Chicago and Denver

Once finals were over, I headed home to spend some time home in Chicago with my mom. We did the usual stuff that we love to do together, eat pizza, drink wine, shop. It all went really well and we had a nice relaxing week in which we delved into Showtime's series like Dexter (nowhere near as good as Six Feet Under, but entertaining), Carnivale (I like it a lot, and I wish I knew what was going on), The Tudors (how did the plague kill people when everyone was running around with so many STDs?) and This American Life (I still prefer the radio version). We also saw "The Downfall," which was riveting, though I need a full history lesson in order to fully appreciate the acting and characters, and the laughable Indiana-Jones-and-the-Dutch-Resistance-esque "Black Book." This Jewish woman spends her time "in hiding" sun bathing, then joins the Dutch resistance where she is asked to seduce a Nazi who turns out to be a really nice guy (therefor defeating the seduction) and he immediately recognizes that she's a Jew. Everyone but the main actress and the other "good guys" are revolting, sex and nudity are overused, and not only does she survive nearly a dozen death attempt intact, but always with her dyed-blond hair immaculate and rootless.

We also went downtown Chicago where we spent some time with my mom's cousins Faye and Gene. They are a wonderful older couple with a love for antiquing and a taste for eccentricity. There apartments are always stunning, everything found in warehouses and auctions. They eat on the finest china for every meal, why not use it is their attitude. This is also the couple that introduced my to the kooky Shul of New York (earlier post) and who suggested the "Black Book" film. I also went out to dinner with Lana from WUJS. She will soon be my neighbor as she's decided to attend Columbia's School of Journalism next fall, once again upping the number of Israel-related friends I have in the city. Her family has a stunning apartment in the city, full of outrageous art and a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline (view from Lana's home).

There were two real catalysts for my going to Denver; Michael was going to be in the area and Daniela lives there. It ended up that this past weekend (may 17-21) worked perfectly for both missions, plus the added bonus of Emily also coming to make it a multiple reunion of sorts. Somehow, Denver has become the place to be, especially amongst young Jewish folk, and so I found my circle of friends growing ever smaller. There's Daniela (WUJS) and Brian (WUJS) as well as Rachel Foster (BGU) who now all work together, plus Foster knows Jen (WUJS) from college. Denver is becoming a hot reunion spot for Israel programs. (pictured: Michael and Me on a Boulder rabbit).

The Denver trip went really well. It's always lovely to see Emily and Yella, although Yella often had to study and work, so Emily and I had a great deal of time together. The first night we drove out to Boulder to meet up with Michael, who was staying with family there. It's a sweet little college town that's almost too perfect. We had dinner at the funnily named Sherpa's Adventurers Restaurant where we shared a ton of good Tibetan and Indian food. It was nice because 1) Michael and I had met at a Tibetan cultural hour and 2) Michael had chosen an excellent restaurant, that's 2 out of 3 times, he's on a roll!. We walked around the city, browsing coffee shops and posing on cement animals (somewhat provocatively in the photo on the left).

Back in Denver, we went to the DAM: Denver Art Museum, which had some really provocative exhibits and an incredibly friendly and knowledgeable staff who were very willing to explain to us the finer parts of the pieces. There were also areas to make your own Denver postcards, listen to Western music while viewing Western paintings, and pick a mood (this was pre-meeting with Brian and I chose "Cynical") to read a pertinent quote. (pictured: large dustpan outside the DAM). Emily and I also spent an afternoon in the less-than-thrilling Colorado Historical Society, the only highlight being that a Denverite in the 40s named William Kohn (my Daddio's name) left some letters. The museum was confusing to walk around, the exhibits boring and long, and the few interesting parts were jumbled about. We also Yella's family had a nice Shabbat dinner with us, and the three of us also made a classic-Yella-curry. Yella lost her car keys, I lost my temper, it was just like old times :).

Emily and I also got to spend some time with Rachel Foster. We had a New York-style breakfast and we discussed dating, Rachel's surprising religious observance (she's a mix of super religious and super liberal) and her moving to NY to start school this fall at NYU. We also met Yella's sporty boyfriend, Josh. He's a sweet guy with plenty of fun stories about frat parties, writing his own book by age 24, and a short summer spent working at the Blockbuster in Highland Park (my hometown). It was nice to finally see the guy I'm always hearing about. (Pictured: Breckenridge from our off-roading heights).

Oh yes, and Brian. The short version is that we dates for 6 months last year in Israel, then had a very nice and agreeable breakup, followed by a fight-filled last evening together. We have not been in contact for about 10 months, although I had tried to contact him twice. I had assumed that Yella had told him I was coming, and that his silence and non-correspondence just proved that he was not interested in being in contact. So I was pretty shocked that the midnight before I leave for Denver, he send me a message online, and it turned out he didn't know I was coming to his area until he day before. So after a few phone conversations, one painfully candid, I consented to meeting up with him at his parents' home in Breckenridge. Breckenridge is a beautiful mountain town and I loved our little off-roading trip and getting to walk on snow in a sundress. It all went surprisingly well, I think the kernel of our friendship is still very much intact and we were able to joke around despite the fact that he's named his dog after my brother. In the future, who knows. (pictured: Brian and the dog which shall not be named).