My First Mind Blowing Memory

When I was a kid we would drive by Coop City in the Bronx on the way to my grandparent's house. Since the urban landscape was so different from our sleepy hometown my brother and I were always captivated by the endless high rises of this massive city within another city. During one trip my father pointed out that the population of just one of these buildings most likely surpassed the population of our entire town. The world seemed to stop for a moment as I processed this information . . . My mind was blown.

The Thorne Miniature Rooms

I visited the Art Institute of Chicago on Sunday and spent an hour perusing the Thorne Miniature Rooms. It was my 3rd visit to AIC and my 2nd time seeing the Thorne rooms. It blows me away that these works aren't more well known and aren't more prominently displayed in the museum. They are nothing less than a national freaking treasure.

It also blows my mind that apparently some at the museum look down their nose at such things:

I worked at the museum or AIC as we used to call it, and the major consensus was that the Thorne rooms weren't actually "art" and shouldn't be in the museum. - comment on Apartment Therapy Chicago

Grrrr. That just makes me mad.

Generous woman + great art

The generosity of others does not blow our minds frequently enough. Thank you, E.R.P.

Wild Mushroom Ragout at Craigie

Wild mushroom ragout with a perfectly poached egg and bright green herb sauce: POW! Profiteroles with banana ice cream: Kablooey!

The bill was mind-blowing, too, but alas, the food is just too darn good. Craigie Street Bistrot closes on Saturday and will reopen on Main in September sometime. Looking forward to the new bar.

Planet Earth Ep #7: Lions vs. Elephant

This series has included at least one mind-blowing segment per episode, but last night's ep featured one of the most jaw-droppingly, eye-bulgingly terrifying things I've ever seen: a pride of 30 lions taking down an elephant. My mind was so blown, I genuinely could almost not process what I was seeing.

I'm tempted to link to the clip on YouTube, but I'm guessing some impact will be lost if it's viewed out of the context of the entire episode. It's available from NetFlix.