Last night I attended my first ever gala/ball. By attended I mean "worked" but let's not get into semantics.

I put on my ballgown and pearls and headed over to the opera house to work the red carpet. I basically followed around a photographer and took people's names so we can try to identify people on Monday. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I was terrified that I would accidentally ask Mayor Daley or the president of some big company that I should recognize their name, but even the people I probably should have known were really great about it...and I think everyone else was happy to give their name.

It was kind of an awesome event to be a part of because everyone was in a tux (or kilt) or cocktail dress or ballgown...and some of them were simply amazingly glorious dresses. We worked the red carpet as people arrived in their limos, and then during intermissions of La traviata (didn't get to see the show though, but got to sneak some of the appetizers).

The opera house looked amazing as well, covered in flowers and pink spot lights. It was gorgeous.

After the second act intermission the photographers and captioners hopped in a limo over to the Hilton for Opera Ball (which, I must say, was the most elaborately decorated event I have ever been to in my life...with large topiaries of roses and crystals and crystaled candles on all of the tables...).

I have decided that I no longer want a wedding, and instead should just throw a ball. It's basically a wedding but with a live orchestra, three photographers, 750 guests... :)

More captioning ensued as guests arrived up the grand staircase to costumed musicians fanfaring their arrivals. But once everyone arrived, we were free!

We watched the dancing to the Stu Hirsh Orchestra (my favorite was matching a man doing some awesome swing dancing...in a kilt) and as all the stars of the opera arrived and as Our general director led a fond farewell to Bruno Bartoletti and introduced a slide show ofSkrebneski photos of him through the years., while dining on lobster, enoki salad, chilled cucumber soup, and some sort of mango spoon...did I mention that was only the first course???

The second course was a cheese-encrusted steak, vegetables, vegetable strudel, and some sort of potato cake. And then for dessert was a giant chocolate nest dome with chocolate marshmallow cake like stuff underneath. yumyum

and yes, yes my coworkers do now think I am nuts because I take photos of all of my food. :)

After that we watched some more dancing, caught up with coworkers, and then finally called it a night. It was a long day but an awesome experience. I mean, how many times do you get to say you've been to a ball??

Posted by valry at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I saw La bohème today. It was beautiful.

Except I kept comparing it to RENT because I haven't seen boheme in a long time so was never sure of all of the crossovers.

I cried though, but what doesn't make me cry I guess.

But it is really very good (sorry I am too tired to think of better adjectives).

I woke up at six to get to work an hour early because I had a ton I needed to get done. What we learned today was that when I wake up really early I forget things like how to shower. Seriously I stood in the shower trying to figur out what I was supposed to do. If you were there you'd have laughed at me. I guess you would have also seen me naked (because I at least remembered that step).

The rest of the day...we're not going to talk about that...

Posted by valry at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Even though I'm a South Sider...

p.s. speaking of the south side, I came across this website for the "The Southside Chicago Board of Tourism." I especially like the translator and currency converter...although I would argue that the conversion rate between Bridgeport and Lincoln Park, for example, would be slightly different :)

Posted by valry at 6:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

THE GOOD NEWS:
I am going to Chattanooga for the Krystal Square Off!!!

THE BAD NEWS:
Getting back from Chattanooga involves driving 10 hours all through the night and going straight to work in the morning.

THE GOOD NEWS:
Getting to Chattanooga involves stopping at some fun road side pit stops.

THE BAD NEWS:
I was so swamped at work today that I didn't get to go see La traviata. Hopefully I will be free enough to go watch La Boheme.

THE GOOD NEWS:
Since I do all of my work on a computer I can at least do some of the stuff at home.

THE BAD NEWS:
Since I do all of my work on a computer I can at least do some of the stuff at home.

THE GOOD NEWS:
They posted the winter and spring schedules for school and there is nothing I really would want to take. So I will totally be done with school in Novemember!

Posted by valry at 6:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

1. I was in desparate need of a floor-length dress that is very on the cheap, covers my tattoo at least kind of, and is understated but gorgeous.

My plan to go to the juniors section to find a cheap homecoming dress was thwarted when I discovered that teenagers apparently don't wear anything that covers the knees anymore.

