summer fun

Exhaustion has set in after a whirlwind weekend. Well, for homebody me it was a whirlwind anyway. The plan was:

Friday - Brookfield Zoo with my parents, then back into the city for the birthday celebration of Jillybean's BF
Saturday - BBQ on Montrose Beach with some friends, one of whose mother was in town from China, then a Bachelorette party for a friend in from NY
Sunday - possible brunch with NY friend, then Wicker Park Fest with some pals from work

That was the plan, anyway. However, Friday morning I got a text cancelling Saturday's barbecue, because the host had to get his appendix and gall bladder taken out. Yikes. After ensuring he was okay, I decided to rearrange my activities, and move the trip to Wicker Park Fest to Saturday so I could see The 1900's play. Well, after the Friday at the Zoo, and the Friday night of drinking too much whiskey at the birthday party, any activities during the daylight hours of Saturday were pretty much out of the question. I had to make a quick trip to the grocery store to purchase appetizer ingredients, and then made my way (late) to the Bachelorette. (Side Note: The Baton Club is an experience definitely worth the price of admission, in case you're ever in a position to go.) It was already 12:30 by the time the show was over, so I decided to forgo the clubbing and cut out early, relatively speaking. Brunch was a no-go on Sunday due to the timing of flights back home, so around 3:30, I left for WP Fest. A small snafu in plans led me instead to my friend's girlfriend's house, where we chilled for a while, and then eventually made it out to the Fest, running into a random assortment of work friends and colleagues. But a couple hours later, I was pooped. The yawns were flowing in direct proportion to the sangria. I got home at 9 and wanted to go straight to bed, but ended up watching a very sleepy hour of TV before finally hitting the sack.

And I wish I was still there.

NEXT weekend, I am super excited to be going to Lollapalooza! Another crazy weekend is certainly in store. 3 days of outdoor music, and a Monday vacation day for good measure (and recovery). Friday especially promises to be brutal - in a good way, of course. Lolla all day long, then the Gogol Bordello after show at the Metro, and THEN a gypsy-punk-themed after party at a friend's place ... if I make it that far, that is. ;)

Good times.

food flop

So, I discovered this weekend that my friends are not so much into food. I had a little party on Saturday, which was lots of fun (for me, and I would like to think for the other guests as well), however, one aspect of this party was a complete and utter flop. It was SUPPOSED to be a potluck to which everyone would bring a dish that they had never made before, and it was SUPPOSED to start at 7:00, early enough so that people could make it their dinner. However, out of the 15 or so guests, only 2 brought food (3 if you count both halves of a couple), and every single person had eaten before arriving. And even taking into consideration the one-hour cushion of time I usually leave for guests to arrive, only one couple arrived on time. Everyone else was at least 2-3 hours late. Most people brought beer or wine, which was very much appreciated (thanks to anyone who I may not have thanked, and who may be reading this - I'm very excited to partake in the party leftovers, especially a couple bottles of wine that have been calling out my name since Saturday). The party was fun regardless, but I felt like a dope for having spent literally all day cooking, and then not even putting all that food out because nobody was going to eat it. And I am no cook, so this was a huge undertaking for me. My fingers still smell like garlic. I guess people just assumed it was going to be a party like all my others, starting later and being mostly alcohol-centric, even though the invitation stated otherwise. Well, shame on me for trying something different. But really, I'm not complaining. I did have a good time, and like I said, I think everyone else did as well. And they brought all kinds of fun new beer and wine, for which I am extremely grateful. And now I've got great leftovers to last me all week. Conclusion: I love my friends, but I'm never cooking for them again. ;)

welcome class of '97

Saturday started off like any other day. I was lazy and took my time showering, and I spent the majority of the day in my bathrobe. I pampered myself a little bit, due to the nature of the upcoming evening. I shaved my legs, put on some nice-smelling lotion, and painted my fingers and toes. Bright red. Cause that was the mood I was in. And it would look nice with my outfit. I watched a little TV, had a late lunch, and made the final choice as to what I'd be wearing. Black. It somehow seemed appropriate. After putting together all the finishing touches, I was exhausted. But no rest for the weary. The night had not yet begun. I threw my camera in my purse and grabbed my overnight bag, and I was on my way to pick up J. She looked lovely in a wrap-around dress, also black, and metallic-colored flats due to the brace on her knee. After getting settled in my car, we made our way out to the burbs. One stop to pick up the other J, we'll call her J2, who was wearing black also. I either made the right decision in my choice of wardrobe, or the wrong one, depending on how much I wanted to stand out from the crowd. We finally reached our first destination of the night, Pub 222 in the home burb, where we met up with K and C, and a classmate named A who we hadn't seen in 10 years (duh). After a quick pre-party drink at the Pub, we made our way to the main event.


