors!!  So come to Evanston and visit!!! (and for you cat allergic peeps, my building also has a non-fluffed guest suite that you can reserve, so no excuses!!)

Anyway, THANK YOU for your suggestions so far for places for me to visit and Stuff to Do.  It was all remarkably sensible with a low probability of my getting arrested, so that was a pleasant surprise.  I've decided to wait to do most of them until Mumsie arrives in 3 weeks (yey!) and will put all the suggestions into the TARDIS of Dreams and draw one out each weekend.  Keep the suggestions coming, though - we need to have enough to keep Mumsie out of trouble for her entire trip….

Oh go on then.  Don't mind if I do.

I did, however, stop into the Botanic Gardens a couple of weekends ago as the weather was absolutely glorious and there was an Antiques Fair And Some Other Random Attraction on that weekend.  (side note: this is how crazy-assed the weather is here - Saturday, it was 72 degrees and I got burnt, Monday it was bloody well SNOWING!!).  So, i decided this should be my first foray into Doing Local Stuff - especially as its directly on the way home from work, so I can see it becoming a favorite place to stop off afterwards and.. umm.. smell the roses.  Also - as there was an antique fair on - I thought i might look for some fun or distinctive bar ware for my soon-to-be delivered bar cart (G&T anyone?).

Well.  Its amazing the shite that people will buy.

To give you a sense of the immensity of turdy tat that was on display - I didn't buy a single thing.  Nada.  Nought.  And remember, I'm the girl who successfully managed to shop in the cafeteria at work the week before in Zurich.  So for me to walk out completely empty-handed gives you an idea of just how much crap and tack there was on offer!  You have to wonder how people manage to make a living selling frogs made out of stones and "faeiries" made out of wire and whimsy.  Unbelievably, at the other end of the spectrum, were stalls selling estate Chanel jewelry and Hermes purses - i mean, who comes to an Antiques fair and drops 20 grand on a second-hand handbag?!  Craziness.

But, it was fun to people watch and to sit outside in the It'll Be Beautiful Once Everything's Sprouted garden and enjoy the sunshine.  Here are a few pics from the day (the stuff I could find that was already in bloom!) - enjoy!

No idea what these are.  But they were there and
 so was I, so it seemed rude not to…. 

Loopy - these are for you as I know
how much you love 'em…. 

Path with green stuff - a welcome change

I guess they really like white.

And - finally - Dylan showing everyone how its done.

Not Swatch Watch

Oops.

The cats are not happy with me.  I just set off the fire alarm in my apartment grilling onions.  They both HATE high pitched sirens, so Dylan has just given me a filthy "WTF?" look before heading to his safe place amongst the black jackets in my closet.

Anyway, i'm back.  Sorry I've been gone for so long, but things have been a little intensely busy, what with the move, the new job, the travel and the siren's call of hibernation.   However, spring is trying its damnedest to sprung (70 degrees on Saturday, snow on Monday…hmmm..), so its time to slough off the sloth, start to catch you chaps up on what I've been up to over the last couple of months, and then set you all a little task...

When I left you all last, I believe we were about to reach the thrilling conclusion to Swatch Watch.  Since then, I'm happy to report that the Doria Charcoal beat out a very close challenge from the Dawson Cement and will be joined in victory by Louis, Delia and Chloe.  Madison and..um… Crest will form the vanguard on the terrace.  Obviously Room and Board derives its furniture inspiration from 1960's baby name books and toothpaste.

"But...Wait?  What?  A terrace?? " I hear you all cry!  No - I haven't been holding out on you but, since my last blog post, I discovered that I have the misfortune to have a herd of elephants/small children living directly above me.  Whats more - despite my apartment building being a brand new construction, it is not at all soundproof!  The beautiful wooden floors act like big sounding boards so that the thump of footsteps above me is ridiculously noisy and even makes my ceiling shake at times.  Either the family living above me are very flat footed or very large but, whatever the reason, I can't take it anymore.  So, in about 4 weeks time, i'm moving apartments again!!  And this time, I'm heading for the penthouse, baby!!

