Guitar Zero
Despite some bad reviews from both Time Out and a coworker, Alina, Joe, Josh, and I headed out to The House Theatre on Saturday night to see The Attempters. By "The House Theatre" I mean a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, Joe and Alina's cab didn't want to leave them there.
Once there, after we grabbed some drinks and figured out that we could, in fact, sit in the front section of tables, we settled in and watched people play a video game on stage (including one of the cast members who tried to play it while not looking).
The show was better than i expected and entertaining, but by no means one of their best works. My biggest problem with House is that they seem to have a problem with the art of subtlety. I've found this is some of the other shows I've seen, but it was glaringly obvious in this one.
The play was about a 17-year-old who was desperate for attention so he started a rock band, ran for city council, made a movie...In writing classes they teach us to trust our audience. I sometimes think House doesn't trust us. They really seemed to lay their theme on thick this time (including the character making a movie about being an invisible man). In the same light, the main character was WAY overacting. I think it was on purpose to make his character overzealous and hyperactive, but really it just annoyed me. There are other ways of portraying a character as such without taking it way over the top.
What I really like about House is that you often get more for your money. FOr instance, this one was not only a play, but a film screening AND a rock concert. The music was definitely my favorite part. And the film was awesomely done for being a really stupid (purposefully) script.
I enjoyed the music (OK, and the hot other lead singer) and the fact that one of the main characters has the name I've reserved for my first born, and the film...but all in all, I've seen better and better by them. Although, they did offer up honor system beer during intermission...if you like that sort of thing.
Guitar Hero
After the play I headed to Joe's friends place with him and Alina for a bit. They were finishing up a Guitar Hero showdown when we got there. For the final battle of the evening they set up the game to a projector...and pointed the projector out the window...at the building next door...and they played on a 2-story high screen 20 stories above the street. It was kind of awesome.
(I saw this posted on facebook, so I stole it to post here...it was purdy sweet.)
i've been here four hours and haven't heard bon jovi
You know what's awesome? When one of your friends wins a happy hour party at Howl at the Moon. You know what's even awesomer? When at her free party you win your own free party :)
So Friday was MY Howl at the Moon happy hour party: free admission, free taco bar, cheap drinks, great music, amazing company, great fun. Let's sum up the night in five six items or less...
Friends: I think I had about 25-30 people show up for the party. Coworkers, friends, friends of friends, coworkers of friends...Awe-some. Erika and Joe(3) came and I haven't seen them in almost a year! That has to change. It was great catching up with her, even if she brought with her proof of my ability to take any joke WAY too far :)
It's always fun when you have most of your good friends all together in one place, and I sure had a lot of them there :) I love my friends. :)
Music: I love Howl at the Moon because the pianists will play just about anything you request...well, as long as you give them some cash. This meant everything from "Rehab" to "Things that Make You go Hmmm" to "Piano Man." Eric's friend told me not to request Madonna or Bon Jovi because they'd be played anyways. So I spent $3 instead to hear "Blister in the Sun," by the Violent Femmes. After a while of NOT hearing that song, I gave in and put in $5 to hear Madonna's "Like a Prayer," which, if you weren't aware, is the best song ever written. After a bit they finally got to playing that, which totally meant getting to rock out. And then right after that they played Blister in the Sun, but they stopped it early. :( Finally around 9 I thought, I've been here FOUR HOURS and haven't heard Bon Jovi! So I requested "Shot Through the Heart." Finally around ELEVEN I heard my first Bon Jovi song and around ONE Shot Through the Heart. At least they played them :)
Drinks: The first two drinks were a dollar and that rocks. I got two Sex on the Beaches. After that they were cheap till 8 so that meant more girly drinks, including a purple concoction the bartender whipped up for me. Later we had jello shots out of syringes and a cherry bomb in a test tube. Did I mention that I can't take shots? Seriously, It took me about 50 times as long to finish each, but I did damnit.
Hot bartenders: So I keep calling him a bartender, but I never actually saw him make a drink. I guess he was more of a server because he served the drinks. But whatever. He didn't dance on the stage like the rest of the workers. I asked him why not and he said he worked crowd control weekends. Maybe we'll have to go back on a weeknight to see him dance. Did I mention he had a lip ring? And that he was kind of totally hot? And that Nadia gave him my number on a napkin? p.s. sorry its just a picture of the note and not a picture of him :(
Photos: I ended up completely filling up my 4gig memory card with 475 photos. I tried shooting without a flash most of the night because flashes can be bothersome and also make the people look so damn washed out. People kept taking my camera and turning on the flash because they didn't think they'd turn out. I personally think they are awesomer.
Time: So I was at the bar until about 1:30am...Since I got there shortly after 5 that meant that I was at the bar for longer than I was at work that day. 'Nuff said.
