Chicago

Backstory Cafe

/ Shane / 3 Comments

Given that I did a big write-up a while back about Robust Coffee Lounge, I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the Backstory Cafe.

Backstory is a really cool place. It’s cozy, it has great coffee and the decor is cool. They are environmentally and socially conscious. They even feature a used book store section! They have sandwiches, pastries and sometimes even brunch. Some of my favorite features are the giant chalk boards (this is definitely Evie’s favorite part) and the outdoor seating area that is walled off by old, different sized and colored doors. I almost forgot, live music, film screenings, etc.

In short, what’s not to love?

The place is very well hidden, so I am always surprised at how busy it is. I don’t think I’ve ever been the only one there. It’s close to home, and Evie loves it. It’s so easy to take a great place like this for granted (hence me just getting around to writing a post about it). It hasn’t even been open that long, but it is already a part of the local landscape. I say that as a compliment.

Now, since I did write that review of Robust, I can’t help but compare the two. However, they really are totally different. I would say if I’m looking to sit back and relax for a while, then I prefer Backstory. However, if I wanted to just run in and grab a coffee to go, then Robust is the way to go. Robust’s seating area is bigger and more open, so it might be better for big groups.

So if you are looking for a most excellent hang out spot in the neighborhood, come and find the Backstory Cafe and Social Center. You will be glad you did!

Monster

/ Shane / Leave a comment

Evie has just been turning into a monster lately. She gets this look in her eyes, and you just know she is looking for trouble. She goes from one thing to another so fast, that you haven’t even finished telling her not to do something, when she’s already doing something else naughty.

It’s just so weird to see how she is so actively looking to be naughty. I’m not worried about it, I know it’s just a phase. Probably some combination of tiredness from not taking naps, just the age she’s at (the terrible 3’s?), and attention seeking due to all the changes going on, especially starting school. But it sure makes for a frustrating day! By the time she goes to bed, we’re exhausted.

Speaking of a turnabout, the other day we were at the 57th St. Children’s Book Festival, and there were costumed characters there. In the past, Evie has been terrified of such things. This time, however, Evie saw a character she couldn’t resist: Martha from Martha Speaks of all things.


We’ve read some of the books and she’s apparently seen it on T.V. (though I haven’t), but this is far from one of her favorite things. I wouldn’t have even recognized Martha, but Evie did and ran right over to stand next to her. She wouldn’t get that close, but far closer than she had ever been to a costumed character.

After that, it was like the floodgates broke. She proceeded to follow Martha and 3 other costumed characters the entire length of the festival. It was like a parade, with Evie in the rear. Every time they stopped she would sort of mill about with them, and then follow once they started again. Sara and I are in the back of every kid’s picture, since we were forced to follow along behind. When the characters got to the end of the festival and turned around to go back the other way, I literally had to grab Evie and pull her away. She looked and me joyfully and said, “We’re going back the other way!” She seriously thought she was somehow part of the fun with the characters, like she had to do her part.

Better than being scared to death of them I guess.

ZombieFit

/ Shane / Leave a comment

Everybody wants to lose weight, to exercise more. It’s the motivation that’s the problem. It’s just that there really isn’t anything motivational enough to get me to run, jump, etc.

Well, there is one thing: zombies!

Now in Chicago you can sign up for ZombieFit, which bills itself as “fitness to survive the apocolypse”.

The keys to surviving Z-day are simple: Be able to lift and throw heavy things, run fast and for long distances, and be able to navigate obstacles and urban environments in an efficient manner.

I will let them describe the program, in their own words:

…five to a dozen people gather to run, jump, climb and vault up, over and around obstacles that stand in for the features of a city in the grip of a zombie infestation. They also undergo strength and conditioning training because zombies are relentless.

There are no actual zombies or zombie stand-ins, though Gatz says they are invoked for inspiration. A precision jump, for example, requires participants to land in an exact location, much as they would have to do if fleeing a zombie from rooftop to rooftop.

“You’ve got to land that, or the zombies are going to get you,” Gatz tells students.

I think it is time for the haters to admit that I’m not the only one talking about zombies here. It’s common enough to be a business model.

Link via Jackie.

Speaking of zombies, I sure wish someone would come up with some plans for a rocket propelled chainsaw. Because that would just be the most ridiculous…

She’s trying to make me cry

/ Shane / 1 Comment

Parents worry about things that kids just don’t think about. “Am I making the right decisions for my child?” or “Am I raising this kid right?” Being a parent involves a lot of uncertainty. I don’t know if children pick up on this, and thus know the weak points to prod at, or if they just ask so many questions that some of them are bound to hit below the belt.

For example, one thing on my mind a lot is the fact that raising our kids in Chicago, they are having a much different childhood than Sara or I had. In particular, we yearn for some sort of yard where the kids could go out and play.

Evie: “This is silly, but for the house, for my birthday, I wanna ask for a yard.”

Ouch.

However, lately it seems like Evie has been going for the jugular. It really seems like she’s going out of the way to try to make us cry.

Evie: “When I die, I want to bring mommy with me.”

Evie: “When I die, I want to die close to the house. Can you make me die close to the house?”
Sara: “Why do you want to die close to the house?”
Evie: “So I can see you again”

Evie: “When I die, will you let me take Oliver with me?”

Cue daddy with a lone tear dripping from his giant cartoon eyes while his bottom lip starts quivering.

She hasn’t really had any personal experience with death yet, but I assume that thinking about death probably normal at her age. It’s not like she thinks about it all day, but it does come up probably every other day or so.

The thing is, you just never want to think about death in conjunction with your child. This seems pretty obvious, but I can definitely say that, although you might think you understand, its something that you can’t really know until you have a child. How absolutely terrifying it is. And also strange to think, “I guess that means my parents felt that way about me too.”

Well, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about these things, since Evie keeps bringing it up!

In Chicago, cupcakes come to you

/ Shane / Leave a comment

I like cupcakes. Me and cupcakes go way back. However, like a lot of cupcake lovers, I’m pretty lazy. I don’t want to have to go track down the cupcakes; I want them to come to me. Finally, my dream is realized.

Flirty Cupcakes is a new company in Chicago that actually sells cupcakes out of an old ice cream truck. I declare this brilliant!

I like ice cream as much as the next guy, but if that cupcake truck has a unique song, I’m running twice as fast to get me some cupcakes.

Unfortunately, for the time being you have to check their twitter and chase them around the city, but they plan to expand. So here’s hoping for a cupcake delivery truck near you!