no more classes. two days of work. lots of packing. only ramen and oatmeal for supper. lots of goodbyes. a few last minute get togethers. evaluations. final party.
i think the semester is almost over! :(
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thanksgiving
happy day after thanksgiving!
so... unlike what i told everyone, i actually did have thanksgiving day off. i didn't think i would. but i did. and it was great.
whitney has friends over for break, so we all got up early and went downtown to watch the McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade. it was pretty much awesome. except for the fact that my camera died right after ronald mcdonald went by, and he was the first float. :( oh well, others got great pics.
that afternoon we went to the field museum, saw sue the t-rex and a natural disasters exhibit and lots of other interesting things. for supper we went over to LaSalle apartments with a few others who are still here over break, had a steak dinner. very simple- steak, mashed potatoes, rolls, brown sugar carrots... and pecan pie! tastey. watched bits of the House marathon.
today i was back at work. not a lot to do, but we had quite a few visitors. amy bought me a cute owl ornament, since tomorrow is the last time i will see her. and then me, whit, and all her friends went to ed debevics (again for me!). lots of fun. i love that restaurant!
now we are sitting in the room, doing nothing; they're talking about hot guys' jawlines and drinking while i talk/christmas shop on amazon.com.
so yeah.... thanksgiving.
so... unlike what i told everyone, i actually did have thanksgiving day off. i didn't think i would. but i did. and it was great.
whitney has friends over for break, so we all got up early and went downtown to watch the McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade. it was pretty much awesome. except for the fact that my camera died right after ronald mcdonald went by, and he was the first float. :( oh well, others got great pics.
that afternoon we went to the field museum, saw sue the t-rex and a natural disasters exhibit and lots of other interesting things. for supper we went over to LaSalle apartments with a few others who are still here over break, had a steak dinner. very simple- steak, mashed potatoes, rolls, brown sugar carrots... and pecan pie! tastey. watched bits of the House marathon.
today i was back at work. not a lot to do, but we had quite a few visitors. amy bought me a cute owl ornament, since tomorrow is the last time i will see her. and then me, whit, and all her friends went to ed debevics (again for me!). lots of fun. i love that restaurant!
now we are sitting in the room, doing nothing; they're talking about hot guys' jawlines and drinking while i talk/christmas shop on amazon.com.
so yeah.... thanksgiving.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
a great couple of days
so... megan was here yesterday! had sooo much fun with her, and her random Indian friend who decided to join us. i think his name is dhruv (we pronounced it like Drove). we went to MCA to see the Jenny Holzer exhibit (again for me). then we ate at Ed Debevic's, a restaurant that is known for the waiters being rude (as part of its theatrics) and then dancing on the countertops. the food is typical american diner, but rather expensive. good food, but people go generally for the rudeness. it's great fun. then we went to a hookah bar- mmm... mint flavored. so good.
then we came back to the apartment and just hung out. watched a lot of funny youtube videos. stayed up til 1:30. had fun fitting us all in the apartment to sleep. and we get to do the same thing the rest of the week, but for whitney's two friends.
anyway, other funness- before i picked up megan, i wandered around chicago and all its holidayness. lots of pretty things, christmas lights, decorative trumpets, window shoppers, salvation army bell ringers, the giant christmas tree at daley plaza with the candy-striped shops that will open on friday for the german christmas festival. they had pickle ornaments.
and today, after dropping megan off at the blue line so she could get to ohare, and dhruv to union station so he could get back to the suburbs, i went to the cs offices so i could work on my final art project. oh yeah! final art project! on monday, i started that. what i did was make a 3Dish relief of a cityscape on canvas, made with littler canvases (you'd have to see pics), and then i took that down to the jackson red line train station, and painted a landscape on it- grass and mountains, and a lonely tree. after painting it in the station, i left it in the station. it was a combination of non-theatrical performance, painting, and installation, documented by a few photos, and then put together with a few videos into a slideshow.
the video/slideshow stuff is what i was working on today. and the best part of my day is what happened because of that: i was hidden in a back classroom doing my stuff; i forgot about the change of hours for the office b/c of the holidays; the people working there didn't think i was there anymore; they left; locked the doors; i finished what i was doing and came out, realized i was locked in, and kinda freaked out. i called a bunch of people and finally got ahold of someone who could come back and let me out. i was lucky cause she had just left and was buying shoes nearby. it's funny now, but i felt so stupid earlier. who gets locked in the office, really?!?
well, i think that's everything.... i feel like i'm forgetting stuff, but... oh well. so that's my life the past couple days.
then we came back to the apartment and just hung out. watched a lot of funny youtube videos. stayed up til 1:30. had fun fitting us all in the apartment to sleep. and we get to do the same thing the rest of the week, but for whitney's two friends.
anyway, other funness- before i picked up megan, i wandered around chicago and all its holidayness. lots of pretty things, christmas lights, decorative trumpets, window shoppers, salvation army bell ringers, the giant christmas tree at daley plaza with the candy-striped shops that will open on friday for the german christmas festival. they had pickle ornaments.
and today, after dropping megan off at the blue line so she could get to ohare, and dhruv to union station so he could get back to the suburbs, i went to the cs offices so i could work on my final art project. oh yeah! final art project! on monday, i started that. what i did was make a 3Dish relief of a cityscape on canvas, made with littler canvases (you'd have to see pics), and then i took that down to the jackson red line train station, and painted a landscape on it- grass and mountains, and a lonely tree. after painting it in the station, i left it in the station. it was a combination of non-theatrical performance, painting, and installation, documented by a few photos, and then put together with a few videos into a slideshow.
the video/slideshow stuff is what i was working on today. and the best part of my day is what happened because of that: i was hidden in a back classroom doing my stuff; i forgot about the change of hours for the office b/c of the holidays; the people working there didn't think i was there anymore; they left; locked the doors; i finished what i was doing and came out, realized i was locked in, and kinda freaked out. i called a bunch of people and finally got ahold of someone who could come back and let me out. i was lucky cause she had just left and was buying shoes nearby. it's funny now, but i felt so stupid earlier. who gets locked in the office, really?!?
well, i think that's everything.... i feel like i'm forgetting stuff, but... oh well. so that's my life the past couple days.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
how i've changed this semester
so this is a list of ways i have changed this semester. i'll let you decide what's for better or worse...
*i love the city, and i never thought i would
*i wear make up almost daily
*i'm more comfortable being myself in front of friends and strangers
*i wear dressier clothes than i used to. still sort of uniquified, but.... i hardly wear t-shirts anymore!
*i like borscht
*i feel like, if i had to, i could become a vegetarian
*i go out to bars and dance clubs--- and sometimes dance!
*i like James Bond
*i procrastinate a lot more
*i don't mind not knowing where i am or where i'm going
*more uncertain about my future than ever
*i talk to people i have nothing in common with and try to be their friend
*i can (sort of) talk in front of small groups of people
*i don't have as much time for my art
*more independent
*i'm more talkative
*little things get to me more easily
*i look more like a professional than an artist when i'm going to work so-
*when i'm on my own i am even more unusually dressed
*starting to almost like airports (but not flying)
*weirdly, writing more often
*more leader-like
*more comfortable talking to strangers
*more comfortable asking for help
*more liberal
*talking on the phone way more often
*give more easily to homeless
*care more about feminist issues
*i like outsider art!
*can more easily (and more willingly) express my opinions
that's all i can think of right now. it's quite a list! makes it seem as if i've become a whole new person. i don't think i have. i think it all just adds up to me becoming more comfortable being me.
*i love the city, and i never thought i would
*i wear make up almost daily
*i'm more comfortable being myself in front of friends and strangers
*i wear dressier clothes than i used to. still sort of uniquified, but.... i hardly wear t-shirts anymore!
*i like borscht
*i feel like, if i had to, i could become a vegetarian
*i go out to bars and dance clubs--- and sometimes dance!
*i like James Bond
*i procrastinate a lot more
*i don't mind not knowing where i am or where i'm going
*more uncertain about my future than ever
*i talk to people i have nothing in common with and try to be their friend
*i can (sort of) talk in front of small groups of people
*i don't have as much time for my art
*more independent
*i'm more talkative
*little things get to me more easily
*i look more like a professional than an artist when i'm going to work so-
*when i'm on my own i am even more unusually dressed
*starting to almost like airports (but not flying)
*weirdly, writing more often
*more leader-like
*more comfortable talking to strangers
*more comfortable asking for help
*more liberal
*talking on the phone way more often
*give more easily to homeless
*care more about feminist issues
*i like outsider art!
*can more easily (and more willingly) express my opinions
that's all i can think of right now. it's quite a list! makes it seem as if i've become a whole new person. i don't think i have. i think it all just adds up to me becoming more comfortable being me.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
so.......
well, since our fine arts events are over, i have a lot less to write about. at least, a lot less guaranteed subject matter. so any blogs from now on should be (key work: should) shorter. but i still have stuff i can write about, so never fear! the blog will still be here! (forgive me, i just woke up.)
it's hard to believe that the semester is almost over! i just had my final evaluation at work (all 5s, thank you very much). we only have one more day of classes, and that's the 3rd of december. we don't have classes the day b4 thanksgiving. (btw- Happy Birthday, Karlee! i'll try to find you something special and bring it home to you.) so only a couple weeks left, and i'm outta here. kinda sad. i love chicago. but exciting b/c i get to go back to NWC and see my friends again and prepare to live in HOSPERS BASEMENT WITH DANA!!!!!!! (can ya tell i'm excited?)
but i won't be able to stay away from chicago for long. one of my classes will be taking a trip there/here next semester; and dana and i have tentative plans to kidnap drew david and roadtrip to chicago for spring break. oh the funness we have planned for next semester!
so, even though our fine arts events are over, whitney and i went to see a show thursday night on our own. actually, it was the show that the theatre she works at is putting on. Grey Gardens. it's a musical about Jackie Kennedy's cousin and aunt (jackie is a little girl in the show) who live in a once grand and famous house, but now it is full of cats, racoons, fleas, and garbage. this mother-daughter pair of once-socialites are "alone together" as the program said. they can't escape each other because they know nothing else, but they drive each other crazy. it was an interesting show, very well done, but i found it so hard to get into because i hated every character! bigots, brats, sexists, divas, and just generally demanding and annoying upperclass people. although the butler was a good guy. even though i didn't like the characters, i was surprised to find that i felt sorry for them at the end. it was a good show.
tomorrow a few of us are going to a poetry slam! i'm so excited, i haven't been to one in so long. should be great. and megan is coming on tuesday! got some fun stuff planned to show her around chicago. she won't be here long, so we have to make the most of it while we can.
well, i should probably go get ready for work. ttyl
it's hard to believe that the semester is almost over! i just had my final evaluation at work (all 5s, thank you very much). we only have one more day of classes, and that's the 3rd of december. we don't have classes the day b4 thanksgiving. (btw- Happy Birthday, Karlee! i'll try to find you something special and bring it home to you.) so only a couple weeks left, and i'm outta here. kinda sad. i love chicago. but exciting b/c i get to go back to NWC and see my friends again and prepare to live in HOSPERS BASEMENT WITH DANA!!!!!!! (can ya tell i'm excited?)
but i won't be able to stay away from chicago for long. one of my classes will be taking a trip there/here next semester; and dana and i have tentative plans to kidnap drew david and roadtrip to chicago for spring break. oh the funness we have planned for next semester!
so, even though our fine arts events are over, whitney and i went to see a show thursday night on our own. actually, it was the show that the theatre she works at is putting on. Grey Gardens. it's a musical about Jackie Kennedy's cousin and aunt (jackie is a little girl in the show) who live in a once grand and famous house, but now it is full of cats, racoons, fleas, and garbage. this mother-daughter pair of once-socialites are "alone together" as the program said. they can't escape each other because they know nothing else, but they drive each other crazy. it was an interesting show, very well done, but i found it so hard to get into because i hated every character! bigots, brats, sexists, divas, and just generally demanding and annoying upperclass people. although the butler was a good guy. even though i didn't like the characters, i was surprised to find that i felt sorry for them at the end. it was a good show.
tomorrow a few of us are going to a poetry slam! i'm so excited, i haven't been to one in so long. should be great. and megan is coming on tuesday! got some fun stuff planned to show her around chicago. she won't be here long, so we have to make the most of it while we can.
