we are sound oh we are light

I gave myself the best birthday present ever this year--a trip to Chicago to see (now officially my favorite band) British Sea Power. Funnily enough, I could have seen them a bit closer to home, in Pontiac, but, um, didn't realize all the good bands were now playing Pontiac rather than Detroit. Oh well--this gave us a chance to go to Chicago!

And because the show was in Chicago, we had to stay overnight. We booked a room in a fabulous place called Longman & Eagle, recommended to me by Ms. Sarah Louise of branchbound and slubird. (All of Slu's Chicago recs to me were spot on--I'm so grateful to you, Slu!) L&E is a six-room inn over a whiskey bar and restaurant.

We stayed in number 13 (I am not terribly superstitious)...

...which I also dubbed the Depression Room, after getting a gander at the artwork in it.

It wasn't at all a depressing place to stay, though. It was lovely, and the staff was charming and so helpful. The room was small, but absolutely perfect for us. It had this funny but kind of great shower stall/toilet combo. And I am a sucker for fancy hair/body products.

I'm also a sucker for things like this...

We had a little time to walk around Chicago before the show. Two things I particularly love about Chicago: lots of cool old signs, and lots of German restaurants. Civilization! Though I love fancypants local food gastropubs and all of that, I think a truly civilized city should also have a fair share of old school ethnic restaurants and blue collar dive bars. Chicago is so nice and down to earth in that way.

I was a little bummed The Violet Hour wasn't open yet when we passed by, but we did get to stop by another excellent Slu recommendation, The Whistler, for some delicious cocktails.

And I wore my new branchbound sequin headband. It's gorgeous, isn't it? So comfortable to wear, too. (Unsolicited compliments were received!)

British Sea Power was magnificent. The stage was decorated with their trademark greenery (cedar branches) before the set.

Cos we are sound

Oh we are light

So let's go on

Into the night!

xo

K

i'm a big fan of my local library

It's militant
Not military
See we welcome everybody
We're not even scary
I'm a big fan
Of the local library
I just read a book
But that's another story

--British Sea Power, "Who's in Control"

I love it when a favorite band addresses a favorite topic. Another line I love from this song: "Sometimes/I wish/Protesting was sexy on a Saturday night." Yeah, baby! Can't wait to see them live in Chicago next month.

BSP are no doubt talking about the proposed library cutbacks in Great Britain. There have been protests and sit-ins in the UK. Will we see the same here in the US? I don't doubt we'll see cuts proposed; whether people will care enough to protest them is another matter. As the daughter of a librarian, who spent a good chunk of my childhood in the library, and who still uses it for 95% of my reading material, libraries are dear to my heart.

But forget my nostalgia and warm feelings: for many, the local public library is their only access to books, magazines, the internet--that most precious commodity of all, information. Most public library systems provide a wide variety of free programs to the public, everything from children's storytimes to computer classes and resume workshops. Even--and here's a sign of the times--foreclosure seminars. All for free.

I could go on, but I won't. Instead I'll share a few shots of a wonderful vintage book I recently checked out from my local library system. (You'll see the book actually comes from Muskegon's Hackley Public Library, which is not part of the Kent County system. But because Kent District Library is part of the Lakeland Library Cooperative, I was still able to request it and pick it up at my local branch. How cool is that?)

And here's British Sea Power performing "Who's in Control"--so fantastic! Check it out.

xo

K