Going With the Flow

Because of the crazy busy weekends of most of July and the beginning of August, my last two weekends haven’t really been full of plans.  That’s not to say I didn’t end up doing anything.  Because I surely did.  Things popped up, I went with it, and that is how things happen like meeting Johnny Drama…

I swear I’ll get to that in a minute. 

First, I wanted to give a shout out to Monique at She’s Going the Distance.  I won her giveaway a few weeks back and just now got to try out the running top she sent me.It worked well when it came to support, and it’s nice to have the little zip pocket.  Monique left me a sweet little note with it, too- but commented about how she hopes I have better luck with it.  It worked, but I think I’m in the same boat as you, Monique!  As you can see in the pic, it’s a bit short and definitely would creep up on me mid-run.  I’ll still wear it, I just wish it were a little longer!

Oh yeah, the run was 5.35 miles at an 8:20 pace.  Nothing unusual.

After my workout, I got a little productive in the kitchen.  Which is hard to do when my flourescent kitchen light it out.  Maintenance has to replace it and according to my clubhouse, it’s not an emergency, so they won’t fix it until Monday.  How is my inability to function in my kitchen not an emergency!?!?! 

With the help of my pantry light and every other light in the house ON, I had enough light to see.  Not without cursing the management company, but hey- I gotta go with the flow, right?This was my latest find at Trader Joe’s that I decided to be adventurous with.  Sure frozen asparagus is disgusting, but why not try this out?  They’ve been hanging out in the freezer waiting for their moment to shine- and this was it.  I unthawed, sauteed, and threw them in with my chicken.Baked BBQ chicken!  And yes, I always end up slicing up the chicken like this- no matter how I make it.  I’m crazy about making sure it’s done and figure I might as well just slice it up because by the time I’m through with it, it looks this way anyways.  Another thing I’m really weird (quirky?) about.  Verdict?  It was fantastic.  The peppers worked really well with the chicken.  That being said, they’re still not the same as fresh.  And I would never just eat them by themselves, or in a salad.  But mixed in like this?  Fab.  They’d probably do well in pasta, too… hmmm….

So back to my Johnny Drama story…  My friend texted me yesterday morning about possibly going out.  I was like, “uhhh… it’s 10:30… I really don’t know if I’ll do anything- it’s still a long time away for me to be making these decisions.”  But as they day wore on, the idea of cocktails just got better and better.  Why the hell not?  It’s not like I’m doing anything.  I haven’t seen my friend in ages.  I’m just gonna go.  I want to go.  I really want to go!  Let’s party!!!!

After sitting around and staring at each other for a while (we were completely indecisive about where to go), we decided to get a drink in her neighborhood and then head downtown from there.  I knew someone bartending at this club called Enclave, so at midnight we decided to give it a whirl.

Our timing couldn’t have been more perfect.  There was Kevin Dillon- right there!- posing for pictures.  I knew he was going to be there for a little publicity tour, but as those things usually go, you don’t really plan on seeing the celeb right in front of your face.  One of the bouncers asked us if we wanted to take pictures with Kevin.  Why not?  So yeah… I posed for pictures with Kevin Dillon aka Johnny Drama from Entourage.  Not gonna lie- he’s way shorter than I imagined him to be.  My friend and I both flirt with 5’8 before heels, so it was a bit funny when we made a Johnny Drama sandwich. 

After our photo op, I made no hesitation in whipping out my cell phone and texting my brother about it.  He’s a huge Entourage fan.  He said it’d be cooler if I met Ari.  There’s only so much I can do, my dear brother.  Plus Jeremy Piven’s a super shorty (I still heart you, Jeremy!).  And that would have just been out of control awkward. 

We bounced around to another place or two before calling it a night around 3:30.  I’m sitting back at home exhausted now, but am sooooo glad I spontaneously went.  I usually don’t do that.  And this was definitely worth it.

This was also worth it:I’ve always been that kid who wakes up thinking about food.  It’s a rare occasion that I go longer than 30 minutes awake without eating.  So the drive home was spent narrowing down my options.  I wanted a burger.  No… pancakes.  No… something from Panera.  No… what do I want?!?!  AAAAHHHHH!

Then I remembered the bbq chicken hanging out.  That’s good.  And the chips I still had from the Healthy Living Summit (not a big chip person- so they usually hang out for a while in this household).  Done and done.  I did hit the drive through for the biggest iced tea I could find.  Sonic opened up a few miles from my place- and their crushed ice is DA BOMB (Hi Retta!  I’m stealing your phrase!).

