In a Funk? Have a Cupcake

I woke up in a funk this morning after one rather ridiculous phone call last evening. I figured I'd just dwell in my funk for a few hours in the morning and then move along my merry way, being the glass half full kinda gal that I am.

For some reason, the funk still remains (and it's currently 2:53 PM CST).

I didn't go outside for lunch today, despite the ridiculous sunshiney goodness (that's right, folks- summertime Chi has FINALLY arrived!) taunting me through these office windows. As such, come 2:30 PM, I figured a break was much needed. A break from the office, a break from the funk, you get the idea.

I headed out with no real plan in mind- just intending to take a few moments to enjoy some delicious sunshiney goodness.

But then... well, somehow I just HAPPENED to stumble upon...

If a cupcake can't cheer a person up, I just don't know what CAN. Without a MOMENT's hesitation, I made myself right at home. I mean, this place's selection is Ridiculous (with a capital R and everything).

In the end, my practicality got the better of me- I knew I would feel absolutely SICK for the rest of the afternoon if I ingested one of those ginormous specialty cupcakes. So, instead, I opted for a plain Jane vanilla-vanilla cupcake. Aaand added a couple more specialty cupcakes for some fellow coworkers of mine... gotta deflect any and all guilt I was feeling for indulging in such a rich treat on a regular old Tuesday afternoon, after all.

In the end, I must say, cupcakes really do solve all the world's problems. The delicious sunshiney goodness was only an added bonus. :)

SunCHIne and Summertime: Festivals, Brew Tours and GRAETERS!

Finally. After last week's DISASTROUS weather (I mean, how can you ring in summertime with 57 degrees, gloom doom clouds, and torrential DOWNPOURS? Wtf- I totally KNOW!), I had pretty much given up hope on summertime in Chicago.

I love giving up hope. You can never really be disappointed, if so. Man, talk about glass-half-full kinda thinking at its FINEST. It's a gift, really.

Irony of ironies, as soon as I had completely written off summertime in Chicago this year... well, the weather somehow magically skyrocketed 40 degrees in a 24 hour time period (no joke- it was in the 50s on Sunday, 90s on Monday... again, wtf, I know)... and the sun finally decided to grace us with her magical rays... ALL WEEK LONG!!!!lkjasldkfjlds!

Now, summertime in Chicago is pretty well-known as an unbeatable kinda wonderland. The city really just comes ALIVE... the streets are suddenly flowing with people coming out of hibernation, street festivals are all OVER the place, and everyone just seems that darn happier. Sigh. I love this place. Can you tell at all? ;)

This first summer weekend (that actually FELT like summer) was no exception. From MayFest in Lincoln Square (a German summertime festival? Sigh. Pitter patter goes my heart.) to outdoor drinks at Zella's to a Goose Island brew tour...



...to the Chicago Tribune's LitFest (where I attended a social media lecture... MAN, I can just listen/talk/discuss the wonders and glories of social media FOREVER, really)...


Well... a perfect inaugural summertime weekend it has been.

And yet. All I want to focus this blog entry on is my recent discovery that...

Weeeeee!!!! My neighborhood grocery store now carries... GRAETERS ICE CREAM Lfdflkjsdklj!

Sweet heavens. I wish each and every one of you had been there to see my jaw fall to the ground and my heart do some SERIOUS pitter pattering when I walked by my lovely little neighborhood grocery store earlier.

Pandemonium, at its finest, if you will. Internal pandemonium, that is (I mean, I do have SOME discretion!).

If you are from Cincinnati, you will clearly understand why this news is cause for such jubilee. If you are not from Cincinnati... well, get ready. Because you are totally about to hear ALL about how/why this is cause for such merriment/jubilee/sunshine - you know, all things "sunCHIne and summertime". (Like that? I thought of it all on my own, thank you very much.)

Okay, so Graeters is this ice cream shop that has its roots in the beloved 'Nati. GOD, it is the best thing ever. I'm not the biggest ice cream fan, but that rule is TOTALLY null and void when it comes to Graeters. I mean, it's just so rich and creamy and flavorful and... well, all that is good and right in the world today.

Okay, maybe I'm getting a little carried away.

Nah. I never get carried away. (Haha) It is just that good.

AND it was on SALE?!?!?!

Yeah, okay, I know. $3.99 for a dinky pint of ice cream? A little steep for my frugal little self.

But seriously- you just need to taste it. Then, and only then, will you wholly and completely understand why this thing is worth every single penny. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. GOD, it's taking some serious willpower to not just waltz on over to my freezer right now for a little spoonful (or bowlful.. potayto, potahto, really) at this very moment.

