Today is my first day back at work since about last Tuesday. While I did work last Friday I don't count it because it was Friday and Fridays are always a little less grim.
My parents were visiting us and flew into town on the 4th of July evening. This meant driving to the rumored crowded O'Hare and the warnings of massive towing being enforced because of all the holiday traffic. I think we were quite possibly the only people picking up arriving passengers at the airport. It was deserted. I don't know why the media and airport people want us to think that everyone is flying somewhere on the holiday. We then drove home to witness our neighbor's children running around barefooted in a street full of fireworks.

While my parents were in town we used the pool a good bit and tried to coax the bunnies visiting our backyard to eat a carrot or some lettuce but to no avail. On Saturday we also had tickets to see the Farnsworth House in Plano, IL. It is a really neat place to experience and the tour was quite interesting. For those of you that don't know, I have a tremendous interest in all things architecture so seeing the little retreat built by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was thrilling. We also took some time on Saturday to visit my aunt and uncle in Naperville and eat stir-fry. (We returned to Naperville unintentionally on Sunday and visited Penzey's Spices with my cousin Katy who had just returned from Summerfest in Wisconsin and also just turned 19.) I got a little blue thing to hold salt from the Sur La Table store as well.

Monday we all took the train downtown with the plan to have lunch with Martin and to occupy ourselves with a few Chicago sites until the nonn hour arrived. I took my parents to look at Cloud Gate, or the big silver bean. (This viewing led me to discover something called the Streisand Effect.) I also witnessed quite possibly the saddest sight I have seen in recent days or weeks. The Virgin Megastore had announced its closing a few weeks ago on Michigan Ave. I went to see the most empty and pathetic selections of music left on the few remaining displays. I bought a Peggy Lee, Martin Denny and another CD mainly because of the good deal, but the spirit of the place was gone. Even the punk cashiers had lost their moxy. I had to go next door to the Room & Board to cheer myself up.

We met Martin and headed to Au Bon Pain in the Merchandise Mart for lunch. I think I could have spent all day in there! Will definitely be going back to look at cool faucets and whatnot.