Start Over Today

I feel like I've attempted to start my life over about 5 times this year.  And it all keeps crashing down, crashing down but I promise myself it gets better -- everyone says it will.  And the resolve I had to day sometimes fades away but comes back, it comes back on the better days.  So I believe, I believe in that one thing until it falls apart in front of me.

I have no name to anyone who matters and my face isn't anything to anyone that matters.  Life's just a game you play without chances or choices too much in your control.

You fight and you bleed, you run towards everything.  They call it love, they call it passion but it's all a kind of greed.  Cuz when you give too much unselfishly you will surely find yourself without anyone or anything.  I am sitting here alone with no one listening tonight.

They say tomorrow is a new day, you gotta live day to day -- can't plan for too far away if you don't know how to survive today.  I listened, I tried. I lived and I cried and now in the rain.  They tell me to start over again today.

Birthday Resolutions

Every year on my birthday I make goals for myself to achieve over the next year.  I like to look back and say "when I was [age] I..."  and it's been 2 weeks since my birthday and I still have no clue what I should put down.  I have constant new ideas and all I know is I want the most for myself.  I think I'm capable of a lot of things, but I just gotta figure out how to get there.  Since I started my new, professional blog The Chicago Event Planner I've enjoyed the challenge of continually blogging on professional subject and interacting with other local professionals.  I've already learned a fair amount about the analytics and marketing side of it.  I've pushed myself to be as consistent as I can and it's been educating, eye-opening and fun.

I'm also looking towards the future and what I really want and who I really want to be.  That question never seems to go away and all the challenges of being "a real adult" like I told myself 25 was going to be are not diminishing because I actually turned 25.  I still want to publish a short story that I never seem to get around to writing amidst writing and & researching for my blog when I'm not working.  Then there's the whole music thing which I haven't completely given up on.  I'm considering starting my own business.  I try to network as much as possible.  I want to learn Spanish and continue studying wine (especially since I have the wine book now).  I need to work out and actually cook dinner instead of microwaving whatever pre-cooked item I have lying in the fridge.  I need to keep my apartment clean, do laundry regularly and make my bed more often.  I should read more, keep up hair treatments, keep my nails up, iron my clothes before bed so my outfit's ready for the next day.  I should shine my shoes and hang my wall lamp.  Because these are all things "real adults" seem to do.  And so I find myself inherently lazy and most of that stuff never gets done.  Breaking bad habits is hard and it's taking me a really long time.  Since January I've been attempting.  But to be fair I'm really good at going to the movies and petting my cat.  My measurable progress with my professional blog reminds me I'm not failing at life, but the challenge is finding out how to balance it so by the time I'm 30 this stuff is clock work.  It seems simple: Get up, work out, shower, breakfast, blogging/research/news-reading/facebook/linkedin/twitter...online stuff go to work.  However it mostly is: wake up, lay in bed...still in bed, get up, blog/research, etc., holy shit is that the time?  Shower. Rush out the door, barely make it to work.  I will work out when I get home.  Except when I get home I just want to eat and watch tv.  I guess I just need to kick my own ass more.  Which means I should be cleaning right now instead of writing.  That was my only goal this entire week and I live in a studio.  I have no excuse.
...'kay.  Here I go.  I'm going to clean now.  Pandora, Rihanna Station ON!

Stupid Boy Texts.

Well said, girlfriend.

That's What You Get For Waking Up In Vegas

So True.

Ahh!

This reminds me of how I feel every time I take my trash out, expecting to find a dead body in the dumpster or someone waiting to kill me.

Call Me Maybe

My better judgement tells me this teeny-bopper chart topper is something I shouldn't be listening to in public.  The lyrics aren't deep, neither is the concept.  So why I do I love it so damn much and how is it so catchy?  The verses aren't even that great but it's the damn hook...  So this summer I confess to eternally being a 14 year old girl somewhere inside and will shamelessly dance to this on repeat until fall.

Getting It Together

It's a process, this whole life thing.  That's pretty much all I've been talking about lately, but I'm excited now.  I just started my first professional blog The Chicago Event Planner which means I probably won't be posting here everyday, but I haven't exactly been anyway...

Last night I went to the Midsommer fest in Andersonville.  It was a lot of fun and it made me realize that I need to get out and have more fun more often.  I dive into work, I come home and I mostly just obsess over work stuff.  But the idea of work hard, play hard is a good one.  You need to let loose and just be vivacious for life once in awhile.   I have everything I need to make me a happy person, I just need to want to be happy.  And I do.

I've decided that when it comes to my life both professionally and personally I just need to go full throttle. I have to try in every way I can.  For awhile I was becoming dissatisfied with my job and I let one thing get to me and inside my head.  I let it distract me from the obvious: I work in one of the top steakhouses in Chicago with some of the most amazing chefs who are willing to teach me about food, an amazing wine director who has taught me so much about wine and a supportive group of people who will give me the tools to learn and get better if I just ask them.  So that's what I need to do.  I've taken home copies of our menu descriptions, I have that wine book I need to crack into more and I also need to get better at Spanish and I've found really awesome podcasts that do just that.  I have all the things I need to be exactly the person I want to be and brains enough to get whatever I don't have.  It's been taking me some time and maybe I just needed some sun, but for the first time in a long time I'm feeling really excited about my life.

You Think You Know, But You Don't Know

I feel like most of this year I've been whining (and wining) about what I want and how I'm not getting it.  Which is dumb.  Sometimes you hit that point where you're like "ugh, my life sucks and it's kinda all you guys' fault."  I never thought I was that kind of person and for the most part I don't think I am but the thing about being a multi-tasking, dynamic and successful person is that it's really effing hard.  There's a reason why some people make history books and have news articles written about them -- because they did something different, out of the norm and challenging.  Which is probably why I've been failing miserably this year at that goal.  Sometimes life feels hard just being life without trying to make it harder.

I don't think I've ever been happy with the idea of being a "normal" person living a "normal" life.  In the back of my mind I've always wanted to be extraordinary at something, constantly challenging myself, doing & learning new things, and making a statement.  I don't feel that it's a reality-show-generation thing, it's a me thing.  Why sit at home and be a waste of space when you can do something really incredible?  I love reading Harvard Business Review, watching videos on TED.com and reading articles about entrepreneurs, political & social leaders, technology, scientific progress, international news...and a lot of the trash on E!.  I love the idea of pushing the boundaries and working to unite under the common cause of equality and humanity. I mean, in college I did miserably on my math testing and got put in basic, but I blew all my peers away in philosophy.  I remember reading about Alcibiades (pronounced al-sih-bye-ah-dees and not al-sibee-ah-dees like I originally thought).  Alicbiades was this over-achieving hot ass Greek dude who was really young and really cocky.  He thought he knew everything because of his success.  Socrates, his teacher, tries to tell him to chill out a bit, kind of a "hey you don't know everything kid."  To which Alcibiades pretty much says "Yeah whatever old man.  Look at me and look at you.  I'm hot, successful and everyone loves me. Please."  And then some shit happens and our buddy Al has a wtf moment while Socrates gives him the "I told you so."  Granted that's a very basic version of the story, but my point is that most people are Alcibiades, particularly young whipper snappers such as myself.  Most of us feel we know all there is to know about things but as it turns out, the more you know the more you realize you don't know things, can't know some things and actually may never really know anything.  Thus comes Socrates 3 levels of knowledge:
1. You think you know, but you don't know
2. You know you don't know
3. You know

Not many people reach stage 3.  Most of us accept the fact that we don't know shit and move on.  But I've come to realize that while I'm very aware of the fact that there are many things I don't know and many things I want to learn, sometimes I can get comfortable and slip back into stage 1.  Yes, we people get comfortable so we get bored and we don't challenge ourselves.  Or at least I haven't.  When you get a routine, even bad ones, it's hard to break it and that's where I've been.

