Welcome Back Summer!

Chicago in the summer

While last weekend was Memorial Day which is traditionally the unofficial start to summer but this year I feel like it was only the beginning of a 12 day festival which wound up yesterday.  So after the whirlwind that was last week I started out my weekend a bit early on Thursday night with some kickball.  Friday was a great day with great weather!  Went to Cheesie's for lunch with a friend and turns out she knows the owner.  Also turns out the owner recognized me from the previous week.  Cheesie's is a new grilled cheese pub that opened up just blocks from my house!  I may or may not have gone back a second time Friday night too.... Whoops!.  So far I have had the Caprese, The Frenchie, and my favorite thus far The Melt.  I also tried bites of The Mac and the Jalapeno Popper.  This place is dangerously close to my house. 

View of the Tigers vs Sox game at US Cellular
 (sorry for the quality taken on my cell phone)

After lunch I hung out and waited for everyone to gather so we could head down to the Tigers vs the White Sox game at US Cellular.  I must say I still do not like this stadium but more I go there the more it is growing on me.  I will say they have good food and drink options!  It was a perfect night for a game.  It was in the 80's with a nice clear sky and a cool breeze coming in out over the lake.  The Tigers however managed to lose this game 6-4 but on the plus side there were 4 home runs and fireworks after the game.  It was a really good evening regardless so a handful of us went to Cheesie's and got dinner and then went back to my place where we sat on the front porch and had a few drinks and watched YouTube videos.  I think my new favorite YouTube video is Captain Jack Sparrow (ft Michael Bolton) - The Lonely Island.

I woke up Saturday and had missed boxing which I was kind of bummed about but oh well every now and then its ok to miss something.  I started out my day of Saturday by just running some errands before going to meet up with some friends at Maifest up in Lincoln Square.  It was a good afternoon and a great festival but I was slightly bummed I missed out on Do-Division.  I met lots of new people and also ran into a few people I just have not seen in a while.  I had one more stein then I needed but it was just in the moment of celebrating Maifest.  My friends told me to get in a cab so I did and we ended up at Big Star. I used to really enjoy this bar until it became pompous and over crowded.  This particular trip will most likely mark my last trip there ever.  The door guy not only pushed me but also called me a 7 year old because I answered "Sure Whatever" when he yelled at us for standing along the drink rail in the back of the bar.  This really just proves this place has become to pompous even for their own good.  Its really too bad.

Rachel and I at Maifest

By this point in the evening after my 2 steins of German beer and 2 margaritas I am sufficiently drunk but I still make an appearance at my friend Brandon's rooftop party.  Clearly I never learned anything in college because I drank a couple glasses of jungle juice which pushed me over the drunk edge and into the realm of wasted.  I left my bike at my friend Rachel's place before we went to Maifest so I took a cab back to her place to pick up my bike and in my awesome state of mind I decided it would be a good idea to bike home.  I did get honked at by the 151 bus and I think run off the road but other than that it was an easy trip home "I think".

Sunday morning came way to early.  I had a 6:30am wake up call to go and run the United Run for The Zoo 10k which benefits the Lincoln Park Zoo to keep it open for free to the public.  This is one of my favorite races I have run.  The course circles through the zoo and you run right past the lions, the polar bear, the rhino, and the zebras among many other animals.  The rest of the course takes you out along the lake and through Lincoln Park and Lakeview.  For being as hungover as I was I said forget that and somehow pushed through to run a time of 46:15!  That was over 9 minutes faster than my time last year when I was just getting back into running.

I had a bet with Newman on who could finish the race fastest.  Me running the 10k or him walking the 5k.  We talked after I finished and I was dumb enough and gave him my time and so he decided to run the remainder of his 5k to get a better time.  I think since he ran I win and I will be collecting my reward of 1 Hot Doug's sausage.

After the race Nicki, Newman and myself wandered through the zoo and looked at some of the other animals that are not on the course and then went out to lunch.  The rest of the day I was super lazy till it came time for a BBQ at Rachel's.  This is my first proper BBQ in Chicago ever though at the time I didn't let anyone know that.  It was a great success.  I brought some asparagus to grill out along with a recipe I got from my neighbors at the cottage called Texas Caviar.  Both where a big hit!

