Alma and Christie's Day of FUN - a photo essay

If you watch(ed) Friends, you would totally understand that reference (remember? Joey and Janice’s Day of FUN… followed by Janice’s blood-boiling cackle, ugh)… in any event, welcome to my Saturday! A Saturday filled with errands, food, culture and… well, Alma, of course.

Alma is totally one of my BFFs here in Chicago. The fact that we speak the same language (and, by same language, I do mean a language where we regularly incorporate LOL, BRB, TTYL, and OMG into our everyday, verbal conversations) is only the beginning of the BFF-ness. The fact that she is a firm supporter of my inevitable rise to showbiz fame (and her inevitable rise to photography fame… like that plug right there, Alma?) only further seals the deal that we call friendship. Haha. As everyone already knows, a sign of a great friendship is one where you can do the most mundane tasks and/or nothing at all and still have a grand ol’ time together. Wellll, today pretty much exemplified THAT quality of our friendship to the fullest. Get ready for this grand photo essay of a day… a day filled with Bosnian culture, foam-padding a cement pillar, photo-framing, Vietnamese cuisine and adorable little old men… how so not random does THAT sound for ya?

We began the day by trying out this Bosnian restaurant that was WAY up north. Alma had the car for the day, so we decided to take advantage of that fact and head to Drina (http://www.restaurantica.com/il/chicago/coffee-slasticarna-drina/23167843/) for some authentic Bosnian food. Alma was totally in her element, knowing EXACTLY what to order right away and whipping out her native tongue with the owner of the restaurant.

It was all very delightful and interesting- I learned so much about Bosnian culture while we feasted on meat-filled pitas and mini sausages. All accompanied with some delicious Bosnian coffee (totally reminded me of Turkish coffee)… granted, when I tried to drink it the “Bosnian way” (ie: dip a sugar cube in coffee, take a small bite of the sugar cube and then drink the coffee to wash the sugar cube remnants down), I pretty much just ended up munching on pure sugar cubes (well, what? I was happy enough, but I realize I was taking away from the full Bosnian coffee experience). Anyway, once I revised my methodology so that I wasn’t just blatantly eating sugar cubes, the whole experience just became that much more DIVINE. And how could you NOT love the Bosnian crew in the background, just chilling with their afternoon coffee? Sigh.

Well, stop number one on the DOF (Day of FUN, for those unable to properly keep track of said acronyms) was complete. And I, of course was ready to take a nap. I mean, there was a LOT of food on that table. But no way. The DOF had just begun. Off to stop number two… JoAnn Fabrics. Very domestic, if you will. Here, Alma had to buy some foam padding for this concrete structure that has been a bit… troublesome, shall we say… for her and her boyfriend’s new (large!) car. In order to mitigate any future… incidents, shall we say… with said concrete structure, foam padding was required, apparently.

When Alma first started detailing her plans to get me to help her with this project, I thought she was joking. I was all “Hahaha… good one!” … you know, the usual. Until, that is, I realized that she was actually pretty darn dead serious. Um. I mean, I’m all about helping out when needed but… but… do you not know me at ALL, here? Who are we kidding? Whatever.

We clearly knew exactly what we were doing… considering the biggest decision of our JoAnn Fabrics outing was what color duct-tape we should go with (Alma, decision-maker that she is, went with green duct tape… to match with the foam padding, of course!). It was all very well-thought out, if you will. Sigh.

So, okay. Foam was bought. But more importantly, matching duct tape was bought as well! Alright, next step… well, actually putting this together. So, here’s the “Before” snapshot… looks kind of menacing for a large car that has a parking spot RIGHT NEXT TO IT, right? Right. You can clearly understand why there could be potential issues here.

Alright, so we sure didn’t waste any time. I mean, I’ve done some serious manual labor before in my life (remember my whole habitat and hammers, evil olive and battle scars debacle?), so I was mentally prepared to be all rugged and ready to sweat it out.

And so we began the Project.

There goes Alma, taping up the initial slab of foam padding we put on up. The Inaugural Padding if you will.

And… fifteen minutes later… we were pretty much done! Voila!

So much for thinking this activity was going to burn off our Bosnian feast. The Project actually had turned out to be easier than either of us could have ever imagined. I mean, I guess it’s just cutting up foam and taping it all together, but STILL… I have a feeling if I were doing this on my own, I would have somehow figured out any and every way to f it all up. But whatever.

Onto project number two of the day… this was more of a side project of Alma’s. She’d found some adorable picture frames while at JoAnn Fabrics (doesn’t take much to get all distracted, does it?), so once The Project was over and done with, she could focus on her fun side project… while I watched TV.

Check out her cute little project KIT!!

