Update to FB quiz...

Mo (ok, ok, I helped) wanted to share her pick with the world:

Your Artist: N*Sync

Are you male or female: Girlfriend

Describe yourself: Selfish

How do you feel about yourself: Celebrity

Describe where you currently live: Forever in your Heart

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Tell me, Tell me....baby

Your favorite form of transportation: Sailing

What is your best piece of advice?: Do Your Thing

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?: Something Like You

Your favorite food is: Pop

How I would like to die: Digital Getdown

What is your biggest fear: Everything I Own

My soul's present condition: I Drive Myself Crazy

Something you would tell your Family: Music of my Heart OR No Strings Attached OR I Never Knew the Meaning of Christmas

ps...Space Cowboy can work for every answer :)

pps...who knew N*Sync had this many songs?

Lolla countdown....3 days!

Ahhh so excited, just picked up my lolla tickets for me and big brother. Taking Friday off work so I can fully enjoy the festivities all weekend long. Check back after for highlights (and lowlights, if any)!

All I need for the weekend :)

Pick a band, any band

A little quiz I stole from Facebook that I thought would be fun to try: By using songs from ONE ARTIST, answer the questions below. Try not to repeat any song titles.

Your Artist: ekoostik hookah

Are you male or female: Sweet Lucy

Describe yourself: Keepin' Time

How do you feel about yourself: Loner

Describe where you currently live: Chicago Rhythm Jam

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Caribou

Your favorite form of transportation: Mississippi Steamboat

What is your best piece of advice?: Day by Day

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?: Madeline

Your favorite food is: Voodoo Stew

How I would like to die: Rollercoaster

What is your biggest fear: Bats in the Belfry

My soul's present condition: In the Clouds

Something you would tell your Family: Everybody's got Something to Hide

Cigarettes and Cheap Champagne (or Bud Light)

Love love love LBC's song "Cigarettes"! Mo and I have been playing it on repeat for prob the past 20 min. Instead of going out for date night, we decided to stay in and class it up by drinking Bud Light and hanging out :)

I'm working on a care package for my dear friend KP who moved to the district and Mo wanted to leave her mark on the cd, hence my new infatuation with an old fav, LBC.

Mo's fav line:

"Can't wear you out 'cause you're solid gold"

Dear Chicago

Lately I've become a huge Ryan Adams fan, can't get "dear chicago" out of my head! Favorite line:

think about you all the time.
it's strange and hard to deal
think about you lying there
and those blankets lie so still...

Even though it's a really really sad song, I love his phrasing and delivery

Picture post :)

I know, I know, I've been slacking lately, soo busy at work. I've been taking some pretty neat pics from around town and figured this is the best place to post. Enjoy!

Sunset from the roof, taken after Pride

"Run Blago, Run!"

These popped up all around after our former gov's indictment, love it!

Rainy Tuesday afternoon, taken from Wacker/Michigan

Middle Sister Wines

I have a new wine love...Middle Sister Wine. Since I am a marketer's dream and insist on choosing the wine by the color/shape/design of the bottle usually I am stuck with some pretty bad stuff. Last night Mo and I had one of our wine nights and decided to try a new brand. It was a winner! I went to their Web page and now can't wait to try all of them! Here are my quiz results of what wine fits me best:

You're Forever Cool. You’re into vintage: wine and clothes. Little boys think you’re pretty. And the lead guitarist still tosses you his pick at a rock concert. They say if you wore it the first time, you shouldn’t the second. We say, rock those bell-bottoms and that shiny long hair. And have a glass of Middle Sister Forever Cool Merlot. Cause you are.

9 pack??

Never in my life have I seen a 9-pack of beer. Tonight Mike S. and I went on a beer run and we found one! We decided these were for the people for who a 6-pack was not enough and a 12-pack was too much...while drinking alone.

"Let's get e coli together..."

John Handcock and Castaways...ahh summertime Chi!

Spent a beautiful afternoon at the beach with Miss Jade and that was just one of the many horrible pick up lines we heard. Usually, Jade and I spend at least a few hours each weekend at North Ave. beach but since it has been crappy weather this was the first time this summer :( I love how we have a beach in the middle of the city...makes the summers sooo much better!

Looking north on our walk along the water

View to the south, toward downtown

Happy 4th!

Wishing everyone a Happy Independence Day! One of the commentor's on the Capitol Fax had this to say the other day and wanted to share it:

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

Guest Post!

Tomorrow I'm guest posting on my friend MG's blog, With Grace and Style. I've known her since my freshman year at RC and she quickly became one of my good friends. Since visiting is out of the question for the moment, I'll have to settle for being a guest poster :) Check it out!

