Boo!

Too many caramel apples consumed today...

and 100 Grands...

and Snickers...

and Peanut M&M's...

"Fun Size" my ass...I can hardly type this 'cause my hands are shaking so hard. Parents are in for a surprise when their children really do transform into demons with all the sugar that's going to be consumed.

Favorite new candy: Mint Kit-Kats.
Why did you have to bring this into my life, M?!!
Hmmmm...I could really go for one of those right now...

Ah, Weddings...

Weddings. In some strange way I still can't believe we're old enough to get married. It's probably because the groupies have all known each other since high school so that's how we see each other - the same old kids we were back then. Some peeps we don't see too much of anymore so weddings have become the place to catch up on everything. Time really does fly by so fast. The now Mrs. Bahk was gorgeous in her dress and the now Mrs. Mathew is 7 months along. Crazy! One surprising thing...the music was actually really good. Turns out the dj spins downtown in clubs. I knew once he broke out The Percolator it was over for me. He went all the way back to school dances in the gym with that one. All that was missing was that nifty Tetris mix and I would have been complete. Me and my weakness for 90's music...It was a very good night...

Another Day, Another Concert

This time it was the Black Eyed Peas and Gwen Stefani at the Allstate Arena. Since this week pretty much sucked ass I wasn't as up for this as much as I usually am for concerts. But once I heard the music I got totally pumped! Turned out to be the best way to put an end to the week. The BEP set was too short though - 45 mins! Last time I heard them at HOB they played a nice long set and I was at the front of the stage highfive-ing them all during the concert. It was nice :) Pics, of course, are up at flickr.

Conversation With a Southsider

Me: Hey Iz, what's going on?
Iz (with big cheesy Izzy smile): Sox won you know.

Me: Yes I know.
Iz: The best part is we got it first before those sorry ass cubs.

Me: Yeah I bet they feel salty. But whatever...tomorrow's Friday. I've had a crappy week.
Iz: You know what? It's ok because the Sox won. Don't worry about it - EVERYTHING will be great because the Sox won. It's gonna be good for a whole year because the Sox won. We're the fucking world champions!

Me: Oh yeah? That good huh?
Iz: OH yeah...

Me: I knew this would make you happy.

Venting

Mother-f! So ANGRY today!
Mad, mad, MAD!!!
It's the effing end of the day and I'm still super pissed.

I work insane hours at work...I get yelled at.
I've been doing the work of 2-3 people for the past year...I get yelled at.
Some other department fucks up...I get yelled at.
I bother to think for myself...I get yelled at.

Wtf? So SICK of this.

Mmm, Mmm, Mmm

Pictured here is the Black Bean and Rice Burrito entree along with what might be either Beef Pot Roast with Vegetables, Ham & Shrimp Jumbalaya, Pork Chow Mein or Chicken Tettrazini.

Never seen them before? It's because it's for the military. From the website:"All are fresh and will store a minumum of 5-7 years. No cooking is required and no water needs to be added. These are fresh meals direct from the factory".

Good grief can you imagine what this tastes like? We talked about these meals briefly today at a seminar I had to go to for work. Apparently the Holy Grail of military food developers is making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that will be good for THREE years. Hmmm... :/

Think About It

Photography followers may already be familiar with The Thought Project but if you haven't heard of this site, it's well worth a visit, especially if you like portraiture. Simon Hoegsberg randomly stopped people on the street, asked them to share their thoughts, then snapped their picture.

Interesting concept. Candid insight. And of course, great pics.

Another Weekend Bites the Dust

Busy busy - I can't believe it's almost November! Didn't summer end a second ago? Autumn is firmly in place now and this weekend, me and the groupies took advantage of it.

Friday: Robie House Secrets and Shadows tour. The Robie House is a great example of Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture and with Halloween coming up they're giving tours at night. Kinda gives the house a spookier feel and you get the usual stories about previous residents. You also get to see the servant's quarters which usually isn't included in the daytime tours and some snacks at the end but the $16 price tag is a little steep in my opinion. After, dinner at Medici's and watching bootleg 40 Year Old Virgin at Rocky's (btw, what was up with the neighbor?). Frickin' hilarious movie made even funnier with the occasional random head bobbing up.

Saturday: Back to the alma mater for some Homecoming fun. U of I vs. Penn State. Dude we got CREAMED. It was god-awful to watch. Not kidding. We left after halftime when the score was 56-3!!! No joke. The final score was a pitiful 6063-10 and I think that last touchdown was a mercy touchdown. Mich and Xin can attest to the radio announcer saying "Even the victors want to finish up and go home already". Ouch.

