I like to go in order to see what's going on with friends and neighbors in my 'hood. I have nothing to sell personally. But I like to use and refer the members.

Everyone pitched in and brought something this morning--lots of sweets, some fruit, quiche, even coffee from Caribou. Unfortunately, I brought my own Starbucks but decided to drink the Caribou and save my Starbucks and have it cold Saturday morning.

Lots of conversation. Gail Merritt explained the Greenest South Loop awards that were given to a number of neighborhood entities for good ecology practices. We talked about the almond Santa cookies Mary Ivory brought from Trader Joe's and poppyseed cake and chocolate brownies made and brought by Carol Dorsey and interior decorator Jaqi Green, respectively. And we talked about what a crime and a sin it is for Chicago Public Schools students to waste so much of their school-provided (and probably overpriced to the taxpayers) healthy lunches because the food just doesn't appeal to their palates. No one could think of the totally right solution, although many were floated. For example, someone wondered why there couldn't be a coordinated effort by the principals to get the unused food to a shelter of some kind?

The big question of the morning, though, was whether the group should do another potluck celebration on New Year's Eve--the next scheduled meeting--or even to meet that day, what with it being a sort of holiday.