I moved to my house exactly six months ago today, but only this past Saturday did I unpack the last box. I had asked two different carpenters about building in bookshelves in what I designated a library even before I moved in. Both carpenters ghosted me after taking measurements. (Great business practices, guys.)
So in January I went back to 57th Street Bookcase in Evanston, from which my mom and I had gotten bookshelves at various times going back to the mid-1990s. The bookcases arrived Friday, allowing me to transform this:
Into this:
(The coffee table came from 57th St as well.)
I spent a couple hours enjoying the finished room over the weekend. Even Cassie appears to like it better.
The new bookcases are cherry, so they'll darken over time. They should match the older ones in a couple of years.
This weekend involved about 5 hours of dog walks, including 2 with another dog, a disruption to Cassie's environments (new bookshelves, details later), an art fair, and my friend's two toddlers (ages 2 and 4). We're both pooped.
Cassie literally. I know what she ate yesterday, and I'm so glad I got to see it again today.
How my week is going so far. Wednesday evening:
Yesterday evening:
You can hear Weird Al on NPR's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! this weekend.
Yesterday's temperature at O'Hare got up to 17°C, with a forecast of 17°C again today. Just perfect for a 4 km walk (in each direction) to Horner Park DFA, where Cassie met tons of new friends and stole dozens of their toys (she gave them back):
Today's plan calls for a Ride in the Car! (I need groceries) and another 10 km or so of walkies.
We get about 30 days a year this perfect, so we use them. Pity I have to go into my downtown office tomorrow...
Life is skittles and life is beer!
Seriously, just check out this forecast:
Today
Sunny, with a high near 7. East northeast wind 15 to 20 km/h.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 3. Northeast wind 10 to 15 km/h becoming southeast after midnight.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 12. South southeast wind 15 to 20 km/h becoming east northeast in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 km/h.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 4. East wind 10 to 15 km/h.
Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 13. Southeast wind 10 to 15 km/h, with gusts as high as 25 km/h.
Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 7.
Monday
Partly sunny, with a high near 18.
Monday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 9.
Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 21.
Tuesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 12.
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 23.
Wednesday Night
Clear, with a low around 12.
Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 24.
That's about as perfect an April week as we can get.
Oh, and check out this girl, who lost 3.6 kg since her last vet visit. That means she only has 800 grams to go before hitting her ideal weight:
She's fitting into her harness again. Now, if I could just lose 5 kg, that would be great.
At my day job, I go into our downtown office at least once a week, which turns out to be about once a week longer than almost everyone else. I like the change of scene, and Cassie gets to spend those days at day camp, so it's a win for everyone.
The 90%-or-so remote work that people have elected also means we have tons of empty offices while our multi-year leases run their courses. So, after waiting almost a year for the furniture upgrade that never came, the office manager today said "just go take the office next door to yours." Cool. Better furniture, a (very slightly) different view, and...that's about it.
While I move my stuff 4 meters to the west, you can read these:
Finally, in keeping with me schlepping my books and laptop next door, Salesforce and Meta have put 22,000 m² of downtown Chicago office space on the secondary market, terrifying commercial real estate owners everywhere.
Cassie and I hung out for a bit at Spiteful Brewery yesterday. She, of course, got pats and love from everyone. But the couple sitting next to us had a Land Camera, so she also got photographed:
These are now on display in my library.
The time since March 2021 has both dragged and flown. But I would have had a much worse time without this lovely mutt in it:
She adapted to her new situation well: I took this photo about half an hour after she came home.
I'm hoping for at least 10 more years.
The rain has stopped, and might even abate long enough for me to collect Cassie from day camp without getting soaked on my way home. I've completed a couple of cool sub-features for our sprint review tomorrow, so I have a few minutes to read the day's stories:
Finally, Friends of the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse hope to tap into National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act funds to turn their organization's namesake into a museum. That would be cool.
Cassie does not like staying inside because of the rain:
