Softball Saturday

adminbeer, Chicago, Chicago Rec Sports, Corcoran's, Linda, Married Mike, Saturday Morning, softball, Team Get In The Van We Have Candy, Uncategorized%s Comments

My friends are a very well rounded group.  In addition to their 9-5s, they are actors, volunteers, singers, writers, video gamera and now, every Saturday morning at 10am, recreational softball league players.  Team “Get In The Van, We Have Candy” no longer partakes in consuming (too many) adult beverages on Friday nights because they have to be ready for “the game” the next morning.  They are dedicated.  They are committed.  They go to sleep with their Corcoran’s t-shirts freshly pressed and their mits polished, dreaming of a victory that will put them in the Chicago Recreational Sports Hall of Fame.

Never mind that both teams they have played consisted of middle aged co-workers who have finely tuned their game over the course of the last 20 years.  Never mind that the girls on the team don’t know how to play their positions.  Never mind that my friend Linda was heckled into striking out by her own boyfriend.  This is a team with their eye on the prize because they have already won an award so prestigious, so elusive, so surprising because no one even knew this award was up for grabs.

Team “Get In The Van We Have Candy” was awarded “Best Team Name in All of Chicago Rec League Sports”.  Before the season even started.

I mean, really–it’s all how we measure success.  Those old folk opponents of “Team Get In The Van We Have Candy” might measure it by getting so far ahead that the mercy rule is invoked within 45 minutes.  But “Team Get In The Van We Have Candy” knows the true accolades are those felt in the heart, not seen with the eye.

Besides, Coach Matt came up with a game plan for today, at the request of players looking for more direction: Drink more beer sooner.  The game may be at noon, but drinking starts at 10am.

High five team, high five.

Puppy Power

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I’d love to take credit for this little gem but I have to give credit where credit is due.  Lulu Lindsey was driving down Lakshore Drive when she came across a guy who not only thought it was necessary to drive his vespa on a highway going 50 mph but also found it necessary to bring his poodle along for the ride.  Linds said the dogs ears were whipping all over the place from the wind but it didn’t appear that he was going to jump out so I’m assuming they made it home safely.

Nothing says manly like a man with a vespa.  And a poodle.

Bittersweet

adminBittersweet, celebration, Chicago, Cold Tangerines, Shauna Niequist, Uncategorized, writing%s Comments

“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate.  When life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” Bittersweet

Chicago author Shauna Niequist is releasing her second book in August and I’m eagerly anticipating it’s arrival at my door–the first book I’ve ever pre-ordered.  Titled “Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace and Learning the Hard Way”, it comes out in August and I can’t wait.  I had the pleasure of meeting Shauna through participating in a book club for her first book “Cold Tangerines” –a book filled with tons of delicious “me too!” moments–and I’ve followed her writing ever since.  It just makes you feel warm and inspired and heard, even though it’s her words you are reading.  It’s one of my favorite books, the kiind you keep going back to and reading a chapter when you need some sustenance or inspiration.  I highly recommend it.

The above quote from Bittersweet really struck me.  The good stuff–promotions, babies, engagements, good news, holidays–is easy to celebrate because you know that’s what you’re supposed to do.  It feels good and you act accordingly (preferably with champagne and chocolate).  But the bitter, the bitter is always so much more difficult and, at least with me, I always struggle with knowing what to do.  And I rarely feel grateful for it.  But what if I went into it like that quote from Bittersweet–going into everything with gratitude and then action.  Amazing day?  Thanks, let’s get tapas!   Scary and bumpy cab ride home with a guy who smells and listens to bad music?  Thanks, I’ll take the train next time.  Gratefulness, learning, AND growth.  What a concept. 

High Five of the Day:  The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. I ate my cereal this morning while delving into it and bought the ingredients for Lobster Pot Pie to make tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

Bucktown

adminBucktown, Buzz: Killer Espresso, Chicago, Coast, coffee, Luna Bell, Olivia's Market, Uncategorized, Wicker Park%s Comments

The neighborhood of Bucktown is growing on me.  I say “growing on me” because the first time I went there, it took me an hour and a half via bus and it’s only 1.5 miles away from my apartment.  I was late for a meeting and cursed Bucktown for not having a good, fast, public transportation way to get there.  This time, I took cabs and I must say, the absence of struggle to get there really improved my opinion of this charming area.

Bucktown is just east of the Kennedy Expressway and apparently, gets its name from the many goats that were raised there in the early 19th century.  While I did not see any goats during my 3 days in Bucktown, I did see lots of high end shopping, eclectic art galleries, gourmet groceries, cool bars and trendy restaurants.  A colleague brought me to Olivia’s Market where I was greeted by this:

These fresh cut flowers were just as fragrant as they were visually beautiful.  Olivia’s Market was wonderful little specialty food store, filled with a great wine selection, made-to-order sandwiches, cheese, an olive bar AND 10 cent candy.  Everyone working in the store knew my co-worker which reminded me of what it was like to go to the market in Italy, where everyone knows each other and it’s just a big social event.  I left with a 7-grain salad, guava Kombucha, 2 Swedish Fish, a peanut butter cup and very, very happy.