Tonight was the end-of-season party at work, which meant everyone who works there gathers in the foyer for free food and free drink. Which of course meant plenty of people whispering "That doesn't get repeated," and "I'm so getting fired," and the like. :) Oh the stories that I so can never repeat :)
I had some eggplant parmesan and Caesar salad and then my favorite ice cream in the world: Hagen Dasz strawberry. Yum.
After the party we headed upstairs to get coats and such. What, you may ask, do you do when you are tipsy and almost alone in the ticketing office? Why, rearrange your coworkers desk of course!
I lined up his Simpsons figures all in a row, put hiw Stewie on his chair, and changed the month of his calendar :)
And Tabitha made the Supermans do naughty things :O
After playing around we headed out to this pizza place I don't remember and stayed outside 9 until college night so we could get free pizza (deal is free pizza if you spend $3 in drinks a person). 'Cause, you know, we're all in college :) (Actually, technically, I am, as DePaul still hasn't figured out that I graduated.) Luckily the weather was absolutely gorgeous. After getting seated 5 peeps in a four-person booth we ordered up some thin cheese and played hangman on the tablecloth. My choice of spelling out "Killer Klowns from Outerspace" was met with resistance when I said it was the best movie ever...and when Tabitha spelled out "Best Movie Ever" Chelsa didn't get it :)
1. I feel as if I'm neglecting my blog if I go more than a day without posting and it's been five days. So here is a blog. I have nothing really to say though. Scratch that, I have tons to talk about and wish I could talk about such things here, but I can't actually say any of it here. I wish I could.
3. A conversation: Jason: hi, who're you doing? Me: did you just ask me who I'm doing? No one right now ;-) Jason: ha ha ha ha ha, typo. I meant "hi, how're you doing" lol, that's too funny.
1. Waking up at 9, getting to work at 11, going to lunch at 11:45, returning from lunch at 1:30...
2. Getting a FREE pizza at lunch at a kick-ass Roman-Style pizza place. An uberthin red with mushroom and a white with potatoes, rosemary, and pancetta. YUM.
3. Working till 8, apparently. At least when your job includes filming opera stars getting made up, an impromptu backstage tour led by Joyce DiDonato, and talking with Nathan Gunn about Krannert Center. (Did I mention I have a pretty kick-ass job?)
4. When the smoky pink satin jacket you've been eying for MONTHS goes on sale for over $120 less than the original price...even though it's only available in petites (luckily the sleeves are quarter-length anyways, so the slightly shorter sleeves and length mean absolutely nothing).
2. Jeff thinks my priorities in life are screwy since I told him that on my list of worries "getting taken advantage of" comes after "losing my camera".
3. Remember how in Vienna it is illegal to walk on the grass? Remember how I found out that there are things you can do on the grass there that are probably way more illegal? Well, I doubt I'll have any such problems in Amsterdam.
The Downers Grove police called me yesterday. Apparently someone with my license plate number shot at a postman.
Luckily (and not surprisingly) it was not me. It was a gray SUV (I have a black Sedan)...and I did not leave my house at all that day...and I am not a dude.
***
Sometimes you're driving home at 1:30 in the morning and your favorite song ever comes on the radio so you turn up the volume and open all the windows in 42 degree weather and drive 2 extra exits on the highway before turning around.
***
I invented a new flavor sensation the other day when I ate a potato chip that had been sitting in a box of tea for a week.
***
Thoughts on 24 Season 2
- The plot is exactly the same as Season 6.
- How does Kim keep her hair so perfect after all she's been through.
- When they bring someone back in episode 23 after I have not seen them since episode 4, I get very confused and don't remember who they are.
- Please don't show close-ups of a dying moaning man on the ground with Jack over him...it looks like they're having an intimate moment.
So, I tried my hardest to be late at getting to Joe and Alina's last night. He said to meet at his place at 8:30. So I stopped at the bank. Stopped at Starbucks. Drove around looking for parking for twenty minutes. Then finally got there around 8:50. I walk in, look around..."Don't tell me I'm STILL the first one here."
Joe says it doesn't count then as me being late. :(
As it turns out, no one else came to their place anyways. Em was MIA and JoeW can't read and went straight to the bar. So we left for Driftwood.
Joe picked out all of Alina's drinks as usual. We discussed crappy movies and pi and perfected our arrow making skills.
When I went to the bathroom Alina and Meredith warned me that the stalls were exceedingly tiny (they were correct)...they didn't warn me that there would be a dude in there. I opened the door and a guy was standing at the sink. I stepped back to confirm that the door did in fact say "Women" and then walked past him and laughed.
