Running errands

After doing a whole lotta nothing yesterday, it was good to put on grown-up clothes and go outside to get some stuff done. Like visiting a Wachovia ATM, which I have learned to live without since moving to Chicago. Nice to be able make deposits directly, instead of having to mail them and wait for them to arrive and get posted. Hit the post office. Dyed my hair/turned the tub a nice shade of navy. And taught the Dude some tango.

He didn't have to lay it on so thick! He wanted me to show him some tango, because he saw some in a play he was working on, and thought it was cool. I'm sure the neighbors were confused, but it was pretty cool. He's a quick study with nice rhythm. So much better than monster cha-cha.

Currently, I am slowly depositing my accumulated stuff in the trunk of my car, and raiding the house for TP, tissues, cold meds, and food. It's like grocery shopping, only better, because it's free! And I wait for the Steak Hour.

on iTunes: "Dark Come Soon" - Tegan and Sara

My fashion sense

In the post-Christmas fashion shows, returns and trades, I have discovered my unique position in the fashion spectrum. Generally, I go for the wash-n-wear look. T-shirts, pants with pockets, clean socks and underwear. The common element is black, but I am willing to do some crazy things with colors.

As the oldest of several girls, I have become accustomed to the "collective closet" concept. Not necessarily voluntary, but if I need to borrow a coat, or someone needs a formal dress, we can consult the closets. In Christmases past, if something didn't fit, you could trade it or return it. This Christmas, when the pants for one sibling didn't fit, I became the happy owner of some new black cargos. The only funny part was that these pants were originally purchased for my little brother. *snerk*

(as a toast connoisseur, he helped me test my newest appliance)

Also mildly disturbing, the fact that my fashion sensibilities largely match those of my 11-year old goddaughter. She had some awesome black pants covered in pockets and zippers, a t-shirt and mismatched, but clean socks. I guess it is only appropriate that I basically wear a training bra.

This is the same 11-year old who totally schooled me at Guitar Hero. It was shaming.


But otherwise, I made out. The socks-n-underwear elves did me well. And now I have a wider selection of leisures to contribute to my scholarship stylings.

on the phone with GEICO/DMV. Grr.

the Quiet after the storm

After a non-stop Christmas day, it's nice to be doing boring stuff like balancing my checkbook, or listening to The Godfather (so Christmasy).

Woke up yesterday on another couch, padded upstairs, and the frenzy began. Santa decided that I was low on panties and kitchenwares. Admittedly, I asked for a blender, needed some knives and the toaster is pretty spiffy, but after seeing a pile of big boxes, it was a bit of a letdown. But I also got some leisure pants and tango stuff.

Mass was really over the top. Too much pretention for such a small space. Sat in front of the organ, trying not to look surprised every time the organist really opened it up. The priest sang the gospel and an altar boy nearly passed out from all the incense.

Dim Sum, while tasty, was a bit of a bust. There were too many people and too little food. You could really see the survival instinct come out as we all huddled over the kill, hissing at strangers who tried to get in between us and the steam cart.

Did family presents. My siblings got me a digital camera! Woot! There will be pictures. At this point, mostly of kittens at my aunt's house. They are so excited about the Christmas tree shaped jungle gym that is decked out in a variety of cat toys to bat at.

Everyone conked out on the drive to NJ, where my brother generously lent me his shoulder to drool on. And I made it back to the grown-up table this year!

Now I fight the temptation to wail on some Guitar Hero or Wii-DDR, and do work. Or watch Godfather.

Christmas visions

1. Riding the train on Thursday and Friday, I was really impressed by how merry everyone was. Girls in reindeer antlers, general air of frivolity. It was refreshing to see that in a crowded train in the city.

2. Finishing my Christmas shopping at Kroger in Athens, I got the funniest look. It wasn't until I got in the car to drive to Charlottesville that I realised what was so funny. It was 9.30AM, I'm wearing my pre-coffee scowl, with a 6-pack in one arm and a can of Spam in the other hand with "Most Wonderful Time of the Year" playing in the background. I must have looked like some grumpy alcoholic - Merry Frikkin' Christmas!

