Ahoy there! It’s your favorite salty dog, back at it and dropping anchor in your inbox after a couple of (eventfully uneventful) weeks. Spring is here, the winds are a-whippin’, and our sails are full. I’ve put together a little playlist of tunes that elicit the bright and blustery, sometimes stormy days of spring. The songs are a mix of freshly picked blooms and old forget-me-nots that I hope you’ll enjoy 😎.
FLiRT-ing with disaster
On the night of April 28th I woke up around midnight to confusing whiplash of sensations in my body. I was experiencing abrupt temperature fluctuations and achey pains surging through my joints, but chalking it up to mild food poisoning I willed myself back to sleep. The next day was a Monday, and though I wasn’t feeling my best I got through my work day and crawled back into bed right when I got home. The horrible aches made me leave work early on Tuesday, and, thanks to my sensible mother-in-law, took a home COVID test. To my surprise and chagrin, it came back positive. Apparently a new set of variants called FLiRT has been ripping through the population and, like Chicagoland will soon experience with the Cicada Double Brood, I was overwhelmed by the bug.
Being laid up on the couch for a week would normally give me more time than I’d know what to do with, but given that I physically couldn’t do anything other than sleep, these days passed in a strange blur. When I was awake and my eyeballs weren’t seemingly about to pop out of my pressure cooker of a noggin I watched movies. The Godfather. Bridesmaids. The Godfather Part II. I read books. I briefly considered writing a newsletter—that would prove I’m not wasting time!—but I resigned myself to total convalescence. That nagging feeling of lost productivity is something I’ve fought for a long time. Maybe you, dear reader, can relate? Well remember, we’re worth more than the capital we produce. I only internalized this lesson recently, when this same illness had us all reassessing our daily obligations.
Dealer’s Choice
Four years ago Emma and I (and the rest of the country) were just settling into the second month of the COVID pandemic and coming to terms with a new, home-based lifestyle. I had been laid off from work and Emma was just figuring out how to teach violin lessons virtually. We were forced to choose ways to spend our time that didn’t generate value for the shareholders or pad the pocketbooks, and then we were left to examine the guilt that inevitably creeps in to make sure one’s leisure time isn’t being too thoroughly enjoyed. We cooked food, played music, got creative with arts and crafts, watched movies, and played many, many games. At one point, we had played Scattergories so much that we had to start inventing our own variations on the game’s category lists just to keep it interesting.
Perhaps my week-long reprise of lockdown brought me back to those pandemic days of time killing, because I got the urge to learn a new card game (and address my woefully weak range of common games I know how to play). We decided to start with Gin Rummy, and we’ve really enjoyed playing it in our evening free time this week. It’s a game that is just engaging enough to still allow easy conversation; Emma and I only have so much time together each day, so this is a necessary aspect of any shared activity. I’m curious to know other card games my readers would recommend we learn next. What’s your favorite one to play?
The past couple of weeks I’ve been reclaiming free time and intentionally reintroducing leisure into my life. It’s strange how modern life can make “taking it easy” such a challenge, but there really is value in slowing down long enough to rest, reflect, and find deep gratitude.
Et cetera
Last Sunday, when I finally felt well enough to get off the couch, Emma took me for a walk around the neighborhood. It was a beautiful day, and because I was still shaking off the knee aches from COVID, we walked nice a slowly and really drank in the spring air. We found an old tree that had completely grown around a streetlight pole. It actually looked like the tree cracked in half one day to reveal a man-made skeleton within.
Yesterday (Saturday) Emma and I ventured up to Roger’s Park for a student recital at Music House. We took the opportunity to eat at one of our favorite north side restaurants, Kabobi—which moved locations last Sunday (we were unaware until we saw a sign on the door directing us “100 yards away”)— and we are still reveling in the delicious food (and reasonable prices). You can’t ask for more in the way of comforting family-style dining with impeccable service.
On the topic of restaurants (and nodding to last newsletter’s theme of grownups) I did a very adult thing and made a dinner reservation for Emma and I tonight at GIANT, a spot down the street from my job that has always intrigued us. We’re making the excuse that it’s our way of celebrating Mother’s Day. After all, Moms are always happy when you eat, eat, you’re skin and bones! Right? Well, we don’t often splurge on fancy dining, so it’s going to be an adventure. Will we know what any of the super foodie ingredients are (if we can pronounce them?)—find out next time!
Until then,
Grant