This sandwich wasn’t nearly as “healthy” as the one I constructed the day before.  But I wanted it.  And I refuse to say I’m a “bad healthy living blogger” by eating it.  There’s ranch and cheese on that baby.  And after a late night out, I will have it if I want to.  No guilt found here!

I’d stay and chat longer, but I really need to track down these photos I posed for.  Clearly I wasn’t able to pull out my tiny little snapshot camera and go “can someone take a pic with mine?!?!”  That would soooo not be very Hollywood of me… 

*Be back later with cake pics!

Getting Cocky

Happy Memorial Day everyone!  I’ve been a little quiet on the blogging front, but sometimes you just gotta unplug for a while, ya know?

That being said, I’ve really been enjoying the long weekend.  Saturday, as I assumed it would be, was a great night.  Jaime, Scott, and I met up with some people for wings and the Blackhawks game.  Note to self- make sure to confirm the waitress hears you say “boneless”.  I had a dress on, it was the beginning of the night and I’m naturally accident-prone.  It probably took me twice as long because I was aware of all these things while I was eating.

Jaime and I ducked out of the bar for a little bit to walk through a nearby street fest.  Check out the goods:Those are “designer” sunglasses, by the way.  Buy one get two free.  Yep… Designer for sure…

Do you guys have street fests in your areas?  This was one of my first ones in the Chicago area.  I had fun, but can see how it would get dangerous to go to them often- those jewelry vendors kept catching my eye!

Near the end of the game, I headed to Kelsey’s in Lincoln Park to meet up with my boys.  Luckily, they did very well with pacing themselves throughout the whole day (they had been out and about since noon for the baseball game).  So I got to catch up with a few of them.  After the game, of course.  It was serious stuff until the final buzzer.  And then of course, the rounds of Chelsea Dagger. 

That’s about the time Mon showed up.I wish you could have seen my dress.  It was that sassy Target number I picked up the other day…

And yes, I got a little sun on Saturday.  Kinda wish I had been a little more liberal with the sunscreen.  You live and you learn.

I also have more pictures (clearly), but in respect to my guy friends, I’m not going to post them.  I usually feel the need to let them know about the blog if I post pics of them, and uh…. they don’t know yet.  So yeah…

We also visited Faith and Whiskey.  This was where I started to have a lot of fun…  And was probably one of the reasons why we felt the need for this after we got home:Mon’s friend mentioned McDonald’s and I was on top of THAT.  At 3:00 in the morning, there are a lot of things that seem like a good idea.  This was one of them.  When I woke up later, I realized it was not so much.  My stomach did not approve.  But then again, my stomach probably didn’t approve of a lot of things I had done in the last 12 hours.  Wings, beer, vodka, and Mcdonald’s- it thanked me properly.  And I believe I even heard it growl “karma’s a bitch”.  Seriously, it talks.

Yesterday was full of lounging and relaxing.  When I was finally feeling myself, I took a two-mile walk and also took on the second level of Yoga Meltdown with Jillian Michaels.  I was starting to get really cocky with Level 1- thinking I was getting real good at this yoga stuff… Level 2?  Why not?

I sucked at Level 2.  A lot.  In my defense, it’s a new routine, so I had to watch the screen a lot more because I had no idea what was coming next.  Has anyone mastered the crow pose yet?  Dang…  I surprised myself that I could actually do the wheel pose (seriously guys- I’m less flexible than Jillian claims to be).  And I’m pretty sure that popping in and out of the goddess pose is why I feel the soreness in the area that I do today.  That’s all I’ll say about that.

If you do yoga, are there any poses you’re still trying to conquer?

Hit up a BBQ last night- my first of the season!  Unfortunately because I was pretty much a garbage disposal the whole day yesterday (my cereal stash took a serious hit), I wasn’t hungry when I got there.  But it smelled good.    I left the boys in the second hour of Xbox. They kinda laughed as I left because they said I was probably bored.  Not true- I was just tired.  I rarely get bored.  In all reality, I was having fun- I love just sitting back and observing.  And I was getting crazy deja vu from every other weekend in college that was spent just like that… hilarious.

So here I am about to get my run out of the way early- it’s not supposed to get much warmer today, but I’m just more of a morning runner.  Or at least that’s what I aspire to be.  So I’m gonna go do that now.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Number Seven

Why hello there. 

I went to Jaime’s sister and she definitely took care of me!  No pics- but that’s because my camera was dead when I grabbed it this morning… boo!  We took care of those nast scraggly ends that have been keeping me up at night and went a few shades darker.  Not a huge difference, but enough to make me happy.    The colors are “mochas”, and it certain lights you can see some reddish undertones.  Sweet…

Most people would find it funny that I decide to go darker for summer.  But I live dangerously.  This would be right up there with my use of expired pasta… scandalous!

