Currently // 4

eating // cheese and meat. We found a shop in Ravenswood called Gene's Sausage Shop where they make their own sausages and cure their own meats. We bought a few cheeses, some wine, and cured meats like soppresata. They even make their own liverwurst in house. Liverwurst is something my mom would have on hand every once in a while. She would eat it on bagels and it's kind of comforting to me now. Because my grandfather is German, I'm thinking it may have been a comfort thing for her too.

drinking // wine. I was on a gin kick for a little while, and now it's autumn and I've fallen in love with red wine all over again. Beaujolais nouveau est arrivee (presque)! Also, we found this beer at the sausage shop that is made in Wisconsin, that my dad had on hand one day when we went to his house for dinner in Florida. His friend sent it to him, and apparently it's only made this time of year. S thought that he would never see this random Wisconsin beer ever again, and there it was, a few cases piled up in the shop.

making // dreamcatchers. I ordered some supplies online and had them delivered to my house. It was a little project that I started, inspired by the Renegade Craft Fair, that has become a very relaxing hobby these days.

listening // to NPR every morning and every evening. I've always listened to NPR, but having WBEZ in Chicago has made my commute that much more interesting, I feel so in touch with the world around me. I'm also listening to some old CDs that I've found mixed into my boxes of books that I've finally unpacked. All are early 2000s like The Strokes and Tegan and Sara. The albums are from my early teenage years so as I re-listen to them, I'm feeling all the feels. Oh to be young!

celebrating // Halloween! September was busy while I was still training on events at the museum. October at work quieted down a little bit, but social events have made up for it! A new friend has recently opened up a science and art lab, or "makerspace", and I hope to assist with an insect-pinning class! The perfect spooky occasion for October!

reading // not enough. I'm still in the middle of Devil in the White City, which is historical fiction that takes places during the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893. I also started Julie and Julia because I found a copy at a thrift store for $1, so it's been my light-reading.

enjoying // the weather. Because summers in Florida have been too long these last fourteen years, and winter is coming. The crunchy leaves on the sidewalk are the soundtrack when I walk my dog. We'll be driving or walking around the neighborhood and a strong wind will blow leaves off of their branches, sprinkling confetti across the sky.

dreading // the freezing breeze off of Lake Michigan. I'm not sure if I've ever been that cold before, but I'm trying to be prepared!

wearing // boots. And dinosaur socks from my friend.

cooking // stews and soups and stocks with white wine.

travelling // to Florida for my friend's wedding day! She was my maid of honor and now I'm a bridesmaid and it's her wedding!

smelling // all of the falls scents! I ordered a few candles online that smell like fall and winter. Cheers to a cold winter inside! Speaking of ordering online...

karma // for the first time, we've experienced Chicago crime. We came home and our landlord that lives below us witnessed a package being stolen off our shared porch. By the time our landlord went outside, the thief ran off with a package of a pair of shoes S had ordered for the upcoming wedding. Gr!

feeling // generous. I volunteered to help out the museum with one of it's off-site events, Evolution at Revolution. They host it at a brewery and have a scientist speak. Volunteering for these sort of things involve a lot of my passions - events, science, brews! And it feels good to be spending my free time helping out an organization that I love, like my museum.

reminiscing // on our move to Chicago. Years ago, I was 18 and packed up my little Honda Fit and drove two hours to move to Orlando, FL for college, and for a boy. This time, in our mid-twenties, we packed up our dog and our overnight bags in the same Honda Fit, packed a big moving truck, and drove 1,000 miles to move to Chicago. I remember crossing the Illinois lines and seeing signs for Chicago on the interstate. There was mass amounts of construction on the highway, and it was scary driving in unfamiliar territory with a huge truck following me. And yet, I was still thrilled and excited to see the grey city buildings peeking out from the horizon. The closer we got, the more excited I was. And then, we made it home.

remembering // bill stanley

I originally saw this currently feature on Joy Felicity Jane.