3. Killing some time while I got tires today, I scurried across 29N to the mall. There was a long line of kids to take pictures with Santa. Who looked positively drunk. Not that I would blame him, but drooling on infants is usually a little awkward.

Currently, I am hiding and trying to shake off the grumpy-pants before Christmas morning.

Just in time

Looking at weather.com, it looks like I got outta Chicago just in time. I left on Saturday afternoon, after getting all the last minute things done (stocking up on pancake mix and beer I have only found in Chicago), scratching my head at the oddly warm (50+) weather. As a direct result of this warm weather, I was not wearing my coat, which is currently hanging on the back of some girl's door in Chicago. Curses! I discovered this somewhere in Indiana as I put gas in the car and thought, "I'll just put on my coat, while I was the windows." Tore up the contents of the car and mini-temper tantrum ensued.

Fortunately, I am slightly ahead of the cold in Virginia. Because about 12 hours after I left Chicago, the winds kicked up, the temperature dropped 30degrees, and a little snow fell. I try to remind myself how lucky I am, but driving through fog, gusts and spitting rain in the mountains of West Virginia made that a little difficult.

But it's still nice in VA, which is good, since I have variations on the theme of jacket until I get to El Fam. And just when I thought my shopping was done, I still have one more present to buy. A new set of tires for my neglected little Civic. I love her, but I can't afford to care for her in the ways she deserves. If there was a Car Protective Services, I would probably get a phone call.

Blue Man Group

ROCKS!!!

Getting my party on

For a Wednesday, my evening was hoppin'!

Got home, chilled out and watched some SVU. Then I headed out to a holiday potluck with festive chips & salsa. There isn't alot of party food, or even suitable for mass consumption food, and the supplies for the very few things I CAN do are back in Ohio. When I got there, the spread was amazing. Stuffed mushrooms, ham & cheese puffs, little toasts with tapenade or cheese & berries. Yummy! There was cabernet savignon and "tapas", so all in all pretty classy. Watched Quicksilver with a bunch of bike messengers, which was special. It's like watching a dance movie with dancers. But what was truly wild was showing up and seeing a girl I had met in a totally different context! It's crazy to think that I have been in Chicago long enough for my circles to start overlapping.

Hopped from the potluck to my last night at Green Dolphin. Which had so many people! I barely had a chance to change out of my boots before I was dancing. In contrast to last week's poor show. Relied alot on my following abilities, which served me well. Although it's usually a swing club, the band played a rumba, which I also do. As I left the floor, one gentleman complimented me as the only person on the floor actually doing rumba (everyone else was doing some weird swing-rumba hybrid). I later danced with him, and it involved lifts! It was pretty crazy, but way fun.

Last night was a total success, even if it did keep me out past my bedtime.

on Pandora: "Flake" - Jack Johnson

Euphonium

Odd, but somehow appropriate.

Walking across the Great Hall at Union Station, I heard Christmas carols. I'm not generally a fan, but at least this was instrumental. It wasn't a cheesy radio or anything, but rather a guy with his shiny silver euphonium. Instead of the usual tinny bell, this Salvation Army guy busted out his euphonium and a book of carols. And it totally worked. It was subtle enough to be inoffensive. And something about the slightly deeper tones of the instrument worked well in the Great Hall, with all the space and marble.

on Pandora: "Changes are No Good" - The Stills

Antsy in my pantsy

This sucks. I am ansty and bored. It's a bad combination. Because it's hard enough to amuse myself when I'm just bored. Sitting still offers a few more options for diversion. Not wanting to sit still makes it tricky. Also annoying - it's not like I don't have things to do. I have a few articles and a book to read. I have a sourcebook to compile. And a phone to answer.

Being bored makes me hungry. It's very taxing, ya know. Fortunately we don't have the holiday spread to pick at. It also makes me aware of how early I got up this morning, and how much I would have liked to sleep another couple of hours.

I think I need to take a walk or something.

And for all this antsy (I wouldn't call it energy or jitters, it's an animal of its own), I kinda want to bail on the Holiday potluck tonight and just loaf around.

mef.

on Pandora: "Chocolate" - Snow Patrol

Tango bust

In the past couple of weeks, I have decided to augment my tango readings with some live events. Bingo-tango last week, and a practicum or two this week. Besides getting to dance and watch tango, I can talk to people.