I've been complaining a lot I've realized for the past year on things.  Only recently have I had an enlightening conversation with a fellow employee that made me realize I'm kinda being a dumb betch.  I've really told myself that in turning 25 I need to become a real adult and start living my life the way I intend to live it from here on out.  I always make a set of goals for myself every year on my birthday -- kind of like new year's resolutions but not. I like to say when I was [age] I accomplished this.  Depressingly I'd accomplished not one of my goals when I was 23, after years of hitting many of my goals and sometimes even blowing them out of the water.  It was a real slap in the face.  This year I've been meandering.  I've not done nothing but I've certainly not done everything I can.  I've been lamenting over "becoming a 'real adult'."  I've been trying to mentally prepare myself a lot.  I want to push myself, physically, mentally and professionally.  If I'm not challenging myself and working towards making the world a better place, then why am I alive?

However, the real challenge for me seems to be accepting the fact that I can't do it all at once-- just when I get spurts of energy that quickly burn out and deflate my motivation altogether.  I have to build and adapt and accept that it's ok to lay around and do nothing some days.  I don't need to feel guilty every day because I didn't clean.  I've started getting into habit of doing less.  Instead of planning to do laundry, take out the trash, do dishes, iron, change my bed, mop and clean the bathroom all on Saturday  I should just do dishes before bed, 1 or 2 loads of laundry instead of 10 because I put it off for so long and accept the fact that after a day at work I just need to chill the fuck out.  A 20-30 minute workout daily is better for me than an hour run once or twice a month.  2 loads of laundry a week is more manageable than 8-10 every 1.5-2 months (I've seriously put off laundry that long).  I may be insulin resistant but I don't have to completely give up foods I like.  I'm trying to find ways to ease myself into adult life.  Because to me, "adult life" means being responsible, getting things done and not making excuses.  Sort of like Demi Moore in J.I. Jane.  But I guess it means that I need to learn how to prioritize too.  I can't always have what I want or do what I want, but I need to push for those things all the same.  I want to save money and be "fiscally responsible."  I've started looking at IRAs, lifetime insurance -- things adults have.  I want to get a 2nd job so maybe I can pay off both of my credit cards by the end of the year instead of just cutting them in half.  I want that Louis bag (and I found it at about 1/5th the price on a website because it's from at least 3 seasons ago and they just want to get rid of it now).  I've accepted the fact that there's nothing wrong in spending money to have some nice things as long as I can actually pay for it.    I also accept the fact that the earlier half of your twenties is meant for fun and the latter half will probably be spent making up for the earlier half.  I realize I'm going to have to lock myself away to the Corporate America system working no less than 60 hours a week to keep student loans, credit cards and life expenses in check until I'm at least 30.  If I got a 2nd job and did nothing but put all that extra money towards my student loans, I could knock in out in 3-4 yrs or less instead of 7-10.  My mind is overwhelmed with possibilities, which I guess is a good thing in comparison to its opposite.  It seems that even as I write it out, I feel like I know what I want, what I need to do but then maybe -- really -- I don't even have a clue.

Kitty!

This past memorial day weekend I adopted a 6 year old girl.  Her name is Jazmine and she's quite furry with beautiful green eyes.  She likes to jump on things, incidentally into the freezer the other day and the best part is that she's always excited to see me when I get home.  The best part about the fact that she's a cat and not a child is I can fill her water and food and go to work.  While she doesn't help pay the bills like a roommate would, she's excellent company -- enough company I think.  She happens to have an excellent temperament and knows just when to leave me alone.  But she's also not afraid to ask for attention.  I love her dearly even though I've only had her 3 days.  I suddenly look forward to coming home when I used to always feel like home was where I should go because at least I won't spend money there.  I feel the need to keep my apartment clean 1. so she won't eat things she shouldn't or hurt herself on anything and 2. because I feel like she should have a nice place to live.   She already knows that morning is when we we eat and when I get home from work it's time for dinner.  I'm very excited to have her and just maybe I'll even chill out a little bit because now I have a little kitty to focus on instead of bills, work and things that really just don't matter.

It was 90 on Monday and she jumped in the freezer!

How To Be Good At Life?

I read this article this morning talking about a guy who went to a good school, got an "amazing" job and took 6 years to realize that his six-figure career bought him everything he wanted but was killing him.  http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/no-one-cares-that-you-graduated/

It's really good.  It's really honest.  And it's really true.

How many times a week, hell a day, do I think "why do I suck at life?"  I recently opened my May edition of Vogue and read this article about a girl who studied abroad her first semester junior year in Kenya.  She went from student to a woman changing the world.  It reminded me a bit of my spring break trip to Ghana, minus the fact that I'm not engaged to a local, political/social activist, survived malaria and started an entire organization that educates children, provides food, medical care, vaccinations and HIV/AIDS testing to the local Kenyan community.  But we're the same age and when I read things like that and think "why do I suck at life?"  I also thought "why am I excusing myself for sucking at life all the time?"  I wanted to be like her.  She was inspiring.  I stapled the article and stuck it on my fridge.

http://issuu.com/hopetoshine/docs/vogue_feature_shining_hope

I've been tracking it with this very blog -- failed attempts at healthy eating, not wanting to spend money on wine every week, not writing every day.  I spend my time doing things but the whole time I think that I should be doing something else.  Why is that?  If I'm watching tv I think about how I should be cleaning or doing laundry. If I'm doing laundry I think about how much I hate doing laundry but feel "good" about it because it's what I should be doing.  Right now I should be doing dishes instead of writing, only I love writing and reading articles online.  I try to organize my life based on the things I feel like I SHOULD do only to end up doing kinda what I want to do but I punish myself for it.  I'm obsessed with trying to have enough money since it seems everyone I work with makes so much more than me.  I want to help my parents out -- my dad is 71 and still works 12 hr shifts in a factory saying things like "I thought I'd get to retire, but I think I'm going to die in there."  That's kind of depressing.  And my mom doesn't work because my sister is special needs and requires her entire life caring for her -- plus now she is caring for my grandma who is in her late eighties.  My mother hasn't work in nearly 30 years.  So add that to the fact that  I don't have benefits of any kind including insurance, sick days or vacation.  I work hard at what I do only to be told that getting used to make other people money is "just how it is" because I don't have enough work experience and blah blah blah.  But truth be told it makes me really upset.  I have so many ideas, so many things I want to do.  I want to travel, to start my own business (even businesses -- I have multiple ideas I think can be successful).  I want to work to help people whether in government or as part of an NGO or something.  I was excited NATO was coming when other people were terrified that the city would be violently attacked and burned to the ground.

Don't get me wrong, I actually really enjoy what I do and I'm good at it but I'm turning 25 in about a month.  I'm trying to get my shit together finally.  Eat better & exercise regularly because I need to start taking care of my body before things go downhill.  Start doing and not just come up with ideas and let them sit there.  I want to find ways to do everything I want to do.  I want to make sure I don't get caught in the machine that is Corporate America.  Last night I was talking to my aunt on the phone.  She's getting ready to retire.  She worked hard -- endless hours her whole life.  She was a model employee but she said "yes, I have all this money and we are where we are today because of it but I've wasted my whole life."  "Not your whole life," I said.  "You still have plenty to live."  "Yeah, but not much of it."

