Hello, Monday morning! So far, the day is starting out with rain and more rain. Just the opposite of this weekend.
Friday night, Matt surprised me and got home early. The coaches cancelled the 7 PM-9 PM practice, so Matt was home by 7, a good 4 hours earlier than any other day last week. We grabbed dinner at a Mexican restaurant after wandering around for about an hour. Mexican is always our go to and we decided to try a new place this time. We were sorely disappointed for a number of reasons. First, if we wanted to sit outside on the patio, we had to have cash. A cash-only patio??? But don't worry - they had an ATM inside. So, we just settled with eating inside because who carries cash around anymore?? At this point, we should have known things were going to get weird.
Second, the waitress was just odd. After I ordered, apparently I did not give her the menu back quick enough because she yelled at me to give it back to her. Do people often steal the menus there or did I just look like I was going to skip out with it? Because I think she was convinced I was not going to give it back to her. Then, moments later, she brings out two small cups of something. Initially, I thought it was the red sauce that they put on your enchilladas and she was just bringing it out to us so we could put it on our meals. But then she said "soup on the house." Matt and I looked at each other, looked around the restaurant and noticed that nobody else had a cup of "soup on the house." We examined the soup and it looked like spaghetti noodles in chef-boy-rd sauce. I am not sure what we were thinking, but we must have been starving, because we ate it anyway. Then we got paranoid that the waiters and waitresses were laughing at us because we actually ate the "soup." About 5 minutes later, we saw our waitress bring out the same thing to another couple. We couldn't decide if we should warn them or not. We decided if we were going down, we were going to bring others down with us. Classy, I know.
Third, the food took FOREVER to come out. No way is that typical service at a Mexican restaurant. Usually, you can't even get through the basket of chips before the food arrives. Not here. The two of us went through almost three basket of chips before the food got to us. So needless to say, we will NOT be going back there. We did wake up the next morning thankful that the "soup" didn't kill us.
Saturday was sunny and 78 degrees all day. So, I decided to make my way down to the beach for the day. Matt and Andy went into work to get a workout in and then do something with the ipads that the coaching staff got last week. Something about updating new software. So, they met me down there later in the afternoon. I did learn that I am QUEEN of the awkward sunburn. I put on suntan lotion three different times while I was down there. I was so proud of myself because I knew I was going to get a tan but without the burn. Long story short, I look like a lobster and I have band-aid tan lines on my feet. It looks really good.
But the beach made for some unbelievable people watching. I cannot even describe the sights out there. One involved an inappropriately PDA young couple down at the water. They looked like they were shooting a scene for a terribly cheesy music video. I believe at one point the girl went running through the "crashing waves" and jumped into her boyfriend's arms. True story.
That night, we ended up going out to one of our corner bars to watch the Gold Cup soccer game. Andy made friends with the pretty bar tender and kept buying her shots every time USA scored. After the second USA goal, the bar tended looked at us an told us that if Mexico scores, the kitchen would go crazy. Andy refused to order any kind of Mexican food on the menu then accidently proceeded to eat the jalapeno spread that was on his panini. When USA blew the game after being up 2-0, we took off to our other corner bar and things just got ugly from there. Great night :)
Sunday, Matt and I were hurting a little bit and even though it was a gorgeous day, we ended up on the couch for the entirety of it. For a couple of weeks, Andy had been trying to get us to watch True Blood on HBO. I am not normally into those types of shows. However, 9 episodes later, I have to admit, it is kind of addicting. A little graphic at times which is probably the reason why all of my dreams last night involved True Blood characters.
The only thing I wish we would have done yesterday was walk down to the Gay Pride parade that took place about 10 minutes from here. We saw people setting up for it on Friday night and I really wanted to check it out. However, the couch and True Blood was just too powerful for us after a night like Saturday. I really believe we missed out on something unbelievable though. I WILL be there next year.
Next weekend: Food Festival downtown!