If you think the weekend just ended on Sunday you would be wrong. Yes I went to work on Monday but as soon as I got out of work I made my way downtown for New Music Mondays.  This week Iron and Wine played to kick off the free summer concert series in Millennium Park!  I think we ended up with a total of 14 people in our group to picnic in the park.  We could not get with in the gated pavilion where wine is openly allowed so the security lady came over and announced to the whole in the area that she knew we all had alcohol and that she didn't care but we need to get creative because she can not see it.  That was the best thing I think any one in an authoritative position has ever said before.  The night was perfect.  The temperature was in the 90s and there was a nice breeze coming in across the water to cool things down a bit.  Overall it was a perfect night with friends, music, wine, food, and outdoors under the city skyline!

Mass amounts of people in the park for Iron & Wine

Rachel, Nicki, Erin enjoying Iron & Wine

Summer has officially started in my mind!  There is so much to look forward to I started a separate calendar just for things to do in the city this summer.  This is my summer of doing.... not just talking about doing.  So if you know anything good to do or new things to check out let me know chances are I'm in!

Gonna kick off my shoes and run in bare feet.......

......Where the grass and the dirt and the gravel all meet.  That is just one of the many songs I put onto the mixed CD's I made for my Memorial Day Weekend trip up to the cottage.  I think the last mixed CD I made might have been in college but those were never any good.  I am really impressed with my country mix as well as the CD I titled Good and Random.

Country Mix

1 - Alright - Darius Rucker

2 - Whatever It Is - Zac Brown Band

3 - Where The Blacktop Ends - Keith Urban

4 - Chicken Fried - Zac Brown Band

5- Play Something Country - Brooks and Dunn

6 - Toes - Zac Brown Band

7 - Redneck Yatch Club - Craig Morgan

8 - Knee Deep (ft Jimmy Buffet) - Zac Brown Band

9 - What Was I Thinkin - Dierks Bentley

10 - Come Back Song - Darius Rucker

11 - Free - Zac Brown Band

12 - Chattahoochee - Alan Jackson

13 - If You're Going Through Hell - Rodney Atkins

14 - Honky Tonk Badonkadonk - Trace Adkins

15 - I Don't Have to be Me Till Monday - Steve Azar

16 - Where The Boat Leaves From - Zac Brown Band

17 - Down on The Farm - Tim McGraw

Good & Random

1 - Black Betty - Ram Jam

2 - Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People

3 - Kids - MGMT

4 - Nothing to Worry About - Peter Bjorn and John

5 - Toto - Africa

6 - Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons

7 - Rolling In The Deep - Adele

8 - Home - Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros

9 - My Body - Young The Giant

10 - The Cave - Mumford & Sons

11 - (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To - Weezer

12 - Young Blood - The Naked and Famous

13 - Call And Return - Hellogoodbye

14 - Psycho Killer - The Talking Heads

15 - The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song - The Flaming Lips

16 - Ready For The Floor - Hot Chip

17 - Bamboo - The Hard Lessons

This kept me jamming out on my five and half hours of driving.  Now I didn't drive straight through the whole way.  I made a stop in Grand Rapids to hang out with my friend Kristin who was in town for the weekend.  We hung out and caught up and went to dinner at Beltline Bar.  They have really good food but the best part of that place might be their website http://4gr8food.com/.  After dinner we went out to Beaners (Yes I still call it Beaner's and always will) http://www.beaners.com/ will still take you to the correct website so really there is no reason to change.  I had a delicious Iced Mocha Caramel before making a trip down to Meijer to stock up on a few things for the weekend.

I finally made it to the cottage around 1am after all my detours (which were so worth it).  Saturday was kind of  a work day.  There wasnt much to do but the weather was over cast and a little chilly so it worked.  Put the 3 boat lifts in the water and went to the Houghton Lake Art Fair.  I am not one for art fairs but I did spend a good chunck of change there.  I bought a really cool quarter with the Great Lakes cut out.

I also bought a Kubb set.  It is a great game that I am sure we will play a lot of at the cottage.  Yard games are big in my family.  We have Cornhole (which I finished building this weekend), Bocce Ball, and now Kubb.