My Ten Year High School Reunion.


Driving up to the banquet hall, we could already tell that the location was going to leave a lot to be desired. But this was not so important, as we were there to see the people. We walked into the entry hall, were given our name tags and memory books, and it began. Walking into that room filled with familiar faces, people I hadn't seen in so long, people who I wasn't sure I even had anything to say to, it hit me like a wall. It was surreal. The turnout was not even close to half our graduating class, but still, the mass of faces floating before me brought back a rush of old memories. I was at a school dance again. And there were still cliques. Though in retrospect, perhaps the people I viewed as being in cliques were merely feeling the same anxieties as the rest of us and preferred to stick with the people they knew best. Maybe they weren't cliques so much as groups of friends. Maybe there was someone there who saw my group of friends as a clique. One of the first people to come up and talk to me was P. P was a girl who I knew in HS and was friendly to, though she was a bit of a charity case. I wouldn't say we were friends per se, but like I said, we were friendly. After we exchanged the initial pleasantries, she introduced me to her husband as "One of the few people in high school who I actually hung out with." I don't really remember any "hanging out" but in a weird way, I was flattered. However, I had to be the one to break it to her that her HS crush, who was not in attendance, was married. Not that it mattered, she being married herself, but still. Nobody likes to hear that. I spoke to several people throughout the night who I was really glad to reconnect with. R was a girl I'd known since 4th grade when we were in Girl Scouts together. She is doing well and just got married a few months ago. J3 was a very nice girl who lived nearby me in HS, and who is now married with twin boys born this past February. It was great to see that K, another old girl scout friend, hadn't changed at all since high school. E looked the same as he did in HS (and college), but he had come out of his shell quite a bit, which was good to see. And the theatre people, J4, W, M and J5, it made me really happy to see them there, though I wished more of those folks had shown up. T (and C), A2, T2, T3 (and L) - it was great to hang out with them, though I had never lost touch with them to begin with. And then there was B. B was my crush all throughout senior year. When I first saw that he was there, it was like I was in high school all over again. I wanted to go up and talk to him, but I was nervous, just like I used to get all those years ago. I didn't know how to do it. Did I walk right up to him and start talking? Or did I casually make my way over there, chat with some people surrounding him until I caught his eye? It turned out that I didn't need to do anything at all. I was walking past where he was standing, on my way to grab my camera, when he made an odd movement and brushed my arm. He turned to see who was there, and voila, instant conversation. We talked about where we lived and worked, and what we thought about the turnout at the reunion. He mentioned his concern that a lot of people would be all "domesticated" while he wasn't yet. We discussed the need to have roots, and the fact that our parents all still lived in the town we grew up in. We talked about the one date we had had in high school, which happened to be the shining moment of my senior year (though I'm not sure he knew that). It was a nice conversation. And man, that guy is just as gorgeous as I remember. :) You know, I could reflect on our conversation all day, but I'm sure that would be a deathly bore to anyone reading this, so I'll move on. Prior to that night, I was wondering what kind of music would be played, and it ended up being ... interesting. The beginning of the night was all music from the 90's, when we were in school. And yeah, it was all pretty bad. Then they switched to dance music ... and it continued to be pretty bad. But I had a good time dancing anyway, and after my three whiskey-and-cokes it became that much more fun. The night began to wind down and we tried to figure out where to go afterwards. T2 mentioned a party (which B and his friends were going to as well). Since I never got invited to those parties in high school, this sounded like a swell plan to me, so I followed T2 and E up to the neighborhood to try and find the house (nobody seemed to have an address). After a futile search, we gave up and called a friend who was at a bar, and went to meet him. Turned out the party must have been nonexistent, because all of the people who were supposedly going ended up at this bar instead. Chatting with E and T2 at the bar was a nice end to the evening. At the relatively decent hour of 1:15 a.m. I packed up and made my way to my parents house to crash in my old bedroom, in my old bed. It seemed an appropriate end to an evening filled with nostalgia.



