Sorry...

I'm swamped at work and this is my only computer access. I can't even answer my phone—it's that crazy busy for me. This'll go on for the next couple of weeks, too. When I get a chance I will update here, but if you know me, and want the update, call me at night. Have a good weekend!

Gravel...

This is a baby deer I saw just before finishing the eventful Labor Day bike trip. It was a really sweet ending to a not-terrible-but-still-sorta-foiled plan.

I did too much this weekend, and now I am sick. Maybe it's allergies; I have heard there is something treacherous in the air but I'm not sure — this is really bad. I can't talk or go for a full 10 minutes without coughing, blowing my nose, or sneezing, and I've got that pretty watery eyes, dry lips, and always about to drool thing going on, too. Looking lovely is especially easy today with my trademark chin cold sore. Nice.

On Friday, I ran, swam, and worked for a few hours (we technically had the day off, but that never works for me). Then at night, I went to see Anders Parker (used to call himself Varnaline) in an early show at Schubas (very few people attended - I felt bad) but it was a good show. I got in free but I bought his last CD, so: no guilt. And the record is lovely.


Next, I went to the late birthday celebration for E., above, who had some deal at the bar where we had gone a coupla months ago for a play and karaoke. It was fun - his friends are super nice, and the place was odd in a good way, but I quickly hit my three-drink limit (I forgot the name of the delicious drink I had - it tasted like a Jolly Rancher) and headed for home on my bike. On the way, S. called from the Abbey pub where she was hanging with a visiting friend (the one I wanted to make out with after Pitchfork) but he was really busy, and no one was talking to each other, so I watched the end of the Stereo Total show (and loved it! WHY have I never seen them live before?!) and then left. I was zonked. Lois needed a walk.

The next morning, I went to the farmer's market and then had my last, fabulous swim at the park district pool until September 24. They're closing for cleaning, and I'm hoping I survive... I'll have to figure out an interim plan.

Then it was time for the Lynda Barry "Writing the Unthinkable" workshop, which was SO. KICK. ASS.! It's my second time doing it, and this time was just as mind-blowing in different and the same ways as the first. It is amazing. I encourage every single person who might happen upon this crazy blog to TAKE THE WORKSHOP when it comes to your town. You will not be sorry. It will be held again in Chicago in January, and you can sleep on my couch for it.


That night, Hedley and Lois got together at the park for a while, and then I went to see M.'s new place and was struck by a) his excellent taste and b) the fact that I haven't seen him in a really long time and I was actually nervous and awkward around him. I was only there for 2 minutes, to drop off a little housewarming basket, but it felt just filled with weirdness. I don't know him super well in real life, I guess. And he is really handsome. It might be hard to be friends with someone so hot. Then, P. (in town from New York for a wedding! Yea!) and I had dinner and caught up. It was SO great. It's fine to talk on the phone and email, but there is nothing like the in-person hangout with an old friend.

The next day was day 2 of the workshop, so in the morning I took Lois for a LONG walk and made a blueberry pie for R.'s barbecue that night. That was fun, but mellow. I had to bathe Lois (always a pain in the ass) because she rolled in somethin' stinky, but now she is super soft.

At the barbecue, R. and L., above, and I planned our 37-mile bike ride the next day, along the North Branch Trail of the Chicago River to the Botanic Garden. The picture above is after our picnic when we got there. Don't they look great? Below, at the garden, R. talks to his girlfriend the mallard at the waterfall. I don't know what they were saying.


Well, the ride itself was great even though the dumb forest preserve decided to tear up the paved path for about 1/3 of the mileage - so we rode a lot on bad gravel (which terrifies me from a childhood trauma). One point was totally impassable, so we had to reroute on the street. But we made it. The tragedy came on the way back, after our Ice Cream truck stop (thank god), when I heard "Fssssssssst!" and L. shouted from behind me, "Poptart! You're FLAT!" and that was it. She and I walked about 3 or 4 miles (but who's counting) and R. rode ahead to get the car and we met at about 7 miles in and drove home. I guess my fear of gravel is somewhat vindicated, but jeez. Next time I gotta pack the right equipment.


Remarkably, it was still fun. R. and L. are great, and we made a good team. I love the picture of R., below, because he's known to not always be a Happy Boy. I think he was yesterday.

Buster

I just have to say that I love the guy that plays Byron "Buster" Bluth. Love him. He's hilarious. Especially in season 1. So flipping funny. I'm almost done with the series on DVD, and it will make me sad to say goodbye to all those ridiculous Bluths.

Also, I am TOTALLY boy-crazy now, and may need to start going to evil meat-market-type bars (I'm thinking I should at least go to the suburbs so no one will know me) and try to take up drinking again, though it never really "took" when I tried this spring... NAHHHH - I wouldn't really do any of that.

But, my last internet dating site subscription is finally expiring in two days, and I can't tell you what a relief that will be. It has caused me nothing but the complacent annoyance of thinking I am out there doing something when the reality is that a) I'm not actually doing anything by being on there; no one contacts me anyway and b) I have not met anyone new through that site since the dating iditarod. (Well, one guy, on email only.) And you know what? ALL those guys turned up duds. Though I did get two makeouts out of it; that ain't nothin - but it's next to nothin. AND that was 2 months ago! Jeez.

Seriously.

OK also, work is getting really busy, and I get paid so very little that this is the time when I wonder what the hell I am thinking staying here. Then I sign up for my free "Golden Country" class and wear my jogging clothes to work (all sweaty, for a meeting if I want), and leave in the middle of the workday for a swim, and I forget all the bitterness for a couple of hours...

And I am sitting at my desk enjoying a glass of chianti while I do some data entry and phone calls. Hmm.

