January 2010 Archives

one.
Thursday at around 3pm the new Superdawg location in Wheeling announced that it was now open. SO of course I went for dinner. Because, really, how often do you get to say you went to Superdawg on its opening day? About every 60 years, that is how often! I got myself a Superdawg and Superveggies and a chocolate shake. And I totally managed to dump ranch dressing all over my car!

More of a write-up at Silly America.
More photos here.




two.
I determined last night, standing over the stove, eating raw on the inside, burnt on the outside Swedish pancakes straight from the pan, that I will never have my favorite pancakes again because my dad was the only one who could make them right.




three.
Yesterday we gathered at Glen and Jen's to watch 24. They made jambalaya.

Here are some of my thoughts on the current season of 24:
- If you are infiltrating the Russian mafia, don't you think you should be talking with a Russian accent?
- How can I turn my Blackberry into a bomb? Is there an ap for that?
- Do they not have phones in a presidential motorcade? Is calling and saying "you might want to pull over" really harder than speeding around people and blowing yourself up?
- You are already on plot #2...I wonder when we will find out what this season is really about.
- Really, CTU, you might want to start doing better on your background checks. Walmart has a better system that you.
- Speaking of which, it is apparently really easy for anyone to find the Counter Terrorism Unit. Shouldn't they do better to hide themselves?




four.
Bison mini-burgers on toasted pretzel bread.





five.
Scallops with asparagus.





six.
In November Chelsa and I went to the Fifth for dinner. I never told you that. It was one of their first weeks opening and they were offering 50% off food if you followed them on Twitter. We had free savory doughnuts, and a cheese plate, and I got chicken and Chelsa got a burger. It was good but nothing I would go out of my way to go to again.

seven.
Last Friday my boss took some of us out to Greektown for dinner right after work. I got home drunk at 11. My boss is a bad influence.




eight.
Last Friday Chelsa and I went to the French Market for lunch. We split an order of curry chicken and an order of fries with mayonnaise and peanut sauce. Delicious fries.




nine.
Last Thursday Mat came over and we went to the moon for dinner. I had meatloaf. Then we played Guitar Hero because after 9 months of it sitting around I finally set up the Wii. After 4 weeks of it sitting in the freezing cold of my car I also finally brought up my new TV.

Heather and my birthdays are only ten days apart. Which kind of makes January a super-awesome month for partying. We celebrated my birthday on my birthday on Tuesday. And we will surely celebrate again for Heather next Friday...but there was nothing stopping us from hosting an event in between!

Last night we had an amazingly awesome party at Lincoln Karaoke. After a quick stop for Guatemalan food Heather and Jeremy and Alyssa and I headed over to Lincoln Square to meet up with about a bazillion other people. We got to Lincoln Karaoke at 9 and a few were already awaiting us. The place kind of looks like a cross between a dentist's office and a red light district brothel. You walk in to a plain white office-type space and then the guy leads you through some non-descript hallways into a room. Not everyone was there right at 9 so we were ushered into a small room which we quickly knew would not cut it for long. The karaoke machines were cranked up and we sang songs to the background of random Korean music videos and nature scenes that really had nothing to do with the song we were singing.

I loved the space for so many reasons. First you got your own room so you saved the embarrassment of singing in front of anyone you didn't know (or at least you semi-know everyone). Not that I get embarrassed my horrid karaoke skills. 2) Since you get your own room you don't get to experience that put your name in for a song and wait an hour until they call your name thing that happens at regular places. 3) There were several mics. So basically it was more of an everyone sings along if they know the song instead of one person stands while everyone stares.

We ended up with a pretty large crowd. Definitely over 30. I didn't even try to count. I was so excited that some people I hadn't seen in a long time came out and some people from Urbana. So they moved us into a much bigger room to finish off most of our night.

I don't really remember how much I had to drink. But the good thing about it being your birthday is that you can demand people bring you vodka cranberries all night :)

And then the owner made me do a shot he called the "Rocky Mountain Bear Fucker" which I managed to take in only three gulps with a lime as a chaser. How many times have I mentioned that I can't do shots here? At least I didn't throw up on myself though :)

We ended up staying until three in the morning and we sang everything from everyone. ABBA and System of a Down to Skid Row and Radio Head and Madonna and Pearl Jam and Ace of Base everything in between. And it was amazing. Well, a lot of the singing was awful. But that is what karaoke is. Awful singing

It was such a blast singing until the wee hours of the morning with tons of close friends and new friends. Thanks to everyone who came out and sang or didn't sing!

