#22 / Heart of the City
Hi,
Next week I will have some cool pictures from the bird sanctuary and from Starved Rock State Park, but not this week. This week, once again, I did not go anywhere, but I felt mostly alright about it. We did spend an evening enjoying a going-temporarily-away picnic in Horner Park; at least, enjoying it when our food wasn’t being swarmed by wasps and bees. And enjoying it enough that I did not take any photos. We also had a picnic with friends in Hyde Park and that was far too beautiful to capture. You understand.
Ashley and I both have time off this week, which is how we are going to the bird sanctuary and the state park, because we were originally supposed to be at the Maha festival in Omaha, which had become one of the things that makes a year a “normal” year. We considered getting a cabin or small house somewhere else on the lakeshore for a couple days, but it doesn’t feel like we’re supposed to travel right now if it’s not necessary, or at least for something that’s a big deal. So we’re just going to do day trips instead, which feels a lot more comfortable. (What a weird thing to say.)
This would have been our first full summer in Chicago when we weren’t occupied by the residency and/or moving. We were going to feel like bona-fide Chicagoans for the first time, a thing that instead ended up happening in March. It’s weird feeling like you’ve just become established in a city that you suddenly can’t utilize. Driving past downtown, the buildings are as stunning as ever, but off-limits, looking and feeling hollow, like a toy model or a dollhouse.
But hey, the water on the lake still shines, the birds are singing, and the caterpillars are falling out of the trees (seriously). Hyde Park is still charming. And the city is still alive as the day we fell in love with it, in different ways.
Reading
Fintan O’Toole — Brexit Is Like Listening To Someone Else’s Dreams
This is the guy who wrote the Bono article I sent a few weeks ago. I am enjoying his writing so much that I picked up a subscription to The Irish Times just so I could access his biweekly columns. And then, this one was so good that I copy-pasted it at the link above for y’all to see. I hope he’s not mad.
Jourdain Searles — The 20 Best ‘Chappelle’s Show’ Sketches Of All Time
To be honest, I totally forgot about this show, let alone how great it was. The other night, we got home late and wanted to veg out, it was on, and I was instantly transported back to sophomore year of college. For an all too brief period, Chappelle was easily our favorite thing on TV. And I was delighted at how well the comedy holds up (for the most part; there is some cringeworthy stuff, too).
The show had a reputation for being controversial, and I don’t even know if they would allow a new show today to air half of these sketches. (But they’re still playing it on late-night syndication, so.) It’s refreshing to see how openly and confidently it talks about race and centers and celebrates Black experience; I did not appreciate that at the time. The risk-taking is never for its own sake; it is in service of comedy, and often it’s also making a point.
This is a quick read and it has links to all the clips, so check it out if you’re not familiar, or if you want a fun trip down memory lane.
Mood
The National — “Terrible Love”
I didn’t listen to a lot of music this week. A phase I go through sometimes. But last night we wanted something chill and soothing, and there is nothing more chill and soothing than putting on this album.
It takes an ocean not to break
https://open.spotify.com/track/6BSNHSXrOVNnRcm85D4YIt?si=fXSzkIHRQS2q_I1dnQhskA
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Thanks for reading. Please take care, and write back if you can!
Love,
Aaron