Been gone so long

This is my friend and colleague C's backyard pool in the suburb of Glenview, where she and her husband allow all of their riff-raff friends to congregate, lay about, swim and grill food every Sunday in summertime. Yesterday was the second time (and last) I've made it out there this year, and it was perfect. My friend R and I rode our bikes all the way out - a 2-1/2 hour roundtrip ride on the forest preserve trail, complete with deer sightings and bug bites. Ah, summer.

It's so hard to blog from work, and as you kids must know by now, I don't have a computer. I am actually busy much of the time at work, plus, I realize I've been spending my wasted work time in the past coupla months emailing my friend M, and since he hasn't emailed today, I am taking the free time to post here, quickly.

I'm doing OK. I'm trying to come to terms with some stuff. I want to meet someone and that's not happening, and am having a bit of money worries - not pressing but definitely lurking, and I just need to make some decisions.

Fall is a portentious time of year for me. It's even more of a "New Year" time than January is, and that means mixed feelings.

The good news is that I'm swimming every day (well, a min. of 5 days a week). I'm doing other stuff - the gym, running every once in a while, biking everywhere, etc. in addition to the swimming. It's good. It's keeping me from getting really depressed, which is great. I haven't lost weight, though, which is frustrating, but I do look pretty good, if I do say so myself. I've also been making a lot of my own food (rather than buying pre-made stuff), trying recipes, taking vitamins, etc.

The bad news is the pool is closing after this week for 3 weeks, so I am not really sure what I am gonna do about that yet. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted on this very important life change. It'll make my schedule even harder to manage, I'm sure - my current pool is a block from work and I go for my lunch break. Traveling anywhere just to swim or work out in the city is a total pain.

Another thing that hasn't been happening (besides the making out, which is driving me BANANAS!!) is that I haven't done the massive housecleaning I have been promising myself for - oh, 37 years or so... I am too busy walking Lois or something, or watching Arrested Development, which is possibly the funniest show ever. Not sure why I can't push the cleaning into high gear, seeing as it'd do nothing but help my life, but I have been slowly giving away clothing that no longer works for me, which is fun. Next, I gotta sell a few things on Craigslist, like my old derby skates. I have long acknowledged that I was not cut out to be a roller derby girl, so why hold on to the speed skates?

If picture posting wasn't such a time-suck, I'd put up some more pictures with this post. Blogger, I wish you'd make it easier to upload and place pics!

Neeeeext!

Ok, so we did it. I helped put on/put together this crazy event last night in the park and we broke our Guinness World Record and had a fabulous, excellent time. Everything worked, worked out, and people thanked me and smiled a lot and there was much hugging, even from my executive director.

But now I don't have anything on the horizon for a while - I mean, of course I have the usual stuff, like teaching my classes, taking my classes, and work, and the upcoming things on my calendar (yea! a gynecologist appointment, molar filling, volunteering for another festival in Sept., etc.) - but nothing really special.

And, mainly, no one really special. No prospects, even. That fact is deeply depressing. I had one of those cathartic late-night, hour-long, dog-walk cries about it on Monday night, and I do feel much better since then, but the fact remains: I am not meeting people here and I've now been here for 10 years, and maybe I'll have to move somewhere else to make that happen for myself. It's weird to have something so dependent on luck be a major factor in my happiness, but that's the way it goes.

So, I'm gonna start really getting rid of stuff in an effort to be move-ready if I can find a place and a job to go to.

The sad thing is, I love it here in Chicago. It's just that Chicago, clearly, doesn't love me. And I guess I should go where I have a better chance at finding someone.

Neglect

An interviewer I don't know, the Tim guy from Polyphonic Spree, Perry Ferrell, and Ted Leo at Lollapalooza Friday. And yes, Chicagoans, that's Jim DeRogatis's head.

Things I've been neglecting lately:
• My job and the people and data I manage
• My physical fitness* and arm transformation project *(beyond just the swimming)
• My messy apartment, desk at work, and teacher shelf in the art room
• My poor sweetybone pooch
• My $525 ticket from the City
• My $3000 bill from the IRS
• My scary-sounding car that needs an estimate, at the very least
• The friends I don't see at work or elsewhere
• This blog

The SPIN tent. My home for 2 days.

What I have been doing instead is:
• Working my ass off while at work on a CRAZY project/event we are doing that I volunteered to produce
• Thinking too much about a person I really shouldn't
• Adjusting to a new roommate, W (will give more details later)
• Trying unsuccessfully to deal with not having a computer at home
• Realizing I really can't go over 3 drinks per night, or else I will find myself with bad random bruises and a beat-up bike, and no memory of certain conversations
• Bartending at Lollapalooza's media area in a Southern Comfort - "SoCo with Lime!" - promo with SPIN magazine

The view I had for Spoon at the end of the evening on Saturday. Thanks T for leading me around.

Quick weekend update

This is my nephew Jake at some Golf Junior Amateur golf tourney with my bro-in law who works for USGA.

FRIDAY: Honky Tonk Happy Hour at the Empty Bottle. Rode bikes down with friend L (Hedley's mom), in from Madison. Rode back and had dinner with L and R. R cancelled on our ride for Sunday. Erg. Went to S's, let dogs play, tried to go to Mom's condo but there were no parking permits so had to take dog and go home at midnight.

SATURDAY: My car is officially undrivable. Cleaned apartment, cursed current lazy roommate. Took Lois to Mom's. walked with dogs in Lincoln Park, went to dinner with Mom, brother and sister and law. GREAT! Went to wonderful concert - The Swell Season. Went to bar after with friends H, S, A, R - L joined us. Then S & L and I went for pancakes at 2am. I am eating too much, not sleeping enough.