So I can work and plot and fantasize but the excuses remain.  I can't leave because of my family, I want to get more experience.  It's expensive and uncertain to move or do something else.  While I have more to think of than myself, at the end of the day you have to answer to yourself.  So I ask:  What would the definition of "a good life" be for me?  What are the things I should be doing to make me happy, to be successful and to help others?  I don't want to live a regimented life even though order and consistency is always looked upon with favor.  But it's boring -- to me.  So plain, so regular.

I just need to figure out what it means for ME to be good at life.  And also I should probably quit bitching and just do the dishes already.

The Avengers & Yellow Tail

No, not the adventures of yellow tail.  The Avengers AND Yellow Tail.  Those are the subjects today. 

I went to see The Avengers opening weekend.  It was pretty good for your typical Marvel movie, but a bit long.  Two and a half hours that could have been one and a half, two at the most.   Robert Downey, Jr. (Ironman) & Chris Hemsworth (Thor) stole the show with their humor and delivery.  One of my favorites was a scene where they are in the woods after Thor has been arguing with his brother.  Thor's character speaks in a very Olympian and official kind of way and so "Ironman" says to him "What is this, Shakespeare in the woods?"  I was laughing 5 minutes after it happened.  You just had to be there, I guess.  The other characters were good but I do have to say that Scarlet Johansson was pretty much just there for the boys seeing as her talents were kicking people in the face and delivering most of her lines in a sexy-but-bad-ass voice while wearing lots of leather, skin tight outfits.   But to be fair, the red hair looked good on her.  Long story short:  it's a good date movie.  All the action a boy could want and all the good-looking boys a girl could want.  Win-win.

Now, let's get to drinking.

I've been trying to "explore" my wine knowledge and really learn what I like.  Then one day I didn't have a lot of cash and didn't want to read labels.  I walked into Walgreens and grabbed a moscato -- something I know my taste buds wouldn't mind sipping on.  After the day I'd had I was not into the idea of accessing the tanin levels and seeing if it balanced well with the acidity.  I wanted cheap and easy.  I'd seen somewhere that Yellow Tail was one of the highest-selling brands in the market.  I remember being surprised by that fact and figured that since I saw a bottle in front of me, I should see why everyone seems to like this stuff.

That would be because it's cheap and good. 

I've bought another bottle since.  It doesn't taste cheap like even some pricier bottles do or other imported wines under $10.  I can usually find it for right around $6 which isn't much more than the over-priced orange juice I buy.  There's a slight effervescence which is something I really like in a white wine, particularly sweet wines.  I used to drink maybe a half glass of wine at a time and I can drink a half bottle of this.  That's probably not a good habit to form, but the point is that I don't feel like "eeehhh, ok enough of this now."  I enjoy it and say "oh, just a little more -- can't hurt."  I bought a bottle of the "Sweet Red Roo" to try.  I have every confidence in it after how surprisingly tasty their moscato was.

I still have my wine book and I have every intention to continue to explore wines, however I also found an easy go-to when I don't want to think about it.  Or when I'm broke.

The Five Year Engagement Movie Review

I love Judd Apatow movies so if you are weird enough not to, then perhaps you won't like this film.  But if you're like a normal person, chances are you will.  Emily Blunt is adorable as ever and famous faces galore make cameo appearances.  Jason Siegel co-wrote along with starred in this great couple's date film.  I didn't go with a significant other but I definitely had lots of actual laugh-out-loud moments that reflect the well-constructed blend of Hollywood humor smattered over a very realistic situation.  There are scenes that can resonate with everyone, regardless of your current relationship status.  As a singleton I found myself going Mmmm, yep.  Been. There!  For me this is so appreciated. I'm done with the vomit-worthy, stereotypical films that depict a perfect life where a couple's biggest battle is fighting over who gets to do the dishes and rub the other's feet.  You can connect and understand both of the characters and why they feel the way they do.  Frustrations and temptations come into play, not unlike the everyday but what I loved best was something I felt I needed a little reminding of: no one is perfect and therefore no one is really perfect for each other.   Challenges in a relationship can make you hate a person one day -- you get bored, frustrated and even overwhelmed or tempted to over-enjoy another's company.  This film captured all of those aspects and gave a brilliant performance. There's a Knocked Up feel except this time the focus is on an impending marriage instead of an impending baby.  It's not quite as funny as I thought Bridesmaids was but it was well-written, well-directed and well worth seeing!

Liar, Liar

This article from Forbes.com teaches you how to read lies.  Which should be great if your goal is to be a lie-reading secret agent like me. 

The Downsides & Obsessions

I'm trying not to suck at this blogging thing so I figure keeping it up is the main idea right?  Good.  Glad we covered that. 

Aside from listening to "Take Care" by Rihanna & Drake 20 times a day, I've also been really busy working extra hours (for free because I clock out since I don't want to hear it about how I "can't" have overtime and I hate feeling crammed into a work day when there's a shit ton going on) and I finally got Windows of the World, the wine book.  I started reading it and it's awesome.  It's exciting when I read something and already know about it!  It makes me feel a little more legit.  But honestly, I think it'd be a little overwhelming if I'd never heard any of the terms before and hadn't been around serious winos for a year and a half.  I've discovered that the downside of learning more about wines is how quickly I can taste it when it's not good.  I got Sutter Home's Chenin Blanc.  It's not bad, but it tastes cheap, which at $5.99 at Jewel Osco, not really surprising.  And I knew I didn't want to spend $15+ on wine... well that and the Whole Foods & Trader Joe's was closed when I left work a 10pm...

I need to get going on painting my apartment though.  Because I've been sleeping on my couch for nearly 2 weeks and that's sad.  Especially since the areas aren't done aren't near my bed...

Ugh, time to do something before I drink too much wine and become completely unfunctional.

Amazon Dot Drain My Bank Account

I think that amazon.com and I are starting to have an unhealthy relationship.  These "wish list" thingies I'd never bothered with before have become addictive.  When you want something you can add it to a list which you can organize any way you want, have as many as you want and put in various kinds of order.  You can mark items from low, medium or high priority, by low to high or high to low price... all sorts of stuff.  And while that may sound basic it's not.  When you're window shopping you pass lots of things you want, but you don't keep them in a little basket that says "save for later."  So all that stuff you wanted is always there to look at when your tax return makes you feel like a millionaire.  You can make them public or private, you can share them and basically send it out like a gift registry, only you don't need a baby or a wedding (which is nice for us single ladies who have no plans on getting married soon).  And the worst/best part is that when you look at an item, below they give you similar items other people have looked at.  I have 3 lists right now -- one for "shoes" which is also bags, watches and random things no one really needs, home accessories since I'm trying to re-do the place and Christmas/Birthdays.  I like it for Christmas & Birthdays because it helps me lay out items I'm looking to buy this year and financially prioritize.  Plus, it keeps tabs on pricing.  If items go down in price it alerts you "this item had decreased to [price] from [old price].  You save [percentage]!"  Which is good and bad because I often feel like I should buy it when it gets cheaper before it's gone.  But you know, it's nice to know I didn't rush to buy it cuz now look -- it's on sale!  Even more!

