maps, maps, maps

Winter is here and with it our first gas bill in which our antique furnace was on in full. We are pleasantly surprised, especially considering the temperature at which we keep this place in comparison to our last cave of an apartment. The windows are sealed and we're ready for the first big storm of the season. We got a few inches last week which temporarily put an end to our bicycle commuting but it won't hold me back for long.

Last night I went to a christmas party thrown by a colleague of mine who was also fired yesterday. In a word, it was awkward. I was back home before midnight.

This week Xtina and i saw the new Noah Baumbach film, 'margot at the wedding.' We're both fans of his first film, 'the squid and the whale.' We found the movie entertaining, albeit a tad overwrought. It reminded me of 'little children' in the acting, subject matter and the two are also confounded by starring Nicole Kidman. I'm trying to get out and see 'I'm not there,' whose soundtrack is great with the exception of a few butchering tracks. I also have to see 'no country for old men' and now 'juno' as well as 'the savages.' We must be rounding the corner to oscar season because I haven't wanted to see so many movies at the same time for as long as I can remember.

To those of you who live in chicago: This week I saw the exhibit 'Maps: finding our place in the world' at the field museum. Simply put, it's really awesome. I spent over three hours in the one exhibit. From the Divinci map to Ptolemy's map of Rome, the Tolkien maps to the maps from the 'golden age of sea trade' in the Netherlands and the native american maps - I was fascinated. I must have been slackjawed the entire afternoon. I even used a map to get there! I'll probably go again. Also in the city: Lewis and Clarke: mapping the american west, a free exhibit at the newberry library. Perhaps I'll go back to school for cartography.