Saturday night I continued my tradition of seeing every Pirates of the Caribbean at The Pines Theatre.  This is one of the coolest places ever to see a movie.  Click on the link and take a look at the pictures under the tour icon.  It looks just like an old hunting lodge except you watch movies there.  They have 1 screen and during peak tourist season they have 2 showings a night otherwise its just 1.

The rest of the weekend was spent on the lake just hanging out with the neighbors and doing little tasks to finish opening up the cottage and getting ready for summer!  The best part of the weekends are the bonfires with smores! 

I used to hate burnt marshmellows when I was kid and then through high school and college I would only eat them burnt.  I have gone full circle "almost".  I prefer non burnt marshmellows now but I will still eat them if they are burnt. 

Being able to go up north to the cottage has been a great way to stay relaxed through out life.  It is a perfect escape from city life our to an area where there is very little light polution so you can see the stars.  You can hear the sounds of the water rolling up over the shore and you can watch sunsets and sunrises over the water.  Yes, a boat might be required to see the sunsets from where our cottage is but there is nothing like a booze cruise on the pontoon with some wine that says the living is easy!  I can not wait till I get to go back next.  The only problem living in Chicago is that its 5.5 hours away and there are so many things to do in Chicago over the summer, but I think I make a perfect balance of doing all of it.

Prepping my Hobie for the season!

Rapture

So I have been a bit busy lately and have not updated anything since I went to Next.  Other than my normal busy weeks of volleyball, kickball and running we had our mid-season party for kickball, my roomies birthday, and a beautiful spring/summer day.  I am really ready for the good weather to stay but currently as I am writing this is it 48 degrees and raining, very different from Sunday and Mondays 80+ temperatures.

Friday started out like any other Friday with work but that is where it ended.  The whole day Groupon was offering “Now Deals” for $1 and I really wanted to use one.  I spent a good portion of the day trying to find time to get the Groupon for Bobtail Ice Cream but that was just not in the cards Friday.  Right after work I came home went for a run and then left immediately after that to start my evening.  My friend Karen was having a birthday party so I went over there and we grilled out and drank some wine and played some board games.  I had to leave the birthday party early to attend a kickball event that was also going on that night.

I have been playing kickball both seasons in Chicago since 2009.  So this current season marks my 5th season with WAKA.  I have built quite a collection of the same shirts but I am glad we switch up colors a little bit.  I have green, olive, and now red colored shirts.  I could wear an entire weeks’ worth of cloths and they would all say WAKA.  Friday night marked this season’s mid-season party which was held at Durkins.  Oh, Durkins the many of nights I have spent over indulging at this Chicago establishment and Friday was no different.  For the low low price of $10 for 3 hours open bar with call drinks and draft beer how can one go wrong?  It was nice to see everyone out and in real cloths (not WAKA shirts) and just hang out with people and have a great Friday night.

Saturday started very early and was very very packed.  I woke up at 7:30am to get ready to run errands and make it to boxing at LPAC by 8:30.  After a great work out at boxing I rushed home and got ready for my roommate Beth’s birthday party.  We left the house at piled into taxis to get over to the train station to catch the Metra out to Arlington Park Race Track.

Many of us were still hung-over from the night before but seeing us all dressed in our derby attire brightened the morning.  Once we arrived at Arlington Park we went up to the party suite Beth’s dad had rented for the party.  We were in the Miller Lite Party Deck which came with an open bar as well as a buffet.

We spent the majority of the day betting on horses and watching the races.  Between races we were enjoying the buffet of sandwiches, hot dogs, pasta salad, wings, and vegies.  The pasta salad was amazing!  Outside on the patio portion of the suite were cornhole and tables and a view of the far side of the track and the paddocks.  All around this was a great space with plenty to offer and great views of the track for watching the horses.  I however did not do so well with the betting on the horses though I did win a little bit on the Preakness which was simulcast at the track.  I did have a great time just enjoying friends and a nice day out at the park.  It was a good mix up from the norm of city life.

