1. I finally got rid of my desktop. Every time I turned it on, it reminded me that there has been a time change so check my clock. Not because it's broken, but because that is how often I turned it on. I've had it so eight years, so it was time to take it out of my room where it was just collecting dust

2. This is me as a Simpson's character. I call my character "Val"

3. This is where I'm staying next time I go to Europe...or Schaumburg...

4. I finally found my tv remote...after two months of it missing...I still haven't found my VCR remote...

5. I want this lamp...so many little porcelain faeries!!!! It's only $90,000

6. Nadia and I are psychic... Last week we were talking about how Rob Thomas sucks alone and needs to get back with Matchbox 20...the next day M20 releases a single. This week we were discussing how Trading Spaces completely dissapeared...the next day they show a bunch of episodes. Next time I see her I am going to bring up the fact that a million dollars is never just bestowed on me for no reason.

7. I stole and hid the fake hair my mom was going to wear to Jen's wedding.

8. Luke is now on Doggie MySpace because I was bored.

9. I went from having $600 to -$100 in the span of a week. I cried. I am not cut out for investing of any kind.

10. Who puts back not just one, but TWO empty peanut butter jars into a cupboard???

Posted by valry at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seriously, every time I have to go somewhere, Batman happens to get in my way. I go to drive JoeJoe home, road we want to take is closed. Why? Batman. Want to go to a restaurant, have to walk a hella the way outa the way. Why? Batman.
FUCK YOU BATMAN!

(here is Batman's helimicopter. I don't know if they were filming the helimicopter or the helimicopter was filming shots. All I knows is it was coming down might close. The pics SUCK because I could not use a flash. But you can kind of make it out...i think.)

Went out to Italian Village with all my favorite married and soon to be married couples.
Adam says I have to introduce myself to dates as "My name is Val. I licked the public watermelon."
I told him he has to introduce himself to people who are not dates as "My name is Adam. I wrecked the Berwyn Car Spike." (p.s. I totally blame Adam for the near future demolition of one of the countries proudest monuments in order to construct a Walgreens. I KNOW it was somehow his doing!!!)
I had the tastiest veal-stuffed ravioli with mushroom shallot cream sauce. I kind of inhaled it.
Bryan told Nadia she has cankles but later retracted the statement citing that he would never have married her if she had cankles.

Posted by valry at 12:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Does it count as "going to a carnival" if you are all by yourself and don't ride any rides?
Does it count as "going to a concert" if you bail before the band even gets on stage?

So, sometimes you just want to hear the song that you wish to almighty was about you and cried a little when you found out it wasn't (despite the fact that your name is not, in fact, Delilah) sung live. Then sometimes a crappy band who thinks their the shit even though you've never heard of them breaks something near the end of their set, insists on fixing it to play their last song while insisting that everyone sing along (while insisting, of course, that people have even heard of them). Then they, of course, run late...Then you wait for AN HOUR AND A HALF for them to set up for the band people actually came to see (30 minutes in someone finally came to the mic to say they were having "technical difficulties," and hour in they finally decided to turn off the power on the stage to fix the problem, and an hour and a half in we finally bailed so we could make it to a movie (I have no idea when they actually made it to the stage)...And that is how Val did not see the Plain White Ts in concert :(

So the concert that I didn't see despite being there for longer than it should have lasted was at the DuPage County Fair, so beforehand while waiting for Nad and Bryan, I got me a corn dog and a lemon shake up...and maybe a funnell cake. That counts as going to a carnival, even though I didn't Tilt a Whirl. Eh, I'd probaby have thrown up a corn dog and a lemon shake up and maybe a funnell cake anyways.

We bailed on the concert before it even began because we had to catch us a 12:01 showing of The Simpsons. It was kind of awesome. And by kind of I mean really. And by really I mean stupendously. More so than the plot or anything I think it was some little tiny things that just freaking made it for me. But alas, I will not give anything away, because I don't do those sorts of things.

