Val Bromann ::: Blog ::: June 2008

Posts from June, 2008

chicago pride parade

Posted by Val on June 30th, 2008 at 10:05 pm | Permalink | 1 Comment » |

Sunday Em (who, by the way, is not my girlfriend) and I woke up early (in separate beds mind you) and hit up the jewel for snacks before parking ourselves on a bench until the pride parade. I point out that she’s not my girlfriend because apparently everyone there thought she was. And it probably doesn’t help here that many of my entries end with “then we went to bed”…but that’s just because I’m a mooch who should probably start paying her couch and/or air mattress and/or arm chair rent…

So yesterday was the Pride Parade which was awesome in that way that pride parades are. We got there a couple of hours early to claim a bench and munched on vanilla cupcakes and cherry coke zero. Em used the $10 I hid in her purse to pay for groceries to buy us rainbow chains and “chained” me. Yeah… Eventually others joined us, including Julie and Heather and Layla and JenPlec and Andrew and Ian.

The parade half rocked my socks and half soaked my socks. It started raining pretty hard a few times, which caused some delays (not to mention people apparently falling off of floats…). At one point we combined the forces of our small umbrella with a nearby groups bigger umbrella (with a super tall guy holding it) and made fast friends with some new awesome people.

Emily kept telling everyone I was bi for some reason (for the record, I like men but am fully supportive of anyone liking whatever gender they happen to like). I was told it was OK I was straight by a gay man because he “doesn’t like vagina.” Everyone tried to help protect my camera from the elements. One of the guys (I am so bad with remembering names…I think half of them were named Mike though) seemed not to care about getting wet himself as long as his chicken nugget stayed under the umbrella. I was told I have really pretty hair :)

After the parade we headed back to Emily’s, ordered (unfree) burritos and watched the beginning of the game (GO SOX!) Ian was an ass as usual and started trouble for me by texting someone we all are pretty sure has a crush on me that I said hi when I totally didn’t. What is this, third grade?

PHOTOS HERE!!!

chicago pride parade | 1 Comment » |

taste of chicago – day two

Posted by Val on June 30th, 2008 at 10:03 am | Permalink | No Comments » |

Saturday was Taste number 3…this time with actual people and not just trying to cram food down my throat and leave…

So I met up with Emily at the bright and early time of noon oclock and we headed out to the Taste. We were pretty much starving so we wandered about and tried some mustard fried catfish before anyone else showed up. Then we shared some yummy deep-fried artichokes, which are my staple every year because I love them so much. I may have to get them again…

Throughout the day everyone was calling with crazy stories. Jeff calls and tells me he was in a bar fight the night before. Heather calls and asks what one wears when testifying in court. Josh calls and says someone fell into the lake the night before so the patrol helicopters were out all night keeping him awake (and THEN he showed up with a black eye!)

JoeJoe texted me and Emily at some point. Em texted him “Go Cubs!” so I texted “Go Sox!” JoeJoe replied to me “kick Emily.”

Jeff finally got there and so we wandered tasting things. He got an arepa which looked really disgusting. We watched this group of kids who looked like they were going to come out and do hip hop but instead started tap dancing.

We saw Budweiser Clydesdales and Jeff stole my water. And Josh came and had a black eye. He looked more like what I expected Jeff to look like when he’d said there’d been a bar fight.

After everyone was there we headed over to watch the Stevie Wonder concert. But, since we couldn’t really see him or hear him we headed off pretty soon after it started. (Later we still kept hearing him play…I think the dude played for like three hours straight.) Joe and Alina and Jen and Andrew were going to meet us, but they were at the Sox game and it hadn’t ended yet. That didn’t matter though because at last the Sox won!!!

We got a little bit more food before Josh and Jeff headed off, but then, alas, they had to leave :-(

Mustard-fried Catfish (B.J.’s Market & Bakery), Beer-Battered Artichokes (Bella Luna Café), Pistachio Gelato (Canady Le Chocolatier), Rum-battered Fried Tilapia Fillet (Polo Cafe & Catering), Fresh Pineapple Seafood Salad (Grazie! Ristorante), Toasted Cheese Ravioli (Tuscany), Petite lamb chops (Morton’s)

Em and I then tried to wander off the Navy Pier but totally went the wrong way (seriously Chicago, stop being built on levels). On the way back we saw plenty of signs pointing us the right way that we should have seen in the first place…

Finally we made it to the pier and got set to conquer the beast: the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel!