I also appreciate her not judging me for wacking off half of my bangs last weekend in a desperate last attempt to style them before going out.  Yes, I’m a cutter.  And I’m horrible at it.  But Michelle just giggled and laughed a little as she tried to shape the leftover bangs.  I appreciate that.  Because I’ve gotten lectured before.  It’s like going to the dentist and  lying to him about flossing every day.  They know you’re lying.  But you do anyways.

I got home after the two-hour ordeal and was starving.  Being as how I was’t quite at 100% (see “multiple martinis on Saturday night”) I heavily considered getting carryout somewhere.  Something greasy and fantastic.  But as I sat there with color setting in my hair and flipping through a two-month-old People magazine, I became overwhelmed with the options.  Boneless wings?  Hamburger?  Loaded nachos?  Pizza?  But honestly, the big burger and fries I used to consume after every night of going out would probably leave me feeling even more gross afterwards being as how I don’t get them nearly as much as I used to.  Which would have inevitably led to me laying on the couch the rest of the day feeling dirty and used…  What are hangover/next day tricks that you used to swear by (even if they’re not so good)?

So I came home and made some more of the shrimp wonderfulness I had from the night before.  And seriously, I can’t let food go to waste and it’s gonna get bad soon.This made me feel sooooo much better.  And I even went for a three-mile walk afterwards to help me feel like I was “detoxifying”.  The Yoga Meltdown session with Jillian also helped this process.  I know it’s probably not scientifically legit, but I feel that “sweating out the alcohol” makes the rest of the day much better.

My cousin who was considering the 13.1 Chicago in a few weeks emailed me again- we’re not running together that day anymore because she didn’t realize it fell on a weekend she already has something going on.  I’m sad she won’t be down to visit again, but I’m working on getting her to run the Rock ‘N Roll Half with me in August instead. 

I also heard from my lovely friend Mary last night.  Along with my friend Laura, we’re the trio of best friends from college.(Mary’s the blonde in the middle in the tailgating pic.)  Btw, my hair sorta looks like that now… but better.  Because this pic of me was when my roomie and I decided to do the color from a box- it was my first and last time doing so.  The color was really flat and it’s a lot harder than you’d think when you have such long and thick hair!  I leave it to the professionals now…Mary and I also lived together over one summer and for a year later on in college.  I loved it because we’d just wonder across the hall to the other person’s room and get to sit and talk whenever we wanted.  She and I often had “Friday Night Dress Night” and shared a mutual respect for Goldshlager.  We don’t get to talk nearly as much now, but we make sure to get in girl talk whenever we can…  So she just recently got engaged.  And just asked Laura and I to be co-maids of honor.  Of course I said I’d do it!  I’m very excited! I’m sure Laura and I will have bachelorette party ideas flying around in no time at all… 

This is wedding number seven for me.  If you’re looking for a professional bridesmaid, please call me at least seven to eight months in advance.  I’m booking up very quickly.  I love doing it because I really have a great set of girlfriends, but I’m just wondering what I’m going to do with all these dresses?  That shorten it and wear it again crap?  Uh no….  So any creative ideas???

Happy Monday! This week will hopefully be a good one- I’ve got Thursday off randomly to get some stuff done. A nice break in the middle of the week will be very appreciated! 

Tonight’s another quick 3-mile run.  But again, it’s supposed to be rainy.  I’ve been lucky so far, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if it’s the night I get forced to the treadmill.

What just happened?

Excuse my grossness.  And the makeup I’m sporting leftover from last night.  (I don’t want you to think I attempt the smoky eye look specifically for the gym). I just got home from my two-mile run (what what!).  This is what I discovered when taking my shoe off.  What did I do?!?!  First I was like, “huh.  How is my sock stained?  I didn’t notice that earlier.”  Then I got smart and was like, “holy cow, how is my toe bleeding?”

Let’s rewind, shall we?

Could it have been from my Guess heels?  NO!!!!  Maybe???  I do remember some weirdness going on in my foot as we were walking back to my friend’s house from the Seven-Eleven.  And to be clear, I don’t party at Seven-Eleven.  A night of dancing until 4:00 at Big City aka Big Shitty requires refueling in the form of a krispy kreme donut.  Yes it does…  Not my idea, but it was a good one.  Cathryn and I split it.  We argued a little about the amount of donuts we needed to acquire.  I was very assertive about only getting one.  We had an appointment for hangover food at Stella’s Diner in the morning.  I did not want this to ruin it (I highly recommend the Firehouse special, but their hashbrowns are a little bland for my taste).  Donuts are an interesting departure from the hangover food of my college era (probably half a pizza from my beloved Gumby’s- with ranch).  But I kind of like it.  In my fiesty-ness, I tried to get a discount from the man working at Seven-Eleven.  I thought it mattered if these donuts were fresh as in just brought in, or if they were nearing the 24-hour mark.  He told me they were fresh.  Right…

Another poor decision under a slight influence of vodka clubs.  Red Ivy can be blamed for that one.  Not Big City.  By the time I got to Big City I was done drinking.  Red Ivy was where I decided to donate the majority of my money.  So we could do things like this:

Yes, if you didn’t know, I am 24 going on 12.