Yes - fortunately a 2-bedroom plus den AND TERRACE apartment on the 5th floor is becoming available (the current occupants are moving back to South Carolina cos they couldn't deal with the Chicago winter!) so I pounced on it!  Of course, its a bit of a pain in the ass having to uproot and move again (including getting my newly-installed Elfa closets uninstalled and then re-installed in the new place) but it will be well worth it to be able to feel as if I can finally relax in my home.  Fortunately all my new furniture from Room and Board (thanks, Mr Tax Return man) can be delivered after my move, so thats going to be less hassle - and i can't wait to see everything!  Its going to look super swish!  Of course, I will post pictures after my move and when its all "done" so you can see my new digs.  I'm very much looking forward to having my own little private spot outside with my terrace - perfect for the 8 days of the year when its warm enough to sit outside.  The only other real bummer about having to move is leaving behind my fab Sherlock wall - decorated with temporary wallpaper (great website called Spoonflower.com) and put up lovingly by my hairdresser (who also does interior design - a perfect combo!).  I love how it looks (and I picked all my furniture out with that in mind as the accent wall - so we'll see how it pans out) and - as I had to sign for my other apartment sight unseen, I don't know whether i'll be able to have something similar in my new place.  But, anything has to be better than the Elephants Above, so i'm sure it will be fabulous!

Cumberb*tchin' decorating!

Anyway, I have to tell you - right now I feel like Hell On Toast.  I am currently on Day 3 of a 10-Day Detox diet where you give up sugar, alcohol and caffeine.  CAFFEINE, PEOPLE!!!  I know I drink a lot of the stuff but it is truly ridiculous that on Monday night, Day 2 of my detox, I was so tired I went to bed at 8.30pm!!!!   How rubbish is that??  Today, i'm sitting here supping a cup of decaf English Breakfast tea, in a desperate attempt to fool my central nervous system that its getting some go-go-juice but, frankly, if i make it to 9pm tonight, I'll be amazed.  The other part of this detox diet involves 30mins "brisk" exercise first thing in the morning before breakfast (I did check and snoring or enthusiastic nocturnal drooling doesn't count), so i've been up every morning at 5.45am to get my arse into the gym before work.  By the time 8am rolls around, all I want to do is climb back into bed!

Resistance is futile

But why, SITC, why all this detox nonsense??  Well, alas, its all a necessary evil to undo the effects of Severe Choccy Bunny Syndrome - a common malady affecting travelers to Switzerland around Easter time.  Honestly, those little cocoa bombs were simply everywhere - you sneeze and you find one has accidentally jammed itself into your mouth when you weren't looking.  It was bucking ridiculous.  What on earth was a girl to doe?

Bigger than a small child.
Probably tastier too. 

Psycho bunnies

Healthy AND snacky?  How Swiss.

Last ditch attempt at the airport to
 ensnare you in choccy goodness

Now THATS my type of transport!  Veuve Cliquot bicycle?
Ding-ding!!

I also tried to find some errant, non-seasonal reindeer to get the herd started early in amongst the Lindt mountain, but alas, there was nothing hare.  Fortunately I'll be heading back to Zurich in September, so perhaps i'll have more luck then…

So, other stuff I have to catch you up on:

trip to Japan (it was very interesting…)
trip to Zurich (it was surprisingly nice)
trip to WholeFoods Lincoln Park, Chicago (ooohhhhh…..)
trip to antiques fair at Chicago Botanic Garden (its amazing the crap people buy)
Dylan and the washing machine

Alas its now 9.15pm and i am seriously drooping. (steady).  So, i will pick this up again tomorrow night for another exciting installment.  Given the craziness has calmed down now, I will endeavor to blog post more than once every two months!

