So, I decided since I am half a block's walk away from Boul Mich (GRR. I hate when people call it that. Forget I called it that, okay? Strike it from the record.)
Right, so I'm really close to Michigan Avenue, and thought it might be fun to check out the Taste of Chicago at lunch Friday afternoon, since we get out early in the summer. Honestly. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But the second I got there, I almost turned around and went to McDonald's. Because, here's the thing, I really really hate people. Like, a lot. I don't know where it came from, but just suddenly, I have a very low tolerance for people doing stupid things. And the Taste of Chicago is Ground Zero for crazy shit and crowds.
For those of you not familiar with the Taste, it's a big festival held in and around Grant Park (closing off all kinds of streets for about 2 weeks - thank GOD I am not driving to 13!) and many area restaurants set up booths and people come and stuff their faces with all kinds of great food. Also, the 4th of July fireworks (which we have on the 3rd - wacky Chicagoans!) happen down there, so it's loads of fun times. I used to go with my parents every year, and I just remember it being a fun summertime tradition. I didn't remember it being so crowded, or my being annoyed by people or anything, so I don't know if it got more crowded or if I just notice it more now.
At any rate, I didn't turn back and go to McDonald's, but I did stuff my face with an enormous amount of junk in a very short period of time. Here's the breakdown:
Arrival 1:30
Walk around. See nothing very exciting, other than a giant inflatable piece of cheese for kids to jump around on (part of a promotion for the movie Ratatoille - or however the hell you spell it). Obtain tickets.
Decide to just eat whatever looks good, so get a taste portion (half slice) of Eli's cheesecake topped with chocolate (mmmmm.)
Wander around. Lots of food - typical stuff: corn on the cob, pizza, hot dogs, ice creams, italian ices, etc. Lots of things on sticks - pickle on a stick, ice cream on a stick (seriously). Things like hot wings, turkey legs, turtle soup. Eventually, I got a piece of tilapia with a dill rum sauce. Also delish.
Walk some more. Dodge foolish people walking too slow, or stopping randomly in the middle of the already crowded street. I need more patience, I guess. Stopped at Connie's pizza for a taste portion of a meatball sandwich (2 meatballs - 3 tickets). I walk some more, and am just not in the mood for any of the stuff I see.
Move onto a side to avoid the crowd and come upon the Chicago Chocolate Factory. This is a no-brainer, I get some gigantic chocolate covered strawberries - real melty milk chocolate on top. Messy, but good. Have to go and wash my hands at a little portable sink outside the Oui Oui (ha!) porta potties.
Want a soda, but don't have enough tickets. Stop for more. Get a soda, but now have to use up the rest of the tickets. Stop at Tuscany for some fried ravioli. Walk. Eat. Drink Diet Pepsi. Have about 7 tickets left. Don't want to stay much longer, as have had enough - food, folks and fun. Wanted to get the Original Rainbow Cone (TM) but the !@#*$& thing was 8 tickets. Walk around some more, looking for some other food stuff to catch my eye. See it: real Italian gelato!!! And it used up all my tickets! So I got some, and headed off to Columbia. It was, oh about 2:15.
So yeah. Lots of food and walking. I have to work on Tuesday, and I am not looking forward to the fireworks crowd down there. I am not planning to hang around. I'll have a better spot watching them from home on tv. Our fireworks display in town is on the actual fourth.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
by the way...
For any potential power couple type applicants, even though The Oracle of Starbucks (found at http://www.buttafly.com/starbucks/index.php - for some reason my linky thing isn't working right and I can't really be bothered to figure out why.)
Personality type: High Maintenance
You pride yourself on being assertive and direct; everyone else thinks you're bossy and arrogant. You're constantly running your mouth about topics that only you would find interesting. Your capacity for wasting other people's time is limitless. Your friends find you intolerable, that's why they're plotting to kill you. Also drinks: Water. Bottled, chilled, with four ice cubes, a twist of lemon, in a crystal glass. Can also be found at: Trendy martini bars
I swear, I've never been to a martini bar in my life.....
