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.

Oh Moon, Oh Man [edited]

This is the first time I have really felt the influence of lunar events on my life. It could be coincidental, I may be going crazy, but everything seems to be really oddly in synch right now. I am seeing symmetry and circles in everything. Things are happening so quickly. And most of these things aren't great. Yet I am feeling strangely grounded. I have a renewed sense of purpose and clarity even though I'm also confused as all hell. I read my horoscope for the month today, too, and was pretty amazed by its accuracy.

Note to Ally, the second the moon gets a little thinner, I won't be talking, or at least not blogging, about these things anymore. It will be your realm and you'll be the only author on the subject in the whole entire blogger world.

Here's to another feelings-filled blog post!

February

At the end of January, I decided I was going to try to like February this year. I have hated this month the past few years because winter seems to be at its worst and it felt even worse (worse than worst?) because I had usually just returned from a trip to some place warm (SF was the case all through school, last year it was the business trip to Phoenix). And then hello, hellish February.

My end of January forecast for February this year was bright and filled with happiness and sunshine. While the weather forecasts are proving to be true (apparently it's nearing 50 degrees outside today), my happiness forecast is proving to be false.

I think I'll be okay, but this was maybe the shittiest week of all weeks I've had since I moved here. I'm feeling a little better now because it's Saturday and I have plans tonight that I've been looking forward to for quite awhile. But this week was just bad. Weirdly bad. I received bad news about my mom's dad on Tuesday, stepmom's dad on Wednesday. And their illnesses are semi-related.

Last night while cooking dinner, I burned my wrist pretty badly and now have a suspicious mark there. My week wasn't that bad! I swear it's just a burn!

I apologize, readers. I don't normally blog about my feelings (or maybe I do?), but it was necessary. Thanks.

February, you have three weeks to redeem yourself.

Hibernation

I watched a lot more Heroes this weekend. And Benjamin Button. And at least 5 hours of cooking-related shows: Top Chef, Iron Chef, other Food Network stuff. That's a lot of viewing for one weekend, but I had nice company through it all. I think all those shows inspired me to cook, so that's what I've been doing this evening.

I just made a banging chili (and cornbread!). This is my recipe and you should follow it because it rules and it's pretty healthy, too:
Ground turkey meat (I used like 1.25 lbs)
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
3 tbs chili powder
3 tbs cumin
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
Secret ingredient: 1 bottle of dark beer (not Guinness dark, a brown ale will do the trick)
Salt and peppa

Saute meat + onion (approx 10 min)
Add spices and garlic
Cook for 5 more
Add canned veggies + beer
Cover, not fully
Cook for 1 hour
Stir occasionally
Add water if chili gets dry
Drink the rest of the 6-pack for maximum warming effects

"You were nothing but a vanity project to me"

I found this t-shirt today. A WSPN t-shirt that was made my sophomore year, I believe. I haven't worn it ages. In fact, I had it in a pile of clothes I wanted to give to my friend Sara cuz she always liked them better than I did, but I never made it back to Brooklyn before moving to Chi, so that didn't happen.

Wearing this shirt has got me thinking about some of my favorite WSPN memories and thought I'd blog about it. How about reverse chronological order:

1. The last week of our senior year finding "WSPN, you were nothing but a vanity project to me," signed Alissa DeVogel on the whiteboard.
2. Alissa discovering 2+ year-old milk in the WSPN office fridge. I wasn't there. TG.
3. Finding "biddies" for Myles on Facebook instead of performing our music director duties. Other distractions included Shannon's giggle fits and marveling at Sam's height.
4. When Ike told me and Alissa that we were the upper crust of Skidmore society -- clearly because of our power held at WSPN.
5. Crying because moronic sophomores who called the station "wispin" were gaining power and we were getting old.
6. Having the school sponsor our passes to CMJ two years in a row. Which meant the school sponsored our attending open bar concerts and minimal conferences. RJD2 and Gang of Four show sponsored by Sauza Tequila being the true highlight. Also stopping at Mantee's in Westchester and eating ribs and rice his grandma made for us.
7. Discovering Rhonda. Watching Kelly Clarkson performing whiskey wasted on YouTube. Plunger bowling. All the things Mantonio showed me... Soulm8 4ever.
8. Breaking unwanted LPs by throwing them against the lockers with Laura and Nick in the middle of one drunken Saturday night.
9. Getting calls during an early morning show by a guy who told me he felt like 50 Cent without a G-Unit whenever he went to Wilton Mall and asked me if he went to college, if he would find his G-Unit. Did I have a G-Unit, he wondered?... I learned years later this dude was Charlie McC.
10. Gettin' mono.