So now here I am.  Hungover. Bloody foot. Waiting for my girls to come over so we can burn down the kitchen in attempts to make some homemade caramel.  Should be interesting.

I had considered doing The Shred again (slightly addicted), but because I was eyeing the nearest trash can throughout the majority of my little run, I’ll pass.  Instead, I’ll just have to do my best at not being one of those people who eats their weight in food during the Super Bowl.  Which is a shame.  Because I do enjoy some good deep dish.

Dusting off the coffee machine

Coffee is something reserved for work.  I drink green tea (or tea of some variety) at home.  I believe the last time I broke out the coffee machine was last fall.  But it was needed today.  This could be one of the reasons:

Now let me clarify.  I am weird.  I may have discussed this before, just not in detail (my viewpoint I am about to discuss, not my weirdness- we already know about that).  I am on my quest for a healthier lifestyle (ignore the pancake wonderfulness below when I say this) and I am a girl who does not like fruit.  Yeah, I’m serious and yeah, I really mean it and yes, that means I don’t even like strawberries.  Don’t bother listing it out, I probably don’t like it.  I’m a veggie girl all the way.  Love them.  Can’t get enough. Nom nom nom…  So don’t worry about me.

That being said, there are exceptions to every rule.  I don’t mind sangria.  I actually enjoy it.  The taste isn’t overpowering.  As long as there’s not too much apple in there.  I prefer just having a hint of the citrus. 

*I do like coconut.  And avocado.  So that’s something.  But they’re not the first thing you think of when people say “fruit”.

So back to the sangria…

We split a pitcher at La Tasca- another cute little spot in downtown Arlington Heights.  It was quite a tease to go, though.  I’ve never been there and heard all the raves about how good the food is.  So I got to smell it all.  And see it all.  But not taste it all.  The sangria was still worth going, though!

Ended the night at Gatsby’s.  Typical.  I’m starting to think it may be time to branch out?  I guess that’s what we were doing by going to La Tasca…

So after last night, this was my prescription for how I am feeling:

That, my friends, is my doctored up pancakes from a box.  We have whole wheat-vanilla-oatmeal-chocolate chip pancakes with almond butter and a drizzle of light maple syrup.  I just finished them all and I’m pretty sure they are just what my body was craving.  ahhhhhh.  No need for advil here.

Today I am going to the gym again.  Three quarters of a mile.  Then tomorrow I am resting from running.  I might not need to, but I’m not taking any chances this time around.  So I’m planning to be very diligent about running a couple days and then having a day off.  The half mile last night went well- but like I said before, I’m wondering when I’m going to hit that endurance wall.  I see it coming.  Which is a problem.  In my state of mind last night, which is apparently “I am woman, hear me roar”, I bet one of my friends that I’d kick his ass at the Rock ‘N Roll Chicago Half marathon.  What?  Seriously- WHAT?  Yeah, I had contemplated doing it.  But I hadn’t seriously entertained the idea.  I’m still trying to work my way back up to a mile.  So… what?  

Using the words of a dear friend of mine- obviously, there is a gap between my brain and my mouth.  And that gap was filled to the brim with wine and vodka.

I mean really… what??? 

Well I’ve gotta cut this off.  Obviously, I have some training to do.  And I need more coffee.

Core Challenge Update:

Friday- 75 crunches 

Today I’m attempting the plyo’s.  My strategy is to knock out as many of those as possible right away so that the end of the week is not going to be completely horrible.  Thanks Kloe! 

Hello Couch.

I am sitting my little booty on the couch all day.  This is why:

1. Grey Goose.  It’s obvious- I went out for New Years, it was bound to happen.  $50 got us top shelf all we wanted to drink.  In all honesty- it could have been worse.  I could have been drinking wells (which I will do) and drinking much more. We had fun.  But it wasn’t one of our crazy random nights out.  We ducked out a little early.  We both agreed New Years is a little overrated.  The actual countdown wasn’t really that exciting.  We kind of looked at each other, said “yeah…. one more drink and let’s get out of here”.  We were lucky enough to catch a Kathy Griffen special once we got back to her place (hell yeah!).  Even if I was in bed earlier than planned, I am not a college student anymore.  I still hurt a little today.  Awesome.  I’m old.