More photos here!

I've kind of always loved my birthday. It mostly stems from the fact that I grew up with a lot of social anxiety and my birthday always was the one time of the year that I felt I could plan something and expect people to come. And its a day where you can allow yourself just about anything because it's your birthday.

For instance, you can wear a new pair of fuzzy socks. And a brand new Anthropologie sweater you've been saving for months. And stop for a Starbucks mocha in the morning. And get Chipotle tacos for lunch (even though you know you'll be having a big dinner). And eat several cookies your coworker baked for you and some coffee cake your department bought.

Apparently "allow yourself anything" means "allow yourself to gain 50 pounds in one day."

So on Tuesday I turned 29. If you don't know me well are you shocked? See, I am dealing quite wonderfully with the fact that I am a year shy of 30 because I still look 24 or so. I am finally at the point in my life where I love looking much younger than I am.

Since Heather's birthday us next week we decided to do a big joint party this weekend, but I still made an excuse to have people come out! Because really, who wants to sit at home alone watching American Idol on their birthday?

My theory on birthdays: if it's on a weekday you get to have two parties.

I met up with a few friends at Volo Wine Bar for dinner and drinks. It's a nice little place and right down the block from me. Unfortunately a bunch of people had to cancel for various reasons but I still had a few come out.

It was nice to see Nadia and Josh because I hardly ever see them anymore. And Heather and Alyssa came too! I had a flight of whites, a glass of Riesling, some mussels in a garlicky white wine sauce (that I may have finished off like soup), some Wagu Steak Tartare with a sweet sesame cracker, and duck confit. See, your birthday is an excuse to eat anything and everything you desire.

After dinner Nadia and I headed back to my place and Eric and Eric's friend Adam and Chelsa and Jen came over.

Eric looked through my photo albums but alas I had no dance recitals to show him. He was also impressed that we no longer lived in a frat house.

We busted out the cards for Trivial Pursuit 80s. I told everyone that the game was impossible and that the answer to every other question was Ronald Reagan. Eric read a question. Chelsa said "Ronald Reagan." She was correct.

Alyssa gave me a present. It was in the freezer with Jack Bauer. I love Jack Bauer. Just sayin.

Turned out to be some high heel shaped plastic ice cubes. In pink. Of course. I put them in everyone's wine.

We cut the pink sparkle cake and used some candles that were in a candle holder. Heather held my hair back so that I wouldn't set myself on fire. And I made everyone sing. Again, on your birthday you can get anything you want.

We had lots of dessert wine. OK, maybe I had lots of dessert wine.

Eric left early to go make a porn with Adam. Here's a sneak peak of it...

Thank you to all those who came out! :-) Happy birthday to me :-)

p.s. by the end of the night my photos were getting really bad...

Saturday afternoon was...
coffee at Julius Meinl.
brunch at Southport Grocery.
Hash with mushrooms and eggs and sour cream.
I picked around the peppers.
Waiting forever for the check and being told that we just had to go up front.
Even though they brought a check to the people next to us.
we swear.
Buying pink sprinkles.
a giant blow up of a drunk guy drinking beer at kinkos.

Saturday night was...
Ron's birthday party.
Rum and cokes.
Ron taking a piece of cake with no fanfare.
Ron's tongue turning blue.
A guy telling me the same story about his nickname three times in ten minutes without realizing it.
A guy throwing up and using my coat as a blanket.

Sunday night was...
24 premiere!
Veggie lasagna.
putting together the sky.
Jack wielding an Ax!

Monday was...
baking.
Heather was perplexed by the fact that you could bake a cake without a box of cake mix.
my cake fell apart so we smooshed it together.
And then I covered it in pink frosting.
And then I covered it in pink sugar.
And then I covered it in pink pig sprinkles.

1. Tuesday Chelsa and I headed to BW3s for some wings, because I haven't been there in forever and I like their wings because I like the selection of mild sauces and I am a wimp.

