And trip to Chicago on crutches.
Sunday we went to Chicago to see The Factotum, a modern opera that’s sort of the Barber of Seville, set in a Southside Chicago barbershop. One of the main artists who created it is Will Liverman, who sang adult Charles in Fire Shut Up In My Bones, that we saw last year.
It was harder work doing the 10-min. walk from the train station to the Sears Tower on crutches than I thought it would be, but there were donuts at the end. The Sears Tower Food Court has been our go-to place to grab lunch during pandemic, when so many things in the Loop are closed.
Do-rite donuts for pre-opera meal. We split an egg sangwich, too.
The show was at the Harris Theater, the inside venue at Millenium Park. Mark had been there before but I’d only seen things outside. It’s nice and was pretty OK to navigate on crutches.
The opera was great. The cover is a mural that’s on a westside barber shop, Head Quarters Barber Academy and Shop, way west on Madison, almost to Oak Park. I think the Google Maps pic is from 2022, so the mural’s not there yet. Here’s the program and the real thing.
Mural by Barrett Keithley at 5131 W. Madison, Chicago IL
Monday was a pretty ordinary work from home day, although I did do another out on crutches adventure. I had to go pick up my readjusted but not what I ever needed orthotics at the Group Health at Princeton Club. It’s right on the way to Al & Emma’s so I took some books I’d ordered for Jasper and dropped them off on the porch for when he gets back from the ski trip Thursday. I mostly wanted to get him this year’s Caldecott winner, Hot Dog by Doug Salati, about a dachshund who’s too hot so he escapes the city and goes to run on the beach. But it’s backordered at my favorite Semicolon Books. So I got Jasper one of the honorees, Berry Song by Michaela Goade, and we’ll wait for Hot Dog. And I got a 12-book set of little board books by Eric Carle, with animals and pictures. Chewable and small enough for a little kid to hold.
I grabbed the orthotics – weird walking into a health club on crutches – and then stopped at the west side co-op for a few things I didn’t have Mark get on Saturday, because I either forgot – scallions & a quart of milk – or wanted to pick out myself – fish oil tabs Rach suggested I take to lower cholesterol. The parking lot was pretty icy, but it all worked out and I was home for my noon meeting. I don’t think I can stand to take the fish oil everyday though – I’m going to try Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays until I have to go back for my lipid panel the first week of March. They’re huge gel tabs. Maybe it’ll clear out my hairballs.
Tuesday – Valentine’s Day – I took the day off. I’ve only answered two work emails so far. My valentine’s wish is that I am told I can get off the crutches with maybe still reduced activity, when I go for my 4 week checkup a little later this afternoon, but I am prepared for them to say, “You’re doing great, two more weeks.”
We went to brunch at Marigold Kitchen, where we haven’t been in forever. I had the sweet potato hash and Mark had cherry almond pancakes. I was a little surprised by the big blob of pesto that came with the hash, but it was all good – I didn’t finish even a fourth of the pesto, though.
There were lots of babies there and we looked at them all like, “this one’s bigger than Jasper, that one smaller”, and so on.
Speaking of that baby, here he is enjoying the fire and relatives, I think mommy and grandma, at the ski place, and Jasper and Emma getting ready to leave on Sunday morning.