Posted by valry at 2:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

1. Thursday I went for sushi with Josh and Nadia. We were supposed to go to this one really good place but they were packed and had a ridiculously long wait. So we ended up at another sushi place a few doors down. Now, I have a theory here...If you are in Lincoln Park and one sushi place is packed and another is completely empty there is probably a reason... (I probably also shouldn't take restaurant advice from a boy whose favorite restaurant is Tasty Gyro...) We did have an excellent appetizer of teriyaki beef rolls. And I had yummy plum wine. But the waiter was a meany who would not bring me the plaid 3-legged pony I ordered (he said they were all out of the other types of ponies) and who sat on my imaginary friend. Mean mean waiter :(

2. I baked pudding. OK, OK, so you don't really bake pudding. But it counts. I then ate my pudding all alone by myself watching a movie with a former Dawson having a lot of sex. It was an enjoyable movie. The pudding was too lumpy (I am too impatient some times).

3. A horoscope I enjoyed: CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If you were to get very quiet and tune in to all that's going on around you, you may realize that you're the thought that turns someone's lips into a bemused smile.

4. Yesterday I got a tour of the Civic for the first time. I kind of forgot that there was this whole other part of my company that I've never seen.

Posted by valry at 8:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Things I learned last weekend...
...exit numbers correspond to mile markers (who knew!)
......google maps does not know the difference between a legitimate road and a rocky unpaved stretch of hilly gravel.
.........southern Illinois towns really have to get on labeling their roads with the county road number or at least the right name

ROAD TRIP MISSION: SEE THE ABSOLUTE STUPIDEST THINGS WE CAN FIND IN ILLINOIS IN 2.2 DAYS!!!!

DAY 1.
I managed to thoroughly impress JoeJoe with my roadtriping skills by not only showing up early but also bringing along goody bags (that included car games, snacks, and Simpsons pens). He then proceeded to eat all of the fruit rollups I brought him before we even reached Jen's House.
With Nad, Joe, and Jen in tow we left "Chicagoland" and headed off to the strange distant land called "Illinois."

WILMINGTON: GEMINI GIANT - SPACE AGE MUFFLER MAN
The Gemini Giant is a Muffler Man wearing a space suit and carrying a rocket that advertises the "Launching Pad" drive through that it is attached to. We stopped inside for some mini corn dogs (how did 3 of the 4 of us decide on mini corn dogs?), fries, and milkshakes. yummmmm. Great food and a great giant? What a way to start a trip!

NORWAY: AGRICULTURAL CRASH MONUMENT
So, have you ever come across a crashed airplane on the side of the road? Maybe it was an agricultural crash monument! This was a crashed plane on the side of a country corn road, just kind of hanging out. It was dedicated to farmers who lived "thru" the Agricultural crash of the 1980's. It's kind of graffitied up by now...but kinda neat.

PERU: WORLD'S LARGEST POT OF COFFEE
The "World's Largest Pot of Coffee" in Peru isn't really the world's largest pot of coffee...it's a sign for a chain of truck stops. I knew this, and it was a pretty pathetic site, but, as I told the crew, there was nothing else for over two hours, so might as well stop there!

That was it for Friday, so we drove a bit more to stop at a Super 8 in Wenona for a good nights sleep...We had a lot to get to! Surprise surprise when our hotel had a fighter jet parked in the parking lot! Add one more site to my list! (JoeJoe kept saying two for two, etc. as we went along...I don't think he believed that we'd find anything I wanted to see...he should learn to trust me more)

DAY 2

ARCOLA: RAGGEDY ANN MUSEUM
After a bit of driving (OK, OK a LOT of driving) we made it to our first stop of the day...Arcola! Arcola, Illinois is the birthplace of the creator of Raggedy Ann. We stopped by the museum, but since we didn't have much time, we didn't really have time to actually go through the museum. But we visited the gift shop! It was run by some very nice people who seemed rather devoted to the doll. And we signed a petition to get Raggedy Ann's (boyfriend? brother? Illegitimate love child?) Raggedy Andy into the National Toy Hall of Fame...you should sign the petition too.

ARCOLA: ONE AND ONLY HIPPIE MEMORIAL
Around the corner was the "One and Only Hippie Memorial." It, well, looked like something that should be memorializing hippies. It was basically a long wall along the train tracks decorated with junk. Very odd. Very odd indeed.

