News of the Strange

This week has been one of the strangest in recent memory. Like I expected, the weather jumped from spring-y to blazing hot. It's been well into the '90s here with humidity added for extra scorch. I wouldn't mind it so much except I don't have central air in my apartment. This is the first place I've lived (besides a college dorm) that doesn't have central air. We installed a couple of a/c units in the windows, but the other night one of them blew out a circuit. My apartment is weird in that the circuit box is locked away somewhere in the basement and the landlady only has access to it. So, this involved braving the dark and contacting the landlady in the morning. So now we're only using one a/c, which means only one room in the house is cool.

I worked a little this week at the t-shirt place. It's fine and everything, but they kept cutting our hours. Yesterday I worked for two hours and then they set us home. Apparently all of us are working too fast and are getting the work done much quicker than anticipated. Yeah, that's good, but then that means I don't get paid. I guess I shouldn't complain much since it frees my day up a little more. On the days I'm free, I've been trying to hit the pool. The only thing is there's a Pool Nazi. He controls who can and can't have entrance to the pool. He'll tell people it's at capacity when it's clearly not. After making me wait outside the gate for a few minutes, he finally let me in. Going to the pool enables me to get a tan and get some reading done. I've really been trying to read more, but it's hard for me to concentrate sometimes.

To make things even weirder, I'm stunned about Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. I really can't believe MJ is gone. It seems so surreal. I wasn't his biggest fan or anything, but it still saddens me. It's like a chunk of my childhood just died. He was an icon, a musical genius (albeit sorta strange). It's tragic he never got that comeback he was due for. I'm astounded at how much social media has been all over these news items. People on Facebook and Twitter keep posting links to MJ's videos and such. It's getting to the point where if someone posts a non-MJ item, I get irritated because I think everyone should be discussing what happened, not something unrelated.

This week has seen a plethora of open bars. There were like three last night and at least two tonight. It's definitely open bar season. I went to a 3-hour whiskey event last night. Tonight I went to a Red Stripe event. The cool thing was I walked away with free t-shirts and other swag. I finally scored some free t-shirts from work, too. Now I have t-shirts galore! And all for free.

I also scored a gig working Pitchfork. I'm going to help Saucony with some stuff and get paid handsomely for it. I think I'm also getting a press pass for the fest, so it'll be a busy weekend. If I can keep up this sporadic gigs, I might, just might, be able to support myself a little better. I wish I was still getting paid through Myopenbar because then that would be the gravy. I'm beginning to think we're never going to be able to throw parties. Things keep falling through. It's been much harder to get a liquor sponsor and things keep getting delayed. I'm still trying, though.

This weekend I think I'm going to see Vanilla Ice in concert. For real. He's performing at a bar for only $5! I have to experience the train wreck first hand. I'm also seriously considering going to Portland in Sept. for my b-day and a big music fest. I also need to make definite plans to go to MI for a weekend soon. Until I have to really work again, I think I'm just going to read, go to the pool, write, jog, watch movies, go to shows, and attempt to get things done.

Summers in Chicago

Tonight, I went on what I call a booze cruise around the lakefront. For $25, you get unlimited cocktails, food, and beautiful water scenery. Luckily the rain staved off and it ended up being a warm, summer night. Up until tonight, it didn't feel like summer. It's been rainy and cold here, but summer finally popped tonight. Close to where the cruise was, the red carpet premiere of the Johnny Depp film Public Enemies was being held. It made me think of all the times I'd run into movie premieres in L.A. I guess I wasn't too impressed with the Enemies premiere going on, but we rarely see those in Chicago.

Today I was writing a "where are they now?" piece for the year 1999 and it made me a little nostalgic. During that summer, I was living in L.A. I'd just finished up an internship, was taking summer school, and couldn't find a job to save my life. Despite the frustrations and depression I suffered, I had a lot of fun hanging out with my friends. But, that was ages ago. 10 years, in fact.

