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January 2008
Sale of the Week—Chicago’s Old Norwood
By Dennis Rodkin

The Property: This 128-year-old house is in the heart of Old Norwood, a neighborhood on the city’s far Northwest Side. With its curving streets, charming older homes, relatively big city lots, a big park, and a nearby commuter train station, Old Norwood is “the best-kept secret ‘Mayberry’ in Chicago,” says Lisa Sanders, the Coldwell Banker agent who represented...

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Pie in the Sky
By Jonathan Black
When Kraft and California Pizza Kitchen meet to design a new frozen pizza, the negotiations can get subtle and intense: Cut down the oregano, bring up the Parmesan, add zingy kalamata olives, think up a snappy slogan—give the public what it wants next Read more
One Degree of Trotter
By Jeff Ruby
Here, we present a selection from the local branch of the Trotter Family Tree, with the date of each chef's tour of duty, and his or her current position. Read more
Week 34: Breaking the Ultrasound Barrier

Sarah's heartburn is unbearable, for us both. Acid reflux is a problem for preggos, especially at night because when they lie down, stomach acid rises into their esophagus. Yuck. Therefore, she's sleeping with her head elevated, and making use of the "body pillow" Kenn and Julie bought from Bed, Bath & Beyond. It's doing the trick, but our king-size is getting mighty crowded. This morning I counted nine pillows, three blankets, four stuffed animals, five books, and one dirty spoon. Now the body pillow. It's such a massive presence that when I wake up in the middle of the night, I can't find my wife. She's over there somewhere, I guess, because I can hear the noises in her stomach...

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Trock and Roll
By Rebecca Little

The Pocket Guide to Sex

David Sedaris’s January shows at Steppenwolf sold out long ago, but seats are still available for the theatre’s funny, poignant Traffic Series, focusing on what it means to be an American. Next up: radio personality Sharon McGhee’s The PocketBook Monologues, an African American response to The Vagina Monologues, about sex and intimacy among women of color. (The show’s title refers not to a purse but to a polite euphemism for a certain part of the female anatomy.) Showtime is 7 p.m. Monday the 14th in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theatre (1650 N. Halsted St.; 312-335-1650). Tickets are $35.

Best Bets for Things to Do This Week...

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My Carrie Moment

I've been likened to the fictional sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw once or twice, but one thing we don't have in common: the ability to trot in sky-high Manolo Blahniks. I bought my first pair recently on sale at Barneys (open-toe, patent-leather Mary Janes), but I've yet to wear them out of the house. Just looking at them in my closet gives me plenty of pleasure, sans pain.

But since I said I would participate in last night's Service Club of Chicago charity fashion show at Chaise Lounge, I knew I might have to suck it up...

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Guest Blog: It’s Da Bomb
By Graham Meyer

"The audience in Oedipus Rex knew what was coming," said Doctor Atomic librettist and director Peter Sellars in his pre-concert lecture at Lyric Opera last night. He was drawing a comparison between Greek drama, when the stories being staged were traditional tales already known to the theatergoers, and Doctor Atomic, which is based on the real-life testing of the first atomic bomb, in 1945. The second half of Sellars's talk took listeners through the opera scene by scene, describing what would happen, what he thought was great about it, and his anti–nuclear weapons politics...

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On the Market—Twin Moderns in Ukrainian Village
By Dennis Rodkin

List Price: $1,049,000 each
The Properties: These two sleek houses are the design of Studio Dwell Architects. Behind their almost-identical cedar and glass facades, they have spacious floor plans, sharp Arcilinea kitchens, and top-floor master bedrooms with exquisite views of two local landmarks: the gold dome of Sts. Vladimir and Olga Church and the multiple copper spires of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral.

Each house has a big double-height front room that combines living and dining with an almost vertiginous view up two flights of stairs. Beyond are a kitchen and...

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