2. Last night Mat and I went to the iO and saw Felt and another group. It was a really funny program. And he explained how improv worked in a way that made me actually get it. Not that I didn't get it before but I always thought when the audience yelled out the suggestion of nougat they were supposed to do an improv show about nougat, but apparently they aren't.

3. American Idol Started again. I watched the first episode and didn't pay much attention to it. I haven't watched last night's episode yet.

4. The 2010 color of the year is turquoise. This makes me happy because everything I own is pale to this shade of blue. And now I will be able to own more.

5. I am in love with this Polaroid. Except I am a little creeped out by their new creative director.

6. Remember when my credit card was cancelled and I thought it was for no reason? I actually think there was fraud and it is still happening! UGH! I don't know how to deal! There was a random charge on my last statement then it occurred again on this one (this is after my card was replaced so I am so confused!) I called the company and they wanted me to give them my cc number to look up the charges...umm, yeah, I am not handing my number to people who I already think are charging me unfairly! Hopefully the bank can deal with this...

7. I always crave Bonkers and Dynamints. All my favorite candies were discontinued after the 80s.

8. "We'd cover more sky if we stayed split up."

9. Oh, so I went to see Doctor Pain about my back. He said it was nothing and to just stretch it. I kind of figured but it lasted a long time. It feels better now. I need to make an appointment with a podiatrist next though. I am falling apart.

10. Top Ten Things I want (or have) to spend a lot of money on that I need money for:

1. Backpacking Europe/Australia/New Zealand/etc.
2. Road tripping the U.S.
3. New Camera (Yes, I know I just bought one last year, but if I want to do anything professionally it is wise to have a second body)
4. Canon 35mm 1.4 lens (because almost every photographer I admire says its their favorite)
5. Condo...eventually.
6. Wedding...eventually.
7. Surf Camp. And Swimming lessons (to take before surf camp.)
8. New Computer. Considering switching to Mac because all I do is design work and photography, in which case, new software too...
9. Asia, Africa, Antarctica, everywhere else in the world, etc. etc.
10. College Debt.

In my effort to save money I've been touting around my old Intermezzo travel mug full of coffee each morning. Chelsa commented on it the other day and I told her that it was the cafe in the Krannert Center where I spent most of my undergrad volunteering.

By far, the thing I remember most about Intermezzo was the time they introduced the meal of the century: the Seven Layers of Kevin Bacon... seven burgers on a bun with a side of your choice. It was amazing. OK, so it tasted really disgusting. But it was amazing. And you bet when I got it I ate the whole thing...

p.s. Thank you Brian for remembering the name of it! I couldn't think of it!

As part of our new years resolutions Chelsa and I have started to make a list of restaurants in Chicago that we really want to try. On Friday we kicked off our eating out efforts with a trip to the new DMK Burger Bar.

The place was small but nice and had some weird thing on the TV that looked like what plays on Windows Media Player when you play a song. As I don't like beer and didn't feel like spending $10+ on a mixed drink I decided to go for their house-made cherry soda. Which was basically an Italian soda and was really sweet at first and then more dull taste later but was still pretty good.

I got the #1, which had bbq sauce, bacon, balsamic red onions and cheddar. It was delicious but, as with most things with bbq sauce that kind of overpowered everything else. Chelsa had a lamb burger that she really liked but she found a few little bones in it.

We shared a small order of sweet potato fries with lemon aioli dipping sauce. Those were delicious and honestly I kind of want to go back just to try some of the fries. I basically love anything made from a potato. Maybe I will just make my own flight of fries! (The small fries were only about $2-3 per a decent-sized serving, and I really would want to try the parmesan fries with truffle sauce!) Also the guy next to me got the ac and cheese, which looked yummy too. I love me some mac and cheese.

After eating we went to Bobtail to get some ice cream. Why Chelsa wanted ice cream in 0 degree weather I don't know...but I got an espresso with mint chocolate chip ice cream (I decided to deny myself my $3 savings that day). And we played Sorry but the game was missing most of its pieces and we didn't really play how we were supposed to. Oh well. I somehow managed to win both times.

