Not Woof, but Drool

Alissa came to visit on Wednesday. We did a lot of things (like walking, karaoking, sleeping), but mainly we ate and drank a lot.

Here's what I had...

Wednesday night
Lula
spinach salad with goat cheese, dried cherries, walnuts and carmelized shallots
scallops with summer squash
Sauvignon blanc

Whistler
Pimm's, ginger beer, Hendrick's gin, cucumber water

Thursday night
Irazu
potato tacos with mole and gaucamole, beans, rice, salad
BYOB'd wine

Friar Tuck's
Tanqueray and Tonics

Some taqueria on Broadway
nachos with extra guacamole (consumed in cab)

Friday night
my homemade pizza with balsamic carmelized onions, prosciuotto, parmesean, basil
wine

Map Room
Alpha Kings

Rainbo
Anchor Steams

Saturday
Orange
Eggs Benedict
Orange coffee

Target
Diet Coke

Graham Elliot
Gin Blossom cocktail: prosecco, St. Germain, hibiscus gin, blackberry liquer
truffle oil, parmesean and chive popcorn
lobster corndog on arugula salad
scallops, ham hock, potato salad, fried pickles, cornbread sauce
deconstructed strawberry shortcake

Matchbox
Ginger Gimlet

Bar deVille
The Songbird (something else with gin and St. Germain... quel surprise)

Tuman's
PBRs

Bacci
half a slice (I know, we can't believe we could eat again after that dinner either)

Continental
a PBR (and then I fell asleep on Alissa's shoulder... and then in the cab again 5 minutes later)

Sunday
Cozy Corner
3 slices of bacon, 2 scrambled eggs, 1 piece of french toast
cooooffffeeee

Intelligentsia
cooooffffeeee

Portilo's
hot dog (Chicago style)
fries
chocolate cake shake

Couch now (via Trader Joe's)
flax tortilla chips
hummus
baby carrots
Mendocino/Saratoga Brewing Company White Hawk (IPA)

Needless to say, I will be eating nothing but vegetables for the rest of the year. Okay, maybe just week.

Do you know what Lisztomania means?

I don't think I blog too much about music* these days (or blog much at all), but some things I can't stop listening to:

Shout Out Louds Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (whole album)
LCD Soundsystem's "Someone Great"
Phoenix's "Lisztomania" and "Fences" (album out next week). Wikipedia'd the title. Not "Fences." I know what those are.
The Replacements Pleased to Meet Me
Rihanna's "Disturbia"

*I am not cool anymore, so none of this (well most of this) is new or unheard of. Maybe Rihanna? You should try to find her at your local independent music store.

I meant to write about my lovely trip to Boston and Cambridge last weekend, but clearly haven't yet. Some highlights:
Reunionmania with Laura, Matt, Chloe, Ariella, Kara, Maya, Louisa, Sara, Frere John. Was that it?
Lobster Mac n Cheese at the Red House, amazing prosciuotto sandwich at Darwin's, Italian take on eggs benedict at Rocca, delicious 3 courses at Eastern Standard
Meeting Chloe's awesome boyfriend for the first time
Talking law school with Matt
Realizing how close Laura, Matt and I are that I can sit in a towel on their couch, putting on make up, explaining the nuances of Gossip Girl to him, while his gf/my bff Laura is in the other room doing her thing and that is not weird or inappropriate at all. Nor did he make fun of me for GG. Actually, I think he enjoyed it.
Haaahvard bar scene
Scottish wedding party in hotel bar scene
Calling out "Matt Damon, where are you?" when we went to Chloe's gallery in Southie. Original, I know.
Hendrick's martinis
No sales tax shopping!!
Puppies and tulips in Boston Commons

The downside:
Sunday night depression on airplane realizing I have to take an airplane to see my favorite people
Also, probably gained 10 lbs