Also, the free music and having first crack at it. Yeah, that was pretty great.

A Week of Firsts

The monumental:


President (No-Longer-Elect) Obama. Sounds so great.

I had a lovely Inauguration Day. About 30 people in our office sat around the big TV in the lobby and watched the coverage. To celebrate that night, I cooked a delicious dinner, and we drank Proseco to toast a new era!

The mundane, at least in comparison to the above:

I started watching Heroes for the first time. I watched the first and second disc of the first season and am already hooked. This is a show I have been meaning to watch for years. Dear friend Drew was the first one to recommend, and since Drew and I love a lot of the same things and are birthday buddies, I don't know why I didn't listen earlier.

I ate my first Jimmy John's sandwich. All I can say is I didn't have to pay for it.

The smell of famous Garrett's popcorn disgusted me so much, I changed a walking route I used to take to work. Today, my boss brought some in. I had my first taste of the famous cheese and caramel mix. If you don't think about how disgusting it is, it's pretty tasty. Otherwise, woof.

I changed my route to work and for the first time since I moved here I have been happy with my morning commute. What a good idea to have the Purple line run the opposite direction than the Brown around the Loop! I'm so over the Blue Line. At least until it's warm enough again for me to walk and ice doesn't line the sidewalks.

I noticed birds chirping when I left my house. I felt pretty happy go lucky for even noticing this and more so for being happy about it. Apparently I was not alone in this appreciation. Two coworkers commented on the same thing.

I have had two diet Cokes this week. I never drink soda. I blame this on popcorn. I think this is the first week since maybe freshmen year of college that I've had more than one soda in a week. Probably even a month.

This is the first week I have kept my New Year's resolution of not going on WebMd. I am trying really hard to stop being such a fucking hypochondriac. Not visiting that site is definitely helping.

Corporate Me Schmoozin and Boozin with the Art Kids

I went to a Skidmore Young Alumni happy hour the other night and was quite amused by the event. I wouldn't have gone if I didn't know people were going, but thanks to Facebook, I knew exactly who was (and who was just a maybe). What was funny about this little soiree is that the radio (me & Cliff)/Art (Clea & people I didn't know)/English (me & people I didn't know)/gays (Ryan & Craig) clumped together and the business/jocks/probably lived at Alpine stayed on the other side of the area we were occupying. I know this isn't that crazy because people know others through the classes they take and the activities they do and the bars they frequent (it was definitely a DA's vs TNL situation), but I actually knew the same amount of people on both sides, but didn't break their circle until my way out when a friendly volleyball player from San Francisco who was in my Sex and Power class my last semester stopped me for a hug. What was also funny about this is that the "others," if female, drank white wine, and if male, vodka. Our group was a mix of beer, red wine, and whiskey, crossing all gender lines. Just an observation.

When I came home from the event my only piece of mail was a letter from Skidmore asking me for money. I get these a lot, but this time it had a bottle opener in it! I already notified Ally of this synchronicity.

I am going to see Revolutionary Road tonight. My obsession with Mad Men makes me think I will like this movie (same era, similar themes). I wonder if anyone will yell "I'm the king of the world" if Leo does anything triumphant or "Never let go" when something (Probably not an iceberg - I don't think there are icebergs in Westchester county - I was just there last week) shakes their marriage.

The funniest things I've read today. I said "read" not "said"

9 AM
(This is from my mom. Not that website I like about crazy moms)

From: Mom
email subject: i tried to call you...
body: did you block my phone number? that's what the recording said.

1 PM
(after being told to rejoin Twitter. I do everything Alissa DV tells me to do.)

Not leaving the house today. Snow + huge cut on chin + Dede is the best friend in the world, delivering me Uncommon. A dream come true. (My last Twitter update from 1:14 PM Jan 1st, 2008 from web. Oh, first DA's New Year's.)

3 PM
(Katherine's dad is hilarious. That's why we called him Serge instead of Roger)

Hi Sweetie,

I really dislike e-mails with shit and barf in them...so try to refrain from that for my sake.