This is my sixth summer in Chicago. I never thought I'd live through one of them, let alone six of them. Chicago is so alive in the summer, it almost makes up for the harsh winters. Being on the lake tonight reminded me how beautiful the city can truly be.

Summmer of 2004
I had just moved to Chicago in June. I moved here with the ex-boyfriend and I didn't know a soul. He was busy working all the time, so I spent most of my afternoons discovering the city and writing. The city was so new to me and at times felt overwhelming. It took me a long time to get acclimated to the city and to make friends. In July, I interviewed my first band, Black Dice. I saw Animal Collective open for them at the Empty Bottle (Animal Collective has become so huge. It was then I realized I could see shows for free.

Summer of 2005
Unbeknownst to me at the time, this would become a life-changing summer. At the beginning of the summer, I decided to change jobs. I quit the only salaried and benefitted job I'd ever had to work for a dot.com company. I felt the need to be in a less suppressive environment and around people my own age. It was at this company when I started to make more friends. That summer, the ex-boyfriend and I were going through a rough patch, so we spent a lot of time trying to make our relationship work. Even though I was living with a 40-year-old lesbian, living "on my own" enabled me to work through some of my issues. By the end of the summer, the ex and I got back together, but the ramifications had become too great.

Summer of 2006
This was my first official summer in being single in the city. I'd scored an internship with The Onion and somehow managed to get on unemployment. I begrudgingly moved back in with the lesbian, but I hated living there so much that I spent hours wandering around the city just to avoid her. It's strange to think I lived without a computer and internet. I don't think I could manage to live like that ever again. Once again, my time alone was good for soul searching. I'd go to the beach and sit there staring at the water while listening to my Ipod. For some reason, I didn't have a lot of people to hang out with that summer. In August, I went to my first Lolla ever. Of course that entailed forging my own wristband to gain free entry. Lolla simply blew my mind. The beginning of summer began with the death of a relationship and ended with the death of my father.

Summer of 2007
Two summers ago was probably the most active summer I can recall. I was pretty much unemployed until July when I started working a two month temp job. In August, I started interning at TOC. But in between my work days, I went to my fair share of open bars and parties. I hung out with my friend Theresa a lot. We saw each other practically day and joked that even spending a day a part was too long. That summer, there wasn't a dearth of boys. I found myself entangled in some complicated situations that became quite amusing to me. Once again, I acquired free entry to Lolla and had a blast.

Summer of 2008
Last summer was the first summer the boyfriend and I were an official couple. I suppose it was inevitable we'd get together considering the first time we ever kissed was during a drunken night in July '07. My internship ended last July and a couple of weeks after, I started the same temp job I had the previous summer. Funny how things don't really change much. I spent most of the summer going to concerts and developing a relationship with the boyfriend. In August, I subletted a high rise in the South Loop with an amazing view. The place turned out to be very convenient to attend Lolla. In September, I moved into my current place. Once again, I went to Lolla for free, but this time I got paid to work there. At the end of the summer, a good friend moved away with another one following a few weeks after.

Summer of 2009
This will be my first summer without a couple of good friends living in the city. Somehow their absence has left an unfillable social void. The other day, I realized I've never been on a serious summer vacation. Sure, I've traveled the Midwest and East Coast during the summer months, but I've never taken a long vacation in the summer. This depresses me, so I'm hoping this summer I can change this. I've never been to the Pacific NW, and for some reason Portland seems like a cool destination. We'll see if that trip materializes. I want to go to MI, the Dunes, and so many other places. I want to work (I'm back at the t-shirt place next week) and write and get a tan and just enjoy the city I live in. And of course gain free admission to Lolla.

