Sun, you are welcome here

Summer has without doubt arrived here in Chicago!   I just returned from a walk at the park with Drew & Mollie (Warren Park, 1/2 block from our condo--an image of the park is above, painted by Joseph Michaels). It was 90F by 9am today and still pretty sticky tonight. I'm still not sure how warm it actually got today, but I LOVE it.  Winters are truly not my style: this girl was born to bake.

And? It has been a lovely week. For the first time in months I feel life has slowed.  Yes, I have a lot of work and yes, my schedule is full but it's full of things I WANT to do--I want to be writing about my research, mentoring younger students and discussing ideas over coffee with cohorts. I want to be walking Mollie at the park, organizing social events, swimming with Jade and dancing ballet to my heart's content. I even want to be vacuuming my home, keeping things beautifully organized and spic-n-span! I don't mind having a full schedule--especially when I'm at liberty to arrange it myself (for the most part). The only thing I'm missing is a personal chef... cooking's something I just haven't been enjoying much this year & I'm very crafty at making sure I'm too busy to actually prepare a "real" meal. Note to self: must secure more dinner invites. :)

Here's to hoping you all are enjoying these summer months as much as we are! If you need some R & R, we encourage you to come try it Chicago style. We're up for hosting. :)

Here we go again

To quote a favorite Paramore song of mine, yes. It's true. P. Moreau from I. Peretz's lab @ U. Montreal published a review of my winter article in the Scientific American, which spurred yet another round of emails & phone calls from press. My 2 favorite: 1) the Seattle Times (I was quick to inform them of my Washingtonian heritage) and 2) New York's public radio--WNYC, requesting that we be guests on their live show "Soundcheck." Nina did the show, getting to open for The Dolls (yes, she's hot for Punk music... and had, in fact, just learned the drum part to "Trash"). Seems like it was a lot of fun. If you'd like to have a listen you can stream the episode at http://www.wnyc.org/ Click on the "Music & Emotion" link (which today is their feature story--I'm sure it'll be buried by tomorrow!).

Where have I been??!

Teaching Sunday school, defending my dissertation proposal, teaching my 'Biology of Music' course (and loving it!), ballet workouts, dog walking, a visit from the Straits (Debbie & Kevin) and an overall <> quarter culminated this weekend with a much needed LADIES RETREAT at Camp Friedenswald, Michigan. I acknowledge that Drew & I owe you all many many updates but for now, allow me to simply 'check in'. :)

Really, these past 8 weeks have been absolute madness. I was nervous preparing for the retreat in light of all the work I *should* have been doing this weekend. When Amanda & Nicky arrived to pick me up, however, I jumped into the car with the giddiness of a 13 year old heading off to a slumber party. The weekend provided many opportunities to giggle with girlfriends, eat s'mores, tan on the beach and spend time getting to know our cross-cultural group better. We had sisters with us from Burundi, Nepal/Bhutan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Cambodia and Liberia. Games not reliant on language--like charades--were a big hit for this group! We stayed in the gorgeous Lakeview Lodge above.

I got a bit of work done but, even more importantly, return to work this evening filled with energy & vision. Thanks to all who put in hard work to make this possible.

an afternoon at the ballet

Once again, I've been spoiled. A yearly indulgence of mine is purchasing a pack of 2 tickets to the Joffrey. I'm considered a season ticket holder... even though I only go to two of the shows... meaning I receive certain perks--like my cherished Joffrey tshirt. My second ticket was for their Spring performance this past weekend, which I attended with my dear friend Jenna. Above is a photo of the final (& titulary) performance of the afternoon--Carousel. This piece turned out to be my favorite of the afternoon!

The fact that I got to sit in the FRONT ROW during that piece could have contributed to my favor (!!). You see, Jenna arrived at the theatre without a ticket & was able to purchase one from a scalper (ballet scalper, you're thinking?? really??... not really, but I'll spare you the explanation...). Providentially, no one ever claimed the seat next to her! Stealthy Dana snuck up front during intermission, giggling with excitement! Let's just say their leg muscles are even bigger in person. I went home a happy girl.

adventures of a sleeping dog

Firstly, I apologize. Not only have I been a fairly delinquent blogger, but... even more... I'm terribly guilty of blogging far too much of my DOG. For those of you non-dog lovers I can only imagine what you're thinking... STRAITS, HAVE A BABY ALREADY! Mollie brings us so much laughter & diversion from fairly focused lives that we can't help but love her to bits!

Secondly, I credit this post to my dear mother who has been asking when the next post of her "grand-dog" would be. If you're sick of the dog I advise you return to whatever other e-activities you have to do (Settlers online? catching up in GoogleReader? Fbook??)... because otherwise, you're about to get even more of our little one.