MATTOON: THE ORIGINAL "BURGER KING"
Now, where else would you stop for lunch on a roadtrip of oddities other than Burger King? Now, don't you worry, this wasn't just any old Burger King. It was the Original Burger King, and by that I mean it wasn't a "Burger King" at all! Basically this place had an Illinois trademark on the name "Burger King" before the chain came about, so they got to keep the name. Nice little local hamburger joint with much better burgers than that other place. And they had Chocolate Coke! And I at least thought it was delicious! We also totally got the four double cheeseburger and a half pound of fries special. Mmmmm.

CHARLESTON: WORLD'S LARGEST AND UGLIEST LINCOLN STATUE
Yes, it was tall. Yes, it was ugly. Very tall. Not as ugly though as I hear it used to be (a resort is being built around it, so I think the resort people had him painted and cleaned up...and maybe took the bullet out of his head...). He was very very very very tall though. And kind of awesome, because...well, who builds a gigantic president? This was one of very few sites where we saw other tourists.

GAYS: TWO-STORY OUTHOUSE
Yup, you read me...a TWO-STORY OUTHOUSE! Too bad they don't let you use it :( Or maybe not so bad. But it was once used and actually worked. But it's a TWO-STORY OUTHOUSE!

EFFINGHAM: GIANT CROSS
This is a giant cross. Yeah, that's about it. It is surrounded by plaques of the ten commandments. Each commandment had a rock that spoke affirmations or something. Jen sat there listening to commandment one for about twenty minutes before giving up. Who has time for that? We get the gist of it!!!

OLNEY: HOME OF THE WHITE SQUIRRELS
Olney is the home of the white squirrels. They have some weird breed of albino squirrels that live there, and not many other places in the world. But, after wandering the park, we could not find any. :(

METROPOLIS: BIG JOHN, GROCERY CLERK
Our first stop in Metropolis was not the most obvious. Before getting on to that, we stopped at the Big John to see the Big John. Those are a little-seen chain of grocery stores with giant men with grocery bags in their parking lots. He's kind of a cousin to the muffler man.

METROPOLIS: SUPERMAN STATUE
OK, OK, now it's time to see what Metropolis is really known for: Superman! In the town square they've got an area dedicated to the super hero who graces Metropolis. A giant statue! A museum (again, no museum, it was closed when we got there anyways)! A phone booth to run and change in! OK, so in the scheme of things it is kind of the most pathetic display you'll ever see...but for the purposes of our trip, I don't think you could find a better mecca of cheese! Top that off with the fact that it was 7oclock and there wasn't an open restaurant in site, and the only thing that was open was the kryptonite tattoo shop, and you have one perfectly stupid town!!!!

ALTO PASS: BALD KNOB CROSS OF PEACE
So...you kind of know you're in trouble when it's 9oclock at night and you realize that you next destination is truly in the middle of nowhere, through winding roads of vineyards and your directions stop before the point where you have to drive 4 miles up a mountain...and you didn't even think a mountain existed in Illinois. So, after much assuming because we could not find a single road that was on our directions, we finally found a sign that pointed to the road we needed to take to find the Bald Knob Cross of Peace (read: giant cross at top of mountain). I drove us in the pitch black through a tiny gravely winding road up the mountain. It was damn creepy. DAMN CREEPY! We truly expected to break down in front of a deserted house only to have someone run after us with an ax. Or for the road to just stop and for us to plummet down a mountain. Or some equally creepy horror-film in the making moment. The road was black and covered in trees and I could hardly see a damn thing. Finally (finally!) we realized that we were, in fact up the mountain, and saw the cross...way off in the distance in a place that looked like there was no way we could actually drive to. But with the sun setting behind it, and the sky a beautiful shade of purple, we trudged on. Finally (finally!) we made it to the cross! My camera was kind of wonky and would not take pics because it was basically pitch black by the time we found the cross. And there were these holes in the cross that made it sound like it was breathing. And there was this other couple who drove us but stayed a bit down the hill. And we thought they were murderers who were going to slash my tires and kill us. But it was beautiful to be up there. Amazing really.

