Post St. Patty's Day

Being in Chicago on St.Patty's Day is a frightening affair. It's the only time of the year when bars open at 7 a.m. enabling people to start imbibing that early. It doesn't make sense because if you get wasted that early, you will be passed out on the street by noon. Yesterday I witnessed a bunch of these drunkards stumbling around the city. Here are a couple of interesting things that occurred:

• On the train, a guy literally threw up everywhere. A half filled train and myself observed this incident. It was only 7 p.m. Hey buddy, that's what you get when you start drinking so damn early!

• At a bar with my friends, a guy named Bob from Springfield, IL invaded our inner circle. He was already very wasted but then proceeded to order 3 bottles of beer just for himself. He was a nice guy, but as my friend remarked, he was like a stray puppy you can't say no to. He then deemed me the "chosen one." Hmm, interesting. Wherever you are now Bob, I hope you made it back to Springfield alright.

• On the way to the suburbs yesterday, I drove on a toll road. The toll booth operator kind of hit on me caressing my hand a little as I gave him the 80 cent fee. This had nothing to do with St. Patty's Day but nonetheless odd and creepy.

Last night I saw Ex Boyfriend's play and it was really great. Funny, sad, angry, etc. My friends really liked it, too. Who would've thought he'd actually amount to anything? That he would become some sort of success? It's not to the point where he's going to quit his day job anytime soon, but still very impressive. Sometimes I think I should get back together with him because it'd be easy, but then a little voice inside my head says you can never go back, you can never go back. I will listen to the voice. Since breaking up with him, my love life has been an endless string of train wrecks resulting in exploding infernos with debris thrown everywhere and sometimes involving security guards. I don't if this occurs because I pick the wrong guys or if I unconsciously sabotage my relationships. Maybe a little from column A, maybe a little from column B. Maybe this is a sign I should be utterly alone. I should become a nun. I should just focus on the positive like my projects because they don't involve guts splattering everywhere. I think I worry too much.

The longer I live in Chicago, the more I begin to realize how truly small the city is. Everyone is connected. It's like 6 degrees of separation. Social networks like Myspace help connect people or at least make you realize you know have mutual friends. It's a beautiful thing, really. I love how everyone is connected. I've had a couple of those connected realizations recently.

I have tentatively decided to enroll in some French classes. I really need to re-learn French, and since Frenchie is encouraging of it, I'm going to do it. I've also decided, if possible, to start saving some money for my impending trip to France later in the year. It'd be awesome to visit Paris and party on the French Riviera. I am making this a new goal of mine. I need to get a passport. And who knows, maybe I'll become fluent enough in French to write for some French publications someday. One step at a time, though. Frenchie simply makes everything better. What a guy. I just look at his beautiful face and my serotonin level immediately increases.

This week I'm hoping last week's issues will be resolved, and I won't piss anyone off in the upcoming week. Easier said then done.