Wednesday, July 25, 2012

No Girls Allowed

On Monday, I opened up my Amazon account and found the pictured item for "school must-haves" very confusing.

"Surely Amazon has made a mistake," I thought, "because that outfit definitely looks like a naughty schoolgirl costume I purchased for a bachelorette gag gift a few months ago. Also, it isn't the late '90s- Britney Spears' 'Hit Me Baby' video is no longer en vogue. Is this a joke?"

So I clicked through......

This is what they are actually advertising as a 'stylish saving' for GIRLS. 

If we actually have any girls one day, I fear Kev might have a heart attack. Better yet, no girls allowed at all. Period. I absolutely refuse to dress my future daughters in shit like this some day. 

Oshgosh Begosh 4 life.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Saturdays in the Chi

I had a helluva Saturday this weekend; the kind of weekend that makes you question your life choices and reminds you how terribly awfully lucky you are to be celebrating your summer in a world-class city with your kick-ass friends.

It all started with a street fest. We went to hear a friend's awesome band play at the summer on Southport fest. If you've ever lived in or visited the wonderous city of Chicago during the summer, you know that it magically morphs into a walking party in sporadic pockets. Walking down the street you can find a totally random fest nestled between bookends of buildings. Burger fest, bacon fest, beer fests- this one happened to be a "our street is awesome" fest. Kev and I happily trotted out around five, grabbed some beers on the closed-off street, and settled in from some truly grungy funk rock. Along the way, I gained a healthy buzz, lost some dignity, had a poem commissioned and written for me after bumping into an old high school friend, and almost drowned a pocket puppy with half a glass of red sangria while trying to discern whether or not it was actually "the fluffiest puppy at the fest." True story. Countless drinks later, our hot, sweaty troupe headed to the bar down the street with live country music. We drank, we danced, and way later in the night, Kev and I stopped for ice cream on our two am walk home.

It is nights like these that make me remember why I live in a small condo in a big, expensive city. Other friends of mine are starting to make their way into the suburbs- lured, no doubt, by the amount of home they can get for their money, less obscene taxes, and a non-traffic snarled commute. And yes, they can still come down for summer fests, but by moving they lose something else: serendipity.

I love this city because it is expensive and unpredictable. Because it is big, and loud, and you have to keep your head about you while navigating. I love that I have an honest to goodness tiny corner bar, with bartenders who know my name and have my icy Crispin and order of guac ready before I even ask. I love the tiny carry out places for late night food, and the fact that I can get ice cream at two am shitcan drunk and the guys behind the counter don't even bat an eye. I love that stopping by to see a band play and have one singular beer can turn into a late, irresponsible night. I love that one day my kid or kids will dance in front of a loud stage to music with wildly inappropriate lyrics while the band members soak them with SuperSoakers. I love the languages on the crazy bus route by my house, and the people that commute on the train who I wave to in the mornings.

A part of me knows that some day I, too, am going to head to the burbs in search of better schools and a yard to put a swingset in. But until that day, I need to get off my butt, get out the door, and give the world the opportunity to present me a day like yesterday: a day where the group kept getting bigger, the music louder, and the night longer. A day and night to remind me that I'm here, it is now, and you don't get memories: you make them. One sangria soaked dog at a time.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

10 Things I Was Doing Besides Blogging

So.....its been six weeks. Here's what I've been up to:

10) Napping. A lot.

9) Babysitting two adorable little ladies and being the adult in the house for my junior high cousins. One of these jobs yields a lot of playing at the park. The other yields a lot of pretending to play at the park while really watching to see what girls are around. I'll let you decide which is which.

8) Spending time with my family. My sister is living with us this summer, which has actually been a blast, and I've been seeing a lot of my parents and city-dwelling brother as well.

7) Eating too much. This chick is getting downright portly. I should have fewer teacher friends that like to lunch out. Or live in a cheaper city.

6) Staying up until 2 am THREE NIGHTS IN A ROW. True, this just happened this week, but my twentyeight year old self does not appreciate me pretending to be my eighteen year old bar floozy self. Oops.

5) Bopping around up at the lake house in Wisconsin. Drinking at a slow pace all day while out on a boat. Playing Rummikub and Gin. Eating more foods with artificial ingredients than can possibly be counted. Showing of my portly physique in a two piece that I am entirely too old to be wearing. Life. is. good.

4) Ignoring my to-do lists. This includes cleaning, blogging, doing school work, working ahead on homework for my summer classes, and any and all real obligations.

3) Watching ridiculous YouTube videos. Some examples:




2) Reading, reading, reading. I have read SO many great books this summer, and hope to read even more. My favorite read this summer so far might be Imagine: How Creativity Works. Just read it. Trust me. Amazing. Read it and never wish to be more creative again. I am about to start a new chunky book today and I couldn't be more excited about it.

1) Traveling to Peru!!! Some picture recaps will be coming shortly, but for now please enjoy this gem:

Regular blogging schedule, inasmuch as I ever have one, will resume this week. Thanks for being patient imaginary friends!