Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast

It's been a while... but I'm back. I never got around to blogging too much about the planning that went in to the move to Chicago (getting an apartment and applying for jobs without being in the city was not an easy task), but I have arrived! I've been living in Albany Park, a small neighborhood in the northern part of the city, for almost two weeks. Most of that time has been spent unpacking, getting over a cold, acquiring new apartment necessities (electricity, cable, internet, groceries, etc.), applying for jobs, and learning my way around the neighborhood. I now know where many things within walking (or biking) distance are located including:

a place to get $0.99 tacos

a grocery store (with lots of Hispanic products... a sign of the large Hispanic population of this neighborhood, but it's actually a pretty diverse area in general)

a library (ok... I haven't been there yet, but I know where it is)

a Target

a Walgreens

a bar called Pitchfork (where I watched the Bears beat the Cowboys last week)

and a Taco Bell (yes... 2 items in that list involve tacos... I'm ok with that).

That's not all-inclusive by any means, but it hits some highlights. I really like the apartment, my landlord has been nice, helpful, and Swiss (Seriously... she has a sweet accent and is a massage therapist), and the neighbors that I have met are so nice. On one side is a family with an unknown number of children, four cats that have their own house, and a big dog named Roxy, and on the other side there's a nice older couple named Harold and Carol. Talking to Harold has lead to conversations about the Bears, the inefficiency of the road crew that is resurfacing our street, and a wake he recently attended. The weather has either been on the warm side or absolutely perfect. I've arrived in Chicago just in time to enjoy the few weeks of Autumn. There's a huge park a five minute walk away from here that I should absolutely check out before the winter months. I've liked using public transportation so far (The L is so great. Very easy to navigate, fairly clean, timely, and affordable) and will more than likely be seeing a lot more of it when I get a job. I have my first interview Monday for a lab technician job, so many fingers are crossed on that front.

Thursday marked my first foray into big city theatre. Jacob got a job working front of house at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (!!!), and lucky me got to be his guest to see the first show of their season, Romeo and Juliet. I'm going to be honest and say that I was skeptical as R & J is not my favorite of Billy's works, and it's arguably one of the most overdone. But this was a complementary ticket to a very respected theatre, so consider me more than on board. The designs for the show were modern, urban, and violent and these concepts were mirrored in many of the director/actor choices. I wasn't sure how I'd like the Romeo + Juliet-esque set, but it was very well designed with a nice perspective aspect and extremely well utilized (it probably helped that there were no guns around and the set could easily be made appropriately less urban for many scenes). The plastic road construction saw horses that were on stage at the open of the show marked a physical line between the two houses, but they were quickly kicked down and used as weapons for a very effective and exciting opening fight scene in true Shakespearian style. While the violent choices made for some interesting interpretations of some characters and scenes (Mercutio was excellently acted but lost a bit of sympathy with his aggression... Lord Capulet became a very violent character who crumpled at the tragedy in the end... the balcony scene lost a bit of its sweetness in the way it was punctuated), some moments were just brilliant. The first meeting ("Let lips do as hands do") was absolutely breathtaking. The artists succeeded in the creation of the illusion that they really were meeting for the first time and that no one knew this story (complete with a teenaged female squeal from one of the balconies that only added to the wonder). Romeo gave a solid performance throughout (he reminded me of John Tate!), and Juliet really amped up her acting chops in the second act. The final scene was heartbreaking. I can't wait to see more productions at this theatre if they're on par with this one. (There's a Martin McDonagh play coming in March from the Druid Theatre in Ireland...)

I think that's a pretty good start, folks. I'm just kind of taking in the city one day at a time. More to come as it unfolds...