(thanks, by the way to litwit - just follow the link over there, okay? for pointing me in the direction of the great, caffeinated oracle...)
Personality type: High Maintenance
You pride yourself on being assertive and direct; everyone else thinks you're bossy and arrogant. You're constantly running your mouth about topics that only you would find interesting. Your capacity for wasting other people's time is limitless. Your friends find you intolerable, that's why they're plotting to kill you. Also drinks: Water. Bottled, chilled, with four ice cubes, a twist of lemon, in a crystal glass. Can also be found at: Trendy martini bars
I swear, I've never been to a martini bar in my life.....
(thanks, by the way to litwit - just follow the link over there, okay? for pointing me in the direction of the great, caffeinated oracle...)
Right, okay....
Here I am - in the city. Anyone wanna be the other half of a 'power couple'??
'Power Couples' Meet in Cities, Study Finds
LiveScience Staff
LiveScience.com
More than half of all "power couples," in which both spouses are college graduates, live in large metropolitan areas. Researchers have long assumed the couples migrate to the cities.
Instead, single college graduates tend to move to cities, where they meet and marry.
That's the conclusion of a study released today by the Journal of Labor Economics.
In 1970, 39 percent of power couples lived in metropolitan areas with at least two million residents. By 1990 the figure grew to 50 percent.
“We find that power couples are not more likely to migrate to the largest metropolitan areas and are no less likely than other couples to migrate from such areas once they are there,” write the researchers.
The study, based on 4,800 families, was done by Janice Compton at the University of Manitoba and Robert A. Pollak of Washington University and National Bureau of Economic Research.
The researches also found that couples in which only the man has a college degree are far more likely to move to a metropolitan area than couples in which only the woman has a college degree.
'Power Couples' Meet in Cities, Study Finds
LiveScience Staff
LiveScience.com
More than half of all "power couples," in which both spouses are college graduates, live in large metropolitan areas. Researchers have long assumed the couples migrate to the cities.
Instead, single college graduates tend to move to cities, where they meet and marry.
That's the conclusion of a study released today by the Journal of Labor Economics.
In 1970, 39 percent of power couples lived in metropolitan areas with at least two million residents. By 1990 the figure grew to 50 percent.
“We find that power couples are not more likely to migrate to the largest metropolitan areas and are no less likely than other couples to migrate from such areas once they are there,” write the researchers.
The study, based on 4,800 families, was done by Janice Compton at the University of Manitoba and Robert A. Pollak of Washington University and National Bureau of Economic Research.
The researches also found that couples in which only the man has a college degree are far more likely to move to a metropolitan area than couples in which only the woman has a college degree.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Wheeee!
I had fully intended yesterday to be a lazy Sunday, doing nothing much in particular. A little blogging, reading, talking to the cats, etc. I thought it would be a good idea to go over to the Apple Store and talk to a genius about their products (I have been dithering over the decision to buy a new computer for several months now - I had pretty much decided it was going to be a Mac, but was not able to commit. There's gotta be a message there somewhere, I think... but I am not sure what it is...).
Well, I am sure you know where this is heading. I am very suggestable. The helpful Apple type person showed me the Mac Book and all its features and I decided to just go for it. I also got all sorts of other stuff - a student discount (woohoo! I am still technically a Columbia student. Have to finish that damn thesis...), a free printer AND a new iPod.... woohoo!
All I need now is my high speed. It's coming.....
Well, I am sure you know where this is heading. I am very suggestable. The helpful Apple type person showed me the Mac Book and all its features and I decided to just go for it. I also got all sorts of other stuff - a student discount (woohoo! I am still technically a Columbia student. Have to finish that damn thesis...), a free printer AND a new iPod.... woohoo!
All I need now is my high speed. It's coming.....
Thursday, June 21, 2007
It's a good thing I'm not in East Hampton...
I'm wearing these today and you know they can get you for wearing red shoes on a Thursday... and all that sort of thing...
I don't know whether you know that. I mean, do you know that?