The main conclusion I drew from this evening was that aside from a couple of individuals, I already keep in touch with the people who I cared most about in high school. The majority of the people at the reunion, for me, it was enough just to see their faces again. I didn't even need to say anything to them. I mentioned in a previous post how I saw this reunion as an epilogue to my time in high school, and it really was. And now that it's over, the credits are rolling, and I can leave it all behind.

Harry Potter, and my weekend, and an observation about neither

So can I talk about Harry Potter just a little bit? If you haven't read it yet, and are planning to, I urge you to stop reading right here (and pick up again below where I will be changing subjects), because this post is bound to be full of SPOILERS!!!

So. It's over. It's done. No more Harry Potter books to look forward to, except maybe the rumored encyclopedia that J. K. Rowling may or may not be publishing in the distant future. I am sad about this. But I'm also happy that the story has finally come to its long-awaited conclusion. Having said that, however, I must admit that I was a bit disappointed by the way it ended. Deathly Hallows was a very exciting and intense book - so much so that I actually had to stop reading after one particular chapter ended because things kept happening, one right after the other, and since I knew the next chapter was going to be more intense than the previous, I just needed to take a break! My fragile constitution needed a chance to rest before plugging onward. It seemed as if Harry and crew were constantly averting capture, and constantly in danger of death at the hands of some evil-doer, if not Voldemort himself. This part was great fun. And it seemed to be building towards a crescendo in which there would be the ultimate battle between good and evil. Well, I guess it got there. The battle was fought, people were killed, people showed their true colors, and good triumphed over evil, as we always knew it would. But oddly enough, I felt unfulfilled. The final battle between Harry and Voldemort seemed to be over in the blink of an eye, as if to say, "All right, I just defeated the most evil wizard in existence, saving the world from certain disaster - I think I'll have a nap." I was left, bewildered, wondering, Hey, whatever happened to ... and the list was a long one. I wondered why certain purportedly important characters had so little to do, I wondered what happened to certain people after the war was over, and though it may seem strange, I wondered why more people didn't die. Maybe it's morbid of me, but I would think that a battle of such proportions would have had more casualties. Yes, some of my favorite characters did not make it, but honestly, I felt the good guys got off pretty easy. And the epilogue, though well-written, still left me hanging. But wait, what about ... ?

All in all, though, I did enjoy the book and I'm sad that it's over. Though it wasn't my favorite of the series (that distinction belongs to book 5), it was entertaining and exciting as they all have been. And any Harry Potter book is a worthwhile read in my mind.

END DISCUSSION OF HARRY POTTER!!!!!

Okay, now that that's over, I just wanted to chat about some random things I've been thinking about. There is this guy at work. I don't know him, but I always see him in the cafeteria around lunch time. He's on the taller side, and the first few times I saw him, he seemed pretty average in build, if not a bit on the overweight side. And its funny, but he was always eating lunch with someone who looked like a shorter, stockier version of himself. Weird. But anyway, one day I noticed that he had suddenly lost a lot of weight. It's possible that he wasn't around for a while, because honestly, I don't keep track of those kinds of things. But for quite some time, he resembled a skeleton a bit too closely for comfort. Very very skinny. Then, just as suddenly as he'd lost weight, he seemed to be gaining it back again at an INCREDIBLE rate. Now he is no doubt overweight, and growing in size every time I see him. I don't know what caused this metamorphosis from average, to emaciated, to obese - maybe he has a thyroid problem, or he was sick and now he's healthy again, with a healthy appetite to boot. But it got me thinking. I noticed this change in a complete stranger - so it made me wonder what people thought about me! When I am on Prednisone, my face goes through some very noticeable changes. Even though the shape of my body does not change TOO much (unless I let my new-found appetite get the better of me), the roundness of my face gives the illusion that I am a much more full-figured person. When I started working here is 2005, I wasn't on any medications. I was thin and healthy. Then I had a flare-up and went on the drugs and got puffy, then my dose went down, then up again, then I was off it, then back on again, and now I'm off it (for good?). All this over the course of two years. But it just makes me wonder what the people who don't know about my disorder thought about my changes in appearance. Did they wonder? Like I wondered about the guy I always saw in the cafeteria? Or did they even notice? Hmmm.

