One of my favorite places in the whole damn world is Museum Campus on Chicago’s lakeshore, specifically the area around the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium. On occasion, usually when the weather is good or I have time to kill or just feel the need, I’ll walk down along the walking and biking paths in the area, the ones that wrap down around the back of the aquarium, whose edges drop straight down into Lake Michigan. Sometimes they’re closed off because of ice or because the waves on the lake are too high, making them dangerous to walk. Sometimes even when they’re open, you’ll get sprayed by water from a freshwater sea that isn’t as the waves crash against the edge of these pathways.
It’s one of those places that I sometimes wonder if visitors ever think to wander along, or if it tends to be the provenance of locals, who bike along it in their lane, take their morning runs along the slanting walkways and the quiet that can come in those spaces, especially before the day really begins. The view is really spectacular, even on misty days when the fog hangs heavy over the water and you can’t even see the park a few hundred yards away. Of course, maybe I’m biased. It is, after all, one of my favorite places, and I know that if I lived in the city I’d be there as often as I could be, convenience be damned.
Another point in favor of my eventually moving there, I guess.
Along one of those pathways are old warmings painted onto the pavement, telling passersby—and anyone who might consider jumping into the water—that there are submerged rocks in the area along the shore. On the one hand, it seems silly that the warning would be needed. It’s not a beach, not a swimming area, but there are certainly folks who fish along that pathway amongst the runners and the cyclists and wanderers. The warning would be as much for them, who could lose a line in those rocks, or anyone who falls in or would-be rescuers.
Five years ago while walking the pathway, I snapped a picture of one of those warnings. Someone with a sense of humor and a touch of whimsy decided to add a bit of extra flavor to one of those warnings. I haven’t been back in the last year or so to see if it’s still there or if it’s been repainted, but it was still there a few years ago, the last time I was able to come down while the weather was good enough to wander down toward the water.
Spotted in the wild out on Museum Campus, behind the Shedd Aquarium
I’ve wondered since the first time I saw it—it’s been there for a lot longer than five years—about whoever painted the word “troll” onto that warning. A college kid on a dare, a nerdy one out with friends? High schoolers out for a laugh? A creative with a penchant for a little bit of graffiti?
There’s a story behind it, one I know that I will never know. Somehow, though, that makes it that much more interesting, that much more magical. A touch of whimsy to the mundane, something that exists if you’re willing to find it. That’s a little something we all need, now more than ever. A little touch of magic to a gray, hard world.
So here’s to the magic makers and those who seek it—the ones that make joy and those who find pleasure in what’s been made.
So I move into my apartment in Grand Rapids in three days. Mercifully, I’ve known I had a place to move into since October (which was awesome). Right now I’m looking for a part to full time gig to pay the bills while I’m going back to school (fingers crossed very, very hard for a work from home gig that pays well)–resumes are out there in the void and I’m waiting on bites for the moment. After talking to my aunt (my dad’s oldest sister, Lois), I’m 99.9% sure that I’m going to end up adding the group social studies major so I can be more marketable once I get my full-blown teaching certification. I don’t mind the idea of extra stuff to do if it’s going to make it easier on me in the long run.
I’ve been trying to be a responsible adult in the course of outfitting myself for this move. My father’s actually going to make me some new furniture (I love my dad–and he does beautiful work, so I’m super excited), which will save me some cash and will make sure that I actually have matched pieces in a lot of cases. By the time he’s done, I should have an armchair (the cushions for which are my job to finish), a headboard and footboard for my bed, a TV stand/cabinet, a new dresser, new bookshelves, and a new coffee table, all of which matching my beautiful cherry desk that I adore.
Daybed – though those aren’t the linens I got. Linens on the daybed will be gray with pillows in blues and saturated colors.
We hit Ikea the Sunday after my birthday and I scored an iron daybed (which will be my couch), mattresses for said daybed, a kitchen/dining area/craft table and a pair of chairs to go with it.
My table! It extends out on either side and the top drops down into the gap left when the sides are extended. It’s the Bjursta style. Only complaint was that they didn’t have non-fabric seat chairs to go with the color I really wanted.
My mother was a bit worried that it all wouldn’t fit in the car, but we made it work (thank you Dodge for making that vehicle just big enough to fit three people and the stuff we bought at Ikea into it!) and got everything home safely. Mom also picked up some odds and ends for the house while I picked up some random stuff for the apartment in addition to the furniture (cutting boards, dishtowels, garbage can–that sort of stuff).
