Good sign

November Sun

It seems to me that this has been a much sunnier November than usual. It has certainly been warmer--with the first couple weeks of my stay well into the 60s F (10s C). For all of my bellyaching, I have greatly enjoyed the walking I have been doing along quaint, quiet northside streets and among autumn foliage.

I took this picture during my morning commute on November 11th--they were setting up the outdoor seating at the Artists' Cafe.

Truly unreal.

What do you mean you don't like pumpkin pie?!

(That's what I had just exclaimed to my friend Andrea as she snapped this photo.)

I made one Sunday for the first time ever. Those close to me know I'm neither a cook nor a baker. (I'm more the bartender type.) But it was a chilly, lazy, November day and I was feeling comfort-y, domestic-y and oven-y in my stylish new Chicago apartment. And I adore pumpkin pie.

It was a success and I enjoyed the process so, who knows, maybe I'll learn my way around a kitchen yet.

Chicago (III)

I am back in Chicago for the (unforeseen) third time in 2010. As per usual, one of the first orders of business was to pay a visit to Grandma (a.k.a. Foxypants). This time, she didn't know I was coming to town. So, on Tuesday the 2nd, I deplaned at O'Hare International at 5:30am after a nearly-sleepless, 10-hour, overnight flight, dropped my suitcase at Dad's, went out for pancakes, and then drove an hour and a half to Foxypants' place in Wisconsin. That was one of my more half-baked plans, but it worked: she was completely surprised.

Since then I have been working and working out. Determined to not carry 15 pounds of "holiday baggage" back to Brazil with me like I did last January, I have a pretty strict exercise regime in place to counter the reunion dinners and holiday parties. Among the initiatives: "training" for the upcoming Turkey Trot and Santa Hustle, and doing the Dailey Method about four times a week. Exhausting like woah, friends.

But that doesn't mean I'm not managing any fun. Fully capitalizing on my pseudo-tourist status, the calendar is peppered with social/cultural events that I always meant to do, but never got around to when I lived here, like First Fridays at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Adler After Dark, and a dance performance by the Chicago Human Rhythm Project. Not to mention the parties...

'tis the season!
Have a great weekend everyone, in all parts of the globe!

Peru: foreshadowing?

While waiting on Paulista for the airport shuttle last week, I overheard a woman inquiring about the same. A taxi split three ways is the same price as the shuttle, so within minutes, we were exchanging introductions on our way to Garulhos.

Over the next hour and a half I had the pleasure of getting to know Edelweiss and her son Franco, my new friends from Lima. We talked about their Hungarian lineage and modern ties to Brazil. Conversation meandered to cuisine and I learned about the Peruvian culinary trend Cocina Novoandina and Gastón Acurio.

Edelweiss warned me not to skip Machu Picchu when I succeed in making that Bolivia/Peru expedition that's been burning a hole on my hotlist. She also told me to look into Arequipa, the "white city," which I will include on my (eventual) itinerary. In fact, Edelweiss and I have been emailing since our chance meeting and the articles and photos she has sent are making my feet itch.

Whenever I get there, I would be grateful to meet that wonderful pair again.

And, what an entertaining surprise during an otherwise-dull commute to the airport!