In the meantime, here's a Mission Should You Choose To Accept it.  Along the lines of Dungeons and Dragons and the Choose Your Own Adventure books (remember them?) - you get to choose what I do and where I go exploring in and around Chicago.  Loopy - you were a particularly brilliant travel agent last time, so i'm looking to you for kick-ass suggestions.  Daniel.  Nope.  I'm not going there or doing that.  Ashley, Sarah - of course they serve champagne there - why else would I visit?  Jessica - that is an awesomely nerdy suggestion.  Lori - Tillamook!!

Ah….its good to be back.  Lets go have some adventures together!

Swatch watch...

Ahh... Gotta love 1st world problems.  Today's dilemma de jour is what color to pick for my new sofa in the "great room" (as my condo brochure calls it).  I have some crazy-assed (but very cool) wallpaper as my accent wall, a turquoise fronted IKEA media cabinet (well...it wouldn't be a proper move if there wasn't at least some flat pack furniture involved) and now I'm sorting out the rest of it. I have two accent chairs - they are the swatches on the far right. What I'm dithering on is the color of the couch - the three swatches on the left.  I'm probably veering towards the one in the middle - but what do you guys think?

Here's a close up. And no. The rug sample is not stained- that's the pattern.

Cat is included for color reference and matching.  Dylan matches the floor,so izzie needs to match with the furniture or I'll have to sell him.

And here's the final close close up. This could be a complete exercise of folly, however, but I trust in the..um...exquisite taste and style of my blog watchers.... 

Answers on a postcard, please.

Thank you kindly.

Oh, and by the way, am heading off to Tokyo on Friday for a work trip, so I'll get some Japan blogging in after all!!

Home Sweet Home Chicago

OK, OK - I know.  My new home town is Evanston, but its close enough!

Yes, I actually did it.  I bloody well moved from San Francisco!  If anyone had told me a couple of years ago that I'd only be in San Francisco for less than three, I'd have laughed and told them they were insane.  It had been my dream to live in San Francisco for so many years, that I thought i was going to be there for good - but when opportunity comes knocking, you just gotta answer the call!   Of course, behind Door Number 1 was Tokyo, then Door Number 2 was Zurich but in the end, Door Number 3 was the one I stepped through - so here I am!!

I know I've been a bit remiss with blogging recently (hopefully you understand!) so I know I need to update you on the full skinny!  Firstly, my apartment.

Its fab.

I mean, seriously fab.  Its brand new, never been lived in, is slightly bigger than my current place at 1450sq ft and I splashed out and rented a place with THREE bedrooms!!  Luxury!!!  I have so many bedrooms they're coming out of my ears! (almost)  One I'm going to turn into a library/media room with my old chocolate brown slouchy couch from Crate and Barrel - such decadence!!  The other two have big walk-in closets that I'm having built out with Elfa storage "solutions" (they don't call it shelving, dahlin') so finally enough storage space for my multitude of adult-size plush animal costumes.  

Wanna see what it looks like? 

Here's a link to the video I took when I was having a look round on my apartment finding visit.  Had I thought it at the time, I should have narrated it in a Lloyd Grossman accent, but never mind.  Are you ready?  Let's go Throooooough the Keywhoooole….

The building is also even more full service than my place in San Francisco with an absolutely beautiful common area (free Starbucks!  free wi-fi!  fireplaces and comfy chairs!), a kick-ass gym (with a full weights room, a cardio room AND a pilates/yoga studio!) and a brilliant roof deck.

Early morning fireside telecon snuggled
 in a comfy chair?  This does not suck.

The AMAZING common living space.

And the icing on the cake?  There's a PIE shop in the building!!!  Yes, IN THE ACTUAL BUILDING!!!  PIES!  COFFEE!!!  What more could any girl possibly want??  That was the final clincher for me - especially as the girl in the leasing office gave me a voucher for a free slice of pie!!  Heaven!  So, the lease was duly signed the next day - and remarkably, for a bigger place with more amenities, its about $1000 cheaper a month than the rent I'll (hopefully) be getting for my place!  Huzzah!!  That should just about cover my monthly pie fund.  Here are a couple pics of The Happiest Place on Earth.  Try not to lick your computer screen.  I tried.  It doesn't work.