Message from the past

So I just started re-reading my favorite book "On the Road" and realized there was an inscription on the front page. I bought this copy at a used book store and guess never realized it was "autographed" by a previous owner. Anyway here is the inscription:

"3/17/99

Jenn-

Here is hoping everything is well with you + yours. Man, I sound like a card writer! Anyway, I read this + really liked it (not to mention that it's a classic and you can feel intellectually superior to everyone who hasn't read it!). If you haven't read it I hope you like it - but if you have, then I guess you have a nice new copy to keep!

It tends to touch that part of the soul that likes to wander. (for some reason I like wandering?!) But at the same time, it shows what needs to be given up when wandering is taken to the extreme (this is why I liked it - Todd the moderate).

I hope you have a great day. First and foremost Happy Birthday, second and obvious to all, Happy St. Paty's day.

Take care of you,

Todd"

Now I don't know who wrote this, where he was, what he was going through or how he knew Jenn, but something about this just speaks to me. I think it's fitting that someone I got THIS copy, the one where some unknown fellow wanderer wanted to pass along some part of himself to someone he obviously cared about. Sometimes I think karma/fate works in funny ways, and I like to think that it's a sign to keep wandering and keep questioning.

Anyway, if you haven't read this book, do it! It might just change your outlook on life...

Sunday Funday!

Yesterday I went up to RibFest in North Center and met up with P, W, and dear brother. Although the ribs were wicked expensive, they were amaze! After P and I got some superman icecream (oh fond Sunny Salem memories...), we all headed to the south stage and caughtSomeone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. The boys didn't like them so they went into this cute little bar, but P and I had a blast! All in all, it was a great way to end a beautiful weekend.

Sunset as seen from the Irving Park Brown Line

Rice Crispies! Yummmm

Last night I had my friend JMak over and we cooked some dins, had a few beers, had a great chat AND make rice cripsy treats! I haven't made these since high school...they were delish. Except I had an tummy ache due to JMak and I splitting the whole batch. Ops!

Felt like Betty Crocker - view of the treats with my houseplant

meh.

Summer usually draws me out of the funks I get into...not this year. I just feel unsettled, or it could be that I am settled, and that means it's time to leave.  Not really leave here..or maybe it does mean that? I'm ready for the next adventure and next phase of my life. Where can I go? What can I do? Who can I be? 

I love the friends I have, those people know who they are and know that no distance will keep us from staying in touch. But at the same time...I think I'm missing something. I want to belong but at the same time I want to sit back and observe. That's why most of last summer was so amaze, I was a part of this fun group of people, but I could also do my own thing. Somewhere toward the end of summer the group dynamic changed and it hasn't been the same since. I hadn't been that involved in a group of people since I was young. Every day was a party and it was never the same...but you get to a certain point and it gets old. 

I have no desire to drink away my 20s, as most of the people I know do, and I want to fully enjoy everything life has to offer but I'm not sure how. As I said...meh. 

I'll leave you with a quote from the song currently playing on my iTunes...fitting actually.

"Any minute now my ship is coming in

I'll keep checking the horizon

And I'll stand at the bow

And feel the waves come crashing

Come crashing down, down, down on me...

I'm waiting for my real life to begin."

My problem with 24/7 media

In my experience, the national attention span has drastically decreased since the emergence of the 24/7 news coverage. Yes, information is power and transparency in government is important, but there has to be a limit somewhere. All of the news outlets are trying to break the story first, before their competitors, before the bloggers, before the tweeters, but that means they may not have full information. Then one person reads that story or hears it on the radio and it virally spreads. 

The most recent example is the swine flu, oh I mean the H1N1 influenza A virus, which has panicked not only the nation, but the world. Yes it is a threat, yes it can be dangerous, after all the normal strain of the flu which hits each winter kills about 40,000 people. I'm not in any way trying to downplay the nature of the beast (sorry bad pun), but people need to take precautions and use common sense. Wash your hands, use antibacterial soap, wipe down your desk at work, etc. It just frustrates me that there is a level of hysteria over this. You can't turn on the TV or read the paper without seeing a NEW UPDATE on this.

This is coming across as crass and uncaring and I'm not trying to do that. I find it annoying how the news outlets get ahold of things like this and repeat the same information because there is nothing new to report. There are bigger issues facing the state, the nation, and the world that are being swept under the rug. For example, the ILGA is in session and there are important bills sitting in the Rules Committee that could help get the state out of the current financial mess. Yet those stories get only passing mention.