I managed to find something on the clearance rack at David's Bridal. It's a little too long and doesn't really cover my tattoo, but was dirt cheap and will serve its purpose.

2. Yesterday I went with Alina to help her look at wedding dresses. She found some winners, and honestly it doesn't matter which one she chooses. She looked absolutely stunningly gorgeous in every one of them. Can't wait till February!

3. I went to Target and resisted the cute pink portable dvd player. I did pick up a cute pink Santoku knife though :)

4. I made cheesy corn bread!

Posted by valry at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Joe: We may go see Rush Hour 3.
Me: Will I be lost if I haven't seen Rush Hour 1 or 2?

***

Joe: We're now going to see 3:10 to Yuma.
Me: Will I be lost if I haven't seen 1:10 or 2:10 to Yuma?

***

So, you know those fish bowls you put a business card into to win free crap but never do? Wll, JoeJoe won free movie tickets for eight at Hollywood Blvd...Bt they could only be good for two weeks on only Wednesday or Thursday. Since he is out of town next week and is out of town every night until Thursday anyways, we had to go tonight.

So we went to see 3:10 to Yuma. Which is not, in fact, about this.

What was kind of funny was that JoeJoe, who was the one who got the free tickets for us all...was pretty late because his plane was pretty late. But alas, he made it to see most of the movie.

I had already eaten dinner so I got myself a pice of "Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory" which was a damn rich cake that I could hardly get through half of it (Alina gladly shared) and a yummy something chocolate kiss drink which was hot chocolate with a couple of alcohols I can't remember.

For a cowboy movie it turned out to be not so bad. Except it took me a long time to figure out what was going on (I think part of that had to do with the fact that I was ordering food during some key plot points).

What also got me was Ben Foster as the bad guy...mostly because a couple of days ago I watched one of my favorite stupid movies Get Over It on VH1...twice. Also because he kind of looked like Screech in the movie...just saying.

Posted by valry at 12:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

1. Hood is a fucking genius. He has literally saved me hundreds of wasted hours in my life...Seriously. too bad he didn't come up with this brilliant idea two years ago :( Basically he was smart enough to realize that you could go into photoshop files and edit it so it will automate photo galleries into my template...instead of automating it in theirs and then having to apply my template...Sometimes those galleries I post take four or five hours of my life to do...and now they take no time at all :)

2. There is no good way to get to Chattanooga...but I plan to go anyways.

3. I have added a scripted show to my viewing schedule. Don't worry, I doubt that will become a pattern.

Posted by valry at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

La Costeña "Feel the Heat" Jalapeño Eating Challenge

Amazingly, Nadia had this Sunday off. Also amazingly, we have the same stupid sense of what is fun in life. So, we took off to celebrate her independence (because she is Mexican) at the "Feel the Heat" Jalapeño Eating Challenge at some park I can't pronounce in some area of the city.

We totally proved our giddy twelve-year-old fangirl status by bypassing the alcohol and food and music and staking out the eating contest way early and giggling an awful lot and following around contestants (but mostly because we figured that they would be going to the right place).

While waiting at the La Costeña booth Nad says "Just look for the mohawk!" and then not 2 seconds later we look up and, low and behold, Pat Bertoletti is heading our way...and then he stands RIGHT NEXT TO ME before seeing the people he was looking for. Did I mention he stood RIGHT NEXT TO ME? Did I also mention that I am a dork and can't believe that I got this excited about competitive eating??? And the eaters????

So once his crew takes off we follow them, because we assume they know where they are going. And then we held our position right in the front of the "crowd" (AKA, we were the only ones there besides, who we guessed were, Pat's family and friends...) And then we probably made fools of ourselves by giggling and staring and they probably totally knew that we were giggling and staring...but whatever.

Oh! And Pat was totally drinking straight from a bottle of Pepto-Bismol while hanging out. And that was kind of awesome.

Once the competition was about to begin (it started late, I heard later that some of the contestants had a hard time finding the place...it WAS hard to find) a crowd started to gather.

And then it was time to begin!

