Graffiti

One of the things I hate most is that everything here at school is tagged. Half of the stuff won't come out b/c its etched right onto the desks, walls and windows. The problem is that most of the etchings were done before I acquired this classroom, so its a constant reminder of how someone did not manage their classroom properly.

Commuting Green Part II

So my beautiful black langster was taken from me a month ago, which is why a new bike appears in the pictures. This is my new chrome beauty, it takes me to work and back. If you're ever on Division early in the morning, you'll probably see me dressed in a tie, dress shirt, slacks and all, riding west towards school.

Back to the Real World?

So here I am, back again the real world...kinda...back with CPS (Chicago Public Schools). So here are some picts of what I see everyday.

My amazing artistic skills were involved in making this, Celebration of Learning beam. Here I show all the accomplishments by my students.




















Here is the view of Chicago I see out of my classroom everyday. Pretty nice, especially when my class is in disarray.















I found this the other day. A frog preserved in a Fun Pops container. This sits in my room to gross out my kids. The first question they ask me is 'Is it alive?' I tell them yeah and that its sleeping right now.

Korean Restaurant in Wicker Park

I want to invite everyone out to my friend's restaurant, Su-ra Restaurant (Korean rice and mix...which I think should be Korean mixed rice, but you know those fobs) at 2257 West North Ave. Its at the corner of North and Oakley (two blocks east of Western on North Ave). It will open this coming Tuesday and be open 6 days a week (Tuesday through Sunday) from 5-10:30 T-Th & Sun and 5-11 F&Sat. I will be working there every evening until school starts and on Friday and Saturday during the school year. The chef is a Korean-American that was trained in a French kitchen, so though the menu has all Korean dishes like bibimbap and bulgogi, its basically fusion. Its BYOB so make sure to bring soju and other liquors. The chef plans to have specials everyday which correspond with whatever is in season and the weather. Most of the vegetables are organically grown by the chef's mom. A huge plus is the outdoor seating in the back patio and everything on the menu is reasonably priced. I hope to see everyone soon.

From metromix.com:

Su-Ra Korean Restaurant
2257 W. North Ave.
Oakley and North
773-276-9450

Don't get confused people - this new Wicker Park BYOB is named Su-Ra, which owner Euiha Hwang tells us means "royal feast" in Korean, it's not Sura, the Thai-fusion Boystown spot whose name ironically translates to "liquor" in Thai (they are still waiting for the liquor license).

Although it's Hwang's first foray into the Chicago restaurant scene, we have high hopes for the food: he owned a restaurant for five years in Korea before opening Su-Ra, plus the menu is peppered with mentions like "prime sirloin" and "free-range chicken," something you don't see at most corner Koreans.

The lineup lists choices like sae woo bokum, spicy red pepper marinated shrimp; dae ji bulgogi, sweet-and-spicy marinated heirloom pork with seasonal veggies; and the signature bi bim bop, steamed Korean rice with seasonal veggies, fried egg and spicy red pepper paste. Look for both indoor and outdoor seating to debut when the doors open August 14: Hwang is promising a "calm and relaxing" dining room fitted with Korean paintings, plus a quiet rear patio behind the restaurant for alfresco eats.

Hours: 5-10:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 5-10:30 p.m. Sunday

Fax: 773-276-9480

++++++++++++++++++++
|| Extras
++++++++++++++++++++
|| Av. Dinner Entree || $15-$25 ||
|| Carry Out || Yes ||
|| Cuisine || Korean ||
|| Delivery || No, Coming soon ||
|| Meals Served || Dinner, Lunch (Later this fall) ||
|| Outdoor Seating || Rear patio ||
|| Parking || Street parking difficult ||
|| Seating || Yes ||
|| Smoking || No ||
|| Specialties || Bi bim bop ||
|| Spirits || Bring your own ||
|| Transportation || Cabs plentiful ||
|| Wheelchair Access || Yes ||

Museums

Though it sounds like my life during this summer vacation starts after 9pm, I have been enjoying many of the other sites of Chicago including its many museums. One of the great things about being a CPS teacher is that I have free admission to all of Chicago's museums. I haven't been to the Field Museum since I was a kid, so when I went recently I was amazed by the depth of its exhibits. The Field Museum actually made me feel like a kid again. One of the great things about the Field Museum is that they support teachers. They have a great resource room with all sorts of things for teachers to check out and use in their classroom, including a life-sized plaster cast of Sue's skull.















