u s e y o u r h a n d s

about working from home is that on the first Tuesday morning of the month, the City tests the tornado sirens. It still freaks me out.

Now that I work out of my house, I’ve gotten really into staring out the window and checking out what’s going on in my street in Albany Park.

So much happened this morning! My really elderly across-the-street neighbor was once again taken to the hospital. My next-door neighbors got a delivery of what’s probably bogarted landscape flower flats. And this dude keeps riding down my block on a bike with a hand-truck strapped to the back like a makeshift trailer. All in half an hour!

And I wrote a tsk-tsk note to my alderman about the half-ass requirement placed on some retailers to accept plastic-bag recycling.

I am the nosy neighbor. The neighborhood busybody. And, hopefully, after I finish ripping out my front lawn, the local weirdo.

One of the goals for this freelance journey I’m on is to get more civically engaged. I just have to make sure my outlook doesn’t get terribly small.

So, for the past six or so months, I’ve been taking these very long walks around the city. It started with an eight-nine mile walk home from my office downtown. It’s actually fairly easy to do with good shoes, an iPod and a camera.

I do it to feel independent. To keep off the 75 lbs I lost last year. To find interesting parts of the city. I’ve taken ridiculous amounts of streetart photos this way. I’ve come to rely on Starbucks for clean potties and hot coffee during the walks. I’ve started noticing and researching landmark districts around the city. I’ve walked Milwaukee Ave from the Loop to Devon, from my house to Evanston, and home from downtown numerous times. And it’s something I highly recommend, if you’re looking to fall in love with your city and engender respect for the power of your own feet.

But mainly, I’ve learned that you don’t have to walk the whole way home, as long as you’re headed in the right direction.

I’m at the Grind in Lincoln Square for the second time in two days (thanks, last-minute work assignment.) Ad sitting in front of me is this guy who looks extremely unusual. Here are some ideas: 1) German army colonel; 2) 1920s-era mountain hiking guide; 3) frontman for a Spoon/My Morning Jacket-type band.

Also, this crazy chick who seems to live here is, surprise, here. Although the really good vegan cookies are not.

A Moment on My Birthday from shylo bisnett on Vimeo.

(Oh, yes, I do realize that the title of this post is a Pavement album. And while I don’t enjoy Mr. Malkmus and his band, I will steal his title. Thanks, indie rock kids.)

So, I just got back from dancing for hours and hours. It was divine. And it’s Monday. There’s no work tomorrow and the day stretches long before me, full of possibility and hummus. Which I’m eating now. It was just insanely fun to go find some fun dance music, come home and listen to Belle and Sebastian, and then plan what kind of fruit pie I’m baking tomorrow. All with a cat doing a fun little galette around my legs.

How can any girl ask for more?

I had a ridiculously fantastic week, full of long walks and concerts and bike rides in the rain and art shows and baseball games and urban planning lectures. Oh, and a car accident. A little one. Wasn’t my fault and I wasn’t hurt. Just a stiff neck, but I had a massage planned for this a.m. anyway.

Even after the accident, when I let myself cry three tears and that was it, I put a smile on my face and thanked whomever that I was fine, as was my trusty Subaru Legacy, Cleo. And today, post-massage and post-shopping excursion, I hopped on my bike again for what turned out to be a 15 or 16 mile trip. Then a lecture! Then a ride home.

I am thankful for my glorious life and hope it is long enough so I can do something worthy of it.

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