My Oh My.  Its a gaggle of pies! 

There's nowt so good as pie.

The actual move itself (so far, at least) has been relatively drama free.  I was buried under a blizzard of packing boxes and chipper chappies on Monday, boxing up all my worldly possessions while I asked myself that time-honored question of all folks relocating everywhere "how on earth have I managed to acquire so much stuff?".  Quite literally, as soon as a box is filled, you instantly forget what is in it - and then ask yourself "well, do I really need it?".  The answer is obviously "yes" otherwise we'd all end up living like asetic monks, but its nice to toy with the idea of extreme minimalism, at least in the moment and in the abstract.

The boys handled the move fine - we didn't crash and the flight was smooth, so that was good.  The guy from the shipping company arrived about an hour after I did and I'm sure he was probably relieved to hand them over and escape the yowling!  Izzie was still in fine voice a couple hours later as he explored the kitchen.   He seems to have forgotten what water looks like though….

At the moment, I am living probably more like a student, with just an Aerobed and a sleeping bag and an enormous suitcase full of clothes and shoes.   I didn't even have space to pack a pillow, so a rolled up towel stuffed into the sleeping bag cover is having to suffice for now (though, to be fair, a slightly less ambitious shoe haul in this advance guard of personal possessions would have made room for one!).

Umm… and that's just the downstairs.

The packers amusingly reassigned
the function of my meditation cushions….

As far as Evanston itself goes, so far, I love it.  I haven't (obviously) explored that much of it yet but what I've seen so far I like.  A lot.  Due to an amusing corporate turf war, there are TWO Whole Foods AND a Trader Joes within 5 mins of each other and about a 10 min walk down the road.  That's a greater concentration of over-priced artisan, organic, local, co-operative farm to table fancy food than in Manhattan.  Bloody brilliant.  There's a Right On Net Zero Energy Walgreens a minute's walk away (its a flagship of energy saving eco-friendliness - Platinum-rated, no less) so my Mazlov's hierarchy of need to have a pint of milk within walking distance has been well and truly met.  There's also a fantastic health food shop even closer, so Mumsie, you will be like a very happy Organic Vegan Pig in Post-Digested Excreted Food Products.  Its fab.  It will be even fabber when I'm not having to slog through simply uncivilized amounts of snow in what are truly epic winter conditions.  Apparently (as everyone has told me) we are "enjoying" the coldest winter on record for 20 years.  Bonza.  Way to break in the girl from California.

Gotta love me a town that appreciates a good pun!

Used bookstores!!  Just down the road!
Aka Mumsie's room

Anyway, so far so good.  My car arrived today, just in time for my first official day in the office since relocating.  If truth be told, I'm a little nervous about driving in the snow tomorrow, but at least here they are prepared for the snowy conditions, so the roads are very well salted and plowed (*ahem* Atlanta..)

The local train station.
Next stop, Arctic Circle.

Here's a Reader's Digest (remember those?) of Things I Have Learnt so Far:

Its effing cold here.

That snowblowers are cool.

That snowblowers are even cooler when I'm watching someone else do the hard work pushing it through the snow drifts.

That snowblowing is the equivalent of dusting when you have cats.  Ten minutes later, its like you were never there.

Leaving the house without sunglasses when wading through snowy parks is a bit squinty.

I understand the desire to hibernate.

The pie shop's savory choices are as delicious as their sweet treats. 

That I don't think the windscreen wash bottle in my CA-registered car had de-icing stuff in it.

I suddenly appreciate soup a whole lot more.

The siren that sounds outside is not signifying an imminent air raid ("to the bunkers!") but is actually to tell you to move your car off the street cos of the snow, so it can be plowed.

I understand bears.

Questions I still have unanswered:

As we drove over a frozen solid river on the way in from the airport, I wondered "where do all the fish go?".  Do they swim south for the winter or are they still encased in the river like little fishfingers in waiting?

Will my windscreen wiper bottle thaw out and what happens when it does?

How do I open my cans of soup when my tin opener is still packed?
Is it spring yet?

