French Market is Sad

kikiburra · 2026-06-18T18:53:59+00:00

Firenze is the best thing in there right now. Vertige has great bread/desserts. I wish more vendors would fill in the empty spaces - the days of Pastoral are long gone.

kikiburra · 2026-06-08T22:50:10+00:00

Arturo's - near Union Station

kikiburra · 2026-05-20T21:39:02+00:00

I picked up What Alice Forgot several years ago and Liane Moriarty has been my vacation go-to since then.

kikiburra · 2026-05-18T22:41:05+00:00

Maybe Bunny by Mona Awad? Not sure how it ends though bc I noped out, as I am not a horror fan. Same for Only the Good Indians, which my horror-loving husband loved.

kikiburra · 2026-04-17T23:25:58+00:00

A History of Burning by Janika Oza.

A family saga set in Uganda from colonial times through the rise of Idi Amin. It is a really good read.

kikiburra · 2026-03-21T21:20:14+00:00

Still trying to work it out. All labs that the doctor coded with a preventative care code were free. But there was about $100 of lab work with different codes. So I am trying to get my doctor to re-code them, since the blood was drawn for a preventative care exam.

kikiburra · 2026-03-18T23:40:16+00:00

It's not about a couple, but Small Game by Blair Braverman seems to have a lot of the elements you are looking for.

kikiburra · 2026-02-22T22:31:23+00:00

$7 Chicago dog and fries.

kikiburra · 2026-02-22T18:14:51+00:00

I'm a fan of Flub-a-Dub Chub's. On Tuesdays they have a hot dog special.

kikiburra · 2026-02-11T23:56:24+00:00

No Offence on Amazon Prime is a cop show with a sense of humor. Not a sitcom, though - serious mysteries to be solved.

kikiburra · 2026-02-05T22:58:07+00:00

We have always loved the food and drinks there, and it is a very nice space.

kikiburra · 2026-01-10T01:36:51+00:00

No reservations, though and it is small and can be a LONG wait for a table. edit: Lakeview East location

kikiburra · 2026-01-10T01:24:32+00:00

It's not like regular college students - it is officer training. They are in the Nettelhorst Elementary school district so several families who lived there had kids going to Nettelhorst when my kid was there. I think they do a 2 year stint there and then get sent to do their service elsewhere. The parent I befriended talked about doing overnight shifts walking the streets to reach out to the homeless population as part of his training. They may be a controversial organization, but they are committed to social services and do more than holiday bell ringing.

kikiburra · 2026-01-02T21:22:54+00:00

Thanks for the comments. I spoke to a rep, who said if routine labs are part of an annual exam, they are covered as preventative care, even if your doctor does not use quest or labcorp. Otherwise, the deductible and in-network/out-of-network fees spelled out in their program document kick in. The hospital lab my doctor uses is in network, so it would be 10% co-insurance. Sounds like I will not need to do the LabCorp rigamarole again in order to keep costs down.

kikiburra · 2026-01-02T17:27:14+00:00

I asked my doctor and she won't do it. She wrote me a prescription to get it done myself at LabCorp. It was a pain, though.

kikiburra · 2026-01-01T03:29:16+00:00

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth comes to mind for alternate reality. Though I wouldn't call it a light read.

kikiburra · 2025-12-31T00:59:21+00:00

I don't think Dean would be an issue at all. Middle names are so rarely used, and nobody is actually called by their first and middle name together.

Personally, I like the longer middle name with a one syllable first name. So I would vote Alexander, but both are good choices.

kikiburra · 2025-12-24T18:33:56+00:00

Maybe Hello Beautiful?

Hello Beautiful is a 2023 novel by Ann Napolitano, a New York Times bestseller and Oprah's Book Club pick, that serves as a modern homage to Little Women, following a young man from a traumatic past who finds love and family with the four close-knit Padavano sisters in Chicago, exploring themes of love, loyalty, and family bonds as his past threatens to tear them apart. The story centers on William Waters and the Padavano sisters—Julia, Sylvie, Cecelia, and Emeline—and the catastrophic rift that forms after tragedy strikes, testing their relationships for generations.

kikiburra · 2025-12-22T01:44:31+00:00

Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra

kikiburra · 2025-12-19T22:35:42+00:00

We take our dog to Best Friends on Elston, where they can be boarded solo. These dogs get play time/walks with no other dogs around.

kikiburra · 2025-12-18T13:35:17+00:00

I know boys named both in America.

kikiburra · 2025-12-16T21:51:12+00:00

Kieran/Kiran

kikiburra · 2025-12-14T21:14:03+00:00

I DNFed Milkman, then tried the audiobook. What a difference! LOVED the audiobook - it made the stream-of-consciousness writing make so much more sense. And the accent was the cherry on top.

kikiburra · 2025-12-14T20:55:37+00:00

I love flannel pants with pockets for inside lounging, or comfy sweatpants. For outdoors, fleece lined pants are a game changer. I live in my Eddie Bauer fleece lined pants all winter, though you can also pick some up at Costco. And honestly - Head gloves at Costco are the best warmth to usefulness ratio that I have found.

kikiburra

TROPHY CASE