This year I've really wanted to get my finances in order while also improving my wardrobe and my shoe collection.  I'm going to be a "real adult" and I wanted to dress and prioritize like one.  Eating healthy, working out, writing, reading, learning about wine...  I wanted to pay down my credit cards to $1000 each (I only have 2!) or less (at the rate I'm going most likely much less).  I wanted to pay all extraneous bills and to have a little savings account.  Rent, student loans, phone bills, electric and cable will never go away but it's nice when any remainder can be put into a savings account instead of looking at my bank statements going "well, just bread this week."  So with that on the horizon I found the most striking watch I'd ever seen.  It's $230 and there's only 2 left in stock which means I need to get it soon.  $230 is the amount I pay each credit card plus what I add to my savings account each month.  The back of my head is at war: "Look at that watch.  How, classy.  How refined.  How exceptional!  What a statement you'd make!" While the other half argues: "Are you stupid?  There are plenty of watches you added to that list that are just as nice, people will still think you're classy and they're UNDER $100.  You could pay off a bill with that money.  No fancy shopping sprees til 2013!  Not to mention the fact that you want to go on vacation next year!  That watch could be half a plane ticket!" ...  "Yeah, but that's one plane ride, this I can have FOREVER!"

And you know how that goes.  So it sits there, in my wish list as I drool on myself at 9 in the morning while not working out.  I just bought some nice clothes and furniture for my apartment this past weekend.  My hard attempts at being financially responsible get squashed by my wish lists and amazon is basically the only online retailer I use (it's easy, they already have my credit card info so I don't have to type in the numbers each time along with my address and I've had good purchase after good purchase so I trust them).  My mom always calls me up and says "hey, can you get something online?"  And right to amazon I go.  She's delighted when we get it in 2-3 days, sometimes sooner because of course I have amazon prime which you pay for annually and you get free 2-day shipping on all purchases that qualify.  I love the dependability, the quality merchandise but I don't love the fact that between whole foods (wine and guacamole!) and amazon.com my bank account is running on fumes. Buuttt that's probably my fault.

Take Care by Drake ft. Rihanna

This is my current song obsession.  At first I was like "eh, it's a basic beat, simple melody..." but the more I listen to the words the more I like it.  Drake & Rihanna are also adorable together.  So I hit the repeat button...a lot.  I have to laugh though every time Drakes says "it's my birthday, I'll get high if I want to."  I think of the original "it's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to" and the look on her face if she'd heard how someone turned her hit into a drug reference 50 years later.  These are the kinds of things that keep me amused in life.  Well that and hitting the repeat button (like that Selena Gomez song "Like a Love Song" which I also was obsessed with for about a week).

"Beez In The Trap" by Nicki Minaj

I love Nicki -- her crazy outfits and curves I could only hope for.  However this new video popped up when I was youtubing music and I thought Oh Dear.  I really don't see the need for her to be dancing like a booty dancer in a 50 cent video anymore -- she's Nicki! -- or playing to the girl-on-girl fantasy.  I encourage her to rock the green hair, but I also hope she her new tracks have some more super bass.  This one just didn't do it for me.  But you be the judge!

Renovations

So I am trying to make the most of my studio apartment on my small budget.  I've done the research and have gotten as far as trip to Home Depot for some paint.  I've never actually painted anything outside of art class before.  If my parents ever painted they never let me help so I felt a little lost in a big store not really knowing what I wanted and a vague idea of what I should get.  I settled for a light whitish blue color but on later thought, I realized I drilled some holes into the wall and may need to smooth that out.  There's a perfect corner bookcase I want from target.com but it's gone up another $30 to $199 and somehow $200 seems less justifiable than $170. 

I wasn't going to be so head-on about redoing my place but I'm getting a cat soon and I wanted all of the place good & done before I got her.  She's a barn cat that my parents have and I want to give her a good home.  She's also very skittish so I want to ready my apartment and make life as comfy as possible while also being a place I want to live.  I've lived here for 2 years telling myself "I'll get somewhere bigger next year."  But this is the easiest and most affordable arrangement I have right now.  I'm blocks away from anything I need including work so I don't even have to pay $90/mo for transit.  Other places I've looked at aren't any better for the price.  So while I would love a small porch area to sit outside, I'm just gonna have to deal with leaving the windows open til I have a job that pays me like a real adult.

In the mean time I'm going to be pushing myself to be financially responsible.  It's gonna be a pain because my work schedule is all over the place and doesn't allow me to get a second job.  On the plus side, I really enjoy what I do and so I'm just going to have to be fiscally conservative for probably the next 2 years until I pay off my credit cards, get a handle on my student loans, pay off all my medical bills and finally have a small savings account. 

For my apartment renovations I intend to take pictures and show my progress and ideas of improvement.  The problem with all the "small spaces" I read about is that they make the pictures look pretty & organized but unless you own 2 pair of socks and some tupperware, it's not realistic for people with stuff.  I constantly try to get rid of things and I intend to spend the week getting rid of books and random things I just don't need.  With some creativity this place has a lot of potential.  There's a nice amount of space for a studio but this is going to take some time because I can't just drop $3000 to do all the things I want.  So baby steps.  I took an $80 trip to home depot this week and I will get my $200 corner cabinet from my next pay check.  I already have some items I bought from IKEA and my mom got me a really awesome table who's "chairs" double perfectly as a corner table near my couch and a night stand.  The place is kinda dark so I'm going to need a floor lamp.  Ideally I'd get a new bed set that I found on amazon.com but exchanging that for the futon my parents got me sophomore year of high school is going to run me around $500 even if I use the "mattress" that came with the futon. Otherwise I'd be out at least another $500.

I've realized that the most important step I need to take in starting this process is knowing where my stuff is.  That may sounds odd but it's true.  I put things where they fit and cram things where I use them.  But if I got rid of stuff I know I don't need (clothes, books, and things that just sit there for no reason) then I can assess where I cram things.  For example, I always have the same hair products sitting out in my bathroom because I use them everyday.  It's dawned on me that the point of organizing isn't because you're putting things where you think they look best (which I used to do only to have everything look messy again a week later), but to make the things you use look as nice as possible.  With that in mind I realize that being a girl most of my stuff is hair items, clothes, makeup and various bathroom products.  The point of the corner bookshelf in my living rooms space is that by the time I went through everything, I could fit all my movies, books and various documents on 1 bookcase.  This would make everything look much neater and less spread out throughout my apartment.  Then the second challenge is kitchen stuff.  My mom also got me new dishes and silverware.  I have some wine glasses but little room for actual food, which I don't need a ton of living by myself.  So all my food, whether it needs to be or not, is usually in my fridge.  I always get the question "Why is [nonperishable food item] in your fridge?"  My response?  "Well where else am I gonna put it?"  One glance at my kitchen space usually justifies that answer.

So later this week (hopefully Thursday), I will post pictures of my space because I'm sure you're thrilled to see the messy habitat of a 24 year old.