Mollie falls asleep in the most strange positions--always upside down or with her hind legs propped up on a wall, chair or table. Often, half her body is squeezed under some piece of furniture... and without fail she's somewhere in our near vicinity. I wanted to share a few of our favorite sleeping photos...These poses are becoming a nightly ritual. She's currently at the foot of the bed, legs flailed every which way & fast asleep. Nighty nite!

Mackinzie the Scientist (& Mollie the guinea pig...)

A student at our church has embarked on an ambitious science project, seeking to determine how consistent dogs are in selecting 'preferred' flavors of dog treats. Do all dogs prefer the same flavors? If not, are they consistent in their preferences? Given 3 opportunities to select one of three flavors, do they pick the same flavor each time or different flavors each time?

Mackinzie paid Mollie a visit last week and Mollie was an eager subject. She took her treats gently and was so very pleased! Turns out she liked the turkey & bacon treats. Turkey won, 2 out of 3.

Mollie says: 'Thanks Mackinzie!!'

So much for home hair cuts...

Drew calculated how much $$ we'd save if I started cutting his hair... I tried to pull off a cool 'do' last weekend & ended up just giving him a shave... looks fine. Reminds me of our Dominican Republic days!

Before finishing completely I brushed Drew off & told him we were done, letting him look in the mirror. This is what he found...We had a great laugh! Much to my surprise, however, Drew wanted to keep it. He flies to Portland 1 week from today for a retreat with his best friends and he wanted more than anything to surprise them with this little patch of hair. He couldn't promise he'd wear a hat until then so I took the clippers to it. It was fun while it lasted.
'

Exodus World Service

For the past 2 years we've been involved with a remarkable organization here in Chicago, Exodus World Service, that connects newly arrived refugee families with volunteers committed to visiting them once weekly. The role of volunteers is to provide a smiling face, helping hand and loving heart to these families who are in a huge transitional state and often arrive with any number of emotional or physical scars and little to no English skills. Through Exodus we were connected with both the Feliki family & the Rodriguez family. Both families have taught us so much!

Exodus held their annual banquet this past Friday and for the 2nd year in a row we were hosts. We recruited 2 tables' worth of guests and were pumped to spend the evening with them! We all shared a nice meal in a beautiful ballroom and heard touching stories about how lives of refugees and volunteers have changed through relationships fostered by Exodus.

Above is a photo of our friends Jade and Robert who were generous enough to join us at the event! The photo would be bigger but it turned out really blurry... so.

Easter Beach Trip

We enjoyed a gorgeous trip to the beach after today's Easter service. The sun was shining and there was a fun crew at the dog beach. Mollie attracted a beautiful black standard poodle who followed her just about everywhere.

I love this city... The temple behind Mollie here is the 2nd largest Baha'i temple in the world--a beautiful site, although I'm still not clear on what Baha'i is (?).

Daddy & Dog, having a special moment. Boy do I love these two.

In other news? We became full members of our church this morning and celebrated Easter Sunday in true Living Water fashion--plenty of joyful singing, translating (from English to Khmer to Kirundi to Spanish to French) and lots of story-sharing. We are so blessed by our community.

parts II & III

Yes, the rest of my birthday: Drew was a dear. Amidst this intense time for him as he pushes through writing his thesis and maintaining enough hours at work to keep his insurance... and teaching a class at church... and tending to his puppy's needs... and doing his best to maintain his friendships... (it's a lot!!) he was somehow able to take 2 nights off from writing to honor me. Monday I came home to a small group of friends and Drew wearing an apron. He made the most amazing blue cheese burgers AND the most fabulous gluten free chocolate cake I've ever tasted!! We enjoyed a nice evening together. And I ate chocolate cake at every meal (including breakfast) until it was gone.

There was more to come Wednesday, when Drew took me to a Blackhawks game (that's NHL hockey, for those who don't know). The Blackhawks are good this season for the first time in years and we were there when the season attendance record was broken--the United Center was absolutely packed & the fans were definitely rowdy!! As were the players. There were plenty of fights and exciting maneuvers. Most sports don't move fast enough to keep my attention, but I absolutely adore hockey!!

Thank you, Drew. :)

a chorus in 3 parts

I have always loved my spring birthday because it occurs just weeks after tulips begin their entrance through the cold winter soil and green buds have sprouted on barren trees. In my younger years it consistently coincided with Spring Break, meaning that we could celebrate with giant slumber parties without having to worry about schoolwork or staying up too late. This year I was particularly thankful for the timing of my birthday because it coincided with the RENT tour's arrival in Chicago.

Thus began part I of my 28th birthday (parts II and III to come). Some background. RENT has served as a constant obsession of mine for 5 years running: I own the movie, which I have watched countless times, and have been known to get different numbers stuck in my head for days. I know the original broadway cast and which members showed up to perform in which cities on tours. I know the story behind the musical--about Larson, his other work and his aims for the production of RENT. So when I heard RENT closed on Broadway (after 12 beautiful years!) and some of the original cast members had returned for their final U.S. tour I knew I couldn't miss them when in Chicago.

