For your upcoming weekend to-do list...
Don't miss the Windows on the War: Soviet TASS Posters at Home and Abroad exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, ending October 23rd. The show, noted in the New York Times, is pretty amazing, in terms of its breadth and the back story (most of the posters were found in storage at the museum, rolled up and in tubes. Read the back story and listen to an interview with the curator at Bad At Sports website.)
I wish my pictures were a little better but it's much better seeing the posters in person, anyway.

At a red light in Michigan City, Indiana, in brief lull of radio clatter, I heard the clatter of sparrows outside. When I looked out and rolled down the window, I knew I only had a few moments to take the picture, which I really wanted. Cheep, cheep, cheep.

The Selected Works bookstore, in the Fine Arts building, is a pretty amazing used bookstore, which also happens to have an extensive collection of sheet music and musical scores.
And they also have a cat.
I'm not a 'cat person' but still found him irresistible. Especially since he was following me around the store, hiding behind the shelves I was browsing, climbing over them and walking along the tops, running between my legs, doing everything he could to get my attention. Cats seem to know non-cat people and find them irresistible also. I'm not converted but I can't say I didn't enjoy meeting him.

Assignment for a class at the School of the Art Institute, Chicago: take pictures of your room or house. I resisted. I'm not a decorator. I'm attracted to clutter (or is it vice versa?). My clutter isn't interesting. Seems kind of personal. Oh--and the dog follows me from room to room. He has to be in the same room as the highest ranking human in the house--wait.
That's it.
I love that about him, even though some people in the house find it maddening. 
The thing about shooting interiors with existing light is, you have to use a long exposure. So any movement leads to a ghosty kind of image. Perfect for the dog that's always your shadow.

Artist Maureen Kunze has the coolest home studio ever. She's featured this month in a fall group show, A Balancing Act, at the Hinsdale Public Library, working on a jewelry line, illustrating and writing a children's book and of course, painting. I'm not sure how she does it all and still manages her family, house and two adorable dogs.
We had fun collaborating on images for her website and PR, including the studio, her creative tools and some environmental portraits. I love working with creative people.

Popcorn. On the balcony. She was only out there for a few minutes but she knew we were inside. And she has a temper.

I got so lucky flying in and out of New York last week. It was a lovely day--both ways; some of these are from my arrival and some are from the departure. Last weekend is why I always go for the window seat. Even though I don't usually get so lucky, it's always worth a shot. Or a hundred.

Usually, I ignore people hawking stuff on the sidewalk, especially if I'm rushing to class, but this week I ran into a guy selling hot sauce.
I love hot sauce.
I stopped and bought three bottles. Malik Jamal, the Hot Sauce Boss and Director of Almighty Imperial, told me that his family runs a scotch bonnet pepper plantation, but I forget where. It's not on their website but I believe it was in the Caribbean. While he was telling me his story, a man walked by waving the bottle he had just purchased and Malik grabbed him for a photo opp.
I scientifically taste tested the sauce: First on dry toast (my favorite breakfast), then scrambled eggs and finally, on a sausage and potato dish. Good stuff--the Spicy Kush with lime juice is the best. And it has the best name. The sauce is also unique because it doesn't use vinegar and has almost no sodium in it--very unusual for hot sauce.
If you see Jamal on Michigan Avenue, pick up a bottle. $5 each or three for $10. Good deal. Nice guy, too.

Last weekend in New York, we stumbled on the Singapore International Culinary Exchange (“Spice” for short).  The pop-up restaurant kitchen, available with or without seating, complete with power, gas and water, customizable for any chef's kitchen, is manufactured from a shipping container. On the web, the articles are all about the food (gourmet, naturally), but the founder/creator of the project chatted with us about other applications of his mobile food truck--disaster relief being the most obvious.  Imagine bringing hot food to a place with no power, running water or electricity. The pop-up kitchen takes 30 minutes to set up and can be dropped in just about anywhere. Like the open space in a pedestrian crossing in the Meatpacking District in Manhattan.
Founder/creator Samuel Vedanaigam of The Shelter Company also happened to be a very charming guy, telling us all about the company. I can't wait to see what he does with the concept.

People do crazy things with the weather is so lovely, like it's been this week.

I'd love to revisit New York at least once a month but this September, I got lucky and visited twice. Who knows when I'll be back. I keep hearing the LCD Soundsystem song in my head but the lyrics go, 'New York I love you, but you're so far away.''
Last weekend was galleries, Broadway, museums and dinner, and in between, lots of walking. It was the walking that led to the best sites: a neighborhood street fair sponsored by The Kitchen, a community arts center in Chelsea; chess players in Washington Park (a little rougher than the ones at Bryant Park); a walk along the High Line, an interesting urban park (seriously--click through the link to the website) and even getting to B&H on a Saturday (woo!).
Such a nice weekend.

The real deal. Nothing can keep these little guys out--not Michigan Avenue traffic, passersby, wire fences, concrete, street musicians, art students, tourists or me and my camera.

We decorate our property with fake animals and put out traps and poisons and fences to keep the real ones out. Kinda weird, kinda interesting.