So…not Tokyo.

And alas, poor Zurich, I did not get to know him well.  Sayonara to the land of Toblerones, cheese pots and scant humor.

Yes….. I can now reveal that the final destination for my Round The World Without Leaving Home Career Relocation Roulette is…..

…The Arctic Circle!

Here are some piccies of my new home-to-be….

Beautiful stroll along the waterfront.  
Complete with all the ice-pops you can eat.

Slightly more skyscrapers than I remember the Arctic Circle
having… but still - a beautiful aerial shot of my new home.

Wait.  What?

Oh, OK OK.  I'm not really moving to the Arctic Circle.  No. Its FAR too warm there. What on EARTH was I thinking?

I am, in fact, moving to Chicago.  Well, Deerfield, to be precise.  Well, Evanston, to be precisely precise.  With my (fab, by the way) new job, it made sense for me to be co-located with the rest of the team who'll be working on the clinical development of the new drug I've been assigned to.  And that means I'll be working out of the office in Deerfield, about 25 miles north of Chicago.  However, seeing as  the name of the town also refers to the most exciting thing that can happen to you whilst you're there, I decided to live a half hour's commute away in the beautiful college town of Evanston.

But it really is warmer in the Arctic Circle.  On the days those photos were taken, it was colder in Chicago than it was at the North Pole.   The whole of the Eastern Seaboard had been consumed by the excitingly sounding, but frigidly unthrilling, Polar Vortex (not to be confused by Sharknado, although now i'm thinking about it……genius!).

As I write this blog, a second polar vortex is gripping the Midwest once again in its chilly embrace, and it is a mind-blowingly fecking freezing MINUS 21C!!! Its so cold, its actually making me default back to Celsius!  Its so damned cold my company has told everyone to work from home today and tomorrow because of "dangerously low temperatures"!  Everyone I spoke to at the office in Deerfield this week gave me a very odd, strangely sympathetic look when I told them I was relocating from San Francisco where the weather is a constant 66 degrees and sunny, to the middle of Ice Age, Illinois!   The understatement of the obvious was then a universal "Ooo…the weather'll be a bit of a change for you then".  Really?  No shit, Sherlock.

Anyway, for you Polar Vortex-ing, dolphin-polishing, sharknado-dodging die-hards, here's some more pictures of the Freeze My Arse Off capital of the Midwest for you to enjoy, safe in the knowledge you're not relocating here….  Just as well I've got the Canada Goose jacket on order!!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/07/frozen-chicago-photos_n_4556767.html

Apartment-hunting blog and pictures to follow!

Practice makes Perfection perfect...

Post script and newly discovered footage…. (slightly more PG rated this time….)



Best.  Moment.  Ever.

Treehouse Perfection

Now, on occasion, I've been known to go and stay in some mildly "interesting" places just for the sheer hell of it (converted chicken coops, creepy libraries in Maui, under the glassy-eyed glaze of the stuffed gazelles in the Africa Hall (although - to be fair, by that stage of the evening my eyes were equally as glassy…).   I am still waiting on snagging a ressie for the Human Nest, though, so the pinnacle of ridiculousness-ness has yet to be reached.  Its probably booked out solid by all the bloody West Coast hipsters being "edgy" http://www.treebonesresort.com/lodging/human-nest/  Bloody hipsters.  Go back to molesting coffee machines and dreaming up ever more annoying hipster slang.

Arboral adventure awaits  

Thing is - when it comes to buckets and lists thereof, I seem to have one that is larger than most sane individuals, so its a full-time job sometimes just to try and keep up with all the nonsense my imagination seems intent on cramming in there.  As I continued to digest the sudden shift in my living prospects from sushi and sake to fondue and whatever it is they drink in Switzerland (liquid Toblerone, right?) or maybe - NEWSFLASH - perhaps even Chicago (so deep dish pizza and semi-melted snow, as far as I can gather), I figured I might as well check another one off the list while i was at it.

