So last night the guy who lives across the street from me...
...yes, the guy who once held his friend's friend at gunpoint at an ATM.
......yes, the guy who is almost certainly a drug dealer
.........yes, the guy who often gets into screaming matches with his girlfriend outside in the middle of the night forcing the cops to come break it up...
decided to get in his car drunk and/or high and hit my and a few other cars before knocking into a signpost.
The damage isn't horrendous (and Saturns are basically plastic so it didn't dent really), but my car definitely got hit worse than anyone else's. The whole side is scratched up and the mirror is completely off and smashed up on the ground.
At least we know who did it. The police caught him right away because they were actually in our alley or something when he smashed into the sign and they came to us. I would assume most people who get hit and run sideswiping probably don't find out who did it.
What sucks is that the insurance probably won't pay to replace my scratched up hubcaps and such. They probably will just replace the mirror or something and that will be it. That pisses me off because the Krueger/Black Pickle is barely a year old. :( My poor baby Saturn. I should find out what the insurance is paying for by the end of the week.
My Car:
It seems to have moved too, I think, I was definitely not parked this close to the curb:
For Christmas I would like a boy who will...
... take me to see the Christmas trees at the museum of science and industry (it's my favoritest).
... drive around with me to look for ridiculously decorated houses.
... sip hot chocolate with me.
... make snowmen with me.
... cuddle with me to keep me warm.
I will leave out homemade cookies and a Pepsi under my tree for you. Thank you.
1. I think my spirit is broken.
How did this happen?
I had to force myself to do it this time.
I didn't really feel like doing it though.
So, here it is:
It's kind of a reddish dark brown. And it is color number twelve for the year.
Seriously, I didn't really feel like doing it, but a goal is a goal, so I forced myself to buy a box and dye it. I have officially accomplished my goal of twelve hair colors in twelve months although I probably will go one more time this year for the heck of it. Maybe I'll shave my head for the new year. who knows.
2. I went Christmas shopping on Saturday, which meant that I ended up buying a bunch of clothes for myself. Those included the cute furry hoodie I am wearing above and a sweater with the furriest furry collar ever. I look like a puppy dog. Someone should pet me.
3. I went to Houlihans with Jen, Nad, and Adam on Friday night. A snippet of a conversation: me: I need to be in the city because there are no single guys our age here. Nad: yeah, they are all married or gay, right? Adam: yeah, I was on the fence for a bit, but I decided to get married. Nad: Well you do like Madonna Adam: her early stuff was good
The first one I thought looked really nice. It had nice floors and new appliances including a dishwasher. I actually really liked the place but it is in Buena Park and I know nothing about that area.
The second one I saw was in Lakeview and was OK but kind of old and the kitchen was crappy.
The third one was in Roscoe Village, amazingly huge, had a dishwasher and washer and dryer in the unit. It was pretty cheap too, way under priced. But I thought it was really ugly.
The fourth one was also in Roscoe Village and horribly crappy looking.
Yeah, I am way too picky. But really, since I am not homeless at the moment and figure I will be living in this place for at least 2-3 years I have every right to be picky.
I think I might look a little further north in the Lincoln Square area.
Two things that made my day...
1. I was getting lunch at McDonald's and as I was leaving a boy (maybe 12?) was standing near the door and went out and opened it for me. It makes me happy that there are some kids with great manners left in the world.
2. I saw a city bus with Christmas lights on it! Seriously the whole top was lined with those icicle lights and they were lit up! It was awesome.
And one thing that could...
1. Walking back to the office I saw a delivery man walking in to another elevator with a huge bouquet of red long stem roses. My birthday is in a month and a half... Just saying. :)
So today was Thanksgiving Day 2. My sister and her boyfriend and my other sister and my aunt came and we ate lots of food.
I didn't throw any of it up, but I can't really move.
Picture of dinner because I know you want to see:
Turkey (whole drumstick to myself), Stuffing (with mushrooms and cherries), Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Roll
I didn't take a picture of the cheesecake. We also had the wine I brought back from Paris and some chocolate wine too.
