Thursday Randomness

Ok, I know it’s been a while. Let’s not be all awkward about it.

But don’t think of it as a decrease in blogging. Think of it as an increase in my social calendar activity.

Glass half full, yes?

And as proof that I haven’t just been super lazy (ok, so there’s that, too), here’s what’s been going on around my ‘hood:

Dinner with my friend Annie:

Seasons 52 is a neat place in the suburbs where every menu item is under 475 calories.

Cool concept. And you’d be amazed how expansive the menu is for such a restriction in calories for typical restaurant fare.

We needed the girl talk session and I personally needed a pretty low-key night due to the volunteering experience I was signed up for the next morning.

I think we all remember how I felt about that.

Afterwards, I went straight to Oz Park- a destination on my list of things to do that I was finally able to drag someone along to see.

An old coworker humored me as we walked through the spot in Lincoln Park and caught up on each other’s lives.

The 8-year-old in me nerded out.

Ok fine, the 27-year-old in me did, too.

We also swung through the zoo.

Because you can’t be that close to the zoo and not go. Don’t be silly.

Then there’s always more dinner to be had with even more friends.  And being as how I seem to have a friend who’s a boy who happens to live next to some of my girlfriends, I get to see them all at once.

And also become very familiar with the metra.

Which can get weird when you’re one of maybe 2-3 people left in the car (or, as seen above, the last person) and one guy across the aisle seems to be taking pictures of you on his phone.

But it beats being crammed onto the el and smelling the coffee breath of the 5-6 people you’re surrounded by.

Anyway… something shiny… what?

Mon joined me Monday night at a hole in the wall near our old apartment complex.

It’s maddening we never went there before I moved. I had a sandwich, fries, and a bit of a buzz for just over $10.

Yeah. $10.

Which is good. Because I had to fit painting my hair into the budget.

Processing…

The summer sun did a number on the color of my hair. And I was bored and feeling impulsive.

So yeah… it’s not you. It’s me. I’ve been busy.

Let’s try to make this work. We’ve come this far. And I love you. I just need some space sometimes.

Please cue some Al Green, “Let’s Stay Together”.

Happy Thursday, kids.

Extreme! Weekend

Hello there! And happy Monday!

I’m feelin’ particularly good today being as how it was a restful weekend and there are no pressing deadlines in my near future.

Stress can often be healthy. But no stress is way more fun.

And you know what else is super fun?

Freakin’ dinosaurs.

Part of my weekend was spent at the Field Museum. Staring at skeletons of cool things and checking out an exhibit called “Extreme! Mammals”.

Sue the dino is still my favorite. Followed closely by the man-eating Tsavo lions.

Because I love big animals. Like lions and tigers and bears.

Or cheetahs.

The pants I wore literally all day yesterday. Totally extreme.

Don’t be jealous of my super awesome new pj pants. You can’t say I’m not sexy.

And I’m still not of a maturity level past the age of 12.

This is not a surprise to anyone. Obviously.

Lucky me, people tend to put up with it.

Anyway… after a restful weekend (with the exception of those 8 miles I ran on Saturday), all I have left between me and the ZOOMA half marathon is a work week. A work week of keeping things in check and under control.

Or at least pretending to.  I’m a girl without a deadline. Which is like a 12-year-old without a curfew.

Watch out.

I’m so extreme.

Early Morning College Pride

Oh hey there, Thursday.

You sure got here fast.

Not that I’m complaining. Quite the opposite, really. It’s been a pretty fabulous week so far and I’d like to see the trend continue until the weekend gets here.

I mean- who’s really going to complain about a 4-day work week?

Not this chick.

However, the week flying by also means I’ve had my fair share of being busy.With good things, obviously. My company’s mini staff outing to Wrigley Field was yesterday! And I’ll be darned- they won!

Even a Cardinals fan can appreciate the beauty that is Wrigley Field. Along with the endearing effort the Cubs put into the game. It’s super cute.

And any baseball or sports fan can appreciate a cold brew while watching a game on a breezy spring afternoon in the company of good people.

Did anyone else realize this may be the smartest idea ever for transporting your beer from stand to seat? Spill guard. Not just for kids.

Is it weird that my boss and I hit a Whole Foods Salad Bar beforehand for lunch? It’s like we understand each other.

However, don’t think I was all fun and games yesterday. Just because it was a short day in the office, that doesn’t mean I was slacking off. The day started with a 5-mile early morning run.

How it became 5 miles? No clue. Because it started off with the mindset of 4. Usually the opposite happens where I have high hopes for 5 but end up at 4. Weird.

