Pad Thai

Here is a dinner I made not too long ago...

Pad Thai with Chicken and lots of veggies
Shu Mai (chicken dumplings)
Egg Roll


This meal was possible thanks to Trader Joe's.

It's Official...

Looks like I will be spending most of my summer here... Jamie accepted the summer associate position at the Department of Veteran Affairs in Washington, D.C. I am so proud of him!

And still... more snow.

On my way to work...


Although it is not slick, I still find myself walking like I am constipated. Earlier in the season I slipped on a patch of ice in front of about 20 people who had just emerged from the red line station... some found it amusing enough to laugh out loud at my pain. The worst part is that I ruined my favorite BCBGMaxAzria slacks...

Enough is enough. Spring? Are you there?

Did I speak to soon?

These are photos of Michigan Avenue and Grant Park that were taken late this afternoon from the Dean's office. It looks like fog, but it's not. It is snow...

Goodbye, Loft

I recently upgraded from a super cool loft (glorified studio) to a 2-bedroom (guests welcome). It is super cool and very Chicago. We had exposed brick and really tall ceilings. But, it was nearly impossible to keep warm. At least I can say I have lived in a loft, now.

The building's alley is what was historically known as Hell's Half Acre. A hundred or so years ago, it was the most dangerous alley in Chicago. Whores, pimps and theives would rob and sometimes murder anyone who walked down it. Even police officers would not go into the neighborhood. Today, Printer's Row is one of the safest beats in the City. It is also one of the coolest neighborhoods. My building used to be a papermaking company. You could still see nails in the wall where they used to hang paper.

I moved a whole 2 blocks. Now, I live on Satan's alley, historically, the 2nd most dangerous alley. Today, it is just a typical alley... I get kind of creeped out thinking about how many people lost their lives in my neighborhood.

Here are photos from my loft... (I tried to put the pictures in different places on the page, but I gave up... actually, I just didn't feel like dealing with it. So, they are a bit jumbled... oh well, you get the point.









Goodbye great view of the Sear's Tower! Goodbye Neighbors! Goodbye brick!

Snow Days

Today it got up to 40 degrees... Soon, the snow will be a distant memory. Here are some photos of our last snow. They were taken on our walk to the grocery store. You can tell it had been there a while because 1) it is dirty and 2) the sidewalks are clear.

This is me sitting on a pile that was about 3 feet high.






This is Jamie sitting on the same pile. He really did not want to have his picture made. I think it was because he felt silly sitting on a big nasty pile of snow. Oh well, it was fun for me.


Here is snow man on the patio of a townhouse.


Here is when it was all happening. I was picking up takeout from my favorite local restaurant. Seriously, worst walk home, EVER. At least I had the wind to blow me half way there. Oh, and I had to walk to work in it the next day because it takes the second coming for my work to even consider closing.


I really enjoy the snow, especially when it happens on the weekend and I can go play in it and not just gaze at it through the window at work. Oh well, summer is on its way. And summer brings great weather, long days, and the Cubs.

Gotta love the city!

Today, I heard someone yelling at the top of their lungs. Of course, I am so jaded it took a good 15 minutes for me to acknowledge it. Out of my window, I see a shirtless, coatless man walking up and down the street, in front of cars, running people off of the sidewalk, screaming "uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis!" over and over. Okay, first problem- shirtless & coatless in the middle of a Chicago winter. Second, he was walking in front of cars and hitting them as they drove by. The delimma, should I call the police? (I often refer to myself as the neighborhood watch). Let's just say, I get good use out of my binoculars.

I decided to wait on calling the police. But I started to get nervous when our neighborhood homeless guy who sits outside of the convenience store started acting alarmed by this apparently insane individual. Within minutes there were 5 cop cars and 2 paddy wagons in front of my building. THe officers tried to talk to the guy, but he started getting aggressive. They took him down... It was like watching Cops live.

Immediately, my nosiness took over and I ran down 8 flights of stairs as fast as I could so I could stand in the safety of my lobby to see what was happening. By the time I arrived on the first floor the action was over. All that remained was the man screaming from the back of the police car. So, I returned upstairs; the action was over.

That was my afternoon.

Another Sullivan Building burns down...

This building from the late 1880s caught fire a couple of weeks ago exactly 1 block from my work and 2 blocks from my apartment. It served as the George Diamond Steakhouse which was a popular star spot in the 60s and 70s. Anyway, it burned from Tuesday through Saturday (yes, you heard me- 4 days.) The first night I stood on the roof for hours with a couple of friends watching this thing burn. I was completely prepared with binoculars, the scope, a camera, and a 12-pack of Amstel Light.

Here are some photos of the fire...

Daytime...



And....
Night

New job and St. Louis Adventure

Today marks the end of my very first week as Assistant Director. It was an absolutely fantastic week! I am seriously the luckiest person in the world because I have the best job. My office is not even close to being ready which is kind of bothering me. Having my desk, phone, and computer finally arrive and set up just so after having to wait for what seems like an eternity will make next week just as exciting as this week. I am petitioning for a laptop so that when I am traveling for work I can also get some work done... hopefully the Dean approves that request. Keep your fingers crossed.

You may be wondering why Thursday is the end to this week... well, Jamie and I are going on an adventure to St. Louis tomorrow (I know, we are wild). Jamie has some law conference and I am tagging along just because I can. First stop, the budweiser facotry. Oh yes, you heard it here... Peyton is touring a beer plant and yes, Peyton will be getting tipsy. Also on the agenda- Daniel Boone's house, the historic district (for shopping of course), perhaps Grant's wife's childhood home, and last but not least, Wal-Mart. Most people do not think of Wal-Mart as a destination, but for those of us who live in cities where Wal-Mart is banned due to their lack of support for unions and the fact that they consistently underpay their employees much of the time considerably less than the living wage, this is like going outlet shopping. Seriously, I have ethical issues with shopping at Wal-Mart (I basically think that they are evil), but those low prices are like crack... once you get a taste, you can never get it out of your system.