I hope everyone had a great weekend! Its that time of day again for me to get back on the job search. Fingers crossed!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Retail Therapy - Most Underrated Therapy That There Is
I was definitely spoiled this past weekend. Matt was off work all weekend so we spent Saturday and Sunday just enjoying each other's company. He did kind of owe it to me since I spent Friday night at the office with him addressing 100 envelopes to recruits. Apparently, not only does Matt have terrible handwriting but so does the Director of Operations. So, I volunteered my services since my only other option was to back to the apartment alone while Matt finished stuff up for team camp. On top of that, we didn't get to eat dinner until after 9:00 PM because of the office work we were doing. So, when I say he owed it to me, I think I made my point.
Saturday he did go into the office just to switch stuff from one server to another. Apparently with everything he had running it was going to take 3 hours. I know he told me exactly what he was doing, but when he starts talking video technology I stop listening. So, he came back to the apartment and we grabbed some lunch. Brandon Rozzell was in town earlier in the week doing workouts with some big-time trainer up here (former VCU player). He is trying to get a contract to play overseas and was here getting some extra workouts in. He had to leave on Saturday, so Matt and I drove him to the airport. I know people warned me about traffic, but I think its kind of like the winters here - people can warn you, but you are still never really prepared. O'Hare is 13 miles away. It took us an hour and half to get there and back. BRUTAL.
We eased our pain though when we went to the strength and conditioning coach's apartment for a cookout. "Apartment" does not do this place justice. It was the most gorgeous apartment I have ever seen. It was obscene. I knew we were in for a treat when Mac greeted us at the door and told us to take our shoes off. I felt out of place in my Target shirt and flipflops. His wife just had a baby boy named Cole. Unfortunately, he was born 7 weeks early and had to spend the first 20 days of his life in the hospital. He is back home now and is doing great. But, it really puts things in perspective. Amanda, Ciara, and Devon - I am sure you are all so thankful for such healthy babies. I couldn't stop thinking about all of you and the little ones when I was looking at baby Cole. I even felt blessed that all of your babies are so healthy.
On Sunday, we walked dow to the beach since Matt had not seen it yet. We live 30 minutes away from beach (walking) and he STILL had not been down there. I mean, I know he has a job and everything, but still... ; )
We almost got trampled a couple of times by people biking, but we survived. I will tell you what - there was some SERIOUS inspiration down there at the beach. I am not talking about people in bathing suits. I am talking about the runners. At one point I looked at Matt and said "that is why I run - because if people like that can run, then there is NO reason why I should be complaining about a 40 minute run." Now, I know that sounds bad, but work with me here. Don't you have those moments when you are running and you just want to quit and call it a day. I always think about those people who are not necessarily in the best shape but they don't quit - its impressive. That's all I am saying here.
That afternoon we finally did our first BIG grocery shopping trip. You should all know that we have an adult refrigerator now. It actually has food in it. And not just food - food to make MEALS from. I even cooked two nights last week! I really do like cooking, but if Matt's getting off work at 9, KITCHEN IS CLOSED. Thanks for that saying, Mom :) So the other couple of nights, I met him at his office for dinner. Have I already mentioned that the food here is AMAZING??
As far as the job search goes, I feel like I am making some progress! I met with a woman from a consulting company that works strictly with non-profits. It is kind of like a head-hunting firm. She was really great and assured me that I would not have a problem finding a job. I wish people would stop saying that and just hire me already. That just makes the most sense to me...
I spoke with a woman today at DePaul about some part time work the admissions office there. While the position itself will never be full-time, she did say that I can apply for any full time positions that open up and I will have a leg up at that point. I would work anywhere from 20-25 hours a week at $23-27 dollars and hour. I did the math. I would make a more a month working PART TIME at DePaul then I did working FULL TIME at R-MC. And that is working only 20 hours a week at $23 dollars an hour. I feel like the admissions office gets taken for granted a little bit at R-MC. I think someone should present those numbers to President Lindgren. That's just insane. Its not like I would be making a fortune at DePaul, but it would sure feel that way after what I made at R-MC. Now, I know I have rent and other things to pay for now that I am on my own, but I could try and find other part-time job for the days I am not working at the admissions office. So, please keep fingers crossed!
