chicago

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So…here it is, finally. My recap of Chicago, or at least the sites I saw and places I ate. I left out the play-by-play of my shopping. You can thank me for that later. And in case it wasn’t evident before (which I’m sure it was) I am a total foodie. Good times.

Friday evening, after picking me up at the airport (thank you) Kelly and Kevin took me to their favorite place to take visitors for dinner, Ballo. It was great. I have never been a huge meatball fan, but I’m a believer in being open-minded, so I didn’t say anything when they ordered some…and I was right to keep my mouth shut. They were absolutely delicious, as was everything else we ordered.

Lunch on Saturday was at The Signature Room. This is obviously not a picture of the food, but the view of Navy Pier from the restaurant, on the 95th floor, which is really why the restaurant is such a big deal. Amazing!


The Art Institute of Chicago. I went here twice. On Saturday, we saw a very thought provoking photography exhibit (and warmed up). It was all about adolescence in women. I could have spent hours in that one room alone (except that the museum was closing, so we got kicked out). The next day, Kelly and I went to see the impressionists (my favorite art period) and it was incredible to see some of my favorite paintings in person; some of Monet’s Water Lilies, Renoir’s Woman at the Piano, Van Gogh’s The Bedroom, and Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.

This is one of the reasons I love big cities: street performers. These guys were outside of the Art Institute and they played so well.

At the recommendation of Jenny (and Oprah…apparently), I also picked up a bag of The Mix at Garrett Popcorn; a combination of cheese popcorn and caramel popcorn that is their specialty (and I’m all about specialties). It was surprisingly good, although next time I might have to try the Macadamia CaramelCrisp. Doesn’t that just sound delicious?

We went to Giordano’s for dinner on Saturday and this is where I had my first experience with Chicago deep dish pizza. It really is so much better than regular pizza and totally different than real Italian pizza. I am a fan.
As is my true nature, I needed a little something sweet, so Kelly and I stopped at Potbelly’s for shakes. So. Good.

I had the good fortune to visit Chicago during its Restaurant Week (I also had this luck on my D.C. trip last summer). Kelly made reservations for us at the Pump Room. It was so delicious. Honestly, I probably would have been happy with just the croissants (the best I’ve ever had on American soil), but the rest of it was worth the calories, too.


I was luck enough to make two visits to Millennium Park. This is the giant bean. Strange? Yes. Fascinating? Absolutely. Entertaining? Completely.


On our way back to Kelly’s to pick up my luggage and head to the airport, I wanted to stop at Paper Source. We had just enough time, so we got off the train and headed in (where I proceeded to spend a small fortune on…yes, paper.

But then, Kelly mentioned a chocolate shop that was just down the street. So, rather than be practical and head back to the apartment so I wouldn’t be late for my flight, we went to Vosges Chocolates. I had actually seen this place on-line before my trip and wanted to go there, but had completely forgotten about it. I think I might have had the best hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted (it might be a tie with Max Brenner) and I also purchased some truffles that were absolutely divine. I felt a little daring with the strange flavor combinations; coconut and curry, and various chilies, but they ended up being absolutely delightful (once I was able to taste them…as they were in my luggage that didn’t make it on the plane because I was late to the airport because I stopped to purchase them).


As you can see, I had an absolutely delightful time (well, minus the interview that I didn’t manage to get to on time).

happy birthday to my dad

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Yes, yes, the Chicago post is coming. I had a fabulous time, foot pain and all, but today is my dad’s birthday, so using that as an excuse, I’m going to post some things that I have been thinking about for a while (for posterity…so this post may totally bore any of you not related to me, or who don’t know Nev).

My dad is hilarious. He tells the lamest jokes ever (we were discussing adoption tonight and he once again mentioned that one of my sisters was adopted…but then they brought her back) that always make me laugh. With him? At him? Does it really matter?

One of his favorite funnies (not so much a joke) is referring to himself as Good Old Dad. Create an acronym and you’ll get the humor in it. His favorite is to remind us to thank “Good Old Dad” for whatever it is he has done for us at that moment.

He doesn’t really share how he feels, but it is obvious through his actions. He has moved every one of us multiple times. He has installed crown molding, recessed lighting, kitchen cabinets, and painted more walls than I could ever count. He pays for plane tickets for us to visit each other and we know that, no matter what happens, he will be there if we need him (like for me, now, as I live in the apartment over his garage). And, as seen above, he lets his granddaughters play with his hair.

He has always been a great example of hard work and frugality. Unfortunately, I only inherited the former…my spending habits I got from my mom. And even though he wishes I could figure out the real difference between wants and needs, he is really good about not making me feel bad about my inability to do so.

In teaching us about hard work, he also taught us the importance of each step in a project. In any project, there are four steps. You probably thought that it varied based on the project, but it doesn’t. There are always four and only four. Sure, within those four, there might be multiple tasks that must be done, but any and every project can be subdivided into the following four steps:

  1. Prep: this step includes planning and setting up for the project.
  2. Do: pretty self-evident.
  3. Clean up: again, not much explanation.
    1. Most people would think the project was over at this point.
    2. Most people are mistaken. Step four is not only the most important, but also requires the most time.
  4. Admire: this step can be done alone, at first, but in order for any project to be truly finished, you must actually include at least one more person in this step. This step requires “ooohs” and “aahs”. Not necessary to this step, but definitely encouraged, are phone calls to others who are not able to be part of Step 4 in person, photographs to be shared for years to come, and later discussions about just how great the project turned out.