Mid-afternoon, I was in dire need of caffeine so I schlepped across the street (which technically brought me into Wicker Park, just so no one tries to beat me up for saying it’s still Bucktown) to Buzz: Killer Espresso.  I don’t claim to be a coffee connoisseur but if I was, Buzz: Killer Espresso would be my regular haunt.  Everything is custom made (i.e. no coffee poured from a vat that has been sitting there for hours) and I had the most lovely chat with owner Stefan about the book “Pour Your Heart Into It” and to be really great in business, you need to figure out what is it you do best in the world.  I can’t wait to come back in the summer when the outside patio is open–I envision lots of lattes and people watching.  1644 N. Damen–check it out.

Finally, I checked out Coast Sushi Bar.

I have been hearing about this place since I moved to Chicago and I must say, it did not disappoint.  BYOB, minimalistic but lively atmosphere, and the quality of the sashimi and make rolls were excellent.  The White Dragon Roll was amazing!  Being there with co-workers I can also call my friends didn’t hurt either.  Did I mention it was BYOB?  Can’t wait to go back.

High Five of the Day: Waking up to Luna Bell asleep on my stomach.  She is such a sweet kitty, I don’t know what people without pets do.  If you don’t have one, I suggest immediately going to PAWS Chicago to get one.  Awesome organization and really, how can you say no to this little face?

Shamrock Shuffle 2010

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This past Sunday, I ran the Shamrock Shuffle, an 8k that starts in Grant Park and weaves its way around the loop.  The Shamrock Shuffle is the kick-off to running reason in Chicago and the annual rite of spring.  The “rite of spring” part I don’t believe because last year, it snowed on the day of the Shuffle and this year, it was 34 degrees.  In any case, Ryan and I dragged our behinds out of bed in time to get to the Blackstone Hotel to meet up with the Imerman Angel folks (the charity we were running for–check them out, it is an amazing organization) before heading to the start line for a brisk 5 mile run.  I snapped this pic a few seconds before the race began.

I was too cold to be nervous for running a distance I haven’t even come close to in nearly 6 months but I was pleasantly surprised to see that I still had it.  We made great time!  Ryan and I made a fun game out of weaving in and out of the crowd of 25,000 + people and before I knew it, I had 5 miles under my belt and a beer in my hand.  Ahhhh, running season in Chicago…

I kind of feel like signing up for the marathon wasn’t a terrible idea now.  I had so much fun on Sunday, despite the frigid temperature, that I think I want to run at least a 5k race every month leading up to the marathon to remind me of how fun it is to have my feet pounding the pavement with several thousand other people.  Plus, I’ll get a bunch of free shirts.

What are your recommendations? Any favorites that I NEED to sign up for?

High Five of the Day: Trader Joe’s Chocolatey Cat Cookies.  I am usually a sucker for the vegan, organic animal crackers but I veered of the path of security and tried the Chocolate Cat Cookies.  They are my favorite thing of the week and I can’t help but smile and feel like I’m 7 when I pull one out and see a little cat smiling back at me…before I chomp its head off.

Do One Thing a Day That Scares You

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I have signed up for the marathon.  The Chicago Marathon, that is.  Sure, I’ve run a half marathon but that was, like, 4 years ago and these legs have not logged any serious mileage since then.  I have been dragging my feet (both figuratively and literally) about signing up for the marathon for a few weeks now but I said it was one of my 2010 goals and I’m lucky enough to have people in my life (ahem, lulu Lindsey) to hold me accountable for such things so…it’s official.  Come 10/10/10, I will be one of these people:

Signing up to schlep through 26.2 miles was something that scared me so if you’re really supposed to do one thing a day that scares you, I totally did mine for the day.

High Five of the Day: The Weather.  It was 55ish degrees and slightly sunny in Chicago today.  For those of us who live in the Midwest, even the slightest break from sub 30 degrees is a huge freaking deal.

You Know You Live in Chicago When…

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I moved to Chicago a year ago this Friday.  In this past year, I have learned lots of things about this fair city of mine.  I’ve learned the difference between Lou Malnati’s, Giordano’s and Gino’s and taken a stance in that debate (Lou Malnati’s deep dish, for sure).  It’s come to my attention that distance is best measured in minutes, not miles), that corruption is to be expected in local politics and, despite all bets from my parents, I have also learned that wearing comfortable footwear is a must (I didn’t go down without a fight though–my cute heels went everywhere with me until I realized that being suicidal at the end of a trip to Border’s was just not necessary).

