David J Baldwin

I miss Puck already.

I jumped out of the cab a few blocks early tonight so I could enjoy a little walk up Lake Shore Drive on my penultimate night in Chicago. (True, the cabbie seemed a little drunk as he careened up Lake Shore Drive, so self-preservation may have been one of my motives.) At any rate, I enjoyed the chance to reflect on the last night I'll spend with all of my friends gathered together in one place. The 12:01am  premiere of Sex & The City: The Movie was the occasion, and we met at Grand Luxe to enjoy dinner and a cosmopolitan before the show. Sure, we know everyone met with their friends for a pre-show cosmo, but it was special for us nonetheless. After dinner, we enjoyed 90 minutes of gossip and banter in the prime seats we'd claimed by arriving at 10:30pm.  So after my little walk, I'm sitting down at my Macbook (with a nod to Carrie Bradshaw) and attempting to wax poetic.  I know that nearly everyone who is a fan of the Sex & The City series has their group figured ou

I visited my nephews Jayden (L) and Regan (R) yesterday before they left for Michigan. Jayden underwent a cochlear implant today. (Cochlear Implants)

Hey y'all! If you stop by to read this blog, let me know by leaving a comment! I'd love to know who's been here!

BEFORE: DURING: AFTER:

I brunched with Louis and Stephanie today in the suburbs. Louis is my best friend from college, and I sang at their wedding 2 years ago. Last year, I helped them find and buy this cute house in the near west suburbs, which they have turned into a lovely home. We sipped mimosas on the back patio and chatted for hours. It was so great to catch up! They're very excited about the baby that will be joining the household in November!

BEFORE: I finished painting my kitchen yesterday! No that it's up, I think the Behr Banana Creme is too yellow, and not enough creme. I hate how it looks against the Robin's egg blue countertops, but I hate the countertops too! (They were installed by the previous owner, and I'll replace them with granite as soon as I can.) I will probably re-paint the kitchen with a creamier color in the fall.  AFTER:

"because I believe that we can be extraordinary together, rather than ordinary apart." FINALLY!

I attended Chicago Opera Theater's production of John Adams' A Flowering Tree. It was a beautiful production, excellently stage-managed my friend Shawn. The music, though sometimes repetitive and drivingly rhythmic, which is typical of John Adams, had moments of greatness. There were some exquisite chords. The cast managed Adams' crazy vocal writing (now high, now low, now super-high, now super-low) very well, and a lot of the English came through. It's sometimes even harder to understand opera when it's sung in English! This show is RECOMMENDED.

I finalized details for my trip today. I will be flying out on May 31, 2008, and returning on August 30, 2008. It's a 12.5 hour flight, and fortunately I can fly non-stop from Chicago to Beijing. I found out I'll be staying near Tiananmen Square, which is very close to the Forbidden City, in central Beijing (see map above!) Fun fact: China is a 12 hour time difference from Chicago, so my return flight leaves Beijing at 4pm on August 30 and arrives in Chicago at 4pm on August 30! I met my friend Garnett for drinks/appetizers today at the Hard Rock Hotel, after which we went down to Borders. I picked up two guidebooks to Beijing, Eyewitness Travel's Beijing and Shanghai, and Eyewitness Travel's Top 10 Beijing.   Yesterday, I contacted Verizon and found that my phone will work in Beijing, although the rates are $1.29 per minute, 50 cents to send a text message, and 5 cents to receive one. I think I'll stick to email and blogging for the most part.

In the season finale of Brothers and Sisters, which aired last Sunday, Kevin and Scotty got married. Nora, Kevin's mother, cut flowers from her garden and filled the living room with flowers, despite the fact that Kevin had specifically asked for no flowers. When he walked in on this scene, Nora said to him, "Damn it, Kevin, you deserve this night to be beautiful. Alright, yes, I got carried away. I don't regret it. Because tonight, Kevin, you don't get to be guarded, or cynical. You and Scotty deserve this night to be as...romantic...and memorable as anyone else's." I bawled like a baby during this episode. Watch for yourself: Yesterday, the California Supreme Court ruled that gay and lesbian couples have the same right to wed as heterosexual couples in the state of California. In 30 days, couples will be lined up at the court house, committing their lives to each other and ensuring that their partners will have the right to inherit their property, visit them

The next chapter of my life begins today. I left the Gap store where I've worked for the past 15 months, and I won't be returning. I turned in my keys and said goodbye to the people I've enjoyed working with so much! Shannon bought us a Chinese food lunch, and several managers and associates handed me cards of Thank You and Good Luck. The past year has been an amazing journey with these people, one that started out rough, but now I feel that I'm leaving the one of the strongest teams I've been with in 8+ years at Gap Inc. Congrats to everyone for making that happen! Sometime in June, I don't know exactly when, I'll be traveling to China to work with one of the sponsors of the 2008 Summer Olympics. I'll use this blog to keep everyone updated on my daily activities and hopefully post some fun pictures of me in China. But for now, let's celebrate the good fortune that closed one door and opened another. I'll have some drinks with friends this weeken