As usual, we headed to Illinois for Thanksgiving with the family out there (20-some odd people in my grandparents’ condo in East Dundee – always a big adventure!) and we got to see a lot of the family as a result. Friday and Saturday we were in downtown Chicago and saw zero sign of the protests that had been going on since earlier that week (though we didn’t head down to Michigan Avenue on Friday at all) other than it being a little less crowded downtown than it had been in some past years. Note to anyone who’s visiting the city at any point in the future: go to Room and Board. It’s such a cool store. I don’t love all the furniture there, but my mother and I were both completely blown away by a bedroom set we saw there (it’s the Bennett set – in fact, my dad’s taking the footboard and headboard on the bed as the design for the ones he’s going to do for me — and possibly the dresser design, too). It’s definitely got a point of view when it comes to design, but it’s absolutely worth checking out.
In my wanderings in the city, I ended up finding the dishware and glasses I wanted for my new place (mother and younger brother approved, no less). Awakeningsfans will appreciate the name of the collection. Ordered them online; now I just need to go pick them up at the Crate and Barrel at Somerset (except for the mugs, which are unfortunately on backorder – I’ll probably end up snagging them when I’m home for Christmas).
My back is trying to quit on me since I’ve been packing since I got back in sprints. Getting an e-reader was the best decision I ever made, considering the number of books I have digital copies of–and the number of physical books I still have (which is a lot, let me tell you – between books, binders, notebooks, and magazines, I’ve already filled ten 12x12x16 boxes and then a few others of varying sizes–and I’m still not done packing that stuff–but nothing’s too heavy for me to lift, so that’s a good thing at least). I’ve been trying to move stuff into the garage for easier loading come Friday night (since we’ll load Friday night, finish off Saturday morning, then head across the state on Saturday). I’ve still got a list of stuff to finish packing that’s probably twenty categories (and locations) long, but I know I’ll get through it–I really don’t have a choice.
So in the midst of all of the super responsible adult stuff I’ve been doing when it comes to setting up everything for this apartment, I did do something…maybe less responsible than all of the rest of it.
I went to Target yesterday with my mom (I needed to get ultra responsible stuff like GARBAGE BAGS and TOILET PAPER and PAPER TOWELS and stuff like that for when I move in so I don’t have to run all over creation for those kinds of things immediately). The whole world knows that walking into Target is dangerous–it just is. I’m not saying it’s good, I’m not saying it’s bad (I love Target, let’s be honest), but it is dangerous. Let’s be honest.
So my mother needed ornaments to make another garland to decorate for Christmas (tutorial found on Pinterest! It’s great) and I met her back in the Christmas decorating area. I found myself eyeing a tree back there that I really, really liked. Long story about this tree very, very short: the sign on it was wrong and the tree we thought Target had run out of was actually there in abundance. The guy who helped me missed that and so did I–at first–and we both thought that they didn’t have any more of the tree that I liked. Then, when we were getting ready to leave and I said to my mom “I’m going to go look at that tree one more time and see if there’s something similar that I like that’s not too expensive.” I have a tiny little two-foot tree that I’ve used at craft shows but I wanted something a little more substantial for my apartment–it’s my first Christmas in my new place, after all (even if I’m going to be spending the actual day and some time around it at my parents’ house with the family) and I wanted something of my own. I love Christmas–it’s a favorite holiday of mine (note to self: I owe the world some good UNSETIC Christmas fiction). After a little bit of poking around, I realized that the tree I wanted actually was there and the display was mismarked. I let the associate who’d been helping me know and he was going to follow up with his manager (who was responsible for the oops in the first place). I picked up a couple extra strings of lights and some ornaments and I’ll have Christmas in my apartment (probably set up to the sounds of White Christmas unless I miss my guess).
T-minus three days and counting. Time to get back to packing.
It’s Saturday and I’m rather unexpectedly doing a craft show today (Athens High School in Troy, MI 9-4 if you’re local!). Hope you all have a fantastic day–I know I’m going to try to.
Prompt Type: Image prompt
Prompt:
Photo by Erin M. Klitzke
Got an idea for a prompt? Email me at emklitzke (at) gmail (dot) com.
Thirteen years ago today, I went for a bike ride in the early morning before classes. I was sick as hell and couldn’t sleep, so I hoped the exercise would make me feel better. I wiped out on a gravel path in the arboretum at Grand Valley State and scared the living bejeesus out of some fraternity boys who were out on the plaza for rush week (they saw me go into the arboretum but they didn’t see me come out until after I’d wiped out–they’d started to worry). I went back to my dorm, took a shower, started my computer, turned on the TV.
I watched the second plane hit.
There are some days that are etched in your memory and they dim only a little–if at all–with the passage of time.
Prompt Type: Image prompt
Prompt:
Photo by Erin M. Klitzke
Got an idea for a prompt? Email me at emklitzke (at) gmail (dot) com.