The most exciting part of the Wal-Mart adventure is that we are getting a new vacuum. Our current vacuum is the one that my brother had in the late 90s. The filter has not been changed since 1998; it is hopelessly clogged. It barely picks up the tumble weeds of cat hair that are constantly rolling down our hallway.

Anyway, I have to pack... if anyone has any suggestions for things to see or places to eat in St. Louis, then email me.

I still love my elliptical machine

Since I have this new elliptical trainer (and it seems to be all I can talk about), I have altered my daily routine. I have been waking up at 6:00 to work out before work. Jamie put a bungy around the display, so I can now work while I work out. Since this change in my routine, I find that I am more productive for the rest of the day and I sleep better at night.

I'm Lovin' It

I love my new job. I love my new co-workers. I love my office. I love my benefits. I love my bosses. I love my school. I love my boyfriend. I love my friends & family. I love my apartment. I love my cats. I love this city.

I am loving life!

Anna Nicole

What do you think about Anna Nicole Smith?

I never felt like or dislike towards her in the past... I mean, yes, I was a bit grossed out seeing the photo of her kissing her really, really old husband (and rich) husband. Some may say she is a gold-digger, but I say she was an entrpreneur.

The subject of Anna Nicole comes up because she has been in the news so much lately. Surely everyone, at this point, knows that her son died after she gave birth to her baby girl. I can't help but feel really bad for her. Her attorney/baby's daddy was on the news this morning telling in detail about the last moments they spent with her son. It is just so sad that she gained and lost a child all with in a matter of days.

Century Change

At risk of sounding like Katie...

I am nervous that something bad is going to happen because so many good things have been on my radar for so long. Seriously, on Monday, October 2, I will begin the absolute dream job- Oh, Glorius, Assistant Director! How can thou... whom hath an office so big and beautiful declare that any future fate have negative affects upon conquered success.

Why oh why can I not become a 17th C. dutch flemish genre scene?!?!

(Okay, I watched Girl with a Pearl Earring recently- I got caught up in the moment)

It is like Christmas in September...

Here is one of the many things that I charged to my AmEx... I have always wanted exercise equipment (treadmill or elliptical) in my home so that I didn't have an excuse to forego working out. Now, seeing it, passing it multiple times a day, makes me want to hop on and work my little ass out.

I have it set up in the hall next to the window where I can see the skyline of the city, people walking on the street, and the cars and buses driving by... The funny thing is that I know they can see me from the street, but I don't care- hell, I am on my way to hotness.

My AmEx

Every month on the 11th, my American Express closes out for the month. So, today, I decide to see what sort of damage I did for the past month... When I looked at the amount owed, my heart jumped in my throat. All I could think was that someone must have stolen my card number because there is no way that I could possibly owe this much just for one month. As I waited for the itemized statement to load, which took an extremely long time, I planned my course of action. First, i was going to contact AmEx and dispute these charges- that is the joy of having an AmEx, the safety/protection to your credit it provides when it comes to theft and your credit.

I started reading the statement with my calculator in hand and I came to the realization that, yes, it was me who charged every single item on the list. The grand total is just too embarrassing to say... let's just say that I could have bought my own engagement ring for what I just paid on that damn card. Thank god I had the money to pay it, or I could have really been screwed.

Seriously, I am so sick about my spending habits. I really need to curb my elaborate (borderline luxurious) lifestyle... Does anyone have any advice on this matter?

Guest Contributor to Jamie the Gastronome

Since Jamie officially begins his 3rd year of law school tonight, I will be posting food and drink related items on his blog, Jamie the Gastronome, during his hiatus from the blogging world.

You should check it out when you get a chance.

Jailbirds

Since I am sharing photos of my neighborhood, I thought I would share another interesting picture. This is a picture of the maximum security jail (the concrete building with the narrow vertical slits for windows) that is located in the loop (just a few blocks from my apartment).



If you look closely at the top, you can see the prisoners (wesaring orange outfits and some white outfits). The top floor is their recreation area. Sometimes, I look through my scope and I can see them playing vollyball... but, most of the time, they are just looking out at the city or down at the streets.

Best roof in the city...

These people are the luckiest people in Chicago. They own this building (the bottom is leased by Starbuck's). The top of their building is covered with grass. They have two dogs that run around up there. The nice thing about this is that during the harsh winter months, they don't actually have to "walk" their dogs (and consequently pick up the steaming turds with a plastic bag). They just let the dogs out through the courtyard (the hole in the middle) and the dogs run up the stairs and they "walk" themselves.

Here are photos of our neighbor mowing his roof... something you don't see everyday.




If I were him, I would put some patio furniture and a grill up there... but that is just me.

Cliche Photo of the Decade

You know what gets on my nerves... All of the myspace photos of brides with their backs to the cameras looking over their shoulder. That is the cliche bride photo of the decade... Seriously, how many photos just like this have you encountered?

At least have some creativity and have a photos of the couple's silhouette in the sunset. Now, that is romantic. If you want a great example of what a wedding album should look like, check out "Thanks Uncle Sam"'s wedding photo page... it gave me goosebumps it was so beautiful.

Comments working again

FYI:

I played around with my template and settings and ended up fucking up my entire blog. I think that everything is working again now.