After Arlene's compelling pep talk at the last volunteer meeting, I decided to give her any time that I had available. On Wednesday she sent out an email asking for help with a DuSable mailing. I called her this morning to volunteer, she asked if I could come earlier to run an errand to the post office. I said sure, not realizing that this would be the most time consuming and convoluted trip on Earth. I found out that D'Angelo would be driving me to the post office in the museum van, I had to wait 30 minutes for him to get clearance to take the van, and then driving to and waiting at, the post office for this giant order took about an hour. D'Angelo was very cool, in the car he gave me all kinds of fatherly and encouraging advice about adjusting to a new city. I left as soon as we got back, because I didn't intend to spend my whole day there. Overall it wasn't terrible, but as a former event planner, I know that my time was not effectively used if they were trying to get invitations out for a September 18th event. One great thing about being a volunteer is that I am not responsible for the outcome of these projects.
I went to Popeye's for lunch, and I am pretty sure that they are serving food behind bulletproof glass. In the drive thru and inside the restaurant, I know this because I paid in the drive-thru, pulled forward, and my food never came. I parked, walked inside and gave my best evil eye to the cashier. She apologized and gave me three extra chicken nuggets, yeah I'm kind of big deal around here. After I ate and watched the Conspirator (not James Macavoy's best work, but it was bearable), I walked to the grocery store. By the time I got back, Rachna had called and wanted to go to dinner. She came by my place and we decided to drive to Chinatown. We wound up at Jai-Yee, this restaurant with a spiral bound menu with 500 items, all with an accompanying photograph. We started with tofu spring rolls, I got chicken and rice, and Rachna had some spicy vegetarian dish with noodles. The highlights were the beverages, she had a mango smoothie and I had pineapple lemonade, so refreshing!
After dinner we wandered around Chinatown, Rachna bought all kinds of rice, dried mushrooms, seaweed and soy sauce from a Chinese grocery store. We pecked and prodded merchandise in random curio shops, and then decided to head back to Hyde Park because I had to walk Simba. Lauren is out of town until Sunday night. We were still pretty energetic and we wanted to check out our local bars. We went to the Woodlawn Tap, where they only accept cash payments. The place is small and noisy, so we had one shot and went outside to smoke, mostly her, I can't take more than a couple of puffs. We met these two random guys who were talking about all kinds of foolishness. After Rachna was sufficiently propositioned by a big eared, hairy chested, pock marked Serbian, we decided that it was time to leave. We walked down the street to the Seven Ten bar and had another drink, as we started yawning and conversation was winding down, we closed the tab and walked back to my place. Rachna got her stuff out of the car and I waited with her until the shuttle came to take her, to her apartment. This was a very nice day, a stiff and welcome contrast to yesterday.
All throughout the evening, we TALKED. Conversation jumped from one random topic to another, it was actually hard to tell a story from start to finish because we moved from one tangential point to another. I suppose the major topics were Lauren (pros and cons), the ups and downs of creating a career, our families, and how much we miss our friends from home. I found myself talking about my mother alot, and even though Rachna looked at me with a face full of pity, she seemed to believe me when I said I was alright and I didn't need a therapy session tonight. I told her how my mom had thrown a huge engagement party for my brother, 10 weeks before his wedding and 6 weeks before she died, as if she knew what was going to happen. Rachna started to tear up and told me how her grandfather had died the day after her brother's wedding, she said that he had waited. Trying to lighten the mood, I asked her if she thought our relatives were negotiating with death and she said no, it is the intelligence of the Universe. I've always known we were living within a master plan but I've never heard it put that way. It's like a giant game of Wizard Chess, I may not understand every move, but the Universe is already thinking three steps ahead, maybe I should find a church with an altar to Bobby Fischer.
Friday, 26 August 2011
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Day 38 - Chaitra went out like Casey...at the bat
The big day arrived and left without any networking fireworks. I got there and turned into Sally Silence. Even with my Bloody Mary, I was relaxed but not in the mood to talk. When I saw Linda from the Arizona Historical Foundation, I said hello but she dashed off to another presentation and I didn't follow up. I saw two other archivists from Arizona, I didn't remember their names but I could have struck up a conversation with our common network. The icing on the cake was that I even saw my most recent contact, Samip from the South Asian Digital Archive in Chicago, and I didn't say anything! I don't know what was wrong with me, but in retrospect I suppose I was feeling inadequate.
