Best What I've Done So Far Here in Chicago

Monday night the grown up kids got to go see Wicked. The lights outside of the Oriental Theater were green!



The lights inside the Oriental Theater were oriental!



Tuesday the family wound up downtown together. It seems I've accidentally deleted a magnificent photo I took of Owen dancing like a ginger bread man. Oh well. Anyway, here in Chicago they keep the peace with advanced technology that most cities reserve for only nerds.



Some of us lunched at a The Corner Bakery.



Here is Mom at Honorary Chicago Woman way.



It is true what they say abut Chicago architecture (that it is good).



Checked out the skydivers inside the Water Tower Mall.



And here's Claire by the Water Tower standing in front of the future site of the Clare at the Water Tower.



For a long time I didn't believe that there could be an automobile more beautiful than the new Bentley Continental GT Coupe. My belief was mistaken, because the Bentley Continental Flying Spur is the most beautiful thing on earth.



Wednesday I waited three hours for my holiday season CT scan at the University of Chicago, and that was just the first of my day's appointments. Grrr. Upon escaping my favorite Hyde Park hangout I rewarded myself with a little lunch at long time favorite place, El Gallo de Oro.



You've probably wondered why El Gallo de Oro is better than their competition . . . well, the answer is simple:



Down there at 63rd and Sacramento you'll find the big indian that maybe you saw in Wayne's World.



Thursday I spent some time in Wicker Park. For you snobby New Yorkers, this is where you'll find Chicago's Flat Iron building.



Walking down the street I noticed this sign in a store window . . . could it be?



Yes, Mr. Jared Rusten starring in a thrift store sign as photographed by Mrs. Karen Rusten. Interesting.



A storefront of saints and such.



There was this used book store that was a maze of plain wood shelves full of books that no one will ever want to buy and at the heart of the store the labyrinth opens to reveal a futon like a fountain hidden at the center of a Moorish castle.



Steak taco, taco al pastor, tostada de tinga, and 2 chicken flautas at Flash Tacos. Just enough to make me crave a . . .



. . . proper Chicago hot dog across the street.



A pizza place called "Piece" with its clever little logo. Clever.



In the window of bookstore: Friendly Meats.



In the window of a home: Hostile Milkshake.

Best Comparing of the Cameras

So the other day I took my two cameras out to see what the difference was between them. As I had to shrink these pictures for the blog the, uhm, 4.something or other difference in megapixels between my old camera and my new doesn't exactly show, but there's a noticeable difference in the quality of the colors, right?

Jeep with the old camera:


Jeep with the new:


Snow with the old camera:


Snow with the new:


House with the old:


House with the new:


Sign on the dumpster across the street with the old:


And the same with the new:


I know, I know. Thrilling.

Best Christmas 2005 Run Down

Hey, remember yesterday? It was Christmas! Here's some stuff that happened at our house.

Here's Mom and Dad with the Five Points Brunch Cookbook, which is what I gave them. What, you haven't Sunday brunched at Five Points? What, you didn't run out and get the cookbook either? Come on.



I got a new camera for Christmas. A new, positively deadly super camera with dozens of presets, presets like "Baby." So here I am, trying out the "Baby" setting on Baby Rachel.



Can you even guess what this is a picture of?



Grandma got the grown up guys laser pointer pens . . .



And this is what happens when you shine a laser directly into the lens of a brand new digital camera. Pretty cool, right? I mean, all our lives, we're being told not to look directly at lasers, and it turns out this is what we've been missing out on. I know . . . kind of reminds you of the first time you looked at Medusa's reflection in your mirror shield, right?



Present opening started to wind down and people started working on making breakfast and I snuck upstairs . . .



Wait a second . . . could it be?



The Christmas Mustache! Has Returned!


I know, I know. I'll give you a second to take in the awesome.

With all the new presents opened Blake, Cory, and Greg broke out "Don't Break the Ice" from, I don't know, Christmas 1987. That game is ruthless!



Back to the kitchen to try out the "Baby" setting on my new camera again . . .



And the "Mom" setting . . .



"Self-Portrait" setting!



"Self-Portrait!!"



AND my camera has a "Food" setting . . . so I had to put that to work at dinner.



Ham, hiding.



"What's taters?"



And this is dinner on the "Dinner" setting.



Trying out the "Soft Skin" setting on Owen.



The "Mom" setting again . . .



Wait, does "Self-Portrait" still work?



Breakfast and dinner eaten, presents opened, we all wound up in the den for the usual Christmas evening sluggishness. Looks like maybe I lost a fight on the Gamecube?



RIP Handsome Beard of Winter 2005



And that was Christmas!

Wait. Here's a present for you. It's Phil Spector's Christmas album from way back. Sure, we all love Sufjan's Christmas record(s), but once you've had enough banjo, I invite you to enjoy the Wall of Sound take on "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and all the rest. And yeah, while Christmas is over, lots of these songs are winter songs, so you can play it around the house without being totally out of style.