4 PM
Me: I am going to a Skidmore Young Alumni happy hour tonight
Jocelyn: Don't get drunk and throw up like X did.

4:45 PM
(after I responded to Robin's Twitter update about feeling like living in the movie The Ice Storm without the story line)
Robin: if you ignore the plot of the film "The Ice Storm" I feel like I'm living the movie. (2 weeks ago on Twitter)
Lily: No swinger parties for you, Robin? Or "hanging out" with the little boy next door? (on Twitter, today)
Alissa: lily why did you accuse robin of being a swinging pedophile (on GChat)
Lily: because he mentioned the movie ice storm. and thats what happens in it (on GChat)
Robin: What?? (on Twitter)
Robin: Oh. Ice Storm. (on Twitter)
Alissa: good job twittering lily (on GChat)
me: sincerely? (on GChat)
Alissa: well. sorta. you did it, which is good. but you found a post from two weeks ago and called someone a pedophile. we're almost there (on GChat)

Vegas

"Saratoga is my personal Vegas" and "New Year's Eve is the Vegas of time."

Those are the two mindblowing quotes I came up with in my hungover state on January 1st. Not epitaph-worthy, I know, but true.

My 5-day stay in Saratoga was filled with drinking, talking about drinking and the things that happen when drinking takes place, eating good food (Max's, Gotchya's, Karavalli, ROMA's, Uncommon bagels), eating leftovers, drinking tea, drinking more tea, and cursing my inability to nap.

I managed to go to DA's every night, the Alley, 9 Maple, Chez, Max's and Wine Bar all once. I saw my lovely ladies and gents. I found one new idol and one new enemy.

I lied. My idol isn't new, but I found new reason to support this idolatry. Bob, when Moira couldn't decide if she should call in sick to Starbuck's, unsure of their sick policy, and stay in Saratoga another day, decided he would put in a call to the Saratoga Starbuck's. He called from Uncommon while six of us listened and laughed.

Paraphrased version of that conversation:
BC: Hi. I have a question if you have a minute. I am interested in applying to Starbuck's. I am trying to be clear on all of my options and was wondering if you could tell me a little about your sick policy. Like how much notice does one need to give if he won't make it into work, etc etc.
Starbuck's employee: something.
BC: Oh, but every Starbuck's is different?
(LG commentary: REALLY? REALLY?!)
Starbuck's employee: something.
BC: OK, thanks. Are you hiring by the way?

I love you, BC.

My new enemy screwed over a dear friend of mine in a way that she did not know, so I can't really hate her for that, even though I do anyway. She also interrupted several conversations on New Year's and last night ("This is a private conversation." Again, way to go, BC!), but she really personally irked me last night when, to my friends in my booth, I said something about Chicago, and she heard the word "Chicago" while passing by and decided to take a seat.

Buttface: HI! You live in Chicago? My name is Buttface. I used to live there.
Me: Yeah, I just moved there in August. I used to live here.
Buttface: So you work in the corporate world?
Me: Uhhh, kind of.
Buttface: Well, in Chicago you are either corporate or art, and you're clearly not art.
Me: Uhhh. You're ugly.
Buttface: Where do you live?
Me: Wicker Park/Ukranian Village.
Buttface: Ugggh, you mean "the mall." What street?
Me: Address.
Buttface: Well that's acceptable.
Me: I hate your fedora. You suck. Leave us alone.

Kara: How could she say you are so not artsy? Look at your scarf!

The Greats of 08

+ Being at Grant Park on Election Night. And of course the outcome of the election.
+ Saratoga summer
+ Becoming friends with the Burkes and Tunney
+ Discovering Mad Men
+ Shalen, Carlton, and Gedney week of fun
+ Walking Jocelyn's dog
+ Chicago visit in July
+ Chicago move
+ Chicago's summer lasting through most of October
+ Having my first non-familial Thanksgiving
+ Rediscovering Exile in Guyville
+ Working my first track season in a restaurant
+ My new job. And tea time.
+ Arrival of second cousin baby Harry (or Harold III... yikes)
+ December 22nd drinks at the Signature Room with Kat
+ Getting published! I wrote the chapter introductions and some of the sponsor spotlights.
+ Lucking out with the apartment and rando roomie situation
+ Returning to Toga for New Year's (see next post)