I woke up at 11 after only 10 hours of sleep (8 in my bed, 2 during a movie at JoeJoe's last night). I woke up about 5 minutes after my sister Nat got here, and she was convinced that we wouldn't then be able to leave for the movie at 11:45. I showered, did my hair, got dressed, ate breakfast, did my makeup, checked my email, checked livejournal and checked my web stats and was ready to go by 11:35. :)
So we went to go see "For Your Consideration." It was a good movie and funny, but no where near as good as "Waiting for Guffman" or "Best in Show" or some of their others. There were definitely some funny quotes and such, a lot of funniness over people not knowing anything about the "internet." "That's the thing with email right?" Anyways, it was enjoyable.
So, that is one Bromann Family holiday tradition: my sisters, mom, and I always go to a movie. Well, this year my sister Jen went to her boyfriend's house. So she didn't go to the movie today. She also insisted that we don't have Thanksgiving dinner without her. Did I ever mention that my sister is a VEGETARIAN? And that she doesn't even eat turkey???
So, since we weren't allowed to have regular Thanksgiving tonight, instead we went to this restaurant "The Clubhouse" that was having a really nice buffet. A reaaally nice buffet. The number one reason we went was because they had Turducken!! TURDUCKEN!!!!!!!! If you don't know, Turducken is a duck cooked inside of a chicken cooked inside of a turkey. YUM.
So, ladies and gentlemen here is a wonderful pictorial of everything I ate (yes, I ate ALL of this):
Turducken, Prime Rib, Whipped Sweet Potatoes, Red Skin Mashed Potatoes, Sage Stuffing, Green Beans Provencal
Roasted Turkey, Wild Mushroom and Fontina Penne, Selections from the Cheese Display, More mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and stuffing
Pumpkin Creme Brulee, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Marshmallow with chocolate from the chocolate fountain, Mimosa
Pumpkin Square, Strawberry and Rice Krispie Treat dipped in chocolate from the chocolate fountain
:)
(although, I am not quite sure if it counts as eating it all if I came home and threw up a little) :(
Tonight was Andy's birthday celebration at the Froggybar. Many people I semi-knew were there, I had a fuzzy navel and Derek and I had sex on the beach. That last one wasn't the drink. I also kept sipping MK's martini (he thinks he's James bond) and KennyK (who also thinks he is James Bond) asked me to be his fake girlfriend for the night. Of course I agreed as long as we fake slept together at the end of the night. MK wouldn't let me undress him in the bar so I undressed Andy instead, people misjudge me if they think I won't do that. Although Jen misjudges me too by saying that she was quite surprised that I had standards and wouldn't be Hugh Heffners nasty girlfriend for $200,000 a year. Ah well, pictures below:
valerie's employed and ready to celebrate celebration!
MattyK tastes my wine (some French dessert wine) and makes the same face I make when I taste his martinis: Matt: This tastes like a pixie stick...It tastes like Tinkerbelle was killed and ground up and juiced into the glass Val makes her signature sad face: "That makes me a cannibal!"
Last night was Valerie's Employed and Ready to Celebrate Celebration at Salt Creek Wine Bar. Highlights from the night include:
• Josh brought me a little gong to put on my desk at work since I told him it is completely empty.
• Jenny ordered a beer!
• Reiden doesn't hate me she just only likes me for very short periods of time.
• Brandana's friend said that prettier people get hired over unprettier people. I said that's how I got my job.
• Joe called me from across the table, then he hung up on me.
• Alina told me I could have JoeJoe once she breaks up with him.
• I agreed to sleep with Josh and he will leave me in the morning, that makes me a Bond girl.
• Joe was going to blow me a kiss but he blew it to MattyK instead.
• Brandana blew me a kiss and I made out with it.
• Brandana offered me and Alina $20 to make out.
• I touched matts lips then touched joes so they indirectly kissed
• Matt said he would make out with himself but didn't know how. So I showed him how to by making out with my hand then I wiped the slobber on his mouth.