Maybe choosing the flu was a bad example. Maybe the economy would have been a better one...we are currently in a precarious financial situation and I don't think the media is helping. We all know we're broke, we don't need constant reminders by talking heads. Turning on the nightly news and getting reminders of how bad off the country is will not encourage consumer spending and decreases consumer confidence, therefore causing the markets to drop even further. 

I'll get off my soapbox now. I knew there was a reason I don't watch the nightly news...it just makes me angry. 

April showers

When I hear music, I fear no danger.

I am invulnerable. I see no foe.

I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest.

- Henry David Thoreau

It’s funny how a song can take you back to a different time. I was playing with the genius option on my iTunes (one of the coolest things I’ve discovered lately), and an old favorite came up. As soon as the first chords started playing, I was no longer in my apartment in the city. I was transported back to high school sitting on my then-boyfriend’s bed and listening to him play guitar. A flood of memories came back of our short-lived romance, including some that I had forgotten about. He taught me a lot about life, including many things I didn’t understand until recently. Although it ended badly, which I know was my fault, I know if I ever need him somehow he’ll know. So thanks T, wherever you are!

Music has always been my escape. In my younger days, it helped me tune out the chaos and focus on the race, game, or just the moment. As I’ve grown up, my taste in music has also changed, but I will still always have “those” songs. It’s funny, whenever I meet someone new, I “assign” a song to them and each time I hear it, no matter where I am or what I’m doing, I think of that person and all we shared.

College is probably the best example of this, when I hear certain songs I think of a specific moment in time or in some cases, a lifetime worth of memories. To this day, I can’t listen to Alan Jackon’s “Remember When” without thinking of those Salem summers and Tomias.

I love how music can bring such strong responses out of people. Maybe that’s why I’m so excited about this summer and the all the music festivals. Lolla is going to be great…so many friends and so much music to make new memories to.

 

And yes…I still listen to “Murder on the Dance Floor.”

Weekend Recap

I took a nice looong weekend off work and traveled to Salem, VA for Alumni Weekend and am still recovering. Although this year was tame compared to years past (no one I know was arrested, very little boyfriend drama, that type of stuff), it was still ridiculous. It was so strange to go to a place I called home for four years to see how much, and how little, has changed. The school still attracts the same type of people and it is still easy to spot freshman. The funny thing is, it made me wish I would have been a little LESS involved. Maybe then I could have created closer friendships with more people instead of fostering shallow friendships with a lot of people. 

It was nice to go around at my own pace and not have to have constant people around, but it was also a bit lonely. Hard to imagine when you are in a crowd of some of your former close friends, but I was lost for a bit. When I left my home as a freshman, I went there alone, and when I left, I came back alone. I never got too close to any one group or person and that suited me just fine. And it still does. It's a strange thing to feel. I knew most of the alumns but didn't really know anyone. 

That said, it was a blast and I saw some of my favorite friends. And am SO glad to be home in my own place, in my own bed, even thought it means I have to go to work tomorrow. 

Funny sign

The lettering reads: "Our guns may be silent, but Dixie will never die." 

Only in Salem, folks! 

Favorite quote

This is one of my all-time favorites, courtesy of Mr. Kerouac:

"A kind of lyrical ecstasy possesses certain young Americans in the springtime, a feeling of not belonging in any one place or in any one moment, a wild restless longing to be elsewhere, everywhere, right now!"

That pretty much sums up how I feel right now. I am restless and ready for something, anything new. It's not that I'm bored, far from it. I'm just wanting the next adventure. I was in a convo about this same restlessnes/homesickness/feeling of nostalgia with JSor today and know others feels the same. It's the feeling you get when you listen to an old song and it takes you back. Except this doesn't take me back in time, this takes me forward. I don't know if I can even begin to explain it...but it's unsettling! 

It could just be a trait of a wanderer, but maybe it's something deeper. It's strange, I have roots here, stronger roots that almost anywhere else but I am ready to go. Go where? No clue. What can I explore, what can I discover, who can I meet in my travels? I could just be reacting to the full moon (it's possible, it's happened before) but I think that a new adventure is beginning. 

I'm excited. 

Alumni!

Getting ready to book my flight for alumni weekend. SO EXCITED! Not only am I getting to visit my alma mater, I am visiting dear KP in DC! I haven't been back to noke since the summer after I graduated....I cannot wait. Not only am I seeing some of my faves, I get to see the pool people!

I am indulging in my guilty pleasure of country music as I prepare :) 

Ah technology...

