Things I Apparently Hide From My Friends

It’s always sad to have a friend leave after a fun weekend.

Luckily, I get to see Laura again next weekend for a second round. For now, I’ll put my feet up and rest from all the crazy.

And for those of you who are curious, here’s a quick rundown of what we got into:

1. Laura got ridiculously stuck in rush hour traffic. Not that we were on a super strict time schedule, but it caused us to break out the beverages early due to the stress it caused.

I was more than happy to oblige with vodka lemonades. And don’t ask why I have vodka called Ice Kube. The store manager convinced me it was better than Svedka. I think he was just trying to get rid of it. What a trickster.

2. Laura’s schedule and Rod Tuffcurls’ tour dates finally aligned.

Laura drank the kool aid. And is upset this is the first time she’s been able to witness the greatness.

She is now an official Rod Tuffcurls fan. FRIENDZ!

3. Because of the late night dance-a-thon at the Rod show, we scrapped the idea of running on Saturday. And decided a walk to the beach was more appropriate.

This was also Laura’s first time visiting the beach. She could not believe Chicago had this lil’ hidden treasure.

Chicago is the awesomest. I simply cannot state this enough.

4. It’s a shame we didn’t run. However, there was plenty of walking. Not only did we walk on Saturday, we also wandered the neighborhoods on Sunday before she drove home.

I got to show off my new laces during said walk. Laura brought my belated birthday gift with her and it involved accessorizing my kicks. I’m now the coolest kid on the block! Weee!

5. We ate ALL THE FOODZ.

And dressed up to do so. Before silly shenanigans with some of our dude friends, we took ourselves on a dinner date to Frasca Pizzeria and Wine Bar.

Sure, I made homemade calzones the night before, but the polenta fries at Frasca blew my sweet cooking skills out of the water.

A garlic aioli was involved as the dipping sauce. I should apologize to the guy I was chatting with all night.

However, a little aioli didn’t deter him. Thank goodness.

6. Being too lazy to even pour ourselves bowls of cereal, we took ourselves out for breakfast on Sunday morning.

Laura requested a coffee shop atmosphere. She suggested Starbucks, but I quickly shot that down.

There are so many better places than Starsucks… come on, girl.

Bakin’ and Eggs is a super cute lil’ joint for breakfast and people watching. However, it is NOT a place to be snarky. When the waiter asked how I liked my eggs, I worked SUPER hard to keep from spitting out “unfertilized, thanks”. Being a lady is SO DIFFICULT sometimes.

The chilaquiles (baked corn tortillas mixed in with tomatilla salsa, onions and parmesan cheese) were delicious. SUPER hot, but sometimes a good kick in the face like that is what you need to wake up. Am I right?

7. My official recovery came in the form of a 4-mile run this morning. I could have easily slept more, and totally justify it, but the strong desire to feel “back to normal” consumed me. And pre-5am gym time is apparently my normal.

I don’t understand it, either.

Have a great start to the week, kiddos. It’s crunch time in the office, so I hope I’ll be staying busy and happy and breezing through it all before a nice lil’ Labor Day vacay. Fabulous!

Laters!

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.

Hey Bay-bay!

Yes, that is also a Hurricane Chris reference.  Anyone remember him?  I do.  He was a predrinking friend of mine with my roommate Mary.  Our bedrooms were right next to each other’s the last year I went to school at Mizzou.  And whenever that song came on, like little girls we would scream “Hey Bay-bay!” wherever we were and then proceed to the kitchen for a shot of Goldshlager.  Yes, that’s gross.  Yes it’s true, nothing good ever comes from starting a night out that way.  And yes, my fascination with hip hop lives on.  In case you were concerned. 

So getting away from the nostalgia, this cartoon made me giggle.  Good thing I have that Core Challenge to keep me in check… and I actually like doing pushups.  Of course I’m a far cry from Michelle Obama’s super arms, but hey- I take what I can get.

On an impulse, I bought that book by Michael Pollan, In the Defense of Food, that’s “all the rave” now thanks to Oprah.  I have no idea why.  I also threw in Jillian Michaels The Shread DVD workout so I could qualify for free shipping on Amazon.  Sure I had considered looking into buying it, but I got hit by the shopping bug and just went for it.  So I’ll be expecting those two items in the mail this week.  Hopefully I didn’t just waste my money.  Maybe after this month is over, I’ll be out-of-this-world toned and the healthiest eater you’ll ever know.  Doubtful.  But anything is possible.

