Before the pandemic hit, I darted between Chicago stages to review drama and dance. I love theater, but it’s not in my blood. I’ve never appeared on a stage. My attempts to be a supernumerary at the Lyric went nowhere: most of the roles are for younger volunteers who fit specific costumes, and I missed my big chance to be a shrouded corpse in Orfeo ed Euridice.

But I did direct a play once, to great acclaim. I wasn’t a fan of the play, J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, a grimly didactic political tract in the guise of a whodunit. Admittedly, my view of the play might have something to do with where and when I directed it: Beijing, 1981.

As a visiting professor at the Wai Jiao Xue Yuan (Foreign Affairs University), I taught American literature to students destined to become diplomats, but my real job was to bring students and faculty up to speed on American slang. Parched from the educational drought of the Cultural Revolution, they stopped by my office for casual conversation and peppered me with questions.

“What are knockers?” they asked after they borrowed a soft porn video from the Canadian embassy. They wanted to know why a John Updike character becomes incoherent after he eats a chopped meat pastry — their too literal translation of hash brownie. As a native speaker, I was in big demand.

No wonder the dean turned to me when he decided the university should stage a play in English. I had never directed a play, but at least I’d be able to decode those pesky idioms. The dean chose An Inspector Calls for its socialist pedigree, just the ticket for Beijing theatergoers in 1981. Priestley’s 1946 play highlights the economic inequalities that persist to this day in many places, including — ouch! — China.

My students learned their lines like pros, even affecting British accents to suit the action, which takes place in a stately English manor in 1912. But costumes presented a challenge. “An Inspector Calls” requires Edwardian evening dress. My male students improvised, unearthing blazers and ties mothballed by ancestors in prerevolutionary China — not the white tie and tails of the classic production, but close enough in their view.

Dress for the women’s roles was a bigger problem. In An Inspector Calls, the wife and daughter of wealthy industrialist Arthur Birling appear on stage in long, floaty evening gowns. My students, male and female, wore navy cotton trousers and padded jackets. Every day. For all occasions. They owned little else.

My female students were in despair, but they quickly regrouped and came up with a plan based on their presumption that their American professor must have packed evening attire for her year in Beijing. I had not, but I invited them to my dated apartment at the Friendship Hotel to rifle through my wardrobe, which was probably their real goal all along. Only minutes into their hunt, they announced: “You were holding out on us!” (I had taught them that idiom.) From a drawer, they withdrew long, sheer polyester nightgowns.

My wardrobe yielded more. In the title role of the inspector, I cast the student with the most confident English, a woman. She struck gold in my closet, discovering a double-breasted trench coat.

The production was a success, although I struggled to keep a straight face as I reviewed the parade of my lingerie on stage, layered over turtlenecks for modesty’s sake. After the performance, I snapped a photo. When I look at it today, I am reminded of my students’ ingenuity and their eagerness to learn about a culture mostly at odds with their own. For me, that was stage magic.

Well, finally, what everyone has been talking about has finally been confirmed in the data so now it’s real. According to this morning’s release of the September Case Shiller home price indices for single family homes prices across the nation soared by 7% in the last year. That’s the strongest gain in more than 6 years. The Case Shiller Chicago area index also took off but by a somewhat smaller 4.7%, which places Chicago’s gains second from the bottom of the 19 metro areas reporting. As you know Chicago has been trailing the rest of the nation for some time. But at least the New York metro area is behind us with a 4.3% increase.

The good news is that the S&P Dow Jones CoreLogic folks quietly revised the August numbers and, instead of the 1.2% that was originally reported they now show 2.5% for that 12 month period. Also, note that 4.7% is the highest year over year gain that the Chicago area has seen in a little over 3 1/2 years.

Condo prices also showed their highest annual gain in 1 1/2 years at 3.9%. The year over year increases for both types of homes are plotted in the graph below.