Last Sunday, Ryan and I went for a walk alllll over the city.  For 3 hours, we walked around, grabbed coffee, peeked in cute little boutiques, (Barker and Meowsky: A Paw Firm was a fav) and ran errands.  At the end of the day, we were cold, bogged down with shopping bags and couldn’t figure out why we were so compelled to spend our day outside.  It’s March, for crying outloud–not exactly the time to be outdoorsy (yes, I consider window shopping an outdoorsy activity).  Then it hit us.  The temperature was over 30 degrees–we had to be outside.  That doesn’t happen often, no matter what month it is, we had to enjoy it!  You know you live in Chicago when anything over 30 degrees is considered “good” weather.

Fortunately, when you realize that 30 degrees isn’t warm and you live in Chicago, there are a million cabs that are more than happy to deliver you to your doorstep.  Our cabbie on that particular day had a special trick up his sleeve to make the jolting stop and go’s at stop signs more enjoyable–he could tell us the day of the week we were born on just from our birth dates.  And fix a Rubix cube.  You know you live in Chicago when riding in a cab is an experience in itself.

You know you live in Chicago when…

Shay: …you can name all the different names for the highways.
Adrian:…Sarpino’s is on your speed dial.
Married Mike: …there are 2,024 different bars waving 2,024 different university flags
Corey: …the ‘burbs isn’t just a Tom Hanks comedy.
Katie: …you can complete the phrase “Your attention please. We are standing momentarily waiting for ……”
Jill: …you’ve paid $105 for towing, $30 for more than one “street cleaning” ticket, $58 for a city vehicle sticker, and $70 for a license plate sticker — and chalk it all up to “neighborhood taxes.”
Nina: …taking a week day off to drink at a Cubs game is completely acceptable.
Roscoe: In your head, you correct people who live in the burbs, but when asked, they say they live in “Chicago
Roscoe: 30 Degrees and frost in the morning, 65 and sunny in the afternoon, and snowing by midnight in one day doesn’t faze you.
Molly: When the light turn reds and you’re trying to turn, you know that at least two cars can still make it through the light.
Molly: “pink” is no longer a girly color, but a scary train line.
Any other takers?

Eat to the Beat

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My friend and co-worker Rebecca invited me to see her dance in a lunchtime program called “Eat to the Beat” today.  In her email, she said that she sees us all every day but doesn’t feel people can really know her until they see her dance.  Umm, I get it now.  I was absolutely BLOWN away by her amazingness, how talented her company was and I am so happy to know that incredibly talented side of her now.

After another fabulous Yoga Booty Ballet class at Indigo Studio, I scooted over to the Harris Theatre with my lunch so I could literally eat to the beat.  I sat and I ate along with 300 other patrons of the arts as DanceWorks treated me to a phenomenal 45 minute performance.  Broken up into 3 dances, the show was so stylistically diverse that I was wildly entertained the entire time.   Modern and classical dance, mixed with great beats (one by Illinois Institute of Art student  Christopher Perricelli who snuck out of his midterms to see DanceWorks perform to his music) and even some comedy–the last piece, title “Dance Sport”, was a classical piece set to commentary, like figure skating or basketball, complete with instant replays and fast forwards!  “Eat to the Beat” was over much too soon, just like my lunch.  I must say, however, that I am looking forward to my next DanceWorks experience much more than my next almond-butter and jelly sandwich.

High Five of the Day: Rebecca.  Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic show with me!  You and your fellow dancers are incredible!

Restaurant Week and Japonais

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It’s Restaurant Week in Chicago, which means that for $34 you can try a 3-course meal at some of the top restaurants in the city.  Reservations fill up quickly so I snagged a 9pm at Japonais, a japanese/euro fusion restaurant.  I’ve been wanting to go to Japonais since I moved to the city so I was really excited for Saturday night.  After a fashion consult from my friends Jillian (who told me point blank what I would wear) and Laura (who informed me that black denim is definitely in), Ryan and I cabbed it to this River North hotspot.

After checking in with the hostess, we went downstairs to a lounge-y area to have a drink.  Their signature Floating Orchid martini was fantastic and our table was ready in no time.  We took advantage of the Restaurant Week menu so we samples things we may not have tried otherwise.  My crab cakes and tuna/eel roll was amazing and Ryan loved his rib-like thing and kobe beef carpaccio.  We don’t usually order dessert out but the marscapone-chocolate cake thing was just sinful.  Sushi. steak and martinis…right up our alley.

We really had a great time and I definitely want to go back to order off their regular menu.  The only drawback for me was our waiter.  He reminded me of the pool boy from “The Bird Cage”, which is fine because I loved that movie but I didn’t love his demeanor.  Not very accommodating and a little too attitude-y for me.  All in all though, it was an excellent date night and introduction to Restaurant Week.

Still snowing…

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It’s still snowing.  While it isn’t what the East Coast is getting slammed with, for a city with bare sidewalks yesterday, it is still something.  I took this picture while I was walking to 7/11.  I felt it was too snowy to venture to the gym but felt it was completely necessary to walk almost the same distance to get this:

I love Diet Coke and am perfectly willing to go out in a snowstorm for it.  And look!  Valentine’s cans!  Love and Diet Coke–a match made in heaven.

Here’s how Luna Bell feels about the snow:

She doesn’t want to talk about it.