So my wonderful brother taught me how to send pics I take on my phone to my email...yes a little behind the times but still neat! I took this on the way home from work the other night. I was ridiculously proud of myself for figuring it out. 

Merchandise Mart decorated for....Easter?

Springtime!

Spring has finally come to Chicago! Even though I know there will be one or two more snowstorms, the past few days have been WONDERFUL. While walking through LV and LP this weekend, I found many others had the same idea: enjoy it while it lasts. Beer Gardens are starting to open, more people are on the streets, and it's getting darker later. 

Pretty sunset in the alley behind my place

I hear the drums echoing tonight

I love Chi after dark. Sad to say, I sometimes feel safer after dark than I do during rush hour. Maybe my nocturnal tendencies are coming out, but something about this place in the night appeals to me. I feel the true character of a city reveals itself after night falls. I was at my friend cf's house and we were discussing how some cities feel safe at night and others are sketch. For some reason, I feel the same sense of comfort here as I did in Sunny Salem. Yes, I am aware of the dangers and I do my best to avoid them, but at the same time I feel comforted (not sure if that is the right word?) when I am wandering at night here. 

After the frat boys and trixies have retired to a drunken stupor, only the nocturnal creatures are left. I'm not sure what drive the others, but to me, the smell of the changing seasons and the sounds (like the el and ambulances) give me a sense of home and comfort. 

After the great convo/drinks at cf's, I took my neighbor's dog for a walk and we ended up in a local park. As she sniffed around, I retired to the swings. As I swung higher and higher, I realized I hadn't felt this free since high school. Spring is def here, and not a moment too late! 

Red Red Wine

No more red wine for this girl! The conversation and company was good, the headache..not so much.

As much as I love Chicago

I love this city, don't get me wrong. It has so much to offer between the music, sights, sounds, and politics...but there is one thing I miss about the south. Tonight as I was walking home from my friend kp's house I looked up at the beautiful night sky. The full(ish) moon was wonderful but there were no stars! One of my favorite memories from dear old RC was looking up at the starry night sky. Some of the best nights were spent on my porch, or at the pool, looking at the stars and just thinking. Even in the burbs, where the visibility is not great, I had a glimpse of the few constellations I knew. I have this amaze courtyard and roof but I just don't get the same feeling (maybe closeness with nature?...) as I did when I was in the Blue Ridge mountains. Sometimes I miss that more than anything...but most times I think of how lucky I am to be in this great city living the life I do!

hoookah!

No, not that kind. I'm talking ekoostik hookah! I went to their show at Martyrs' about a month ago and finally have the chance to post some pictures I took. I've been a HUGE hookah fan since I heard 'loner' at 16. This is the second time I've seen them live, and to be honest, I wasn't expecting much. While I enjoyed their most recent album, they aren't much of a studio band and I was afraid I wouldn't like the show. The line-up has changed as well, lead vocalist Ed McGee is out with Dave Mullins taking his place. Anyway, when we got there, they were about a quarter way through the first set and it was AMAZE. There is nothing like seeing Sweeny (tall lead guitarist) go off on a jam. When you watch him, you can tell he is holding back just waiting for his moment and when it comes, he steals the show. I've heard stories, but seeing it live was one of my top 5 music moments. 

Best part of the show? Seeing Cliff yodel (yes, he yodels) and chatting with the band. Cliff is by far my favorite, he's so cute! Most disappointing part? Not hearing 'loner.' Still, it was well worth the money.

Katz at his best

Cliff yodeling, check out the grin on Katz!

Sweeny during one of his many jam sessions 

I love how the pic turned out even if they are a little blurry. It makes me think of the grainy pictures from the 60s and 70s. 

A race to the finish

Tonight is the night before the election for the 5th Congressional District's special primary and you can feel the urgency in the air. The seat was formerly held by Rahm Emanuel, now the Chief of Staff to President Obama. Those vying for the spot include 12 Dems, 6 Republicans, and 4 Green Party candidates. Yep, there are 22 in all fighting for the coveted spot and it has gotten ugly. I can't wait to see how this primary turns out - some of my best friends are working on various campaigns and I can't wait to have them back! One thing is for sure, politics in this city are never boring. 

For those who live in the 5th be sure to vote tomorrow! The Chicago Tribune has a good run-down of the candidates and their positions. Check it out here.

And so it begins...

So I've been playing around with this idea for a while, and thanks to some inspirational friends (hat tip MG) I am joining the blogging revolution. I am a twenty-something who lives, works, and plays in the great city of Chicago.  Here you will find my musings and observations on life and living. Enjoy!