The Hunger Games (Movie Review)

I saw this movie twice this weekend.  The first on opening day (Friday, March 23rd) having finished the series only the night before.  When I started to write a review last night I was rather disappointed from what I'd seen (the books were so vivid that the movie couldn't compare) but the more I thought about it, my obsessive habits popped back up.  The story that consumed the last 2 weeks of my life (you'll notice the lack of blogging) needed a second view now that I knew how the film would compare with my envisioning of the story.  And it's a damn good thing I did because I loved it.  The story was relatively true to the book and earned its seat as the third-highest earning film on opening weekend at just around $155 mil following only Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows pt II ($169.2 mil) and The Dark Knight ($158.4 mil).  (Source: Entertainment Weekly)

Upon both viewings I felt casting was solid.  Jennifer Lawrence was truly the perfect Katniss Everdeen (the main character) which I would have seen as a tough fit.  While I felt her little sister Prim could have been a bit cuter & peppier and fellow Gamer, Peeta should definitely been taller (he is described as being much larger than Katniss, however I think she's bigger than him in the movie...what?).  Donald Sutherland looked more like Santa than a conniving leader as President Snow (I was picturing more of a heavily done-up John Slattery type).  Familiar faces Stanley Tucci (Caesar Flickerman), Lenny Kravitz (Cinna), Woody Harrelson (Haymitch), and Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket) brought in solid performances.  Some of the costumes could have been better, particularly Cinna's supposedly brilliant designs for Katniss' clothing that became giant CGI flops and more attention to detail on citizens of The Capitol who were described as extreme, hair-dying, skin-dying (as in greens & purples) surgically-altered, tattoo-wearing and altogether strange-looking people. They looked like they'd all signed up to wear various outfits Lady Gaga rejected for The Grammys.

I was grateful the film was able to depict the violence as described in the book without goring us to death, especially since it was happening to terrified young adults/children.  Overall I'd give the film a B+/A-.  I'm still convinced Inception was the best film ever made and that if Christopher Nolan had done this film it would have been even better.  But Lionsgate did a good job of keeping to the gripping storyline and I have to say I'm quite looking forward to the second installment, Catching Fire.

Let's Talk to Animals!

Think of how much more fun an animal farm would be if the animals talked.  Think how many more of us would probably be vegetarians if animals could actually tell us how they feel about those slaughter houses.  Think how many people would truly find solace and friendships with their pets if they talked back (like that dog in "Up").   This article from BBC discusses the futuristic idea of being able to talk to animals.  It seems like an interesting concept, but how would that affect us?  I already know I can't stand listening to half the people on the bus, how am I gonna feel when the "pocket puppy" in some chick's purse is adding to it?  And how would we as humans change the way we go about our lives if we couldn't shut out the requests of the "lesser beings" around us?

So, How About That Diet?

I'm sitting here with a bag of Lay's Mesquite BBQ Potato Chips reading about how carbs are bad for insulin resistance while waiting for my Mandarin Chicken to finish up in the microwave.  As typical of myself, I was like "I'm going to get healthy!" but food is expensive to buy regularly, especially when you work at a restaurant that provides cereal in the morning and salads and various food for lunch.  And that whole "these carbs are like mini heart attacks!" was a theory that worked for about 2 days -- the length of my low carb diet.  I'm trying to be more aware of what I eat, but the problem isn't just awareness.  I'm looking at those little chips, thinking in a crooning voice "c'mere little delicious heart attacks.  just a few of you...a few more."  It's the control and commitment that's hardest.  I never even buy potato chips,  I get whole corn chips and guacamole from whole foods, usually.  But there was a buy-one, get-one sale and my friend was like "what flavor do you want?"  I also have a bag of chips ahoy cookies that I'm leaving in the office.  I didn't open them and I don't plan to. 

While reading over all these diets I realized that to truly be healthy with insulin resistance, while not as drastic as full-on, type 2 diabetes still isn't going to be as easy as I thought.  It takes awhile to get balanced, they say -- at least 2 months.  Meanwhile, my stomach has been bloating out of control some days -- I can see how puffy my face looks -- but then there are days when I completely deflate and I feel like I'm the size I should be.  I thought I had some gastrointestinal problem, but when it boils down to it, I think its just this.  I totally have the "apple" shape they discuss in every "symptoms" article.  My 25th birthday is coming up and I wanted to lose a bunch of weight.  Start the actual adulthood off right -- exercising regularly, eating well, gaining financial stability, committing to more activities and being involved.  Winter always makes that difficult cuz it's just bloody awful in Chicago in the winter, even mild ones like this year.  But I think this whole year is going to be a process of trying to sort myself out.  While I'm not writing the 5 days a week I hoped to consistently, I'm writing every week.  I'm working on short stories to try to publish in contests in the fall. I've almost read an entire book -- something I never do.  I probably average 1 book a year and it's only March!  I may get in as many as 4 this year.  Maybe more -- I'm going to get The Hunger Games soon since everyone's obsessed with it...  My point being, I wanted 2012 to be a good, transitional year for me.  A year of setting goals and make up for the giant nothing I accomplish all of 2011.  It was the only time I'd looked through the goals I'd listed in my diary and achieved none of them.  For the first time ever in my life!  So I continue to push through my bad habits as every cliche feels mockingly true.  Old habits die hard.  Oh don't they. 

My chicken's done.

Movie Review: The Lorax

I went to see "The Lorax" with my mom, brother and sister this past weekend.  Not too shabby.  Granted, I love animated Disney movies anyway but with the familiar celebrity voices of Ed Helms, Taylor Swift, Zack Effron & Betty White made it a good time.  It's definitely a movie to see if you've got kids or if you're a stoner (there's a 3D option -- I never go to those because they make me nauseous).  It's also good if you like sing alongs.  It's got fun, vibrant colors and cute little teddy bears.  While I wouldn't buy it on DVD, I like to go to movies and I would say even for an adult, why not?  It was also #1 at the box office this past weekend. 

The G8 in Chicago Cancelled

I was all excited when I heard that a powerful, global tradition was going to be held in Chicago.  The G8 (the top 8 most powerful countries int he world) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were both going to be held from May 19th-21st.  What I didn't realize was all the security that was going to be involved with it.  This article talks about a fair amount of scary stuff.  Like the fact that Rahm Emmanuel wouldn't even say how many protesters were anticipated to arrive.  SWAT Teams, special forces, the coast guard -- basically any and all levels of military you can think of were going to show up.  There were talks of blockading roads and Martial Law being set into place.  Someone even told me that McCormick Place had purchased anti-bomb trash cans.  And while most people were starting to become slightly terrified, I must confess I found it only more exciting.  Then they called it off.  NATO will still be here but if you ask me, being an election year and all, I think it was a political move on Obama's part.  With Republican candidates most Republicans I know aren't proud of, Obama has a very strong chance at another win.  But if Chicago ends up blown to kingdom come or at least with mad rioting and a large number of deaths, well Rick Perry's ill-named hunting grounds will seem like a drop in the hat.

Low-Carb Lifestyle

I love bread.  And pasta and rice.  But as it turns out it's not so good for someone who has insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.  I've known I've had it for awhile, but I didn't really understand what it was and as a teenager if it wasn't gonna kill me and it wasn't really Diabetes then I didn't think I had a reason to care.  But now that I'm old enough to see what happens to people who don't take care of their health issues, I've decided to step it up.

I'm not one for diets.  The concept is temporary and after watching my mother try every fat-free food on the planet with unsuccessful yo-yoing weight that still is an issue for her to this day (I've seen her go from a size 12 to a 4 and back to a 10 in 6 months or less), I just don't believe in it.  You can loose weight and get healthy but you should try to stay that way.  Diets don't do that, but a change in your lifestyle can.  I believe in little things like taking the stairs, walking when you can and looking into healthy yet tasty food options.  If you hate what you're eating, you're going to overcompensate one day and binge on a batch of cookies and fried foods and in your food-gorging ecstasy decide to give up forever.