Work-a-Day

In the past week, I've been working non-stop. I go to work, but when I come home, I usually have writing to do. The work load never seems to end. Getting up at 6am has been pretty rough, but I've found myself being more productive. I get off work at 3pm, but instead of coming home and crashing, I try to stay awake and get things done. It's amazing the things you can accomplish if you wake up before noon every day! I had to work yesterday and I am guaranteed work until Wednesday, then who knows what. The job has been fairly easy, but takes some concentration. Basically what I do all day is fill t-shirts orders that are shipped all over the world. I'm always amazed how many shirts are being shipped to Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. How do these countries know about the company? I'm on my feet all day constantly walking around. Sometimes I get to pack the orders, which at least lets me be stationary. The job is exhausting, but it's much better than being chained to a computer all day, and I suppose I'm getting good exercise. I can wear whatever I want to work. They blast decent music all day long. Everyone I work with is either in a band or looks like they should be in a band. I think this job is more tolerable than a lot of gigs I've had, but I don't think I could work the early morning shift full-time. I do hope they'll continue to need me after Weds, even if it's just periodically. If not, it might be time to hit the pool and/or beach and start working on my tan. At least I have that to fall back on. I also hope I can get some free shirts out of the deal. I guess anyone can design and submit a shirt. If they accept it, you get $2,000! If your shirt is voted the best of the year, they give you $20,000! Maybe I should start designing shirts. All day long I rack my brain trying to think of cleaver ideas, but nothing has come to me yet. I know I'll never get around to doing it, though.

On Saturday, I went to see a play called "Rock 'n' Roll" written by Tom Stoppard. It was about how Communism took over the Czech Republic in the '60s and how the main character was censored for his love of rock music. I learned a lot about world history through it. I had no idea events like Prague Spring took place. I thought the play was pretty good. It even had a rock-centric soundtrack. I kept thinking how music today isn't rebellious the way it was back in the '60s or '70s. Punk music was pretty radical, but nowadays, people don't protest anything. Everyone plays it safe and I don't know why this is. Have people just run out of things to say? It's a shame, really. Later that night, I went to an air guitar competition. Yes, this is a real thing, and it was pretty awesome: guys dressed in silly costumes performing to rock songs onstage...um, yeah. It was like "American Idol" except a lot more vulgar. I have a friend who is a national air guitar champion, so that's how I kinda got into it. This was the first time I'd ever seen it live. The national champion gets to go all the way to Finland to compete, so it's serious business.

Last week, myself and some of the other Myopenbar staffers meet with a couple of event promoters who we might throw parties with. I really hope it works out. They're already throwing a bunch of events around town and seem to know what they're doing. Now if only we could secure a liquor sponsorship and some definite ideas, we'll be golden. It's just a matter of wait and see what happens, but I'm confident this will be the beginning of a fruitful friendship. I'm not giving up on this yet.

Capital City

Over the weekend, I went to D.C/Maryland to see an old college friend and to attend a wedding. This was my first visit back to the capital in about 2 years. It really didn't seem like I had been away for so long. The boyfriend and I arrived on Saturday afternoon. We flew on one of those tiny jets, and the low-pressure made my head tingle and really upset my stomach. I may have to resort to some Dramamine the next time I fly. It was a sticky, sunny and warm late spring day, much warmer than the weather we'd been experiencing in Chicago. The first thing we did after my friend picked us up was eat pizza at a nearby pizza place. The lunch was good and we all traded dating horror stories. My friend lives in a really nice condo in a questionable part of town. It's centrally located to the Capital and all of that touristy stuff, but if you walk a block down the street, you're in the ghetto. We even saw someone near her place getting arrested. Nice. Later that night, we drove to Baltimore for dinner. The boyfriend had never been there. This was my second or third visit there, but the first since I was like 18 yrs old. I immediately texted a friend who grew up there to see if she had any ideas of cool places to go. Baltimore reminds me of the South Side of Chicago, except with better venues. There seemed to be some cool places in the arty district, but the city itself looked kinda grimy. We picked up her friend and went to dinner at a restaurant known for their crabcakes. Those were probably the most authentic crabcakes I ever had as they were made from large chunks of fresh crab. The dinner came with a lot of food, so we were pretty stuffed. It was pretty late at this point, so we drove back to D.C and went to sleep.