I have never been on the ferris wheel because I am afraid of heights and, well, ferris wheels. The last time I actually went on a ferris wheel was probably sixth grade. I braved up the nerve to go on one at a fair, and of course it broke down and kept going back and forth instead of in a circle. That was the last time I set foot on one of those creatures.

So Em and I decided to brave the big tall scary one on the pier. I was actually perfectly fine all in line and when it first started moving…but then I started to freak a little, but by the end I was mostly fine. But I did it!

We celebrated by going to Joe’s Be-Bop Cafe for mai tais and desserts. Only we would go out for dessert after spending the entire day at a food festival. Then we headed back to Em’s where we attempted to watch the Incredible Shrinking Woman.

At one point Em asked if we should turn off the movie and just go to bed. Considering that her asking that question woke me up we decided that that was probably a good idea.

MORE PHOTOS HERE!

taste of chicago – day two | No Comments » |

taste of chicago – day one

Posted by Val on June 27th, 2008 at 9:47 pm | Permalink | No Comments » |

The Taste of Chicago started today. So, of course, I have already been…twice.

I went eight times last year and one of my goals this year is to break that record. So I have to go nine times.

It’s a 20 minute walk from my office to Grant Park, so with an hour lunch break that’s enough time to get in 20 minutes of eating :-)

For lunch I had:

Jollaf Rice with Oxtail (Bolat African Cuisine), Grilled Plantain with Spicy Peanut Sauce (Bolat African Cuisine), Enchilada (La Justica), Vegetarian BBQ Twist (Soul Vegetarian East), Italian Breaded Steak Sandwich (Ricobene’s)

I just ate my way through booths 1-4 :-)

Here’s the way my taste planning works. I go through the brochure and write a list of everything that I could possibly want to eat. After the first time, I went back to my desk, stuffed and exhausted and sweaty from the walk, and look at my list. Anything that still sounds appetizing stays. Anything that makes me want to vomit goes. My list gets cut in half and I get a somewhat manageable list of stuff I might eat in nine times at the Taste.

You also have to factor in what’s worth the money. Because there are a lot more 9-ticket items. Seriously, every dish should be cut in half and cost half. That way we could TASTE more. They each have one item for sale like that, but they all should be. Val has spoken.

Also this year, I was looking at the menus and something seemed odd but I couldn’t quite place it. Then I saw an article that explained it: this year every booth had to have a “healthy alternative.” Of course, this seems to be taken

There was something a little off about the menu for the taste this year and then I read an article that explained what. Every booth is required to have a “healthy offering.” So…that’s why there are a lot of WHOLE WHEAT pizzas and POTATO Chips and fried VEGETABLES and TURKEY meatballs. We’re Chicagoans. Sorry, but Chicago wasn’t built on steamed vegetables.

For dinner I had:

Skewered Shark Veracruz (Polo Cafe & Catering), Manzanita Sol (a weird apple soda they were giving away free), Blueberry Bajou Blasters (Heaven on Seven), Sesame Beef on a Stick (The Noodle Vietnamese Cuisine), Sweet Potato Hashbrowns (Hashbrowns), Mascarpone Gelato (Canady Le Chocolatier)

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new job, new outlook, new vs

Posted by Val on June 27th, 2008 at 9:19 am | Permalink | No Comments » |

one.
I started a new job last night. I am now a staff photographer for a real estate magazine. Don’t worry, I didn’t quit my actual job, this one is only a few nights per month. It was the easiest and hardest job I’ve ever done. Easy because all I had to do was take photos, which I do all the time anyways. Hard becasue I have never had to ask strangers if I could take their picture before. And because I had to get 12 photos of people and there weren’t that many people there. And hard because it’s not the type of photography I typically take, and I am not that great at indoor photos. Hopefully it will get easier…

two.
My two worlds collide: Victoria Secret Pink’s UofI Collection :-)

three.
I scratched a mosquito bite scab that was on my back and I think it pulled out some of my tattoo.

four.
Don’t ask me if I want to go to London for a week with you because then I will try racking my brain to figure out if I can possibly pull it off…then again, please do ask :-)

five.
My favorite eater invited me out to the after party/bars after the contest next Friday :-) Hopefully he’ll have a Mustard Yellow Belt to show off.

six.
I erased the last voicemail. Over it. Completely. Hold me to that.