After opting for the lazy last Thursday, I got myself together to go down to Ritz Tango Cafe last night. It was fairly close, involved a class, and I knew I could find it. Put on my work clothes, got pissed because I packed the wrong shoes (the tango shoes are sitting in a black bag in Ohio), and drove down Ashland fashionably late.

It was a little coffee shop with all the tables and chairs shoved to the side, revealing a beautiful floor. Subtle lighting and good music. And not a SOUL there! After a minute or so, the owner arrived, explaining that I just missed the crowd, which included more guys than girls (he must have been lying, because that NEVER happens). He wanted me to stay to see if anyone else would show up, but I took it as a sign I should go home, get some sleep. Will try on Thursday.

Now to reckon with the Princess roommate who has added a second bag of trash to her collection in the kitchen, which, despite her promises, has been sitting there for nearly a week. And since she clogged her shower, she decided to use mine. Now it's clogged and there's a pile of nasty she failed to clean up when it finally drained. Grr. That's one thing I won't miss!

on Pandora: "Young Folks" - Peter Bjorn and John

BackBlog: Atonement

Sunday night, I was having a moment and was really bored with being at my house, so I took myself to a movie.

Bused up to the Landmark, which shows all the arty flicks. Killed some time before the show at the local bookstores. BN had a really sad selection of books I like, but Borders sucked me in. So many art books, and DVDs, and whatnot.

I have been dying to see Atonement for months. And the Golden Globes nominations only confirmed what I already suspected. I love Joe Wright's holistic approach to directing; the trailer looked gorgeous and artfully paced. James McAvoy is tasty. And I covet the costumes. While I haven't read the book, I think the film was excellent. The screenplay and visuals nicely created a secondary narrative, making you sympathetic to more than one character and muddling the protagonist position. Achingly lovely film. Completely recommend.

on Pandora: "Lovefool" - Cardigans

Fizz

Why didn't anyone clue me into this before? There is a swing night, close to my house, that also has a rockin' special on Monday nights! Yeah Fizz!

One of my dance girls was meeting friends there and told me to come with. I googled it to find location, scene, cover, etc. And discovered that they had a Monday special - black angus burger and a beer for $5! What a deal! I got there a little early to indulge my beef tooth. Mistakenly ordered Blue Moon because I have gotten out of the habit of asking for 312. But tasty anyways! The burger was sooo good. Extra bloody, with velveeta. The downstairs bar was pretty cool, kitchily decked out for Christmas with big ornaments and lights. Slightly older scene (almost 30s+) instead of the usual Trixie/Chad crowd.

Upstairs, they had a special event, playing danceable, non-annoying Christmas music. We jockeyed for position to get danced with. In that small of a space, with that many people, there is no good space. I danced a few times, more modified lindy than swing, but still fun. Lots of spins and strong leads.

I am almost regretting today, since by the time I got home and showered, I got 6 hours of sleep, generously. Which, after being spoiled on 9 hours/night, is a bit of a shift. But nothing coffee can't fix. And it was totally worth it.

Now I debate seeing Juno with one of the VG interns or tango tonight. And The Sounds are playing at the Vic...

on Pandora: "Wish I" - Jem

Snow moments

It has been snowing for almost 24 hours now. Steadily, but not heavily. At best guess, I would say there is about 5" on the ground. But it's amazing how this little thing changes everything.

I spent the evening with my cousins, eating some really good Chinese food and seeing Nunsense A-men (extra special, since we're all Catholic). It was very Chicago to laugh in the face of weather to head out for the evening, seeing a show upstairs in a bar. The only thing funnier than singing nuns, are guys dressed as singing nuns. Homegrown production that developed in my cousins' building.

What struck me was the fact that I had to completely clear my car after only 5 hours parked on Paulina. To the point that I made it around the car twice before I realised that it was just being re-covered. The trip back to LP took better than half and hour, as even Ashland was pretty yucky. Ironically, when I drove up earlier, I saw 3 plows but the streets were relatively clear. On my trip home I saw none. But a strange part of me likes driving in the snow. (although not on a highway in rural Wisconsin). I suspect this predilection hides near the part of me that likes driving in NYC.