Guess I was in good spirits all around?

The only weirdness in my workout was something that has happened a number of times, but I’ll never get used to. As a former University of Missouri graduate, I have about a million old college tees that have been phased into my workout wardrobe. Which reminds me, I’m running low- so if you’re thinking of an early birthday present for me, I’m a size small. Please and thank you.

Anyhoo… where was I?

Oh yes. So I was running. And minding my own business. Very much zoned out. Jamming to the tunes. Enjoying the weather.

la la la…

“M-I-Z”

Loud. And in my face.

Gah! What? Did my heart just stop? Gah! How does he know? Omg- that scared me!Gah!

Oh yeah. The shirt I have on.

Like I said- nothing new. But when this happens at 5:30 in the morning? When I’m in the zone? When I’m sans coffee?

Go Mizzou. Obviously. But take it down a notch, dude. It’s still early. And you just woke up everyone on the block.Ah. Now there’s my coffee.

Much MUCH better.

“Z-O-U!, buddy. Z-O-U!”

Sigh. Sometimes I really miss college.

And because I’m feeling social, what’s your current/former school’s favorite battle cry?

Sweatin’ It (Out)

It’s a really good thing I saved my feet by wearing flip-flops all weekend.

Because after more than my fair share of this…

And also endless lunch leftovers from cooking Bailey’s Birthday Brunch…

Bailey loved it when we made biscuits and gravy for champagne brunch a few months ago. We used her birthday weekend as an excuse to make it again…

I was more than ready to hit the gym. And sore feet would have been a disasterous set back.

Yes, I was definitely ready. I practically ran to the gym last night with open arms. Because that feeling of detoxing your system with a solid sweat session?

It ranks pretty high on the list of feel good moments. Sorry- workout nerd moment.

Because it makes me feel awesome, and there’s a solid chance I’ll be spotted in a bikini this coming weekend, I spent a few extra minutes doing various cardio in an ADD fashion.

18 minutes on the stairmill.
1.2-mile RUN. I say RUN because it was an 8:15 pace when the last few treadmill sessions were closer to 8:30′s.
16 minutes on the elliptical.

And because the weight room was a little too crowded for my liking (aka- people were on the whole two or three machines I use), I retreated back home to do some ab work on a yoga mat. In front of the tv. Multi-tasking at its finest.

Yes, I know longer workouts the week of a trip really don’t make that much of a difference in outward appearance.

My friends most definitely won’t look at me and say “well SOMEONE has been spending an extra 5 minutes a few days this week.” Quite frankly, if they did, I may push them into the pool out of annoyance.

But it’s a confidence boost. And if all it takes is an extra lil’ push here and there? I can handle that.

And like I said, it’s all about sweating it out. No matter how you do it. 

Too bad dancing with drinks in hand probably cancels itself out. Because in that case, this weekend we were workout superstars. If you don’t believe me, just ask these girls:

We taught Wrigleyville a move or two.

Or what not to do. Either/or.

After all the dancing activities, we all woke up in the same boat on Sunday morning. Most would have opted for a day of rest.

Us? Oh no…

When our plans to go see our favorite band, Rod Tuffcurls and the Benchpress, for Bailey’s birthday were cancelled due to NATO issues (assumably, crowd control was a safety issue in Wrigleyville on Saturday night), we decided to not let that get us down. As mentioned, we danced ourselves silly elsewhere. And waited patiently for the chance to check the boys out at Mayfest the next day- our first street festival of the season!

Because who doesn’t love an excuse to get outside and hang out in the streets while watching men with naked legs strum the guitar?

So yeah. Another long weekend down. Which means another full week of watching myself a lil’ better.

The vicious cycle continues.

No worries, though. I’m not sweatin’ it. Because the weekend was fun and there should never be regrets about that.

And I’m a weirdo that actually enjoys eating salad just as much as the cake and big brunch.

I don’t get it, either.

No more nights out for me until the weekend. Until then, it’s spending as much time running around outside enjoying the weather and chillin’ at home with the whole gang:

One of Bailey’s birthday gifts was a Tiger Beat magazine. So we now have someone to keep up company when cooking.

And maybe even give us a look when sneaking into the refrigerator for late night snackage.

Winning on so many levels.

Alright, kids. I gotta go. Time for coffee and a little more work on getting this hand stamp from Mayfest to wash off.

It’s like they tattooed it on.

Help!

Reunited At Last

Something has been missing for the last month or two.

Sure, I’ve been living my life. Doing my thing. Keeping busy. Staying social.

But something has been missing.