Portion sizes and understanding how your body works and not how the hottest celebrity keeps her trim figure is important.  People metabolize food differently.  Insulin Resistance was recently explained to me like this "It's like having high blood pressure, but instead of your heart working over time, it's the insulin in your body."  I know that envisioning pieces of bread, rice and pasta into mini-heart attacks may be dramatic but it was the kick I needed to understand how my body handles the kinds of food I eat and to get me to take the steps I need to be healthy.  My best friend had been telling me about a no-carb diet her co-worker had done.  She said she tried it and lost 5lbs in a week eating butter, cheese and all kinds of fatty things but said it was hard to keep up.  Because this is a lifestyle change, I don't want to get used to piles of sour cream on everything I eat.  I still intend to moderate the amount of fat and calories I take in (my light butter has no carbs), but I'm glad to know I don't have to give up cheese!

Marketing Will Ruin Social Media

I got my bachelors in Advertising & Public Relations (minor in Marketing).  I've learned the benefits of marketing, the financial gain in brand recognition and the beauty and the ugliness in the truth that can exist with Public Relations.  Social Media has proven to be the gap between generations, particularly in business.  While many grandparents are starting to understand the joys of getting new pictures via email, older professionals can't seem to get a grip on how the internet is generating money.  Younger professionals in their 30s & 40s get the concept but as someone in her early twenties, I can't help but find myself annoyed that none of these professionals see how they might be RUINING their images by overwhelming users with their advertisements.  I often read Harvard Business Review (I signed up willingly) for newsletters, but I also read articles on sites like Gizmodo & Mashable.  While Harvard has good, solid ideas on business & strategies and is undeniably better written, Gizmodo & Mashable show trends & developments that move as fast as the digital world creates it.  Even here, the gap is obvious.

For example, I'm an avid lover of HULU and I'm fine with the short commercials in between my favorite shows.  Many of those ads are basic videos, some being the same they air on TV.  Now they allow these ads to linger and they say things like "if you liked this ad, watch these."  Meanwhile I can't help but think "Well that's rich..."  I may have liked the ad but it seems rather pompous to assume that I'm going to want to spend all my free time watching more of them.  They can't just appreciate the fact that I laughed at it.  Because creating a good feeling however people experience your product (ads or interaction both real-life or digital) is creating an opportunity for positive brand recognition and potential customer loyalty.

More and more, advertisers are completely missing the point of social media.  Social media allows users to pick and choose what they want, to communicate in a way they prefer and to learn about things they are interested in.  Briefly I worked for a Media Buying & Planning Company.  Media outlets, primarily TV companies & some digital media companies would come out and say "we reach x number of people a day!" and try to convince us that our client should advertise with them.  They would speak of their "success rates," "average generated revenue," etc.  They tried to talk about their digital components throwing in "perks" by saying "AAANNDDD! You'd be featured on our website!"  Well whoopy ding.  Who the hell DOESN'T have a website by now?  I specifically remember one company coming in and giving us out-of-the-water numbers.  I thought "yes, I go to your website everyday and all of your ads are so obnoxious I don't even trust any of the advertisers because they all seem like scams."

My point is that business people get caught up in numbers and forget about the purpose.  The beauty of social media is the discovery process, the feeling of "finding" something yourself and sharing with friends, co-workers and family.  Shoving it in your face is irritating and while, yes, you are "exposing" your company to potential customers, you may be annoying them and actually lowering the quality of your brand recognition.  I hate pop-ups and ads that scroll down the page with you so you can't read anything.  Honestly, when that happens I'm so annoyed that I'm not even looking at it because I'm trying to figure out how to get rid of it.  Social media marketing requires those creating it to be clever.  If you have a service, show how what you do can be useful.  Youtube has proven to us that people will watch something if they want to and they will share it as well.  The days of the pushy salesman are over.  People want to be encouraged and informed not badgered and coerced.

This article in the Wall Street Journal talks about the fact that Facebook is now allowing advertisers to enter into a person's newsfeed.  This, my friends, is a sign of its demise.  When facebook started it was a way for college students to stay in touch.  In fact, you HAD to have a university email to even join.  Now it's a multi-billion-dollar company that lets anyone with an email address create a profile.  Bands, businesses, non-profits and inside jokes can all have their own "pages" that can be linked to twitter feeds, blog posts an every imaginable possibility.  But if you ask me, an admitted addict, Facebook is out-growing itself.  The greed of businesses to "reach" potential customers is overwhelming and sooner or later users are going to be fed up with the intrusion and move on.  And while many people think that's impossible, I'd like to point out that no one outside the music industry has a myspace anymore.

Want To Travel Cheap? Join Twitter

 So this week has turned out to be a giant blogging fail.  Being busy at work and trying not to be too lazy have proved to be too much for my little mind.

I caught the Oscars Sunday and it wasn't THAT exciting so if you didn't see it, you didn't miss much.  I've come to realize that often times the highlights make it seem like it was a better show than it really was.

So anyway, I found this article today and thought it was interesting.  It's about cheap deals that pop up on twitter.  So if you like to travel but don't have a lot of money, you may want to look into this!

http://www.bbc.com/travel/blog/20120229-twitter-tips-for-travellers

Viral Viernes: Pumped Up Kicks

This song has been floating around the office when I'm at work and everyone's obsessed with it.  It's just so damn catchy that I find myself singing to myself "All the other kids..."  It's really quite awful lyrics -- it's about shooting up the popular kids (All the other kids with the pumped up kicks better run, better run faster than my bullet)-- but people seem to really like it.  It's got over 60million views on the official video alone.  So get up and dance this Friday. Like you're dancing around bullets, maybe. 

Wine of the Week: Tinto Sweet Red Wine

I'm trying to get into reds as an avid Riesling lover.  There are options!  So I figure I'll start sweet before I get too deep into the fuller-bodied and more smooth wines.  I do enjoy crisp wines like a nice Vino Verde, however this red was nice.  It was light and sweet -- sweeter than a typical red.  It was enjoyable, however I don't see it being paired with many foods.  But if you'd like a nice, light, sippable option -- perhaps you're throwing a dinner party? -- then this works.  I confess it's not my favorite even of the reds I've had (I much preferred the Robertson Winery Red).  But you may feel differently, so I would say give it a shot!

"It All Belongs To Me"

I don't know about you, but I grew up listening to Brandy and Monica which made their 90s duet "The Boy Is Mine" was THE track to listen to.  So naturally, when I found this video, I was like "Yes!" until I clicked play.  I almost shut it off.  Nether of these ladies are bad singers so why was this song so damn awful?  Billboard.com describes it as "Five notches below Beyonce's 'Irreplaceable'" and I solemnly agree. So Brandy, Monica it may belong to you, but honestly, I don't think I'd claim it.

Weekend Review: Whitney's Funeral, Safe House, This Means War & Anonymous

If you didn't catch it on Saturday, Whitney Houston's Funeral was televised.  Perez Hilton has the highlights (which just seems wrong to even call it that) which you can watch here.   I watched the clips of Alicia Keys singing, Kevin Costner, Tyler Perry & Clive Davis.  I have to say that while Costner seemed to talk about himself kind of a lot for a speech that's supposed to be about someone else, it was the funniest and most entertaining of the 3 speeches.  It was very apparent he hadn't kept in touch with her very much after The Bodyguard but it was a televised service which means it had to be entertaining enough for people to stay tuned in.  I myself avoided tears and simply started playing my newly-created Whitney playlist on Pandora.  I'm not one to ever get worked up about celebrities, but Whitney made such a huge impact on my life - so much of my childhood was spent listening to her, trying to mimic her sound and loving the life she brought to every track.  Her song "I Look To You" makes me the saddest as it's from her final album and its seems she's singing about what she could never really say.  Listening to it feels like she's telling us good-bye.  "As I lay me down/Heaven hear me now... I'm lost without a cause/After giving it my all."  [Cue tears].  Well she gave us the best and she will be really and truly missed.