(I've been listening to Grey Gardens, can you tell?)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
One more thing...
I got the cutest necklace at the art fair over the weekend. Go and check out the stuff at Pretty Theory
They had the cutest purses made from old books (it took us the longest time to realize that they were not just books sitting there!) and jewelry made from "vintage, retro and modern" materials (the piece i have is mainly metal, but I also really loved a necklace that had old buttons on it).
Anyway, the girls there were SO nice and didn't mind the dither twins trying on their stuff and basically being indecisive. (Indecisive? Moi?)
They had the cutest purses made from old books (it took us the longest time to realize that they were not just books sitting there!) and jewelry made from "vintage, retro and modern" materials (the piece i have is mainly metal, but I also really loved a necklace that had old buttons on it).
Anyway, the girls there were SO nice and didn't mind the dither twins trying on their stuff and basically being indecisive. (Indecisive? Moi?)
Metablogification
That is: Blogging about Blogging.
It is the one year Blogiversary for Life on 13 nee The World Inside My Head.
You are all free to have a cold one on me!
It is the one year Blogiversary for Life on 13 nee The World Inside My Head.
You are all free to have a cold one on me!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Ahhh, the weekend!
Pretty much the perfect weekend (except for the heat and humidity... 90 degrees in the shade. Chicago in the summertime. Oye).
Saturday:
Breakfast at Dixie Kitchen (eggs, bacon, cheesy grits AND the best beignets on earth)
A train ride to Custer's Last Stand (a street fair in Evanston that happens to be on Custer Street - not some weirdo re-enactment of the Battle of the Little Bighorn.) I went a little nutso with the buying - jewelry of course. Some really pretty pieces that I am so very happy with.
Lunch in the air conditioning and long talks with a good friend. Back home for a few hours. BBQ dinner and then dragged mom to the CSO for Verdi's Requiem. (more on this later).
Sunday:
Sleep in!
Washed the car for Dad for Father's Day (and washed mine too)
Did some shopping
Sat down for some crafting while watching Renee Fleming in Eugene Onegin (about time, channel 11!)
Dinner at home with the family.
This week is going to be a busy one - so if you don't hear from me for a while, send a posse to see if I've made it through, ok?
Saturday:
Breakfast at Dixie Kitchen (eggs, bacon, cheesy grits AND the best beignets on earth)
A train ride to Custer's Last Stand (a street fair in Evanston that happens to be on Custer Street - not some weirdo re-enactment of the Battle of the Little Bighorn.) I went a little nutso with the buying - jewelry of course. Some really pretty pieces that I am so very happy with.
Lunch in the air conditioning and long talks with a good friend. Back home for a few hours. BBQ dinner and then dragged mom to the CSO for Verdi's Requiem. (more on this later).
Sunday:
Sleep in!
Washed the car for Dad for Father's Day (and washed mine too)
Did some shopping
Sat down for some crafting while watching Renee Fleming in Eugene Onegin (about time, channel 11!)
Dinner at home with the family.
This week is going to be a busy one - so if you don't hear from me for a while, send a posse to see if I've made it through, ok?
Friday, June 15, 2007
i love my iPod
Really, it's my best friend as a commuter. Sometimes, when I don't feel like making any decisions, I let the iPod choose the music that I listen to on my train ride.
This is what it chose for me on my ride home this afternoon:
Kids (Kylie Minogue/Robbie Williams)
The Sweetest Thing (U2)
An Innocent Man (Billy Joel)
Clocks (Coldplay)
I Will (The Beatles)
Rhythm of Life (Edwin McCain)
A Man and A Woman (U2)
Dreamers (Sister Hazel)
Somewhere (Renee Fleming)
Just a Girl (No Doubt)
It seems like it was on a rock n' roll kick this afternoon, maybe knowing I was feeling happy, relaxed and groovy on my early release Friday! It seemed to be having a thing for U2, since it kicked out 2 selections from my U2 catalogue today. The other day, it really wanted me to listen to "South Side" (Moby and Gwen Stefani). It shuffled that into the playlist twice!