SUNDAY: Taught today. I have no roommate for August, so I will be broke. I will not be going out — just cleaning, and doing pushups, because my "good arm" project is starting NOW. Going swimming.

Over and out.

Perfect Day ingredients

There are 7 of them:

1) The email thing from the last, pathetic post was just a dumb email thing - messages bouncing back - no outright snubbing, no nothing. All that sugar taken in for naught.

2) My PMS officially ended this morning, so I knew it'd be a good day (and yesterday's candy fest made so much more sense).

3) Swam today. Lane to myself for most of it.

4) A 2-1/2 year old came to my art class today who had been in my class last session, had then switched to a different day (and teacher) and came back to me because he and his mom liked my class and they both told me they missed my class. SO CUTE! I don't know, it's not a big deal, but the little things like that make me happy.

5) The kindhearted woman in IT came up to me today and said she was able to save everything from my laptop. She won't be able to do anything with it for about 3 weeks, but it's ALL THERE: my itunes, my pics, everything. I am seriously buying her flowers.

6)I'm going out with the work girls for margaritas and guacamole tonight. Yipeee!!!

7)I forgot to mention that I got 2 lawn tickets to Wilco's Millennium Park show for Sept. Wahoo!

oh no!

I don't know what happened, but my email pal M, the best new person I've met in a long, long time, has suddenly stopped emailing me. I know he's been online with time to kill twice today, because he was on and off of myspace, and I've even sent him the "are you offended by something I said?" email, and I still haven't heard back. He's usually emailing me about 10x a day. This feels so sucky. It's amazing how one little thing, one person who I didn't even know about a month or so ago, can have this devastating an effect on my mood.

Wah.

I am eating red licorice like there is no tomorrow. Maybe there isn't.

Post dancing fever

Here's a lovely pic for you. S took it - thanks! And I SWEAR to god I wasn't the least bit drunk.

bad, bad me

Nope, don't get too excited; I didn't whore it up or anything this weekend. I just blew off work all week/weekend, and now I am here in the middle of the night rushing to enter a bunch of stuff into our computer system before the morning hits. So it's really late and I'm losing it sorta, and a friend sent me the link to the most hilarious internet show (next to Planet Unicorn, of course) called Clark And Michael. It was too flippin' funny to stop watching...or maybe I was just procrastinating.


SO: this weekend was pretty great. Friday night I just stayed in - after attending the summer camp kids show at work (so cute! see guitar kids above). Then I swam Saturday, then hung out with my friend A for lunch and a pedicure (fancy! girly!), bought some junk at Target, and then went with S to this private party for the Chicago rock club Metro's 25th anniversary. It was fun - lots of good people, some food, and an open bar - plus, the place looked better than I've EVER seen it, but the BEST part which I am still in awe about was the long, amazing DJ set by Peter Hook of New Order/Joy Division - I have never had so much fun dancing!! He mixed in a ton of New Order "hits," and the grown-up 16-year-old Poptart was seriously in heaven. It was like a little teen Poptart's dream come true. I danced totally crazy and 80s and so did everyone else. Luckily my friend knew just about everyone there (she was the one who was actually invited to the party; I was just her date), so when I went off to the dance floor for hours on end, she didn't even notice me missing. Until the end, when I disappeared for about 1/2 hour at the end of the night - the owner invited all the guests to dance up on the stage and it was hilarious and so much fun.

There were some cute fellas dancing too - but I am so bad at dancing with other people in that 80s freeform (or really any) style, that this cutiepie guy in a felt-lettered homemade t-shirt that said "Make Out Not War," who kept coming up to me and trying to dance with and talk to me, probably thought I was blowing him off. Actually, if I'd had just a couple more drinks, I would have taken him up on his shirt — I was this close as it was. He was cute and funny and you gotta love a guy that dances uninhibitedly. And he wasn't too young...

But I drove Sat. night, and as you know I am very socially awkward, so, there were no makeouts for me this weekend. I did kiss Peter Hook on his scruffy cheek, though, but sadly it was not captured on camera as intended. I'll post some pics from the party here or on myspace if S sends them.

M and I were gonna go to a Hitchcock movie tonight, but he called while I was downtown stage managing my first show in Millennium Park (it went well - was fun and all-around a good time) and cancelled - which is fine, though I would've liked to do something with him (and actually wouldn't mind hanging out with him all the time), but I only had 4 hours of sleep last night and now I have time to do this work. It all works out for the best, right?

Oh, and DG was at my laundromat this morning. I went to change my stuff from the washer to the dryer, and there he was. We said hi and stuff. I can't really talk to him, though. He's so old-bad-choices-Poptart. I better semi-seriously date someone else this summer, though. I'd hate to have that joker be my only 2007 man.

OK I have to go. My eyes are bloodshot from this screen (but my hair, oddly, looks quite good) and I have to go home, walk Lois, then sleep, get up, walk Lois and swim all in a few short hours.

Quickie

Here's my concrete picnic with W (date #3; that's his knee) where we were among the 15,000 people at Millennium Park for the Decemberists + Grant Park Symphony show on Wednesday.


The concert was just OK, it rained on us, and I thought the orchestral arrangements were lame. Good peoplewatchin', though. Best part of the show was when the Decemberists just played their encore alone, like a regular show. (The date? Ehhh.)

More later. I am still computerless and only using a desktop from work. My laptop died with all my pictures and music still on it. They think it was the logic board. Uggggh.

xoxo

Computer DOWN

...again. This time it seems really bad, like heat and bad noises and it won't even turn on most of the time, and then when it does, the screen freezes and starts to white out in horizontal lines. It's not pretty.

