The Owl has quickly become my local bar, and I seem to meet my friend Matt and his wife Melissa there once or twice a week. Tuesdays are $2 and $3 craft pints and Thursdays are $3 3 Floyds pints. Tuesday is clearly the winner between the two. It can get crowded later in the evening, and somewhat loud, but on the whole it’s close, prices are good, and it has a good vibe. I especially like when we can snag the back little stage area with comfy seats and a big sofa. E and I had a chance to check out The Whistler when it wasn’t packed, and I think we both enjoyed our drinks. We sat at a small 2-top and chatted over interesting interpretations of classic cocktails, and I got a serving of Ardbeg scotch for not too much cash. E thought it tasted like hot dog water, but that’s not their fault.

I went to Reckless Records and sold some old CDs and DVDs that have been sitting in boxes and being moved from house to house over the years. It’s depressing to turn hundreds of dollars of stuff into 4 new records and a pocketfull of cash, but I tell myself that it’s better than moving those damn CDs again and doing nothing with them. I honestly don’t love Reckless, but they are a good resource to have. While I was there I ran across the street to an actual Intelligentsia location, which I expected to be good but maybe disappointing in some way. The cappuccino I got blew me away. They were pulling the same espresso that Lab in Ann Arbor pulled (Black Cat), but the flavor was very different, with big dark chocolate notes and less of the citrus-forward acidity of Lab.

I’ve enjoyed many meals we’ve had here. We went down to Nightwood in Pilsen to celebrate E’s recent interviews at places here in Chicago. The menu is hand-written daily (supposedly) and is kept seasonal. Even in the winter, though, there were plenty of interesting options. We selected two appetizers, two entrees, and shared a chemex coffee for two and a dessert for two, and it was excellent from start to finish. The atmosphere was a bit loud for a truly intimate date, but we were still able to converse and have a great time. It’s also not really that far away, so I can imagine going back for brunch, which features a maple bacon donut thing, I hear. We also had two latin american meals this weekend: dinner at El Cid (2), which was adequate, and brunch the next day at Cafe Con Leche (whoa, that site has music!), which I thought was very good. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the food was very solid.

I’ve been enjoying the mild weather, which makes it easy to moped into work and walk around the area a bit more. Soon spring will be here, which means outdoor markets, bike riding, evening moped rides with friends, and visits to parks and beaches. I can’t wait.

*I would say that this had something to do with the fact that I just spent five days in California, but no. I think this is empircal fact.
**I still haven’t decided how I prefer to write coop. Co-op? CoOp? I could always go the New Yorker route and use an umlaut, but that just looks ridiculous, even in print.

So here are some thoughts I’m having about Chicago so far:

• 1 out of 10 bikes has gears. Chicago bike riders generally seem to love mashing on pedals with like 50rpm cadences, because that is apparently more efficient than having gears and being able to start from a stop without nearly falling over.
• Bars have more, better, beer, probably because of having to keep up with their competition. It generally seems that people and bars are just generally more knowledgeable of beer and make an effort to do it well.
• BYOB restaurants are genius.
• Living in Logan Square is pretty rad. I can get to a good coffee shop in less than 2 minutes, the el in about the same time, eat good grub within walking distance, walk down to the Owl in 5 minutes or bike to Revolution or Small Bar in about the same time. It’s nice to be around things.
• There is really no way to know how crowded the Fullerton bus is going to be. One day it’s packed, the next it’s empty.
• Biking in Chicago basically immediately turns you into a car-flipping-off crazy bike person.
• There isn’t much good men’s shopping here, really.
• It is extremely easy to spend money if you want to.
• It’s OK to wear Uggs here. I thought maybe Chicago would be above those, but we are still in the Midwest, I suppose.
• I like the numbering system for the streets, it makes sense to me and I can generally figure out where I’m going.
• 10% sales tax is awful
• Brunch here could be considered an art form
• Parking isn’t that bad, really

I really can’t wait for E to be here permanently. Living solo, especially with two cats who demand attention and feeding 3x a day, is not something I’m used to, and I miss experiencing things with my wife.

Merry Christmas from Team Beers, coming to you live in CST.