Now, all of this just happened about an hour ago. Before that, I was having a rough couple of days. I have been very frustrated with the job search. I know its a long process and I wasn't expecting to find a job immediately. But, it has been tough spending hours in the apartment alone staring at a computer hoping to find a job. I feel helpless because I know that if some one would give me a chance, I would show them that regardless of experience, I would get the job done. So today, I decided I was going to get out of the apartment. I decided to take a trip downtown and walk around. I finally made it to Millennium Park which was gorgeous! More importantly, I found the "cheaper" shopping strip.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Michigan Ave is full of stores whose names I cannot pronounce. However, go down State Street and its Hello, discount shopping! I do not do a lot of shopping. Every couple of months, I will go on a "shopping spree" (around $100 - CRAZY, right??). And today, I was just feeling it. For those of you who don't know, I am not an emotional eater. I am an emotional shopper. Now I know that an emotional shopper is more expensive, but at least I can fit into the clothes I buy. I am not knocking emotional eaters by any means. Because lets me honest - I eat my face off regardless of emotions and I used to be one until I found retail therapy. A-MAZ-ING.
Highlight of the trip: Found a Steve Madden store. The heels I bought were originally $72 on sale for $43. Um, Yes, please. If I wasn't convinced right away, the very friendly fellow behind the cash register told me how good I looked in them. This was not a Jeremy situation. This guy probably dates a Jeremy. Regardless, I want him with me whenever I go shopping so he can tell me how fabulous I look.
H&M was just up the street, so I ducked in there. Amazingly, so many things would match PERFECTLY with my new shoes. And did you know you can get things there for $7? So, as always, my philosophy stands: buy the shoes THEN the clothes to match them. Because at the end of the day, at least you have the great shoes. Carr
Now, it is time to get my workout in for the day. Jillian Michaels is calling my name and she is going to kick my butt. I hope everyone is doing well! R-MC Admissions - I heard you all survived the move even thought it didn't go quite as smoothly as you hoped! I hope you all like you new offices :)
I miss you all and hope everyone is having a great week. Please keep me updated with YOUR lives. As always, please keep your fingers crossed for me in terms of jobs! Love you all.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
The Rest of the Pictures! Thanks, Mom
DePaul University
Mom sent me a CD with about 65 pictures on there. I just need to organize them and put the rest up! But just wanted to give you all on idea of the campus first!
Cell Phone Pet Names
Ok - so I broke my promise. I know I am supposed to put pictures up before my next post. But the DVD Mom has sent me to upload all the pictures she took on her trip here have not made it here yet. I am crossing my fingers that it comes in the mail today! If it does, I will upload them all ASAP. What might have been easier would have been for me to go to the Best Buy up the street and buy a cord for my camera. Or even to make my own CD at Wal-greens. That last idea just came to me...next time though!
I know its been about a week since my last post and I wish I had some exciting news to tell you all! However, about 3 days last week were rainy and cold which meant I was confined to the apartment job searching. I did venture out for a Father's Day gift - I figured I could suck it up in the rain for my dad. He deserves it.
I have also been MIA because on Wednesday, my phone completely died. Matt and I were at dinner and my phone started vibrating and then just cut off. It never turned back on, even when it was charging. Now, I am not sure how many of you have seen my phone. For those of you who have, you are probably not surprised. Court and I have the phones that you get for free when you renew your contract. So naturally, the phone is top-notch. Mom and Dad even have the upgraded version of ours. No offense Mom and Dad. So, needless to say, I was not surprised. This is ALSO the same phone that last year I dropped downtown, fell into three different pieces, and I watched as the battery bounced around before falling down into a the city drain. True story.
I found the nearest Verizon store which was 2.7 miles away on Clark Street. I tell you the name of this street because it was NOT on Clark Street, which caused me to walk over 3 miles trying to find it. I eventually got so far down Clark Street that I was downtown. I decided it might be time to turn around, take the Red Line back to the apartment and check my computer again for the address. Yes, Mom - I left the apartment with no address in hand. I knew it was on Clark (or so google maps said..) so I just decided to head down Clark and when I got close to 2.5 miles, I started looking. That's how I roll.
