snap, crackle, pop

and I'm not talking about rice krispies. We had a terrible ice storm on Thursday, and we still haven't recovered. A lot of people were without electricity Fri. and into Sat. The trees are totally coated - this view is from our back window this afternoon - more than 48 hours after the storm. Everything is still coated in ice. The wind picked up last night so the trees are snapping constantly, and I was really worried about our Red Bud out front. It's leaning on the front corner of our house (directly over our bedroom), but it's holding steady so far.

(jury) duty calls

I've been to our Law & Justice (not to be confused with Law & Order) center twice this week.

Monday I made it into the courtroom for jury selection, but the defendant had a change of heart before we got started and took the plea deal. I guess he took one look at us and decided to take control of his own destiny.

Tuesday I watched the orientation video again and sat around for 2 hours. One defendant settled again and one trial got delayed so freedom was mine once again.

Most people I've talked to enjoyed jury duty and felt it was interesting and informative. I will withhold judgment until I really participate in the process.

Also want to say bravo about the new Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. He's done wonders for Chicago Public Schools. I can't wait to see what he does at the national level.

muppet christmas

Nothing says Christmas like The Muppets Christmas carols. We listened to it on the way home from Chicago this afternoon and I'm still singing "12 Days of Christmas" muppet-style. Check it out - you won't be disappointed.