MORE PHOTOS

After the final races were finished the majority of us hopped back onto Metra and took it back down into the city.  Once we arrived back we headed to Louie’s Pub for some ordered in dinner and some karaoke.  Beth really likes her karaoke but I think she might have been showed up by Tyler and Nancy’s rendition of “A Whole New World” from “Aladdin”.

Our time at Louie’s Pub ended shortly after when an incredibly bitchy bachelorette party came in.  I don’t generally get pissed off at complete strangers but I wanted to get myself kicked out of the bar for throwing my beer at her to ruin her night just like she was ruining everyone else’s night on how absolutely rude she was being.  She had 2 tables reserved next to the tables we were at and she was trying to kick our group out of the table because she needed all the seats.  Apparently she needed 1 seat for herself and about 3 more for her ego.  Good luck to whatever idiot guy is marrying that girl.  I am hearing a 2 year divorce in their future.

After we all went our separate ways I ended up in Logan Square at a friend’s themed party.  The theme was spring formal and since I was still dressed from the races I was already dressed for the party.  It was a lot of fun though we only stayed about an hour before myself and Nicole and Nikki left and went to Lincoln Station to close out the night.  It was a long but super enjoyable day filled with memories that will last a long time I am sure.

Some of us Kickballers

When I woke up Sunday the sun was out, the birds were chirping, and the world was still here.  The so called Rapture did not happen.  No kidding I could have told you that it was a bunch of crap.  The RVs said the bible guarantees it.  How can you guarantee something that is an interpretation of a story that was told and then written down and then translated and then translated again into modern language?   I mean do we get our money back? Was this a Satisfaction guarantee? What kind of guarantee do we get because I want my refund. 

Since we are all still alive I went to brunch at Rock’s with my friend Kate.  We sat on the patio since it was such a nice warm day and at one point I had to move into the shade because it got too warm sitting directly in the sun.  Rock’s is a one of those great little neighborhood bars with a very nice patio and great food.  After lunch I thought about going to the beach to play some volleyball but I elected to just sit on the front porch and enjoy the day and hung out with my friend Ashley.  I did decide to be a little active so I went for a six mile run along the lake front.  I really love warm days when there is a slightly cooler breeze coming in off the water.  There is just that sense of summer in the air.

I decided that it was a really nice day I should grab my bike and do something I have not done in a long long time.  I just went for a bike ride.  I did not have a destination in mind I just grabbed my camera and went biking.  I stopped and hung out in the very spot I sat when I came to visit my friend Ashley back in 2008 where I considered the offer I had received for my job I have now in Chicago.  Once my friend, Rachel, met up we just continued on biking and ended up at Navy Pier of all places.  The drinks sucked and the food was decent but very overpriced.  It’s funny how tourist love that place yet locals find it annoying.  I am looking forward to the new Lakefront Flyover that is planned for the lake trail at Navy Pier.  All in all it was a fabulous weekend that was jam packed.  I have no idea how I was able to fit it all in but somehow I did and I loved every bit of it!

View of Chicago from where I like to sit and think

Next - Paris 1906

Looking out from inside

So there are some experiences in life you just need to take.  I happened to fall into one of those experiences last night.  A friend sold his tickets yes tickets not reservations to the new restaurant in the city called Next and myself and a few friends bought them.  I was so excited to go to this restaurant I didn't care what the cost was.  It is by far the most expensive meal I have ever had at $172 and I am already looking forward to the next menu which rumor has it is Thailand 2030.  Next is the latest restaurant by Grant Achatz who also created Alinea, the #6 restaurant in the world, which has lots of hype.  I first heard of Next in the Redeye back before it even opened in an article about hotels not knowing how to send tourist to the restaurant.  With all of that said I feel pretty happy to have been fortunate enough to take part in the inaugural menu at what is sure to be a long lasting world famous restaurant.

First off the atmosphere is awesome.  Maybe its because we are young but the staff is so friendly and fun, they joke around with us and just make for a very happy upbeat experience not just another meal.  The theme for the first menu at Next is based off the Ritz hotel that opened in Paris, France in 1906.  The story talks about how the restaurant inside the Ritz became a fashion and social event for the upper class.  The dishes that are served at Next are the same that were served at the Ritz in 1906 using the recipes of Auguste Escoffier only modified to plate them rather than have them on a grand buffet as they were served in 1906.

