Day 61 - Coleman's Birthday Party!

I really think that I do everything for the people I love in this world. Tonight, when I went to Andersonville for Coleman's party, I thought that Lauren Smith would love to shop on Clark street, Joseph and Christian would love to date the men that were at the party, Travis would have joined to conversation about the value of vinyl, and Loren and Hope would have busted out their salsa moves when Suavmente came on. In that movie, "Playing with Hearts", Sean Connery has a line where he says something like when you fall in love with someone, you see yourself the way that they see you, so you actually fall in love with yourself. My friends and family do represent me and the fact that I thought of them while out with these strangers definitely made me feel a lot more comfortable, and made me miss them alot.

I talked to so many people tonight, I am actually sipping water now because my throat is sore. Jordan is Coleman's neighbor and he is a professor in the art department at DePaul. Chris is a graphic designer and he is from the "quad cities" on the Iowa-Illinois border. Scott works with Coleman and told me that I should stop complaining about my roommate because he once lived in a converted pantry with a schizophrenic for a roommate. Anthony is from Oregon and he has shoes that are older than me. Kirk is a lawyer, he lives downtown and he walked with me to the train station after the party. I met alot of women too, I just can't remember their names. Topics of conversation ranged from the scary ways that facebook is removing all privacy, the end of cohesive albums (artists just produce singles these days), things to do in Chicago, favorite vacation destinations, Chicago neighborhoods, and what I could expect in the winter. Although I smiled and listened to everyone's advice, I am a little rattled. Never before had anyone told me that I need to track storms on TV and go to the grocery store in advance, because I could be snowed in for three days! Tomorrow, I want to go shopping for some of this uber-necessary winter gear.

I felt very rebellious and a little scared when I decided to drive my car to the train stop and take the train all the way to Andersonville at 8:00 PM. Lauren always says that she doesn't ride on that train in this neighborhood, but she never rides the train at all. This was the most convenient way to get there, why shouldn't I do it? In my mind I could see the news, "local woman's body found dead, 150 yards from a Red Line train stop" Lauren in the interview, "I hate to see this happen, but I told her to keep her Arizona ass off of that train...there is a room available at..." I made it without any problems, I swear if you dress modestly, keep your head down, walk fast and mind your own business, nobody has anything to say to you. Based on the documentary I saw, most violent crimes involve people with a history of conflict between each other, these people don't know me from a can of spray paint.

As I was riding the train, I was wondering why I don't worry about the additional danger that comes with me walking around as a young woman. It is because I wasn't raised with that mind set. I played sports, I used to wear big t-shirts all the time, and if I hit my brother he socked me right back, there were no allowances because I am a female. I never think about crying to police officers or blaming my attitude on my period, these things just don't occur to me. So when I was saying goodbye to Coleman, and a lady overheard how I was getting home and said, a pretty girl like you shouldn't be riding the train at night, Coleman you better give that girl some cab fare...I was like no, don't worry about it, I'll be fine...they eventually let it go, but it definitely surprised me. Its not that I can't turn up the feminine fire when I want to, I just forget that in this world, it is impossible to turn off. I can see why heterosexual might women wear boxers, baggy jeans, sneakers and baseball hats, they are probably less likely to be victims when their femininity is hidden.

Overall, the night was great. I figured out how to get somewhere new and I met some interesting folks. Coleman is definitely a good contact to have.

Day 37 - The Storm

I spent the morning cleaning, doing laundry and watching music videos. I executed my final takeover in the bathroom. I put all of Lauren's items underneath the sink and put my stuff in the drawers for easier access. I threw away all of the bottles with just a little bit of product left in the them, and I scrubbed all of the surfaces with bleach. I had to crack open the window because I almost passed out from the fumes. I'm not going to say anything but I get so frustrated when we both get back from somewhere and she goes straight to "my" bathroom because it is conveniently located in the hallway. I'm sure that it would be inexcusable for me to race through her bedroom to the toilet in the master suite. I also have to keep a certain amount of tidiness in the bathroom because all kinds of guests may be using it. Ahhh, one of the many little drawbacks to living in someone else's house.