This is what it chose for me on my ride home this afternoon:
Kids (Kylie Minogue/Robbie Williams)
The Sweetest Thing (U2)
An Innocent Man (Billy Joel)
Clocks (Coldplay)
I Will (The Beatles)
Rhythm of Life (Edwin McCain)
A Man and A Woman (U2)
Dreamers (Sister Hazel)
Somewhere (Renee Fleming)
Just a Girl (No Doubt)
It seems like it was on a rock n' roll kick this afternoon, maybe knowing I was feeling happy, relaxed and groovy on my early release Friday! It seemed to be having a thing for U2, since it kicked out 2 selections from my U2 catalogue today. The other day, it really wanted me to listen to "South Side" (Moby and Gwen Stefani). It shuffled that into the playlist twice!
Anybody going to this?
and does anybody want to take me?? I can't afford tickets to this extravaganza starring the Tony-award winning (and New Trier HS Alumna) Christine Ebersole
I Wanna Move to New York!!
What a panel of hotness. Drool.....
Drama Desk Honors Cerveris, Esparza, Lennix and Schreiber at June 15 Luncheon
By Andrew Gans
15 Jun 2007
Men for all Seasons — The Art of Acting in a Show is the title of the Drama Desk's June 15 Special Summer Luncheon Panel, which pays tribute to the leading men of the New York stage.
The event, which begins at 11:45 AM and ends at 2:30 PM, is being held at Sardi's and includes the participation of panel members Michael Cerveris, Raul Esparza, Harry Lennix and Liev Schreiber. USA Today theatre critic Elysa Gardner moderates.
Michael Cerveris is currently on Broadway in Love/Musik; Raul Esparza can be seen in the revival of Company; Harry Lennix heads the cast of the final August Wilson play, Radio Golf; and Liev Schreiber stars in the Broadway bow of Talk Radio.
Reservations for Drama Desk members are $35; a limited number of reservations, priced at $45, are available for non-members. For reservations call (212) 787-7020 or e-mail wolf@wolfentertainmentguide.com (specify preference for salmon, chicken or pasta).
Sardi's is located in Manhattan at 234 West 44th Street
Drama Desk Honors Cerveris, Esparza, Lennix and Schreiber at June 15 Luncheon
By Andrew Gans
15 Jun 2007
Men for all Seasons — The Art of Acting in a Show is the title of the Drama Desk's June 15 Special Summer Luncheon Panel, which pays tribute to the leading men of the New York stage.
The event, which begins at 11:45 AM and ends at 2:30 PM, is being held at Sardi's and includes the participation of panel members Michael Cerveris, Raul Esparza, Harry Lennix and Liev Schreiber. USA Today theatre critic Elysa Gardner moderates.
Michael Cerveris is currently on Broadway in Love/Musik; Raul Esparza can be seen in the revival of Company; Harry Lennix heads the cast of the final August Wilson play, Radio Golf; and Liev Schreiber stars in the Broadway bow of Talk Radio.
Reservations for Drama Desk members are $35; a limited number of reservations, priced at $45, are available for non-members. For reservations call (212) 787-7020 or e-mail wolf@wolfentertainmentguide.com (specify preference for salmon, chicken or pasta).
Sardi's is located in Manhattan at 234 West 44th Street
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Mmm, bacon
I would not have thought it was possible to combine chocolate and bacon, but those crazy kids at Vosges found a way!
Honestly? It's not too bad. Kind of... crunchy. You can hardly even taste the bacon.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
i'm alive!
My former boss used to leave me messages when he was traveling "Just wanted to call and let you know I'm alive!" which always amused me no end. Fiscal year ends on June 30, and we've been hectic up here trying to tie up loose ends and having a number of year end meetings. Really really close together. And I have coordinated, prepared materials, attended and taken notes at almost all of them. But I'm here. I'm alive and blogging.