But I really love the snow. Even when it blows on my pants and quickly melts when I get in the car. It makes everything brighter and softer, especially in the city with all the lights. Also special - Christmas lights covered in snow.

I should be sitting on the couch reading, but all I want to do is look out the big window and watch it snow.

Hashing through the Snow

It seemed like an unlikely thing to see in Chicago, but I saw about 75 hashers running down Fullerton just now. In full Christmas regalia.

OK. Hashing is not a new concept to me, as one of my summer actors a few years ago was a hasher. It's basically socially running. One person lays out a trail, marked by flour or chalk or something inoffensive, and the hashers follow it hither and thither and end up where there is beer. It's the only way you could get me to voluntarily run. And I have never met a hasher I didn't like.

In Charlottesville, this made perfect sense, since there was easy access to a variety of terrain. In Chicago, this was surprising, since it is both flat and urban. And today, snowing. Maybe Athens has a hash club.

Will post pix as soon as I find my cord.

A good Friday

Finally back in a groove, and I love it. Well, not the waking up at 7AM, but everything else. The train wasn't too crowded that early. All so I could get to work on time to my favorite temp gig! Yeah! The only people more excited than me were my co-workers who barely let me in the door before giving me a big hug.

Apparently, I am alot more social than the usual secretary, which makes the Ladies come out of their offices more, and the technicians hang out in the office. It's fun to joke around with these people and dish it out as fast as they do.

Because of the holidays, there was alot of food coming in. One company ordered us lunch! Which was great, since I have been craving me some pizza. And usually I would be extra-thrilled about thin-crust, the cold weather makes me want to dig into a deep dish. I never thought I would think of pizza as seasonal. (The hippies and I ate alot of thin-crust on porches this summer.) Or crave deep-dish. Another group sent a box of chi-chi chocolates. Which brought out the chocolate-snob in me. The exotic flavors didn't really come through (I REALLY wanted to find out what ginger-wasabi dark chocolate would taste like.) Tasty and rich, but not worth $3 per truffle.

Now that I am back in some sort of schedule, I was inspired to get work. Got through an article and a half, and put a dent in my sourcebook. And I just realised that the other article I printed is still sitting in the printer.

Did some train surfing on my way home, although I'm still working on the Loop turns. Riding the Brown line involves 90degree turns, which are a bit harder to compromise. But I have a renewed appreciation for my toes. Sadly, the stop before I got off, I realised that I gave a family of grateful tourists some wrong directions. They were looking for the Mag Mile to look at lights. I told them to go to the Chicago stop and hang a left towards the lights. I could see it perfectly in my head. In retrospect, I mixed my colors and told them Brown line instead of Red line. Both have stops called Chicago, but about 8 or 9 blocks apart. So I feel kinda like a chump.

I'm chilling in my modal pants before a late show, full of pizza and calamari. So good!

Train jokes

Generally, I only use my phone to text or take surreptitious photos when I am on the CTA. However, since I was on the elevated tracks, and my phone actually rang (or rather buzzed), I couldn't resist. It was my MA counterpart returning my call. All play, no business, much to the evident amusement of the other people on the train. I made one guy laugh out loud with the phrase, "What's shakin' bacon?". And I totally called him out on it. Later, as we discussed the merits of chicken and waffles and then chicken and gravy, I made another guy chuckle. Apparently he was from Atlanta, who gave the chicken & gravy his stamp of approval.

Can't say I got all that much done, but I'm glad to see that I could make two people laugh.

Swing bust

Wednesday nights at the Green Dolphin satisfy two of my daily objectives - socialize and move around. Unfortunately, I really accomplished only one of those.

For a change, I got dressed up to go dancing, by which I mean skirt & tights, which in December in Chicago is quite a concession. Drove over and met up with my girls. It was nice to sip some drinks and chat for a while, but it became glaringly apparent that there was not enough dancing to be had. Blame it on the holiday season, or the cold, but there just weren't alot of people out. More accurately, there weren't alot of equal-opportunity leaders. The few guys that were there only danced with the same 2 or 3 women. I was there for over 2 hours and danced once. Lame!

