Book blurb of the month, and other things:
All of the titles in the Stahl's Illustrated Series are designed to be fun.
And what is this fun book?
Sunday I went to see the Chicago Opera Theatre's production of Benjamin Britten's Owen Wingrave. For the most part, I enjoyed it (especially the music), but the librettist made some changes from the Henry James short story on which it is based that I think detracted. My friend Marilyn, a friend of hers and I had dinner at the Park Grill, it being once again too cool to sit outside.
I observed Memorial Day itself by going to my Italian instructor's home for what was supposed to be a picnic. The weather, however, was a bit chilly for that, so we ate indoors. Appetizers of cheese and prosciutto, olives and olive ciabatta, an excellent salad with fennel and kumquats(!), grilled sausages with bell peppers, orechiette pasta with pesto made with basil from the garden, panna cotta, all delicious. And we actually pretty much hewed to the "no English, only Italian!" rule.
Went yesterday with friends to see Rebecca Gilman's play, The Crowd You're in With. I was pleasantly surprised, as I'm not a big fan of Gilman's but enjoyed this one, I think because it's more balanced and less heavy-handed than much of her work (though it has its moments).
As I was heading to the restaurant where we were meeting for dinner, I cut through Daley Plaza and discovered that the annual Turkish Festival was going on. Most of the folks were packing up for the evening, but my eye was immediately caught by a sign "Ebru - paper marbling". I think this is an absolutely stunning form of marbling, so naturally I had to check it out. He had some very nice works on paper, but also some on fabric, and I bought a silk scarf:
The Festival runs through Saturday, so depending on weather and what else is happening, I might go downtown Saturday to check out more of the vendors, eat some of the food, and listen to some of the music.
And what is this fun book?
Sunday I went to see the Chicago Opera Theatre's production of Benjamin Britten's Owen Wingrave. For the most part, I enjoyed it (especially the music), but the librettist made some changes from the Henry James short story on which it is based that I think detracted. My friend Marilyn, a friend of hers and I had dinner at the Park Grill, it being once again too cool to sit outside.
I observed Memorial Day itself by going to my Italian instructor's home for what was supposed to be a picnic. The weather, however, was a bit chilly for that, so we ate indoors. Appetizers of cheese and prosciutto, olives and olive ciabatta, an excellent salad with fennel and kumquats(!), grilled sausages with bell peppers, orechiette pasta with pesto made with basil from the garden, panna cotta, all delicious. And we actually pretty much hewed to the "no English, only Italian!" rule.
Went yesterday with friends to see Rebecca Gilman's play, The Crowd You're in With. I was pleasantly surprised, as I'm not a big fan of Gilman's but enjoyed this one, I think because it's more balanced and less heavy-handed than much of her work (though it has its moments).
As I was heading to the restaurant where we were meeting for dinner, I cut through Daley Plaza and discovered that the annual Turkish Festival was going on. Most of the folks were packing up for the evening, but my eye was immediately caught by a sign "Ebru - paper marbling". I think this is an absolutely stunning form of marbling, so naturally I had to check it out. He had some very nice works on paper, but also some on fabric, and I bought a silk scarf:
The Festival runs through Saturday, so depending on weather and what else is happening, I might go downtown Saturday to check out more of the vendors, eat some of the food, and listen to some of the music.