Have a SUPER early meeting tomorrow (for which I will have to take the 6:14 train. 6:14!) and then have to figure out how to make it thru the rest of the day without falling asleep. I have my first trip to Ravinia for the season to look forward to tomorrow (yay!) which marks the start of "Pattipalooza 2007" I am not going out there tonight because it was too complicated to figure out how to get there and back from here, no one else wanted to go with me, and I have that !@#$&%* early meeting tomorrow. So, anyway.
Not much more to say than that, so I will share my current reading list. I have a nice loooong train ride twice a day and have been doing more reading.
Here's what I've read lately:
1. Knitting Under the Influence (Claire LaZebnik). Fiction. Was one of those annoying books where the plot was so obvious and not terribly well-written, and yet I couldn't put it down.
2. Rococo (Adriana Trigiani) I have a thing for books with unusual names. Past ones I've picked up just because I like the title have included: Rock 'n Roll Babes from Outer Space, Voodoo River, Watermelon, and (my favorite) The Unexpected Salami. Anyway. I picked this one up because I 'Rococo' is one of my favorite art terms (along with chiaroscuro) and I also like the author's name. This one is a great read - about an Italian-American family in Jersey. I don't think you need to be an Italian American to read it, but it helps.... I didn't want the book to end, I just wanted to know everything about these characters. If it was a movie, I know a great, talented Italian-American actress who can play the main character's sister (it's so perfect, it's spooky).
3. Anybody Out There? (Marian Keyes) I.Love.Marian.Keyes. This is one of her best ones ever.
4. Johnny and the Bomb (Terry Pratchett) I love Terry too. He can be enjoyed on many levels. This one is not a Discworld book, but part of the Johnny Maxwell trilogy. I've only just started this one.
5. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things (Jon McGregor). Just started this one, too. Am fascinated by the style.
6. The Watchman (Robert Crais). I am in love with Joe Pike. Too bad he is a fictional character.
I've been telling my mom for years how great Robert Crais is, and she hasn't believed me. She picked this one up and is convinced. Ha!
Have a SUPER early meeting tomorrow (for which I will have to take the 6:14 train. 6:14!) and then have to figure out how to make it thru the rest of the day without falling asleep. I have my first trip to Ravinia for the season to look forward to tomorrow (yay!) which marks the start of "Pattipalooza 2007" I am not going out there tonight because it was too complicated to figure out how to get there and back from here, no one else wanted to go with me, and I have that !@#$&%* early meeting tomorrow. So, anyway.
Not much more to say than that, so I will share my current reading list. I have a nice loooong train ride twice a day and have been doing more reading.
Here's what I've read lately:
1. Knitting Under the Influence (Claire LaZebnik). Fiction. Was one of those annoying books where the plot was so obvious and not terribly well-written, and yet I couldn't put it down.
2. Rococo (Adriana Trigiani) I have a thing for books with unusual names. Past ones I've picked up just because I like the title have included: Rock 'n Roll Babes from Outer Space, Voodoo River, Watermelon, and (my favorite) The Unexpected Salami. Anyway. I picked this one up because I 'Rococo' is one of my favorite art terms (along with chiaroscuro) and I also like the author's name. This one is a great read - about an Italian-American family in Jersey. I don't think you need to be an Italian American to read it, but it helps.... I didn't want the book to end, I just wanted to know everything about these characters. If it was a movie, I know a great, talented Italian-American actress who can play the main character's sister (it's so perfect, it's spooky).
3. Anybody Out There? (Marian Keyes) I.Love.Marian.Keyes. This is one of her best ones ever.
4. Johnny and the Bomb (Terry Pratchett) I love Terry too. He can be enjoyed on many levels. This one is not a Discworld book, but part of the Johnny Maxwell trilogy. I've only just started this one.
5. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things (Jon McGregor). Just started this one, too. Am fascinated by the style.
6. The Watchman (Robert Crais). I am in love with Joe Pike. Too bad he is a fictional character.
I've been telling my mom for years how great Robert Crais is, and she hasn't believed me. She picked this one up and is convinced. Ha!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)