On another topic, I had a very busy, but very lovely weekend. It was a three-day weekend for me, so I took advantage of the Friday off work by finishing up Harry Potter, and going to the grocery store for ingredients to the various things I was cooking for the weekend gatherings. Saturday afternoon I went to a barbecue at K and C's, which was really fun. I just love hanging out with their kids!! :) And I made a tomato artichoke dip that seemed to please, so I was happy about that. I had to leave early, though, for an appointment with some other friends to watch some old episodes of "Lost" and eat homemade Mexican food. I attempted a new recipe for Mexican Corn Casserole, which might have been good, but I think it was a bit undercooked. The baking is done in two sessions, and I had to do one at home earlier in the day, and the second one once we got to my friends' house. I think if I'd been able to do them back to back, it would have turned out better. Oh well. Live and learn. THEN, the next day I went out to the burbs for a pool party and barbecue, which was a jolly good time. It was great to just be outside all day in the gorgeous weather, and have a fun time with some great people. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, but was EXHAUSTED come Sunday night.

Okay, anyway, that's all I have the energy to write about today. Laters!

class of '97

I can't believe it's been ten years.

It's funny how things can end up being so different than you think they're going to be. Ten years ago, I was graduating from high school. I was getting ready to go to college and the world was my oyster. I felt like my life was finally starting. I was independent in a way I'd never been before. Though I still depended on my parents for tuition, guidance, and a place to live during holidays, I felt like I was finally able to make my own decisions, which is a big step in a person's life. I envisioned myself graduating from college and taking the world by storm. I was going to make movies, write books, have a family, make a lot of money and live in a big house in California. A house with a pool! Ten years sounded like such a long time - plenty of time to accomplish my goals. I figured that by the time my ten-year high school reunion came around, I'd be exactly where I wanted to be. I'd be able to walk into the room, completely satisfied with the life I was living, and the person I'd become. Not to mention, I'd be thin, stylish, and beautiful, with great hair.

This is the way an 18-year-old thinks about the future. Of course it was all about me. I was invincible. But instead of accomplishing all my goals by the age of 28, what actually happened over those ten years was ... I grew up.

I went through what I imagine every person goes through at that time in their life. Unless, of course, they're lucky enough to have a humongous trust fund, or move in the same circles as the people with power. But even Paris Hilton gets a dose of reality from time to time. :) My reality was that there were extenuating circumstances that were going to prevent me from reaching my goals, no matter how hard I tried to pretend they didn't exist. Contrary to what I believed, I was NOT, in fact, invincible. And I needed a steady paycheck. So instead of becoming the high roller I always thought I'd be, I became ... well ... myself. I have a modest job in the suburbs, with a modest paycheck, and I live in a small, one-bedroom apartment on the North side of Chicago. I'm not married, and I have no kids, but I've always got a friend when I need one.

Making the realization that I was not where I thought I'd be at this point in my life was bittersweet. I could acknowledge the fact that my goals were unrealistic, but I still felt a little sad that I hadn't met them. Everyone likes to feel that they could be the exception to the rule. I felt like an exceptional teenager, so I was completely confident that I'd be an exceptional adult. Instead, I've turned out to be closer to average. At least by all outward appearances. But let me make this point very clear - there is nothing wrong with being average if you're happy where you are. And though I still feel like I am exceptional and have some great things in store for me in this life, I am, for the most part, happy with the way things are right now.

As you may have guessed, the source of these reflections was the announcement of my upcoming high school reunion. I am actually really excited about it, despite the fact that I'm not exactly where I thought I'd be. But I am a little disappointed, too. When I was a senior in high school, my friends and I would speculate about what our reunion would be like - who would be married with kids, who would be rich and successful, who would still be living at home and working in the fast food industry. It was fun for us to try and guess how people would turn out. I assumed, in a very life-imitating-the-movies kind of way, that when the reunion finally did roll around, all my friends and I would gather together once more to see how close our predictions were, to reconnect with people we'd lost touch with, and to bring our high school experience full circle. I saw the reunion as a kind of epilogue to my teenage years. But it is slowly dawning on me that I may have been the only one who felt this way. I don't know how many conversations I have had with old classmates recently that included the phrase "Hell, no!" in reference to the class reunion. And this makes me sad. Many have previous commitments, such as weddings, etc., which is completely understandable, but I am shocked by the number of people who just plain don't want to go. Sure, those years are always awkward, they're maybe not the most fun, and I certainly wouldn't want to go back and relive any of them, but what's the harm in looking back and remembering? Plus, those years are cake compared to what comes after. The "real world" is so much more harsh than the sheltered life of a high school kid. But, as always, maybe that's just my own experience talking. I enjoyed high school - I had nothing to complain about other than "stupid boys" - and I think it would be fun to take a look back and see how much we have all grown since then. Not to sound cheesy or anything, but I like to remember the good times I had in high school, and forget about the bad.