So, I am blogging, sans pics, from a front-desk computer where I work, in the middle of the night, while it is pouring rain outside. With Lois at my feet. We were on a walk and came in here for a quick minute, but now it's been an hour and the rain isn't stopping. SO, I might as well get some work done, right? I have a giant data entry mess to complete as soon as possible.

It was technically a day off for me, but so much for that...

More later.

Hair

This was supposed to have a picture of the lovely festival t-shirt, babydoll style, design by Jon Langford, but the photo did not upload, and now it is lost forever.

First, check out this little review of the game show thing I hosted back a coupla wknds ago. (Yes, that's me in the ahem, it was RED, cowboy hat):
http://www.newcitychicago.com/chicago/6708.html

In college (which actually lasted way into adulthood for me), I made a student film/video called "Hair" - interviewing a some different people I knew about their hair - what they thought of it, why they did what they did with it, etc. I interweaved these bits with footage of my friend Jay getting a haircut at a salon from start to finish, and it was actaully really good. Technically, maybe the sound levels weren't perfect, but I liked the end result (and, now that I think about it, should probably find the videotape tout de suite and transfer it to digital, or it'll be dust, if it isn't already), and nearly every time since that project, whenever I decide to get a haircut - which is an absolutely rare occurence in my life - I think 2 or 3 a year is tops - I try to think about WHY I'm getting the haircut then - what am I trying to change, look good for, whatever. I've had long hair for many years now, (have been poor forever,) and have worked at a folk school for 8 years, so you can imagine - that kind of high-maintenance girly grooming stuff of frequent trips to the salon isn't very high on my agenda.

But it's interesting. I have this big festival coming up this weekend, where I act as an emcee in front of a lot of people, etc., and I always want to look cute, but the haircut this time is more for just the fun of the leaving work early today, sitting in the salon, and having someone else wash my hair - feeling girly. I try to go into the fest in the best possible of spirits and I think I made this appoint because I know it'll help that.

I have to say, anyway, though, that I am pretty f-ing happy right now. Happiest I've been in a long time. It even feels good to notice it.

Popcorn for dinner

On Sunday night, without a date in sight, I rode over to the Music Box for the evening showing of Lady Chatterley, the new French adaptation of the D.H. Lawrence story.

I recommend it. It was long, though—nearly 3 hours, and it was odd in some ways, too. But the chemistry/sexuality was smoldering, the actress playing the lead was riveting (and so were her boobs), and the sex itself was funny and perfectly done - as awkward and fumbling at first as her awakening was. It was also romantic and sappy, and at some points oddly paced, but the acting from the two main characters and the simplicity of the the story (and some quirky choices in the storytelling) made it worth watching.

The weirdest thing was seeing a French/Belgian film, set in England, and a script that mentions characters being English, but all spoken in French.

Plus, just think! Tomorrow, after work, I'm going to see Angelina Jolie in A Mighty Heart with the girls' movie night group (well, 4 of us) who have been trying to do this for two weeks. I'm very excited to compare and contrast the acting...

Today:

I went to a wonderful dinner party tonight at M&K's. It was really good to hang with work people away from work, and see them with their other people (kids, boyfriends, spouses etc.) Ate more than I can really justify, but I'm heading for the pool in about 6 hours.

Also, I made an actual salon haircut appointment for Thursday - only my second this year. Yes, I'm a fancy lady...

Dangit!

The pool was closed again this morning. (Broken glass or something?) ERG! All I know is, now I am sitting here at work, unshowered (see, I shower after I swim), in my swimming suit under my clothes, without having exercised--and feeling scattered because of it. It's amazing how something can just start the day off so wrong. Also, walking from the closed pool to work (less than a block), I lost my favorite necklace. I saw it and then it was gone. I stood around looking for it on the sidewalk for about 10 minutes but gave up. No swim, no shower, no necklace.

There must be a message here somewhere.

Foiled. Again.

The outfits of one of the bands I saw Saturday (the Neanderthals), drying out after their set, backstage.

This is the weekend of cancelling Poptart's plans, apparently.

Despite a massive hangover from Thursday night, I had a great lunch Friday with M, who it seems is for real moving to the neighborhood from the burbs (yea!!!). Then I worked, and then took off to walk Lois, shower and change, and maybe lie down for a few minutes for my "dinner and drinks" date - sushi, supposedly - with W. I did all that, and then he called at the appointed time, and he sounded as tired as I was, and he said he hurt his back sorta, and we talked on the phone for an hour and a half, and he cancelled the date and asked if I could change to the next night. (Nope.) So then we tentatively said we'd do something today. Hmmm. But, I had plans for today to go canoeing on the river with my friend R.



So it was a free Friday night, and I lay in bed for a couple hours petting Lois and then went to see my friend/former coworker Liam's band, The New Black, play at the Beat Kitchen at midnight, and it was fun. Liam moved to NY almost 2 years ago and this is the first time they've played since then, so it was excellent to see him. He was, in turn, really glad to see everyone who came out. It was a love-fest. (Sidenote: when people move to NY, they inevitably lose weight, I've noticed. Maybe I should consider it...)

Saturday was gorgeous. Walked Lois, put on my swimsuit and headed over to the pool for many eagerly anticipated laps, and damn if the pool wasn't CLOSED for some dumb cleaning emergency. It was way too hot for me to run, and I was really ready for a good long swim - I need the exercise! I was so mad that I said "THAT SUCKS!" kind of loudly on the way out of the fieldhouse. I felt like I was one of those people for a minute. Funny.