I could say that I moved, but I haven't accomplished very much career wise, yet. I assumed that networking should be an exchange and I don't feel that I have much to offer at this point. The whole day was not fabulous in the way that I thought it would be, but there was a silver lining. The sessions that I went to and the people that spoke have inspired me to keep going in my path and give it a lot more effort. After today's disappointment and the subsequent conversation with my sister I realized that I cannot waste my opportunity to make a living at something that I truly enjoy. Of course it is not going to be easy, if it was easy to be employed doing what you love, there would be a lot more rock bands, bakery shops and travel journalists.
I bought two books from the conference and took copious notes in the session about making that leap from student to professional. There are 162 repositories in the Chicago area, and I have contacted 2. I have so much work to do. Don't worry ya'll this chance was demolished as a result of doubt and insecurity, but I haven't given up just yet. In the words of Curtis Mayfield, I gotta keep on pushin'.
I could say that I moved, but I haven't accomplished very much career wise, yet. I assumed that networking should be an exchange and I don't feel that I have much to offer at this point. The whole day was not fabulous in the way that I thought it would be, but there was a silver lining. The sessions that I went to and the people that spoke have inspired me to keep going in my path and give it a lot more effort. After today's disappointment and the subsequent conversation with my sister I realized that I cannot waste my opportunity to make a living at something that I truly enjoy. Of course it is not going to be easy, if it was easy to be employed doing what you love, there would be a lot more rock bands, bakery shops and travel journalists.
I bought two books from the conference and took copious notes in the session about making that leap from student to professional. There are 162 repositories in the Chicago area, and I have contacted 2. I have so much work to do. Don't worry ya'll this chance was demolished as a result of doubt and insecurity, but I haven't given up just yet. In the words of Curtis Mayfield, I gotta keep on pushin'.
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Day 36 - Bike Maintenance
Zach and I had an unnecessarily intense conversation about the existence of the Illuminati and who may be a part of it. These are our positions and I think that the evidence supports both ideas, but he is not trying to hear it. Zach thinks that Rupert Murdoch, Jay-Z, Rhianna and countless other successful people have bartered their lives for fame and money. He thinks that they are under the control of this super old organization, its in the lyrics, the decisions they make and the symbols that they use. I happen to believe that Jay-Z and his publicist are at least as smart as 18 year old Zach from Chicago and they are using the folklore to generate a buzz around his image. People spend so much time and energy investigating this conspiracy all the while increasing the fame of those celebrities. I would put a goat on my t-shirt too if I thought someone would be more interested in me and eventually give me more money. Besides how prestigious is your secret society when a Disney move (National Treasure) could reveal the majority of your legend. I ended with agree to disagree but he still seemed pretty worked up about it. Oh well.
I didn't feel the earthquake here today but there were some rain storms rolling in this morning. I forgot the plastic for my bike seat, but I managed to dry it off with my sweater. Luckily the rain had stopped so I biked over to the bike repair shop on 60th and Blackstone. This was the place that I went to buy a bike and they only sold bikes on Saturday, luckily they repair bikes on Tuesday. A nice little girl took the notes on what was wrong and 15 minutes later Chris came and fixed my bike in 5 minutes flat. Apparently the spring had dislodged in the gear shifter, he put it back in position and now the gear stays put. He pumped air into both tires and said that it was no charge. I know that their bike shop employs kids from the neighborhood to give them something constructive to do, so I insisted on giving him 5 dollars for his help. In retrospect, I suppose I could have given more, but it was an easy fix. If I made a dollar an hour, I would be living in my own apartment in Chicago, it was better than nothing. At any rate, my bike runs like a dream. I would take this over car repairs any day, two wheels are the way to go. The rest of the evening was uneventful but I am off of work until Saturday, looking forward to these blank canvas days.