2. My leg.  I still stay off of it more than usual.  Even when I’m standing, I take support off of it.  But last night I wanted to dance.  And I did. Not a lot, but I still feel a little ache today.  No bueno.  If the doctor tries to get me to use crutches again, I’ll throw a hissy fit. Awesome.  I’m childish.

3. Carb coma.  We took a little trip to Ann Sather’s for our traditional breakfast we always get when I stay with Cathryn.  Here’s where the confession comes in.  Supposedly, Ann Sather Restaurants are famous for their cinnamon rolls.  Cathryn swears by them- says they’re to die for.  And they made a guest appearance on Food Network’s show, The Best Thing I Ever Ate.  So did I eat one?  Yes.  And they come in two’s as a side to your meal.  So I have one sitting on my counter and staring me in the face.  Now- this is a sweet thing.  Does it count against my No Sweets Week?  Probably.  When I originally started the thing- I kind of meant more towards desserts and chocolate/candy things as such.  This was technically breakfast.  But I’m not going to try to justify it.  I think I failed.  On the last day.  BUT, I went strong for six days.  And I’m starting over tomorrow.  Damnit.  I could have pretended it didn’t happen.  Lied… but what good would that do?  Then I’d be a failure and a liar.  And what good is that?  By the way, I also had a breakfast wrap.  But compared to the cinnamon roll, it’s not worth mentioning.  Awesome.  I have no self control.

So yes, the couch it is.  I’ve been here for a couple hours… plan to be here for a couple more.  Until I have to get up and shower.  Because I smell like “bar” and have some neat raccoon eyes going on right now (washing the face hasn’t happened yet- yes, I’m gross) and I’m going to a movie later tonight with Mon (my fav from the workout room!).  Perfect way to spend the supposed National Hangover Day… letting my brain rot in front of a screen for hours on end.  Oh look, there’s a Jennifer Aniston marathon on Lifetime… And when I’m not actually watching tv, I’ve been doing research on buying a new one.  A flatscreen is my little Christmas present to myself… I just haven’t bought one yet. Partially because I’m trying to keep my eye on sales and partially because I’m terrified of spending so much money at once on something like this.  I think I’m going to look away and wince as they scan my debit card.  But I really really want one…

After we got out of breakfast, Cathryn was excited to hit the gym.  I frowned.  I knew my destiny of spending the day on the couch.  And as much as I enjoy relaxing (I really have loved this half asleep/half awake thing I’ve been doing the last few hours), I’d rather be running.  Which reminds me… where the hell are my vitamins?  I need my calcium pill…  I hate you, leg.

Lunch Club Takes On The Counter

As briefly mentioned earlier, a few of us have formed an official “Lunch Club”.  We take our duties seriously in Lunch Club.  We eat.  We eat very very good food.  It’s fantastic!

Previous lunch clubs have included Kuma’s Corner, Rocks and Sarks in the Park.  This month, it was my turn to pick.  The only real rule is that we have to go somewhere that no one has been to yet.  I went back and forth in my final decision, but decided on The Counter in Lincoln Park. 

I really wanted an excuse to go to another burger spot.  And this was it!  Which we should have known- it was over a 20-minute wait to get a table.  That was after pushing the lunch time back and me getting there a little late (I’ll never figure out this traffic).  By the time we sat down, I was starving!  My hangover food was obviously later coming than usual.

They basically just gave us a checklist and a pencil and let us go.  We chose everything- what kind of meat, whatever toppings, sauces, type of bun, etc.  If you weren’t prepared, the choices would be overwhelming (I believe the website says there are over 312,000 combinations).  I decided to go with a southwestern theme- chicken, cheddar, guac (I’m such a guac whore), roasted corn and black bean salsa and spicy sour cream.  Delish!

Jaime went with sautéed mushrooms on hers with a ginger soy glaze.  She said it was one of the best burgers she’s ever had.  I patted myself on the back for my choice of restaurants on that one…

Scott decided to try and reincarnate the burger he had at Kuma’s.  Basically he wanted that fried egg…  and TONS of cheese fries!

Cathryn went with Gruyère cheese- once she saw it on the menu, she had to have it.  Also in the mix was scallions, roasted red peppers, roasted chilis and mixed baby greens.  She and Jaime also split some sweet potato fries- an obsession I introduced to them a few months ago.  Sweet potato fries ROCK!