Last night as I was in the middle of some random yoga pose, I noticed how crappy my feet look.  I think tonight after my little run and weightlifting session, I’m going to have to take care of that one.  I’m not a foot person, but that doesn’t mean I’m allowed to let them just go to crap either.  My little ladies need some love and color.

Have a good Monday!  I’m doing what I can- turns out less than five hours of sleep does not a happy Amy make.  Go figure.

Surprise Via Snail Mail

Last week, my friend Ashlee asked me for my address.  She had asked for it once before- to send me a Twilight Halloween card (which I kept up until December because it really freaked people out).  So I was curious as to what I was getting this time.  I really love getting mail that doesn’t require tearing off part of it and returning it with payment enclosed.  Well, it came today.  And in the card was a nice note and request for me to be in her wedding!  I said OF COURSE and did a little happy dance in my living room.  I dance in my living room often- just because I like to dance.  This hobby fully developed into what it is today thanks to the “Hit List” music channel provided by my friendly local overpriced cable company.  But anyways, this was a sassier dance than usual in honor of the exciting occasion.  Ashlee is one of my awesome friends from St. E (St. E represent!).  We started hanging out on a regular basis in junior high.  But she’ll never hesitate to tell you stories of elementary school- she swears she was amazed by my abnormally big head when we were five.  I wonder if she really thought it was that big- but either way, I like to think I grew into it if it actually was.  Here’s a pic of us from when we hung out at Mizzou together:

Nowdays, since she lives in Wichita, Kansas (I know, I sometimes feel sorry for her, too.) and I live in Chicago, we mostly go back and forth via text to amuse ourselves.  We’re a little kooky (hence the Golden Girls post), but that’s also why we’re the coolest small town girls you’ll ever meet.  She just recently started blogging about her wedding planning, which you can read about here.   Then you’ll get to see the sassy dress I get to wear! 

This will be wedding #6 for me.  My friends sometimes give me a hard time that I’m becoming Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses.  My opinion?  Hell yeah I’ll be Katherine Heigl- do you know who she ends up with at the end of that movie? Do you?  James Marsden.  Yeah- remember him?  Google that sexy beast if you don’t (just “james marsden”, not “sexy beast”.  I don’t know what would happen if you combine the two.  Please don’t.  Or if you do, it wasn’t my idea).  Get a refresher…  That’s all I’ve got to say about that… they only WISH they could be like me.  Please…

Anyhoo… after all that excitement died down (and I finished up my little jig), I did make it to the gym for weights and work on the Core Challenge  (update today – 230).  I didn’t get to my yoga because a got hit with a migraine later on.  Which sucked- I spent most of the Mizzou/Kansas game with my eyes closed- just listening to us get our ass kicked.  Maybe that was better in the long run- since I didn’t also have to suffer watching the whole thing.  Lame.

And, if you’re at all interested, my slimming down of the pantry is going well.  But I’m getting a little nervous  because my peanut butter stock is getting very very low… I don’t know what’s going to happen when I run out.  I might start getting the shakes…

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.

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.

My Feet Hurt. Part Two.

Before we realized my mistake... all smiles!

Laura and I woke up pretty groggy on Saturday morning.  I was a little nervous about how well I’d get through the night…  But I pushed for us to get moving.  I had to stop by the bank to cash a check.  I needed cash for the night- I hate only having a card when you’re at the bar.  It’s a mess and I’ve had issues with tips, cash only, splitting tabs, etc.  Cash was necessary.  So we did that.  Then, I tried to resolve my camera issue.  We ended up at Best Buy.  $40-50 for a new battery or charger (they weren’t sure what was wrong with it).  I said screw that.  I wasn’t even that big of a Casio Exilim fan anyways.  I’m a Canon whore.  I wasn’t about to put more money into a camera that I only kindof liked.  And, the pics were not always the best of quality.  So, on an impulse and last-minute decision, I bought a new camera.  And I love my new Canon Powershot Elph.  LOVE it.  Even though it wasn’t a planned purchase in the budget.  I’m making room.  I’m always that girl who has the camera stored in the purse.  Always.