Saturday morning we woke up and went to a great Belgium brunch place down the street. They had celery foam Bloody Marys! And a lot of egg dishes. The entire meal was good, but once again, we were stuffed. The main reason we went to D.C was for the boyfriend's friend's wedding being held in Bethesda, MD. We got all dressed up and went to the wedding at the groom's parents' house. Their house was probably one of the biggest, and nicest I'd ever seen, easily costing over $2 million. Their entire backyard was a garden. I was seriously impressed. I'd never met either the bride or groom, but later on discovered the bride was also from Ohio and had attended the same college I did in Ohio. Small world! This was my first Jewish wedding, and first wedding at someone's house. I'd describe the wedding as both traditional and nontraditional. As the bridal party marched down the aisle, an orchestra version of a popular Journey song played (nontraditional). After the ceremony, they had a cocktail reception with hors d'oeuvres. Instead of having dinner first, they started the dancing before dinner then served dinner which consisted of crab, salad, fried chicken, burgers, fries, milkshakes and corn fritters. And instead of having a typical wedding cake, they had cupcakes instead. They had a well-stocked bar and even a keg. Yes, a keg. That's what I meant by "nontraditional." I think if I ever get married, I'm going to have a very nontraditional wedding. There will be a tater tot bar with toppings and an indie rock band. The evening ended a few hours later, and the boyfriend and I managed to find our way back to my friend's place.

This morning, we realized our flight was leaving earlier than expected. I suppose we should've checked what time our flight was actually leaving instead of assuming. Luckily, we made it to the airport in time. One thing I really like about D.C is their Metro. It runs smoothly, always on time, never any construction, etc, unlike Chicago's transit system. Chicago should take a cue from them. I always have fun in D.C, but like every trip, it's never enough time. I've seen most of the touristy stuff, but would like to go back and spend more time wandering around the Mall, check out some of the music venues, etc. It was really good to see my friend and to attend the wedding. I missed a pretty cool music fest over the weekend, but the trip definitely was worth it. There are always so many people to visit, but not enough time. Hopefully another 2 years won't pass by until I get out there again. Now I just need to visit friends in L.A, N.Y, Nashville, KY, etc.

Tomorrow morning, I start that temp job. I'm not looking forward to getting up at 6am. Not one bit. My former roommate finally moved all his stuff out. Now we don't have a couch or chairs, but there's a lot more space now. The boyfriend finally has what he's calling a study. As of right now, I don't have any other travel plans set for the summer. Festival season is in full gear, so maybe I should concentrate on that for a while and just enjoying Chicago's summer. Well, at least until my wanderlust kicks in again.

Memory Lane

Over the weekend, I went home to OH. My mom sold my childhood home and wanted me to take a bunch of my stuff back to Chicago. I really hate the idea of owning a lot of stuff, so that's why it's been nice to have stored it in her house. I much rather live like a gypsy than own furniture and stuff. I went home and rummaged through 31 years of memories. I kept asking myself why I kept some of my crap for so long. I guess the older I get, the more I want to shed my material possessions. Less is better. But I worry someday I'll regret tossing out some of my treasures. It's interesting to see how much I've changed in the past few years. I ended up throwing away all of my old movie posters. I guess I thought one day I'd frame them and hang them up in my mansion, but that's never going to happen. Besides, I don't really need an American Pie poster anymore. I used to be such a pack rat. I found about a hundred greeting cards I'd received over the years, including one from my orthodontist. I mean, why did I save that? It made me really sad to go through all of my old stuff, especially sifting through letters my dad wrote me and pictures I took on vacation. I have boxes of photos of cats and California. It's weird to think most of my adolescence was spent with kitties and on the ocean but now both are seriously lacking from my life (sure, I live within mile of a lake, but that's so different than an ocean). I'm just amazed how fast time goes. It seems like yesterday I was living in L.A or in high school. Now it's been exactly five years since I moved to Chicago. I never imagined I'd last this long and I keep wondering how much longer I'll stay here. Someday when I'm bored, I'd love to scan some of my old photos and post them on Facebook. A lot of my old friends are on there, so it'd be fun to mortify them. I also found old drawings, paintings and scripts of mine. Why don't I ever draw anymore? I was pretty good. I guess when you reach a certain age, you out grow some things.