Chelsa had to call it an earlyish night since she had to work the next day so I went back home. Heather was getting ready to go out to Martyrs with Alyssa. OK, she wasn't getting ready, but that seemed like a decent segue. So when Alyssa came I joined them in going to the bar. We watched some of three bands. The first one was the best and had a guy on keyboards who was also playing something from a tube in his mouth. And I had a couple of vodka and cranberries. Because Mat bought me one the other night and before that I didn't think I liked them. But now I have found out that I do and therefore have a new drink. And ALyssa and I danced, which still kind of hurt but made me feel good because it didn't hurt that much. Yay my back is getting better!

Cook a tilapia filet, about 4 minutes per side. Shred.

Chop up some red onion.

Buy some fresh mango salsa.

Top some corn tortillas with everything.

Yummy. And less than 10 minutes. And healthy, I think.

1. There is a new French Market near my work downtown. Which is amazing because they have lots of little lunch places like a crepe stand and a cheese shop where you can get a really delicious duck sandwich :-) But I am most excited about the fact that they are getting a Belgian frite stand! You don't know how excited I am and how long I have waited for a Belgian fritestand!

2. Yesterday I successfully made coffee in my coffeemaker. I rock. I have devised a new savings plan: for every day that I don't go to Starbucks I will transfer $3 into my savings account.

3. The other night some KCSA alum met up at Elephant and Castle for a holiday dinner reunion. It was fun seeing a bunch of people I haven't seen in a while! And getting fish and chips. And a brownie.

4. I ate brussel sprouts yesterday for the first time. They came in a pre-made meal from Whole Foods. They were quite tasty.

5. The other night I finally saw the Hangover. Chelsa and her brother and I were going to go see Avatar but it was sold out, so we rented The Hangover instead. It was pretty hilarious. I actually really knew nothing about the movie except for the basic plot and it was not at all what I had expected. I didn't know it was that over the top of a movie. But it was really funny.

6. Chelsa and I also got pizza the other day from Frasca. I had potato bacon pizza that was good but did not curb my craving for Piece!

7. Last night Jen and Glen had a housewarming party for their new apartment! There was lots of wine and appetizers. And Glen tried his best (and failed miserably) to get the chocolate fountain to work...so we just roasted the marshmallows by candlelight. At the end of the night some Mario Party was played...and we all made fun of MK who just happened to win all of the games that required you to hold the controller in one hand and move it up and down...he must have had a lot of practice!

8. After the party I headed out to a bar to meet up with Mat. Then we went and got burritos and watched Up on blueray. I was crying pretty hard within the first five minutes. It was so sad! I fell asleep before it ended so I have to watch the end :(

9. and finally, I leave you with a conversation between me and Scott that pretty much sums up how our conversations go:
Scotty: either you did something to it the night before or that night
need to stop having rough sex, I guess. Sorry.
me: i just think i keep aggrivating it
since it started hurting i stilld ecided to clean my whole apartment (including taking down garbage three flights of stairs several times), bringing down presents, bringing up presents, rough sex
today was the first day i just got to rest
Scotty: that's probably best for you.
see how it goes the next few days, then maybe see a doctor otherwise
and no sex, well, unless you can not move your back as much
me: i'm a girl, i can just lie there and take it
Scotty: well true, but it won't be as much fun (to be fair, I'm only guessing)
maybe I shouldn't try to think about the physics about how much stress would be put on your back in said situation anyway
me: HAHAHA
oh jeez
Scotty: well, there is pressure being put on you with some compression of the spine and...you know, I think I'll be quiet
before I either a.) put you to sleep or b.) cause you to slap me
me: haha
does it depend on how big the guy is how much prssure there is?
Scotty: yup, in both terms of "big" I would guess
me: ;-)
Scotty: not to mention the torque induced
oh geez, I"m thinking about the forces involved..stop brain, stop!
me: haha
well anyways, i am not planning on having any sex tonight
Scotty: well, then you won't have to worry about someone else putting extra stain on your back.
as long as your libido can handle it.
me: HAHA, umm "extra stain on your back." is the best typo ever
Scotty: LOL
I didn't even notice that
nor did that enter into my mind :)
but...its also true as well!
me: that would probably change the physics entirely
Scotty: hmm
I didn't think about that position actually
that could change the end result
actually, that does invite many new situations that would need to be explored
me: damn straight it would
Scotty: probably best with simulations first in order to try to determine the force vectors and how it would affect the curvature of the spine
and maybe I should stop the conversation before I get slapped
me: haha

So in my head to head race with Walter over 2009 resolutions, I think I may have won...but by a pathetic margin that I finished only one of three goals :-) But anyways, here's my probably non-comprehensive list of resolutions for 2010 (although I refuse to admit that 2010 has started yet! We have prospective dates of either the Super Bowl OR Chinese New Year for the start...)

