Just Call Me Angelica

My friend S is getting married in 3 weeks and yesterday was her bachelorette party. S is my sorority sister and we lived together in the fabulous 1-2-8 during college. 

During the day, a bunch of us girls went to Glazed Expressions on Armitage to do something a bit crafty. You pick a piece of pottery and then paint it to your liking. If you have a few hours to spare, it's a great place to relax with a friend. We had friends drive/fly in from South Dakota, Florida and Texas for the party, so it was so nice to catch up in a relaxing environment before the festivities later in the night. 

The store was kind enough to let us bring in our own snacks and cocktails. We all toasted to our friend S with a yummy Godiva chocolate martini. Yum! 

The ladies wanted to dance, so that's exactly what we did. I can't remember the last time I danced so much! A few weeks ago, hubby came home and was obsessed with this song that referenced a dance called "Dougie". It's all he talked about. He forced me to learn the dance and I'm glad I did because the song came on last night and I was the only one in my group of girlfriends who knew the dance. Here's a fun video that teaches you the dance: Glee Teaches You the Dougie.

{ S and T } 

One rule my girlfriends and I always obey: never give out your real name if you're not interested. We all wore name tags last night (S loves name tags) and made up names for the evening. Last night I was Angelica. My friend K has used the same alias for a few years... Ma Lady. Love her. 

{ you can call me Angelica } 

Another solid night with the ladies in the books. Only 3 more weeks until we're all together again. 

Hey, Mother Nature...WTF?

If you talk to any Chicagoan, they usually say the same thing. "Love the summers HATE the winters". Allow me to explain.
Today's High: 67
Tomorrow's High: 39
That's a 28 degree difference in a matter in 24 hours. That's Chicago. 

Right Now	Next 36 Hours

	Tonight	Tomorrow	Tomorrow Night
T-Storm	Strong Storms	Sunny	Mostly Clear
62°F	29°	39°	28°
Feels Like: 62°	Low	High	Low
Past 24-hr: Precip: 0.99 in (est.) Snow: 0 in	Chance of Precip: 100%	Chance of Precip: 0%	Chance of Precip: 10%
Wind: From SSW at 10mph gusting to 17mph	Wind: W at 18 mph	Wind: WNW at 14 mph	Wind: NNE at 11 mph

I can't write a blog post about the weather without addressing the "severe weather" warning Chicago has right now. I just started my new job last week and one of the fabulous perks about it is that I now walk to work (most days). Of course, walking to work has its pitfalls, too. 


Exhibit A. 

(love the smeared eyeliner) 

It went a little something like this:
I walked about 1/4 mile from work to the Armitage/Sheffield bus stop (after checking bus tracker, of course). As I approached Armitage, I noticed the bus started to drive away. I dashed across the street and literally chased the bus. I was NOT going to wait another 20 minutes for the bus. Luckily I only had to run about 1 block until the bus driver stopped for me. It didn't matter, though. I was already drenched. Much thanks to my umbrella that broke because of a nice bitch-slap from the gusty wind. Awesome. After the bus dropped me off, I still had to walk 2 blocks north in order to get home. Oh, how I just love the rain. 


Happy Monday, folks. 

Lincoln Park Gem

My girlfriends and I love going to BYOB places. BYOBs are kind of hit or miss, but the restaurant we went to last night was great. The seven of us ladies were able to get a table at Zig Zag Kitchen in Lincoln Park. 

Zig Zag was great for a couple of reasons. 

1. It's BYOB with NO corkage fee. = ) 
2. The menu is different from most places I usually go. Kind of up-scale, but not really. I enjoyed chicken picatta and linguine for $12.95. 
3. They give you warm cookies at the end of your meal. Free dessert? Simply awesome. 

I highly recommend the hummus and pita bread dish as an appetizer. It was quite delicious and I'm happy my friend Kara pre-ordered it. 

Last night was a wine kind of night. The seven of us polished off 3 bottles and one Target wine cube. We try to keep it classy, I mean sassy.  There was a large group sitting behind us and I kid you not, a girl brought in a Miller Lite refrigerator keg and set it right on their table. I like their style! 

Vino Deal

A few weeks ago, Scott bought an amazing Groupon. The deal was spend $25, get $75 worth of wine! He and I love to drink red wine during the winter, so we took this as an opportunity to stock up on vino. I'm usually the one who makes the wine selections for our household, but Scott took the reigns this time and picked out 6 bottles to buy with the Groupon. 

A few nights ago, we cracked open the first bottle. I have to say the smell that came from the bottle was not pleasant, but it sure did taste good! I suspect the wine will last us through mid-December. We like to have a glass of wine with dinner a few nights a week. Though I'm not really looking forward to winter, I can't wait to have Christmas music playing in the background, watching the snow fall all while enjoying a nice glass of red wine. Life is good. 

Commit to the Belt

I have been pining for a trench coat for quite some time. I finally found one that I loved and that was in my price range. I bought a burnt orange Hawke & Company trench coat from Nordstrom Rack on State Street last month and continue to get compliments on it. I absolutely love it. 

However, I have a major pet peeve with trench coats. Women who buy them should be well aware of what they are getting themselves into when they buy a trench coat. A trench coat is all about the belt. It cinches your waist and can be quite slimming. So, why do so many women simply make a knot with their belt? I cringe every time I see a woman walk down the swanky streets of Chicago with her trench coat belt knotted up. It's a serious fashion crime. 

Ladies, this is the proper way to wear a trench coat. Commit to the belt. Loop it and tuck away the extra belt strap. I guarantee you will not only look, but feel polished and put together. 

The $5.00 Sandwich

I take public transit to work everyday. In the morning, I catch a bus outside my condo and take it about 1 mile south and transfer to a train. It's not as bad as it sounds, but it does make for a lot of interesting stories.

For example, earlier this year I was on the train when I witnessed a 20 something year old woman do one of the most disgusting things.

Rule #1 of CTA Etiquette: If you're going to eat on the train, make it a non-messy snack.

I watched a grown woman drop a sandwich FACE DOWN on the floor on the Red Line, pick it back up and eat it. I looked at her with the most troubling look on my face and told her "That was disgusting. Do you know how dirty the floor of the train is?"

What was her reply, you ask? Oh, it was classic. "Um, that was a $5.00 sandwich. I'm not wasting it."

Seriously? I only had one response for her... "That is NOT okay". Of course, you have to imagine me saying it in the most sassy way possible because I wanted to make it clear that she just committed a very serious offense and I will forever be grossed out by her actions.

I think what I found the most troubling was that she looked like someone I would be friends with. Yet she still picked up the sandwich and ate it. Remember, the sandwich was directly on the floor with no paper or wrapping to protect it from germs. That's just not right.