Menu and the story

After the champagne (Château d' Orschwir Crémant d'Alsace Brut) is served the Hors d'Oeuvres are brought to the table.  It is a splendid display for the four of us to enjoy.

Hors d'Oeuvres tray

Oeuf Benedictine, Quail egg, Foie Gras Torchon, Pork Rillette,
minus Mushroom Duxelle wrapped in Leak (I eat it already)

After the first course was complete and the table cleared we joked a bit more with our waiters as they served us the second wine as well at the turtle consomme (fancy word for soup apparently)

Domaine de Montbourgeau l'Etoile 'Cuvée Spéciale', Jura 2005

#907 Portage a la Totue Claire - Turtle Consomme with
a mixture of onions, celery, carrots and parsley

Just as before the second course is cleared away and more wine is brought to the table to start our third course.

Olivier Merlin 'La Roche Vineuse', Macon 2009

#1950 Fillet de Sole Daumont - Sole fillet, crawfish mousse,
fried crawfish, stuffed mushroom all in a toasted butter

Course four is now presented to our table along with yet another wine!  If this is what the chicken I cooked tasted like I might actually really enjoy chicken.

#3130 Suprêmes de Poussin - Chicken cutlets topped with foie gras,
cucumbers filled with chicken mousseline wrapped
with cured pork belly and topped with dill

Chateau de la Liquiére 'Les Amandiers', Faugéres 2009 

The wines are coming faster then we can finish

Onto the main course, course number five.  For this course we have yet more wine as well as the most amazing potatoes I have ever had and some succulent duck made on a duck press.

Domaine Brusset 'Les Travers', Cairanne 2006

#3476 Caneton Rouennais à la Presse - roasted and pressed
duck in reduction of cognac, red wine, and jus

#4200 Gratin de Pommes de Terre à la Dauphinoise -
Potatoes baked in cream and butter and cheese

Course six is much lighter after the duck and potatoes but certainly no less tasty.  The salad was simply amazing and the presentation was awesome.  This was the only course not served with wine.

#3839 Salade Irma - Asparagus tips, cauliflower, radish, an edible
nasturtium flower with a lemon dressing, tarragon and chervill

The next course , course seven, starts the deserts.  Also served with another wine.  I think this might have been the best wine pairing because the port went so well with the bombe ceylan.

Graham's 10 year Tawny Port

#4826 Bombe Ceylan - coffee and vanilla rum ice creams encased in
chocolate garnished with macerated cherries and mint

We have finally reached our final course of number eight.  I am so full now but the candies they place on our table are just so delicious looking I can not resist.  This course is continued with the port from the eighth course as well as fresh pressed coffee with brown sugar and cream.  These were some of the best deserts I have ever had in my life.  The caramel was so sweet and rich and the pistachio nougat was so tasty.

Mignardises - beet fruit pate, pistachio nougat, and salted caramel

French Press Coffee with brown sugar and cream

Yes I know this is a little pricier and not the average meal but the experience was so worth it.  In all we had eight courses of food and six courses of wine.  We were all so stuffed and happy with this meal!  We finished our coffees and talked with the restaurant tried to get us a cab.  Being where they are on Fulton Market is a bit difficult to get cabs.  After we waited a little bit they came to our table to tell us our transportation had been arranged.  Little did we know that our waiter would be our transportation.  He drove us all home.  It was a perfect end to a perfect dinner.  We joked with the waiter about how we were the fun table that enjoyed the experience so much.  It was well worth everything I paid.  I am looking forward to what menus will come in the future.

It is very interesting how this restaurant works.  The website is very basic yet they are very active on both Facebook and Twitter.  It is a restaurant with a price point that most of the times would never be on Facebook let alone use it to sell tickets and spread word about the restaurant.  Maybe social media is really here to stay and will make a much larger impact then just on our social lives but perhaps the way business is done in the future.

A look at the dining room

Myself with one of our waiters, Wes (not the one who drove us home)

Thank You!

Thank you is such a normal thing right?  Often I don't even realize I am saying it.  I feel thank you is just a simple form of recognition that is so easily shared for any variety of things.  Yet, somehow I am still amazed at how so many people do not say this.  It does not offend me but I do think to myself that maybe it is just me that thinks "thank you" is a very important part of life.