Tidbits and Superlatives

1. Texts From Last Night is the new FML.
2. Wine sorbet is the best thing ever.
3. In the T.I. song "Whatever You Like," the line in the dirty version "late night sex, so wet and so tight" is replaced by "treat you so special, so nice" in the clean version. Yep, basically the exact same meaning. These are the lessons I learn at the gym.
4. The Hideout Saturday dance party was one of the most fun Saturday night spots I've hit since moving here.
5. My Chicago bus crush now knows he is my Chicago bus crush. But we also now know each other's names. I don't know if I am scared or excited for my commute tomorrow. Thanks, Paige!
6. At Cesar's, a large margarita means small. Jumbo means medium. And mega means large. I went mega. At 2 pm yesterday. And Cesar's is spelled like that. Not like Caesar.
7. I think I walked over 10 miles this weekend. Yesterday, around Boyztown, Lincoln Park, and Lincoln Square, drunk from item 6, with some coworker friends, all the way home after that, and today, from my house to Merchandise Mart and more wandering with Teppy after ArtChicago. I love this weather. Keep it coming.
8. I want wine now, but I think it is going to taste gross after eating wine sorbet. Like brushing your teeth immediately after drinking orange juice.

Woops. Hi, blog.

Today is Easter. Today I will go to a Sox game at the Cell with some coworker friends. One coworker friend who will not be joining us at the ballpark asked me on Friday if I was going to NY this weekend. I looked at him puzzled and asked "Why?" He sort of yelled "You go home for the birth of Christ, but not the Resurrection?!" He laughed afterwards, but it was that sort of an oh-shit-I-freaked-her-out-better-pretend-I-was-joking laugh. Don't yell at a girl who works in HR about religion. Also, this is America; I know Jews who celebrate Christmas. Also, believing that Christ was born is one thing, believing in the Resurrection takes faith, and I'm not so sure I've got that.

Anyway, I will be at the game today on Easter Sunday. I am packing several layers, my camera, and the new US Weekly (for the train ride down, only). Lilo is so alone. I need to finish reading about it.

Sometimes when I'm channeling Lil Ged, my inner rapper, I think of rhymes. This isn't a rhyme: "My Easter bonnet be a White Sox cap!" I've been reading a lot of Snacks and Shit lately (thanks, Alissa!), and thinking about bad hip hop lyrics 'round the clock.

I should go shower and plan out my layers now. I'm back!

Oh, and my mom is coming to town tomorrow. This should be interesting.

Addendum

My dad is super cute, and I felt the need to share. This can be added to the list below. "I G-chatted with my dad about Wii."

dad: i was supposed to go to a wii party at nate's today but we didn't get back in time
me: have you played before?
i've only played a few times
i just recently got into guitar hero/rock band though
some of my coworkers are obsessed
dad: we bowled, boxed, and played tennis one night a couple of months back. i kicked butt in boxing
nate created characters - barack and sarah palin. i was sarah palin and kicked ass. i felt really bad though and thought i might be putting a jinx on the election :(
me: haha, well fortunately you don't have to live with any wii guilt!

Weekend Update

These are the things that made my otherwise shitty week a little better:

I felt smarter than some people I know because I got why the new Britney song "If U Seek Amy" is so controversial. Or maybe that just means I have a dirtier mind.

I joined a gym.

I finished Season 1 of Heroes.

I saw my friend's band play a sold-out show at Schubas and found out they will be playing Pitchfork this summer. I also saw a lot of friends that night I hadn't seen in awhile.

I poured a bag of peanut M&Ms into a bowl of popcorn and called it dinner one night.

I had fun with my coworkers on Friday night.

I watched the Parent Trap (LiLo version, obviously).

I bought a beautiful dress for a third of its original price. Birthday outfit!

I am no longer friends with my mom on Facebook.

FML

This morning I read this.

Tonight, I get an email from my mom regarding my Facebook profile picture that says:
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I really don't like that photo of you in those big glasses. It really creeps me out for some reason. It's not cute or flattering. Sorry but I had to tell you."

Not flattering applies to me in turtlenecks at age (almost) 24, not a picture of me at age 4 that she probably took!

I'm changing my picture anyway now just because I don't want to think about her every time I look at my profile, which is at least 17 times a day. Back to tallying minigolf scores for Carlton and the chubies!

Random addendum:
I would like to thank Mr. Kanye West and his latest album for adding genre variety to the sort of music that suits my mood this week.