We all cut our sandwiches in half, planning to save some for later.  Yeah…. none of us actually did.  Turns out that was my one meal of the day for the most part.  But I was soooo content:

The Beer of the Month was Shiner Holiday Cheer.  The waitress described it as “peachy” which immediately turned me off.  I don’t like fruit that much… or at all, really.  But Jaime and Cathryn took a chance with it- Jaime was a big fan.  I stuck to my fav- Goose Island’s 312.  Considering how I was feeling from the night before, the last thing you would think I’d have a craving for was beer.  But it went so well with all the food.

I told everyone beforehand that I felt like this was a safe choice.  If you don’t like your burger, it’s your fault.  You’re the one who made it… But we all left very happy, rolled ourselves to the car, and went home to enjoy our food coma.

That work out tomorrow couldn’t come sooner…

Inspired Copycat Cooking

When we left the city today, I was sure a stop at McDonald’s would be necessary.  I was dehydrated and all I could think about was obtaining the largest iced tea I could find.  And a sausage egg mcmuffin while I was at it (Eat This, Not That had justified the purchase because it is a healthier option than most fast food breakfasts).  Or a call for carry out somewhere.  But then I thought about all the times I swiped my credit card last night.  And decided to make my meals for the day at home.  Breakfast was easy- my trademark oatmeal. 

Dinner was something I had been waiting to try for a few days.  Us girls had made our way out of the office (sometimes we need to get out of the building to ensure sanity for the rest of the day) to Potbelly.  Believe it or not, I’ve been living here this long and it was my first time going.  Some jaws dropped as I said it.  I had the skinny mushroom melt and fell in love. 

I decided to make it for myself with a few modifications.  Originally, I said I figured I could make it even healthier, but I was pretty generous with mixing in the feta cheese (which replaced provolone, swiss, and cheddar).  So that probably didn’t work out as planned, but I think I made it a little yummier.  I sautéed the mushrooms in a little olive oil, random spices I got my hands on, and then mixed in feta and stuffed it all in a whole wheat pita.  I decided I had made the “gourmet version”.   I’ll probably be making it again in the next day or two.  Success!

On a side note, the nap happened unintentionally.  I was going to try to tough it out without one if I could. But then I sat down to watch the Bears game for a while and, before I knew it, I was waking up in the third quarter.  Which is fine.  I didn’t seem to miss much of a performance.

I made it to the gym earlier.  Time was spent on the elliptical.  I think I’ll be running again from now on.  Just to be safe, I thought I’d give it one more day.  That and if I was to exert too much energy, I was sure to pass out.  I’m crazy -yes.  But not stupid.

Where to Next?

So I finally made it down to see my friend Nicole’s new place since she moved to Wrigley and have a long night out with her and her friend.  I like her place.  But the first thing I said after I got out of my car and walking in was “oh god Nicole, you are going to die on these stairs in the winter.”  What a ridiculously Chicagoan thing to say.  But they’re on the bottom floor and have stairs that you have to go down in the front and back of her place.  I was instantly remembering Jaime’s laundry incident where she fell down the stairs on the way to the laundry room on their bottomm floor- which included a bruise on her butt that lasted for weeks.  We got updates at lunch of what color it was every couple of days. 

Anyways, I had talked to some random people here and there about what they were doing.  We had no idea where to go first.  Nicole suggested we start the night out at Cesar’s on Clark because she really wanted a giant margarita.  I’m not much on margaritas, but whatever.  A bar is a bar.  And I didn’t mind the unlimited chips and salsa.  But because the night was a blur of drinks, friends, and dancing, I’ll give the quick summary:

Cesar’s- Margaritas and chips.  Yummmmm… Sat at the bar in the back where there was little room to move.  Slightly annoyed by the couple sitting next to us.  I think the guy was trying to get the girl loaded on tequila.  It was working well.

Mad River- Met up with Nicole’s friend for a bit.  Not very crowded, but at least that meant we had a table to sit at for a while until we figured out our next move.

Kirkwood- We walked across the street to meet up with my friend Rob.  It was drizzling a little outside which sucked because it was already pretty cold out (don’t even get me started on my opinion of it being 50 degrees in August).  When Rob mentioned this bar, I felt like I had heard of it/been there before.  We walked in and I had some serious deja vu from a time I had driven up to visit Annie one weekend.  I love the chandeliers and mirrors in that place.  Very cool.  But very crowded.  The patio was closed- obviously because of this crap weather…  After a drink and a round of shots, we were ready to go.  I was kind of in a hurry to get to the next bar because my friend Chuck was there and he didn’t know how long he was going to stay.

State- This is where things seemed to escalate quickly… I got to see some of my guy friends from the burbs which was cool.  Took a little bit to find them all- the place is huge!  Rob said he remembers when he lived around the area that it used to be a grocery store or something.  I could definitely see that. 