THE BOX OFFICE

I went to the movies as I so often do and watched 2 excellent films, "This Means War" and "Safe House."  Both were well-written with good (looking) actors.  See them!

SAFE HOUSE

Denzel Washington is always very calm and collected, even when he's being dramatic.  It was no different this time around. He plays Tobin Frost, an ex-C.I.A. agent who was known for his off-the-charts skills in psychological interpretation of people.  Ryan Renolds plays Matt Weston, a newbie to the C.I.A. who just wants to a real job.  While I've seen Reynolds be incredibly charming and funny (The Proposal & Change-Up) he proves that he can be serious and encompass the intensity of a drama in this film.  What I appreciated most about his role is the realism that went along with the Hollywood special effects.  Towards the beginning of the film, Matt is the guy who watches the "Safe House" which are places where foreign consulates keep criminals.  Upon Frost's arrival the "House" gets shot up.  Rather than whip out his guns and push around is muscles, we seem him react like any normal person would -- sweating, freaking out and wondering WTF to do.  As his character develops it's more because of the emotional stress that goes into life-and-death situations.   (Being shot at a lot is certainly life-and-death).  Frost proves to be an interesting mentor to Weston's character and the intrigue never stops.  Washington & Reynolds have great charisma and make the story feel human.  Now ladies, I will say there's lots of shooting and some blood.  I covered my eyes a lot.  I cringed too.  But if you're going with a boy, he'll like it and always remember -- man candy is good for you.


THIS MEANS WAR

Viral Viernes: Sophia Grace & Rosie Go To The Grammys (The Ellen Degeneres Show)

One of my friends tagged me in this video saying it was so us.  Which was true when she says "We weren't nervous but we WERE hungry!"  Which is something I would say exactly, British accent and all.  It's adorable.  If only all the girls felt like plopping down on the red carpet and having a sandwich & juice box.

Chow Chow Panda

 I was going to write some lame post today about what I did for Valentine's Day (I bought makeup, saw The Vow, ate McDonald's Breakfast and had a genuinely good day.  Yay for me.)  Then I came across this.  I thought Where did that girl get those Pandas?  Well they're not.  Turns out that in China they like to dye their pets to look like wild animals.  I grew up in the country and we had all kinds of pets including raccoons & skunks in our house (I will post some pictures below). I've always wanted wild animals, a White Siberian Tiger being at the top of that list, so this actually seemed quite genius to me.  This article from CNN China's Latest Craze: Dyeing Pets to Look Like Wild Animals  sums it up (mostly in the title if you ask me).   But tell me these little chow chows DON'T have panda faces!

 People never believe I had these pets.  The quality of these photos are so mediocre they were obviously taken in someone's house with poor lighting. (Ehem, mine... well, my parent's house now.)

Chalupa

 Delilah

 Oreo

Oh, Valentine's Day

Singles & cynics get ready to vomit -- it's that beloved holiday filled with candy and unwanted PDA all over the place -- that's right, Valentine's Day! I've always been single on this particular holiday.  I've heard many a not-so-gentleman claim that you've "gotta dump her before" so they don't have to buy anything.  That being said, I have every intention of taking myself to see The Vow with Rachel McAdams & Channing Tatum .  Cheesy and awful?  Perhaps.  But I'd like to point out that it was the top grossing film this weekend at the box office.  So whatever.  If cheesy chick flicks aren't your idea of the perfect Valentine's Day for being single, then here are some recommendations from an article I found on what you could do. There are the usuals -- treat yourself (spa day), go out with other singles (unless all your friends are seeing someone in which case you may want to revert to option one).  Fancy dinner, concerts and the more interesting one to me is volunteering.  While at first I thought "really, couples get a nice dinner, maybe a new outfit and probably great sex, they're expecting me to give out cookies & sponge baths?"  However, Valentine's Day is about love so why does that have to mean candle lit dinners with someone you may break up with by next year?

Single and want some ideas?  Read this: 8 Ways Singles Can Celebrate Valentine's Day

No I Don't Snub Celebrities...on purpose.

Andrew Belle came in to the restaurant I work at.  I'd never heard of him before.  He seems like a John Mayer-Damien Rice hybrid.  Not so pop as Mayer but not as dark as Rice can be.  He was playing for a private dinner (this guy proposed in a private room with rose petals and candles everywhere).   It was actually one of the most awesome dinners I've helped coordinate.  The story amongst my friends is that I have a tendency to somewhat unintentionally "snub" relatively famous or accomplished people.  While I didn't snub this guy, I had to confess to him that I didn't know him.   He was impressively good and notably polite.  When I got home I looked him up to find he has an international tour going on which now makes me feel stupid going "Hey, um, I've never heard you before but you're really good!"  I was hoping he'd have a CD I could buy and that he'd sign but he didn't have any on him.  I did give him my business card, for whatever that's worth.

Dear Whitney, I Will Always Love You

A few hours ago I was at work and someone said "Whitney Houston died!"  "WHAT?"
A legend of a generation is gone.  I grew up listening to her and she is the foundation for every audition, good & bad that American Idol and a million other talent shows have ever seen.  So in honor of one of the greatest, tonight let us raise our glasses and remember the woman who taught us how to shamelessly belt it out in the shower, driving in the car and on the dance floor at 2am.

Viral Viernes: Emeli Sande "Next To Me"

If Leona Lewis and Whitney Houston had a hybrid baby, she would sound like Emeli Sande.  I came across her on one of my random youtube video watching escapades and was completely blown away.  Her voice was genuine, she had an excellent range and she was in pitch -- and it didn't sound autotuned.  Whoa, what?!  She's only got 3 videos up currently ("Next To Me," "Daddy," & "Heaven"), but I love them all.  I like her so much I plan on legit purchasing her album when it comes out.  Artists like Emelie, Janelle Monae and Adele are starting put my faith back into music.

Movie Reviews: Girl With A Dragon Tattoo & Red Tails

I like to go to the movies -- a lot.  Reading whole books takes too long and movies are a great way to just chill after work.  I tend to go by myself cuz I often do go after work and then I can see what I want.  But I digress.  So there's always the critic's picks and then there are normal people's choices (which is why I always seem to have seen almost all the movies nominated for The People's Choice Awards and usually a maximum of 2 Oscar-Nominated films). 

Girl with a Dragon Tattoo

I bought this book and it was really damn long in the beginning so I stopped reading it and just went to see it.  There's a lot of talk about which is better -- the latest Hollywood version of the international bestseller or the Swedish version.  I kind of want to see the Swedish version because something makes me think it may be better but I'm not sure since I didn't bother to read the book anyway. 
Rape is a heavy subject throughout the story and mixed with graphic images of women who've been violently murdered, this film earns its "R" rating.  I had heard that the rape scenes in this film were graphic and I've always felt that while obviously not in anyway pleasant, rape was harder to depict for its emotional damage than straight up gore.  This film proved me wrong.  There were 2 very disturbing scenes of rape to add to the other disturbing images.  So while the subject matter was heavy, our tattooed girl was still fascinating.  Enough that I would have liked to have gotten a bit more focus on her alone.  I distinctly remember the scene that really hit me was when she is clicking through a series of violent murder pictures on her laptop with such strong emotional disconnect to the horrors in front of her you'd think she'd have been clicking through Disney Resort options.  While they say she's "insane" she's also incredibly brilliant.  You really pity her because you see how living from one foster home to another has created such a broken person.  I also kept thinking "oi vey, someone feed the woman."  But that's neither here nor there.
Consensus: See it, if you are up for a drama and don't mind hearing about the various twisted and horrific ways you can kill people.