After the cross we drove to Chester to look for Popeye and hotels. All the hotels there were either a booked Best Western or very creepy looking bed and breakfasts. And the whole town was very dark. And we'd had enough creep, so we backtracked a bit and went to a Best Western out of town that insisted over the phone that they were not a Best Western. So when we got there we were rather surprised to find that the sign said Best Western...and the soap and the keys and the everything...except the receipt the next day :)

DAY 3

CHESTER: HOME OF POPEYE
By the light of day Chester aint so creepy...unless you count that the town is based around Popeye because the creator was born there. We first found a little park with a statue to Wimpy. Then we drove to the Popeye statue, which was dangerously close to the "cross the Mississippi and no-turning-back leave the state bridge, thus ruining the only in Illinois roadtrip). But we found the Popeye just before the bridge! He was, well, Popeye. The woman at the gift shop near Wimpy told us that they plan on getting the whole crew of Popeye characters to join him in the coming years. We'll have to come back!

NASHVILLE: TINY CHURCH - THE TRAVELER'S CHAPEL
The tiny church was a little wooden church in the grassy alley behind a gas station. It was kind of cute and kind of out of place. Unfortunately they closed it off so we couldn't get inside, but I am still determined to marry JoeJoe there.

COLLINSVILLE: WORLD'S LARGEST CATSUP BOTTLE
WHO DOESN'T LOVE CATSUP!!!!! IT IS MY FAVORITE CONDIMENT!!!! The catsup bottle pretty much looked like the amount I normally take on my hamburger. It was a water tower made to look like a catsup bottle in honor of a catsup plant that used to grace the town. The plant isn't there anymore, but the catsup is!!!! YUM!!!!

ALTON: LIFE SIZE STATUE OF WORLD'S TALLEST MAN
At 8'1" Robert Wadlow was the biggest man ever! Even bigger than Scott! He was born in Alton in 1918 and he sold shoes because, obviously, he had big feet (hmmm, you know what they say about men with big feet.) They erected a statue (hehe, like my play on words there) to him in Alton. It is life-size so you can see how tall he really was. They also had a replica of his chair. I sat down and just kept sliding and sliding and sliding back. I thought it was going to eat me whole!

ALTON: LEGEND OF THE PIASA BIRD
On the side of a cliff in Alton there is a big painting of the "Piasa Bird." It basically looked like something Napoleon Dynamite would have drawn, with a legend to match. 'Nuff said.

LIVINGSTON: BEACH GUY AND PINK ELEPHANT
The beach guy was not a muffler man, but he was tall. And he made friends with a PINK elemaphant, so he's cool in my book. They stand outside an old high school turned antique mall looking all hawt. Did I mention that the elemaphant was PINK?

SPRINGFIELD: LAUTERBACH TIRE MUFFLER MAN
Another muffler man! This one carried a flag. Not as exciting as a rocket. We make sure to visit the most important thing in our state's capital. We have our priorities straight.

SPRINGFIELD: LINCOLN'S LUCKY NOSE
We did at least go to see Abraham Lincoln's grave. Of course, that was only to rub his lucky nose. But whatever. Lincoln has a very off color nose. Someone should blow it for him!

SPRINGFIELD: 30-FT-TALL SKINNY LINCOLN
Again, when in your state's capital it is always important to go to the things that really matter. Such as a tall skinny statue of our 16th president made to look as if he was truly Greg Brady.

LINCOLN: GIANT LINCOLN ON COVERED WAGON
On to Lincoln to see...more Lincoln! This time he is sitting on top of a large covered wagon and reading a book about law. Man, that men gets around!

LINCOLN: LINCOLN WATERMELON MONUMENT
AND NOW...TIME FOR QUITE POSSIBLY THE STUPIDEST THING POSSIBLE!!!! It was...a monument to Lincoln...that was...seriously and solitarily...a slice of watermelon!!!!! A SLICE OF WATERMELON!!! Isn't melon what you think of when you think of the president???? It had to do with him christening the town with melon juice or something. And I think it's the damn stupidest thing I will ever see!!!! Congratulations Lincoln!!! (oh, I also totally managed to lick it while taking this picture. It was kind of gross.)

ATLANTA: MUFFLER MAN HOLDING HOT DOG
Another muffler man! This one had a hot dog. He actually used to live a lot closer to me in Cicero but was relocated here in 2003. Nadia remembered him from her childhood in that area.