And thus it came to pass, in that dead, awkward space between Christmas and New Year that no-one knows quite what to do with, that I checked off what's probably been in my subconscious (barely-remembered) childhood list for eons - to spend a night in a Treehouse!  Yes!  A real one!  Not a plastic 10 inch high one with a press down canopy top (Loopy).

If you are a fan of Air B&B (and if you're not, you should be - its a repository of GREAT stuff), then this is one of the highest rated places to visit EVER.  Its on the website's bona fide Wishlist and Popular Places so thats just like catnip to me.  Here's the link, just in case you're ever passing Burlingame and have a burning desire to give it a whirl - and yes, it really did cost that much.  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/86456  I think my next gig, I'm going to build a Treehouse City and make a small fortune.  I know - I'll call it Redwood City.  Oh… hang on….damn.  That's taken… Guess I'll have to stick with this marketing lark for a bit longer then…. *sigh*

So, then. Time to branch out and seek some re-leaf from an arborous year.  I would have been bark-ing mad knot to have twigged and invited some company.

So, rather than a quiet night of reflective solitude and contemplative musings on 2013 in all its shitty glory, instead it was officially a "Bugger That - lets PARTY!" evening.  Yes, for One Night and One Night Only, me, Lori and American Mom, Cheri, were going to rock the (tree) house!   Now, very very conveniently, our target destination was brilliantly close by - in a town called Burlingame, just past SFO airport only 20mins away - a drive I am very familiar with and could do in my sleep.  And probably have done.

Is this it?  Is this where we get our kicks?

Lori and Mom swung by to come pick me up en route and, after a short detour to Safeway to buy fruit and chocolate for the CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN THAT SANTA GAVE ME FOR CHRISTMAS (bloody love Santa), we arrived bang on check-in time at 4pm.  The directions had been very thorough - both for getting to the place, parking up and finding the treehouse.  We found our parking spot under the Route 66 sign no problem, and then looked across the road and up, to catch our first glimpse of the treehouse.

Bloody marvelous.  The tree house was exactly as in the pictures and was just brilliant.  Amazingly, its been there for over 20 years and, despite its tiny size, its stacked with pretty much everything you need for a night's stay.  TV, kettle, heater, bed, table, chairs, books, games - you name it.  Of course, it didn't have a loo - but that was just down the ladder and a short (slug-free) walk to the main house where there was a completely separate kitchenette and bathroom, just for the use of treehouse guests.  A very slick set-up.

One ridiculously adorable looking garage.
Come on, now.  

We wasted no time getting settled in.  Bringing all our stuff up (its amazing how much crap you "need" for one night in a treehouse), we got to the important business of setting up the bar and getting some snacks going.  I'd rearranged the terrace and managed to cram three chairs into a tiny space and, with the festive lights strung around the treehouse, plus the candles in the hurricane lamps, it was a fabulous setting.  Here are some pics, in chronological order of the volume of white wine consumed.

Undercarriage

The perfect place to sit, ponder and
eat pre-cut cheese.

The swing was alarmingly creaky as I sat on it.
I think it might have been the sound of the
 wooden seat screaming.

American Mom cutting the cheese
(Brit blogwatchers - you need to go look up why
that is hilariously funny to my American brethren)

Home sweet home for the night.  Compact and bijoux.
And already a mess after 5 mins!

The original and best Treetops Bar.
You saw it here first.

Snacks in shacks.  As the night drew in, everything
just got more and more adorable.
(disclaimer: that could also have been the gin)

Best mate and Mom

We had an absolute riot.  It was such a fun night, full of laughter, friendship, Christmas pressies (yey!) and one utterly hilarious pizza delivery chick.  Yes - you could actually phone a local pizza place in town and they would come right up to the treehouse to deliver your 10 inch meat feast! (steady) How cool is that?  And - in one of those "only in California" moments, when our delivery girl turned up, climbing the ladders with deft aplomb - pizzas in hand - we invited her to come join us.  And she did!  So there we were, all rather *ahem* cheerful by this stage, listening to this hilarious pizza girl regale us with tales of all the crazy people and situations she's delivered too.  She was a blast.  Time was a bit wobbly-wobbly timey-wimey by then, so I'm not sure how long exactly she stayed but she stayed for a fair while - "the shop was quiet and you guys seem like fun".  I think some singing was involved at some stage, but I can't be 100% certain of that.  Hopefully, we weren't providing fodder for her next anecdote.