Oh yeah… it’s THIS girl:

Mon decided fish tacos where the way to go. And a side of lobster bisque. She had a whole nautical theme going on…

Oh heeeey, Mon! I found you!

That’s right, it’s been far too long since this girl and I had a night out on the town. We’ve both been busy doing this, that, or the other, and it’s been over a month since we’ve had a proper “hang out”.

So after Mon accepted a new job this week, we decided to put an end to this nonsense and go out for a proper celebration!

For future reference, when I say “proper celebration”, I mean consumption of food and drinks.

Not sure if it was the bacon or the pretzel roll that swayed my final decision to go with their chicken sandwich?

We checked out Emmett’s Brewing Company- a brewery and restaurant near my old stomping grounds.

Ironically, we split a bottle of wine versus check out the beer selection. Brewery visit fail.

And when I say “old stomping grounds”, I mean in the vicinity of where I lived for two years and right across the street from one of my favorite bars-

Durty Nellie’s! Our celebration coincided nicely with the Rod Tuffcurls and The Benchpress show going on.

Our favorite cover band. So convenient.

What’s not convenient is how uncomfortable my heels got after 3 hours of dancing. At the end, I questioned which would be worse- continuing to stay in the platform heels or having my feet touch the floor of the bar.

I stayed in those heels. But I wasn’t happy about it.

The dancing easily counted as my physical activity on Friday. The rest from the gym was necessary. And so was the rocking out to their version of my happy song, “500 Miles”.

It made the late night drive thru that much more satisfying.

And the sleeping in that much more great.

My most comfortable way to lay on a couch. I like to prop my feet up over the top. Weird. And not very ladylike….

It has been decided Mon and I should probably never spend that much time apart again. It’s probably not overwhelming for us, but we’re just looking out for everyone else around us.

You’re welcome.

Excuse me while I go pour more coffee and properly sprawl out on the couch again for a while.

Just don’t tell my mom you caught me with my feet on the furniture. It IS Mother’s Day, afterall…

A Little Help From My Friends

As briefly mentioned before, last week kinda blew.

Not for one particular reason. Just a bunch of small ones that added up and made me quite hateful by 5:00 on Friday night.

Enter the weekend. My time to relax and recharge.

Friends help with this. They distract. They’re down to play. And they make me feel 10 times better with hardly any effort at all.

And sometimes they know when you just need an afternoon of throwing balls really really hard at things.And yes, I’m passive aggressive.

But at least I’m a passive aggressive bowler who dresses in high fashion. Naturally.

Mon and I have bowled before. It was after fits of rage a couple of years ago. So Mon had barely gotten the suggestion out of her mouth by the time I looked up deals in my area. One cheap Groupon deal later, we had secured a lane and were sippin’ on Bitch Ale.The ale was on draft. Almost like they saw me coming. Unwashed hair and all. I’m so classy.

And it came served in a goblet in a bowling alley! Because that’s the way us classy broads roll.

Mon threw a million strikes (who is she???). I got two. And that was with the assistance of the guys setting up the pins because they’d ”accidentally knock them over” for me (yeah- old school bowling alley up in here… holla’).

The hour of bowling was therapuetic for us. And I like to think the hour of the Amy and Mon show we put on for everyone around us was entertainment for the masses.

What can I say? We’re givers.

I overheard a woman say “I think they’d be fun to go out on the weekends with”.Yes. Yes we are.

We strolled the neighborhood after that for a while before retreating back to my apartment to watch Comedy Central and feast on my latest kichen experiment.

Thanks to my farming roots, there was still a pork loin left over from the last time I visited my ‘rents back in Mid-MO.After googling how exactly to prepare it in the crock pot (I really don’t cook large cuts of meat often), I took my chances by throwing potatoes and carrots in with the loin, dumped veggie broth over all of it, closed my eyes and threw some spices in there, and just let it go.

The house didn’t burn down during our bowling excursion. That in itself was a win.

The fact that I successfully cooked the meat without any slip-ups?I’ll be smug about it the rest of the week.

And yes, I cut into it a million times to make sure it’s done. It doesn’t have to be pretty to taste good.

And because no meal is complete without dessert, we also walked to the nearest custard shop to inhale some sugar.

It’s been decided that no Sunday will ever be perfect again unless ice cream is involved.

My mood is decidedly much better. Tuesday and all.

Sure, it would have passed eventually (my bad moods/slumps normally do). But having friends who all text to see how I’m doing or just pick up on it and are willing to wear used sweaty shoes and buy you a beer?It helps.

I sort of love my girlfriends. They’re awesome.