Instead, I took Lois to the dog beach, and was hoping to go in myself a little, but the lifeguards weren't letting people into the water because of high e coli in the water (ick!) so I let Lois risk it because she was loving it, as you can see. Then my friend R called me to say he was in a bike accident Thursday (he's OK, the cat probably isn't) and had to cancel canoeing for Sunday, and that it'd be too hot and gross to canoe anyway. Then it was time to go out to Fitzgeralds with my friend T for Exotica fest.



It was fun, interesting, some really good music and peoplewatching, but it was just Way. Too. Long. There were vendors selling vintage clothing and cool tiki accessories, and the food, from Wishbone, was great. Plus, natch, there were tiki drink specials, and everything came with a little paper umbrella in it. In a crazy, uncharacteristic in ALL respects for Poptart shopping moment, I spotted a great 1950s halter dress, tried it on, it fit like a glove, and since it was MADE for me, I purchased it for way too much money on the credit card I just put my digital camera on. Ugh. But honestly, vintage stuff almost never works for me, 50s dresses especially, and this dress is just - awesome. So after that initial magic moment, I was there, and on my feet, for 10 hours. And I love the surf guitar stuff...I can only take so much of it. Plus, my take on the tiki/surf/exotica fest people is that basically THEY ARE ALL MARRIED PEOPLE. So being me, like an alien in that crowd for too long, was - let's just say it - annoying.


Wall of vintage dressing music peeps - or as my old roommate used to call them, "the hair gang"

Luckily I did have a role, which was to be the handler/designated sane person for T, who was in charge of the Go-Go dancers, and it's her last hurrah with them, and she was, well, on a sort of binge of craziness. I think she had a good time. I had to dole out the drink tickets and be the voice of reason and drive her home and all that. It was good that I had something to do.



By the time the last band, a Los Straitjackets cover outfit from Indiana, was playing, I was cleaning out my purse and sitting outside, alone, trying to telepathically make the stage clock go faster and wondering what it would be like to be a rat and have everyone be bigger than you but also terrified of you.

SO. Now it's Sunday, and it's 95 degrees, and I taught my art class and cleaned up in time to FINALLY get in a fabulous, full hour swim!! Then I got online and found an email from W that he's cancelling aGAIN for today, because he's sick, and now I am free to lie here and moon about why I don't have anyone to lie here in the fan and do nothing with (well, besides Lois). I guess I'll have to keep dating to find him. Hmmph.

Maybe I'll go to a movie later. The cinema is always my backup true love, and rarely disappoints. I could always clean my place and do my bills, but then what will I have to freak out about as I try to sleep tonight and for the rest of the week?

Saluting America...

Holy incredible pie, if I do say so myself. It tasted even better than it looked (and doesn't it look cute?).

Happy July!

Here's a quick post to catch you, my vast readership, up on me going into my busiest month ever. Have I mentioned how much I love summer in Chicago?

First, amen again that the dating week is over. I do have hilarious stories and valuable insights to share and think about, but not here, Churlita! My friend P calls it a "rotating platter of men" and thinks I should always have a handful of guys on the platter because it makes my chi flow better, but I just want a plain ole dinner plate with one entree, no sides. F my chi.

I will give you the annotated list (not in order) of the guys I met:
1) new best friend guy (hereafter known as M)
2) nice, no spark, seemed not altogether straight? or just not into me at all, cool
3) slightly obsessive but v. cute guy
4) interesting - second date to come (W)
5) really good makeout (and damn, I needed that), little else
6) went to GRADE school, middle school and a year of high school
with but neither of us remember each other (??)

The best thing is that M is a definite keeper and W is taking me out tonight, and I could really care less about the others or the damn dating site now. I saw DG last night at the show I went to, he was on a date. I'm so - embarrassed? that I was so into him.



The 4th of July was a fun family blast. Best was the time I got to spend hanging out with WIlliam, who I just love. I took a million pictures of him to last me the year or so, 'til I can see him again (sniffle).



I got to hang with my brother and stepbrother, which is rarer and rarer these days (given one lives in Thailand), and it was just like high school but with lots more boring business talk.



And Lois (please note cute stars and stripes bandanna) had a great time playing with Liza the dog, and smelling the burgers, and getting all kinds of attention. She was so tired at the end of the day I had to force her to go for a last walk.

Speaking of tired, I'm losing it. If it weren't for a great new CD I keep hitting replay on, and the occasional phone call, I'd be sleepin at the wheel - er, at my desk.

Taste of/it's just lunch

Crazy sun-baked guy with sign at the Taste of Chicago (an insanely crowded annual event downtown with basically food and drink and many, many people.If you are from Chicago, you usually stay away from downtown for a week...) I LOVED the people watching.

OK: I'm nervous now.

I just set a first lunch date for tomorrow - he's in the neighborhood and is coming by my work. I dunno. Weird for him to see me in that environment? Maybe. (I also just realized that I scheduled it right in the middle of my Cardio Pilates class. I can't decide whether to see if he can change it to a bit later,, and then go to lunch with me slightly sweaty and out of breath, or whether I should skip class and just go to lunch, since I'll miss enough work anyway.)

I think I'm also nervous because, unlike the other dates of this past week, I don't have any new dates to look forward to, so this is kinda the end of the line. And of all of them, this one I have talked to most on the phone before meeting, and I like his voice. A lot. He's funny, too. I can tell it's different, because am starting to really worry about my looks. Erg.

In other news, I geekily hosted a music trivia show downtown as part of the Department of Tourism's crazy "Art of Play" promotion this summer. Not a lot of people showed up. The questions were pretty hard, and, since we wrote them 6 years ago, were also a bit old and out of date. I had to do a lot of ad-libbing and probably skipped about 10 questions because contestants didn't even know enough to guess. It went fine, though. Got paid, and made a fun sash for the winner to wear, a nice sign, etc. Also got to wear my red straw cowboy hat in public - that's always fun!!