On a daily basis I take the CTA and PACE.  Every morning when I get on the bus I say hello to the bus driver and if I exit from the front door thank them when I exit.  It is not needed to say thank you, all they did was do their job and get me where I needed to go yet still I am appreciative for the service they fulfilled.  I could have been made to walk, bike, drive, or any other mode of transportation but instead I elected to take them up on the service they provide and in return I feel a simple thank you is in order.  I have noticed that many people say thank you while still so many other do not find the need to say anything.  I wonder if the reason the other people didn't say thank you is because they really are not thankful and are not appreciative of what they got.  What would those people say if their bus just simply wasn't there one day or what they would do if the bus broke down on route.  Are these the people that would blame the driver for their tardiness to their final destination when is was not the drivers fault at all?

My thinking goes well beyond "Thank You" to my other thought of do people really care about one another any longer?  Has the world become so self absorbed with ourselves that we do not take the time, all 1 second, it takes to just let people know that others care about what they are doing.  I know that I am one to step out of my way and help out if I can and I do not even think twice about it.  The part that strikes me odd is the looks people give who over see the good deeds.  For example a few weeks back I got off the Blue line at Damen and a girl in front of me was struggling to carry her suitcase down the stairs.  Since I only had my backpack and both of my hands were free I offered to help her carry her suitcase down the stairs.  The suite case was not that heavy it was just an awkward shape but it was very simple for me to do this.  It is not that the girl couldn't have done this all her self but sometimes its just nice when someone helps you out.  A few people passing by just kinda stared and my friend with me made a joke about well aren't you a nice guy.  I don't think that it is being nice other then just helping out when I can because I know that when I need help I would be very appreciative of receiving help.

Last year I went with my friend Patricia to The Chicago Film Festival to see Trust by David Schwimmer and after the film during his Q&A he made a statement that I don't think I will forget anytime soon.  The reason I will not forget it is because it hit home because I am exactly what he was talking about.  David Schwimmer made a statement about a scene he took out that showed a family of 4 at a restaurant for dinner where none of them were talking to each other but all on their cell phones talking to whom ever.  This stuck out at first because it is so easily imaginable these days.  The reason I will not forget it is I am that absorbed person in todays world that doesn't notice what is going on around because I am glued to my cell phone.  As soon as I left the theater I went straight to my cell phone and was too focused on that and came within inches of a collision with another person.  That person I almost ran into on the sidewalk was the same one who had just made the statement, David Schwimmer.  I think that was the moment I realized that my cell phone is not as important to me as the people around me are and I think that is when I started to pay more attention to the little things like I used to.

Going on with how we have become so absorbed into ourselves makes me think of a time I was trying to fly to Atlanta when all hell broke loose and all the flights got messed up and canceled.  I was among the many passengers stranded in the airport and I was appalled by the negative things that were being said to people working.  I realize that people are frustrated but please someone tell me what good can come from yelling at the clerk behind the gate kiosk.  What did they do to you that makes it ok for you to blame them for your problems.  Last I knew they were just employees of the airline that are doing what they can to try to help you.  They are not the ones who cancelled the flights in the first place what good is going to come from blaming them.  Let me ask you something, when was the last time you knew exactly what your company was doing?  That product that launched, did you know every detail about it and why it launched on this date vs that date.  Why did your boss decide to make you point on this project and not that project?  No you probably can not.  You might be able to say something about it but you can not really tell me why.  So you do you expect the gate kiosk employee to know why people 15 pay grades above them canceled the flight you were on.

I really just think doing one simple little thing like saying thank you when someone does something nice will really go along way.  Why have we all become so self absorbed that we can't even notice what is going on in front of us and why can't we just realize that things happen and that sometimes the people we blame and take our frustration out on are just as frustrated as we are.  Just try to be a little friendlier.  I am generally happy with what I see on a daily basis but I really think there is plenty of room for improvement.  I know I can do better and I know that everyone else can to.  Just think of what you learned in kinder garden..... Treat others like you want to be treated.