• Umm, I am sure there is more that I am forgetting that didn't involve making out :)
Pictures:
Jenny Drinks a Beer:
Josh thinks he's 007:
Random Close-Ups: (Scott, Josh, Adam, Brandon, Matt, Matt, Joe, Matt)
Fellas, after my experiences today, you're gonna have to do a lot of work to live up to my expectations of what a man should be...
1. JoeJoe, Glen and John
I went to lunch with JoeJoe, Glen, and John because they were all in town at the same time. With those cuties, can it get any better? Damn straight it can!
The opera itself was beautiful and those artists are so talented. I cried at the end (UMMM, SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU LIVE UNDER A ROCK AND DO NOT KNOW THE PLOT OF ROMEO AND JULIET YET STILL SOMEHOW HAVE INTERNET) because as they were dying they kind of reached their hands towards each other to hold but didn't have the strength to make it. You know, that whole, For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch thing? It was sad. I guess I just have a thing for holding hands. it is one of my favorite things to do if i have the right person to do it with.
3. Bond, James Bond
So, nothing seemed to be going on so I bummed my way into seeing Casino Royale with Andy, ScottyMcHotty, DerekMcHotty (they are brothers so they obviously have the same last name), KennyK (same), Rob, and some other peeps. This is despite the fact that I have only ever seen one Bond movie before all the way through. The movie was really good and entertaining, but it kind of seemed to end like 20 times before it actually ended.
I also am probably the only person who had this problem with the movie because I guarantee a grand majority of the people who read this blog will have no clue what I am talking about. But anyways... this new Bond guy looks so much like Clinton Kelly from "What Not to Wear." I swear. See:
See? Yeah, I am sure you don't and you now think I am even girlier for watching shows like "What Not to Wear."
Anyways, Bond is still pretty damn hawt. And he's got a great body. And he looks like a good kisser. And he is really strong. Mmmmhmmm.
1. You know you've found a good job when your boss says, "Have you ever been to youtube.com? You should take some time to look over that site."
2. There is a cafeteria at my work that serves food buffet-style for $5.69 a pound. I think I am going to get good at figuring out how to get the best bang for the buck. For instance, today I got the roast chicken. Bad idea. The bones were pretty heavy and therefore upped the price. My new rule is to not buy anything that is not entirely edible.
3. Tonight was my last class until March. We just turned in our papers then headed off to a bar. I finished my one beer because when we were leaving one of the guys told me I had to finish. So I did. I'm actually really going to miss this class because the people were awesome and I love essaying (despite the fact that the essay I turned in was horrible).
4. After 5 months on unemployment I am so not used to waking up so earlyzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
My horoscope for November 15, 2006: AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The two routes to happiness show up in a clear way. You can either get more of what you need to be happy, or you can lower your number of needs and be happy with what you have.
My birth date:
January 19, 1981
Why I read the Aquarius horoscope:
The labor was induced.
What Scott calls my list of wants:
Val's mantra
Val's mantra:
Find a job, find an apartment, find a man.
Number of those steps I have completed:
1
Number of steps those I hope to have completed by the end of the year:
2
Number of reasons why the third one is hard:
A million
What Scott assumes:
That this mantra will eventually be replaced with a new one.
What I assume:
He is probably right.
What I tell him that will be:
Get a raise, buy a condo, get a husband.
What I say will come after that:
Retire, buy a house, have an affair
Number of those things I have no intention of ever ever doing:
1
Question I have often asked:
Do I need all three to be happy?
An old answer:
Yes.
A new answer:
No.
My real horoscope for November 15, 2006: CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): It's not one big thing, but a million little things that indicate you're all right. You're content with what you are, who you are and what you're doing now. If this isn't heaven, what is?
Jen: Which is hotter a guy who can play piano or a guy who can play acoustic guitar? Me: Definitely guitar. Matt: You just said that because I play piano. Me: Yup.
