The Tamale Chica and Nancy Crawl

Tuesday Nancy, my friend Todd's mom, came in from Michigan for a "Jennifer" lunch. Jen, you have truly met your match!!! For anyone who doesn't know Jen, she and I used to do day long lunch outings when we needed a big break. Nancy is a lot of fun and she has major shopping stamina, much more than I do! We began our Crawl at the Merchandise Mart. I thought it would be easier for us to meet by the CTA train station there since she was familiar with the stop. We took the CTA Brown Line up to Southport. Let the shopping begin!!

Our first stop was to go to two closed stores. What a great way to save money!! Next door was an Ethel's Chocolate Lounge. Yes Carlos, I know you told me about it a LONG time ago and it took me this long to get to one. It's a good thing, too. WOW!!! I bought four pieces of chocolaty heaven myself, and one container of dark chocolate hearts to share with my sweetie when he comes back from his trip at the end of the month. Well, then again I can always make a special trip in case my friends and I go overboard. I did try one of them -- rich, delectable and delish!!

Here's Nancy at Ethel's. They won't allow photos in their store area unless there is a person in the photo you are taking the picture of, so here we have Nancy showing a customer the pre-boxed chocolate gift selections.
Here we have Nancy's leg. Actually I cropped her out (sorry!!) and wanted to share their great display. They put out real chocolates and without the traditional glass case, those little guys just beacon you to come buy them!

The next two photos are of their lounge. I love the chocolate colored striped wall paper!

After Ethel's, Nancy and I first went north on Southport, crossed the street and then made our way south. We hit two trendy boutiques, with interesting things that came with prices way beyond what I would spend on any one blouse (try $300 with tax). We also checked out a shoe store with cute, fashionista shoes that are so not my style. It's hard for me to believe I used to love to wear heels and cute, painful strappy sandals. I still like cute footwear but require comfort to be my main priority now.

I'm not sure at what point we saw these flowers, but they were so pretty I had to take a picture and Nancy wanted a shot of them, too.

Next we went to Anthropologie, which is a fun store filled with cute tops, dresses and housewares. Nancy was especially interested in the apples, so we picked out 10 of the nicest ones for her house.

Personally I really liked the faux onions, too, but the apples were more of a kitchen like decoration. We got to the register and had a good laugh when the cashier told us that they aren't for sale. Apparently they were more of a prop, which is too bad because they looked pretty authentic! She was told that she wasn't the only person to try to buy them. Oh well!!

This looked so interesting I had to take a pic of it: a white chocolate torte of some type. Also at Julius Meinl. There's one opening up at Montrose and Lincoln soon!

We also stopped off at the Southport Grocery, although it is less of a grocery store and more of a place to eat. They had a big bag of natural licorice which called our names. Our last Southport eatery stop was Julius Meinl. At this point we just needed to sit down and take a break. I had the chocolate/banana yogurt smoothie. It was very good!! Nancy had coffee. We were fortified! Onward for phase II: Lincoln Square!! Oh wait, there was an Uncle Dan's!! We stopped in there since Nancy was looking for shoes. She didn't buy anything there, but I found my favorite wool half socks and a green Patagonia jacket. For several years I've been looking for a jacket just like this one. Who knew I'd find it today, and at un-Patagonia like prices!??

Our first stop in Lincoln Square was Cafe Selmarie, where we had lunch. They had a fabulous chicken pot pie!! The crust was flaky and the filling laden with big chunks of chicken and other veggies in a rather rich cream sauce. Good thing we had worked off the calories before we even got there, even with that smoothie!! No pic because I was too busy eating lunch!

There are several European shops in Lincoln Square that I wasn't sure if Nancy would be interested in or not. She took a look in the window of one of them and commented that it was too much like all the stuff she grew up with, so we kept moving. We ended up at the Chopping Block, one of my favorites. They now sell pies!!! When "you know who" comes back from his long trip, I'll have to pick one up from there for one of our dinner fests!!

After this it was Salamandar Shoes. Of course the first pair I liked, this rainbow looking sandal, was not in stock for my size. Nancy almost bought a pair of very comfy metallic Rieker sandals, but they didn't quite fit right. We briefly went into Merz Apothecary and then to Electricity, and then had the whacked out idea to walk to Lutz's. I say whacked out because my feet were already beginning to hurt like crazy and my legs were very unhappy. I've walked there before from this location, but never when already so tired. By the time we got there I needed a forklift to help me get into my chair!

