Family fun week

My bastardy back continues to infuriate me by not cooperating with my wishes.  I have had two chiropractic adjustments and spent countless hours researching and then stretching and working with my ball to try to release the offending muscles.  I have had slight improvement, but walking is absolute torture.  Within about 20 steps the entire lower back starts into a series of spasms that don't let up until long after I've stopped walking.  I'm able to get through my workouts, carefully, at about 80% of my normal intensity. It's frustrating, but a "wussy" workout is better than none at all.  I tried to push through a dog walk with Mark last night, though, thinking if I just stuck with it the spasms would stop eventually, but they didn't. By the time we got home, the muscles had locked up so badly and so high that I was having a very hard time breathing.  This whole situation is making me beyond angry--it has interfered with my productivity as well as with my workouts and other fun family activities.

Wednesday we went to the Art Institute of Chicago--just the four of us, as Russ couldn't get off work on such short notice. We had a wonderful day, starting with a walk through Millennium Park and a picnic lunch in the park, then on to the Art Institute. They had an exhibit on impressionism and fashion, which was really enjoyable. Walking presented major problems for me, so I had to waddle around like an 80-year old, taking frequent breaks, so the spasms stopped long enough for me to catch a deep breath. It really cast an unpleasant shadow on an otherwise perfect day.  We stopped at Chicago Diner for dinner and had a fantastic meal.  The high point for me (as usual) was the desserts.  I had a mint-chocolate 'milkshake', and wished I could have eaten more than just a delectable bite of Dej's caramel crunch torte. 

Friday the three of us went canoeing on the Bark River.  My back also ruined that day, mostly because we couldn't take Dej, because the canoes seat three, and we would have needed two canoes for four of us. We couldn't count on my rowing ability, so we had to stick with one canoe.  I'll be going in a couple of weeks with Dej and another friend, so she will get a chance to enjoy it too. We had perfect weather, and it was a beautiful day.  I was able to row for the second half of our trip, and as it turned out rowing wasn't nearly as painful or detrimental as walking!

We went out through Two Rivers again, and they dropped us and the canoe at the starting point of the 12-mile trip, in a wildlife sanctuary. We saw hundreds of herons and egrets as well a many other birds, including a bald eagle which was probably the closest I've been to one.  I love canoeing in this location, because for about 80% of it, we are out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by wildlife, and no other humans or signs of them.  It's very relaxing and recharging.  We stopped and had a picnic lunch at about the halfway point.  By the time we made it back to the dock where our journey ended, M & I were both ready to be done rowing!

She LOVES her kale chips!

We were very ready for a nap, but we had dinner plans with friends.  We went to Pig Minds and were really excited for our friends to try it for the first time.  It was a very disappointing night.  The company was fantastic and we very much enjoyed catching up with our old friends, but it was our first negative experience at Pig Minds.  I've been a little depressed about it since.  I know it's odd to be so bummed, but I really love that place, and it's VEGAN, and we've always had such great experiences there, and now I'm worried that they are slipping.  Fingers crossed that it was just a bad server on a bad night. :(

The food, in general, was just meh, which has never been the case there before.  I often get the reuben and love it, so I ordered that.  It was just not good.  It was bland and completely unenjoyable, and I realized after I ate the first half that there was no (vegan) Thousand Island dressing on it. That's the whole point of a reuben--at least for me.  I love my Thousand Island, and a reuben is just pointless without it.  Nobody at the table was blown away by the deliciousness, and that's very atypical for PM.

The rest of the negative experience--the part that was most upsetting to me--was due to a bad server experience. Service in general was slow, but it was busy, so I was willing to ignore that.  HOWEVER, my friend L, who is vegan-ish (long story, but that ambiguous descriptor will have to do for now) asked what the server recommended. She learned while traveling in Europe, that that's the best approach in a new restaurant and often results in great food and even better service.  Somehow, our ignorant server interpreted, "What would you recommend?" as, "We hate vegan food, so what would be the most meat-like food you have?"  She launched into a disgusting pitch that started with, "Well I'm a meat eater myself, so my favorite is blahblahblah, because it's just like real chicken.  She then continued through her disgusting menu tour listing the items that could most "pass" as animal flesh.  I go to vegan restaurants whenever possible partly for the amazing food choices, but also to avoid ignorant, anti-veg garbage like that. I find an approach like that highly despicable and insulting, and especially at a vegan restaurant.  I felt very violated.  I know it sounds dramatic, but I AM sensitive about things like that. When I go to non-veg places, I am expecting such things and am prepared with my defenses up and ready.  I was not remotely prepared for such an assault at one of my "safe" places.