And check out an artist in her element…

Okay, well, once that was over and done with, there wasn’t all too much left to do. I mean, we CAN only entertain each other for so long, right? Haha. And since I’ve been battling this ridiculous need to sleep like every hour, on the hour, I was beyond exhausted. So she dropped me off at home for a couple of hours, during which I proceeded to literally pass OUT like a light for an hour. Ahh, it was much needed. I felt so much more refreshed, but still very, VERY much full from lunch.

Oh, did I not mention? Alma and I also had made dinner plans (like days ago) for tonight at Carnivale (www.carnivalechicago.com)… this a-mazing restaurant I’d just tried earlier this week. Very Latin-based… aka: lots and lots of MEAT on that menu! And… well, you heard what we ate for lunch! The last thing we needed was yet another heavy, meat-based meal... especially considering neither of us was remotely hungry.

However, how can we NOT hang out with each other to complete the Day of FUN, right? So, we went ahead and cancelled the Carnivale reservations and impulsively decided to meet up at Simply It (http://www.yelp.com/biz/simply-it-chicago), this Vietnamese restaurant that is relatively halfway between the two of our apartments.

Um. This was like the BEST impulsive decision EVER. As soon as you walk in the door of this place, you are treated like one of the family. You get a table as quickly as possible, you get like limitless loads of tea if you have to wait, and you get treated to the antics of the owner of the place, who was only like the cutest little man EVER. Ugh, we wanted to just pick him up and stick him in our little pockets after our fine dining experience.

Alright, so while all the food coming out looked a-MAZING, we were so not all that hungry. God, the things we put ourselves through just to continue the Day of FUN. Haha. Anyway, so, Alma ordered this hearty vegetable soup thing which she had apparently been craving... while I ordered some avocado wrapped in chicken appetizer special. As simple as our dishes were, they were so tasty and delicious that we have both bookmarked this place as a restaurant that we will 100% be frequenting.

And you really think Alma and I aren’t shameless enough to accost the adorable little old man owner for a picture to finish off our fine Day of FUN?! I think not. So we get this picture taken with him and he reviews the picture with his critical eye and finally, gives his review, which, verbatim, goes a little something like this: “Old man looks HANDSOME!” … OMG, Alma and I were literally swooning. We maintained our squeals at our new adorable little old man friend until we were safely outside the restaurant, but still.

"Old man looks HANDSOME!" .... I mean, you couldn’t ASK for a better ending to our oh-so-grand day of… well, FUN.

*special thanks to Alma's iPhone for its stellar photo-taking capabilities all the livelong day

The... List of Things I Don't Like that Most Normal People Do... but I'm not picky!!

So, it’s come to my attention that, as low maintenance and NOT picky as I like to think I am, others beg to differ. Thankfully, one of my coworkers has turned this into a rather comical situation, by making me distinctly aware when I start off any and every sentence off with “I’m not the biggest fan of…” or “Yeah, I really don’t like…” Sigh. What can you do? So I present to you… the ever-eloquently named…

List of Things I Don’t Like that Most Normal People Do

1. Food in general – I had to put this on here because I have been told by MULTIPLE people that I am picky. I really don’t think I am though. I will eat anything that is put in front of me. I just think people tend to overglorify a lot of food (ie: that was the best pizza EVER… really? It’s not the best pizza ever if you’re saying that about like ten places you’ve been…). Now, maybe it’s me just getting caught up in all the overhype and having nowhere to go but down (aka: disappointment) once I try something that’s been overhyped, but still. I really don’t even think that’s true because there are other places which I’ve tried due to the overhype component that I’ve definitely heavily advertised to others (ie: Magnolias cupcakes, Mollys cupcakes, maybe just a cupcake thing? Who knows).

2. Water – I remember having my one free day with a personal trainer when I first joined a gym, and, while he was telling me about how he likes to motivate himself for a workout by picturing a nice big treat for himself after a hard workout. I still remember his exact words involved: “During a really hard run, I like to picture myself downing a nice cold glass of… water.” Wtf- talk about a letdown. I mean, it’s not like I crave a glass of COKE or anything when I finish working out. But water? Really? For some reason, water just does NOT taste good to me, even though it’s supposedly tasteless. I’d rather just go thirsty than drink water, to be perfectly honest. That’s the other thing- I don’t think my body needs water- I don’t really notice any significant differences if I drink it versus if I don’t, whereas I have a few friends who are like camels and can drink like a jug of water in one day. Trust me- I don’t even TRY to relate to those people on this level.

3. Flowers – I just don’t understand the point of them. Unless they’re a complete out of the blue surprise on a random day. In which case, fabulous! But otherwise, flowers as a present for a birthday or something? I certainly do. Not. Think. So. To me, that just illustrates the lack of thought put into the aforementioned present, as it’s generally accepted that “any girl” just “loves flowers”. Please.