Ryan Nerz came out to do brief bio-interviews with some of the eaters...and boy did they come out!! (who knew that so many people would want to shove themselves full of jalapeños?!?!?! )

The lineup included Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas, Rich "The Locust" LeFevre, Hall "Hoover" Hunt, and Erik The Red Denmark...just to name a few.

Pat downed chocolate milk while being introduced, which is awesome, because you know I always think the best plan of attack to being able to eat a lot is to fill up your stomach beforehand...right?

Then everyone was introduced and the countdown began (in both English and Spanish)...5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

And they were off, within seconds pepper upon pepper (and plenty of milk) were being consumed...

And after a couple of minutes a couple of them totally looked like they were going to have a reversal of fortune (or at least like they had rabies).

And then after six-and-a-half minutes of the eight minute competition...THEY RAN OUT OF PEPPERS!!!!

WHAT THE HELL???

So...they had to cut the contest short. Which kind of bites (no pun intended) because as in any competition there is strategy, and to change the rules in the middle kind of muck things up.

But anyways...

We waited and waited with anticipation as the number of peppers consumed by each contestant was tallied up.

And then...the winners were announced for the truncated six and a half minute competition (It was supposed to be eight)...

In Fourth Place: Hall "The Hoover" Hunt (110):

In Third Place: Rich "The Locust" LeFevre (120):

In Second Place: Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas (141):

And...

PAT BERTOLETTI!!!! (191)

Who is now, officially, the jalapeño-eating champion of the world!!!

Woohoo!!!

So, it was a totally awesome experience, and my first MLE event I watched live. I didn't get to meet any of them because I was too chicken and shy to go up beforehand, and then afterwards no one came out right away and we didn't want to wait too long.

But did I mention that it was totally, 100%, completely, amazingly awesome?

More Jalapeño Eating Pictures Here!!!

So, the do-division festival was kind of very lame. There was some not-completely terrible band with no one watching them on one end, and some god-awful techno crap on the other, and a couple of generic food stands and merch tents in between.

We got some food (I had some fried raviolis and a lemonade) then headed on to Renegade.

The Renegade Craft Fair was totally cool, and I don't think I've ever used the terms "kind of awesome" and "totally cute" so much as I did there.

Basically it's a more modern craft fair...you know, no doilies or anything like that, but IPod covers and two-headed sock monkeys instead.

My only gripe is that we got there at around 8ish and they closed at 10, but a bunch of people were already packed up and gone, or were in the process of packing up. Lame.

There was so much nice stuff. I totally wanted a pink two-headed sock monkey...But I could not afford it. I also totally wanted all the jewelry from Sofia Masri. But alas, I couldn't afford that right then either :(

p.s. Now you know what to get me for my birthday ;-)

I did pick up a cute little cup/vase thingy with little bee on it and a "to do list" pad of paper that says "get of your ass and..." because that's totally me.

And that was my Sunday.






p.s. Thome hit 500 yesterday. He was so saving it for bobble head night :(

More Jalapeño Eating Pictures Here!!!

Posted by valry at 8:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I somehow managed to take 215 pictures of a six-and-a-half minute competition...so you'll have to stay tuned for pics/recap of my day...But for now, all I have to say is that this guy rocks:

and I could never come close to eating 190 jalapeños...hell, I don't think I could eat ONE!!!

Posted by valry at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I went to the Sox game tonight. Here are the highlights and lowlights.

Highlight:
I'm an Auntie! Meet the newest edition to Nadia and Bryan's family: Ruggles!!!

Lowlight:
Sox lost :(

Highlight:
Our seats up in the upper deck were still pretty damn good.

Lowlight:
We all, seriously, had too much trouble finding the scoreboard.

Highlight:
The thing that's really worth going to games for:

(and yes, yes I do like to have some hot dog with my ketchup.)

Lowlight:
I did not get funnel cake :(

Highlight:
These people:

Lowlight:
This was not a 500th home run:

Highlight:
Fireworks

Lowlight:
The longest wave in the world. Seriously, they wouldn't stop. It went around, fully and ferociously, six times before I stopped counting.

Posted by valry at 12:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have no qualms posting these because I wasn't too happy with Ms. Jazz Hands the photographer...
(they are mostly of me, because I didn't get to take too many of those myself...)

sisters

bridal party

ceremony

me

MORE PICS HERE!!!