I recommend visiting the Shedd Aquarium on Thursdays for Jazzin' at the Shedd. You can purchase alcoholic beverages and food and visit the exhibits while listening to a live jazz band.

Yesterday, I went to the Museum of Science and Industry with two fellow teachers to check out the CSI exhibit. I'm developing a Forensic Science/Criminalistics class for this upcoming school year, so I wanted to see what types of lessons I can develop. I have to admit that there was a lot that I did not know about Forensic Science and this exhibit pretty enlightening. I highly recommend that you check out this exhibit before it leaves on September 3rd, especially if you're a CSI fan.

So here is the beloved Space Ice Cream that Marty buys every time he's at the MSI. It tastes just like a meringue, really nothing special.















I've noticed these R2D2 mailboxes throughout the city, but this one was in amazing shape and right in front of the MSI. Anyway, I thought this was apropos seeing that the MSI is going to have an exhibit on the science of Star Wars from October 5, 2007 to January 6, 2008.

Festivals

One of the best things going on in this great City of Chicago during the summer other than Cubs games is the street festivals. You can't beat being outside and enjoying the weather and the people. This truly is a great city to be out and about.




























The best festival has to be the Northalsted Market Days which this year is on August 11 and 12. Similar to the pride parade and all other festivals, you can drink outdoors while walking around. This picture below was taken during this year's Pride Parade, that's my friend Isabelle on the left. I made sure that I didn't march in the parade this year and just hung out with my friend's Gwen, Sharon, Val and Isabelle which was a great decision. We had so much fun, and it didn't hurt that we were all a bit intoxicated. This is why I'm not manning either the ACLU or the HRC booths this year during the Northalsted Market Days and just hanging out with Gwen and Sharon. It'll be a little sad b/c Isabelle moved to London so she'll be missed. Anyway, if you're only going to go to one festival this year and you're not homophobic then head out to Belmont and Halsted on August 11 and 12.

My Brother's

Here is a board I had set up at Uprise for my brother. A beautiful piece of art.

Commuting Green

My three methods of living green and commuting throughout Chicago. This black beauty is my fixie, Alessandra. A Specialized Langster, the Chicago edition, with bullhorns, a carbon fork and seat post and Sugino crank with a 42x16 gear ratio. I ride it as a fixed gear with a suicide brake in the front. I love this thing.

The other ways I get around are with my boards. An uprise deck and a re-issue Jason Jessee all courtesy of Uprise Skateshop here in Chicago.

Living Green

What's pretty cool is that Chicago has made a huge effort to become a greener city.














Its not like a diehard environmentalist, but I try to do little things here and there to reduce my carbon footprint. They just placed some of those blue recycling bins in my alley which makes recycling a whole lot easier. So the Living Green Expo has a list of 10 ways to live green.
1. Skip the car when you can (I'll post my modes of transportation in the city. There is no reason why I should be driving in the city.)
2. Be mindful of what you eat (support local farmers and organic farms)
3. Save energy at home (I've only had to AC on for two days this summer, I'm pretty proud of myself. Ceiling fans make a big difference.)
4. Choose green power
5. Say good-bye to part of your lawn (We really don't have much of a yard here).
6. Reduce polluting run-off
7. Be smart when remodeling
8. Take a hike
9. Get involved and educate others (Which is why I love the cool globes project)
10. Use less toxic cleaners

Entertainment System

So this past year, I wrote and won this grant that awarded us a bunch of electronic equipment for the upcoming school year. In the meantime I have made good use of the projector and computer. My friends and I set up this projector system to watch movies at the place, the only problem is that there is too much sunlight during the day which is why we have blankets covering the french doors. Its a bit makeshift but it works and movie night at my place hasn't been the same.