Chicago area single family home prices have shown annual gains for 95 consecutive months

Craig J. Lazzara, Managing Director and Global Head of Index Investment Strategy at S&P Dow Jones Indices, echoed the theory that many have suggested as to why we are seeing this surge in home prices:

This month’s increase may reflect a catch-up of COVID-depressed demand from earlier this year; it might also presage future strength, as COVID encourages potential buyers to move from urban apartments to suburban homes. The next several months’ reports should help to shed light on this question.

The FHFA also released their 3rd quarter 2020 House Price Index report today, which goes through September. It shows the nation’s home prices climbing by 7.8% in the last year while Chicago gained 5.5%. They look at 100 metro areas and Chicago ranked #90 on that list – pretty consistent with the Case Shiller result. They also provide this graph that shows how Chicago has performed relative to the rest of the nation and it’s pretty depressing.

Chicago area home prices have been lagging the nation for at least 14 years

Case Shiller Chicago Area Home Price Index By Month

I’ve got the monthly home price index values graphed below for both single family homes and condos along with a trend line for single family homes based on the pre-bubble years. Single family home prices were up in September by 1.2% from August while condo prices were up by 1.0%. Sadly, as you can plainly see, we still have not recovered to the bubble peak. Single family home prices are still down 9.7% while condo prices are still down 3.0%. From a historical perspective that means that single family home prices are still lower than they were during the entire period from March 2005 – February 2008 and condo prices are still lower than the January 2006 – January 2008 period.

Another fly in the ointment is that, unless we can have many more months like September, we’re never going to catch up to that trend line which has left us in the dust. We now lag it by 26.2%.

Nevertheless, the recovery from the bottom is dramatic. Single family home prices have risen 48.2% and condo prices have risen 60.5%.

The Chicago real estate market still has a long way to go before catching up to bubble peak prices.

#ChicagoHomePrices #CaseShiller #HomePrices

Gary Lucido is the President of Lucid Realty, the Chicago area’s full service real estate brokerage that offers home buyer rebates and discount commissions. If you want to keep up to date on the Chicago real estate market or get an insider’s view of the seamy underbelly of the real estate industry you can Subscribe to Getting Real by Email using the form below. Please be sure to verify your email address when you receive the verification notice.

Welcome to 30 Adoption Portraits in 30 Days, hosted by Portrait of an Adoption. This series will feature guest posts by people with widely varying adoption experiences and perspectives. 

A Birthmother’s Journey
As told by Hope O Baker to Carrie Goldman

I had an unexpected pregnancy when I was a junior in college and I found out when I was about 20 weeks along. It was pretty far along to learn, but I was dealing with big life distractions. My mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

My mom was supposed to drive me to the abortion clinic, but as we were in the car, my mom got a call that she was bumped up for her surgery at mayo. So we stopped the car and my sister came to drive me. The sad irony of the situation was that my sister was trying to get pregnant at the time, and still, she stepped up to be with me and drove me to the clinic.

I am pro-choice, but as I sat there, the choice I decided to make was that I was not going to get the abortion. Still, I couldn’t see myself raising a baby. Everyone said, “you can’t do this” and I agreed.

I began searching adoption agencies on google. I signed up, and by the next day, I had an insane amount of stuff in the mail. The woman who became my son’s mom, her adoption profile book came up on google.

I read about her, and I was so drawn to her. I thought, this is who I want to be when I grow up. She was a single mom; she was just right. We both clicked. I got great vibes and energy from her. Being around her made me feel safe and good.

As soon as she picked me up from the airport, I knew that she was the one. At that time, I was six months pregnant. I talked to a couple families before I met her. After I met her, I never spoke to another family ever. From the time we had our first email exchange, I just knew.

After we met, I went back to Minnesota and continued waitressing in an outdoor restaurant/bar. It was a fun job; I was paying for my own college. I had bills to pay — cell phone and car.  I hid my pregnancy from other people.

