Trials and tribulations of someone new to Chicago

There is great big city, on a great big lake, called Chicago. When the sun goes down, it is wide awake!

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

That sums you up....

More then anything else in this world. That is what Lili told me tonight as I was making dinner. "You are putting fried potatoes (potato chips) on top of cheesy fried potatoes (cheesy hashbrowns I made earlier). Yes, yes it does. I love starch and junk food. Add the two together and I am a happy girl. Other things that make me a happy girl:

* Juicy Juice: It is 100% juice and tasty...how can you go wrong?
* Kit Kats: Break me off a piece....
* Rain Boots: This one is going to make me eat my words since I made fun of Kristen. However, they are adorable! (In red!)
* The sloski commercials: They make me giggle...I can't help it!
* Comfort foods: Almost any comfort food is yummy!
* Ella: My kitten that I do not have but I love so much....she enjoys exploring new things, playing with the lights on the wall and cuddling.
* Breast Cancer 3-day walk commercials: There is one that I find especially sweet and makes me tear up a little each time.
* Chicken salads: It has been all I have been eating as of late. Well those and my cheesy potatoes.
* Janet Evanovich: My guilty pleasure when it comes to reading.
* Joshua Radin: I always go in spurts with my music and who I can't get enough of. He is it right now.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Communication snob strikes again!

Many of you know, that although I am not always the best communicator, I tend to be a communication snob! When some one is speaking in front of me I tend to be, what is the word....critical! Last night was no different. I was asked to attend a focus group to provide information on my knowledge of certain health issues. Before you compliment me on how selfless and nice that I am, which I am, I should note I also got paid! I could not turn off communication bitch mode, however. Here are just a couple of the times that I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes or commenting.

The conductor of the group: Every time she was about to ask a question that wasn't on her sheet, or was on her sheet but needed to be restructured, she would clear her throat. Then say um. Start to ask something. Stop. Say um. Clear her throat. Say, "How do I want to phrase this?" Say um one last time. Ask a question. Say um and then ask a completely different question. Repeat steps about 20 times.

The personal stories: People in this group thought they were there because they had a vast knowledge on the topic; opposite day! One person in the group thought if she had a personal story for everything that was discussed it would make her appear to know more. She also tended to close her eyes when she talked. Oh, I should mention, she doesn't use the microwave because it causes cancer. One story she told was about her "best friend" whose mom found out late she had cancer. (Not making a joke there....that is sad and would not wish that upon any one) The joke comes later when she tries to go into detail and realizes she can't because, well, she doesn't know any. She ends it in saying again that it was her best friends mom, but then, that she hadn't talked to her in months. She knows the cancer was fatal. What?? Your best friend's mom has fatal cancer and you have not talked to her in months???

The reliable source: One gal tried to tell everyone that she had heard the latest and most up to date research and information on the topic. Shockingly, she hadn't. She did, however, hear everything from a reliable source. One of her "sources" that she enlightened us with was too good to pass up. She heard a fact about something. She couldn't remember where she heard it from. Pauses for good measure. Says that she remembers now. It was from a friend of hers. She isn't sure where her "friend" heard it from. Another good measure pause. Oh yes, her friend heard it from a....wait for it....a reliable source.

I could go on but that just makes me seem mean!

Saturday, February 17, 2007

We would be best friends!

Many people who read this have heard me say on many of occasions, "I think we would be best friends!" The "we" that I am referring to would be a a star that I happen to be watching in a movie, listening to their music, watching their tv show, or anything in between. My list of "friends" are Reese Witherspoon, Mandy Moore, Rachel McAdams, Damien Rice, Camaron Diaz and that is just the short list! Sure, some of what the friend attraction is that I have enjoyed their work, but that is not the only aspect of our "friendship" For some of them I agree with and love how they speak out on things like feminism, pollution and violence. For some of them I enjoy how they act in interviews and think they are just fun people. Other "friends" that I have I feel that they do interesting things and it would be fun to tag along some times. I have made a new friend recently. This isn't a new obsession, exactly, but just an increased realization that we would be great friends....maybe even more ;) Zach Braff. His sense of humor, taste in music, books that he reads and things he speaks out on make us very compatible friends. I think we might be compatible fore more then friends too. After all, he did date my best friend Mandy :) Some might say I obsess too much but I just say other wise. So Zach, if you read this, call me :)

Monday, February 05, 2007

Lessons in Laundry

You just moved in to the dorms. You are still getting to know your roommates and where your classes are located when you need to do laundry for the first time. You are slightly nervous about putting your clothes in the slightly shady washer and dryer. You aren't going home soon enough so you suck it up and put your clothes in the washer and look at the clock. You notice in 25 minutes you need to go and switch it into the dryer. Don't be late, you say, you don't want some one touching your clothes. you go back to your room to read some homework. Who am I kidding? You go back to your room to watch some tv. How much can you get done in that short amount of time any way! CRAP! It has been 27 minutes. You go running down the hall to find that your clean clothes are sitting on top of the dirty dryer!! WHO DOES THAT?!?! Sure, you were late, but only by a few minutes. Are people that impatient? They grow out of that....right?

Flash forward 5 years. You move into your new apartment in Chicago. A little nervous about leaving your clothes down in the basement while being washed. Suck it up, telling yourself that people that live here are adults. It will not be like doing laundry in the dorms. Roommate laundry night come, where we wash all of our rugs and towels and anything else. Watch time very closely...just in case. Make it down stairs ONE MINUTE after the timer had gone off. How do you know it was just a minute? Because your other washer is still finishing up. Find your clothes on top of the dirty counter and a girl putting her clothes into your washer.

"Oh are those your clothes?" (you nod) "I am so sorry, I am just running late" (Think: That minute really would slow you down, I am sure) "I am sorry again. So sorry" (Okay, we get it!) Think it is fine because the heat from the dryer will kill any gross germ that might be on your now, not so clean, clothes.

Put clothes into the dryer. You and the roommate decide to go down a couple of minutes earlier then you think. Just to be sure Miss Patient should strike again. She wouldn't though, right? Go around the corner and stop. Why is the timer still going on my dryer? I must be early. Wait! It says that it has 46 minutes left. That can't be right! Turn around and find my clothes on the dirty counter AGAIN! Stop, take a deep breath. Surely it isn't the tiny girl who did it the first time, right? Open the door to be sure that isn't her. IT IS HER! IT IS THE SAME CLOTHES THAT WERE GOING INTO MY WASHER! When will she learn that is rude?

Shut her washer. Don't press start. Hopefully when she comes down stairs to find her clothes still wet she isn't put much behind her already "very busy night"! I hope she will think twice before messing with the ladies of 1003 :)