Robbie Fulks and band on the Illinois Lottery stage. GREAT show.

Also, since I had a great parking space and was down there anyway, went to see the Hoyle Brothers and then Robbie Fulks at Taste of Chicago/Country Music Fest. I also got some food first, because I was starving. There was a dance floor at the stage, and in between the two sets, I learned two line dances! That was super fun. Then my friend A arrived, great to see her a little, and she is feeling better, and E came down too, but I didn't see him until afterward. We all went and got more food afterward.

In both food excursions at the Taste, I spent a total of $14 (you have to buy tickets in $7 strips), and here are all the things I ate with those 22 tickets:

- an incredibly delicious chocolate covered frozen banana with nuts
- a "taste portion" (just 3 tickets) of curry fries
- a "tp" of italian fries - with parm. cheese and herbs on 'em
- roasted corn on the cob (yummy!!)
- a "tp" of (like, one-fourth of) a cheeseburger from Billy Goat's, which was not as good as I remembered it from when I was 8
- a "tp" of a delicious chopped salad from Lou Malnati's, which makes me want to eat that now, for dinner.

OK! With that, I'm off to try to cram in everything I haven't done in 37 years (and mainly, in the past week) into the last few hours of my Sunday. Have a good week!

George Michael and the Dating Iditarod

Here is E doing "Father Figure" on Wednesday night. Note a) the wine glass in his hand, which he sipped from during the performance and b) the audience holding up a table candle (left) and lighters (right)...

(Instead of running with my weekly fun run, I am blogging and lying in bed and petting my dog. I am SO tired. Besides, I finally had the "permanent" stitches, which my legs have been slowly rejecting over 6 months, removed with a scalpel Thursday, and my plastic surgeon said not to exercise for a few days anyway. So there.)

I just finished a week of meeting 5 (count 'em!) 5 new guys - 4 from the online personals site I'm on. I'm exhausted. I also drank beer or wine every night this week, which is also a (bad) first. Wednesday, my one night off, was a perfectly timed respite: this funny, great-idea theatre piece followed by karaoke with E at a tiny bar/restaurant/club in Uptown.

But it's also my very, very busy week at work. These crazy weeks come around 6 times a year, and basically ruin my life with constant fires to put out and constantly being behind on the many, many phone calls to make... and these weeks test my poor dog's will to live. She spends hours at home, alone, plus, topped by the dates and the drinking this particular week, I've often been asleep within minutes of getting home and washing my face. Poor girl.

Without going into detail on the dates themselves, I'll just say that meeting this many people at once has been really, really good for me. I was telling a friend - it makes me just not really care about looking or acting any certain way, and I can be myself all the more (too tired and worn out to be anything different), which I think is what dating is ultimately about.

I also have noticed the range of what people act like on first meetings. What they ask about, what they assume, and what they hide. It's definitely been interesting. There is one guy still to meet, with whom I have been trading phone calls and emails.

Then, it may be back to the damn "drarwring" (say it like Mike Myers, please) board, or maybe not. I need a couple of days to process, and with the holiday next week, and busy work stuff, my social calendar is full anyway.

Happy 3rd birthday William!/Summer's really here

William (nephew) is 3 today! Here's his awesome golf swing:
...which means less blogging, and more jogging (I've stopped calling it running), going out on weeknights, dog beaches, and weekend events. It really is true that we in Chicago fit the entire year's worth of outdoor events into 4 months. I looked at my calendar and I don't have a free day off until the end of July.

Plus it's been crazy busy at work, with the first week of classes, the festival, and another 2 projects I'm working on.

And: meeting new people through the magic of the internets. It's going pretty well, though at times can be overwhelming. The tradeoff for any adventure is that I have no free time. If only I didn't have to work 8 hours a day!!

Kids art classes are fabulous, and I found out all but one of my classes aren't running again this session. Most of the kids are repeating, too, which is a good compliment, but means I have to come up with more and more interesting projects... translation: more unpaid research and planning time. See, we're only paid for the acutal45-minute class time. Not the one hour setup and prep time before classes, or the 15 minutes between each class, or the 45 minutes after class for cleaning the art room. So, the better the teacher you are, the less you get paid. Interesting concept, and I am sure it goes for public school teachers as well, though they at least have pensions (and the world's pity).


William and his parents (my stepbrother and sister-in-law) came in from Bangkok for their annual summer visit last Tuesday, and due to slight family emergency, I got to pick them up at O'Hare! Unlike many people, I love going to the airport. I want to make a kids' book about it.

My stepbrother wanted to keep them all awake until 10pm to avoid jetlag, so we went to the the zoo and for a walk around. I love this child. Because of work I had to miss his big 3rd birthday party with the rest of the family at my parents' place this weekend, and that is a bummer. But I had a great weekend anyway.

Went late to party/BBQ Thursday (and stayed too late), where I made delicious margaritas and Sheila made incredible lime velvet cupcakes with margarita frosting, and was exhausted on Friday when my Dad came to town and stayed overnight. We went running Sat. and I took him out for breakfast and Sheila came too, which as great. We then walked to the new Belmont Art and Music fest, which was nice but a bit empty, and then I took him to the airport. Stayed in Saturday night after doing a couple favors for friends.

Yesterday was the last day of the Sunday art classes for the session, and we did the cupcake project, of course. Then worked a few hours, and biked to the Hideout's A Day in the Country fest, where I finally met in real life and hung out with an amazing guy (not interested in dating, we emailed today, but still super cool), and also saw a lot of friends. It was fantastic. I was tired. By the time I biked home, I was literally OUT. OF. STEAM., so Lois got no walk, just a backyard romp. I started cooking myself some dinner and fell asleep, so it became today's lunch.