Charity offered a ticket for my birthday gift, as the first week of the Chicago tour overlapped with my special day. Jade accompanied me & we had an incredible time--the theatre was packed and full of energy (much cheering for favorite numbers & entrances of different characters). Roger and Mark were particularly fabulous (yes, the original cast members... meaning drooling definitely occurred).

Adam Pascal writes on his blog about the closing of RENT: "It means nothing to come and sit in a theater night after night and immerse yourself in fantasy, only then to walk out the door and be unchanged in reality. This show will live on in our hearts but where it truly must survive is in our actions, our compassion and our generosity of spirit towards one another."

Thank you, Charity, for this gift! And I encourage you all to catch the tour if you can!!

Ha.

My friend Jade shared this link (to the PhDcomic below) via her G-status this morning... love it. As I work on pulling together a paper I find painful to write, giggles over common scientific writing language are welcome...

Stalker-ish, I know

Toward the end of dinner with the crew our last night in Seattle, Sherrill & Courtney alluded to some 'errands' they had run earlier in the day. The two exchanged a secretive glance at the word 'errands' and produced a few giggles. I was immediately curious and Courtney fessed up: they knew where Jason Mesnick (the most recent 'Bachelor' on ABC's reality show Drew & I are mutually addicted to) LIVES and had driven by his place earlier that day! With TY, his 3 year old son! I freaked out (totally aware of how ridiculous I am). We left the table and piled into the car with McKinzie & Charity, all of us giggling like junior high school girls.

Let me tell you, the house is nothing to be excited about (definitely not the gorgeous houseboat featured in the show), although Jason drives a nice Passat. The neighborhood was so-so--a little subdivision with houses needing new paint & landscaping jobs. When Sherrill pointed out the house we all began screaming and I was determined to catch a closer glimpse (would Molly be there??). We saw a trail that led to the backsides of the homes in his row & Kinze, Charity & I went sprinting off. Through his back fence I was totally able to catch a glimpse of TY! He was jumping on a fold out couch bed, watching TV.

"Peeping" McKinzie & Dana in the photo above. Ty saw Charity's camera flash when she took this picture and stood up, staring out the window & calling to someone else in the house. We didn't see anyone else and ran off (still giggling) after a few minutes of solid stalking.

This is all true. And I know, very very silly. But what fun would life be without silly obsessions? Can't wait for Gillian as the next bachelorette... :)

Baby Drew!!

WHAT A TREAT!! Jaime & Rob had their baby the night I flew in & I awoke to a text the next morning from Jaime, announcing Drew's birth. (I loved not only that I got to meet him, but also that his name mirrors that of my husband!) Really, cuddling baby Drew was phenomenal--and I do not use that adjective lightly. He was perfect: soft, snuggly and so so peaceful. He slept away, then opened those deep dark eyes and even did his first doodie in my arms (...well, in his diaper--while laying in my arms...). Precious, I know. Really though. It was an honor.

And doesn't Jaime look great?! I couldn't believe how cute she was after not sleeping & laboring for far too long.

Charity & I wanted to be sure not to spread any germs (actually, we just thought the masks made us look cute).

the 'sweet' part of Bittersweet!

While in Seattle I had many privileges, one of which was staying with Jack & Sherrill (my aunt- & uncle-in-laws) at their beautiful home in Redmond! Drew's cousins were also home--Brian & Courtney (both of whom we're still trying to get out here to Chicago...! hint hint...) and it was great to see them (especially breakfast with Courtney the morning I fly out). Also fabulous was getting time with my sister-in-law, McKinzie. I saw her for far too little time but I loved catching up a bit in person (and getting in a little shopping time!).

My BFF (the gorgeous Maine-ite Charity Johnson, mother of 3 and still a size zero!) & I were both welcomed into Jack & Sherrill's home for the weekend and experienced a wealth of amazing experiences as 'bonuses': 3 of which I'd love to share here. 1) a float plane ride all around the city with Jack, 2) stalking THE BACHELOR, Jason Mesnick! and 3) Cuddling Jaime & Rob's newborn baby, born the night I flew in! Baby Drew & Jason Mesnick will be introduced in subsequent posts.

But for now... the float plane ride! Jack is a pilot and invited us for an incredible ride around the city! Right past the space needle (I was so close I may have been able to spit on it... see photo taken from the plane above), over the UW campus and all around Lake Washington... let me tell you, those Microsoft houses are even more impressive from the air.

Jack leading the plane out for boarding.
A view out to Lake Washington. Ah, nothing like a beautiful day in Western Washington!

With Charity, so excited, in the plane flying high.
Husky stadium & a bit of the U! Go Dawgs.

I would post more photos if my site didn't take eons to load when I insert too many at once... So many gorgeous images--of Bainbridge Island & the green of the Pacific Northwest. Made me long for life there again. Thank you, Jack, for the great experience!