On the avenue

Jul 26, 2002

Though the humidity has been building into a wooly blanket, I was able to beat the heat by visiting a series of cool places in the city. It’s Erin’s last day as an intern to Lori Andrews at the Institute for Science, Law and Technology, and so Anna and I accompanied her to work so her office mates could meet us. One of those coworkers is Laurie Rosenow, who was in the class ahead of mine at DeKalb High School. Laurie and I shared news of our classmates—Laurie and the Class of 1987 will have their 15-year reunion in two weeks, at Eduardo’s Restaurant—and reminisced about high school classes.

Then it was back outside to meet Katherine Shaughnessy, who drove away with Anna and left me in the Loop to have the day to myself. Katie and Erin’s cousins, Jinny Kaperich and Brigid McDermott, took Anna to the park and played with her in the backyard kiddie pool. Their time with Anna was quite a gift to me. I took the time to visit the Harold Washington Library, where I read the New Yorker in the expansive and airy ninth-floor winter garden. Jerome Groopman’s article about male menopause might interest any male readers (and their lovers) over 40. Then again, anyone who goes to the doctor and gets an enthusiastic prescription for a new drug that is also, by happenstance, heavily advertised in the media might also want to read this article.

From the library I walked up Michigan Avenue to where my cousin, Jeff Nolan (a Zuiker, and contributor to these Chronicles; see the photos page for Jeff’s work) works for Avenue, a film editing studio. Jeff has a large office with a nice view toward Lake Michigan, on the 23rd floor of the building in the nicest shopping and office district in the city. Jeff gave me a tour of the studio and explained his work—he edits television commercials using an array of computers and screens in his office. On those screens were images from a commercial he’d just started, for the Wisconsin lottery commission. Over his desk is a gigantic shark sculpture, which reminded me of the clay shark figurines Frank the Beachcomber would make for me whenever I visited him in Studio 2. Somehow, I found myself eating sushi with his clients as they all edited the sound on a series of commercials for Charter cable television (in the South). It was wonderful to visit with Jeff, who is just a couple of weeks younger than me, and see his accomplishments. Jeff’s wife, Kate, meanwhile, continues to compete in triathalons, and is planning on racing in the Walt Disney World triathalon at the end of September.

A quick update from Nick: He and his crew of Forest Service fire fighters are breathlessly waiting to be called north to help fight fires in California and Oregon. Meanwhile, Dad and Grandma returned from Rhode Island. The two of them went one day on a paddleboat, with Grandma insisting on doing her share of the peddling to move the boat across the water into the steady strong winds. Uncle John met them in Rhode Island, and went deep-sea fishing, but no report of his successes has reached Zuiker Chronicles Online yet.

Anton Zuiker ☄