Around five, I left out to the commuter train to head downtown. I took the Water St. exit instead of Randolph from the station and got very turned around. I was trying to go to the Chicago Cultural Center for a film screening. I looked at my google map, I was only 0.3 miles away, so I kept walking, when I didn't see it in 10 minutes, I realized that I was walking in the wrong direction. I turned around and made it to place 5 minutes after the movie started. Luckily it was just me, and I found a single seat in the middle of a row. The film was called, The Storm (De Storm), it was filmed in Dutch with English subtitles. It was all about this powerful storm in 1953, and how a young mother is determined to find her 5 week old infant in all of the water and chaos. I won't give away the ending but there was a baby thief in the midst. I really enjoyed it, I don't know what I would do if I had to deal with water as high as the roof of my house and watching my mother and sister die right in front of me. The story was thoughtful and the male lead was easy on the eyes. The film series is free and they are showing movies from all around the world until September 24, I am looking forward to checking out another one.

The film was over around 8:15, this is the latest that I have been downtown by myself without my car. I know that I could have taken the commuter train back, but I didn't feel like waiting an hour for it to come. So, I walked down State Street for a little bit. I popped into Old Navy and fought the urge to buy clothes. Then I went to Baskin Robins for some ice cream. I sat down and consulted the travel options on my iPhone. This particular Baskin Robins is a hub for young men who play "Magic: The Gathering", the card game. There must have been 15 boys sitting around 4 tables pushed together with the cards, colorful mats and other accessories, more power to them. I found that the Jackson Park Express bus was picking up just around the corner and I would have a 0.9 mile walk home from the closest stop.

It was nice and breezy and I stopped at several stores on my walk home. Subway was first, considering that just because I started with dessert didn't negate the need for dinner. Then I went to the liquor store to get the ingredients for tomorrow's Bloody Mary. I usually avoid liquor stores mostly because I don't drink that much and I assume that low-lifes and weirdos will populate them. If I had removed my negative perception earlier, I might have seen why my Dad likes them so much. Everyone is in a jovial mood in the liquor store. They smile, say hello and give all kinds of compliments. Granted they might be drunk already, but if you are tired of feeling invisible on the city streets, a liquor store at the least the one in Hyde Park, after 9:00 at night, may be the place for a little recognition.     

Day 34 - Air and Water Show

I've been having terrible dreams about someone destroying my iPhone. I think that this is a sign of my growing dependency on it. During breakfast, Lauren invited me to the Air and Water Show with her and her "little sister", Natay. Natay is an 8 year old girl that lives in our neighborhood that Lauren mentors about twice a month. I've met her before and she was really shy. Today, she let her true self shine through. She likes Selena Gomez, painting her finger nails, and Dunkin Donuts. We made it to the North Avenue Beach and found some space to sit down and watch the last 30 minutes of the show. It was mostly airplanes flying in formations and others super dangerous maneuvers like flying backwards and upside down.

From there the little girl decided that she wanted to go home, but when we got to her house, her mother wasn't home. We decided to take her to her mother at the church. This involved a scenic tour of the South Shore community. The "church" was someone's basement, and Natay's mother wanted to introduce us to her pastor. We went down these steep steps and there was a small pulpit and about 14 chairs lined up for the congregation. Although we couldn't stay they fixed us plates of food and we went on our merry way. The food was delicious, but I wonder what was so distinct about their message that they had to set up shop in a house.

When we got home we relaxed for awhile and then we went to the movies to the see, "The Help" I cried a little bit, but overall I really enjoyed it. Since we were early to the movie theater we got some drinks and an appetizer in the V.I.P. lounge. Remember when I told you about the theater with the assigned seats and the premium tickets? That's where we were at. The lounge was over priced but it had a nice view of downtown from the windows. Lastly, we had to watch the latest episode of True Blood. It is now a quarter after one in the morning and I have to be at work at 7:45 tomorrow. Good luck with that.

Day 29 - Little Yellow Minions

The highlight of today was discovering that Patsy and I share an affinity for "Despicable Me". That is one of the best kid's movies that I have ever seen, and it is on everyday on HBO, I can't get enough. I spent the evening, doing laundry, watching movies and writing thank you notes to the individuals who wrote letters of recomendation for me. Rachna called to see if I wanted to get dinner, I had to shut her down. Isn't that terrible? Even if I'm in a new city, I'm still me..I like keeping my money in my pocket and relaxing on my own terms. Do you realize how much energy it takes to get to know people, more than I had tonight. I will call her tomorrow to see if we can go then. Rachna would be a nice chnge of pace, she is always talking to strangers when we go out. She may just be the wave I ride into a real social circle.