Here's hoping that next Wednesday, people will be so sick of doing their holiday duties that they will embrace the opportunity to go out and have some fun. In the meantime, I am trying to talk the girls into joining me for a tango lesson on Ashland tonight. And plotting more dancing for the weekend.

Bingo Tango

Definitely one of the most unusual combinations works impressively well.

Museum of Contemporary Art has extended hours on Tuesdays, which are free thanks to Target. Every Tuesday, there is a different event. And the 2nd Tuesday is Bingo Tango. This I had to see. AND it was free. Although I was a little tired from my day, I couldn't resist.

About 30 people sat in the cafe to play snarky bingo, each game based on a work of art in the MCA collection. Like pyramid for JP Hutto's "Dogs Dressed Like Men" series. The MC was lively, and there were two bearded guys with the ball cage. Between each dance there was a tango demonstration. After a few rounds, there was a basic lesson. And almost EVERYONE got up to dance! Of course, there were more followers than leaders, so I did the bisexual dancer thing.

It was fun to hang out with playful strangers, play a simple game and watch tango. And I took the opportunity to interview some of the people for my thesis. They were all very receptive to a stranger taking a survey. One of the women at my table said that as a grad student, I needed the coffee mug she won more than she did! The organizer told me how they developed Bingo Tango, which has become their most popular Tuesday series.


It's events like this that make me love Chicago. Because where else would the free day at a museum also be the late day? That hosts such random fun events? That gives out muffins?

Got out at 8PM and just walked up and down the Mag Mile for a bit. It had mostly stopped raining and was above freezing, and Chicago is possibly my favorite walking city.

Just when I almost gave up on this Chicago adventure, it all turned around!

on the tube: more SVU

Impromptu playdate

My plans for the day changed about 3 times in the course of 20 minutes this morning. And I think I ended up with a good day.

I woke up at 7.30, since I was on-call for one of my agencies. And sure enough, I got a gig. I got dressed in my grown-up clothes when I got a call from the OU playwright I had coffee with last night. His flight was canceled, and he was looking for someone to play with for a few hours. I felt bad, since I was heading out the door for a job. But I got buzzed on the other line. The gig fell threw. Again. I freakin' hate that! However, it did free up my day. Once my friend was on the train back from O'Hare, I got a different offer, but by that time, I had a friend on the way, and I was in my play clothes. While I need the cash, I need the soul points of playing with my friends more. And I would hope that if I called someone on the fly, that they would be able to hang out. Karma.

So we lounged around the house, both of us having woken up before our usual break appointed hour. Headed over to Clarke's for some brunch, coffee and general bullshitting. Drove him back to O'Hare, and because he held on to his CTA pass, his flight was on-time. Heading back into town, I tried to get my tires checked, but I only succeeded in driving to Andersonville to prowl in my favorite stationery store and other fun stores.

So I didn't make any money, and I didn't get any reading done, but it was a good day.

I have found my calling

In another attempt to find alternate sources of income, I found the perfect job for me.

Being a big city, there are lots of surveys and focus groups. I finally qualified for one. I felt bad for running late, but it was hella far northwest. Fortunately, they dropped me in the next group. To do a taste test for chocolate chips!! Now you are talking my language! And I got paid $25!

It was a nice upturn of a shitty day. Another day without work, so I got domestic and tried to be productive. But I kept getting thwarted. The dryer wouldn't restart. My princess roommate left a bag of trash in the kitchen that she expected me to take out. And I couldn't find anywhere to print a single page invoice. ARGH! And don't even get me started on the rip-off that is GRE score reporting.

But my favorite part of the day wasn't even getting paid to eat chocolate, but my check in with some OU people. One of the playwrights and my favorite people to drink coffee with was in town on the fly. So we grabbed some yummy chai in a tiny storefront north of Boystown. And I talked to the other MA, which made my day. It's weird to be in Chicago and happiest to be talking to my OU friends. Nice to finally have homesickness for something I can actually go back to!

And your final category is "Bad Ideas"

Bad ideas for $200. A kid with heelies scooting down an ice-covered sidewalk. Sadly, I wasn't there to watch him break his butt on yucky snow.