Matt didn't think I would post this, but I ought to be fair:
My score tonight: 1
:(
it was very hard. I usually have some educated guess but tonight I had no idea. Maybe I really shouldn't brush my teeth before going to drink :)
When I told MK that I was in fact going to post that he gave me his to post too, so to be fair, here is MattyK's:
:)
After wine, Scott, Jen and I headed back to MK's because wine goes straight to my head and I need time to chill before attempting to drive home. Jen tried to teach me salsa because MK won't and then he was a dork and wouldn't even dance with me. LOSER. :(
1. It was probably a bad idea to go to MattyK's when he invited me over for a bbq at 10pm the night before my second day of work. Ah well. I took the HIGHWAY (there and back, be proud!) so it didn't take tootoo long to get there, and I was good and left at about 11:30, which was when I said I should leave. I didn't even eat or anything, just hung out with him and Hood and Chris (who I told could get into my pjs, but alas he didn't (yes I was wearing pajamas (parenthesis within parenthesis within parenthesis, woohoo!)))
2. I gave a dollar to a guy in the el station because he played some kick-ass violin and made it a little bit better that I was standing 3 inches from a puddle of piss.
3. It is really scary when a guy in a subway tunnel knocks on the window of your moving train.
4. Quote from my professor: "I don't know why I can't tell my dad that I smoked. I mean, I told him that I did pot...I probably shouldn't have told YOU."
5. Every time I watch Trading Spaces the format is different. What the hell?
6. Saturday Night Live did a Kobayashi cartoon! (alas, I cannot find it online :( )
7. I found the sandal I thought I left at my ex-boyfriend's apartment a year ago.
8. I just saw a craft show on TLC that showed you how to make a condom case. True story.
Today was my first day at the Lyric! I have my own office and its pretty big but there is just a view of nothing out the window. It is also very empty at the moment. I guess I'll have to decorate that too :)
I spent a lot of my day just looking at websites. Yup, that is my job! Hehe. Seriously though part of my job is to keep an eye on other companies websites to see what they are doing and what I like and what I think we can incorporate. I also started learning the mass emailing program. Yay.
Oh, and they bought a coffee cake for my welcome too. Yum.
Alas now I am home and its time for some ANTM and OC. :)
I went around Chicago this morning looking at neighborhoods to figure out where I want to move. I looked at Wicker Park, Bucktown, Roscoe Village, Lakeview (I didn't really look at Lakeview because I already know it pretty well), and Andersonville. I think I am pretty much settled on Roscoe, or Lakeview towards that area. I like that it is really clean and quiet, but is still really close to some shops and restaurants (I ate lunch at Kitsch'n and had coconut crusted French toast. Yummy.) and the el and such. Plus, walking around I actually saw a lot of parking! Hopefully the same will be true at night...and when the Cubs are playing. There is even a wine bar there, so hopefully peeps will join me for some wine :)
Now I just need to find a place to move into...
I then came home and packed more, hehe. I cleaned out three drawers in my dresser where I keep makeup, hairstuff, facestuff, nailstuff etc. I found that I have eight makeup bags that were mostly empty and all my stuff was loose around the drawers. I organized it and got rid of about half the stuff. Go purging!
Friday:
First on Friday I went shopping to pick out some new clothes for work. :) I got some sweaters and pants. I also got the copper bra I wanted. I also went to Tiffany's and tried on the ring I wanted. MY RING SIZE IS 6, you know, in case any boys reading this want to buy it for me for Christmas. ;-)
Friday night I went out with Nadia, Bryan, Jenny, and Adam to Olive Garden. My mushroom ravioli was yummy and of course there were lots and lots of breadsticks. The table next to us was having a birthday party or something and they had these kids who kept dancing and doing cheers. They were super loud and dancing around and really annoying and none of the parents or anyone even tried to get them to settle down. Towards the end of the night two of the girls picked the other one up by the arms and legs and started swinging her. Finally the dad came and stopped them and one of them started having a tantrum right under my feet. I kind of expected the dad to say I'm sorry to us or something, but nope.