well, i should probably go get ready for work. ttyl
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Little Things That Make My Day
so after that rant about the apartment of doom, here are a few small things that make my day better:
*the handicapped homeless man who always says 'good morning angels' to everyone but never asks for money
*lunch with my boss Beate
*cleanslate workers with a smiling face as they clean each neighborhood
*the man who runs the snack bar at the clark/division red line stop and always tells me good morning
*the holiday decorations
*getting phone calls from friends at home unexpectedly
*zulfiya's laugh
*good conversations about art with stephen snyder
*saturday night live parties
*heather hubers' brownies
*reading on the trains, and in the train stations
*getting weird looks because of how i'm dressed/what i'm reading/i'm sitting on the floor of the train station
*nerdy conversations with jessica lundgren
*having time to make art
*the handicapped homeless man who always says 'good morning angels' to everyone but never asks for money
*lunch with my boss Beate
*cleanslate workers with a smiling face as they clean each neighborhood
*the man who runs the snack bar at the clark/division red line stop and always tells me good morning
*the holiday decorations
*getting phone calls from friends at home unexpectedly
*zulfiya's laugh
*good conversations about art with stephen snyder
*saturday night live parties
*heather hubers' brownies
*reading on the trains, and in the train stations
*getting weird looks because of how i'm dressed/what i'm reading/i'm sitting on the floor of the train station
*nerdy conversations with jessica lundgren
*having time to make art
Why Our Apartment Sucks
so... once upon a time i moved to chicago, and got stuck in the last apartment available. this is my list of why it sucks.
*small
*expensive
*drafty windows
*yellow colored bathroom
*only a half fridge
*no counter space in the kitchen or bathroom
*broken electrical outlets installed at an angle
*ugly
*small beds
*no light in "kitchen"
*gas stove that sets off the smoke alarm whenever i use the oven
*located right next to the alleyway where drunk people fight and smoke and play loud music
*located right next to same alleyway where hundreds of dumpsters need to be emptied weekly
*located right next to same alleyway where all the bars' delivery trucks stop
*construction on the apartment across the way
*hot and cold faucets in sink are exactly the same- barely cold unless you let them run forever, then they get lukewarm
*hottest and coldest water is in the shower
*sink doesn't drain very well
*sticky tack doesn't stick to the walls
*no one told us we had to turn the heater on, even though they turned the heat on
*have to have the light in the bathroom on to use that outlet, and it doesn't always work
*light in the main room spazzes and flickers every time you turn it on
*windows get stuck open or shut- require force to move them
*no shelf in closet
*dresser drawers stick
*crappily constructed
*microwave doesn't always work unless you hold the cord just right
*rusty cabinets
*cabinets right above stove get really hot and melty
*no drawers in "kitchen"
*only one comfy chair
*no view
*other rooms aren't as bad as ours
and the biggest problem, which would make all the others less horrific:
*it's a room made for one person and they shove 2 in for chicago semester students!
it's not completely terrible. it's livable. i mean, i can live anywhere for 3 months. this is just to get it all out there. room 212 in canterbury courts sucks!
:)
*small
*expensive
*drafty windows
*yellow colored bathroom
*only a half fridge
*no counter space in the kitchen or bathroom
*broken electrical outlets installed at an angle
*ugly
*small beds
*no light in "kitchen"
*gas stove that sets off the smoke alarm whenever i use the oven
*located right next to the alleyway where drunk people fight and smoke and play loud music
*located right next to same alleyway where hundreds of dumpsters need to be emptied weekly
*located right next to same alleyway where all the bars' delivery trucks stop
*construction on the apartment across the way
*hot and cold faucets in sink are exactly the same- barely cold unless you let them run forever, then they get lukewarm
*hottest and coldest water is in the shower
*sink doesn't drain very well
*sticky tack doesn't stick to the walls
*no one told us we had to turn the heater on, even though they turned the heat on
*have to have the light in the bathroom on to use that outlet, and it doesn't always work
*light in the main room spazzes and flickers every time you turn it on
*windows get stuck open or shut- require force to move them
*no shelf in closet
*dresser drawers stick
*crappily constructed
*microwave doesn't always work unless you hold the cord just right
*rusty cabinets
*cabinets right above stove get really hot and melty
*no drawers in "kitchen"
*only one comfy chair
*no view
*other rooms aren't as bad as ours
and the biggest problem, which would make all the others less horrific:
*it's a room made for one person and they shove 2 in for chicago semester students!
it's not completely terrible. it's livable. i mean, i can live anywhere for 3 months. this is just to get it all out there. room 212 in canterbury courts sucks!
:)
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