Go enjoy the day. And if you don’t, go get some Bitch Ale. It’s like cough syrup for the soul.

If You Give a Girl a Pancake

If you give a girl a pancake, she’s most likely going to want another one and also ask for some coffee.And if you give her coffee on a day when you’re attending a pub crawl, she’s going to be sure to put some Bailey’s into it.

Even if it’s possibly expired (yes, it’s’ been around THAT long).

But because she has her Bailey’s, she and her roommate, Bailey, will be ready to face all that is TBOX by 10:00 AM.Because the pub crawl theme was “Camp TBOX”, she’ll want to dress accordingly. She’ll also want to pack a peanut butter sandwich to go along with the theme and keep her going strong in the middle of the crawl. She’ll curse herself for not buying some trail mix a few days earlier.

However, even with the pb sandwich, because she’ll also be walking by a McDonald’s, she may just have to stop there, too. Just to be safe.

Because she had McDonalds that afternoon, your group will be able to power through the rest of the crawl. And truly make it “Wire to Wire” by visiting not only 12 Bars (hence the name Twelve Bars Of Xmas), but 15.

Because she goes “Wire to Wire” in 15 bars, she’s bound to meet some interesting people along the way.Did you know Jesus likes Miller Lite?

She didn’t either.

Because she drank Miller Lite all day with Jesus and all the other crazies at the pub crawl (her favorite costumes were those dressed up like Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation- that totally needed a mention), she was easily home and in bed by midnight.

She also insists you now call her Cinderella.

Because she was Cinderella with the early bed time, she’ll wake up early.

Because she wakes up early, she’ll decide to lay in semi-comatose on the couch and watch Saved By the Bell College Years, Friends and also two movies before figuring out how productive she’ll want to be during the day.

Because she laid around for the entire morning, she’ll most likely just go ahead and do the same for most of the afternoon and let the crock pot do all the work.Because the crock pot is doing work, she’ll sneak out of the house to slip in a 20-minute stairmill workout and a mile walk. Because that’s all she’s good for at that time.

Because she snuck in a workout, she assumes it’s ok for her to eat that much more when the crock pot is done making her soup of random vegetables found in the freezer/refrigerator/pantry.Because she ate her weight in soup (ahem- and cookies), she’ll roll herself back onto the couch for the rest of the evening to watch the Bears lose yet again.

Because she was a little down after the football game and didn’t have much else to do, she may go to bed early, making it possible to get 8 hours of sleep and still wake up early once again to hit the gym.

Because she hit the gym early, and doesn’t want to waste her breath/time with a half-assed workout, she’ll kick it up a notch and run a solid 4.3 miles like a champ. Like a CHAMP.

Because she’s feeling like a champ, she’ll need a breakfast to refuel herself properly.

Because there’s no better way to refuel herself, she’ll insist on reheating the leftover pancakes from Saturday morning.

And if you give a girl a pancake…

…uh oh…

Thank You For Being a Friend…

Cowabunga, dudes.

Oh… and happy halloween! A bunch of us girls decided to dress up as a group once again. With some turtle power!

And by turtle power, I mean the name of the shots Annie made for us. Along with the vodka-infused gummy bears.The combo of sugar and vodka is a delicious one. And perfect for a night of rocking out with the Golden Girls.

Yeah, you heard me. The Golden Girls.

Rod Tuffcurls took their costumes to amazing new levels at Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville this year.I’m seriously curious how they kept their wigs on while rocking out.

The night was a major success. Our desire to find costumes that incorporated gym shoes was a genius move once again. Because 3 hours of dancing is rough in heels. And is to be avoided if at all possible. It’s important to be nice to your feet, ya know?

It’s also important to properly fuel when incorporating a night of dancing into your routine.

Beforehand with pizza:As the typical teenage mutant ninja turtle would do.

And afterwards with a big pancake and cinnamon roll breakfast. Cooked by yours truly and the roommate for all the peeps who crashed at our place for a giant sleepover. Because who doesn’t love carbs???

After everyone left, I retreated to the couch. The Bears weren’t playing, so I had no choice but to get through 8 more episodes of Daria on DVD. Eventually, to be a more productive member of society, I hit the gym for a stairs workout and a short stroll on the treadmill.

Key word is “short”. Let’s not get too crazy. Lazy Sundays are meant to be lazy (duh). So then I decided to retreat back to the couch with leftover breakfast and a few more episodes of Daria.Just the way as a Sunday was intended to be…

Another successful weekend. Good work, girls!

Holiday Weekend Distractions

Labor Day Weekend.