A Little Life Lesson a Little Late in Life

During this past week I think I might have finally realized a fact that I should have learned in high school or college.  I have realized I over think things way too much.  I am about to go a little emo here but relax its fine I figured everything out eventually.  I had a very fun enjoyable last week (minus getting sick and now an ear infection I am still battling) and leading into the weekend I was excpecting that to continue however that was not really in the cards for me it seemed. 

Friday was a beautiful warm spring day and I really had a craving to grill out.  I started to invite a few friends that live right near my house just to come over after work Friday to grill out.  I made homemade salsa and guacamole.  The only people that participated were my roommates Jana and Beth.  I didnt think much about everyone else not being able to come over as some were out of town, others already had plans, etc.  Saturday was the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby which I have always liked and even more so after last year where I actually went to the Derby.  I wasnt sure what to do for this race, I really wanted to watch it but I didnt know anyone watching it.  While talking to my roommate about the Derby she invited me out to her families Derby Party in the burbs.   At first I was very skeptical; one I never go to the burbs, two I would be like the youngest person there, three I felt like I sorta invited myself and Beth was just being nice to invite me along cause I was whining about not having anything to do.  I know that I shouldnt think things like that but that for some reason was the first thing that poped into my head. 

I really had a lot of fun out in the burbs.  I think it was my first time ever to go to burbs just because.  I have gone out to the burbs I think three time before not for work related things.  I went out to Naperville once to get dinner with my friend Mary when she lived out there before she moved into the city.  I went to run the Morton Arbiritum 5k with Rachael and then went to dinner with my friend Allison from MSU when she was in the area for a work thing.  This trip was different, it was just a trip for fun; no time limits no agendas no nothing.  I feel like I did the true burbs thing of going to a mall; it has been such a long time since I went to a mall.  Living in the city malls dont really exist like they do in the burbs and all the stores I would find in the mall have stand alone stores that I go to.  The Derby party its self was great too.  Though the party didnt particuallry need to be in the burbs but it added to the fun of being in a real house with a yard and a dog and everything.  The horse that I got in the drawing for betting was Shackleford which was looking great to be the winner till about 200 yards to go when the rest of the field passed him.  After the party Beth dropped me off at Metra and I took that back into the city.  It was my first experience taking Metra by myself.  Also I think it might be the only time I have taken Metra sober as normally I am taking Metra to Ravinia.

Once I got home from the burbs Saturday started my real emo moment.  Since I didnt go out Friday night I really wanted to do something Saturday night.  I got home met up with Jana and Arren but once I got to George Street Pub they were just getting ready to leave to go to the Apartment which I had no desire to go to.  I am not really liking the Depaul, douche bars all that much currently and The Apartment might be the worst of all the Depaul bars.  So I didnt go with them instead I tried to find some other people who might be out near me.  Most people were out but I just felt like if I joined them I would just be inviting myself and crashing so I just went home and watched TV.  I was just really in a bad mood Saturday night which shaded the fun I had just had.  I went on to thinking no one likes me and wants to hang out with me and thats why no one came over to grill out Friday and blah blah.  Sunday I woke up and tried to just think it was a new day which turns outs it was.

Like I said I figured out everything and dropped the emo shit.  Sunday my friend Sarah called me up wanting to go to lunch, Monday Newman asked me to come to trivia with him and his group, Kate asked me to do dinner Monday but we ended up doing that Tuesday instead, my friend Jason called me up wanting to go grab drinks, and Danielle called to ask if I wanted to join them to watch the Wings game.  So while over the weekend I may have had a lapse in judgment and might have been way over analysizing everything and thinking I had no friends, I am reminded that I am stupid sometimes.  I am so greatful for all the friends I have who remind me just by being themselves to stop over thinking on the random little things that didnt go the way I wanted them to over the weekend.  I am full of shit and people do really like to hang out with me and for that I thank everyone who I know for helping me learn this fact I should have learned a long time ago that sometimes people are busy and sometimes things dont go the way I want but in the end I have some really awesome friends and people do really care about me.  Thanks!