U of I's so different! So much has changed in 4 years...Digital schedules on the bus stops. Timers at street intersections. Potbelly's, Starbucks, and more chains on Green Street. No Asiana! Revamped bowling area at the Union which now includes a lounge with friggin' DDR. Pool Hall is now a Relaxation Room where students can stop in for massages. What the? And all these new buildings...the list goes on and on...I'm all for progress but I miss Record Town, that poster store on Green St and some of my other old hangouts. Good trip overall though, and I had the much craved for dumpling soup waiting for me at Seven Treasures when we got back.

Sunday: Daylong roadtrip to Greencastle to bring the sister back to school. Blah. So yes, I'm pooped out right now - I think it's time to turn in. Hope y'all had a good weekend!

My Lucky Fortune Today

This is what I got in my Panda Express fortune cookie at lunch:

"The loyal patriot is the fellow who receives a parking ticket then says that is the system at work."

Bizarro. Whatever happened to "You like Chinese food."?

From the Bottom of My Pure Beef Heart

Remember...no ketchup!

Found Photos

One of my favorite flickr pitstops used to be Snapatorium's page. Her vintage photos and collages reflected her quirky view of the world and sparked my interest in found photography. Since then she's deactivated her flickr account but you can still find her photoblog here and her photo store here. Good stuff in there. After you're done looking at her photos take a look at Big Happy Fun House and Look At Me for more found photo goodness.

Scribble

And Monday is officially....OVER.

Thank God. Today was one of those I-want-to-quit-my-job-why-can't-I-find-a-rich-man-to-marry-days. My dream is to tell a certain employer at work to EFF OFF and just walk out that door without so much as a glance back. One of these days I tell ya'...one of these days...

Weekend highlights: Having the sis home for the week, cheap eats (Seven Treasures dumpling soup, Superdawg @ 1am, Potbelly's, Balingit's hopia), Pilobolus with M, and hanging w/ The Doctor at the Vic.

Strangest experience: Aforementioned Vic experience. The concert was for Son Volt, who together with Wilco previously formed Uncle Tupelo. Not quite my music taste but I was willing to give it a try for a friend. First of all the concert was sponsored by WXRT which automatically made us the youngest ones there. Second of all, this was by far the most un-crazy concert I have ever been too. Even on the main floor everyone gave their neighbors space and no one stood up in the seating area. I came lightly dressed 'cause I was expecting it to be super hot like at the Weez/Foo concert but I was freezing since no one was moving around. Another weird thing, a long line for the men's restroom and no line for the women's. What the? That never ever happens. All in all, not a bad show - I love live music in any form. Doesn't matter if it's a mad techno dj spinning crazy beats, a bluesy guitarist or a pop star.

Mantra to help me get through the week: One day closer to the weekend, one day closer to the weekend...

I'll Take a Jefferson Park Please

Neighborhoodies is FINALLY coming to Chicago. Wicker Park. Nov. 1.

This Pose Is Insane

The Pilobolus Dance Theater can be described as modern and unconventional but if nothing else it is a testament to the strength of the human body. The way these guys move reminded me of hot melted glass - deceptively fluid and soft but in actuality every movement was controlled and deliberate. They are in amazing shape to make these twisted maneuvers look effortless. At one point the dancers were pretty scantily clad (think thongs for the guys and butt baring leotards for the girls) but not one of them showed any signs of jiggle. I think I have more fat in my elbow than they have in their entire bodies! Good news - you still have a chance to check 'em out. Bad news - they're only in town for 1 more night. So if you're looking for some dance fun, head on over to the Chicago Theater Saturday night and take a closer look at this innovative dance company. (Edit: Thanks for the b-day gift M!)

Do You Want To Rasterbate?

Do you have an all time favorite image that would look soooooo cool blown up into a poster? Try the The Rasterbator! The Rasterbator will take that image, "rasterize" it (in a nutshell, convert it to the larger desired size up to 20 meters), and then send it back to you in a handy dandy pdf file which you can then print out and assemble. Pretty cool toy to cover your naked walls. More examples of rasterized images can be found in The Rasterbator's Gallery.