It’s a weekend when friends come together and celebrate with one another.With guacamole. At Piece Brewery and Pizzeria. Even if we had to wait 45 minutes to an hour for a table…

It’s worth it. Maybe not so much for the guac. Pretty sure it came from a bucket. But it totally worth it for the pizza.Oh the pizza…

We went with mushrooms, bacon and goat cheese. It was the perfect combination.

So perfect, that we may have gone a little overboard…It was just so good- we couldn’t stop!

But that’s ok. I needed to be well fed for the next day I had planned with Megan!What’s a better way to celebrate an American holiday than to spend part of it in one of the oldest stadiums in the country to watch America’s favorite pastime?

Megan may be a Cubs fan. And I may be a Cards fan. She may be a Miller Lite girl. And I may be a Bud Light gal.But we can still live in peace and harmony.And break it down on the non-dance floor at a non-dance club bar. It’s the American way.

Especially when it’s a German-themed bar.

But it’s cool. We got some serious beer mugs.They were multi-purpose. We got frosty beverages AND were able to fit in a few curls for fitness.

But, as our parents always taught us, we made sure to clean our plates mugs.It may have also seemed a little strange to celebrate an American holiday in a German bar with tequila shots.

But hey. We do what we want.

Besides, we had buffalo chicken nachos before that.So really, it all ties together. Sorta. Right?

Yes. You’re supposed to say yes.

Either way, that’s all that the stuff that kept me out and about over the weekend and away from my lap top.

And oh yeah, that boy who came to visit me. He distracted me, too.

So we can really just put most of the blame on him. It’s the easier thing to do. And he takes it pretty well.

Anyway, enjoy your Tuesday, friends. Usually, as you know, I hate Tuesdays. But I’ll give this one a break because it’s the beginning of a 4-day work week and I’m in a good mood. Just this once…

Girls and Baseball

Happy Monday, ya’ll!

This weekend I was lucky enough to have one of my best friends fly in to hang out with me and get in on the Cards/Cubs action going down in Wrigleyville!

We didn’t get tickets, but instead opted to watch at a bar outside the game and meet up with some peeps after it was all over.

It was a money-saver. We’re so saavy like that.

We were also so saavy by opting to eat at home for most of our meals. Mary had been traveling the last week and was ridiculously excited when I suggested it as one of the options.Sometimes it’s just refreshing to eat a normal meal. I had also been out more this last week than usual, so I was happy to oblige.

PS- sweet potato tortilla chips are some of the best things I’ve bought at the grocery store as of late. Get some. Today.

PPS- also, as long as I continue to drink Goose Island Summertime, I will refuse to acknowledge fall being just around the corner.

Word.

After getting some food in our systems, we walked our way over to Wrigley and kicked back until it was time to hit up the last Wrigleyville Block Party of the summer with my roommate and Megan.Look at that- Cardinals fans and Cubs fan can hang out together and be civilized. Sort of.

Or at least we were. That doesn’t go for everyone. There was a dance-off during the concert that got pretty intense. I swear people were THIS close to breaking out the worm or something of equal humiliation.

At about this time, Mon came down and joined in on the fun as neutral ground- she’s a Sox fan.Yes, a Sox fan. We were a group of random assortment, indeed.

The Block Party only went through the early evening (lame), so we wandered along and secured a table at Red Ivy.

The table was necessary. I needed to switch out shoes.This new pair of shoes has been waiting to be broken out for month (sad but true). They were fantastically comfy, but after 5 hours, it was time to retire them for the evening.

Tip of the day- wear a big purse. That way, you can sneak a pair of flip flops for emergency usage.

It’s much easier to wander from the table and take random strolls onto the dance floor that way.

Another tip of the day- never forget to eat dinner. Yes, we forgot to eat dinner. Sure, the lil’ power lunch held us over relatively well. But it’s a marathon, and after 8 hours of silliness with nothing of nutritional value being consumed, you’ll have a problem.

We solved ours with a late night visit to a mexican spot by my place. Funny enough, it was one of the multiple spots I attempted just a few nights before.

Second time’s the charm?

I drove Mary back to the airport yesterday, and now another standard week of work is really all I’m looking at right now.

Whomp whomp.

However, before I leave, it should be noted that today is the birthday of a good friend of mine:Excuse our appearance. 8 hours in Wrigleyville can do that to you.

But not to get off subject- today is Megan’s (Braise the Roof) birthday! We’ve known each other for a year now and I’m so glad to have found such a great friend in this city of mine off the interwebz who isn’t creepy… at least most of the time…