But when I couldn’t hide my pregnancy anymore, I went out and lived with the woman who would become my son’s mom for the last two months. We went on walks every day and did prenatal yoga. We got cupcakes every other day at Magnolia’s.

My lawyer strongly advised against this, saying that when you spend that much time with someone, you build a relationship, and it would be hard to change your mind if you decide to keep the baby. Yes, there were warnings against doing this, but we felt good about it, and we did what worked for us.

She really did become like a mom and a friend to me. She treated me like her kid and I could see my kid would be well loved and cared for.

At the delivery, she was there, her mom was there, and my mom was there. We each had our own challenges. My mom caused a big scene after the birth, and I was so angry at her. For years, I was so mad at my mom and blamed her for making a scene.

Two years ago, I took her on a trip to Greece and I brought up that I was still very angry. She told me her perspective. I never thought about how my mom was watching her own child go through so much pain and struggle.

I never thought about how she was leaving her first grandchild. She just wanted everything to slow down. I know now she wasn’t trying to derail the adoption; she was trying to make sure I had what I needed and that I had time with my son.

So we finally cleared the air after me holding onto anger for five years. Now I live basically a mile away from my mom. We are best friends.

I wrote my book when I was still in the “adoption is beautiful” world. Since then, I’ve met other birthparents and adoptive parents, and I’ve found that it’s okay to be able to say on some days I hate adoption. Having those feelings doesn’t make me regret my choices, and I love my son’s mom.

What I’ve learned is that when you aren’t speaking to people in the adoption community, you think your story is crazy and dramatic. But when you start talking with people within the adoption community, you see that all these feelings are normal. My story – the struggles, the pain – none of this is abnormal within the adoption community.

Anyone who says everything is rosy and perfect and rainbows – even those adoptive parents – I don’t think they are telling the truth. It’s just more complicated than that. Adoption is hard. Adoption sucks for a lot of people. Talking about it openly helps to process it.

You don’t how many times I’ve been told, your son is so lucky to have found a great home, and I used to say things like that too. But I’ve learned that I don’t like that phrase anymore. My son wasn’t lucky to be taken from his mom. When we can open it up, adoptees are allowed to say how they really feel.

I feel like my son’s mom and I have had a good relationship. I’ve recently learned that I need to be more open with her about how I’m feeling. When I developed negative feelings about adoption, I first went to social media to express it. That was my bad, because I wasn’t sharing my new feelings with her directly, and I should have, but it just reinforces how important the communication lines are for everyone. I’m glad that my son’s mom brought this up to me this week, and I plan to share my feelings with her first from now on.

With covid, I haven’t seen my son in quite some time. I am typically there for his birthday, my birthday, holidays – but now I am loving him from afar. He’s seven. He loves to garden; he really loves garbage trucks. He’s just so cute. During my last visit, we were belting out Christmas carols in the backyard in the summer. I look at him and I see myself and my little brother. He reminds me so much of myself.

His mom sends picture books to me, my mom, and my grandma every month. Sometimes, when I am in a mood where I’m hating adoption, I forget those little things and how nice they are. The little things are really the big things for a birthmother. I think about how on holidays getting a picture or a call is everything to me.

It changes my whole world to hear from my son’s mom. I can’t relax on Thanksgiving or Christmas or Mother’s Day until I get a call from her or until she sends a picture. That moment transforms my day, my mood, everything. That little gesture can go so far. That’s when I know I can enjoy the day.

A few months ago, I moved back to Minnesota. I was living in London the past two years, and I was engaged and planning a whole life. It didn’t work out. I still love this man, and I am still thankful for him and our time. I couldn’t have written my book without him. I needed so much support and love and kindness during that time, and he provided those things.

But I knew in my heart deep down that it wasn’t the right fit for marriage and I’m proud of myself for acting on that. I’ll always be grateful to him for helping me see such a good version of myself. He is still in London and I am back in Minnesota. It’s been interesting because I’ve lived in big cities for the past ten years, and now I’m in a small town.

