Day 24 - One of those faces

Today I received a new assignment so the day went by really fast. On my way out, a woman who never had more than two words to say to me, talked for 45 minutes about her relationship woes. 45 minutes! This woman has been dating a man for 4 years and 2 weeks ago, he decided that he had enough on his plate with his job and his kids, so he didn't want to be with her anymore. She talked and talked about how much she had invested and how his family loved her and there was no way that it was over just like that. What am I supposed to say to this? Good luck, guilting someone into being with you. It was insane, I kept looking at my phone, backing away, I made it to the hallway and she leaped up and talked me all the way into the stairwell. I think that I might have one of those faces where people just feel compelled to share, or maybe she was just destined to spill her beans, and I happened to be the nearest pair of ears. If I'm so addicted to school, I need to sign up for Conversation Exits 101.

I biked to the grocery store after work. I used my Epicurian app to find a recipe for kale, Kale and White Bean Soup. Two new purchases included navy beans and parmigiano reggiano cheese rind. The recipe was simple but it took 2 and a half hours by the time I cooked the beans and let the soup simmer. It was pretty good, and very healthy. I will be taking a bowl to work tomorrow. On my way home with my groceries balanced precariously in my backpack and my right hand. I thought that only a new city could make the mundane seem so exciting. Living here is like shopping with extra money in the bank, relaxed and confident. I could get anything that I want, but it is fun to just a look around and find that one item that I can't do without. Living in Phoenix was like shopping when I am broke, frustration and anxiety, all I thought about was what I may be missing out on, the dog days are over.

One observation about The University of Chicago is that it is a stark contrast from Arizona universities. Keep in mind that this university has produced more Nobel Prize winners than any other university in the country. This is where they first split the atom bomb, where Barack Obama taught constitutional law, and where the writers of Freakanomics and Super Freakanomics received their schooling. Clearly the emphasis is not on the cover, it is on the content of a person. I have never seen so many fuzzy legged, frizzy haired, frumpy looking women in my life, but they don't seem to mind. The sun tanned, short skirt, mani/pedi and make up wearing population does not dominate the way that it does in Arizona. I can't say whether it is a good thing or not, but it is definitely a difference.

Day 23 - Bookstore Apathy

On the second day she learned that this is really just a job. I clock in, do mundane work, go to lunch, do more mundane work and then go home. I could shelve 200 books or 20 books and no one would notice. Don't get me wrong, my paycheck will be welcomed, this is just no place to rest on one's laurels. When I told Zach that I wanted a new job, he was like that's cool, I'll tell Erin that you were insubordinate we can terminate you during the probation period. He laughed but that would not be funny. This little job saved me from succumbing to my education addiction. As many of you know, I was thinking about going back to school a few weeks ago, but now I am re-focused on my "working" archives ambition. As luck would have it, there is potential paid position at the DuSable Museum to help process their collections. That would be perfect. This may be another sign that a little sacrifice and patience can be rewarded.

Day 22 - Everyone is an asshole...on their worst day

I felt like a first grader getting ready for school this morning. I made a hot breakfast, my bag lunch was in my backpack, and I rode my bike across a crosswalk, manned by a crossing guard. I start later in the day this week, so maybe I won't be juvenile stereotype in the future. First day of work, here is a rundown of the players. Erin is the assistant manager, she hired me and she has a very pleasant attitude about her job. Trent is another manager, he is not a morning person and he spent the morning training us. Zach is the 18 year old kid who has the same job as me and changes his name tag before he deals with customers, so that he won't get in trouble when they complain. Then there is Caitlyn who was also hired last week, she is a recent grad of U of C, she is also working in a lab on campus to pursue her interest in evolutionary biology.

Caitlyn and I did all of the HR paperwork, then we learned the layout of the store and spent the rest of the day shelving and straightening. This is very familiar from my time at the library, but there is no age old classification system that tells you where the books go. You have to look up every single item and there are subsections that aren't really labeled. On a positive note, I have seen some scarves, rain boots and some blank cards that I will want to purchase with my 35% discount. There are a lot of employees here and some other interesting characters that I am eager to get to know better.

When Trent had to take a phone call, he left the training to Zach. Zach was clearly not comfortable in this position and just started running his mouth on the more candid aspects of the job. He told us how relaxed the job was, so much that he didn't seem fazed that he was recently chewed out for being a no call, no show last week. He told us that we would always want to look busy when the general manger was around, because he was an asshole. I said that's kind of harsh, and he was like, "everyone is an asshole on their worst days". I suppose that is true, maybe Zach gets some points for seeing the situation from more than one angle. Another side note is that my (ahem..) "company", has a no blogging policy, so I'm a real rebel now. For real, I'm going to limit my mention of what happens in the store. Could you imagine if I was sued or fired for not following company policy? I'd rather not tempt fate.

Day 21 - Epicurian App

I rode my bike to Hyde Park and Indiana looking for a thrift store. Instead I found some suspicious characters and another bad lead from yelp. At least it was nice outside and the route home involved a trek through the trails of Washington Park. I was going to drive to another thrift store in Hyde Park, but I couldn't find that either. I wound up at the grocery store. After that I took a nap, did some laundry, and cleaned the kitchen. I found a new app for my iPhone, it's called Epicurian. With it I can get recipes on demand and generate shopping lists based what's in your cabinet, how experienced of a cook you are, or what you feel like eating. This app led me to makes seared chicken with a tomato sauté with rice and lima beans, it was delicious. I spent the rest of the night reading and relaxing, tomorrow is going to be a big day.

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 19 - The Big Easy

I took the Admiral out for a spin today. I biked to the 57th Street Beach. It was overcast but still pretty warm. I rode around the lakefront a little further, found a bench and read a little bit of my book. I'm reading Susana Clarke's "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell", although it is science fiction and very long, I am determined to finish it. After awhile I went to find something to eat. On 55th and Cornell, I saw a brunch special at the Big Easy restaurant. I ordered catfish, scrambled eggs and roasted potatoes. I ate all by myself, just listening to other people's conversations and watching people walk by. A highlight were these honey covered, raisin filled ho cakes that preceded my meal, very delicious. Next I rode to Powell's bookstore on 57th. I spent two hours in this amazing place. As soon as I thought I had browsed all of the shelves, I saw a door, went through it and there was another room, twice as big as the first. Books about Photography, Chicago, Greek History, literary critiques, anything you could think of. Then I saw a staircase, I go downstairs and they have all the discount books, manga books, science fiction, and travel books. One drawback is that they want you to buy and leave, there are no comfy chairs and well lit corners in Powell's bookstore. I was sitting on step stools and leaning on bookshelves to flip through books. After that I rode home, it was a nice break in the monotony. I've got the Admiral's lock up procedure down to a science.

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.