Red Tails

People: "Have you seen Red Tails, yet?"
Me: "No."
People: "It's really good!"
Me: "Ok."

I wondered how much George Lucas had to pay Tyler Perry for this one.  Being a LucasFilm production, it had camera work that was reminiscent of a Star Wars action film.  But basically it was Remember the Titans meets World War II.  I was surprised to find that it wasn't more violent.  Granted I had my jumpy moments, but this film was far more mild than the Saving Private Ryan type of film I thought I was getting into.  Not to mention a pretty good-looking cast.  Familiar faces of Ne-Yo, Cuba Gooding, Jr. & Terrance Howard made me wonder what happened to Denzel & Morgan Freeman but they did need to pay the rest of the cast...
Again, I digress.  Long story short: it was a good movie.  I wouldn't buy it on DVD, but it's a good movie to see with a boy because he can enjoy the camaraderie & typical George Lucas explosions and you can enjoy the eye candy.  Oh yeah, and minus Titan's classic, on-field dance sequence it too shows that racism is bad -- in case you weren't sure.  (The Help, what?)

One Day You Can Have a Billion-Dollar House, Too!

I watched this video from BBC (because I like BBC) about how the super wealthy find London a safe-haven for their money.  So on this Wednesday, I like to think these billion-dollar toys are inspiration to keep working your way through the week.  If you work hard enough, you can have a billion dollars too!  Besides, there are islands to be owned, private jets and yachts to take you there and chateaux to buy.  So get to work kids because you could be Living Like London's Super Rich!

Fresh From BBC: "Older Professionals Working Abroad"

I read this article in BBC last week entitled "Freedom to move: Older professionals in new life abroad."

I thought it was sort of a nice hurrah to the idea that it's never too late to do what you want.  While it's pretty self-explanatory, it discusses how older adults finally decide to get that job somewhere else.  And with kids out of the house and spouses who are too old to really care that much, it seems to work out.  So if you don't get that power-house job in your late 20s that lets you travel or live somewhere else, or before you have a spouse and kids, you can just wait til they're all out.  Retirement-schmirement.  The economy's too awful for that.  So you might as well get a job to the place you were going to retire to anyway.

... Italy what?

Fancy Feast!

Last Wednesday I decided that I needed a date night with myself.  I had a gift card to a Phil Stefani Restaurant and since the weather was unseasonably warm, I decided to go to Riva at Navy Pier.  I was incredibly impressed by the food and the service -- if you've got the time or the budget for a fancy meal, go ahead!  (I had a four course meal with a wine pairing with each which totaled nearly $150 at full retail value with tax & tip.  If you skip all the wines and go with 3 courses which is much more standard you could get away with $80-100 per person.)

I took this as an opportunity to really test my wine knowledge!  Not bad, but I'm clearly a novice...

Course 1:
Appetizer: Crispy Spring Rolls made with duck confit, daikon salad, spicy yuzu glaze 
If you like duck you will enjoy this appetizer.  The spicy yuzu glaze added a delicious sweet flare to the crispy shell and of course there was a fabulous presentation!
Wine Pairing - Trimbach Gewurztraminer, Alsace
I honestly had no idea what that wine really was, but it seemed (by guessing the name) like it might be similar to a Riesling so I got it.  Not so much.  It is much dryer and despite the very German Name, Alsace happens to be a region of France.  It was dryer and slightly bitter and while still good, proved to be my least favorite of the wines I had that evening.

Course 2:
Salad: Seafood Chopped Salad with calamari, colossal shrimp, jumbo lump crab, salmon, Dijon vinaigrette
This salad was quite large and could easily be an entree.  I knew I was doing a four-course meal so I halved all portions (or less).  If you like seafood, this was tasty dish!  The vinaigrette was excellent and I ate every leaf on that plate.  I knew the actual seafood would fare better the next day so I saved most of it for later. 
Wine Pairing: Valley of the Moon Pinot Blanc
This wine turned out to be my favorite of the evening.  When I asked the difference between a Pinot Blanc and a Pinot Grigio, the wine manager I work with said that basically Pinot Blanc is a more consistent and slightly nicer version of Pinot Grigio.  He told me that because Pinot Grigio's are so common and commercialized they have become very wide in variety and quality.  I'd say he was dead on because this Pinot Blanc worked nicely with food & as a stand-alone wine.  If looking for a nice white, I would suggest this.  This was my favorite.

Course 3:
Entree (picture 2 above): I don't have the exact name of this dish as it wasn't on the online menu (which I am definitely copy-pasting all these descriptions from -- c'mon, let's be real.  I don't take notes while eating because I'm too busy stuffing my face.)  This was a pasta dish with shrimp, crab & mussels, some kind of sausage and a Cajun sauce.  What I learned from this dish is that mussels with black shells taste better and aren't as tough as the mussels with lighter shells.  This meal lasted me about 3 days worth of snacking.  The seafood portion was excellent.  I don't love super spicy foods so I was a bit worried about the Cajun spices but it actually wasn't too bad.  I would recommend this to anyone who isn't afraid of having underwater sea creatures on his or her plate.  Plus they served it with a shell bucket and mini mussel forks -- how fancy!
Wine Pairing: Trefethen Chardonnay
We carry Trefethen Cabernet at work and I really liked it (for a Cabernet, anyway).  My red wine drinker friends really liked it when they tried it and I often recommend it to guests.  It has a smoother finish and although Cabs are heavier I found it easier to drink than some (i.e. J Lohr Cabernet which is easily found in stores and is slightly more bitter and has more tannins -- at least I think that's tannin).  All that being said, it seemed necessary to do a Chardonnay for the main course and Chardonnays are commonly served with fish & seafood along with dishes that are cream-based (rule -- white wines for white foods, red wine for red foods, especially steak/red meat).  This Chardonnay did not disappoint.  While I know I don't love Chardonnay's, like it's Cabernet Sauvignon counterpart, this had a very nice finish and I found it enjoyable.  Chardonnays are on the dry end of whites so I did prefer the Pinot Blanc but if you like dryer wines, this makes for a yummy option.

Course 4:
Dessert: Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Coconut Gelato (picture 1 above)
And this is why we save room, kids.  I don't like chocolate very much and will always pick a fruity option first and this did not disappoint!  While I'm not that into cake, the coconut gelato had such a great flavor that paired so well with the cake (which was also really good to my surprise).  I shoved it in shamelessly -- kind of like how you'd imagine starving children eat except I just had some of the most expensive courses prior to that in my life.  And I'm not huge into dessert so that's a statement.  If you're not feeling chocolate, get it.  Heck, even if you are feeling chocolate get it.
Wine Pairing: Rotari Brut Riserva N.V., Trentino
This Prosecco  (Italian Champagne) was not on the by-the-glass list but they were very nice and found they had a bottle open and gave it to me by the glass anyway.  While it was dryer, there was too much of a contrast for me personally with the sweetness of the cake & gelato.  And honestly, I really didn't need another glass of wine but if I was gonna do it, I was doing it right, dammit!  Now a moscato is very sweet and while it serves as a great dessert wine, I felt that the 2 different types of sweetness would have clashed here.  In retrospect I probably should have tried a nice port (a mix of red wine and brandy which is often considered an after-dinner drink) which would have probably been a good option too.  Either way it was, all and all, a delectable dinner.