A Personal Holiday

This turned out to be a somewhat strange week for me.  I worked Monday and Tuesday and then Thursday and Friday.  I completely took off Wednesday for a personal holiday.  It was great Beth got free Sox tickets so Erin and Beth and myself went down for the 1pm game vs The Twins.  The seats were in the club level.  I have now sat in every section there is at US Cellular field.  Now don't get my wrong I really dislike the Sox but what I have to say for their stadium has nothing to do with that.  I think US Cellular is a horrible field.  The lower level is fine and the Luxury levels are standard with other professional sports I have seen, but overall the stadium is bland and poorly set up.  The seats in the upper deck are too steep and I am very much against the segregation the stadium has.  If you have an upper level ticket you are confined to that level.  Are we back in the days of Trans-Atlantic travel where class passengers have to only remain on their class floors.... No I think not.  I feel the stadium would be much better if it was made more compact like some of the other ballparks in America.  I really like the Phillies but Citizen Bank Park is built just like US Cellular.  They are both flawed in the same way.  Though in Philly there is no segregation and there is a nice skyline view from the park.  I am done sharing my opinion on that but it just needed to be shared.

View at US Cellular from the Skyline Club

The game on Wednesday was very nice.  It was not the warmest of days but it turned out to be quite nice as long as you were in the sun.  The seats we had were on the 1st base line of the club which were very nice seats however they were in the shade.  It was a bit too cold and so we moved to the 3rd baseline side of the club halfway thru the game.  Those seats were not quick as nice as they were further out in the outfield but they were in the sun so it was a vast improvement.  I really enjoyed the private lounge and the waiter system that they have.  It made it so easy to just sit back and get food without doing a damn thing.  I have lived in Chicago for about two and half years and I go to a few Sox games, generally when they play the Tigers but also some others.  I have also attended Spartyball which was hosted at US Cellular in The Stadium Club.  It is sad to think that I have been to more games at US Cellular then Comerica or Citizen Bank Park but baseball is baseball and I really enjoy spending a nice afternoon with my current roommate and my past roommate.  Its even more fun to do all of that on a random Wednesday afternoon.

The rest of my Personal Holiday was spent at spinning at LPAC and then a nap and some volleyball later on.  When I woke up Wednesday to go to spinning I was thinking it would be dead because who goes to the gym at 9:30 in the morning.  Wow was I wrong,  it was packed and not just with moms but all kinds of people.  Do people ever work here? 

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful other then the fact that I got sick and somehow managed to get an ear infection.  I have not had an ear infection in well I dint know if I ever have had one.  I am sure I have at some point in life but this is nothing I know from personal memory.  I finally went in to get it checked out on Thursday.  For not really having a doctor in the city and not knowing how to find out this posed a bit of a challenge.  After a lot of Googling I found a Minute Clinic at CVS.  Yes, even the retail world has doctors these days.  Whats next, can I go to the local super market and get surgery done or what?  It was a very pleasant experience though and I think the next time I need something done I will be going back.  It was so easy and convenient all up until I tried to make my purchase of over the counter drugs.  The doctor prescribed me a prescription and also said to try an over-the-counter for a few days in place of the prescription.  I really like the idea of over-the-counter vs prescription so I elected to give that a shot.  However CVS was not going to have anything to do with that.  I tried to make my purchase but the clerk at the pharmacy could not prove that I was over 18.  I know they are just following procedure but are these really the people we want filling prescriptions and holding the keys to our health I mean they need a computer to tell them if they are an idiot or not.  The girl who took my ID to check my age scanned it into her computer and then just stood there with a blank look on her face, then she tells me the computer isn't doing anything and that she has no way to verify my age.  I just stared back.  I so wanted to ask her why she needed a computer to tell her if she was an idiot of not.  After she tried her computer about 5 times she called over the pharmacy manager to see if he knew.  He didn't even try but just told me he wasn't going to be able to sell me anything.  Seriously I think a monkey could have done their job.

Now I know I sound a bit negative currently but really I am not.  I really had a blast at the Sox game and just because I don't like the stadium doesn't mean I cant have fun.  Clearly I had fun at Phillies games in the past and I think the same for that park as I do for the Sox.  And as for the ear thing well that's still an on going battle and perhaps what is causing my irritability but I was very impressed by the Minute Clinic.