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)