EAST PEORIA: ROOSTER IN A TOP HAT
We arrived in East Peoria only to see our rooster straight off the highway. He was a cock in a hat outside of a bakery that had really dumb hours.
We capped off our day in East Peoria at a Twistee Treat...an ice cream joint that was shaped like an ice cream. They had a damn good fake-strawberry shake. Mmmmmm. A perfect way to end the day :)

So, that was my road trip!!!!! I thought it was tons of fun!!! I hope everyone else did too. Or at least I hope they don't think I am too crazy for dragging them around the state to see a whole lotta crap. I was satisfied :)

I am proud of myself for being able to plan out a pretty awesome trip...and for driving the entire time! I don't think I would have/could have done any of this even a year ago. I'm really happy I was able to convince a couple of people to follow me around the state in search of stupidity...Maybe there will be more trips to come...there is so much stupidity left to see!!!!!!

MORE PICTURES HERE!!!!!

Posted by valry at 6:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

JoeJoe, me, Nadia, and Jen under the World's Largest Bottle of Catsup!

Had a fucking amazing time!
Who knew Illinois had so much awesome crap!
Recap and tons of pics later.

Posted by valry at 12:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...Roadtripping around the state!
I'll be back Sunday night!

(p.s. isn't it appropriate that my trip starts off on F13????)
(p.p.s. is it crazy that every time I go on vacation or have a major event taking place, I get really excited before I go...about planning the website I will create to showcase the pictures???)

Posted by valry at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

1. I woke up really suddenly in the middle of the night and saw a red dot and my first thought was that someone was on my neighbors roof shining a laser pointer into my room. Then I realized that it was the light on my VCR.

2. I just applied to be the next Elvira. Although I think the deadline was passed anyways. I will apply to be on the Bachelor next month after I get my hair cut for the first time in a year. They don't let girls ont he Bachelor with messy hair.

3. I think I have packed more for a two day roadtrip then I did for a 3 week Europe trip.

4. someone on missed connections is looking for a girl in PINK ouside the Civic Opera House...the one day I wear blue!

Posted by valry at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

3. I somehow managed to wear two different socks to work and not notice until I was there. By two different socks I mean two completely different types of socks...and one was even inside out.

2. I know you think I'm joking. I'm not. It hurts.

1. I'm so fucking scared.

Posted by valry at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You see, whether igloo hut, or lean-to, or a geodesic dome,There's no structure I have been to, which I'd rather call my home. When I first arrived, you were all such jerks,But now I've come to looooooove your quirks. Maggie with her eyes so bright, Marge with hair by Frank Lloyd Wright,Lisa can philosophise, Bart's adept at spinning lies, Homer's a delightful fella, sorry 'bout the salmonella. (Heh heh, that's OK.) Who needs the Kwik-E-Mart? Now here comes the tricky part. Oh, won't you rhyme with me? Who needs the Kwik-E-Mart? Their floors are stick-E-Mart, They made Dad sick-E-Mart, Let's hurl a brick-E-Mart, The Kwik-E-Mart is real... D'oh! Who needs the Kwik-E-Mart?

Forget the Kwik-E-Mart, Goodbye to Kwik-E-Mart, Who needs the Kwik-E-mart? Not me.

***

Who needs the Kwik-E-Mart?
I DOOOOOOOOOOOOO

***

It's good to know that the litte stupid things in life can still get you as giddy and excited as a child on her way to Disneyland. And when you're shaking and smiling and lauhing the whole seven miles to a Seven-Eleven-Turned-Kwik-E-Mart, you know that that feeling still exists.

To tie in with the upcoming Simpsons movie 12 7-11s in the U.S. and Canadia have been turned into Kwik-E-Marts!!!

Luckily, one of the twelve was in Chicago and was actually pretty close to my house. So, of course, Nad and I headed on over!

I have never before waited (and never thought I would) for twenty minutes in a line to get into a convenience store, but it was so damn worth it! Not only was the exterior made over, but they had special Simpsons goods and inside was peppered with different signs and some of everyone's favorite characters. My favorite was the window cling on the frozen foods door that showed Jasper locked inside as the frozen man. Awesome!

Nad and I got some Squishees and Buzz Cola and pink donuts (mmmm...donuts). Unfortunatly, the were out of Krusty O's :(

It was totally awesome! How many times do you get to go to a local hauntof one of your fav fictional families???

MORE PICTURES HERE!!!!