I didn't feel the earthquake here today but there were some rain storms rolling in this morning. I forgot the plastic for my bike seat, but I managed to dry it off with my sweater. Luckily the rain had stopped so I biked over to the bike repair shop on 60th and Blackstone. This was the place that I went to buy a bike and they only sold bikes on Saturday, luckily they repair bikes on Tuesday. A nice little girl took the notes on what was wrong and 15 minutes later Chris came and fixed my bike in 5 minutes flat. Apparently the spring had dislodged in the gear shifter, he put it back in position and now the gear stays put. He pumped air into both tires and said that it was no charge. I know that their bike shop employs kids from the neighborhood to give them something constructive to do, so I insisted on giving him 5 dollars for his help. In retrospect, I suppose I could have given more, but it was an easy fix. If I made a dollar an hour, I would be living in my own apartment in Chicago, it was better than nothing. At any rate, my bike runs like a dream. I would take this over car repairs any day, two wheels are the way to go. The rest of the evening was uneventful but I am off of work until Saturday, looking forward to these blank canvas days.
Monday, 22 August 2011
Day 35 - Hiding Out
I made it to work on time today. I need to take my bike to the shop, the gear shift on the handlebar is not working properly and the front tire could use a little air. Every morning I take it to work, I swear I'm going to take it in afterwards, tomorrow for sure. Since I did not have enough sleep yesterday, my 3 hour nap today has made up for it. I didn't mention it before every other day when I get home, the dog or the cat has vomited in the house. I have picked it up before and let Lauren know about it. Today, I was not feeling so generous. I walked past the mess, took my snacks and some DVDs to my room and camped out there all evening. I've also been scrap booking and talking on the phone. I have my big Society of American Archivists conference on Thursday and I need to make sure that I have a Bloody Mary, extra spicy, my resumes and some witty canned answers, ready on that morning. There is no time for strike outs in the Big Leagues.
Sunday, 21 August 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, 20 August 2011
Day 33 - Redemption of Auntie Cleo
This morning I had a volunteer meeting at the DuSable Museum. All I could do was listen because these women spent the majority of the time giving "feedback" also known as complaining about the last few events that they had volunteered for. Bless the heart of the volunteer coordinator, Arlene. She is stuck in the middle of a frustrated group of volunteers and an apathetic staff, but Arlene takes it like a champ. One highlight was my introduction to Blair, she shared her bagel with me and we will both be volunteering for the next movie in the park. I joined the historical committee, which as far as I can tell is about the chronicling the exhibits and programs so that we have something to show prospective volunteers. I think that everyone should volunteer to the causes that he or she is interested on a regular basis. It really is a reciprocal source of joy.
Afterwards I drove down the street to my hair appointment at Christian Fields. I get there 10 minutes early expecting to wait 30-40 minutes to get into the chair. Oh no, I check in and before my butt hits the chair in the waiting area, Lorenzo invites me over to the shampoo bowl. Lorenzo is good looking, at about five foot nine, muscular, tattooed and dreadlocks tied up in a headband. He's the shampoo boy! I'm looking around and 5 out of the 9 stylists in the salon are men, it looked like something out of a Zane novel. Lorenzo or as the people on the block call him, Renzo, washed my hair and talked all about playing basketball and being a role model, it was a little preachy but bearable. This salon specializes in working with "natural" also know as the coarse, untreated hair that most Black people are born with. The place was clean and the staff was professional and welcoming. Since most people are getting braids, twists and locs, the smell of hot curling irons and smoke coming from high voltage blow dryers was absent. Instead, there was a trendy little cafe in the salon, serving fresh fruit and smoothies, I could get used to this. It took Dana about 3 hours to twist my hair. The salon conversations and the classic R&B music was pretty standard. The funny thing about locs is that all kinds of people have them, the salon was full of thuggish men as well as sophisticated professionals, very diverse topics of conversation. On my way out, everyone commented on how nice my hair looked, Christian Fields himself asked if he could touch it. They were so sweet, and it could be just a hustle but I don't care, what girl doesn't want to be told that she's pretty? I will definitely be back.
The final activity was meeting up with my aunt Cleo at her hotel near the airport. She called me while I was at the museum and I told her that I was not happy about what went down last night. She said that her and her friends were at Michael Jackson's house in Gary, Indiana yesterday and she thought that my texts were in reference to today. Really?!?! She reminds me of my brother because they both operate without regard for other people, when you tell them that they hurt your feelings, they say oops (maybe you'll get a sorry, but don't hold your breath), and keep moving on. If you press them, trying to get some sort of reasoning or remorse, then in their eyes you are the obstinate one, you have to either a) swallow really hard and admit that staying mad is not going to help or b) stay mad and do without their company until you succumb to option a, because they have no problem cutting you off. The sick part is when you are on good terms with either of them they are kind, generous and funny, the type of person that you would want to be around.