Then, we looked for food.  We decided we really wanted salad.  Rockit reservations had been made for dinner and we saw the menu and knew what we wanted.  Something light was needed to balance that out.  Laura and I were in desperate search of a salad bar.  And got more and more frustrated as we visited a few grocery stores in the area and couldn’t find one.  Crabbiness set in.  Laura said screw it and went to Subway.  I said screw it and said I could eat something at home.  Both of us were disappointed.  It was one of those times where you really really want something and have your mind made up- and nothing else will satisfy you.  Or at least we thought so.  Laura got us both a cookie at Subway.  That made us feel better.  Working out also made us feel better.  Laura had been sick for a few weeks and hadn’t really been able to hit the gym, so she was reluctant.  I know how it is when you get out of routine, but I dragged her there anyways.  Afterwards, our energy level was way up.  Of course- Amy always knows best…

At 6:00, Annie came over and we were off to the metra stop.  We chatted it up until the guy came through to check/sell tickets.  Crap!  I forgot to put the cash I got out of the bank into my wallet!  ARGH.  What was even the point of going by the bank?!?!  Annie and Laura yelled at me for being upset about it- said I could hit them back if we didn’t pass by an ATM.  I have awesome friends.  So we continued to gossip some more, getting closer to our stop, and then it hit me- I didn’t have my id.  My id that I took out to cash a check at the bank was sitting right next to the cash I forgot.  Fuck.  I was livid.  Pissed!  FURIOUS.  How could I be such a dumbass?  Annie and Laura were much calmer than me.  Annie called The Central (location of my drink special) to see what we could do.  No luck.  But they did say they could delay the start of the special to whenever we showed up.  I called Jaime.  She was at Market Days.  But luckily, that meant she was only down the street from her apartment.  She was wonderful.  And let me borrow her car.  So we made our way to Jaime’s to turn around in her Beetle 10 minutes later.  Back to Arlington Heights we went.  I argued with Laura and Annie.  I wanted them to stay and still go enjoy dinner at Rockit.  Why should they have to suffer another hour of travel because I was the idiot?  But they refused.  I really do have a good circle of girlfriends.  Otherwise, I would have been bitching myself out the entire drive- probably becoming more and more angry with every mile.  But with them it wasn’t so bad.  I didn’t even mind driving Jaime’s little purple metallic beetle… it was a fun little change.

We got back a little before 10:00.  Let the drink special begin!  $25 for three hours- including various liquor that WAS NOT wells… gross.  While we were on the road, I made some calls and had Laura text people on my phone (hey- I was driving!).  I figured I had contacted almost everyone that I knew might be coming.  Success!  Since we missed our delicious meal at Rockit, we decided to eat at The Central.  As soon as we got there we ordered our food.  Starving…  And Annie ran to the bathroom.  She was a trooper and held it for over 45 minutes so we wouldn’t waste time.  I offered to stop, but she refused.  I have wonderful friends.

Annie broke out the brownies she had made for everyone coming.  She had actually broken out one for me earlier while I was in the middle of my panic attack.  They were delicious.  Carmel in the middle… yum!  When we got there, it was still kind of empty, but people started filing in soon enough.

We took up the entire front corner of the bar.  Friends from college… friends from the NW ‘burbs… friends from work… friends of friends…  Quite a few people!  And we had quite a few drinks- more than necessary.  We took it upon ourselves to turn the front corner into a dance floor.  Even my friend chillin’ on Evian decided to get up to a song or two.  Michael Jackson was heavy on the playlist.  Which surprised me- it’s been a month.  We’ve all had our time.  It’s no longer necessary to play him every five songs- as talented as he may be.  But whatever- I was just happy as long as I could sway/jump around to the music. 

My college friends and work friends seemed to play nicely together.  Luckily, no stories leaked.    Or at least none that I’m aware of…

Pretty much everything went well.  The manager even came up to me at one point and bought a crazy amount of shots for everyone because of the ordeal we dealt with.  Which was funny- because really, it was my fault.  But I thought that was nice.  And he was nice looking.  A winning combination.  My only problem came near the end.  Apparently the bartenders got a little rude to some of us kids with wristbands.  And they cut the drink special a little early.  Apparently the phrase “party’s over” was used right before my friend Annie was walked away from.  I wasn’t aware that was going on- or I probably would have insisted we leave and go to a different bar after the end of the drink special.  People kept coming up to me asking- and I said we should just stay.  There were way too many people to try to gather and move from one location to another.  So we stayed until around 3:00.  Not too many people complained.  The Central is a pretty fun bar.  Music choice is a very random one.  A few times I made eye contact with people and we had looks of, “Is this really…?  Seriously?  Omg, I forgot about this song…. and it has a beat to it…  interesting…”

Annie’s fantastic husband, Steve, had joined us after he was done with work and offered to take us home.  So after the lights went on and we all started getting herded out the door, we walked to his car.  Which, in stillettos, is quite a hike.  Usually I don’t mind.  Usually, the drinks take care of the pain.  But Laura and I did our massive walking tour the night before, ran around doing errands, worked out, and danced for hours- my feet were done.  But I didn’t say a damn thing.  I was grateful for the ride and wasn’t going to whine.  But once I sat in the car, I sighed a sigh of relief.  My feet were crying on the inside. 