On the other hand, we have been cooking: Thanksgiving dinner for friends, lentil stew and other soups with the six quarts of turkey stock, shrimp tacos, and last night’s very passable impression of chicken piccata served on the fine china. And we’re throwing diets out the window and enjoying meals at many of our favorite places. So it’s not that I don’t have things to tell you about – it’s that I don’t have time.

In lieu of actual content, here is a picture of our cats behaving strangely:

We’ll be back soon. Promise.

Let me back up.

When we started to talk about leaving DC, we were both unhappy in our jobs.  We were tired of our commutes, tired of living in the suburbs, tired of the cost of living somewhere just a little too expensive.  We had a lease that was ending, and a fabulous job opportunity for Shane.  We were Ready To Go.

We’ve now been  in the mitten for a little over two years, and (in the spirit of the day) have much for which we’re thankful.  We have good jobs and many good friends.  We’ve been able to pursue our interests – beer, mopeds, knitting, running, cooking, records, gardening – and have had storage space to accommodate all of those interests.  We’re healthy, though Shane has been fighting a nasty cold all week, as are our cat friends.  Our families and most of our friends are within half a day’s drive, as are several major cities and lots of gorgeous nature.

So why move?

Because we’re craving city life.  Because every time we go to Chicago and see allllllllllllllll of our friends, we feel grumpy that we don’t live closer.  Because having a newish nephew has made us acutely aware of the passage of time and how much we’re missing by only seeing him a few times a year.  Because we’ve only gone to a handful of shows in the time that we’ve lived here.  Because it’s frankly not that much more expensive than Ann Arbor, but offers so much more to a childless couple in their 30s who want to have fun before they’re too old to be fun.  Because we didn’t get the full city experience living in the ‘burbs of DC.  Because it’s a major hub for airlines and a world class destination for good food and coffee.  Because I’m a Cubs fan.  Because so many of the people that made Champaign home are now in Chicago, and because Champaign is 2.5 hours away by train.  Because there’s a lake and beaches in the interminable summer.  Because it’s a city of neighborhoods, each with their distinct identity.  Because it has an established bike (and moped) culture.  And because we’re ready for a change.

After several conversations this summer, we decided that we wanted to focus our energy in this direction.  We weren’t sure if or when it would happen, but we wanted to make it happen.  We started applying for jobs, realizing that if they didn’t happen, we were still in a very good place, and the worst it meant would be that we would be in that good place a while longer.  In October, on the heels of a few weeks of ridiculous travel, Shane interviewed at DePaul, and a few weeks ago, he was offered the job.  Chicago!

So what happens next?  At some point in December, a moving company will pack up our apartment and load it onto a truck and drive it to Chicago.  We’ll go home for Christmas, then come back here to move me into a month-to-month sublet and to load up the van with some cats and the stuff Shane will need until the movers arrive.  I’ll help him get settled so that he can start his new job on January 2, and then we’ll do the back and forth thing until I can find a job.  There will be lots of visits and Skype calls and separation angst, but hopefully it won’t last too long, and by the spring we’ll be together again in our new city.  And we absolutely can’t wait.

Team Beers is moving to Chicago!

In my experience, bridal showers are painful as often as they are enjoyable. My sister and I were determined that the shower we cohosted for Mark and Evonne would be different. First of all, no games – especially no games involving toilet paper. Second, it would be a couples’ shower. And third, there would be good food.

Two kinds of cheese fondue and savory snacks – the acorn squash fondue was the biggest hit and yielded nearly twice what we expected, while the Dubliner fondue separated in the saucepan and never quite came back together.

Chocolate fondue, sweets and spiked cider. The chocolate fondue was an unmitigated success, and the pound cake was polished off by the end of Sunday’s breakfast. The cider didn’t survive the evening.

Laughter and party crashers:

A lovely time was had by all.

On the one hand, I agree with the sentiments.  $60 isn’t a negligible amount.  Debit cards are less expensive for merchants to accept.  If you have bad credit – as I did for many years – the Visa logo on your debit card may be the only way for you to shop any way other than in person.