I have to say I have a pretty great dad, even if we don’t see eye to eye on everything. So here’s a big birthday wish to my favorite dad ever! Happy Birthday, Dad.

Oh, and thanks for dinner.

pain

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Once upon a time a girl walked four miles in heels in one day. Yes. Four miles; 1.4 in the morning and 2.6 in the afternoon. She’s pretty amazing.

Amazingly stupid.

But incredibly fashionable (at least that day).



Beauty is pain, my friends. Beauty is pain.

The rest of the Chicago trip coming soon…If you want a little preview, click here to read Kelly’s post.

dear you…brought to you by irritating people everywhere

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Dear crappy drivers (of which there seems to be an abundance here in Utah),

I was going to write a letter about how you make my life miserable, but as I was driving to the airport last week, I realized that without you, driving would not be nearly as fun. Without you, I would never get to pass on the right, which I happen to find very enjoyable. Without you, driving would not be like playing Frogger, one of the best video games ever made. Without you, I would not be able to keep up with my siblings’ incredible driving abilities (Vegas and Phoenix give the greater Salt Lake area a run for its money).

Without you, my eyes would not be constantly scanning traffic for holes and alleys, making it so that I wouldn’t see cops as easily as I currently do. Sure, I might get places a little faster, but I’d probably have lots more tickets (and no people, a ticket is not an indication of bad driving, just breaking the law). Without you, I wouldn’t get the adrenaline rush that comes from speed combined with the fear of some idiot cutting me off when I’m in the left lane, which, incidentally, is known as “the passing lane” in California (where the majority of the country’s good drivers come from, in my humble, unbiased opinion) because you are supposed to use it to pass people. So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. I look forward to seeing you on the roads this afternoon as I head to the airport, yet again.

Sincerely,

A girl who absolutely loves driving (it’s parking in the snow that sometimes presents problems)

Dear girls behind Sarah and me in line at the Mika concert,

I have so much I want to say, but since it’s obvious that your 18-year-old minds can only handle so much, I’ll just start with one concept (two words, but one concept…is that too confusing?): personal space. Once you have that one down, come back to me and we can discuss the next topic.

Sincerely,

The girl who, thankfully, was not actually stuck next to you as she would not have been as polite as Sarah was

Dear take-out girl at Buffalo Wild Wings,

I’m not sure where to begin. There were so many things wrong with what happened on Saturday. So. Many. Things. First, you didn’t take the order down right, evidently. Then, even the parts you did get right, you didn’t check. Those two things could happen to anyone. I mean, it’s got to be pretty hard work manning the take-out counter on a relatively slow Saturday afternoon.

But then. Then. When I drove down to get the blue cheese dressing that you (yes, YOU) had forgotten to give us, that is when you really messed up. Have you ever heard the term “customer service”? Do you know what it means? If you have, you must have been having a really, really, really bad day. I could have dealt with a lot. I’ve worked in a service industry before. I know it’s not fun to deal with mistakes when people are upset (note: I wasn’t actually upset when I first went in). But when you rolled your eyes at me, that did it. And the best part is, I’m me, so I called you on it. I bet you weren’t expecting that one. I hope you think twice before being so rude next time.

Sincerely,

A girl who is really quite understanding of mishaps and mistakes, just not eye rolling

Dear people who think your opinions should be everyone’s opinions,

Do you not get how annoying that is? When people stop talking to you mid-conversation, do you not understand that it’s because you aren’t listening to them and you don’t care about seeing any point of view but your own and they know that any more talking is just a waste of oxygen. When you sit and ask yourself why you have a hard time keeping friends, think about this…people probably don’t really like you. Who wants to be friends with someone who is so closed minded? I know you think you are being helpful, at times, but really, you’re more annoying than anything else. In fact, there are probably people who do things just to spite you. Yes. Spite.

And lest you think sharing this makes me like you, I assure you it does not. You can continue to be the way you have been. And if you want to argue with me about how your forcing of your opinions on others is actually a win-win, go for it. Of course, you will only be confirming everything I just wrote. It’s your call.

Sincerely,

A very opinionated person who is happy to hear the opinions of others (it is possible)

Dear people who get angry about things over which you have zero control,

I’m sorry. It sucks. I have the same problem. And sometimes, it just feels good to get really angry…at least for a minute.

With pumping adrenaline and a racing heart,

Chloe

Dear foolishly naive administrator dude,

I’m a pretty smart cookie, so when you started running numbers and thinking you were being so sly and that somehow you were going to be able to bill my department and the patients for the same service, did you really think that I wasn’t going to notice? I realize that you are pretty old and come from a generation where women were “silent secretaries” and you didn’t have to take us seriously, so let be the first to welcome you to the new millennium.

With regret concern for the PTSD my objection may have caused you,

Chloe

Dear hinters,

We all know what you want, so just be straight forward about it because, guess what, if you sit by me while I’m eating and talk about how good my food smells, I’m not going to offer it to you. I will, however, respond to your hinting with such things as, “You know, it actually tastes even better than it smells!” or “You are right, it does smell fantastic!” Just ask for a bite. I’ll give you one.

And, if you want to tell a story, just say, “I have a story for you.” Or better yet, just tell the story. If you think dropping some kind of intended attention-grabbing sentence is going to get me to ask you about the story, you are sadly mistaken. In fact, the second I sense that is what’s happening, I’m going to ignore your attempts to get me to ask about it. In fact, I’ll probably change the subject. I’m going to force you to either be assertive or live dying to tell your story.

Hoping that you will understand the direct communication we just had, as it is not in your native tongue,

Chloe