While their signature flavor is Black Raspberry Chip, you really just can't go wrong with anything you get there. And the best part about Graeters is, while they have skyrocketed in popularity (they are TOTALLY known nationwide... I'm beaming in pride, naturally), they still maintain their down-home charm. It's totally one of its more endearing qualities, if you will. Whenever I go home, you better believe this is one of my pit stops... in addition to Skyline... LaRosas... UDF... well, okay, so kill me. It's not my problem that Cincinnati has some darn good food.

Sooo... summertime festivals? Summertime drinks? SunCHIne? I'm all about them- I mean, don't get me wrong. But they simply don't hold a candle to... well, hometown ice cream, apparently. What can I say? I'm a down-home gal at heart.

summertime burnout...

i went to this junior league meeting a couple of weeks ago where the icebreaker involved telling the group "what you did this summer". when it came to my turn, i really was at quite a loss for words. typically, i have SOME sort of trip (no matter how small) to go on and on about. but this summer... well, nothing. nada. zilch. what in the world HAPPENED to summer?? i mean, where have the last two months GONE? granted, i did have a big trip to south africa/tanzania in the works for june but decided to bail at the last minute, because i'm an awesome friend like that (sorry again, arch!). and granted, i came into this summer knowing i wanted to stay in chicago as much as humanly possible (nixing even the possibilities of going home on a weekend or two) because of the ever-famous utopia that can only be "summertime chi". but i didnt realize that nixing the travel to take advantage of summer in chicago would leave me feeling even more burned out than if i were taking one of those intense vacations from which you need a vacation to recuperate (you know what im talking about, right?)...

after all the hype surrounding how fabulous and wonderful and glorious and perfect is the city in the summer, i really was pretty set to be disappointed. i mean, you read the "things most people like that i don't like (but im not picky!)" blog entry... you know it's hard to please me (sigh. fine. i admit it.) and i must admit, after the month of june, when i really thought seasonal affective disorder was going to consume my heart and soul (i mean, the gloomy clouds? the torrential downpours? please. it wasn't springtime anymore... hello.), i was all set to write off summertime chi as just another overhyped "thing" that was just going get right on added to that List...

but then... well, i dont know when exactly. late june but definitely by early july... something changed. the sun actually decided to establish its presence in a more than consistent fashion. and the sun can make the world seem just right again. i mean, havent you noticed how much HAPPIER people are when the sun is out? remarkable, really. and man, does chicago come a-live. the street festivals, the movies in the park, the theater on the lake, the outdoor concerts, the outdoor restaurant seating... you name it, they do it. and do people take ADVANTAGE! i mean, where WERE all these people five months ago? i really didnt believe in human hibernation until i witnessed this population surge once the summer months hit...

okay, so don't get me wrong. i am so so grateful for all of the wonderful utopian qualities that chicago in the summertime has to offer. but i must admit, it's quite overwhelming! maybe it's because im new to this whole experience and i tend to oversatiate myself if something makes me happy. so maybe it's just me who overdid it this summer. but i cant help but feel something that can only be described as summertime burnout... i mean, maybe it's got something to do with heat exhaustion (not only is it hot, but the humidity? heavens. not only is it un-comfortably sticky but the things humidity does to a girl's hair?! *shake of head*) but considering i loiter in any and every air-conditioned spot anytime im out and about, i highly doubt i can blame heat exhaustion. im just burned OUT- im exhausted all the time and i feel like i exist in a perpetual state of stickiness/filth (from the humidity... not from lack of showering or anything... just to CLARIFY!). the worst part? i get excited for gloomy/rainy days (all too few these days) as my excuse to not feel guilty for staying indoors and watching whatever's on my new dvr and/or reading (oh, let's be honest. i haven't picked up a book all summer).

sigh. im sadly counting down the days until the beginning of fall. i mean, i love summer for what it's worth, but i think im done. im just exhausted! and falltime... sigh. think about it. the apple picking, the pumpkin patches, the leaves changing colors... okay, granted none of that can really be accomplished/witnessed in a big city but whatever. just go with it. you get the idea.

ha. just wait. come mid-october, you KNOW you'll be seeing a blog entry complaining about how im tired of pumpkin flavored everything and how we should just bypass the season of fall since christiemas is right around the corner... haha. man, i really AM picky/hard-to-please. eh, oh well, oh well, oh well! you know you love it... well, i HOPE you do!

in gratitude of,

summertime in chicago (to an extent)