One last test of endurance came when we pulled up to my apartment door.  There was a skunk.  Laura and I had to run.  We were not skunked.  But it killed my poor feet…

It turned out to be a good night.  I have wonderful friends.  Maybe being 24 won’t be so bad?

Who’s the Boss here?

Saturday plans (for my birthday) started out innocent enough.  We were going to a restaurant with a view on State street, then Venetian Nights (which I am a little sad I missed out on- but I’ll catch it next year).  Then, my friend called.  He was in town for his other friend’s birthday and wondered if Jessica and I wanted to do dinner and drinks.  I informed him it was my birthday weekend and I had visitors from out of town.  He said to invite them, too- the more the merrier.  Imagine how excited I was when he said our reservations were at ZED 451- I had seen this place on one of my many days playing around on metromix.  It looked crazy good…

We decided to take the Metra down again.  Sarah and Beth were really becoming pros- they had taken it down on Friday while I was at work and had spent another day exploring the city.  Lucky them- their teacher discounts got them a long way!  We arrived at Ogilvie and I had decided well before we got there we would cab it to our destination- we were all in heels and walking from bus stop to bus stop would not be ideal.  Lets be realistic about that one.

Our reservations weren’t until 8:15, and we got there pretty early.  From deductive reasoning, I assumed the drinks at ZED 451 would be a little pricey, so we decided to stop in the little pub a couple doors down and have one there as we waited.  Everyone else arrived shortly, and we joined them on the rooftop of the restaurant for a drink or two.  Then on to dinner… yummy.  I loved it.  Especially all the different selections of food to choose from- I had a little of everything!  My favorite had to be the salmon (not surprising).  We took our time with dinner and drinks there- it was good to catch up with my friend and for everyone to get to know each other.  The restaurant called a little party bus for us to ride to Crobar- the next destination. 

The Four-Man Wolf Pack for the Night!

Our driver got a little lost.  It was unfortunate.  But we took it all in stride.  As soon as we got to Crobar, we didn’t even wait for the bottle service to be set up.  16 shots were ordered.  Catching up was necessary.  On most nights, Crobar wouldn’t be my scene.  But Sarah and Beth really wanted to dance.  And the dance floor was a good one.  And I kind of liked it- it was my birthday and I was in a festive mood.  Although I made sure to stay close to where the bottles of Grey Goose were located. 

Underground was our next stop.  And our driver didn’t get lost this time.  But we were all winding down.  It had been a long night.  And there was a large group of us in a somewhat small and crowded space.  We didn’t last long there until it was time to go.  My friend had insisted on getting us a room at the hotel he was staying at so we wouldn’t have to leave early to catch the last metra home.  Us girls didn’t mind at all.  The Park Hyatt is gorgeous.

Once we got there, Jessica and I decided to take a trip out of the hotel to pick up some goodies.  We found a Walgreens across the street.  And we found what we were looking for and so much more.  We sat by a fountain across from the hotel chowing down on M&M’s and watching people walk by.  Two guys approached us looking for the  boss.  I told them I was unaware Rick Ross was in town for the weekend.  They didn’t get it.  I’m glad they stopped to chat.  Jessica and I made them take pictures for us.  Who knew you’d get a good shot not full of people on Michigan Avenue at 3:00 in the morning?

The next morning came too quickly for all of us.  The night had been harder on us than we originally anticipated.  Before we made the trip back to Arlington Heights, we had breakfast at Nomi, the restaurant inside the hotel.  Maybe a poor decision on our part- we were all still dressed in what we had worn the night before (we hadn’t planned on staying downtown!).  Stares were inevitable.  Everyone else looked classy.  And showered.  And possibly ready for church.  We were none of these things.  I did, however, appreciate the breakfast.  The perfect ending to my birthday night out.  I love bacon that much…

The cab took us back out to the ‘burbs so Sarah and Beth could shower and pack up their stuff.  There wasn’t much downtime until we were on the road again to drop them off at the airport.  When they got here on Wednesday, they said they wanted the real Chicago experience and to have a weekend of letting loose.  I think they got it.