The Hideout by night, after the BBQ truck pulled away, with the strains of Freakwater squeaking through the speakers...

Jogging* and laundromat, and maybe some cleaning this evening - *it's lovely weather!!

Independent media: endangered

A video eulogy to Chicago-based, 13-year-old, fabulous Punk Planet.

Pics galore, again

It's been busy at Poptart HQ. Well, sorta:

First there is the jogging, which still hurts, my groin (esp. left) flares up after about a mile and a half/15 minutes and I absolutely can't go further without a ton of pain... but I am stretching, and trying, and we'll see. Maybe it'll just not hurt one of these times.



I ate lunch with E on Friday at Los Nopales and had a great catchup with him about all things over delicious fish tacos.



The owners' youngest son played with us a bit, which was fun. Must be sorta satisfying to grow up in a restaurant - you'd always have attention.

Friday night was a great night of foiled plans... I was going to go (alone) to Summerdance and attend the first free swing dance lesson of the summer - one of my summer goals is to learn to dance partner dances - and I rode my bike furiously for about 25 minutes only to realize I should have left an hour earlier to make it all the way down there by 6, so instead I went shopping (it was payday; I needed a running bra) and tried on a bunch of clothes I don't really want or need. Funny how that starts out as fun but then you always end up feeling fat and broke...I did purchase the necessary undergarment, though, in a lovely blue.



Then Lois and I walked over to the School, where we hung out in the courtyard, and ran into T, and J and Y. T and I hooped for a while.



I went inside to watch the Flat Five's second show - they were opening up for Leslie Gore. Their set, even without drums, was fabulous. They did a rendition of "Sundays Will Never Be the Same," which brought the house down. Then Scott (far left; Poptart and Lois's ex-roommate) sang a version of Leslie Gore's "Treat Me Like a Lady," which rocked. It's amazing that the best musicians are the ones right around the corner who don't even get heard by the masses, who would be blown away.



The next day I went on the painful fun run and then drove through heinous traffic on the Dan Ryan to get to Pullman, this great neighborhood on the far south side and had sort of a walking tour of it with a really kind and and interesting guy I met on the internet who is an artist who lives and has a studio in a home there that he restored. If I didn't want to be rude, I would have taken hundreds of photos a) throughout his home/studio, and b) of every single thing I saw in Pullman. It was so magically gorgeous there. I might have to sneak back there and do a photo essay. Seriously. It was beautiful in every eyefull.



I did pull out the camera when we ran into these two women, Towanda and Betty, who had just opened up a church in the upper floor of this semi-restored stable/now an auto shop (note the little horses) and were passing out flyers. They kept talking about the Lord's work and their new worship space and we jumped at the chance when they offered to take us upstairs to see it.



Wow. Purple.



I raced back to the north side to the great space/studio, Galaxie, where I did a hooping workshop for two hours. It was awesome. I have to practice, and soon I will be doing tricks.

Then I went home, walked pooch, bought some Father's Day cards that will be at least a week late, and spent the evening reading and surfing the 'net. Instead of cleaning.

"Pomme Frites"

The spelling (should be pommes frites), the fonts...it's all excellent to me. And, truth be told, the fries just aren't all that great...but if you want two Chicago-style dogs with everything, fries and a cold can of pop for $3.75, Budacki's is the joint. It's supposedly a drive-in, too, but I have yet to see anyone do that.

Why?

Here's the news: 1) I have major pain in my groin? or some muscles (at the very top of my thighs, on both sides, the thing that kills when you do a butterfly stretch, or breaststroke, like I did for a 1/2 hour today), and it started in the middle of my run on the fabulous secret track last night, and hurt so bad that I had to walk after only 13 minutes. I ran again for a few more laps but I really wanted to start crying and limping, but since it hurt on both sides, I didn't know how to limp, and since I was with the running buddy for the first time, I couldn't cry either (in fact, I acted all tough.) But you better believe I whined to Lois during the entire walk we took afterward to the park. Does the groin get pulled by running? Why now?

2) I am so tired from all of this excellent fitness (and also from not being able to sleep much Sunday or Monday nights) that I decided not to go to Ravinia with a group of smart and fun people I like very much and could possibly network and meet even more people through tonight. This is annoying that I am missing out on potentially interesting life experiences because of other potentially healthy life experiences, isn't it? I also unfortunately had to skip my Brazilian Dance class (which I love) because something came up at work and I didn't want to rush to get changed and to class late.

See, in the olden days, I would have done all the things, and rushed around like a chicken with her head cut off. Now I am just old, and tired. And my allergies have really gone crazy. And, actually, I was hungry.



So instead, I walked Lois to Budacki's, the funny, sorta out-of-place hot dog stand/ drive-thru that I had never been to though I've walked by it a few times a week for 3 years, and I tied up Lois outside at the picnic tables and ordered a gyros plate to go, which I have been craving for a couple of weeks (just ask Sheila), and of course, like psychic clockwork, I saw DG's unmistakable back, walking very quickly away down the sidewalk as I came out with my greasy bag in hand. He probably saw me (and fled), and I wonder if Lois recognized him when he passed right by her...poor pooch. It's all too odd. Again, why at this exact time? The gyro was good, but the fries were a little weird — I threw away a bunch of them. The funny/best thing about Budacki's is the way they call their fries "Pomme Frites" on the sign, and the fonts they use for it. It has cracked me up for years. I don't know why. I'll get a picture soon.