Bad ideas for $400. Jogging on said ice-covered sidewalk in shorts with your kid in an SUV stroller. And I don't care how hairy legs were, although he could definitely give Robin Williams or a gorilla a run for the money.

Bad ideas for $600 (or $50 as the case may be). Accepting a flat rate instead of hourly to proofread a dissertation. Because I REALLY don't like having to justify every comma and rephrase over 12 hours of my Sunday in a crowded coffeehouse. Woog. But at least I have gas money to get home(s).

And now I was SVU until bedtime and hope for a temp gig.

Wisconsin - the post script

I will take it as a good sign that a) they really seemed interested in me and b) I managed NOT to get into a car accident DESPITE crappy weather!

My life in a comic strip

substitute SVU or Scrubs for American Idol, and subtract the scrabble playing. Add alot of black beans and rice.

Wisconsin - the longer version

When I got home last night, all I wanted was a beer and my bed and some SVU. At least I got my bed.

I was finally able to arrange a visit to the University of Wisconsin at Madison. I have been trying to get this done for a couple of weeks now. Being in Chicago and largely unemployed, this seemed like a great idea. Madison is about 150 miles from Chicago, a drive very like the drive between NoVA and Williamsburg. A little rough getting out of the city, sensitive timing, but really easy after that.

I got out of the house with lots of little scraps of paper around 9.45AM, anticipating a 12.15PM arrival, which would give me plenty of time before my 1PM appointment. No such luck. Everything took longer than I expected. By the time I got out of the city, through 4 tolls, and found parking (and a source of quarters to feed the voracious meter), it was 12.45PM. Grr. So I hustled into Vilas, where I just caught the grad students to follow to their class. Which is a good thing, because I never would have found my way through that warren of offices. As it was, throughout the day, I never managed to exit Vilas the same way.

I got to sit in on the Avant-Garde Theatre class, discussing Artaud and Witkiewicz. I know a little about Artaud, especially having taken Absurdism, which seems like the next major genre movement after the Avant-Garde. It was an interesting, if tangential lecture. Headed back to the office to get MORE quarters, skate to meter, forget juice, skate (it was a wee bit treacherous) BACK to Vilas to meet with the head of Graduate Studies and resident expert on Performance and Gender studies. He seemed very interesting and eager to talk to me. Unfortunately, their website is so thorough, I really didn't have a lot of questions for him. Afterwards, I chatted with two of the current PhD students, both women. They were very helpful and candid.

(a view of the capitol from Washington Ave)

By this point, I was STARVED, having only eaten a bowl of oatmeal about 7 hours prior, and dehydrated because I left my juice and water bottle in the car. With a recommendation from the super-helpful grad secretary, I drove past the Capitol, down Washington towards 90/94/39 and stopped at Ella's Deli.

(my booth. comparatively tame!)

It was so fun. Classic deli that loves tchotchke. The food was classic deli - corned beef melt and yummy fries. But as soon as my food arrived it started to snow. Grr.

At least I was fed as I drove home from Wisconsin in the snow. It was a little dicey, because it was largely just flurries and in an early state, but it made it hard to distinguish the WHITE lines between lanes. So I just tried to follow taillights and favor the left until I found rumble strips. I can't say I felt unsafe, but I was definitely glad I had food and water in the car, since I didn't have cell reception. The snow stopped as soon as I hit Cook County, but of course, that's when I hit traffic.

In the end, I saw Madison at less than it's finest - about 10F, with snow all over, lots of construction, etc. I didn't really get a tour of the facilities, but I saw the inside of the offices and classrooms I would probably spend the most time. I still really like the program, which seems like a good place for my interests and talents. They have PhD students actually teaching classes, they require production experience, and they have alot of specialty areas, a large and collegial grad population, and the money to fund 3 years.

But the more I hear about it and seriously approach writing my Masters thesis, the more petrified I become. Is it a bad sign if I already question why I'm doing this?

(I'll post some pix when I get home from work.)

Wisconsin - the short version

I drove to Wisconsin, attended a class, met with people, drove back in the snow. I'm exhausted, but someone drank all my beer.