After pizza girl left, it was time to get down to the serious business of Uno.  There is not enough champagne in the known galaxy that can completely squelch (that word again) my competitive streak.  I won.

Twice.

After Uno, it was time to face my most feared nemesis.

It was time for Perfection.

I blame Loopy.  She'd sent me a Facebook link 7 or 8 months ago to remind me of the "game" that had so tortured me in my formative years.  One quick trip to eBay later, and the deal was done.  Please understand this.  If I ever say that I am a "perfectionist" I am not describing the relentless quest for perfection.  No.  I am, instead, describing the indelible scar on my psyche that anyone who has come into contact with the game of Perfection invariably carries.  I am, and always will be, a Perfectionist - and tonight, I had the chance to relive it all again.

And so, in the end, it all came down to this.  If there was a single sound that could capture the essence of your childhood memories (albeit in my case, limited), then this would be it for me.  60 seconds of pant-crapping, nerve-wracking, anxiety provoking freak-out-iness that catapults me back to my 10 year old self, staying in the caravan out back while the guest house is booked up for the summer, trying to avoid the orange-frilled squelchy slugs on those terrifying nighttime trips back to the big house to go to the loo.  (Interestingly, there's a bucket involved in that story too…. but maybe thats too much detail for you, dear blogwatchers…)

So, yes.  The unparalleled power of a single sound (or song) to roll back the years as if no time at all had passed.  This one was mine.  Well this, and an apple core screaming but thats another story.  Enjoy the video of me totally losing my shit.

The next morning dawned bright and annoyingly perky - and very very creaky.   For those of you who've either never had the pleasure of, or never intend to, sleeping in a treehouse, I can now attest that the experience is practically identical to sleeping in the creakiest, ricket-iest bunkbed you can imagine (think IKEA, if it helps).  That thang is dang LOUD!  And I was sleeping in the bed downstairs - I can only imagine the branchy-squeakfest that was going on in the upstairs bunk.  I finally understood the rationale for the bowl of earplugs conspicuously placed on the shelf by the pillows on the top bunk.  God only knows what its like when there is more than a puff of wind.  Like a bag of mice being tortured, I'd imagine.

Anyway, the hosts have got this whole treehouse thing down to a fine art as - first thing in the morning- coffee, bread and fruit magically appear in the little kitchenette that - as a Treehouse Resident - you have private access to.  Its not particularly posh, but is delightfully rustic and in keeping with the fact you just slept in a treehouse for goodness sake, and the bathroom is equally cute and full of quirky touches.  All in all, extremely charming in every respect.

Everything a hungover treehouse survivor
could possibly need

Even the bathroom was cute.  

After a very much needed Cup of Restorative Coffee (Treetops bar had taken somewhat of a pounding the night before and was offline for the foreseeable future for…err… restocking), sitting out on the treehouse terrace (or is it a verandah?), it was time to start to tidy away the evidence of the Perfection Episode, the Uno Smackdown and the Midnight Lullaby Down The Steep Steep Stairs.  Alas, the "Decorate Your Own Gingerbread Men" remained sadly naked and were packed away for Another Day (that day was actually today, when I ate the chocolate M&M buttons and binned the rest - sorry GB man).  Check-out time was midday, so enough time to pack up, take some final pictures and then wend our way home.  

All in all, it was indeed a most Excellent Arboral Adventure.

Arty-stuff, artfully arranged in an artful manner.

Daylight and all remains unscathed by man
 or beast or Party Pizza Girl

Perfect spot for hangover
beverages and tasty toast

Ta-da!  Tidy again!

There's a bloody great big tree in my treehouse!

Nice color doors.
Alas, not bigger on the inside.