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weekend in champaign

Posted by Val on June 23rd, 2008 at 7:43 pm | Permalink | 2 Comments » |

Thursday

I hit the road just before 6. Summer scheduling = every other Friday off = eight three- (or four-) day weekends this summer = the perfect chance to go hang out in Champaign with people I never see anymore.

I arrived at about 8:30 and Jeff and I took off for the quad. We stopped in to House of Gourmet Chinese and Thai Food Restaurant so I could get some dinner and get a fix for the best beef with oyster sauce I’ve ever had anywhere.

On the way to the quad I called Brian, who I told I’d meet there. As the phone was ringing I spotted him walking up ahead. He didn’t pick up so I just decided to go and walk behind him until he noticed. As we were walking he pulled out his phone, saw that I called and called me back. “Hi I saw I missed your call” he said. “Hi Brian!” I said really loud, into my phone, from right behind him. The girls he was with had thought I was some crazy person who was walking too close for no reason. hehehe.

So I met up with Brian and Jack and Caroline and Jeff and James and Lindsay and MattG (not another Matt on this blog) and Sid and Sarah and JenPlec and Andrew and Kurt and Marc and Heather and Josh and Tobey and Layla. And I think that I listed everyone. And we watched Back to the Future out on the quad. And I spent most of the time going back and forth sitting with everyone and playing with dogs and pretending to be a dog and dropping grass in people’s ears.

After the movie Jeff and I headed downtown to go to the cupcake bar but it was closed so we headed to the Blind Pig. Matt met up with us later and I sipped some Duchesse De Bourgogne and Lindemans Pomme. We played darts and I told Matt and Jeff that they couldn’t laugh when it bounced off the wall. And then they laughed anyways.

After that we headed to Jupiters and I had a Lindemans framboise and a shot of goldschlager which took me about 7 tries to get fully down.

And after those 3 beers and 1 shot (insert foreshadowing here) I was pretty drunk and made Jeff drive my car home.

Jeff: You car is pretty loose.

Val: Just like its owner.

Friday

Jeff and I headed to Rocks for lunch to get horseshoes. I told him I wasn’t a girly eater and that I would eat the whole thing. I ended up eating about half. If you don’t know a horseshoe is a piece of texas toast, topped with meat (I had hamburger), topped with french fries, topped with cheese sauce. And it’s delicious. But huge.

We sat around watching Indiana Jones and I am now definitely sure I have never seen it before (I’d never seen any of them). But it was very good. Then we headed off to the pool to relax. We were tossing around a ball like thing and I learned I really do throw like a girl because it didn’t even make it half way across the pool.

For dinner Jeff and I met up with James and Sean and Lindsay at Famous Daves. The bbq salmon I got was tasty but they gave me the wrong side and no bread. I didn’t complain though because I wasn’t that hungry anyways and figured it would be one less thing I’d eat.

When we got back to Jeff’s place there was some yellow things all over the floor. Everyone was like “What is that? What did Tobey (the dog) get into?” I looked and immediately fell over the couch laughing. It took everyone else a little longer to catch on as to what went on. Yes, yes, my friends. The dog had gone into my bag, found a box of tampons, ripped it open and threw them all over the floor.

Yeah…so, anyways…

That night we headed out to Murphy’s, which was my favorite campus bar while I was there. Sid came out in all his gimpiness. And Doug who I would say I haven’t seen in forever but I’d just seen him last weekend. We sat around and played cards. When no one could decide what to play I just started dealing Go Fish, because it’s the only game I know how to play. But Go Fish between that many people is hard because you use up all the cards fast so you run out of fishies in the pond. We played poker and I needed to cheat because I don’t know how. I watched people play spades and finally figured out how they were playing but never figured out how they were scoring. I drank three whiskey sours and couldn’t stand up (foreshadowing).

And I will leave you with the most thought provoking thought of the night:

James: (who wasn’t drinking the whole weekend because he stabbed himself in the leg): I don’t need water to get drunk!

Saturday

Went to the pool again. Made myself dizzy swimming in circles.

