Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

 Under the L, lovely Chicago Chicago was a blast. We left my apt. at 1:30am Sunday, arrived there at 6:30am Chicago time; a drive that was one of those over-tired-slappy-giggly-listening to good and bad music-fun-mini-roadtrips I won't soon forget. We couldn't check into our hostel until 3:30pm, so after dropping our bags off (they had lockers available) we hit the city. We: ate at Yolk wandered through this cool sculpture exhibit (see pics below) saw Buckingham Fountain saw the glorious design of Grant Park Music Festival Went to the Sears Tower (now Willis Tower--lame!) and stood out on the glass walkout with nothing but some glass and the city below us! We saw the Main Branch of the Chicago Public Library (which was less than a block from our hostel) I wandered through every level, fell in love with Winter Garden on the top floor. WHAT A GORGEOUS BUILDING!! Gah, I could live in Chicago to just use that library!! Met up with my friend Scott for a good Mexica...

Happy Fat Tuesday ya'll! Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent--the season leading up to Easter for Christians. As Catholics we are marked with ashes on Ash Wednesday, as a reminder of our journey toward conversion and renewal. We Catholics abstain from certain things and sometimes give things up as a reminder of conversion, but also to aid us in letting go of things which get in the way of God in our lives. Lent is all about working towards renewing our commitment to our faith and baptism. I like the idea of Lent, but it always feels like a spiritually fitful time for me, a dark time, made worse by the fact that I am so damn stir crazy for spring...yet, as I get older I am trying to focus on how all of those feelings make Easter day and springtime so much more glorious. So, today--pre-Lent--we celebrate. Fat Tuesday means paczkis in the MidWest (and other parts of the country). Fat Tuesday means enjoying one last hoorah before the time of moderation ...

Interesting... Ode to the Midwest by Kevin Young I want to be doused in cheese & fried. I want to wander the aisles, my heart's supermarket stocked high as cholesterol. I want to die wearing a sweatsuit— I want to live forever in a Christmas sweater, a teddy bear nursing off the front. I want to write a check in the express lane. I want to scrape my driveway clean myself, early, before anyone's awake— that'll put em to shame— I want to see what the sun sees before it tells the snow to go. I want to be the only black person I know. I want to throw out my back & not complain about it. I wanta drive two blocks. Why walk— I want love, n stuff— I want to cut my sutures myself. I want to jog down to the river & make it my bed— I want to walk its muddy banks & make me a withdrawal. I tried jumping in, found it frozen— I'll go home, I guess, to my rooms where the moon changes & shines like television.