Treat or Treat

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Tonight, I had my first Trick or Treaters ever.

There was a sign-up sheet at the front desk of my building and after I signed up as being a “Trick or Treat” Stop, the doorman gave me a hang-tag for my door.  So from 4-6 tonight, Luna Bell and I waited with a bowl full of Snickers and M&Ms for the Trick or Treaters to come a’knockin’.

There was a princess, a dragon, a fireman and a spider.  Zorro stopped by as did Thomas the Train and Tinkerbell.  13 Trick or Treaters in all.  And the beauty of going Halloweening in a high-rise is that all the kids were able to wear their costumes as they were meant to be worn- no sweatpants, no gloves, no snowsuits shoved underneath them.  Where I grew up, it was usually snowing by Halloween and my parents would always try to ruin my life by making me wear my snowsuit under the princess costume of the year.  I did, however, escape pneumonia so maybe Mama and Papa G were on to something.  In any case, these adorable kiddos I saw this evening were in their costumed glory sans layers and looked like they were having a blast, playing on the elevator between floors to get to their next candy stop.

There were no tricks on this Halloween, just treats.  Just the way I like it.

High Five of the Day: Goes to the mom who told me that her son is “committed to costumes” year round.  The Pirate getup today was carefully selected amidst a closet that also contained costumes to transform him into a doctor, a fireman, a superhero, a wizard and many other.  Because you never know when you might want to perform surgery.  Or save the world.  And you need to have the choice to do either.

Detour.

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It’s all fun and games until 2 out of 3 elevators in your building break down.

Ryan and I arrived at our building tonight to find a line of people, our neighbors essentially, gathered around the corner by where the elevators are. I figured some event must be going on. And there was, if you consider a 30 minute wait to go up an elevator to your home an “event”. When Angry Old Man informed me of the situation and I heard babies crying, Ryan and I grabbed our Whole Foods grocery bags and sprinted for the other set of elevators.

We took the elevator to the 25th floor and then, with our new friends Curly Haired Girl and Bald lululemon-loving Man, we climbed the 11+ flights of stairs to our apartment. Thank goodness there is another set of elevators that at least goes up slightly less than half the building. Thank goodness we didn’t do heavy duty grocery shopping. Thank goodness we only bought one bottle of wine. On second thought, maybe that was bad…

We stayed put tonight, in case you hadn’t guessed. Ahh, the trials and tribulations of high rises.

Going Up?

adminbest practices, Cristiano Ronaldo, elevators, Evanston Alli, Holly the Herlein, Jillian, meetings, Perez Hilton, Rhoda Pitcher, Uncategorized%s Comments

I was in a meeting today (yes, a meeting, because apparently, I’m a grownup now) and when discussing best practices for hiring, the “elevator” factor came up.  “You know,” said Evanston Alli, “like, would you want to be stuck in an elevator with that person or not?”.

I’ve been thinking about it all day.  Who would I want to be stuck in an elevator with (even outside of work/hiring)?There are so many things you have to weigh–what would you do with this person?   Do they have enough good stories?  Do they have advice/wisdom to impart to me during this time?  How long are we talking here?  If you don’t know them, what are the chances that 5 hours later you would want to claw their eyes out?  If you do know them, would 5 hours in a confined space make you not want to know them?  Lots of push/pull with a decision like this.

Here’s what I’ve come up with:

1) Perez Hilton.  He has something to say about everything and everyone.  5 hours could go by so quickly.  First part–salacious gossip.  Second part–world issues.  As much as I love me some good gossip, I feel like there could be some amazing conversation about social injustice, world affairs and politics.  And he could probably give me some good fashion and man advice.

2) Holly Herlein.  We have been friends for 10 years and have yet to run out of things to talk about.  Between our European travels, dating disasters, nicknaming our dating disasters and our shared love of politics, literature, Europe and dating disasters, 5 hours would not be enough to get through recapping our shared history (things happen to us that just don’t happen to other people, I swear), let alone touch on new hopes, dreams, goals and shoes.

3) Rhoda Pitcher.  She sits on the board of directors for my company and is, hands down, one of the most amazing, inspiring and motivating people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.  The way she gets real with people from the get-go is just incredible and I would love to pick her brain.  Oh and she’s a hugger.  I love huggers.

4) Robert Gardner.  My grandfather has been gone for nearly ten years now but living in Chicago, I think about him often.  He grew up on the South Side (his mother used to sell newspapers to Hugh Hefner!) and I would love to hear about what the Chi was like in his day.  I think he would get such a kick out of me living here, going to the same Wrigley Field that his father took him to on special occasions, swimming at the same beaches in the summer, walking the same Michigan Avenue.

5) Cristiano Ronaldo.  No explanation necessary–google him and you’ll get it.

In a quick survey, responses I got from friends were Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Jude Law and Barack Obama.  Why 2 Chicago Blackhawks?   I was told it was because they were “relevant and sexy.”  Good enough reason for me.

Who would you want to be stuck in an elevator with?