I FINALLY turned around and right when I got to the Red Line stop at Clark/Division, I happened to look down the street on Division. Sure enough, there was the Verizon store. What the heck? It wasn't even on the corner of Clark and Division. It was purely on Division. I wish google was like Wikapedia where I could correct someone's mistakes because clearly someone was misinformed. I feel like I would have been better of with my TomTom. And that's a bold statement considering my TomTom likes to send me in circles and into dicey places before getting me to my destination.
The guy at Verizon was helpful but kept calling me "Sweetie". I am pretty sure I was older than him, so it just got awkward. The other guy was talking to me about Chick-fil-a opening up in Chicago. Fun Fact: They just opened the FIRST Chick-fil-a in Chicago. Nobody fully knows what's about to hit them. People are going to lose their minds when they try their milkshakes. So anyway, the other guy couldn't stop talking to me about Chick-fil-a and I was having a hard time faking being interested. I wanted to other guy to fix my phone without calling me pet names and for this other guy to find something else to do.
Finally, "Sweetie" told me that I had to claim insurance on it since it was completely dead. I asked about our upgrade. He said "That's the first thing I looked for, hun." Ummmm, excuse me? Matt doesn't even call me that, but apparently this "professional" thinks its appropriate...When I go back to eventually upgrade my phone, I will NOT be asking for Jeremy. Well, maybe if he can get me a better discount...
So, I had to get a new phone overnighted. I was told it would be there "tomorrow at some point". When I went online to track it, the directions told me that deliveries come any time between 9 am and 7 pm (could be later for residential deliveries). If I was not going to be around, I could leave directions for the UPS guy to leave it with a neighbor or place it in a "safe place." The problem is that you need a key to even get into the building and I am assuming that the bushes outside of our building did not constitute a "safe place." So, once again, I was confined to the apartment. Unfortunately it was a gorgeous day yesterday...but I killed some time cleaning, doing laundry and job searching. Finally, at 3:30, UPS showed up phone in hand. I was still in my PJ's at this point, because where else could I go?
As soon as the UPS guy came and went and I activiated my phone, I couldn't get out of my apartment fast enough. I headed to the beach just to sit in the park by the water. I checked the weather before I left because I had NO concept of what it was like outside. It SAID 78. It did NOT say that down on the beach it would feel more like 65. I was dressed inappropriately for that kind of weather. I walked 30 minutes to the beach only to walk back 20 minutes later. I even had a jacket with me. And by jacket I mean a light-weight black zip-up.
I spent the rest of the day at the office with Matt and Andy (director of operations). They have team camp on Monday and Tuesday so they have been working like crazy this past 2 days and will be all weekend. It was just like being back at VCU, so I was fine with it. Today, I think I am going to head down to the beach again, but actually take advantage of it since it won't be 4:00 by the time I get down there! Tomorrow - Cubs and Yankees game!!! Yankees are in town for the first time since like 2003 or something crazy like that. I HATE the Yankees. The only good thing about the Yankees is that there is a chance Cameron Diaz might be there.
I hope everyone has a great weekend! Like I said, as soon as mom's CD gets here, all those pictures will be uploaded here. I do have to admit, its been a long week. I miss everyone like crazy and it all caught up to me when I was confined to the apartment with no cell phone. But, I just hope it gets a little easier each day. I love you all and enjoy your weekend.
I know its been about a week since my last post and I wish I had some exciting news to tell you all! However, about 3 days last week were rainy and cold which meant I was confined to the apartment job searching. I did venture out for a Father's Day gift - I figured I could suck it up in the rain for my dad. He deserves it.
I have also been MIA because on Wednesday, my phone completely died. Matt and I were at dinner and my phone started vibrating and then just cut off. It never turned back on, even when it was charging. Now, I am not sure how many of you have seen my phone. For those of you who have, you are probably not surprised. Court and I have the phones that you get for free when you renew your contract. So naturally, the phone is top-notch. Mom and Dad even have the upgraded version of ours. No offense Mom and Dad. So, needless to say, I was not surprised. This is ALSO the same phone that last year I dropped downtown, fell into three different pieces, and I watched as the battery bounced around before falling down into a the city drain. True story.