It was sad to realize that not everyone feels the way I do about this upcoming reunion. It was even sadder when the thought occurred to me that the reunion planners were perhaps not trying very hard to find people. I was amazed by how many people hadn't heard about it until I told them. So I am once again making the discovery that the world is not as rosy as I had at one time thought it was. My reunion will not be attended by all of the people who I'd like to reconnect with, simply because I want them to be there. It may not even be attended by a single one of my friends - even the ones I still see on a regular basis. Much like my life over the past 10 years, it is just not going to be how I thought it would be. It couldn't possibly live up to my over-high expectations anyway.

However, that doesn't mean I won't go. And that doesn't mean I won't enjoy myself immensely. I've got to keep the faith that it will still be an event worth attending. I mean, it only happens once. And Hell, I wouldn't miss it for the world.

whiskey woes

The "self" was very "intoxicated" last Friday. It's probably a good thing that I don't remember that much of it. A friend of mine from work is moving away to go back to school for his PhD, and he had a going away party. He set up one of those dealies at a bar where for $30 it was all you can drink for three hours, including top shelf. Yeah, those never end well. Let's just say I drank a lot of whiskey, got shuffled off to another bar after the deal ended, don't remember what bar it was, but I do remember falling out of the cab outside of that bar. Yes, falling out. As in, one minute, I'm sitting inside the cab, the next minute I'm on the ground outside of the cab. Not pretty. I did have the presence of mind to order only water at this second bar, wherever it was, and I somehow made it home safely, too, so at least that worked out well for me. I remember the beginning of the night fairly well, but towards the end it gets rather foggy. I was just informed this afternoon by someone I barely remember being there, that I kept asking him to introduce me to guys. And there was something about a conversation about "cougars." Yeah, don't remember that. I shudder to think what other embarrassing things I'm not remembering. Especially considering some of the things I do remember were quite embarrassing. I am never drinking again. And you know that's a lie as well as I do.

Week in Review numma 3

Hey kids! So here's what went down this week. Last Saturday my roomie and I were throwing a party, so Friday after work I basically started getting ready for that. Well, truthfully, I was kind of pooped from the crazy week I had had, so "getting ready for the party" pretty much consisted of doing my laundry and going to bed early. So that meant that Saturday morning/afternoon was filled with cleaning, shopping, and making general preparations for this shindig. I got my bedroom spotless, and then started on the rest of the place, swept, rolled up the rug (learned my lesson after the last party!), rearranged furniture, etc. I had the task of going to the grocery store for snackies and whatnot, while roomie went to the liquor store and cleaned the bathroom. That is, he cleaned OUR bathroom, and then went to the liquor store. He didn't clean the bathroom AT the liquor store, as much as they might have appreciated that (he does an excellent job). :) Anyhoo, the party was a blast. Several people who I rarely see showed up, and one friend from high school who I hadn't seen in about 5 years! That was super exciting! A work friend showed up later in the evening with his dog, and it just made me miss having a dog so much! And she (the dog, Kawie) was such a sweetie too. Got along with everyone and just made herself right at home! So much so that the next day I realized I had dog hair all over my couch AND my bed. Not that I minded at all. :) Love the doggies. I can't think of too many wild and/or crazy stories from the night, but that's because I once again felt like it flew by and I didn't get to talk to anyone! It seemed like I got a few really good conversations with a few (really good) people, but I know for a fact that some people came and went and all I got to say to them was hello and goodbye. Such is the fate of the hostess I guess. Oh, and eewww. I looked at my camera the next morning and I look ridiculous in every picture I'm in. Yeah, no one will be seeing those. :) All in all it was a good night. I think the final people count was about 37, which is pretty damn good in my opinion! Sunday was a day spent recovering. I slept for a lot of it, watched some TV I think (oh yeah! Desperate Housewives finale!!), and helped the roomie clean up the major garbage, but the rest of the cleaning we left for a time when we'd have more energy ... and motivation.

