Thursday, November 30, 2006

Snow


We got our first real snow today. I suppose it's a good way to welcome Decemer. Last night we went to see a recording of the NPR news quiz, "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me", for Zach's birthday. We sat on the third row and had a marvelous time. The panelists were Mo Rocca, Amy Dickinson, and Charlie Pierce, with a celebrity phone call from Amy Sedaris. They were all hilarious! It was sleeting as we made our way home, but we woke up this morning to 'thunder snow'; there was actually thunder and some lightning as it was snowing...bizarre. No snow day for me, however. I had to fight my way through the snow, wind, and sludge downtown to come to IIT. Thank goodness it's Friday! We'll try to get a few pictures to post before the snow goes away.

-Hannah

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

What we've been doing in Chicago: Hannah Edition

Ok, the long-awaited "Hannah Edition" is finally here!

I'm going to tell y'all about what I have been up to, but first I have to let everyone know how excited I am that I'm an aunt! Zach and I have a new nephew, Simon James Beery. He was born on November 22, 2006. Follow the Easy Street Beerys link on the side to see pictures! Zach, Mr. Wilson, and I also just returned from a wonderfully exhausting trip to North Carolina and Clemson for Thanksgiving and the Clemson-USC football game. The game didn't go so well, but we loved seeing everyone!

So what do I do in Chicago?
Officially, I am the Bindery Library Specialist for the Illinois Institute of Technology Downtown Campus Chicago-Kent College of Law Library...what a mouthful.

Basically I am in charge of all the binding for our library. My department does all of the behind-the-scenes work that goes on in an academic library. The entire Downtown Campus is a ten-story building in the West Loop. It consists of a law school and business graduate school. Since it's very specialized, we have a small staff in our library, which is nice. I really like everyone that I work with.

The only problem I have with my job is the commute. Downtown is only about 7 miles from Hyde Park, but it takes me an hour to get there. I have to take a bus and a train and walk several blocks to get to and from work everyday. It hasn't been too terrible yet, but I know the snow and cold are fast approaching. Oh, and some people say Chicago's called "the windy city" for the politicians, but I've experienced firsthand the wind whipping through the streets downtown...the buildings somehow create a wind tunnel-type effect...and it's cold!

I'm also happy to announce that I am in the process of applying to grad schools. I'm planning on starting a program in the fall to earn my masters of library and information science. I will go to school part-time and continue to work full-time. The law library is nice, but I would love to work in youth services at a public library someday, or perhaps as a reference librarian, and I'm really excited to get started!

For those of you who know him, Mr. Wilson has adjusted very well to the city...he spends most of his time lounging around the apartment and letting us know when the garbage trucks are in the alley. The neighbors all love him, and even express concern if he doesn't bark when they come in the front door of our building. One of our very favorite things to do is take long walks around Hyde Park or to the lake...it makes our whole little family very happy!

We are staying very busy, but with Christmas break coming up, look for more updates soon!