I found the nearest Verizon store which was 2.7 miles away on Clark Street. I tell you the name of this street because it was NOT on Clark Street, which caused me to walk over 3 miles trying to find it. I eventually got so far down Clark Street that I was downtown. I decided it might be time to turn around, take the Red Line back to the apartment and check my computer again for the address. Yes, Mom - I left the apartment with no address in hand. I knew it was on Clark (or so google maps said..) so I just decided to head down Clark and when I got close to 2.5 miles, I started looking. That's how I roll.
I FINALLY turned around and right when I got to the Red Line stop at Clark/Division, I happened to look down the street on Division. Sure enough, there was the Verizon store. What the heck? It wasn't even on the corner of Clark and Division. It was purely on Division. I wish google was like Wikapedia where I could correct someone's mistakes because clearly someone was misinformed. I feel like I would have been better of with my TomTom. And that's a bold statement considering my TomTom likes to send me in circles and into dicey places before getting me to my destination.
The guy at Verizon was helpful but kept calling me "Sweetie". I am pretty sure I was older than him, so it just got awkward. The other guy was talking to me about Chick-fil-a opening up in Chicago. Fun Fact: They just opened the FIRST Chick-fil-a in Chicago. Nobody fully knows what's about to hit them. People are going to lose their minds when they try their milkshakes. So anyway, the other guy couldn't stop talking to me about Chick-fil-a and I was having a hard time faking being interested. I wanted to other guy to fix my phone without calling me pet names and for this other guy to find something else to do.
Finally, "Sweetie" told me that I had to claim insurance on it since it was completely dead. I asked about our upgrade. He said "That's the first thing I looked for, hun." Ummmm, excuse me? Matt doesn't even call me that, but apparently this "professional" thinks its appropriate...When I go back to eventually upgrade my phone, I will NOT be asking for Jeremy. Well, maybe if he can get me a better discount...
So, I had to get a new phone overnighted. I was told it would be there "tomorrow at some point". When I went online to track it, the directions told me that deliveries come any time between 9 am and 7 pm (could be later for residential deliveries). If I was not going to be around, I could leave directions for the UPS guy to leave it with a neighbor or place it in a "safe place." The problem is that you need a key to even get into the building and I am assuming that the bushes outside of our building did not constitute a "safe place." So, once again, I was confined to the apartment. Unfortunately it was a gorgeous day yesterday...but I killed some time cleaning, doing laundry and job searching. Finally, at 3:30, UPS showed up phone in hand. I was still in my PJ's at this point, because where else could I go?
As soon as the UPS guy came and went and I activiated my phone, I couldn't get out of my apartment fast enough. I headed to the beach just to sit in the park by the water. I checked the weather before I left because I had NO concept of what it was like outside. It SAID 78. It did NOT say that down on the beach it would feel more like 65. I was dressed inappropriately for that kind of weather. I walked 30 minutes to the beach only to walk back 20 minutes later. I even had a jacket with me. And by jacket I mean a light-weight black zip-up.
I spent the rest of the day at the office with Matt and Andy (director of operations). They have team camp on Monday and Tuesday so they have been working like crazy this past 2 days and will be all weekend. It was just like being back at VCU, so I was fine with it. Today, I think I am going to head down to the beach again, but actually take advantage of it since it won't be 4:00 by the time I get down there! Tomorrow - Cubs and Yankees game!!! Yankees are in town for the first time since like 2003 or something crazy like that. I HATE the Yankees. The only good thing about the Yankees is that there is a chance Cameron Diaz might be there.
I hope everyone has a great weekend! Like I said, as soon as mom's CD gets here, all those pictures will be uploaded here. I do have to admit, its been a long week. I miss everyone like crazy and it all caught up to me when I was confined to the apartment with no cell phone. But, I just hope it gets a little easier each day. I love you all and enjoy your weekend.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Next post: PICTURES!! I promise!