My roommate spent about 30 minutes doing makeup and getting ready to go to a show at the little theatre down the street with two guys from her work. She then asked me if I smoke "weed" and asked if it was OK for them to come back after the show and smoke in her room. (?) I then turned on one of my videotapes of Kojak episodes but still can't really pay attention enough to watch them, so instead, I wasted a bunch of time online (I got my computer back! I can pay bills and shit!), I put away the kitchen stuff that had been on the living room floor since a month ago, and opened up my new fancy vaccuum cleaner, and cleaned the bathroom, and started reading a book, and packed my stuff for tomorrow (swimming, then teaching, and then Cardio Pilates...).

And I'm gonna go walk Lois again at midnight.

P.S. OMG: I found the BEST site while looking for an image for this post. Your mouth will water, your arteries will quake, Have fun!
..

Catalpa Speciosa

When Lois and I take our nighttime walks, these trees are just gorgeous. They're in full bloom right now. They smell incredible, too.

The thing about a blog is that it can function as a journal or as some sort of glamorized, exhibitionist record of a life - and since I don't journal (yet?), I fear that my blog serves as a (pathetic many times, but) "highlights" version of my pretty confused and unglamorous existence. So much is always in my head that the facts of activities seem more prominent in the blog, and are more readable, but if I told the truth, it would be that 95% of my time is spent alone, feeling alone, and trying (many times failing) to think in ways that will motivate me to do positive things for myself. It's always an uphill battle.

And I still think of DG all too often. (I wonder, idly, if he ever thinks of me?) I've seen him a lot lately, which could account for all of the emotional space he seems to be taking up. While with Spencer on stroller duty Saturday, I saw him walk by, then his car was in the laundromat again on Sunday, (even earlier, when I went by with Lois on our walk) and then I saw him walking down the street from the grocery store yesterday evening. I always pretend I don't see him, but that's difficult for me. And it makes me feel bad and confused and sorta shaky. So I decided that the next time I see him, I'm just gonna say hey, and smile. Because no matter what happened there, I did really think he was a possible love of my life contender, and it can't possibly be good to ignore him.

I have been randomly posting on the internet for people to do things with - jogging, tennis, friends. Seriously. I need a few more friends, and I think having a straight guy around might help me bit. It's weird to be this needy. Plus the dating sites are just useless. Not one's contacted me in a couple of months, and I've left my profiles up.

Exercise update: Ran/walked a bit again Sunday night all the way to Andersonville Midsommarfest (2-1/2 miles?) from my house with Lois. Swam today. Took Cardio Pilates. Rode bike. Running tomorrow after work with total stranger.

See, nothing glamorous here...

Happy Birthday P!

(Me - with giant happy cheek action - and the birthday boy in his Opera America office during my birthday trip to NYC in February.)

P McDiddy, you are a fantastic person and a great friend, and your next 40 years are going to be just amazing. Happy big 4-0!!

Though I couldn't be with P as he celebrated his "Lordy, lordy..."
birthday at Lazy Meadow, I still managed to have a great weekend, but a few lame and funny things were thrown in. Here goes:



Friday night, I did a last-minute babysitting gig for my 5-year-old friend Tommy. I haven't seen him for a while, and I usually hang out with him in the context of his parents (whom I really like,, too) or with his older brother Jimmy, who's 9. So I was
excited for the opportunity to have an evening "date" with just Tommy. Well,
apparently his school just stopped the daytime naps for his age group, and he was already totally asleep when I arrived at 6:30pm (see above).



He stayed asleep all night, but not in one place. I
spent the evening downstairs reading - without music or TV on - and somehow, I didn't
hear him get out of his own bed and wander over to the master bedroom
and climb in. I went upstairs to check on him at one point, and I have
never felt such pure panic as when I saw his empty bed...

Saturday started with an early walk with Lois and then an 8am run - that's right folks, I said run (but I meant JOG)! I went over to the local running shoe store where they have an 8am Saturday open running group, and I finally made it to that. I met some nice people, found a woman who runs at almost exactly my pace, and made it to the 3-mile turnaround and then about halfway back without stopping, so I figure
about 2.25 miles. It was great! My goal for the summer is to run in a
fun 5K, and by the fall do a 10K. I also posted on Craigslist for a
once-a-week beginning running partner, and have had some great
responses. I meet for a run with my first "buddy," T, on Tuesday
after work.



Then, my cousin M called, and he and his wife K and baby Spencer (who's 2 months old already, and I hadn't met him!) schlepped up to Lincoln Square from Hyde Park, and dang if they didn't take me out to lunch! It was an awesome afternoon of visiting, baby-kissing, window-shopping, salad-eating and stroller-pushing, and it was gorgeous weather to boot.


I gave Spencer some sunglasses (his first pair). Then we went to a store and I bought him his second pair, too, because they were hilarious. I should have taken a picture of those, too.


This is the German band that plays down the street from my house at the Glunz Bavarian House bar and restaurant. They make my day on weekends in summer. I can hear them from my bedroom window.

I was then sposed to meet an internet "just friends" guy at Ribfest,
this sorta crappy festival (in Chicago, you can find 5 festivals going
on any given weekend from June-October) exactly one block from my
house, so I went over there, fought the crowds to buy tickets, got a
beer and a not-great bbq pulled-pork sandwich, and watched a fun band, The
Blacks, play. The internet guy never showed up, but my friend
J called, so we ended up going to a bar for beer. It was perfect. I
learned about his planned polka band called The Lincoln Square Polka
Boosters (which I would really like to be in, but then I'd need to actually, finally, learn to play an instrument).



We were walking across the neighborhood (trying to avoid the Ribfest
people) to the next bar when we noticed that the German band was still
playing, so we sat right in front and enjoyed their set (and a couple big beers)
from up close. What a fun Lincoln Square-y day and night!