Went to Taste of Champaign which is kind of like Taste of Chicago but lame. We didn’t buy any food. Met up with James and Sean there and Jeff refused to let me take his photo in front of the bluest water fountain and we tried to play where’s James, which is kind of like Where’s Waldo. Jeff won.

Went to the cupcakes and booze place and I was the only one who got cupcakes and booze. Everyone else got cupcakes and gelato. I had a yumtastic strawberry balsamic cupcake and a chocolate covered strawberry martini (martini 1 of the day).

Later it was on to Guido’s for dinner with everyone to celebrate Josh’s last weekend in Champaign. He’s heading out to California for a bit and then moving to CHICAGO!!! I got grilled cheese.

Then it was on to Crane Alley where we agreed to meet everyone but found out they all went home (but were coming back). So we headed to Bunny’s instead so Benge could get these breadstick things. We got Miller Lite and I drank a glass and a half or so faster than Jeff. It tastes like Heineken and since I drank Heineken nonstop for a week in Amsterdam I can drink light beers now without making my signature face. Benge also forced me to eat a part of his breadstick. That sentence can sound as dirty as you want to make it sound.

After finishing our beer we headed back to Crane Alley where everyone else had shown up. I started out with a Tom Collins (drink 3 of the day) and chatted up Sid and Sarah and JenPlec and Andrew.

Josh was playing the “credit card game” where he took everyone’s credit card who wanted a shot, put it in a hat, and whoever’s got chosen by the bartender paid for the round of shots. I did not participate because I can’t take shots. Of course, Josh completely forgot that I didn’t put one in and ordered me one anyways and made me take it.

We got a “lunch box” which includes amaretto and beer and other things and is one of those thingys where you drop a shot glass into a bigger glass and chug. Everyone else finished in like 0 seconds. I took what felt like five minutes and probably was more like ten. I only had to restart twice. And that was because everyone who finished 10 minutes earlier was watching me and making comments such as:

“Is she even making any progress?”

and

“I think she’s making negative progress.”

and it made me laugh and I had to stop for a second before going again.

I eventually finished the glass.

Drink 4. Remember how on Friday I couldn’t walk straight after three drinks? And how on Thursday 3 beers and a shot made me pretty darn drunk?

On to drink 5 when I found out that they had a yummy martini menu. I got a tira misu martini which was absolutely delicious.

At some point Heather and I decided to make a dirty mix on the juke box which included “Lets Get it On”

At some point Heather decided to steal my camera and take lots of photos.

At some point Andrew got a Pizza Beer that tasted nothing like pizza.

On to drink 6 when I ordered a peach martini when I should have just stolen the one Heather had on the table and hadn’t finished.

At some point I started playing a round of pool with Heather but she gave up and passed her cue to James. I totally won and didn’t cheat at all.

On to drink 7 when Jen insisted I get another martini with her and I got a blueberry pie one. Did I mention that this was my fourth martini of the day? And that Sarah had told me earlier that she can never handle more than one???

So you know Val is drunk when she willingly does a shot. And you know Val is screwed when she takes a little sip of the shot and goes from perfectly fine (drunk, but fine) to ready to pass out.

And yeah. So I got sick, basically passed out (someone took a photo to prove it), almost forgot my hoodie, almost got sick in Jeff’s car, definitely got sick at Jeff’s apartment, and definitely blanked out for a bit in the bathroom.

Sunday

Woke up. That’s an accomplishment in itself.

Went to breakfast with Benge and those two people I don’t remember names of and Heather. Got toast because I was quite sure eggs or meat or anything remotely slimy would make me sick.

Went back to Jeff’s and watched food network. He complained that Jamie Oliver made bad pizzas but I said it didn’t matter because he is hot and has an accent and cooks, which is really the only three qualities a guy needs. (Granted the pizzas did have oysters IN THE SHELLS on them…how the heck do you eat that?)

Watched Indiana Jones Part 2.

Watched more food network.

Drove home.

Monday

I still feel hung over. Seriously. The moral of this story is that I either have to never drink again or start drinking way more often so I can handle it. The second moral of the story is that hanging out with the crew in Champaign makes for a totally awesome weekend.

PHOTOS HERE!!!

weekend in champaign | 2 Comments » |