Just wanted to let everyone know that my next post (after this short one, obviously) will be dedicated to pictures :) I am having mom upload some of the pictures she took while she was here on her visit and then I will upload the rest from Matt's computer. Keep your eyes out for those!
I hope everyone had a great weekend! It was rainy and cool all day Saturday so that led to a day on the couch watching movies with Matt. A surprisingly funny movie: Just Go With It (Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler). Definitely worth it on RedBox.
Now onto more job searching. I had a phone interview this morning for a job right here in Lincoln Park and I will find out on Friday if I will be going forward to the second round of interviews. Please please please keep your fingers crossed for me with this one. I will keep you all updated! Sorry I don't have more to post about. We didn't really get a chance to explore Chicago this weekend since it was pretty nasty weather. My goal for this week is to make it to the Art Institute of Chicago. I know once I do eventually find a job, I won't have as much time to explore. So, after spending the mornings doing job stuff, my plan for this week is to venture out! Wish me luck.
I hope everyone had a great weekend! It was rainy and cool all day Saturday so that led to a day on the couch watching movies with Matt. A surprisingly funny movie: Just Go With It (Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler). Definitely worth it on RedBox.
Now onto more job searching. I had a phone interview this morning for a job right here in Lincoln Park and I will find out on Friday if I will be going forward to the second round of interviews. Please please please keep your fingers crossed for me with this one. I will keep you all updated! Sorry I don't have more to post about. We didn't really get a chance to explore Chicago this weekend since it was pretty nasty weather. My goal for this week is to make it to the Art Institute of Chicago. I know once I do eventually find a job, I won't have as much time to explore. So, after spending the mornings doing job stuff, my plan for this week is to venture out! Wish me luck.
Friday, June 10, 2011
My Mac Hates Me
I hate my computer.
This post actually started out with a "good morning" the first 4 times I started posting. Yes, 4 times. My computer is less than 4 years old but apparently it can no longer hold a charge without the charger being plugged in. And I have knocked the charger out of place 4 times this morning, shutting down the computer 4 times. Who makes a charger than is magnetic and not a plug-in????? Even better, it did it to me three times yesterday while I was filling out job applications online. Awesome. So, happy freakin Friday.
Now I am trying to collect myself so I can rewrite the post without banging on the keys. Deep breath.
Ok, so since the discovery of the Chi-town beaches, Mom and I did some more exploring. On Wednesday, we ventured into downtown which is only about 3 "El" stops away. The nice thing about where we live is that we don't need to go into the city, but if we want to, its a 10 minute El ride. But it feels like a world away. When we exited the El, the city just hit us. Ten minutes earlier, we were in our peaceful neighborhood, admiring the skyline from a distance. Before we knew it, we were in the heart of downtown and it was amazing. The city itself is breathtaking. Chicago is like no other city I have been to. The streets are wide, the river is clean and the people are very friendly.
Our first stop was the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Ave. Its a mile worth of shopping where all the stores are at least two levels. A shopper's heaven. Needless to say, not my cup of tea. Don't get me wrong - the street was unbelievable. My sister would lose her mind there. I will suck it up when she comes to visit and we will spend an afternoon there. I will admit I was pumped to see a Payless shoe store and the Nike store on the street. I was surprised to see these two stores since the majority of the other stores I did not even recognize. All that means is that they are out of my price range. I am sure they were designer names. But if its not Target brand, Nike brand or Khol's brand, chances are I
1) can't afford it
2) couldn't tell you who the designer is.
So, we headed away from the shopping towards Navy Pier. Its a large tourist attraction right off one of the Chicago beaches and very family friendly. I mean, what screams family-friendly more than a giant ferris wheel? Some of you may know about my fear of heights, but for some reason I decided it would be OK to hope on board. I know mom really wanted to ride it so that she could get some pictures of the city, so I sucked it up and got on. Plus, I saw a family with 2 little girls get off ride before we got on. I figured, if those two could handle it, so could I, a 24-year old adult. I was wrong. I was sweating I was so stressed out. Next time I want to see a city from a bird's eye view, I will buy a post card.