Martini Bar- I think Rob picked this one.  I didn’t even know where we were heading when we got in the cab.  Then all the sudden we were on La Salle… I rolled my eyes because I couldn’t believe I was doing another tour of Chicago by cab after Cathryn and I did it a few weeks ago.  Oh geez…  This place was fun,  though.  Alot of people who were touchy feely, but I guess it was 1:00 in the morning.  It’s generally expected at that point in the night.  We created our own dance floor while we were there.  There seemed to be a general area that had been cleared out for that purpose.

After Martini Bar, we were wiped.  Big City Tap was mentioned, but I think after the cab ride in that general direction, we were all rethinking it.  We stopped at Clarke’s instead to get breakfast.  Gotta love those 24-hour diners…  I also loved that my omelet was baked when it came to me.  Fluffy omelets are soooo much better.  Rob went home before we ate- good thing.  Us girls chowed down.  I have no idea why I was so hungry.  I ate before Nicole’s… had chips at the restaurant… I assume I wasn’t really as hungry as what the vodka made me believe I was.

We were home and asleep by 4:00.  I know this exact time because I texted Adam my current status at 3:52.  I was asleep before he was able to text me back 10 minutes later.

Unfortunately, when Rob called me about going down to the Chicago Triathalon this morning, I was not in any condition to spend the day out and about.  So I missed my friend finishing it.  Would have been fun- a couple of the guys were going to watch and there was a post-race bbq or something that sounded fun.  But no… I was ready to get back to the burbs for a day of nothingness instead.  Luckily, I got started before too much of the Cubs traffic arrived for the game.  Nicole said she’s getting used to the game traffic.  I think she really likes her new spot.  I don’t blame her.  Cute place.  I’m jealous of her hardwood floors.  That’s one thing I really wish I had.  Well… that and a dining room table.  Still working on that one…

After the fantastic breakfast cuisine at Clarke’s, I decided to continue the theme.  It’s been an entire day of breakfast for me.  And not the healthy kind…  Omelet for actual breakfast (or whatever the meal is at the end of a late night/beginning of the morning), pancakes for lunch and a donut for dinner.  Yes, a donut.  With chocolate icing and sprinkles.  Nice solid dinner I had there.  The sugar rush was fantastic.  I was completely satisfied with that decision.  Until I started to smell some smoke from a grill because I had my balcony door open.  Someone in my building was having a pre-game grillout before the Bears game.  Now all I can think about it having a yummy bbq brat… damn.  Someone recently has gotten alot of use out of their grill.  I need to figure out who this is and become friends with them.  Immediately.

I enjoyed the nice weather from my couch.  It looked pretty and sunny.  But I wasn’t fooled.  I know how cold it really was out there… It might as well be October.  I’m a little bitter.  Obviously.

I’m only going to dinner. Seriously…

Us girls from work (and formerly from our office) has another get-together at a sushi place called Izumi Sushi in the West Loop on Friday.  I was going into my third packed night of socializing and drinking.  So I took the metra downtown on Friday with plans only to go have a few drinks, enjoy a good meal, and head home.  Which would have made Saturday absolutely lovely and somewhat productive.

Thanks Cathryn.

A Philly roll and a few glasses of wine later, people were not having it.  They grabbed my bag away from me and insisted I stay.  So my bag-o-stuff got thrown into Jessica’s car (because of course it wasn’t THAT hard to convince me to stay) and off we went.  We started our hike to Market Bar and, lo and behold, found ourselves approaching Harpo Studios.  Why hello Oprah- not only did I hang out a few drinks too many outside of where she supposedly lives, now I’m stalking her at the workplace.  Both times completely by accident.  Ok, maybe it’s some underlying infatuation.  Either way, the conversation switched to how much we all wish we could get onto her Favorite Things episode.  I really wouldn’t mind a new car.  Or iPod.  Or cash.  Just give me some cash, Oprah…

Market Bar ended up being a no-go.  It was too packed for our liking, so we hung out at a table they were serving on the sidewalk.  Next destination- The District.  A guy in our office was celebrating his birthday, and we all thought it sounded like a good bar to go to.  In my opinion, we were mistaken.  It was packed, people were rude, and drinks were overpriced for the atmosphere I was in.  Sure, I’ll pay $10 (which it better be a good drink) for a drink to hang out in a fun place with good friends.  But by the time we fought our way to the bar, fought our way back to the table, and fought to keep a decent conversation over the noise and constant interruption of people bumping into us and passing through, I was ready to leave. 