Jenny and Adam called it a short night, so me and Nad and Bryan went to Olive or Twist, which is this cute little martini bar. It was a really nice place, but not that big. I had a yumyum peaches and cream martini and sipped some of Nadia's raspberry and orange/chocolate ones. Mmmm. There was a little jazz ensemble playing who were pretty good, but being such a small place, definitely didn't need to be microphoned. Nadia and I decided that the bartender should be my Mr. January. :) and Bryan somehow thinks that I am a closet porn fiend. ???
Saturday:
Jenny and I went with Nadia to try on our bridesmaids dresses. They only have one size so we both had to try on a 10, which was quite big. Then the zipper broke :( The dresses are really cute but there are these ribbons in the back that are supposed to be tied in a bow but we will not be doing so. We played around with them though and managed to make some massive Minnie Mouse bows on my ass. hehe
We stopped at David's Bridal next and looked at shoes and saw what Nadia's dress looks like (gorgeous) and tried on veils and tiaras. Then we hit California Pizza Kitchen for a late lunch. Mmm, I wasn't in a pizza mood so I got the orange chicken lettuce wraps and ate them without the lettuce.
Nothing was going up at night so I spent the rest of the night doing homework and watching Totally Awesome on VH1.
Sunday:
Went to Ritz to get some 8x10s made so I can hang them up. They made me upload all of the photos to the computer and such myself now which sucks. I then went to Michaels to visit Jen and get her to make me some mats for some Kurt Halsey prints. Then I spent the rest of the day packing and purging despite the fact that I have nowhere to move to yet. Soon soon soon!
Did I ever mention that quitting my job was the absolutely best thing I could ever have done?!?!?!
Europe...Rafting...D.C...wedding...and now...
Val is officially employed!
(and, may I add, just barely making her goal date of November 1)
I start work next Wednesday as the e-Commerce Web Editor for the Lyric Opera of Chicago. I will be working with and monitoring their website and also sending out email campaigns. It is a great job in the industry I want in the perfect location. Plus the pay will be a substantial raise over what I was making at RE/MAX!
Time to start looking for apartments!
So, after I found out I got a job I called up MattyK and headed over to his place with a bottle of Gewurztraminer and some American cheese slices so we could celebrate in our own classy way. Mmmmmm.
We also watched an episode of Top Gear where they had a race to see who would finish first: a group of men changing like everything out on a car or a group of women preparing to go out for the night. The men finished in like 30-something minutes and they decided to pack up and leave when the women were still not finished :)
Then we went to Target because it was open still and Matt wanted a coat rack and Target is my Mecca so I was excited. He did not find his coat rack, but he did (after rejecting every polo and sweater and pair of underwear that I picked out for him) buy a coat. Well, it was a leather jacket. I yelled at him because he has no money, but really, who am I to talk? Plus it is a pretty hot jacket.
MattyK complained that I am mean to him in my blog. To be fair, I am mean to him in real life too :) So, ladies and gentlemen, may I present some Matt-friendly facts from the night:
1. He actually invited me to get wine with him
2.His hair cut looked much better tonight than it did on Saturday.
3. He said something so funny that I laughed for like five minutes. Unfortunately it was after I had had a couple glasses of wine, so I don't remember what it was, hmmm, maybe that was the excuse for why it was so funny.
4. His Halloween costume of "financial planner" was convincing.
5. He doesn't wear a pocket protector.
6. He only ignored me to talk on the phone once the entire night.
7. His paying to be in the wine club gets me free wine.
8. Apparently we watch each other each night on the hidden cameras in each other's rooms, but it is boring because all we see is the other watching their computer.
9. He asked me to marry him.
10. I accused him of cheating on me, he replied that he was missing some vital steps if that were the case.
Hehe, see I can be nice, right? :)
Anyways, it was blind tasting night at WineStyles. When I got there Matt and Scott were almost done with the whites so I had to down some glasses to catch up. I actually guessed all of them right!
Matt got them all right too, but only after copying me.
Now, the funny thing about this tasting? Two glasses in each one were the same wine (number 1 and 3 of the white, and 2 and 3 of the reds, i think it was). It was their Halloween "trick." They tasted different though. I guessed correctly on the whites tonight mostly because the second one tasted so much like grapefruit that it made me nauseous.
