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August 27, 2008
what Lisa's been up to, July edition
This month, I launched my biggest site yet (nearly 150 pages!), for Gynecologic Specialists of Northwestern. This new practice was established by three prominent area gynecologists. (For instance, Dr. Lauren Streicher frequently appears everywhere from print to TV to radio, addressing issues of women's health and was recently named one of Chicago's top doctors by Chicago Magazine.)
In collaboration with the introduction of their new practice, the doctors wanted to launch a site that would allow them to interact with their patients in a variety of ways. On the site I created for them, you can search for detailed information on more than 100 different gynecological conditions, surgical options, or procedures. You can access post- and pre-operative instructions and request appointments and prescriptions online. You can even log in to access test results or send a secure message to any of your doctors.
As someone who has spent a lot of time in her ob/gyn office over the past seven months, I really believe that sites like this are the future for medical practices. It was exciting to work with such visionary and talented doctors on this project.
Also, my article on how to take your site to the next level came out in the most recent issue (October 2008) of HOW. This one has been generating a lot of interest and mail from readers. You can read it here.
Posted by lisa at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)
August 26, 2008
mini chef
Here's Finnie, helping me make banana bread, by serving as my official taster. He's wearing the apron that our dear old nanny, Fuey, gave us before we moved. It's so big that I can't believe it fits him!
Posted by lisa at 06:50 AM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2008
meeting the zadeh-graham fam
When we went to Seattle, we were lucky enough to have brunch with Shawn's college friends, Misha and Ben. Although this was the first time, I had met them, Misha and I, have ironically been in correspondence for years. She designed a line of cards for Chronicle when I worked there. And then, we've kept up with each other through each others' blogs over the years. I always knew I liked Misha, even if I hadn't yet met her.
The Graham boys (Mazi and Kian) are as cute as their blog shows. Finn loved chasing them around the docks that morning. It's funny to finally meet people who you feel like you already know.
Posted by lisa at 01:49 PM | Comments (0)
August 20, 2008
Seattle Trip
Last week, we flew out to Seattle to visit with Grandma, Auntie Julie, and Uncle Mike. It was a great trip--Finn had an absolute blast. And it was wonderful to see how he instantly bonded with everyone. He seemed especially smitten (even flirty!) with Auntie Julie.
Other trip highlights included when the pilot of the plane let Finn look at the controls (when we landed!), a pre-birthday celebration for Finn and Daddy, feeding the giraffes at the wonderful Seattle zoo, seeing the Zadeh-Graham family, and visiting with the Haegles. Oh, and a spirited game of Hoopla. (We were all winners!)
Posted by lisa at 02:21 PM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2008
kilbourn block party
This block party was truly an extravaganza. From the bike parade to the jumpy to the karaoke later on in the evening, it was a total blast. I don't think I've ever seen Finn so thrilled. All his friends were there, there were sugary snacks within child's reach on every table, he got to ride his bike in the (closed-off) street, and he got to stay up late enough to see the moon. He literally started falling asleep on Shawn's shoulder when we carried him home.
The highlight was when the karaoke "DJ" asked if any of the kids wanted to sing "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and Finn's hand shot up. I didn't think he knew that song and I'm still not convinced he does. But he took the mic and sang "baa baa black sheep" over and over in a way that can only be explained as inspired by the Ramones. He then accepted the crowd's enthusiastic cheers gratefully afterwards.
The second highlight was Finn holding hands and dancing with this beautiful little dark-haired girl. They took each other hands on the dancefloor and swayed back and forth for about 15 minutes. (Which is like three hours in toddler time.) Seriously the cutest thing I've ever seen.
Posted by lisa at 06:49 AM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2008
Finn’s first rave.
The Kilbourn Avenue Block Party was a blast.
Many more photos here.
Posted by shawn at 08:56 PM | Comments (0)
August 06, 2008
calm after the storm
Monday night, a storm tore through Chicago that was really unlike any other I've seen or experienced. I don't pay much attention when the local news talks about some big storm coming in, because they always brand it as something stupid like, "Tempest in the Midwest" set in obnoxious graphics and introduce the segment with a clap of thunder or something. So, I was sitting out in the front room working, when the storm starting moving in. And our neighbor, who saw me sitting there, called and was like, "Uh,genius, the tornado sirens just went off, you might want to leave your glassed-in front porch and get to the basement." (I'm paraphrasing.)
We got Finn out of bed to go to the basement, which he thought was awesome and waited for the storm to pass. Our entire house was shaking--pictures fell off the walls, windows rattled, some of our screens even blew off. It was really scary. (Except Finn still thought it was awesome.) The next morning, our neighborhood looked like a warzone--trees were down everywhere (you can see one in the photo above) and we didn't have phone, Web (curses!) or cable until today.
I must send out mad props to the good folks at Siam Taste Noodle. These intrepid folks delivered our Thai food in the middle of this storm. In our defense, we placed our order before we knew it was The Storm of The Century: August 2008 Edition. So, as the storm grew fierce, I figured the pad thai was sacrificed to the wrath of Mother Nature. But these folks actually delivered amid 80 mile-per-hour winds. They got a big tip.
It should also be noted that our Obama 2008 yard sign withstood the storm beautifully, with nary a scratch or tear. A portent?
Posted by lisa at 08:02 PM | Comments (0)