Ficus alert

The photo to the left is NOT my ficus, but one I lifted from a local website. I'm guessing it's reasonably mature because the trunk looks thicker.

My own ficus is not doing terribly well, which is distressing, but I've got plans. I'm looking up everything I can on it and making sure the soil never completely dries out, at the same time not over watering it. I'm also going to my first Bonsai society meeting, which, as luck would have it, actually meets at my place of work about two buildings away. So ideally, they'll have more info for me.

Right now my ficus sits in a very sunny window. It's not supposed to be in temps less than 65 degrees, and I noticed an air conditioning vent nearby, so I'm covering the vent with a towel.

I also found a pretty good Bonsai website called Bonsaigardener.

Grandma's 90th

I attempted to use my Canon Rebel T2i to capture some video of my grandmother's 90th birthday party last month. I then tried cobbling some of the pieces together using a simple software option that came with the camera. Was sort of like using a croquet mallet and phillips head screwdriver to shape a diamond. The ultra-choppy result is that I've visually mangled a very nice event. Too many more of these and Canon is going to demand their camera back, lest I drive away business. Thank you again, Judy, for organizing all of this. It was a really good time.

Myopic Books

Completely forgot that while in Wicker Park, we came across Myopic Books. Not as edgy as I'd hoped from the street (I don't really know that for sure, as we weren't there long) but nice people and a good collection that I could have browsed for some time if we didn't have a movie to get to.

Good times

I spent the early morning Friday entertaining the dogs with a 3 mile walk while I listened to "Gentlemen of the Road" by Michael Chabon. This was followed by fussing over my bonsai trees and repotting for the first time an old, long-armed green leafed house plant that has refused to give up on my in the 10 years I have owned it and moved it from home to home, city to city, job to job.

I then did some actual work at the computer for a couple of hours, afterwhich Amy and I had a good Chicago Friday. We went downtown for lunch at ate in Wicker Park at Piece Brewery and Pizza, which is a New Haven style pizza place owned (or partially owned, I'm not sure) by the lead singer of Cheap Trick--thus there are a few ridiculous multi-necked electric guitars from his famous collection cast about a slightly smug loft environment. Our service was very good. I ate a gigantic amount of pizza and spent the rest of the day nursing ginger tea trying to get over it.

The Pizza is very good and, for Amy, a true relief, as she does not care for Chicago deep dish and apparently never will. The New Haven style is a flat but chewy wheat crust, someone bubbled and with light use of sauce. I personally like it very much, and it's a nice change from the
cheese-bucket-o-heart-attacks you get at Gino's, Giordano's, Milano's, crappy Pizzas Uno and Due, etc. We started with their guacamole and chips and then had a medium pepperoni and mushroom.

Then, we were off to Landmark Cinema in Lincoln Park to see Cyrus, a new sad comedy with John C. Reilly as a lonely guy who finds the perfect girlfriend (Marisa Tomei) only to walk into the buzz saw of her neurotic 22-year-old son (placed so well by Jonah Hill that he's possibly my new favorite actor). The entire cast is awesome, and we loved the movie.

They made very nice use of a technique I see sometimes in movies from the late 60s and early 70s in which you listen to the characters talk to each other while watching film of them doing something else together like laughing or drinking wine. It's effect can be magical. I can't think of an original example but Faye Dunaway comes to mind.

So what can I say? It was a good day ended with a lot of reading and too much sleep. It's now Saturday, and I have nothing pulling me in any particular direction. My dogs are fed. My wife is sleeping in. I have a kindle with great books on it. I did some tai chi and now hope to primarily laze and perhaps read at the Morton Arboretum. It doesn't get much better than this for me. I didn't even mention seeing Winter's Bone the other night. It will surely be nominated for best picture next year.

Monday

Been trying to get in three miles in the mornings with the dogs. Sometimes less, but always fast. They seem to appreciate this. As soon as we get back, they eat and crash.

Back to work after a good weekend. Amy and I went all over the place and had a great time.

The bonsai seem to be doing well. On reviewing the photos I took, I realized the new camera actually caught a spider web on one of them that I hadn't seen myself. Stepped outside and brushed it off.

So, off to work. I may be odd in that I tend to like Mondays, perhaps because I like my job.

The New Interest

I have had more hobbies than I'd like to admit at this point, but this seems like a worthwhile addition to the house. Amy gave me the juniper, and we bought the ficus yesterday from a very pleasant bonsai enthusiest at a nursery in Hinsdale yesterday.

Good Morning!

I'm still too much of a wimp to figure out the good software that came with my new camera, so I'm using Microsoft Office Picture. Still comes out fairly well.