So, I chose option A this afternoon. We had dinner in Rosemont and then we drove to the south side, so that she could take a look at my place. I was so nervous, because I knew that whatever she saw would be reported to my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandma. I can attest to their, in some cases my, scathing judgments on the lives of our relatives. I got turned around on the freeway three times, had problems with the windshield wipers and parallel parked in a crumby fashion, we made jokes through it but when we were about to leave she wanted me to ask Lauren to come so that I didn't have to drive back alone. Lauren and Cleo were very cordial, the one deal breaker was Misty the cat, who has free range on the kitchen counters. My aunt would not even drink the water that I gave her, assuming that it was unsanitary. Our place is very clean and it doesn't smell like animals, but I guess that everyone is entitled to their opinion. I was concerned that my aunt would say something offensive but she held her tongue for the most part. On the car ride back to Rosemont, I told her all of Lauren's relationship woes, and she agrees that this woman is ridiculous and needs to spend more time working on herself before trying to get a man to commit to her, AMEN!
Afterwards I drove down the street to my hair appointment at Christian Fields. I get there 10 minutes early expecting to wait 30-40 minutes to get into the chair. Oh no, I check in and before my butt hits the chair in the waiting area, Lorenzo invites me over to the shampoo bowl. Lorenzo is good looking, at about five foot nine, muscular, tattooed and dreadlocks tied up in a headband. He's the shampoo boy! I'm looking around and 5 out of the 9 stylists in the salon are men, it looked like something out of a Zane novel. Lorenzo or as the people on the block call him, Renzo, washed my hair and talked all about playing basketball and being a role model, it was a little preachy but bearable. This salon specializes in working with "natural" also know as the coarse, untreated hair that most Black people are born with. The place was clean and the staff was professional and welcoming. Since most people are getting braids, twists and locs, the smell of hot curling irons and smoke coming from high voltage blow dryers was absent. Instead, there was a trendy little cafe in the salon, serving fresh fruit and smoothies, I could get used to this. It took Dana about 3 hours to twist my hair. The salon conversations and the classic R&B music was pretty standard. The funny thing about locs is that all kinds of people have them, the salon was full of thuggish men as well as sophisticated professionals, very diverse topics of conversation. On my way out, everyone commented on how nice my hair looked, Christian Fields himself asked if he could touch it. They were so sweet, and it could be just a hustle but I don't care, what girl doesn't want to be told that she's pretty? I will definitely be back.
The final activity was meeting up with my aunt Cleo at her hotel near the airport. She called me while I was at the museum and I told her that I was not happy about what went down last night. She said that her and her friends were at Michael Jackson's house in Gary, Indiana yesterday and she thought that my texts were in reference to today. Really?!?! She reminds me of my brother because they both operate without regard for other people, when you tell them that they hurt your feelings, they say oops (maybe you'll get a sorry, but don't hold your breath), and keep moving on. If you press them, trying to get some sort of reasoning or remorse, then in their eyes you are the obstinate one, you have to either a) swallow really hard and admit that staying mad is not going to help or b) stay mad and do without their company until you succumb to option a, because they have no problem cutting you off. The sick part is when you are on good terms with either of them they are kind, generous and funny, the type of person that you would want to be around.
So, I chose option A this afternoon. We had dinner in Rosemont and then we drove to the south side, so that she could take a look at my place. I was so nervous, because I knew that whatever she saw would be reported to my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandma. I can attest to their, in some cases my, scathing judgments on the lives of our relatives. I got turned around on the freeway three times, had problems with the windshield wipers and parallel parked in a crumby fashion, we made jokes through it but when we were about to leave she wanted me to ask Lauren to come so that I didn't have to drive back alone. Lauren and Cleo were very cordial, the one deal breaker was Misty the cat, who has free range on the kitchen counters. My aunt would not even drink the water that I gave her, assuming that it was unsanitary. Our place is very clean and it doesn't smell like animals, but I guess that everyone is entitled to their opinion. I was concerned that my aunt would say something offensive but she held her tongue for the most part. On the car ride back to Rosemont, I told her all of Lauren's relationship woes, and she agrees that this woman is ridiculous and needs to spend more time working on herself before trying to get a man to commit to her, AMEN!