Day 25 - Shoeless Joe Jackson

I went to work at noon today and stayed until the store closed at 6. I now have a locker and I met the final manger, Patsy. She says toats instead of totally. That's cool, in retrospect, I think it is something that Paul Rudd said in "I love you, man". That was a funny movie, so she can have some cool points. Trent gave me all kinds of projects and then disappeared so it was a nice day of working at my own pace. I found time to read parts of the book, Chicago's Most Wanted. This book had all kinds of stories about the city's infamy. I read how Hugh Hefner started Playboy magazine in Chicago, after he graduated from the University of Illinois. I learned how the "Shoeless" Joe Jackson was baned from professional baseball after he was suspected of helping the White Sox throw the 1919 World Series. It was a nice format because all of the vignettes were short and to the point. After work, I returned my Red Box movies and ordered a calzone from "Pockets". "Jumping the Broom" was sweet but had the same format of every movie with an all Black cast, I am praying for a break from the formula. "Source Code" was not as good as my sister said it would be. It was like Groundhog Day with higher stakes, I actually talked on the phone for part of the movie. When I got home. I watched a couple episodes of "Frasier" and then had a marathon conversation with my travel buddy, Jeanetta. We have tentative plans for Thanksgiving in Charlotte.

Day 20 - Let the Rain Pour Down

I had great plans to check out the Chicago History Museum today but some laziness got a hold on me. I wound up spending the morning and early afternoon dozing in and out of sleep. Lauren and I watched The Blind Side, Flipped and episodes of Basketball Wives. We spent commercials talking and getting to know each other better, and after 19 days of discussing her disappointing love life, she finally asked me about mine. I summarized my three transformative relationships with the following statements....

Bachelor #1 - I loved him, he loved someone else
Bachelor #2 - He liked me, I was not ready for him
Bachelor #3 - I liked him, he played me

You all can guess who these lucky bastards were. At any rate, I felt a little exposed, so I took a little walk. It rained in the morning but it looked like the sky was cleared up and the temperature was cool. When I got back Lauren decided to go to Border's to use her gift card, I invited myself to join her. Since she works at the downtown campus of Northwestern, she can get covered parking near the Magnificent Mile for free all the time. After parking, we took the bus to the South Loop for Borders. Then we got some Garrett's popcorn, a Chicago classic. We waited in line for 40 minutes to cheese flavored mixed with caramel flavored popcorn. It was good, a little rich for me, I can only eat a little bit at a time. Then we took the bus back uptown to check out Nike Town and The Gap. When we were leaving the Gap, the rain started. Everyone was crowded at the entrance trying to wait out the down pour...not us. We tied up our hair and our bags as best as possible, and made a run for it. It was fun at first, and then it was cold, damp clothes and cool breezes are not a good mix. I love that Lauren was not too prissy for the rain, I think that we will continue to get along.

Ola came over later with some Nigerian food, it was alright. I had a long and thoroughly entertaining conversation with my dear sister (I'm still waiting on that list of 25). Finished up the night with the latest episode of True Blood, nothing to complain about on this side of the Mississippi.

Day 18 - Seven Ten Lanes

If anyone comes to visit me, we will take a stroll down to the Seven Ten Lanes bowling alley/bar/restaurant and game room. There is something for everyone. Lauren, Ola and I went down there tonight. We played two games, I came in third on both. We had two rounds of drinks. Then walked ourselves on home. I felt like my buzz was wasted, no one to flirt or dance with. That's alright, soon enough I'll find some fun single girls to go out with. I spent the day reading my book, watching Forrest Gump and cleaning the kitchen. I did go out for a few hours, searching for work clothes. I found a Burlington Coat Factory and a Marshall's close to my place, so my goal was achieved.

Day 16 - Inside is for the Birds

I am constantly battling the impulse to go outside and explore. On one hand, I'm in Chicago, why am I watching Judge Judy? On the other hand, I need to be on the computer, researching jobs and following up with inquiries on archives. I need to sit my happy ass at home, this is not a vacation. So, I spent the morning cleaning the condo, responding to emails and taking a quick walk to the grocery store. I spent the afternoon taking a nap, writing more emails and making a spaghetti dinner. I caught Dinner for Schmucks, this may be the dumbest movie ever created. If you haven't seen it, consider yourself blessed. In the evening I watched two episodes of America's Next Top Model and researched various repositories in Chicago. There is a Bronzeville Historical Society where they are collecting oral histories of Black people who moved to Chicago from southern states in the 50's and 60's. That might be a cool project to get involved with. A email and a phone call from two of my favorite mentor/friends really brightened the day. I am in constant need of positive reinforcement, anything confirming that I didn't trade broccoli for peas, I'm here for something better, like rainbow sherbet ice cream!