4. My birthday – Trust me, as celebratory as I am about like everything and everyone else in life, this comes as quite a surprise to many. Now, don’t get me wrong. I absolutely LOVE celebrating others’ bdays (ESPECIALLY surprise bdays! Alkdsjflask! Best things EVER!) but I just don’t like celebrating mine. Part of it is truly because I don’t really like having a lot of attention placed on me for something that is really outside of my control (I didn’t CHOOSE to be born; my parents did. I think. Unless I was an accident. Which is a whole other story entirely that I have yet to hear about. But whatever.). Attention that I bring on myself? Well, that’s just another story, let’s be honest here J But for the moment, we’re focusing on birthdays and how I don’t like mine. I mean, I just don’t understand why people can’t celebrate everyone in their entirety every single day… but apparently that’s just me. Whatever.

5. Valentine’s Day – whether in a relationship or not, I have never enjoyed this holiday. Ever. Which, again, comes as a surprise to many people considering I love celebrating life (and so with life, comes love) in general… and you KNOW I get way too overly excited about other people’s love stories (I’m just going to directly reference Missy and Scott here. Hope you guys don’t mind. Whoops. Oh well. At least the shoutout is (HIGHLY) complimentary in nature.) Going along with the birthday theme here, again- why not celebrate the ones you love every day? I mean, it really should be effortless if love actually is all around (OMG DON’T YOU LOVE THAT MOVIE!! Lkjafslkjafsldkjalksfdjaslkjfd FAVORITE lakfsjdlkajfsdlkajsl!!!! And I’m so proud of myself for just sliding that quote right on in there ever so slyly… sigh. I do amaze myself. I really do. ANYWAY.) The same goes for other holidays where this whole giving of presents thing is involved. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all about presents. But I prefer just giving/getting presents on an ordinary day when it’s least expected- simply because one was thinking of someone else. I think this is just in keeping with the fact that I hate commercialization. Especially of holidays. Okay. I know this doesn’t make sense since I’m slightly obsessed with Christiemas. But that’s different. That’s more about the SPIRIT involved… certainly NOT the presents. Again, another side note.

6. Watching sports (except tennis and sometimes basketball… okay, apparently, here I’m specifically referencing football…) – I know, I know. This is weird coming from a girl who went to Ohio State. But still. Why is watching a bunch of grown men fall over each other (aka: football) entertaining? In short, it’s just not.

7. Chocolate – I like white chocolate okay, but I don’t understand how everyone’s like “oh I cant go a day without chocolate”. It just doesn’t taste good to me. And this whole dark chocolate craze? I understand it’s healthier but clearly there’s a reason for that. It just doesn’t taste good. I mean, what kind of dessert is BITTER? Ugh. It should NOT be considered dessert, thank you very much.

8. Asparagus – Maybe this goes along the lines of how I don’t like vegetables all that much to begin with (I mean, seriously, these people who are like “Are you serious? I CRAVE vegetables”… I personally think they must be lying and/or overexaggerating. Who in their right mind craves vegetables?), but I feel like asparagus is a favorite amongst many. I don’t really understand why. I don’t think it tastes any more or less better than any other vegetable… so, while I don’t necessarily dislike asparagus, I just don’t understand what all the fuss is about (ie: as a favorite veggie amongst many).

9. Animals – So this isn’t completely fair because I do like some animals. I just don’t like domesticated animals (ie: pets). I think it just takes a LOT more to impress me (ie: in terms of an animal’s cuteness) than the average Joe. I just don’t understand. Most are not as cute as everyone says they are, nor are they easy to maintain. I mean, hello. You have to pick up after them multiple times a day? Ew. Therefore, because the cuteness factor is lost on me, I don’t think the effort it takes to upkeep a pet is worth the cuteness that everyone seemingly attributes to them. Blah. However, that being said, I do like wild animals (ie: lions and tigers and bears)… I think this is primarily because I’m just intrigued with how the circle of life works and all that J

10. Popular TV shows – Shows like 30 Rock and The Office are all the rage right now. Again, I don’t really understand why. I also am not being fair in this judgment because I haven’t watched enough episodes to accurately judge said shows. But it certainly didn’t grab my attention as a must-see every week from the get-go (ie: like Friends, Full House, Fresh Prince, Cosby Show… you know, the good old days). But shows like Seinfeld and The Simpsons? Really. I find them quite boring and certainly NOT entertaining. And I’ve watched enough episodes of THOSE to adequately judge, thank you very much. Seinfeld I really never understood. Jerry’s voice just annoys me. And I really just didn’t find it to be funny (and if you know me, you KNOW I find EVERYTHING to be funny). And the Simpsons? Just plain stupid. And not funny in the least. I don’t really understand how it’s the longest running show in history. Or some nonsense like that.