Posted by valry at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

1. I'm kicking myself :(

2. While it may have been my EIGHTH TIME at the Taste this year, today was the first time I really got to go and enjoy myself without being rushed to get back to work, catch a train, or find a fireworks spot. Nad and I met up and headed over for a fun day of food! While Nad was perusing the Taste booklet she kept pointing out things she thought sounded good...and I basically said o everything "Yeah, that was good." :)
I love the Taste becuase I think it's the only place in the world where strangers openly walk right up to you and say "What are you eating???"
We also watched a crazy demonstration by this Japanese guy who cut fruit and vegetables into flowers and bunny wabbits.

Today at the Taste I ate...

Top: Steak Burger with Blue Cheese and Mustard Sauce (Tutto Italiano), Beignets (Lagniappe)
Middle: Jibarito - Plantain Sandwich with Steak (Sabor Latino), Rice Pudding with Mangos and Dried Cranberries (The Grill on the Alley)
Bottom: Frozen Grapes (Home Run Inn), Southern Comfort Frozen Hurricane (Southern Comfort Frozen Hurricane Booth)

Some of the things Nadia ate include...

No one went to the Potbelly Booth...

I am a floating head!

3. Nad and I found a crazy Target close to her condo. We bought a cable so she can finally watch real TV and so we hooked it up and found weird reality shows on networks we've never heard of where contestants stand on big crosses nd pretend to be scarecrows.

4. I am going to move into Nadia's spare room and be the resident dancer. Whenever she rings the bell I will come out of my room in a tutu and entertain guests.

5. I saw the Leaning Tower of Niles!!!

6. Went to Chilis with Nad, Jen, and Adam. Mananaged to scarf down my entire plate of chicken fingers despite having had too much food earlier. Adam is going to calculate the perfect coordinates for us to meet that will be the same distance between all of our places :)

Posted by valry at 1:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

1. What I ate at the Taste today (lunch + dinner)

Row 1: Toasted Ravioli (Tuscany), Crawfish Boil with with Potatoes and Illinois Corn (Lagniappe)
Row 2: Catfish Nuggets (Dock's), Fried Dough with Strawberry Topping and Whipped Cream (Volare)
Row 3: Frozen S'more (Bobtail Ice Cream Company), Grilled Chicken and Vegatable Chopped Salad with Lime Dressing (The Grill on the Alley)
Row 4: Puerto Rican Steak Sandwich on Criollo Bread (Sabor Latino) and Pepsi (Beverage Booth), BBQ Buffalo Burger (Grazie! Ristorante), Saganaki (Costa's)

2. I am a rockstar of Hungarian Folk Dance
I went to a Hungarian folk dance lesson tonight. It was insanely fun but also insanely tiring. Those Hungarians sure know how to party. :)

3. Three anticdotes from the Taste today
a.) In Paris at Notre Dame I was kind of making fun of the people who were taking their pictures while facing the monument they were in from of (so they had a random background and not the monument). Today I saw someone having their picture taken while facing Buckingham Fountain.
b.) Have you ever played catch with a dog? While doing so did you ever, after throwing the ball a couple of times, pretend to throw it and the dog kind of went after it? Did you know that same thing works using a piece of bread and a flock of seagulls? Did you also know that that's the most hilareous thing you can ever do?
c.) I saw a homeless man eating a variety platter of cheese cake.

Posted by valry at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

HOLY SHIT

this guy...

beat this guy...

by eating 66 of these...

in 12 minutes!!!!!!

Posted by valry at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

now we all know in Chicago, the fourth is truly clebrated on the third...

1. Lunch

top: Italian Breaded Steak Sandwich (Ricobene's), Irish Curry Fries (Abbey Pub), Gazpacho with Avocado and Chopped Chives (The Grill on the Alley)
Bottom: Cilantro Steak Empanada (Vermillion), Pound Cake Pop Drizzled with Fig Vodka Butter Syrup and Chocolate (Polo Café & Catering)

2. Dinner

Top: Potato Pancakes (Kasia's Deli), Cheese Pierogis (Kasia's Deli)
Middle: Italian Fries (Tutto Italiano), Beer-battered Artichoke Hearts (Bella Luna Café)
Bottom: Chocolate-covered Rice Krispie Treat (Chicago Chocolate Company), Sweet Potato Chips (B.J.'s Market and Bakery)