I wrote Finding Hope: A Birthmother’s Journey into the Light, because I felt really alone being a birthmom and I didn’t feel like there were people who understood me. I wanted to share my story so other people wouldn’t feel that. I wanted people to know that pain, trauma, and happiness can all exist in the same sentence.

Now, I’m like, wow, there was this whole support system out there. Why didn’t I know about these people? I wish I had known about this community. I hope my story helps other people.

I have a full-time job in corporate America. I’m working from home. I bought a house here. I’ve always been a person who wanders: California, Washington D.C., London, but now I want to build roots and a life in one place.

Luckily my job is great and supportive of me moving back to Minnesota. I adopted a puppy and didn’t expect to have a hard time, but it brought up so many traumatizing feelings for me when I drove away with him from his siblings and his mom. I had to stop the car and I was crying, and I had all these emotions.

Now he’s my best bud. It helped me to post about this experience on Instagram and hear from other birthmothers that they had experienced similar things. It was traumatizing but now he is amazing, and he has helped me so much with feelings of depression. We are doing pretty well, and I’m grateful to have him.

Hope O Baker is living and working in Mankato, Minnesota.

* * * *
Carrie Goldman is the host of Portrait of an Adoption. She is an award-winning author, speaker, and bullying prevention educator. Follow Carrie’s blog Portrait of an Adoption on Facebook and Twitter

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LOS ANGLES, Calif – Do you have that thing that always makes you smile? That thing that has you doing the happy dance? Me too. It’s a manual transmission in a sporty car. Thus, when I opened the door of the 2021 Hyundai Elantra N Line, I might have skipped in place a little bit.

I know the manual is on the decline with only 12.5% of vehicles being offered with this transmission these days. And I know people often find driving a drudgery rather than a joy. Shifting through gears has become a lost art, a chore — but my heart beats faster every time I open a door and see a manual. Every damn time.

So, I’m going to issue a spoiler alert: This is going to be a completely positive review. I pretty much loved everything about the Elantra N Line.

A manual can be an everyday driver

While I’m clearly biased, one of the best things about the Elantra N Line was actually the manual transmission. It was very smooth and easy to shift. Plus, the clutch didn’t have a high shift point nor was it cramp-your-calf stiff.

Quite simply, it would be easy to drive every day. And I mean every day in stop-go-traffic.

If you are one of the 99% who don’t want a manual (bite your tongue), there is a 7-speed double clutch transmission, with paddle shifters and a manual shift mode. It’ll add $1,200 to the bottom line.

2021 Hyundai Elantra N Line (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

More than just a pretty face

There are several visual cues that differentiate the N Line from the regular Elantra. The obvious difference is the N Line badging on the grille and side of the vehicle as well as at key points on the interior – including the seats. You’ll also notice black accents on the grille, rear lip spoiler and mirror caps. The N Line also has a chrome twin exhaust.

Inside, the big difference will be the analog gauge cluster. While I thought this was a bit weird considering it’s a more up-level trim, Hyundai execs said this was done to help keep costs down. I can’t disagree with this decision.

2021 Hyundai Elantra N Line (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

More subtle differences can be found inside with red stitching, wireless charging, alloy pedals and black headliner.

But the N Line isn’t just a design package.

The Elantra N Line has more stiffness, N Line tuned shocks, 12-inch rotors and 18-inch Hankook Ventus S1 tires.

That’s in addition to the 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that delivers 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. Doing the math, that’s 54 more horsepower and 63 more pound-feet of torque than the gasoline-only Elantra with the 2.0-liter engine.

2021 Hyundai Elantra N Line (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

Smiles for miles

While the Elantra N Line can’t be termed a sports car, it’s definitely a sporty one. With the stiffer chassis and extra horsepower, it’s just the right amount of fun.