Late day outings

After spending most of the day in my monkey pants watching an SVU marathon, I finally ventured out. The snow kept starting up intermittently, so I waited until the sun came out for good before walking to get some coffee and dropping off mail. It was nice just to walk around LP. Especially after being holed up for so long. I was really surprised that I didn't get called in today, given the weather.

Being back in Chicago, I got to go dancing at Green Dolphin with my dance friends. They had a demonstration of a Balboa group, which was fun and terribly cute. But it was good to dance, especially with my new shorter hair that doesn't smack people in the face.

1st snow

It's so pretty out! The snow started falling around dark, and it's stacking up nicely. Not the pissy little storm this weekend. We're talking inches. And it makes everything else lovely. Saw a nice scenic moment on my way home - people walking home from the train, past a Christmas tree lot in the snow. When I got off the bus, I got to walk past the soccer field by myself in the city quiet, with the snow falling in the incandescent amber lights, and white uplights by a Gothic dorm.

A nice change from this morning, which was ugly. Between the dearth of temp gigs and the flakiness of my grad interview, I am going crazy. Because when I finally DO get offered a gig, it conflicts with my POTENTIAL interview. Grr. I was called in on a pinch-hit reception gig. I just wish I was paid more than $11.50 for getting there in 30 minutes. And the whole "upper end business casual" is crap. Because a) I don't wear the suit for anything less than $14, and b) the other "girls" wore sweaters and cords.

On an SVU binge before getting back to my applications.

Enjoy this picture!

Not terribly productive

In case the whole lack-of-income part of no temp gigs wasn't sufficiently annoying, it is also screwing up my time management. Because I have ALL day to do things, I really don't do ANY thing. Other than bounce between Scrubs, SVU and other reruns. I do much better when I have limited time, so I structure my day much better.

Today, I went grocery shopping, which involved 2 stores. I had hoped to get all my shopping done at the Dominicks within walking distance, but they didn't have alot of stuff and their milk was already past date. So I headed to Target, which surprisingly is cheaper than regular grocery stores, and they have more options.

And I got my haircut, which is always fun. I got extra head squishies during the shampoo. I was asked to come back for her test-out in a month because I have perfect hair for a bob, but I don't think I will still be in Chicago. But I did feel a little dirty going to Sine Qua Non, instead of Art+Science, where I always had modeled. No more shaggy for me! Although the perma-static might kill that pretty quickly.

Watched a cool PBS special on Chicago food, combining two of my favorite things, and inevitably making me crave a smorgasbord of yummies. It was fun to see the "ethnic" foods that actually originated in Chicago, how different they are from authentic. Also cool - seeing food places I have actually eaten at, either accidentally or deliberately. (Borinquen, Big Al's, etc)

Right now, I am trying to concisely compose my statement of purpose which makes me sound both brilliant and unique in a "let's give her money" sort of way. As I try to ignore my Princess roommate whine to her parents and talk to her friends about dressing up for Broadway and $1300 purses.

on Pandora: "Watch the Days Slowly Fade" - Norfolk & Western

Grad student weekend

The weather was perfect for staying in, which is exactly what I needed to do. Cold, then brief snow, then sleet and rain. And howling wind. Just yucky. So yucky you don't even want to deal with the 2 blocks to get Thai food (which if you wait until Monday is half price!).

Before the precipitation, I made an offering at the altar of Kinko. I suspect I will be making MANY offerings in the next year. Right now, I have a stack of great books from the Chicago Public Library, which, for obvious reasons, can't come home with me. Hence Kinkos. And my Quicken has already asked if I want to make this a regular expense. *sigh* I guess it's better than Clarke's.

Planned on doing some reading at the DePaul library, which wasn't open yet. However, I did get a glimpse of the few, the proud, the Grad students, lined up to get into the library. On a Saturday. During break. In a lame attempt to avoid that fate, I just walked home and basically did the same thing. Lots of reading, starting my UW app, and of course, lots of facebook diversion. Like joining "UVA wouldn't exist without W&M" and the subsequent Hoo bashing.

Looks like more of the same today. Maybe a trip up to Evanston for some Hackney's, which supposedly has some of the best burgers in town.

Hmm. Ramen or black beans and rice for lunch....