So Monday after work, that's what I did. I came straight home, changed my clothes, put on some music and got down to business. I cleaned all of the table/counter surfaces, mopped the floor and picked up what was left of the garbage, and put furniture back in order (including the rug which was spared the inevitable spillage). It took me just over an hour and afterwards I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. Cleaning does that to me. :) And even though the roomie didn't say anything to me about the spectacular cleaning job I had done, when he walked in the door (I was in my bedroom), I heard him say to himself "Fantastic!" so that was good enough for me. Tuesday night was Ladies Night, which is always a good time. 6 of us ladies went out to Opera, an Asian fusion (?) restaurant on Wabash and it was EXCELLENT! I recommend it. But if you can, try to go on a Tuesday and ask about the special deal (which won't be around forever!!). You'll be glad you did. :) My meal consisted of Maine lobster spring rolls (very good), Beef with Asparagus (really really good despite the lack of descriptive details), and a Mandarin Orange dessert which, against my better judgment, I finished because it was so tasty! And I had more than half of my entree left to take home and have for dinner later in the week. Yay! Wednesday night I went out to my parents' to have dinner with my little bro!! He's in town for a while from Seattle and wanted to take the family out to dinner. We went to a Japanese hibachi/sushi place that was pretty good. My brother was the only one who ordered sushi, but everyone tried a little, including my Dad! I was so proud of him!! And I think my Mom enjoyed the sushi very much because she kept eating it after my brother and everyone else had had their fill! The rest of us ordered hibachi stuff - garlic shrimp for Dad, calamari for Mom, and scallops for me (one of my new favorite things, I think), and it was all very good. Okay, just a side note here - I feel like Nora!!!! Blogging about food!!! :) So anyway, it was cool to hang with the baby brother, even though he left without saying goodbye! I think he was going out to meet some friends. Hopefully I'll get to see him again before he leaves for home. I think he's going up to Detroit this weekend, but maybe next week. Oh, and that night Mom and I watched the Lost finale! So exciting!!! All kinds of new information, and plenty of cliffhangers - exactly what you want in a season finale. Thursday was delightfully relaxing. All I had to do when I got home from work was pack for this weekend (going to Indiana for a friend's birthday), and go to the drug store. So that's all I did!! Woo hoo! It was great having no obligations for once! Well, once in a long while anyway. I do go through spells where I have absolutely NOTHING to do for days or weeks at a time, but lately that has not been the case. I'm a busy little bee. :) At least work wasn't too bad this week. It was pretty hectic early on, but had calmed down drastically by about Thursday, which was nice. Next week is gonna suck, though, because it's the end of the month and I'm always swamped. Plus one of my coworkers is moving to another department and next week is her last week here, so she will need to be basically teaching me everything she knows about the programs I'm taking over for her. She's shown me a bunch of stuff already, but this will be our last chance to get everything handed over. Blagh. Not that she won't be still in the building and reachable in case of a massive meltdown (which isn't completely out of the realm of possibility), but still. It's a lot for me to take on, still being the newest person in the department.

So that was my wek. Heh, I typed "wek" and I'm keeping it like that 'cause I like it. :P I REBEL AGAINST THE SPELL CHECKER!!!! Wait, does blogger even have a spell checker? Oh look at that, it does. Obviously, I don't use it very often (or EVER). I pride myself on my most excellent spelling abilities, and my obsessive proofreading (and since I said that, everything will now be spelled wrong and people will laugh at me). My grammar sucks, and I may occasionally use the wrong words in the wrong places, but at least I spell them right! Right?

Ok, bye.

Well!! Week in review

I definitely did not think that there would be no postings at all in between my weekly reviews, but the way this week went, I am not surprised this happened. So let's just dive right in, shall we?