Our drive took us on short straightaways and a few twisty bits, and the Elantra N Line did exactly what I wanted it to do every time.

Its small size lends itself to tight maneuvers, and it did really well in hairpin turns as I drove up and down mountain passes. It was nimble and light, and even with the most aggressive of driving, it didn’t feel overextended.

Plus, with the sport bolstering on the seats, provided just the right level of support and comfort.

The end result was a 2-hour drive I would have loved to extend.

2021 Hyundai Elantra N Line (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

Affordable yet feature laden

The best thing about the Elantra N Line is it won’t cost you an arm and a leg. With a price tag around $25K, you get a lot of standard amenities on par with top trims – but you’re not paying top price.

One of the ways Hyundai does that is by making the 8-inch info screen the only option. Plus the behind-the-wheel gauges are analog. So, it’s definitely a little low-techy compared to the 2021 Elantra. It also doesn’t get cooled seats, adaptive cruise control or automatic reverse braking.

2021 Hyundai Elantra N Line wireless charging pad (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

But I say: Who cares? It has the performance features that matter as well as up-level features such as up-level leather-and-cloth seating surfaces, heated seats, 18-inch wheels, wireless charging, leather-wrapped steering wheel, full LED taillights, heated outside mirrors and sunroof.

One of the best things about the N Line is because of the 8-inch display, it is the only Elantra model that has both wireless charging and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. There’s a weird conundrum in the other Elantra models whereby you either get wireless CarPlay/Auto and wired-in charging or wired-in CarPlay/Auto and wireless charging.

Hyundai Elantra N in full camouflage (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

And then there was N

During the press preview, we had the unique opportunity to do a quick drive the Elantra N – in full camouflage – as well. It was just a one-mile loop, but it was enough to have my heart skip a beat and evoke images of the Subaru WRX STI.

I was able to get a sense of the stiff suspension, high clutch release point and quick off-the-line start, but there’s not much more a single one-mile loop will tell me. Other than it will be really fun on a racetrack, and I can’t wait to drive it again.

Hyundai Elantra N driver’s view of the interior (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

The Elantra N is going to be Hyundai’s stab at vehicles like the Honda Civic Type R and the WRX STI. It’ll come equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that delivers 276 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque. It will have either a 6-speed manual or an 8-speed N wet dual clutch transmission.

Other notable equipment includes a limited slip differential with electronic control, 13.6-inch front rotors, 12.4-inch rear rotors, an electronically controlled suspension, large bore exhaust outlets, variable valve exhaust and sunroof.

There is no word on when the N will go on sale, but with the N Line hitting dealers before the end of 2020 and a pre-production model in good enough shape for journalists to drive, I’m going to assume it’ll hit dealers before the end of 2021.

2021 Hyundai Elantra N Line (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

The bottom line on the Elantra N Line

Someone recently asked me what car I’d get if I gave up the VW GTI my husband and I currently own. I replied that a lot of the cars I’d want to buy are starting to go away. For me and my husband, a manual is a must-have — as is some level of sportiness. While vehicles like the WRX STI and Type R are brilliant fun, they can get a bit old in stop-and-go traffic – which we experience daily in Chicago.  

But the Elantra N Line hits the sweet spot of fun-to-drive nimbleness with an easy-to-shift manual. So, I think I have a new vehicle to add to my I-could-own-this-car list.

In fact, the Elantra N Line might just head to the top of the list.

Blogger’s Note: Driving impressions in this “First Look” review are from an invitation-only automaker launch event that allowed special access to the vehicle and executives. Hyundai covered our accommodations, meals and transportation costs.

Election judges process ballots in the basement level at the Chicago Board of Elections in Chicago’s Loop on Nov. 3, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

By ya’ll I mean all you Democrats and Republicans, liberals, progressives and conservatives. President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden and your campaigns.