Posted by valry at 9:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

HAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHA

***

My financial company mutual fund people have to stop sending me 50 thousand damn annual reports every single day and put the money they save by not bulldozing a rainforest into my account!

Posted by valry at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last night was my first class of Humor 101 (OK, so maybe a little more advanced than that, as it is a 400 level course). Basically I am going to learn to be funny, but not neccessarily haha funny. I already learned that it is OK to make fun of people who are "better" than you and that you can make fun of people who are in the same "group" as you.

It's my last class of my Masters program and that is kind of bittersweet. I can't wait to not have school anymore, but at the same time, since my program was so odd and I only took one class for 3 hours a week, I never really felt as if I really went to DePaul. Like I took classes there but really wasn't a student there. I miss being a student.

***

It's always nice when you find out someone else had the same opinion of someone that you do.

Posted by valry at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On LSD yesterday, on my way to JoeJoe's to watch the Bears. In Soccer traffic. On a nice day with tons of car and a whole lotta people walking around and on the beach and in the park. A whole lotta people...

The guy in the car next to me decided to get out of his car at a red light and pee on the side of the road.

ON LAKE SHORE DRIVE.

There were people walking about two feet away from him and he wasn't trying in any way to be discreet. WTF???

In other news the Bears lost. umm, boohoo?

***

Bear? Wolf? hahahahaha.

***

Vern Yip finally has his own TV show!!! Woo to the hoo! It's only about five years too late.

Posted by valry at 7:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

10:30am - Trapeze Class
Yes, you read that correctly. Trapeze.

It wasn't flying trapeze where you are high up above a net and catch onto other trapezes...it was low(er) to the ground and more like dancing/gymnastics on a trapeze. So I was flipping around and hanging upside down and all that good stuff. Except I kind of suck because I have no flexibility/no upper-body strength/fear of high things. It was still totally cool and I am considering taking more classes in the future.



2:00 - Windy City Wine Festival
After trapeze, I headed over to pick up JoeJoe and Alina to go get some wine. The Windy City Wine Festival was going on, and it was totally awesome. Basically $25 bought you ten tastings, but most of the places weren't too good at collecting the tickets, and they gave out some free tastings at the demonstration area, so I had about double what I was allotted (could have had more if I was less honest/didn't have to work later). We also got a free wine glass, free pasta sauce, a free wine tote, and free roses (guess which color I chose...)

So I had tons of wine. Perhaps my favorites were the PINK merlot, which came in a pretty PINK bottle.

and the wine conveniently just called PINK.

:)

Later we ran into KennyK and Becca, who were also enjoying their wines and were somehow not drooling over the Ferrari like I thought they (OK he) would be.

Alas, after however many glasses of wine I had in three hours I had to leave the festival and cross the winding silver bridge and walk the to-minute walk to work...

Windy City Wine Festival Pictures



5:30 - Stars of Lyric Opera at Millennium Park
The Millennium Park show is a huge free concert event in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. It's a really awesome looking crazy outdoor pavilion with great acoustics. When I got there at 5:30 (2-hours early) there was already a huge line waiting to try to score seats and a pretty good showing on the lawn. And that was two hours early. I ended up helping to man the drop box table, where people could enter a sweepstakes to win free tickets to opening night.

The concert was beautiful and actually flew by considering it was just pieces, and not an opera with a story. And the place was damn-packed.

Stars of Lyric Opera Pictures



11:00 - Parts and Labor "Fixed Gear"
After the show...after waiting in line forever just to get INTO the parking lot...after searching around for where the hell section G was...after finding that I had left my window wide open the entire time I was parked...after waiting in my car until someone in line was kind enough to let me back out in front of them...I was off to Charlie's art show.

The show was in the same place that it was last time...which is actually someone's apartment. There was some new work though, and more importantly cheese and vegetables (because at this point, after going all day, working out, wining...I had still only eaten a small slice of pizza).

I hung out with Charlie and Aaron and MikeJ's girlfriend and Charlie's mom (who was totally hilariously basically telling Charlie that she hates all his art work). And then we headed off to the afterparty for a bit, but then I headed home because I needed to find actual food and rest.



