fritz pastry

My friend, Mike (a.k.a. twobitme, or "Online-Mike"), hooked me up with a little freelance-photo-fun for his friends at Fritz Pastry. Owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Nathaniel Meads and Elaine Heaney, with their friend, Jared Nance, Fritz offers a wide array of beautiful pastries, yummy coffee, and an inviting atmosphere (free wi-fi, even!). They're open from 7am–7pm every day of the week, and are located on Diversey, near Southport.

strawberry rhubarb tart

french-style macarons

fritz cakes! (vegan cupcakes)

i got to eat this!

You too, can treat yourself to some outstanding snacks and drinks at this cozy spot–after looking at photos like these, how could you pass it up?

1408 W. Diversey Pkwy
Chicago IL, 60614
773.857.2989
pastry@fritzpastry.com

field trip!

I took the day off on Monday, and Donovan and I went to the Shedd Aquarium. Last year, we donated to NPR, and they sent us free passes, so, it was a cheap day to boot. Neither of us had been there since we were kids and there are lots of new things to see there–including the Wild Reef exhibit and the newly renovated Oceanarium.

lobby lights

Jacana jacana bird (check out those stick legs!)

little catfish party

very big Amazon fish

this guy was sleeping with just his nose above the water

I wore a bright, multi-colored, top, and it seemed to attract the animals to me. The blue iguana (above) caught my eye from his sunny rock-perch, and ran up to the glass to get a better look at me. What a charmer! And I think he really liked the camera, too.

jellies!

rockhopper penguin antics

funny cartoon belugas

in retrospect, I wish I had bought this alligator hat

droopy-eyed octopi

We were surprised at how busy it was for a Monday afternoon, if we hadn't had our tickets in advance, we would've been in line for hours. I wanted to make it there early enough to see feeding time presentations, but I guess I was in vacation mode, because I just kept sleeping. Still, we had a great time! So many fascinating things. You should go!

knit-o-holic

orchids & fairy lights hat pattern by tiny owl knits

Today, I took a facebook quiz titled "What kind of Knitter are you?" that deemed me a "knit-o-holic," and I realized I was way past-due in sharing some of my knits with pistolheart readers. A few months ago, I got back in touch with a college buddy of mine, Tara (tarajohnsondesign). Tara and I both studied photography at U of I, we both romanticize the Pacific Northwest, we both love our dogs more than most other things, and we are both knitters. So, Tara got me involved in her weekly knit-knit group, and since then, I have constantly had a project on my needles.

paper moon hat pattern by Beth Hahn

Matilda hat pattern by MK Carroll

I was taught how to knit by my friend Marie, junior year of college. I was terrible at it! I remember knitting a few lumpy, misshapen, blobs, and then letting the needles hibernate. I picked up the hobby again when my niece was on the way, and spent about a year making her a baby blanket (slowwwwwwwww...).

handwarmers pattern by creative yarn

Now I am a little obsessed. Buying yarn is definitely an addiction. I'm also addicted to Ravelry, an online community for knitters and crocheters, where you can share projects, find new ones, and share ideas with other fiber-obsessed-folks. I just finished knittin' up these fingerless mitts from a free pattern at Creative Yarn perfect for bicycle riding in the summertime. Trust me, you can't swing a mouse without hitting a blog about knitting around here. Get it? Mouse? Instead of cat? Like the clickety-kind? Okay, that's another side-effect of the hobby: obnoxiously innocuous word-play.

the wool eater blanket pattern by Sarah London

If you're on Ravelry, my user name is Pistolheart, of course.

system failure

Oh, Photo Of The Day, why did you fall from glory so fast?

I'll tell you why. There was something about POTD that seemed to point out my flaws to myself; flaws that I won't bore you with. The big reason, of course, is that it really bites the big one to come home from working on a computer all day, only to work on a computer all night. God, I miss the darkroom. I miss studios, and chemicals, and paper, and ink. I miss Friday Night Margaritas and seemingly endless amounts of time to work on art. I miss...well, college? There is a sentiment I never thought would come to light. Why do we never recognize what we have when we have it? I guess then it wouldn't have been as much fun.



Donovan finished my bicycle, which is named the Robin. It's a Raleigh, and he did a super custom paint job. I've got orange glitter grips, ground FX, and a jelly-bell that goes brrrrrrrrrrring! Now, I love mechanical projects. Putting things together, taking things apart, that is the bread & butter of creativity. But the bike thing, it kind of belongs to Donovan; at least, he won't ever really let me help (men...hmph!). It's okay though.

Hopefully, sometime soon, we will cruise up the bike trail to the Botanic Gardens. We will probably have to take it easy though--I haven't ridden a bike in ages!

ode to popcorn

PHOTO OF THE DAY: May 5, 2009.

Oh, popcorn, thou art crisp and delicious.
I scatter your kernels in a boiling puddle of oil
firework display into none other than you
snack of dreams

Sprinkled in salt and parmesan,
no pretzel could ever compare
You are my companion at the movies
and the enemy of my enemy (that bore, Ebert!)

Paired with a Cherry Coca-Cola
I will consume thee–Nay! Devour!
Together, we will keep the dentist
in business.