Mom did some more exploring downtown on Thursday while I hung back to do some job searching. There are a lot of job openings here, but I have yet to find a company that is impressed with my dazzling resume. You mean people don't want to hire someone with three different jobs in three years? And by "jobs" I mean one professional job and two internships. Shocking. But, I am trying to stay positive and keep plugging at it. I know its a process, but it doesn't make it any easier. So, please keep your fingers crossed for me and maybe say a prayer or two here and there.
I will leave you with this before I head out with Mom on her last day here. This goes out to all the people who have been following the NBA Finals. Matt woke up to this Tweet this morning:
"I gave LeBron a dollar bill the other day and asked for change. He gave me 75 cents back and said 'sorry, I don't have a fourth quarter."
Even if you are pulling for LeBron and the Heat, that's HILARIOUS. Triple-double means nothing if you lose.
I hope everyone has a great weekend! I miss you all but Chi-town is treating us well :)
This post actually started out with a "good morning" the first 4 times I started posting. Yes, 4 times. My computer is less than 4 years old but apparently it can no longer hold a charge without the charger being plugged in. And I have knocked the charger out of place 4 times this morning, shutting down the computer 4 times. Who makes a charger than is magnetic and not a plug-in????? Even better, it did it to me three times yesterday while I was filling out job applications online. Awesome. So, happy freakin Friday.
Now I am trying to collect myself so I can rewrite the post without banging on the keys. Deep breath.
Ok, so since the discovery of the Chi-town beaches, Mom and I did some more exploring. On Wednesday, we ventured into downtown which is only about 3 "El" stops away. The nice thing about where we live is that we don't need to go into the city, but if we want to, its a 10 minute El ride. But it feels like a world away. When we exited the El, the city just hit us. Ten minutes earlier, we were in our peaceful neighborhood, admiring the skyline from a distance. Before we knew it, we were in the heart of downtown and it was amazing. The city itself is breathtaking. Chicago is like no other city I have been to. The streets are wide, the river is clean and the people are very friendly.
Our first stop was the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Ave. Its a mile worth of shopping where all the stores are at least two levels. A shopper's heaven. Needless to say, not my cup of tea. Don't get me wrong - the street was unbelievable. My sister would lose her mind there. I will suck it up when she comes to visit and we will spend an afternoon there. I will admit I was pumped to see a Payless shoe store and the Nike store on the street. I was surprised to see these two stores since the majority of the other stores I did not even recognize. All that means is that they are out of my price range. I am sure they were designer names. But if its not Target brand, Nike brand or Khol's brand, chances are I
1) can't afford it
2) couldn't tell you who the designer is.
So, we headed away from the shopping towards Navy Pier. Its a large tourist attraction right off one of the Chicago beaches and very family friendly. I mean, what screams family-friendly more than a giant ferris wheel? Some of you may know about my fear of heights, but for some reason I decided it would be OK to hope on board. I know mom really wanted to ride it so that she could get some pictures of the city, so I sucked it up and got on. Plus, I saw a family with 2 little girls get off ride before we got on. I figured, if those two could handle it, so could I, a 24-year old adult. I was wrong. I was sweating I was so stressed out. Next time I want to see a city from a bird's eye view, I will buy a post card.
Mom did some more exploring downtown on Thursday while I hung back to do some job searching. There are a lot of job openings here, but I have yet to find a company that is impressed with my dazzling resume. You mean people don't want to hire someone with three different jobs in three years? And by "jobs" I mean one professional job and two internships. Shocking. But, I am trying to stay positive and keep plugging at it. I know its a process, but it doesn't make it any easier. So, please keep your fingers crossed for me and maybe say a prayer or two here and there.
I will leave you with this before I head out with Mom on her last day here. This goes out to all the people who have been following the NBA Finals. Matt woke up to this Tweet this morning:
"I gave LeBron a dollar bill the other day and asked for change. He gave me 75 cents back and said 'sorry, I don't have a fourth quarter."
Even if you are pulling for LeBron and the Heat, that's HILARIOUS. Triple-double means nothing if you lose.
I hope everyone has a great weekend! I miss you all but Chi-town is treating us well :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)