1:00 - McDonald's Drivethrough (it was on the way. It was open)



2:00 - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz



Windy City Wine Festival Pictures


Stars of Lyric Opera Pictures

Posted by valry at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

1. Only a couple hours after his death, I recieved this:

It's good to know the dead have their priorities straight.

2. I'm back to wanting to call you every night. I restrain.

3. I forgot the term "Sauté." It still doesn't sound right.

Posted by valry at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This was a headline in today's RedEye:

Anyone sensing next years theme???
Ok, ok, so it was an article about best man friends who secretly want each otehr or something...but I like it :)

***

Dear Amish people,
Why are you listening to iPods?
Love,
Val

***

Don't you love when you spend a couple of frustrating hours analyzing your code only to eventually realize that it is not your html that sucks, it's your math skills?

***

When I imported my phone numbers into my new phone something happened and a handful of the numbers are missing and just replaced with a "0". So I am missing a couple of peoples phone numbers. :( Not only that, but if I try to call one of the people with a "0" phone number my phone decides to call some dude who is a friend of a friend who I have never actually called before. In conclusion, I may need your phone number.

Posted by valry at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Bad Idea of the Day:
Reusing a cotton ball that I thought just had eye makeup remover on it and finding out that it really had been soaked in rubbing alcohol. Did I mention I found that out the very hard way?

***

Friday was my last Friday off for summer scheduling :(
At least I get to go back to normal hours :)

***

I picked up a magazine the other day and the headline on the cover said in big letters "Loose Weight at Any Age."

***

Save the Last Dance 2 is a much better movie than the original. Mostly because the dancing is better.

Posted by valry at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alina and JoeJoe had an apartment warming party.
I found a kickass parking spot all by myself (and since my brilliant parking plan worked, JoeJoe stole it for everyone else...)
We went to the beach and played frisbee. I suck at frisbee but managed to knock Joe in the head once on purpose and that was cool.
There was a dirty sock.
Alina did better on JoeJoe's shoulders.
JoeJoe didn't do so hot on Alina's shoulders.
We went back to the apartment to cookout and eat.
Yummy burgers.
Yummier brownie that they wouldn't let me eat all of but I just dug in with my spoon.
Play with kitties.
Drove around the city for a while just 'cause.
Ready for sleep...and another four-day weekend :(

Posted by valry at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

1. Best candy ever?

Homer Simpson: Dear lord, as I think of you dressed in white with your splendid beard, I am reminded of Colonel Sanders, who is now seated at your right hand, shoveling popcorn chicken into thy mouth. Lord, could you come up with a delicious news taste treat like he did? I command you.

Homer Simpson: Mmmm. Move over, eggs. Bacon just got a new best friend -- fudge.




2. Halloween

I went to see Halloween tonight with Joe and Alina (his primary girlfriend). We went to Hollywood Boulevard...which is a movie theater/restaurant where you get a meal and drinks or whatever during the movie. I was a little weary of the place. Not that I was against it, because I've wanted to go forever, but I just thought of it as a place to go see a movie you don't really care about because it would be distracting (and since the original Halloween is in my top five movies of all time, you know this was an important movie for me). I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't too distracting, plus they don't let kids under 18 in, so it was nice in that aspect (because there is nothing I hate more than people who bring their five year olds to horror movies...despite the fact that I will definitely be one of those moms because I have been watching them since I was born).

So it actually was nice because I got to munch on sweet potato fries and sip on a strawberry colada while watching the movie...mmmm.

The movie was a good movie if it wasn't Halloween. It was well done (very "rob Zombie" esque) so on its own it would have been a very good horror film. But it wasn't Halloween...there was too much different. It was interesting that they went into the backstory and concentrated more on Mike's childhood. But I didn't really buy it all because it deviated too much from the original...

Plus Donald Pleasence was not CGI'd into it (there is only ONE Sam Loomis).

And Michael Myers walked way too fast.

And i am guessing that the mask was not a william shatner mask inside out :(

And Danielle Harris who was Jamie in parts 4 and 5 played Annie.

And there was a particular choice made near the end that I definitely did not agree with. (I don't want to ruin it) :(

Posted by valry at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)