Aug 032010
Aug 032010
From Baltimore, I headed back to the City for a few days and spent some time with a few friends. I would have liked to have stayed longer, but in order to meet up with other grad school friends, I headed to Chicago for a few days.
Chicago was different than I expected as it’s a big city, but with quite a lot of space. The buildings are amazing architecturally and despite the tall buildings, there’s a lot of open sky space. We saw the Bean, of course and different parts of the city. I was most impressed with being able to ride bikes along Lake Michigan and enjoy the beach just a short ride away. It’s a great city – if only the winters weren’t so cold…. I would consider living there in the summertime, though. π
It was nice to catch up with friends again after four years since we graduated. Thanks to Karly and Arun for letting us crash at their place!
Pics below:
More to come…
-T
Aug 022010
_Mennonite in a Little Black Dress:Β A Memoir of Going Home_
My friend in NYC is an editor for Henry Holt and she gave me this book when we caught up after four years. She edited this book and she said it was a funny story that she thought I might like. While I’ve become more interested in contemporary fiction, I do find myself drawn to the memoir genre, so I was interested in reading it. Also, it’s on the NY Times Bestseller’s list, so it couldn’t be so bad. π
In fact, I loved this book! It was hilarious, deep and well-written in every way imaginable. Rhoda Janzen has a gift of storytelling that comes through in her journey of healing from a divorce and accident to reconnect with her family and traditions. While finding a balance between Mennonite traditions and her more liberal/independent lifestyle, Janzen tells her story with humor and humility. I smiled, laughed and was totally engaged throughout her story – so I highly recommend it as a read especially for women.
It seems that I’m reading more books about going through divorce or healing from it or relationships by women of my age or slightly older. It’s nice to feel a connection and understanding through these stories. Now, I’m even more drawn to write my own stories, but I don’t know that I have such a gift…. In any case, I was inspired by this book, which doesn’t happen often, so I’m glad that I was able to read this book as I might not have done so unless it had been given to me!
Thanks, Helen!!
More to come…
-T
Aug 022010
Aug 022010
Usually my summer travels take me to some place in the world, but this year I thought it would be the year that I visit/catch up with friends and family State-side.Β With such a long holiday (sorry to brag), it was a cheaper option to stay domestic in the States than to try to traipse around the world. Plus, it’s nice to just take it a bit easier!
So, I started my traveling with New York City for just a night. My wonderful cousin let me stay the night with her before I headed down to visit some grad school friends in Baltimore and one night out in DC.
Here are the pics from that:
More to come soon…
-T