3. Fireworks

I met up with Jen and Rory and some other peeps and then later JoeJoe and Alina...and then later later with Nadia and Bryan because cell phones kind of stop working when you are jam-pack surrounded by a million or so people all trying to use their cell phone.
The fireworks were coolcoolcool, but shortshortshort as always. Once the fireworks started all the idiots next to us cleared out because they realized that they could not, in fact, see the fireworks through the giant tree they were sitting behind...then a bunch of bigger idiots saw the new clearing and decided to start forming a line IN FRONT OF US WHO HAD STAKED OUT GOOD SEAT HOURS AND HOURS BEFORE because they apparently thought that a million other people just didn't notice this big empty spot. People are morons sometimes. We started a mutiny by not letting them through and this chick next to us almost got in a fistfight with this guy after scooting up to sit right in his path and kicking him so he couldn't get through. :)
All in all though, it was quite fun.
And then came the trek through the city amongst the biggest cowd you'd ever see in your life. Luckily we didn't take the el anywhere since there were apparently problems that left people stranded on it for hours. eh.
Afterwords most everyone ditched us and the rest of us headed off to Clarke's.
And I explained my new boyfriend plan...which is the most brilliant plan I've ever come up with. :)

Posted by valry at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lesson of the day...

GOAT

in any form

tastes nasty.

For years this one place at the taste had goat and I tried it once and hated it. But mostly because it was smothered in extremely hot hot sauce and so all I could taste was burning.

This year a new place had goat too. It was not covered in sauce.
It was sour and rancid and icky.
In conclusion, Val should never try to eat goat again.

Here is everything I ate at the Taste today:

Top: Sweet Potato Biscuit (C'est Si Bon), Prime Rib Quesadilla (Grill on the Alley)
Bottom: Grilled Wings with Pesto Aioli (Blu 47), Coconut Rice with Sauteed Goat (Bolat African Cuisine)

Posted by valry at 8:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

1. Scott had to explain to me why this wasn't a win. :(

I will never ever win a game of chess. Of course, it might help if I knew how the pieces moved. And maybe if I didn't cry when my ponies are eaten by the other team :(
I am proud of my draw :)

2. Well, Rich said I should apply to be on the Bachelor, and...well...he was the only one to vote on one of the shows I put up :( Although Chris emailed me with this one: The Search for the Next Elvira and I think I will apply for that too!! Oh! And look what may be coming to America! Count me in on that one!

3. Kobayashi has jaw-arthritis!!!! OHNO!!!! But he's still gonna compete on the fourth! This is going to be one monster showdown!

Posted by valry at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eight more done!

10. See a roller derby bout
Hell's Belles block the Fury from victory 54-50!
Double Crossers crush Manic Attackers 92-17!
and I was there!

11. Have a picnic
Picnicked at Ravinia with Nadia!

16. At least 2 Chicago summer festivals
Printers Row and Pride Parade! I don't know if either is technically a festival, but I choose to believe they were.
I saw the Hearty Boys at both:

17. Free dance lessons in Grant Park
I've gone three times! I learned East Coast Swing! Brazillian Dance! Salsa, Merengue, and Bachata!

26. See Naked Boys Singing
mmmhmmm

29. See at least 1 ballet
already crossed off, but I kind of saw more ballet at Ravinia :)

32. Go to at least 1 art show (other than Kurt's)
already crossed off, but I also saw Charlie's show!

36. Watch all the 80s cartoons I have on dvd
Watched the Secret of the Sword and a couple of She Ra epsiodes :)

63. Scan five old event's photos onto my website
Finished off my five with high school homecoming pics!

65. Finish my masters
An A in tech writing and now only ONE MORE CLASS TO GO!

66. Develop a good "5 year plan"
hahahahahahaha...nope.

70. Develop a financial plan
Put most of my savings in mutual fund-like things.
Started putting the rest of my shorter-term savings in a higher-percentage online savings account.
Still need to close out my other bank account and move that money around, and once I move and figure out my expenses I will be able to put together a budget.

85. Bake once a month
Yummy lemon raspberry bars!

96. Skylark (because they apparently have good tater tots)
mmmm, and they most certainly did!

98. Go to the Taste of Chicago
twice so far...on opening day!

Posted by valry at 9:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)