Apparently, this is the face of maturity:
And it took way too many tries to get a decent picture of the happy couple:
1. Some video I shot for Lyric was shown on Chicago Tonight on WTTW. That was kind of awesome.
2. I met with Em and co. at some bar after work because they were giving out free glasses when you ordered a Guiness. I got a Guiness just to get the free glass. Luckily I got one before they ran out. Or else there would have been hell to pay for having to drink a beer. (OK, OK, almost half a beer...) photos here
3. The many faces of Ian...minus the one I actually wanted to get... :'(
5. I am covered in crawfish juice, soap, and ice cream. Despite the fact that it's an Idol night, a Top Model night, AND I got discs 5 and 6 of season 2 of 24, I went out to Pappadeaux with Andy and co. to get some crawfish! I ate a pound and managed to be the messiest eater ever and squirt crawfish juice clear across the table and all over my face and clothes and hair.
Then in the bathroom while trying to wash up, I went to pump some soap and the soap squirted all over my shirt.
Then I got a yummy dessert of sweet potato pecan pie and dumped some ice cream on myself.
Seriously, I am the messiest person EVER.
Since Aimee and Chris are getting hitched this weekend they got a very special dessert :)
They did not dump it all over themselves.
Financial panther: No one else is in the office...we can have chair races down the hall! Me: Yes!!!! (proceeds to hop her chair a few times...looks down realizes that she's in a regular chair and he is in a rolling chair) NOOOOOO!!!!! WAIT!!!!!!! You'd win! Financial panther: Haha. I could probably beat you to the door.
I had a meeting with my financial panther to discuss disability options. Yeah, we didn't talk about that. We listened to music (though he wouldn't do the dance party chair switch with me), discussed office decorations and the benefits of hanging your diploma, I illustrated how I can walk on my own back, I sat outside his door and played secretary, we trespassed into everyone elses offices, he refused to discuss dividends or other "financial words," we made faces in the window, he quacked at me, I asked him what would be the longest thing he could talk about and he said...well...
That said, I think I am the most fun client he's got and we should have meetings every week :)
1. Glen was in town this weekend so I met up with him and some others on Friday night.
We got Girodanos (of course) and I ate the sin pizza (AKA sausage) because I was on the sinning side of the table. MK came late after we all finished eating because there was an accident on the road. He didn't see the accident just the flares set up afterwards so it was deducted that, in fact, a flare truck had crashed. After dinner we all headed over to Joe and Alina's to play Guitar Hero. I have some mad skills. OK, so not mad skills in the game, but in the dancing I do along with it. I really only understand music through movement, so I really have to dance along while I play. And it's probably pretty funny to watch. And I totally kicked Joe's ass. But then later I totally sucked it up because my fingers were apparently on the wrong keys for half a song. oops.
Joe made us some yummy mint chocolate martinis. And then MK tried to pour them, opened the cap on the shaker, and managed to pour it all over himself. I somehow managed to pour them in the glasses without spilling :)
2. I think I am letting a 13 year old quiz maker decide my fate:
Where should you go on your next holiday\vacation?(with pictures)
I know, I know. How can someone who has never missed a single episode (seriously) of the show have never voted on it? Well, honestly, I don't really give a damn.
1. Sometimes a certain special someone calls you nearly two years after the last time and the first time you heard their voice. Just because they want to make sure you don't sound like you're on Jerry Springer. And sometimes that kind of makes your day.
2. True story. I woke up on Emily's couch Sunday morning. I realized that my nose stud was missing. I looked around and couldn't find it in the couch cushions. No biggie. I usually don't sleep with it in as it has the tendancy to fall out and they are super cheap so whatever. An hour later while waiting for the bus I start feeling something in the back of my throat. So I try to hack up and end up spitting out my nose stud. I am guessing it came loose in the night and I sucked it in through my nose and then eventually migrated to my throat. Next time I cough I am hoping to find a diamond ring.
3. Last night was Italian food and Italian opera with Jen. We headed over to Italian Village where I got some yummy seafood ravioli and Reisling and then headed to the Opera! We went to the Barber of Seville which was freaking awesome. The Magritte-inspired sets were amazing. The staging was amazing. Shirtless Nathan Gunn singing Figaro!? Amazing. It was a pretty damn funny opera. If you have never seen it, this video basically sums it up:
4. I want to go to a baseball game here. Seriously, I'd spend $40 a ticket if it meant all I could eat ballpark food!
5. Robert Irvine, star of one of my favorite TV shows was canned for lying on his resume. :( Hopefully they will find a good replacement because "Dinner: Impossible" is one of my favorite shows ever.
The bad news: it's 49 degrees outside. The good news: the water is 33 degrees.
Thank you so much to everyone who donated to the polar plunge and everyone who supported me today!!!! You guys ROCK MY SOCKS!!!
It actually ended up being a beautiful day for a dip :) It was pretty warm considering the freezing weather we've been having lately...but don't get me wrong, it was still pretty damn cold. The whole thing was a huge rush but the worst part was definitely the anticipation. We were pretty cold standing outside in a Chicago winter in bathing suits. Running towards the lake, holding onto my Siamese twin Heather's hand I seriously was regretting the decision. But once my feet hit the water and I was plunging in and jumping in under water and frolicking about it was pretty damn awesome.