11. Smartphones – okay, again, maybe it’s just because I haven’t ever had one (nor do I really have an interest in getting one)… I LIKE having a different place for my phone, internet, etc. so I don’t understand what all the fuss is about with my nice old-fashioned 1995 cellular telephone. It does the job and I would actually prefer to not have my phone attached to my hip 24/7. I can easily find other avenues of entertainment than apps on a phone… although, to be honest, I do think I could do with the Google map component of the Iphone… so we’ll see… TBD.

So there you have it. Reasonably justified, correct? Yes. Thank you very much.

cupcakes... in more detail than you ever imagined possible...

so one of my absolute favorite people in LIFE came to visit me in my new hometown (is it too early to start calling chicago home? oh well.) this weekend! drumroll please... id like to introduce you to the one and only archie p! while arch and i have traveled quite a few places together... travel is a slightly relative term... somehow, i think very few individuals would travel the way we do, complete with self-guided "the notebook" tours in charleston sc (i mean HELLO! southern CHARM at its FINEST!), pathetically weak attempts to bike ride around charleston in sweltering heat (i just cringed), ridiculous cooking/baking adventures in archie's DC kitchen (trust me... if you ever want to make vegan cupcakes, you can just give archie p a ringeroo), blueberry picking by the mountains in seattle (rather than watching some big OSU vs. UW football game... please- priorities here, people), gorging on magnolias cupcakes in new york...

oh magnolias. where the cupcake sprung to life- from a mere birthday dessert to an absolute ART FORM, in my eyes. i could eat magnolias for breakfast, lunch and dinner (and trust me, i have before, so dont put it past me- vanilla vanilla, you canNOT go wrong). sad to say, any other cupcake place i sampled in new york and SF just paled in comparison to magnolias.

but then i came to chicago. and... oh what the heck. i was going to just type out the ins and outs of the cupcake scene here but it would basically be a copy/paste of my email to arch in preparation for her visit to chicago (please keep in mind that the poor girl was not even in the US at the time this email was written... she was in cambodia saving the world... and im emailing her about cupcakes. fab.)

"arch you have to come home soon. and by come home, i mean, sure fly into dc but then immediately come down and visit me in chicago :) i just discovered yet ANOTHER amazing cupcake shop today! i stumbled upon it while i was walking to barnes and noble. it's on the cutest little street and the name of it is: sweet mandy b's. how cute is THAT?? i dont know which i like better... mollys or mandys! mollys is amazing and i go there at least once a weekend (this weekend i went three times- it was kind of disgusting but whatever) but it's kind of pricey... however, the cupcakes are SO DIVINE. mandys is definitely cheaper and much simpler (ie: the frostings are all kinds, the cakes portion are as well, but they arent filled with like cookie dough or peanut butter like mollys does). anyway. it was pathetic- i stumbled upon mandys and you KNOW i helped myself (i cant stop myself from trying a cupcake shop!!)- i had a lemon cupcake with vanilla buttercream divinity frosting. it was great. but then i felt guilty because i felt like i was cheating on mollys so i just stopped by mollys just now and helped myself to a mixed berry cupcake which was just mediocre. however, i must admit that mollys has been solid on most of the others ive tried... i had a chocolate one with peanut butter filling yesterday (it reminded me of our buckeye cupcakes!!) and then there's this choc chip cookie dough one, that is a choc chip cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting and cookie dough filling in the cake part and topped with the cutest little choc chip cookie... OMG AND ARCHIE on friday i got a mini pumpkin caramel cheesecake. i mean, seriously, it's getting outta control. im cutting myself off starting tomorrow i have told myself. well. until you come and then we embark on a self guided cupcake tour around chicago. i mean, honestly, im quite surprised with the high quality cupcakes ive come across here. because in new york, the only ones i truly enjoyed were magnolias- all else paled in comparison. sigh. anyway. i todl you this was going to be all about cupcakes. its rather sickening but also maddeningly delightful."

for your reference: 'mollys' refers to "Molly's Cupcakes" while 'mandys' refers to "Sweet Mandy B's"... amazing deliciousness captured in every bite... in case that wasnt remarkably clear from the above...

ive also heard of quite a few other cupcake places in chicago but i havent yet tried them... you KNOW that youll be hearing about those places (in unnecessary levels of detail... kind of like here) as i visit them as i continue on my neverending quest for the cupcake that could even DARE try to beat out my magnolias... ha. right.

good luck, chicago cupcake shops/bakeries... maliyacks is on the way... yikesers!