At least it's finally summer. I want to make the most of it. There's so many things/places I want to do, I don't know where to start. I want to go to the beach, the pool, The Modern Wing, MI for a weekend, the Dunes, NY, CA, KY, Nashville, see movies and bands in the park, go to Pitchfork Fest and Lolla, drink cocktails al fresco, read books, write short stories etc, etc. I hope I at least accomplish some of these activities.

Last week I was inundated with a big project. I had to write 50, 180 character blurbs about various bars and restaurants in Chicago. It was harder than I thought, especially since I'd never been to most of the places I had to write about. But, it was a good challenge and education for me, and I'll get paid for it. I also got that warehouse job, so I'm starting it in a week. Unfortunately my shift starts at 7am, so that's going to be a little rough on me. Hopefully it'll be something cool and tolerable.

I was thinking today how I'm probably going to be a wayward soul for the rest of my life. I can see myself just drifting from job to job, gig to gig the rest of my life, never finding a permanent, stable job. And you know what? I'm okay with that -- just as long as I can get by. It sure beats the alternative. Maybe I'm just not cut out for a lot of stability. In the past, the universe has forced me to live my life on a whim. This taught me that I can't always be in control. Of course I'd much rather know what's going to happen in the future, I also know whatever comes my way, I'll be able to adapt quickly. I think I'm destined to be a free spirit/non-conformist for a while longer.

Manic Monday

For a Monday, today was a little hectic as I had to juggle a lot of different things. I interviewed for a job to be a warehouse temp for a prominent local t-shirt company. I know working in a warehouse doesn't sound exciting, but it's not your typical warehouse. I'd never seen so many t-shirts in one place. I like t-shirts, so it was like being in a candy store. The office is one of the coolest I've ever seen. It's adorned with video game machines, a ping pong table, and art graffiti on the walls. It'd be a very laid back environment to work in (meaning I could wear ripped jeans to work). Unfortunately the position would only last 2 weeks, but it's better than nothing. I have to pass a background check before they'd consider me. Background checks always make me nervous. I don't have a criminal history, but my credit isn't in the best shape. That shouldn't matter just for a temp job, should it? Anyway, I hope I get the job, even if it's fleeting.

After my brief interview, I rushed home to do a phone interview with my fave band at the moment, Phoenix. They are based in Paris, so I got patched in to them. The guy I interviewed had a thick, French accent, so I couldn't decipher everything he said. I'm very excited to see them next month in concert. They even played "SNL" a couple of months ago, so now I can say I interviewed a "SNL" band.

I'm still trying to get a Myopenbar party together to no avail. We've been talking to some liquor companies in giving us money to throw parties for them. I think this is the only way to do it. I feel like we're on the cusp of getting things together, but we're not quite there yet. There's a lot of interest, it's just nothing has been confirmed yet. I wish it was easier. In the meantime, we march ahead.

Yesterday I signed a year lease on my apartment. I've been subletting since September, so now it's official. This is the first time my name, and my name only, has been on a lease. It feels pretty good to finally say I have my own place. Of course the boyfriend is paying half the rent and such, so it's just not me. My mom informed me today that she finally sold my childhood home that's been on the market for almost a year. She wants me to come home and take some of my furniture back to Chicago. This would entail renting a U-haul in Ohio and driving the stuff back to Chicago, something I don't particularly want to do. I just don't like the idea of owning anything that doesn't fit into my car. I think I'm so used to not owning much, that the idea of owning stuff freaks me out. Then again, I have to grow up sometime. Hopefully all will go well with the apartment. If so, this will be the first time since I moved to Chicago five years ago that I haven't moved every year.

