Blackstone Holiday Party

December 14, 2025

Our friends/neighbors Mark and Anna hosted a small holiday party, inviting a few of the neighbors on our block to gather at their house.

While we’ve hung out with Mark and Anna a good deal, we’ve tended to see our other neighbors in an impromptu manner – usually in passing on the street. Around the era of Covid and after, we’d sometimes gather in the summertime for some drinks at the end of the day, with folks loitering around the sidewalks.

Tonight was one of our more “formal” social occasions. Though with everyone, it’s very much an informal group.

An amazing spread of appetizers and treats, in the dining room.

L to R: Mark O, Marge, Mark N. Mercedes, Kenneth, Maria, Anna, Tamara, Liz and Mark K (lots of Marks on the block).

We had a fun time talking and chatting. Nearly everyone else from the group is involved in education in some way, teachers/professors, many of whom are involved with U of Chicago. We got to hear a lot of really fun stories (one in particular about driving around a carload of physicists and sliding around on black ice).

I forgot where I read it, but I recall some mention that there is a really high number of Nobel Laureates in our neighborhood (likely due to our proximity to the University of Chicago).

In addition to talking about AI and Physics and Literature, we also talked about our respective houses, stories about first moving to the area. And also the challenge of raising chickens in one’s backyard.

A favorite quote from the night – Mark K was describing trying to keep chickens safe/contained in their coop. And how they’re prone to finding a way to break out, describing chickens as

Not smart, but relentless

I think that’s something I need as a tattoo for myself.

Really, really fun night chatting with everyone. It’s been a long while since I was in grad school, a long while since I’d been in the company of academics. It was fun to talk about books and politics, and all manner of current events with folks. Really great company, and a really great time.

Liz and I continue to marvel at how lucky we got, moving in to this house, being on this block, and being around such lovely neighbors. I don’t suppose there are a lot of places where neighbors get along so well with one another. So we both definitely feel like we lucked out.