Well, at least I can show you the goodies. Here is an orange sponge cake:

And here is a whipped cream layer cake:

Of course, the nice thing about photos is that there is no caloric intake whatsoever from looking. I meant to take more photos but I forgot... fatigue, you know. Well many, many, many hours later, we got Nancy back on the Brown Line and hobbled me home. I did stop to smell the flowers though, or should I say to take a photo of this pretty young thing!

Young Thai Coconut Water Easy!

Since I've been successfully and easily, I might add, been opening fresh young Thai coconuts, I was hoping I'd find another source besides Whole Foods. Since I take public transportation, lugging these things on the bus and schlepping them home hasn't been a really attractive process, so I thought I'd see if I could find a local source within walking distance. Nada, nothing! What I did find was someone who had such a hard time opening these that she found a source for just the coconut water.

Because I take so many supplements and most of them require refrigeration, I lose valuable real estate inside the box, so I pondered the benefits of how many of the ready to drink versions I could get in my fridge versus how many thai coconuts can fit, after filling my fridge with other things called vegetables, fresh foods and other perishables. I couldn't resist... I had to try it.Well, as you can see this is no big deal for anyone who is cleaver challenged to open. Unlike their original packaging, these come in 11 oz ready to drink tetrapacks. All you need to do is refrigerate (it's much better chilled) and peel the little sticky thing off and pour it in a glass or use a straw directly.

One Coconut Water costs $20.28 for a case of 12, plus shipping. They do offer a small discount for more than one case, which is the way to go since the shipping gets pricey. The tetrapack is recyclable.

Spring Art Show at Architectural Artifacts

Sunday I joined went to the Spring Art Show at Architectural Artifacts with my friends Peter and his partner, Rick. We did the show first and the store afterwards. Friend Cindy was exhibiting in the Atrium and had some cheery cards (I liked the green ones!!!) and some of her fun work. We also found a hat stand, where I also tried on a gorgeous cloche that looked great on, but at $164 I passed it up, sigh. After we perused and had fun at the show we went through the store.

A lot of what we saw was from Argentina. As Rick said, "Who knew they were such a repository for cool?" I just hope it wasn't the downside of some revolution and someone's villa! Down on the first floor, there is a huge assortment of gorgeous tiles, made in England but they came via Argentina.
Aren't the colors beautiful? They are also three dimensional; it's not just an illusion.

Outside there was an assortment of larger items, including an Aston Martin! My favorites were a Texaco sign, and this interesting piece below:

Architectural Artifacts

4325 N. Ravenswood

Chicago, IL 60613

773/ 348-0622

Spring has Sprung!

I couldn't help but take a few pictures of the pretty flowers along Wilson Avenue, on my way back from the Post Office on Montrose. The red tulip was among several on one of the corner curb gardens. With the sun shining brightly on the pretty colors, how can you not feel good today!!

Whole Foods Vegetarian Chili

I usually don't buy a lot of prepared foods at Whole Foods, mostly due to cost and preference, and a great deal in part due to their inconsistency. Because I had to lug groceries on public transportation, returning something requires me to factor in the additional cost of taking the CTA, so often I would just 'eat' the cost of many of their prepared foods that weren't very good. Except for their pizzas, I pretty much stayed away from anything that I hadn't already liked (certain soups, mashed sweet potatoes, etc).

A week ago I had coffee with my friend Roseann, who is a vegetarian. She raved about their vegetarian chili. Roseann also has experienced the inconsistency factor there, but was such a fan of their Veggie chili that I decided to give it a try. We went to our Whole Foods over on Ashland Avenue, where as usual I dropped huge amounts of money, mostly due to the MSC fresh fish I also bought. The next day I tried the chili. IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!

Today a friend of mine picked up a larger container for me, as I started to crave another round of the stuff. This food item appears to have the proclivities to become a food junkie item. It's got a little more punch than I'm used to in chili, but it's hearty, satisfying and very good! In fact, I think it's time for me to heat up some right now! Thanks, Roseann!!

Cinco de Mayo

Yes, it is time for Cinco de Mayo celebrations! Although it's May 5th, celebrations are already underway in Douglas Park. Since I'm a foodie, I had to put a food item on the blog, so props to http://lucks.com/ for their cake.

Here's a little history:

The City of Puebla, in the state of the same name, has played an important role in Mexico’s history. In 1811 it was won by independence forces, but then soon retaken by Spanish loyalists. It wasn’t until 1821 when it came to rebel hands again, just before the Independence Treaty in Mexico City.

Throughout the 19th century it gained a reputation as a conservative Catholic city where Mexican patriotism was suspect. This was despite two heroic stands against French invaders. In 1847 the city refused to let General Santa Anna defend it against the invading US forces, who captured it without resistance.

In 1862, the French expected a similar welcome. However, the generals appointed by President Benito Juares to defend Puebla had other ideas. North of the city, Ignacio de Zaragoza fortified the Hill of Guadalupe. On May 5th, 2,000 persons comprised of Zaragoza’s military men and Puebla citizens (armed with home and farm tools), defeated a frontal attack by 6,000 men of the France’s best trained army. General Porfirio Diaz was credited with successfully fighting off the final French assault. In honor of this victory the city is now officially called Puebla de Zaragoza.

Reinforcements of French retook Puebla after several days of artillery bombardment the following year. This involved an unsuccessful infantry attack and a two month siege. Many of the defenders were sent to France as prisoners. The city was occupied until 1867, when it was reclaimed by Porfirio Diaz.

The celebration of Cinco de Mayo is the third most important holiday in Mexico, after Independence Day (on September 16) and Revolution Day (November 20). In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is the biggest Mexican celebration. The history is complements of Eliamar Loza of Artesmias d'Mexico, 1644 W. 18th Street in Pilsen. Check out their store for fine Mexican Folk Art, pottery, tiles, and other lovelies.

Original Art by Cindy T.

I've always been a fan of original art work, so except for my Otsuka poster, show posters from shows that a friend of mine has produced or been in, and Jesus Helguerra posters, I like to go with original works. My study seems to be perpetual need of organized messiness, so I decided to clean out the 'trouble wall' one day. It's this area that consistently attracts piles of 'to take care of' items: things that need to get shipped, hardware and peripherals that need to be installed for side projects and paperwork that needs to be sorted out and filed. I finally decided to tackle it and realized I needed to do something different, to change the energy of that space.

I decided that what I needed was a reminder to keep it organized! I found my perfect alter ego in Mod Girl. She was created by artist Cindy Tomcyzk. It's a 5x7 original drawing on cover stock aper with gouache. As luck would have it, I found the perfect frame for her, and she keeps me company while I sit at the computer! Ironically she also is "looking" toward the closet door, my next big summer clean out project!

Bom Bon Bakery North Side Connections

My sweetie's birthday was last weekend. Due to work scheduling, we celebrated last Friday. I made a wonderful dinner of MSW Fishery Chilean Seabass, organic brown rice, organic broccoli, and BomBon!! For anyone not familiar with the MSW Fishery concept, fish companies that are members agree not to overharvest and must harvest within catch and maturation limitations. This insures that a species will not be extinct due to overcatching. The downside for the consumer is that the fish is very expensive, but at least you know your dinner isn't turning the species into oblivion. But back to dessert.

After dinner came the cake (and then the gifties). I wanted the cake to either be from Lutz's or BomBon. I had never tried Bombon cakes, but have seen them in the case at the 18th Street store. Because I'd have to take two trains to go home, carrying a cake that distance, and up/down the switching stairs downtown just wasn't all that appealing, plus I usually manage to have other things to carry when I come back from trips in the Pilsen area. I discovered a solution!! Addison Ashland Florists on Addison and Ravenswood, on the north side, not only carries the cakes but if you need to, you can have it delivered!! I had asked for the cake to arrive before a certain time, and it was delivered within an hour prior, which in my book is perfect timing!

The cake we enjoyed is Cake Lalis. It's whip cream, strawberries, chocolate cake, and bananas and it was incredible!! It was "perfectly" sweet. (For me, this means it was slightly sweet but not so loaded with sugar that you felt like you needed to immediately brush your teeth and get an unpleasant sugar rush and then an energy drop). The cake is on the small side but perfect for a small gathering. YUM!

Addison Ashland Florists
1746 W. Ashland
Chicago, IL 60613
773/281-3921

Pilsen 18th Street Pink Line CTA Train Station

I love the look of the old CTA train stations, which unfortunately seems to go with rusted girders and other decrepit features. The Damen Brown Line was one of my favorite stations, and perhaps the cleanest (except for Western Ave), thanks to the great custodial crew that worked both. Now closed until the end of this year, it will most likely emerge as a sparkly, shiny new station and gone will be most of the relics of that station's past. If the CTA ever redoes the Pink Line 18th street stop, I certainly hope they will manage to retain the interesting art work which lends itself a "WOW" visual impact.

Above is a mural that greets you while you decide whether you are going north or south.

These brightly colored murals and stair murals greet passengers going up the stairs. On a dreary winter day, I have to say this is a treat for the eyes as it enlivens you visually for your ride.

The next two shots were taken from the platform. Although unfinished, I love this wall because you can see the sketches that are the foundation for what would be that part of the mural. Like many things in our lives, the unfinished part is almost metaphorical for our lives on earth.

The next three shots are more stairwell shots.

Not exactly the stairway to heaven, but what a visually fun way to end or start your day. According to the Chicago Reader, "In 1993 the CTA, with the city-run youth art program Gallery 37 and the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum (now the National Museum of Mexican Art), commissioned art teacher Francisco Mendoza to beautify the station. Mendoza enlisted his students at Gallery 18, a satellite program of Gallery 37, along with anyone else in the neighborhood who could paint. “It was like having a jazz session,” he says. “Artists would come up and say, ‘I can paint, I have an idea,’ and I would give them the colors they needed.”

What a great gift to share your art, and to be able to see something you've created be a vibrant part of the city.

Hand Made Designs

A friend of mine sells artwork through Etsy, which is how I first found out about this fabulous store for hand made goods. Well, actually the Chicagoist was how I first heard about it, but when I actually knew someone who sold through them I decided to take a better look.

I found these darling eye-glass cases in Vonica's shop. Ever since good sunglasses started becoming insanely expense, I've tried to keep them in a case. I never seem to lose sunglasses, but keep them until they croak from old age and use. For me, using a case is a good idea to keep the lenses from getting all scratched up. This creates other problems, of course. If it's in the original hard case, it adds more weight to my already stuffed small Tokidoki bag. The easy solution would be to just pull out my larger Tokidoki purse, which I have on occasion, but if I'm not throwing my laptop in it, I tend to fill it up with everything but the kitchen sink. The last time I did this I ended up with shoulder pains, argh!!

Always on the look out for light but well made and protective eye glass cases I found them on Etsy. Since I also have distance glasses, so now we're talking about two pairs of eyeglasses and cases. I was looking for eyeglass cases that were also soft so that I could gently squish them into my maximally occupied purse. Aren't these darling??!! They're also soft. She uses a small magnet so they automatically close. I love the detail of the lining. It's very "shibui." Also found on Etsy was the cute little cosmetic bag with Japanese print. I won't put my old one up here because it was ugalee and falling apart anyway! This kawaii little thing I found at Wolfbait.
Here's what the inside looks like:

One of the things I love about shopping on Etsy is how quickly my items arrive. Because we are talking about individuals who design and craft these pieces, they are attentive not only to the details of their products but in getting the products out to their customers. It's also nice to get these personalized notes, something I never get with my Eddie Bauer or JJill orders!

WolfBait USA: http://www.wolfbait.etsy.com/

Vonica Designs: http://www.vonicadesigns.etsy.com/

Pilsen's Bombon Bakery

One of my favorite places to "take out" is the Bombon Bakery on 18th Street, in Pilsen. It seems impossible to know there was a time before I knew it existed! Many, many years ago my friend Carlos wanted to take me on a tour of his old neighborhood, so off we went. On foot, most of what we did was on 18th, and then we drove to a few places including further south and west to Little Village where he grew up for part of his childhood, and where his grandma still lives. While we were on our foot tour, we stopped off at BomBon, where he told me how for years the area never had an upscale bakery. Obviously as a testimony to their success and the quality of their baked goods, just because a neighborhood doesn't have a certain type of store doesn't mean they don't want it or won't support it. Bombon is uniquely Mexican upscale - offering culturally specific sweets that you won't find anywhere else.

The shop almost always has customers in it and the day I took these photos, it was no exception. I did try to not get people in the photos. The wall on one side is decorated with cake pans and baking tools, and it lends a homey and cheery look to the shop. On the bottom right of the photo (below) you can see a cake mold for the Day of the Dead celebration.Due to the sunshine streaming in and the glare on the glass, it was tricky to get nice shots of the goodies, but here are a few. One thing I love about their sweets is that, while they are sweet, they are not overly sweet. The cakes are airy and light and, well, just perfection!

Back home we took out the goodies. The one just below was lime and I heard it was quite sublime. I did take a taste but it had alcohol in the frosting, which is something that tends to not sit well with me (even in food). So it was more for my guest!

In the box are my favorites, galletas (cookies). My friend Peter (from my Spanish class) and I are BomBon Galleta Junkies. They must use a much higher quality of butter than most bakeries, because their cookies really taste like butter!

Below is one of their mini tres leche cakes. This one is pineapple. They also come in strawberry and a few other fruit flavors. It is the perfect amount of tres leche to have -- enough for a taste and yet enough to satisfy and leave you with fond memories.

The lemon tarts are perfection! These are definitely a lot sweeter than some of their other items, but the lemon tart is perfect and the meringue always flawness, never runny! It has almost replaced my favorite dessert item to buy there, which is their flan.

Their flan is also one of the best. Sorry folks but I forgot to take a picture and I ate the only flan I brought home. Before I forget to mention, we've noticed that there is one lady who is usually there who must be one of the nicest people to ever grace the counters. If she is there, you will know it because she's such a sweetie! They also have locations in Little Village, and the West Loop. We were also informed that in two months they will be moving about two blocks east from where they are, which would be on the other side of Ashland.

BomBon Bakery

1508 W. 18th Street

Chicago, IL 60608

312/ 733-7788

Artesanias D'Mexico Chicago

Last week I was in Pilsen again and had the pleasure of visiting Artesanias D'Mexico, on W. 18th Street. For anyone who loves "handmade" and original pieces of Mexican folk art, this is the Chicago destination to go to! We took some shots of items in the window for public display (pardon the glare - the sun was shining brightly at the time my camera came out). Because certain artists do not want their unpurchased items in a catalog, we could not photograph the many interesting and unique pieces in the store, but we could share with you the items in the window. The following excerpt about Artesanias D'Mexico was given to me by Elimar Loza, one of the owners of this incredible store.

Artesanias D'Mexico was established in the Pilsen Community in 1996. Our Mission is to import fine handcrafted Mexican Folk Art and create unique gifts that educate and encourage awareness of the Mexican Culture, History and Traditions represented by the Company’s collectible art pieces.

All the products sold through our company are cultural oriented. The origin and the description of the art piece are explained to the client. The art pieces we import are unique and one of a kind. They are designed by some of the Great masters of the Mexican Folk Art. We work personally with artists and artisans in 13 states of Mexico and select each piece of art ourselves. Sometimes it means to travel to the indigenous communities, in the most remote areas to find these real treasures. You will never see two identical pieces in our gift store.

Our Mexican Folk Art pieces are made with natural materials, therefore, dyes, shapes, sizes, colors, tones and weight may vary. Though our stock is constantly being updated, we may have limited stock of some pieces.We have been recognized by the Chicago Tribune, National Geographic for Travelers Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, the Savvy Traveler book and Channel 9 as a “Unique Mexican Cultural Gift Store."

I've shopped at Artesanias D'Mexico several times, so I'm sharing photos of items I purchased. The colorful item below is an eyeglass case. It has both the traditional soft open end and a zippered side, for either papers, money or glasses. It also has a neck string so you can wear it around your neck and not have to hold it or put it in a bag. The fabrics are loomed and the dyes, as you can see, are vibrant.
The photos below are of the tiles of a mirror, and a corner shot of the same mirror. This was the first item I ever purchased there. You can see the artwork on the tile, as well as the tin work. An unusual looking mirror, this piece is beautiful to look at just for the frame itself.

I bought this beauty of a bowl to hold fruits. The colors are bright, cheery and just make you think of warm, sunny weather that we enjoy on a gorgeous warm Spring day.

Here is a side shot of my pretty kitchen fruit bowl. Developing the colors combination and hues goes far beyond 'painting' the ceramics, because this pottery is double kilned. Check out the Consumer Maven for information on Talavera pottery and the process to fully appreciate the intricacies of how the artisans create the pieces.

Last is another favorite piece for my kitchen, a tile that I bought to be used as a trivet. Artesanas D'Mexico also has nice assortment of Mexican tiles of various designs, as well as smaller ones that could be used to create a tile top.

To read more about Artesanias D'Mexico from a business serving the arts perspective, check out the Consumer Maven.

Artesanias D'Mexico

1644 W. 18th Street

Chicago, IL 60608

Eliamar and Efrain Loza

312/563-9779

La Cebollita Grill

Friday I went to Pilsen with a friend of mine, who also shares my passion for the neighborhood. What I love about it is that it reminds me of neighborhood I grew up in, except for the many great restaurants, museum, and artisan store. We went to La Cebollita on South Ashland Avenue. The first time I was at La Cebollita was years ago when they were in a smaller, "hole in the wall" kind of space. I went there for the tamales!! Me gusta tamales!! The tamales at La Cebollita are different from most of the tamales I usually get. The masa is fluffy and light! What interesting times we live in, where we can find out a restaurant we like moved via people we meet online. A few months ago a gal on MySpace responded to a question I had, and we would occasionally 'talk.' She told me that they moved to a newer, bigger space. They are now on the south side of 18th versus where they were before (just north of 18th). I digress. Here's a shot of the outside of the new La Cebollita. You can tell it's been given a new look just from looking in from the street.

Here's a shot of the restaurant. It's actually much lighter inside than the photo shows. You can see how the new location has an updated, clean and airy look and feel to it. It's cute inside, without being cutesy, and contemporary looking without looking like a faux trendinista job. They did a nice job of the space and it feels good to be there.
La Cebollita Grill also has adorned their walls with original art work. This piece, entitled Surfer Girl by artist Briana Gaitan almost looks like it was painted for the restaurant! She has a few other pieces, one of which I really like but didn't photograph too well due to the glare from the overhead lights. It was an uplifting piece in blues and greens with two doves.
And now for la piece de resistance, the food!! My friend Peter had the quesadillas, which he assured me were delish.
And here's what I had, enchiladas con mole. Mole can be a tricky condiment. I've had some good moles and some incredibly bad ones. I've had them with my ex's family at dinners (Ellos estan de Montery, Mexico) and in many, many restaurants.

When I bit into my enchiladas at La Cebolitta Grill, I thought I died and went to mole heaven. Surely the Angels of Mole must be here!! I am still thinking about how good it was!! Another thing that struck me was the freshness of the food. Usually I avoid eating the lettuce that comes with most Mexican plates because it lacks the vitality that you feel with fresh foods. At La Cebollita, the lettuce fresh and other veggies were fresh and tasty!

La Cebollita (the little onion)

1807 South Ashland Avenue

312 / 492-8443

La Cebollita Midway

4343 W. 47th Street

773 / 247-0910

A gun at the back of my head

A gun at the back of my head?
Last night my sweetie and I were watching American Idol. For some reason or another I had a gun question, or specifically a question about bullets, when he remembered something else and somewhere in between seeing Ramiel, Brook and Kristi together as the "bottom three," I heard him say, "I've had a gun at the back of my head... by another policeman -- TWICE!"

With a sentence like that, John Lennon could have resurrected himself and sang on Idol and I wouldn't have noticed. My friend, who has well over 20 years on the job, was talking about some of his previous work area details. In his rookie days, he worked the west side of Chicago. It's a rough area, both to live in and to work in. He commented that you work there even a year, you're 'a veteran...you're smarter, you're calmer and you know how to handle yourself in dangerous situations a lot better.' That is, if you make it out of there in one piece, mind, soul and body.

He's telling me about his time working a detail area where he and his team wore plain clothes. Because of the nature of what they did, the needed to look 'scruffy' to blend in, especially on the CTA, and except for his badge and ID, there wasn't much of a way for anyone to know they were cops. One day they were apprehending the bad guy (armed with a gun) and my friend said he had his gun out. During the previous melee, the police were called and uniformed officers entered the train, and suddenly he felt the cold steel of another officer's gun against the back of his head. He put put down his weapon as ordered, and had identified himself as a police officer. Because it was winter he was bundled up, so it wasn't an easy matter of just opening his jacket up. After the showing his ID on his lanyard, the other officer put his gun away. Just 'normal' work experience if you're undercover, but one that could definitely be dangerous.

In undergrad, I had a friend who drove a cab to help pay for tuition. One day this guy turned around to collect his fare and instead saw the cold steel end of a gun pointed at his head. This guy quit driving a cab and found a different way to pay for school. I was thinking about how, for most of us, feeling a gun to the back of our head would be a traumatic experience and one that might even be life changing, but if your job involves police work, you may experience this many times, just as you may have to be pointing your gun at someone. Either way, you have to be smart about it, know what to take from it to make you smarter, not dwell on it and move on and continue to do your job.

How to Open a Young Thai Coconut

I used to love getting these on the way home from my errands. Of course back then the store I'd get them at would partially open them so the rest was easy. Now I am on my own. With a young Thai coconut in hand, cleaver in the other, and having watched Roe Gallo's helpful video, I thought it would be easy. The first part, where she uses the cleaver/knife to shave the top part of the husk off, was just like she showed!

Unfortunately, despite being able to dowse, finding that special area on the top where the membrane is wasn't happening for me. Tap, tap, tap I went.... and nothing happened. Frustrated, and thirsty, I resorted to using a drill and popped a straw in, and then went to work on opening it in a less than neat manner. Obviously I was missing something here. I found another video on how to easily open a Thai coconut. Again with the shaving of the husk, I could do THAT part! Then we got to the whacking to make a cut part. I could not get the blade to cut appropriately.

Last night I decided that if I am going to drinking the juice a part of my regimen, I need to make this easy, not hard, so out came the electric knife. Ready to try again, it turns out the knife wasn't recharged enough. My already shaven coconut called to me for one more try. Since I had already vacuumed, I wasn't up for another mess on my floor (which happened the other times I tried to use a cleaver), so I put it in my sink. One whack and the top part along the circular membrane came off. How'd that happen? And so easily???

I realized the difference was leverage. I'm not a tall person, so when I tried to do this on my kitchen counter, I didn't have enough 'swing' behind me by the time the blade hit the coconut. Cutting it in the sink allowed the work area to be several inches below my waist. Flash forward to both videos, and the work area was several inches below the waist of both people who made opening these effortless.

In martial arts we used to keep ourselves grounded by focusing our energy not on the upper but the lower parts of our bodies. In this way we were like a fulcrum and whatever you do with your arms became less work and it the martial artist used far less energy and physical strength to move or defend themselves against an opponent, using our ki or chi energy more effectively and efficiently. So it seems to go with the coconut!

Lutz Cafe and what a dreary day!

What a dreary day outside! Welles Park looks abysmally grey on this rainy, rainy day!

While in the neighborhood, I stopped in at Lutz's Pastry Shop on West Montrose Avenue. For those of us who missed the lovely, Continental European Cafe, good news!! They have been serving coffee, and in a few weeks they plan to reopen the cafe to full food service. It is a considerably smaller than before but once Spring decides to show up in Chicago, the outdoor garden seating will more than make up for it.


























The new cafe still retains it's European look, but with a few updated elements, a fresh coat of paint and a few changes in logistics. Still lovely, I look forward to dining there again. Until then, I was "forced" to take home a small box of dark chocolate truffles (orange and pistachio!!) and two pieces of cake (pineapple and cherry). Sigh, the sacrifices!!

Lutz Cafe and Pastry Shop 2458 W. Montrose St. Chicago, IL 60618

Clip on Earrings

These beauties look like little pieces of artwork!


I'm one of those gals who never got pierced ears, nor did I ever want them. I have always liked ear rings though. Generally, nice ear rings and non-pierced ears have been inconsistent concepts. Occasionally I would find a pair in Carson Pirie Scott or Marshall Fields that was decent looking but even then, usually anything decent came in the form of a button style.

Some years ago I thought about doing a search for clip on earrings. I found Cliptomania, the place for anyone looking for earrings for non pierced ears. They have everything a gal could want: semi-precious, dangles, buttons, chandeliers, silver and gold colors, sterling, conservative, fun, upbeat, casual, dressy... you name it, they seem to have it. During the summer I like to pull my hair back and off of my neck, so wearing dangling earrings for me goes without saying. I have received many complements from people with pierced ears on my earrings.

What I also love about Cliptomania is that you can return your earrings. Because Internet purchases don't allow a person to try before they buy, this is an important customer service feature for me. They do ask that you email them first, and it's well worth the effort since it gives you an opportunity to ask questions if you need to, or to modify a return/exchange order. It's also a refreshing change from receiving an auto responder email that tells you NOT to bother replying. Besides the personalized service, they have a gorgeous selection that fits the pocketbooks of the budget conscious and those looking for a splurge or special piece of jewelry for themselves. Here are some of the beauties I wanted to share with you.

This one I purchased for myself. The pretty and unusual stones are Mexican Opals.

These beauties are Marcasite Drops, by designer Katherine Kornblau. They feature cultured gray pearl ovals and marcasite (faceted to bring out its brilliance) set in 925 sterling silver.

The gorgeous drops (below) are available in brass or sterling silver, and in aqua or tanzanite.

I'm not the only one enthusiastic about Cliptomania, and for good reason. Check out the Consumer Maven to read more about how this company was born, and their business goals.

I went to grad school and ended up with two degrees. The second was in Integrated Marketing Communications; the first degree was in Marketing and E-Commerce Strategy. While in school I read countless HBS case studies of what went right or wrong in successful businesses. I've also observed many online businesses that are launched with lofty goals lacking any realistic foundation, where the principals are in a hurry to quit their day jobs before the kinks and creaks are worked out. This usually leads to unnecessary financial stress and hardship, which generally contributes to less than optimal decision making. I was impressed to read about how Cliptomania was started, launched and continues to grow. It is clear that they owners have customer satisfaction and service based goals -- and isn't that what building customer relationships is all about? Check them out at http://www.cliptomania.com/

For an interesting story about how their business came to be, check out the Consumer Maven

A Steady Rain: People first and officers always

On Wednesday I saw "A Steady Rain," a cop drama by playright Keith Huff. How would I summarize what this intense play is about? Friendship, loyalty, honor, service, old school, change, blurred lines, burnout, spiraling out of control, "family," duty, love and redemption. While I don't know any Joey and Denny types in total, I've known parts of them in friends. Growing up on the north side, hearing the Chicago location references made it all very "real." I knew of the seamy intersections being discussed.

While there was a technical area in the script that sounded off (taking home a squad car when off duty), the dialogue, script content and acting left me feeling like I was eavesdropping on the lives of two real cops. My biggest problem with this is that towards the end, as I was drawn in and feeling this twisted up situation and feeling like it could have been one of my loved ones, and I felt helpless to do anything. I felt like I could have been Joey or Connie. After the curtain call, the friend I attended A Steady Rain with suggested I encourage a dear friend of mine (a CPD veteran of over 20 years) to go see it. "I don't know," I responded. "It may be too close to home for him.... he's known guys that were Denny in the end."

For anyone who thinks being a cop on the street is an easy job and a cakewalk, they obviously don't know any officers who worked patrol very well, or at all. If this is you, then this play will shake your socks off. Keith Huff's script keeps it real, and reminds the audience that cops are people first, but officers always.

The playright makes reference to the Dahmer incident, which involved two Milwaukee suburban cops, not Chicago cops. However, the judgement issue holds for any officer, as does what happens when there is a public outcry and media attention. The Dahmer incident happened in 1991. Had it happened in 2005, it would have been U-Tubed, on the Internet, in the print media both off and online and on television.

The Chicago Tribune has both a print and video review of the play. WBEZ provides an audio interviews with playright that aired on February 2 (848) and March 2, 2008 (Hello Beautiful). For anyone interested in seeing "A Steady Rain," I'd encourage you to listen to either interview.

A Steady Rain
Chicago Dramatists
Royal George Theatre

Tepatulco Mexican Restaurant on North Halsted

Last night a friend of mine from business school and I went to Tepatulco for dinner. Normally when I eat at Mexican restaurants, except for Riques, I've usually stayed with neighborhood and smaller family run places, plus my favorite taquerias. As a rule I've avoided upscale ethnic restaurants except when I'm looking for a completely different dining experience.

Because we were going to the theater I wanted to dine close to where the play was being performed. I found Tepatulco online, and as soon as I saw the menu I was intrigued.

What caught my attention was that the chef, uses primarily organic foods and free range animals. This is consistent with my preferred way of eating and cooking at home. The menu options looked fabulous, especially the desserts.

My friend had the carne