Excuse Me While I Daydream

Flickr is still the main place where I post photos, but from time to time, I'm going to post pics here first. The chilly weather is making me revisit Mexico through photos and I keep finding pics I meant to upload earlier. Gonna try to get to that this week if you'd like to take a peek. :)

Yeah and All That Good Stuff Too

Brrrr! It's getting too cold for my liking. Doesn't help that the heat at my place is not working. It was a toasty 64 degrees on Saturday in the house but we had the doors open to let heat in since it was warmer outside. Thank God for space heaters.

To make ourselves feel better, my dad made...guinataan. Guina-ta-what you ask? It's this Filipino dessert that is definitely not for the carb conscious. It's got sweet potatoes, taro, plantains, and jackfruit all cooked in coconut milk. Everyone's got their own variation on the recipe and it can include sticky rice balls or tapioca balls among other things. My dad added anise seeds to the batch he made for a fragrant touch. It may not look too good in the pic, but it's worth a try. More info here.

Other weekend highlights: trying out Rioja in Andersonville with the girls (I found it to be pretty good despite the reviews) and playing with my new buddy J, at the hospital. J was too cute for words! He was a tubby little 4 year old with wide saucer eyes, plump cheeks and pigtail braids. Best thing was, he wore a t-shirt that fit snugly over his big ole belly that read "Property of Hershey Pennsylvania" with a smiley faced Hershey's Kiss on it. He was pretty good playing with the X-Box too - I was so surprised! I mean he can't even read but here he is, putting me to shame because my video game skills pretty much ended with Nintendo waaaay back in the day. Those kids are always surprising me.

I Don't Think My Grandma Would Like Them Either

Look at this snazzy, jazzy shoe!


Yes, that is SARCASM. My coworker and myself were told yesterday that people in the plant have a problem with us not wearing steel toed shoes while on the production floor. No problem, I said. I'll wear them - the company covers most of the cost anyways so I'm not going to fuss. Only thing is...do they they have to look like my grandma's orthepedic shoes? I'm on the smaller side, so these guys swallow up my feet and look like big 'ole clown kicks. Oh lovely fugliness...

Sweet Smelling Sweater Salad

This is my boy Xin's dream girl.



I just couldn't resist... please don't kill me. :)

Out of Five

Saw this on GB yesterday. Some staffers have come up with yet another site I'm going to visit frequently. Every week 10 people choose songs that fit a particular theme. Cool idea, clean design and straight up music?
I'm there.
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Btw, does anyone know where I can d/l Mi Camisa Negra by Juanes (with no strings attached)?

Breathe Out So I Can Breathe You In

In my next life I want to be....A ROCK STAR.

Can I be a cool drummer too like Travis Barker from Blink 182 or Taylor Hawkins from the Foo Fighters? The show was frickin' AWESOME!!! I was pushed, shoved, sweat on by fifteen skanky people, and got a few hours of sleep but it was oh so worth it. I mostly came to see the Weez but holy shiet, the Foo Fighters are great live! Dave Grohl came into the audience and Scott Shriner rocked the bass so hard the cartilage in my nose rumbled. Fo' REAL. Shots are up at my flickr page. Crazy energy...nothing like live music!

Shameless Self Promotion

Yes that is my pic on Gapers Block. :)
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Today at work they told us that starting January 1 we are going to get paid once a month! What the?! Not liking that at all! But we do get summer hours and half of our gym expenses paid for...not like I go to a gym anyways but it's a nice touch.

And I'm off to see the Foo Fighters and Weezer tonite. Got a meeting at 6 in the morning too so yes, I am screwed manana. Oh well. 'Tis the price one has to pay for some fun. Hopefully will have some pics tomorrow!

It's All In the Finish

Saturday was a no good rotten day.
Everything went wrong. EVERYTHANG. Add to that caffeine
withdrawal snarkiness and you have one very irritable girl. The one good thing: seeing another performance from Hubbard Street's fall engagement. I love this dance troupe (which I've blogged about before) and have seen them perform every season for the past few years. They didn't disappoint this time around with Kiss and Gnawa as standouts. Cheryl Mann and Tobin Del Cuore were perfectly paired again in Kiss which will leave you feeling as swept up in emotion as the dancers literally are in this aerial dance. The definition of sensual. Gnawa was the perfect finish. I've become a big fan of Nacho Duato's work through HSDC. Duato has perfected the art of combining organic beats with lush fluid movements that always yields beautiful results. Soooo check out some clips of these performances along with some others and make sure you see them in the spring, 'k?