1. Find my absolute favorite Chicago restaurant.
I have several restaurants that I love but this year Chelsa and I have a whole list of places we want to try and I hope from that to find places that I really truly love because they are amazing, not just because they are a place I have happened to have gone to or are just down the block. I want to find a few of those places to tell out of towners they just have to go to, whether it's a hot dog stand or a five-star dining. Of course, this will not help with resolution #5 or 7 :-)

2. Wear better shoes to work...and probably less jeans...
I have a pair of shoes that I wear every day. And by every day I mean every day. Right now though, they can't really be considered shoes. You can see my socks through the bottom and the sides have turned into handles. True story. I will probably still wear my shoes but I should probably stop wearing them to work at least. Over the past year I've become really lax in how I dress for work. I need to stop that and start dressing way better.

3. Umm...get a date?
I say this every year. Seriously, I'm cute, I'm fun, I'm interesting. I should be able to find someone, right? Right? :-)

4. Plan my travel for 2011.
5. Save for travel in 2011.
Big things to come ahead, but only if I get m stuff together.

6. Finish redesigning all my blogs and monetize Silly America.
Seriously, this blog has been in a state of disrepair for way too long. And my photo site needs to get in gear. And Silly America has lots of little things left to do. But I'm on it! Plus I need to start making some money off of my travel site...

7. Get in shape.
I'm not going to say lose weight. I am going to say that I need to start eating better and looking at the food pyramid and exercising more. I'm not planning on dieting or starting any sort of insane workout plan, but I want to be healthier.

8. Take more photography classes.
9. Get more freelance photography jobs.
I really want to enhance my photography skills by continuing taking classes. I still really need to learn how to effectively use the flash on my camera. That is the biggest goal. But also, I need to feel more confident and if I want to do this professionally I need to start trying to get jobs.

10. Make my own coffee more.
I stop at Starbucks way too often. That has got to stop. It's fattening and expensive. I have a coffee maker but when I first tried to use it I flooded it. For serious. I am going to master my coffee maker! And save money. And calories!

I'm sure I have a few more goals, but those are the ones I could think of off the top of my head right now. What are your resolutions/goals for 2010?

I kind of think I hate New Years. And last night kind of solidified my hatred. For once I was actually really excited about my New Years plans. I was going to be around single people. I was going to get all dressed up. I was going to go out and have fun. But instead I spent it alone on my couch eating ice cream sandwiches and watching the ball drop on TV.

My back still hurts. A lot. I mean I can still walk but standing for any length of time and walking take its toll on it. I can't even take a shower without having to sit halfway through. And I did leave a message for a doctor but I haven't heard back yet. I guess I should try to call a hospital today.

On top of that my wrist also hurts. It started hurting a bit a few weeks before but now it is getting worse too because I keep having to put pressure on it to hoist myself up.

So there was no way I could go to a crowded bar where there was slim chance that I could even get a seat.

Alternatively I was going to go to MK's house party, because I knew I would at least be able to sit there. But there was too much snow on my car and it hurt to clean it all off.

So I stayed home. Happy New Years to me.

2009 was just such a crazy year. It had such amazing ups and such amazing downs. Let's take a moment to stop thinking of everything that is bad and focus on the good. I drove to Alaska. I had a V.I.P. ticket to the 4th of July hot dog eating contest. I had a press pass to Krystal Square Off. I was involved with a reality tv show taping. I took three photography lessons and shot a wedding and had a real professional photo shoot. I saw Mat again for the first time in three years. I moved in with Heather. I watched six good friends and a cousin get married. I met my first nephew. There was a lot of good in there.

So, here's to 2010. I guess if it has started out this badly for me there's no place for it to go but up...right?