Last weekend was tons of fun, and busy!! Started out Friday with the Bachelorette party I mentioned in my last post. It was a good time. I really only knew the bride and one other person well, had met a couple others once or twice, and the rest I did not know from Eve, but they all were very nice (and funny!), and a good time was had by all. I was very proud of the bride for finishing ALMOST everything on her list of embarrassing and/or stupid things she had to do, and managing to wear her bachelorette sash for the entire night (the hat with the veil was abandoned relatively early for fear of hat hair).

Aaaand, it is now Monday again and I didn't even finish writing my entry for last week. Well, let's just continue right on. Saturday I made my way over to Kristi's house for her sweet boy's second birthday. So cute!!! He was making eyes at me all day. :) Not sure how much he appreciated my gift of a chronicle of Oz stories - he was much more interested in the giant semi-truck filled with Matchbox cars - but it'll be something he can get into at a later age ... I hope anyway. Nora and I had plans to go to a Secret Machines show that night, so I took off and met her at my apartment where we had a drink or two before departing for the Metro. We were meeting a friend of mine from work and her roommate, and they were running a bit late, so we went to Full Shilling for a beer while we waited. They showed up just before showtime and we arrived at the venue just as the band was taking the stage. Perfect timing! And the show?? AWESOME!!! Love their live show so much! Their albums are amazing, but they don't even do their live show justice. The lights they use are perfect for their sound, and the atmosphere makes it so easy to just fully immerse yourself in the music. I am so excited that I'll get to see them again at Lollapalooza, though I am guessing they'll have a daytime slot and it won't have nearly the same effect as the shows I've been to in the past. But you can bet I will be in the audience at every show they have in Chicago from now until the end of time. Yeah. :) Well, after that was over, we chatted with some Metro employees who recommended we head over to Gingerman Tavern cause that's where they were also going, so we did. Had a couple drinks there, then made our way back to Smart Bar where the bartender from Gingerman said he'd be going once he closed up. Why we decided to put our fate in the hands of all the random employees we met that night I'm not sure ... well maybe it was because they were cute ... but we danced and drank the night away and I believe we all had a smashing good time. Not to mention we randomly ran into my roommate and his bro at Smart Bar. That was nice. But yeah, that was the latest night I had had in a very long time. Nora and I went back to my place to go to bed at around 5 or 5:30 (details a little foggy at this point). Next morning I got Nora up so she could make her way out to the burbs for Mother's Day brunch, and ended up just staying up myself - for some reason I have a hard time sleeping the morning after drinking a lot. Sleepiness doesn't come until much later in the day. And boy, did it! I too went out to the burbs to see my Mama. Some family was over for a barbecue and I tried to be sociable for as long as I could, but at one point, I just had to escape. Right before dinner I went upstairs to my old room for a bit of a lie-down. Didn't get any actual sleep 'cause I was called down to dinner. But AS SOON AS dinner was over (I even skipped dessert if you can believe it!!), I went right back up for a glorious little nap. Got up just in time to head back home and watch "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy" (Desperate Anatomy, for short). Good stuff.

AND THEN!! The week from Hell. I don't particularly feel like going into all the details of how hellish my week was - it was all work related - but if you can imagine one of those weeks when you think you have a few reasonaly achievable goals to meet, and you come in each day thinking, "Hey, today shouldn't be too bad, I have this, this and this to do and that's all," and then EVERYTHING GOES WRONG. New things are piled on your desk by the minute and the things that should have taken 5 minutes to complete end up taking 5 hours, and every single thing has to be done RIGHT NOW ... yeah, it was like that. In fact, it was exactly that. Which is why there were no blog posts last week ... and why I didn't even finish this one until today, Monday, a full week and 3 days after my last posting. Grrrr. Who knew this blogging thing would be so demanding!!? Wait, who's demanding anything of me? Hmm, no one really is, now that I think of it. It's just me. In my imagination I have this gaggle of faithful readers who start to wonder what happened to me when I don't post in a few days, and then if it gets to be a week with no posts they all start to turn against me and post angry rants on an imaginary fan forum, but there are those few who will always stick up for me saying, "Hey people, she's a busy lady and wouldn't you rather she be out and about living and doing things so that once she has some time again she can have something interesting to write about?" and all the skeptics are like, "Yeah, but man, a week? She can't even find time to post one sentence in a week?" and the good folks say, "Hey, don't be a hater."

But then I remember that I have a very active imagination.

Cheers!