Guess who's back? Back again? Can't nobody break-a my stride... can't nobody hold me down... oh no, I got to keep on movin'!
That's right. Got my new ID. Didn't fade nothin' over here. Ha ha! Sadly enough, I am getting to look so old that I wasn't even IDed this past week when I didn't have one. How is that for an ego stomp?
Great idea goes out to my girl Jessi:In honor of Mary-Kate�s decision to get some help for her eating disorder, I think it would be a nice gesture on all of our parts to eat an extra hamburger at lunch in her honor. Do your part, people!
It is only Wednesday, but I am eagerly anticipating this coming weekend. Friday, my baby girl Jo is rollin' through my crib with her posse and we are gonna set this mother OFF! I just love having people over to my place. Now I am proud rather than ashamed. I layed around after going to dinner with Mike in my new living room, watching Sex and The City on DVD, just marveling at the comfort and beauty of my new home. How many guys can you eat ice cream and watch Sex and The City with? He's a gem.
Saturday is the Booze Cruise. I didn't go last year, but I have heard many wonderful things about it. I recruited Mike, Josh and Kon to go and I think half of my high school is going to be there as well, joy of joys. It starts at 2 at a bar with all you can drink for 2 hours then we board a bus to a harbor for all you can drink and eat for 3 hours, then back on a bus to the bar for all you can drink top-shelf and shots for 4 hours, featuring Mike and Joe, who kick ass, by the way. I am going to need to pace myself. I want to remember every glorious minute.
This week is "Pride Week" in Chicago, as evidenced by the hundreds of rainbow flags displayed promiently in my neighborhood. I am excited about going to the Pride Parade this year because I will be actually attending with admitted gay males instead of 2 males with closeted gay tendencies. At least it will all be out in the open this year. My blonde drag wig is anxious to see the light of day once again. Hooray!
The weather here has been wonderful. I just can't get enough of being outside. I went for a stroll a few days ago. I have fallen in love with this stretch of Broadway Avenue that starts at Belmont and goes south to Diversy. Every ethnic food is represented. There are beautiful canines everywhere you look. Men and men and men and women and women and women are holding hands... smiling... laughing. There are small, unique shops as far as the eye can see. Anything you could ever need or want is being sold on this strip. There are quaint little mom-and-pop restaurants with awnings and delicious smells wafting out from their widely open doors. There is one corner where a new 50's style soda fountain has just opened and it harkens that sweet and innocent era so well. You can bend down and remark on how adorable someone's baby is (I swear, its like they don't allow ugly children to be brought there) and strike up a conversation that ends in "It was great to meet you. Take care!" People are sitting at outside cafes watching people pass by, smiling lazily at their friends as they bask in the sunlight. The positive energy surrounding this street is infectious and when you finally get to the corner of Diversy and Clark, you feel a little sad. And there's Lincoln Park smacking you in the face with crass commercialism.
Photoshop rules. I was working on a graphic to accompany a party we are throwing at my old apartment complex, lovingly known as "The Dorm." I am glad to be in my new place, but I am going to be really sad when the last apartment full of guys moves out and they start knocking down walls. George Loukas Real Estate, which owns pretty much all of Wrigleyville, decided to turn my old building into an extension of the bar Sports Corner, which resides next to the building. I am not sure of how it is going to be set up, but I hear talks of a dance floor, game room and additional seating areas. How strange is it going to be dancing in the spot where my bedroom once was? Or playing Golden Tee in my old bathroom? Or passing by the bar on my way to a Cubs game and pointing out to my kid "See that bar? Mommy used to live there!"
So my talented friend Rob came up with this poem. I have to post it. It is so creative and perfectly encapsulates my experience in the dorm.
First there were 20
A fun motley crew
They met on the decks
Through a keg full of brew
We had the girls from IU
in Megan & Jen
Who lived across from Keith
Who is now in the pen
His roommates were Aaron
& Alex and the Mick
All 6 lived above George
Who turned out to be a prick
Floor 2 met by random:
Beth, Casey, & Kon
When they added Kevin,
The party was on
Deck 1 was Tina
With Katie, Fitty & Mel
The first 3 were cool
The 4th straight from hell
The dorm was complete
Once the last 4 moved in
Marty & Gusky
Dech & Dixon
Most have since gone
Like ghosts in their wake
But the friendships live on
Make no mistake
With August looming
The doors forever will close
All hearts are heavy
Cause this really blows
So in true dorm tradition
We're having a party
To bid adieu to the dorm
And of course Club Dirrty
We'll toast to the Cubs
We'll toast to Team Keg
To our friends at Bacci
From whom Pizza we'd beg
Wear shirts that proclaim
"Slow Children at Play"
At our old home near Wrigley
Just 32 paces away
Please all chip in,
As we've since grown poor
We refuse to support
Your alcoholism anymore
Here is the graphic I designed to accompany the poem:
I am sorry, I know this means jack squat to you guys, but I am purely posting for my own selfish amusement. Now here is something for your amusement:
Thanks again to Leon!