Last week, the boyfriend and I attended the Grand Tour wine event encompassing over 100 samples of wine. I'd never seen anything like it. There were two floors of wine from all over the world. Some of the wine we tasted cost over $500 a bottle. We of course got free tickets, so the event was worth it. After drinking all that wine, I didn't feel so hot the next day. On Sunday, the boyfriend and I went down to Hyde Park to walk around. He showed me his old college haunts and an amazing view of downtown from the vantage of the lake. Sometimes I forget how beautiful the city looks.

I have a feeling the rest of the week might be a bit busy, too. I have writing to do and some events to go to. I'm looking forward to the long weekend ahead, and my neighborhood pool opening. I feel things could conceivably go my way with just a little push. I really hope things work out and fall into place soon because I've been waiting a long time for things to come together.

Summer is Coming

It finally really feels like spring here except for the occasional chilly day. All the rain has helped trees and flowers to grow out of control. I know it's probably going to go from the 70s to sweltering hot in a matter of weeks.

I can't believe summer is right around the corner. I feel like there's so much I want to do. I want to go to the lake, the local pool, the Indiana Dunes, spend a weekend in Michigan at a beach, al fresco dine, go to the new Modern Wing, the Shedd Aquarium (which I have yet to do) and check out rooftop bars, and travel, etc, but there's just never enough time and money to keep up with everything. One of the advantages in living in a big city like Chicago is there's always something to do, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed with my options. Then again, I feel like that about everything in life: books, movies, social activities.

A few days ago, I saw Leonard Cohen in concert. I like some of his stuff, but I'm not quite the fan everyone else is. At 74, he put on a 3-hour show. His stamina was unbelievable. He's also the second oldest musician I've seen live next to Willie Nelson. I went to the show with the boyfriend, his mom, and her friend. This was probably the only time our musical tastes collided. The show was very civilized with our boxed seats. Of course the next night, I went to a concert at club where it was ridiculously hot and where the lead singer swilled beer into the audience. On Wednesday, we're going to this huge wine tasting. Tickets were $200/per person, but I was able to get them for free. $400 worth of free wine tickets! Amazing. First there was Whiskyfest, now this. I hope I don't die at the event.

In a couple weeks, I will have officially have lived in Chicago for five years. Five years! Where has the time gone? When I hit the five year mark in L.A, I moved away. I feel my time in Chicago might be waning. But, I sorta decided to leave L.A because I realized I was never going to accomplish what I wanted to and I had grown sick of it. With Chicago, I feel like I could continue here for a while longer, but I know eventually I will probably leave. I'm getting sick of the city. I'm sick of noisy neighbors, construction, and just the day to day stresses of life in the big city. I have no idea where I'd go or what I'd do, but that's something I need to figure out. I wish I could go somewhere for the entire summer, like rent a house on Martha's Vineyard or in the Hamptons. This has always been a fantasy of mine. I like the idea of going somewhere remote, where there's less stress and more time to relax, but at the same time, I'm afraid I'd get bored of the calmness.

Lately, I've been especially stressed about what to do with Myopenbar. The writers and I have been throwing some ideas around, but have yet to get anything off the ground. I do think we could be successful at throwing parties, it's just we don't know where to start. We all know a lot of people, so it shouldn't be too hard. Sometimes I think it's futile to keep this thing going, but I feel it's my duty to keep it going for the true fans out there and the people who actually use the service. We just need to steer it in the right direction somehow.

Tonight I finally watched the documentary Grey Gardens. It inspired a play and an HBO movie. Those woman were so eccentric yet interesting. I think my biggest fear is I'll end up like one of those crazy women: living in a dilapidated house, single, owning ten cats, and have nothing to talk about except stuff that happened 30 years ago. Please, oh please, don't let that happen to me.