Some of us had contacted another group of guys from work earlier to see if they’d join us at The District, but they decided to stay put at The Pony Inn in Lakeview.  So I convinced Cathryn we should join them there.  What did we have to lose?  It was close to Cathryn’s apartment, it couldn’t have been much worse, and if anything, it was in an area with plenty of other late night options.  She agreed and it took everything I had but to run out of the place to grab a cab.

Rob’s directions got us to the right block.  But that’s about it.  We would have been screwed if the bar didn’t have a huge lit-up (practically flashing) sign.  It might as well have had a speaker, too.  “Why hello drunk people, come join us and get ridiculous.”  We walk in to the announcement of last call.  The night really must have gotten away from us…  But we got another good 20 minutes there until they started kicking people out.

Rob suggested our next stop be Big City Tap.  My eyes widened a little bit on that one- Big City is the place where people tend to flock after all the other bars start closing.  If you can still manage to walk in a somewhat straight line and aren’t ready to crawl home, that’s apparently where you go.  Was it really going to be that kind of night?  Cathryn was in dance mode, so I knew it would be…

Five of us piled into a cab and were again on our way.  Maybe that’s where most of my night went- time spent in cabs.  Makes sense.  We got there, and like clowns in a car, we all filed out.  I dropped my new camera on the way out.  Cathryn’s shoe strap broke.  But that didn’t stop us.  Alex and I checked to make sure the essentials (aka the camera battery) were still there.  Cathryn showed her talent in walking with one bum shoe (you would have never known it could have flied off at any moment).  Cathryn also pulled out another talent- talking her way into anything.  Four of us were still re-establishing ourselves and assessing the long line as she marched across that busy street to the bar on the other side.  “What the hell is she doing?!?!?”  She walked straight up to that side door and took all of 20 seconds to get us inside.  No waiting required.  I don’t even think she knows what she said to get us in.

Big City was packed.  Hence the line.  But the difference between Big City and The District is this- The District is not that kind of bar.  It gives off the “lounge” atmosphere.  It closes earlier.  Big City is a drunken man’s haven.  Everyone and their mom wants to get into this place at 3:00 to continue to get their drink on and dance.  Crowds, elevated temperatures, and drunk people are expected.  And welcomed.  Not sure why there isn’t a sign on the door stating this fact.  If only they had a suggestion box…

Cathryn darted into the crowd without saying a thing.  The guys got a little nervous.  But I knew where she was and had no concerns.  She was on the dance floor.  And we would soon join her.  And we did.  Until we had to leave at 4:00 a.m.  Two whole hours of dancing and sweating (gross but true).  I still think it’s funny how heavily Michael Jackson is played.  I know we heard at least three of his songs while we were there.  Again, not that I mind.  I’m just amused.

After that place closed, back in the cab we went.  This time to go home.  Or at least, in my case, to crash at Cathryn’s.  And wouldn’t you know it?  I didn’t wake up until 11:00 that morning.  THAT is a momentous occasion.  For me, “sleeping late” is 9:00.  Maybe 9:30.  And that’s on a good day.  I guess the last three nights caught up with me.  Cathryn wanted to do breakfast somewhere.  I was all over that idea.  Omelet… yum…  We had two choices – Orange or Horizon Cafe.  I looked at myself in the mirror.  Then I looked at Cathryn. 

“Which one will we not look extremely inappropriate in?”

“Horizon Cafe it is.”

I felt ok there- the majority of people there looked like they were feeling about the same as we did.  Sunglasses on inside.  Downing coffee to cure exhaustion and a headache.  Some still a little intoxicated from the night before.  Perfect.  I had my standard bacon mushroom omelet- which grosses Cathryn out to no end.  She refuses to eat bacon and/or mushrooms.  At least I know she won’t eat off of my plate.

We found ourselves in the same position as we were about a month ago after eating- in a race to the Irving Park metra stop to see if I could make the train.  I watched the clock the whole way, almost positive I wouldn’t and would end up hanging out for an hour.  Which may have been a problem being as tired as I was.  Luckily, the train was running late.  And I got on and made it home by 1:30.  Just in time to collapse on my couch…

Needless to say, I was worthless the rest of Saturday.  And that spilled over into Sunday.  At least I did get up long enough on Saturday evening to hit up a movie with Annie.  We saw The Time Traveler’s Wife.  It was good.  I love Rachel McAdams.  And no one minds a nude Eric Bana.  But I really expected more…  Oh well.  It was still a fun little movie date with one of my favorite ladies. 

Now, the question remains… Who’s the bad influence in this situation?  And how do we always end up at the same place?  And how can we do it by spending less and not feeling so exhausted the next day?  An answer to any of these questions would be appreciated.