November: Nesting in Evanston (Part 1)

Week of Nov. 3: Museum, Friends, First Snow of the Season

I went to a really interesting artist's talk at the Block Museum on Wednesday evening. The session was to present some of the most recent pieces acquired through the Block Museum Student Associates program. The works are by Chitra Ganesh, and she was there in person to have a conversation with a Northwestern Professor. 

 

I have to admit that I'm not really a fan of the work itself, but it was fascinating to hear about her process and her inspiration and why the BMSA cohort recommended her pieces for acquisition for the Museum's permanent collection.

On Friday evening, Mr. E and I decided to try out the Hibachi tables at Todoroki, one of our favorite spots for takeout. So fun! The chef was able to accommodate my allium allergy, so I ordered scallops and shrimp as my protein while Mr. E opted for steak and salmon. At the table behind us was a group of about 10 boys celebrating a birthday party. They were probably in the 8-10 year old range and were quite rambunctious! But that's just because they were having so much fun with the chef, so we just decided to enjoy their raucous energy while they finished their meal and then enjoyed the tranquility just as much (if not more) after their departure.

After brunch on Saturday morning, Mr. E and I headed to the Evanston History Center for their Open House so that we could visit the reFashioning History exhibit and see the new works in context with their inspiration. It was fun to see some of the new designs up close, especially in comparison with the older fashions and how they related to each other. All about pleats!

We had planned to go to a show on Sunday afternoon, but as I was looking for our confirmation email, I discovered that I hadn't ever bought the tickets. Oops! So we had several unexpectedly extra free hours that afternoon before walking to M&L's townhome for dinner of homemade pizza prefaced with an extensive charcuterie & cheese plate. M drove us home, so we managed to avoid any of the incoming snowy weather in the forecast.

Week of Nov. 10: Snow, Community Service, History Center Events, Mystery Book Club, Art, Translators Meet-Up, Family Dinner, Dance

The week started off with some lovely snowfall from the first storm of the season! 

We both had Tuesday off for Veteran's Day so enjoyed a later breakfast together at our favorite Le Peep. I spent the rest of the day doing homework since I knew the weekend would have limited time for me to study. In the evening, I attended my first in-person Community Outreach Committee meeting at the Woman's Club, and it was so nice to meet some other members and learn more about all of the Committee's activities.

On Wednesday, I went to the Noyes Cultural Arts Center to hear talk about the history of theatre in Evanston. It's really amazing how this small city has had such an oversized impact on theater in this area and how Northwestern has served as such a pipeline and connector for a variety of theatre professionals. I also discovered that walking to the Noyes Center doesn't take nearly as long as I thought, which is great to know for future cultural offerings at the multi-purpose facility.

Thursday was my Mystery Book Club at the library. This month's selection was Murder on the Red River by Marcie Rendon. I enjoyed the book and the discussion with the group, but I'm not sure that I'm interested enough to continue the series.

The next evening, Mr. E joined me for a gathering at the Evanston History Center to celebrate the launch of the Downtown Evanston History Tour. Everyone who participated in the tour and logged points before November 1st was eligible to win prizes and attend the celebration. I procured a bag and a sticker and a fabulous book about the unique "hidden" double houses of Evanston. We enjoyed the food offerings of empanadas (bean, pulled pork) and arepas (cheese, chicken) from La Cocinata and macarons from Coralie. 

Saturday was a full day of activities, beginning with my volunteering at the Woman's Club to help assemble culturally appropriate hair kits for Avery's Helpful Hair Kits, one of the recipients of the WCE community grants program. What an amazing organization! It was founded three years ago by a young girl named Avery, who was only 8 years old at the time. The purpose is to provide youth in foster care with products that are appropriate for their hair type and texture. Avery, her mom, and one of her friends were there to talk about the organization and help get everything organized. We had enough volunteers that we were finished in less than an hour! I got to reconnect with J, another WCE member whom I'd first met at the info session and then again at the Art Tour, and I also met several other members, quite a few who are relatively new to WCE, just as I am.

 

While I was at the WCE, Mr. E welcomed a crew to steam clean our rugs. We had moved a bunch of things out of the master bedroom and closet and office earlier in the morning to prepare for the cleaning. 

In the early afternoon, we took the CTA to the Driehaus Museum to see the Tiffany Lamps: Beyond the Shade exhibit. Such beautiful artistry and craftsmanship!

My favorite was definitely the Nautilus lamp. Seeing so many examples collected all in one place was almost overwhelming! Other noteworthy items on display included paintings by Mary Cassat and other Art Deco works.

After we finished up at the Museum (including a poster purchase at the shop), we walked south so that I could meet up with folks from the Chicago Area Translator's Association (CHICATA) at Miller's Pub while Mr. E headed to his mom's to spend time with her. I joined them later at Minghin for dinner, and then Mr. E and I grabbed a Lyft to return to Evanston.

Our final activity of the weekend was the Sunday afternoon performance of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's Fall Series. The show was at the Steppenwolf Theatre again this year, which is an easy CTA ride for us. This time around, all of the pieces were new to us. Each piece was unique, enthralling, and totally captivating. This is such an amazing company! I'm so thrilled that we're able to attend their performances on a regular basis now!