On the other hand, and for a variety of reasons, I’m a little irritated by these sentiments.  We’ve all gotten so used to “free” checking that we’ve forgotten that monthly maintenance fees used to be standard.  I worked in banking from 2001-2004, and spent much of that time explaining the suite of fees charged for services ranging from using a foreign ATM to getting your checks back in your statement to transferring money by phone.  Cut off times governed by geographic distance restricted when transactions could take place.  Need to make a deposit at a branch at 6pm on a Friday to beat a check to the bank? Sorry.  We accepted these fees as the cost of convenience and of doing business.

Now, I’m not going to defend the actions of Bank of America or any of the other big banks in this era of rampant financial speculation.  They’ve screwed up, and taken our economy down with them.  What I am saying, however, is that we’ve been able to take for granted that banking services are free.  Opening an account? Free, and in some cases, they’ll GIVE you money as long as you keep the account open. Depositing cash into an ATM without using an envelope? Free. Transferring money using a (free) mobile app from your phone? Free. Talking to someone on the phone? Difficult, but free. Writing checks? Free, though you have to buy the checks. Receiving, viewing, and paying bills online? Free. Withdrawing money from ATMs in any state plus a few foreign countries? Free, as long as you use the right ATM.  In the grand scheme of all of the things I’m able to do with my money through my bank, $5 per month in the months that I choose to use my debit card seems pretty minor.

I also understand wanting to keep your money in your community, rather than putting it in a national bank.  I did that for a number of years, banking with AMCORE until I moved to a Champaign, more than an hour away from the closest branch or ATM.  I loved AMCORE, and would have kept my money there if it had been remotely convenient.  I loved it for all the reasons one loves a local business – with the added layer of affection from two and a half years of working there.  In 2010, AMCORE was failed by the Fed, and is now part of Harris Bank.  I worked for Busey Bank for the first year I was in Champaign, and immediately felt the limitations of having my money at a small town – not even regional – bank.  I paid ATM fees at least 50% of the time I needed cash because Busey ATMs weren’t conveniently located in town, much less available out of town.  I switched to National City, then we moved to DC, where there were no National City banks.  We started using ING, but still couldn’t find ATMs.  So, in 2007, we opened a joint account with Bank of America – first to give us an option for depositing cash and checks, then for all of our banking.

So here’s why I’ll be paying the Bank of America debit card fee: the convenience is worth it.  It doesn’t make sense to me to change banks over $60 per year.  We would pay far more than that in foreign ATM fees if we were to change to the local credit union, for example, considering that we’ve been out of town 12 of the last 20 weekends, and taken day trips 4 of the remaining 8.  I don’t have a problem with paying for services I use, and the convenience of using a debit card is FAR GREATER than the cost.

Lodge Cast Iron 12″ skillet with lid, a gift from Kevin and Jill, our cast iron gurus

Calphalon Contemporary 8 quart stockpot with steamer and pasta inserts

An absolutely indestructible Magnalite 10″ skillet, handed down from my parents

All-Clad 2 qt sauce pan

Martha Stewart 3.5 quart enameled cast iron casserole which, oh hey! has been recalled!

Lodge Cast Iron grill pan

IKEA 5 quart cast iron casserole

We also have – and very rarely use – a square non-stick griddle and an All-Clad 2 burner non-stick griddle.

The items I want to toss and/or replace include:
- 4.5 quart, scratched to hell sauce pan with wooden handles held on by screws so stripped that they can’t be tightened down any longer. When I pour anything out of this pot, I have to rotate my hands in opposite directions to keep it from wobbling. Imagine that with 4 quarts of boiling water or bubbly peach butter!
- 3 quart saucepan that has been similarly abused
- 12″ non-stick skillet that I bought for about $10 at Target at least 5 years ago and is more like ‘stick’ than ‘non-stick’ at this point

So I ask you: what the essentials in your cookware stable? I want to hear your case for specific sizes, brands, and coatings. If you read this site, you probably have a decent idea of what we cook – lots of meat, soups, and the occasional pasta, most of which can be accommodated by what we already have – but also jams, jellies, and tomato sauces that require non-reactive cookware. Canning necessitates at least two saucepans plus the giant pressure cooker. I’m ready to spend the money. I just need you to tell me what to get. So help!