Just about all of you stated as fact prior to the election that it would be rigged. Obviously, whoever lost would keep up the drumbeat while the winner would dismiss the possibility of a rigged election as fanciful, conspiratorial and nutty.

Then this Sidney Powell shows up giving credibility to the the charge of a conspiracy, by a bunch of commies working out of Venezuela, reigniting  my awful memories of Sen. Joe McCarthy who found a “red fellow-traveler” hiding under every State Department desk.

The Biden stalwarts wallowed in their own fantasies, about, for example, Trump stripping the streets of those blue mailboxes to stymie mail-in ballots for Biden.

Speaking of Biden, let’s not forget the major media that allowed a presidential candidate–a presidential candidate, for God’s sake!–to get away with without answering tough questions. Any claims by the media of professionalism is a steaming pile of crap.

Speaking of Biden, he’s the beneficiary of the most corruptible electoral system ever devised outside of the Kremlin. Spreading unrequested ballots across the countryside like manna from heaven, allowing political hacks to collect the ballots and a host of other “progressive” steps designed to make voting as simple as A,B and C are so obviously corruptible as to make the system’s supporters appear to be fools or shameless partisans.

The days that it has taken to count some of the ballots is evidence by itself that the ballots are so insecure and the results so challengeable as to make any claims otherwise laughable. And scary.

It opened the door for Trump supporters to spend the next four years claiming that the elected was indeed rigged, a claim that is not without merit. It allowed Trump to initiate legal challenges in the battleground states, a right that he is and was fully entitled to exercise, despite the ridicule of his opponents.

Trump, of course, made himself look like a petulant child who didn’t get his way and is going to “show them.”

If this election proves anything, it’s that elections are fragile and that the number of ways the “will of the people” can be subverted are innumerable. The first order of business of the new administration and Congress is to return to secure, sensible ways to protect the ballots.

They can start by returning to in-person voting with a requirement for an ID. Mail-in votes should be reserved for deployed military and people who genuinely won’t be around on election day. They can make the deadlines for accepting ballots real deadlines. They can require that all ballot counting be open to inspection by both partisan and neutral observers.

And most of all, they can and must stop insisting that voting has been “fraud free. Designing a system of voting based on that preposterous and naive fantasy is at the root of the unprecedented problems we’ve experienced over the past several months. We deserve better.

Ami is a sensitive, extremely loving, but also very nervous, four-year-old (turns five in December), 35-pound, black and white male Cocker Spaniel looking for a loving guardian.

Ami lived with a couple in their 80’s. Sadly the woman became ill and entered a nursing home, and the man moved out of the country.

Ami bonds very closely to his humans to the exclusion of everyone else. He has never lived in a home with other pets before, and is not adjusting well to sharing his humans, space or things.

He has transferred all his love to his new foster mom (his original mom’s daughter). He follows her around, sits outside the bathroom door, and pines for her in the window every time she leaves the home.

While he also loves her 19-year-old son, he would probably be happiest in a home with adults only who know and love the Cocker Spaniel breed. While he has never bit anyone, he does growl when uncomfortable and nervous does not like to be picked up.

He loves his leashed walks, is crate-trained and housebroken.

He is healthy, neutered, vaccinated with a one-year bordetella, and three-year rabies vaccine. He had a full-veterinary exam with a fecal test, and ears treated for a yeast infection. He eats a limited ingredient lamb dog food, as he appears to have ear issues when he eats chicken or beef.

He was the center of the universe of his former mom who doted on him and would put out an entire bowl of treats for him to enjoy … so he is currently on a diet and going on more walks for exercise. He doesn’t appear to understand any commands in English, but he’s accustomed to being spoken to in Polish.

His adoption fee of $300 benefits the rescued dogs of Friends of Petraits Rescue.

To meet and possibly adopt Ami please fill in an adoption application at https://friendsofpetraits.com/dog-cat-adoption-application/ and contact [email protected] for an appointment to meet him. He is being fostered in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood.