They are not invisible friends so much as teen idols?

All of my new best friends (in my head) are internet-famous comediennes. Sarah Haskins is a hilarious genius. Apparently she recently left the Chicago comedy scene for sunny L.A. Please note this awesomely pointed video. Unfortunately, it brings to light the fact that the entire "We" network should have an eating disorder trigger warning instead of "TVPG" or whatever the FCC decided to give them. Find the rest of her amazing "Target: Women" items on infomania.



My other new (again, fake, totally in my head) best friend is named Jen Kirkman and this something awesome that SHE does:

See more Danny McBride videos at Funny or Die

i think it's about cheekbones

There is a movie filming in our neighborhood again. I know, yawn, it happens all the time. Seriously, a number of movies have been filmed around here, but, in the words of Garth Holladay, this is a big one - not just a few moments of stock footage of the el. It's a Michael Mann piece! About a Chicago infamo-legend...



The film is actually about John Dillinger;
cheekbones are merely a silent theme, as Johnny Depp and Christian Bale
are starring. This evening, we joined the unwashed masses gathered around the set, and felt kinda dorky, but it was really fun and interesting. They created a very cool looking 30's set, covering the whole street with fake cobblestones, putting up streetlamps and fake billboards, and dressing all the extries in fedoras and fancy overcoats.

We left before any documented Bale/Depp sitings actually occurred, because we didn't really want to be around for the weird, starstuck, entitled people to start yelling at the actors as they tried to do their jobs. Not that I am above thinking it would be cool to see them actually shooting a scene - I'm so totally not. But I did get a little uncomfortable at a couple of antsy teens who wanted to yell at non-famous people to get out of the way so they could take pictures of other, possibly famous people who were sitting inside (very cool, period) cars and who definitely seemed to wish not to be photographed.

There was also an OLD SCHOOL el train going by every few minutes, with be-hatted men inside. Quite cool.

We also had a lovely dinner at Deleece, where they have a $20, 3-course, fixed price menu on Mondays and Tuesdays. I had a delicious squash tortilla soup, and disc0 had a ridiculously good set of short ribs with some kind of ranch sauce that I wanted to drink with a straw. We will be back!

and Mama cooked the breakfast with no hog

Last night, disc0 and I attended Equality Illinois' Justice for All Gala. The law firm I work for was a sponsor of the event, so a number of lawyers, paralegals, and significant others got to sit at the firm table. There were over 1500 people in attendance. The speakers were inspired and inspiring. The lifetime achievement award recipient was a pastor from a Methodist church in our neighborhood who almost lost his position with the church because he insists on providing pre-marital counseling and holy union ceremonies for same sex couples. He lives the work of anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-heterosexism, and in his short speech reminded the crowd that we must insist on celebration, not just tolerance.

The whole evening really fed my soul.

I have been ramping up my efforts to get tapped in to the progressive and public interest community here in Chicago. I miss being around activists and lobbyists and public interest lawyers. I have met some great people in the last few weeks, including last night - by chance, we ended up sitting next to a couple who has been involved in Equality Illinois since the beginning of the organization, and we got along famously, with promises to get together again soon. It was also just wonderful to see all of the candidates who attended the gala, because they know that equality matters to so many Illinois voters. Speaking at one point about ENDA, the Equality Illinois executive director said, "last year, we got anti-discrimination protection for sexual orientation and gender identity passed in Peoria. If gender identity plays in Peoria, there is no reason it shouldn't play in Washington, DC." I can't wait to become more educated about the reality of state politics here, but for the moment it is exhilarating not to be disillusioned.



In other exciting news, I was a huge dork and introduced myself to one of the brilliant women of Gayco as she bopped around on the dance floor. The whole situation was super awkward, but fun (like me). Watch for me describing my VIP passes to all Gayco shows in future blogs.

Disc0 and I also picked up some snazzy items at the silent auction: a package of coupons and offers from different businesses in Andersonville; a bunch of tickets to different historical sites and tours around the city; and a weekend getaway at a little rustic cabin called "Wisdom Ridge" outside of Galena, IL. They don't have a website because they don't have electricity or plumbing. Being stubborn, I still scoured the brochure trying to find information on their spa packages - no dice. Seriously though, I am excited about this one. Contrary to popular belief, I do enjoy camping on occasion (I camped out in a tent in the Namib Desert, where jackals tried to steal our food; I am only partly as boujie as I look). I'm thinking we'll hit it up in April when we can still make use of the wood burning fireplace and there won't be too many biting bugs, but we also won't freeze to death. I'm not boujie, I'm just practical.

For now, I will tide myself over with Andersonville coupons...

Is not Chicago; is a pointless entry

This entry doesn't have much to do with how awesome Chicago is (it's still awesome, don't worry) but I have a microphone and you will listen to every damn word I have to say.

Last night, disc0f and I played Rock Band for the first time. Our friends the Saunderseses had us over for a DELICIOUS dinner and then invited us down to their really cool Rec Room (it is in every way a rec room, and that rocks) to play the game. I was the singer. I totally started off humble and by the end of the night I was throwing bottles of Jack Daniels at the bass player's head from a half-prone position on a groupie's lap.

It's the best game ever! I can't wait to get it--there are great songs on the game but you can also DOWNLOAD songs, including Radiohead, Weezer, and a whole Bowie Pack. This might turn me in to a "gamer."

I'm also almost done buying my outfit for Yahootie!'s wedding! This is essential since it's only four months away. It has made me a little bit nostalgic because it reminds me that I used to have the Most Perfect and Fabulous Dress of All Time. It was a black, pull-on, stretch silk, sleeveless, cowlneck number that I bought on Girlshop (R.I.P, Girlshop.com). (FYI, note that Mindy Kaling's shopping blog is now on my links page. I just found out about it last night, and I adore it. Even though it reminds my of my glory days of really out of control consumerism. R.I.P., Tubesy's really out of control consumerism.)

So the Most Perfect and Fabulous Dress of All Time would have been absolutely effing perfect for B & G's wedding. But I realized in law school (during a musical fashion montage) that it doesn't technically fit over my ass anymore. I'm not going to mourn my old 100-lb frame, because that wasn't the best look, but I will mourn the dress and the way I looked and felt in it the 18,000 times I wore it. Despite my growing out of it I was keeping the MPAFDOAT around because, with strategic placement of my Vintage Leopord Print Half Slip of Awesomeness, I could fashion a pretty fun look. Not wedding wear mind you, but I liked having it around. Now the MPAFDOAT is missing. It may not have made it all the way to Chicago, and perhaps I should take this as a portent of maturity - because I found a Grown Up Version (e.g., it has a lining and a zipper, and it covers my ass) of the MPAFDOAT, and it is the Grown Up Version that I'll wear to the wedding. Grown up versions things are great, but I still miss the original. The fact that I found some Christian Louboutin knock-offs on Zappos helps a little:



All I know is I am NOT letting my kick ass camo-lined combat boots slip away. Disc0 loves them, and that's a great sign, because I do too even though certain friends and hangers-on have been trying to make me get rid of them since I was 23.

Ahh memories...memories of clothes.

Broadway in Chicago

We both have a couple of days off for New Years...so I can blog about it! Yay.

Disc0 took me to see Phantom of the Opera for Christmas!



It was fantastic! I haven't been to see a Broadway show in a number of years, but if I remember correctly tourists had stopped dressing up for the theater...not in Chicago. Everyone looked fabulous, including the 12 or so year old boy in a tuxedo.

I love Phantom of the Opera. I love Andrew Lloyd Webber and his crazy synthesizers that pop up out of nowhere in what is otherwise quite an operatic show. The actors were wonderful--and this was maybe the understudies, since it was Sunday night. Sarah Lawrence was pretty much perfect as Christine, Raul (Sean MacLaughlin) was a wonderful singer and HOT (totes important in this show) and the Phantom (Stephen Tewksbury) had a beautiful voice and was fantastically tortured. I did not feel like I was watching regional theater, you guys. Bless his heart, disc0 missed the big game to take me to the show.

It is New Year's Eve and we're going to have New Year's Eve dinner at Uncommon Ground...and it's snowing which means (a) it is pretty out there and (b) it isn't as cold as balls. Yet.



Happy New Year!

You've come to tell me somethin' you say I oughtta know

We have had quite the weekend! Friday and Saturday were both awesome, in very different ways, but both in ways that were very CHICAGO......

Friday night Disc0 and I had my (rescheduled, due to an unfortunate influx of work last weekend) romantic birthday night on the town...we stayed at the Peninsula hotel (oh so fancy, even though we were a few levels down from the suite last graced by Brangelina) and dined at Avenues, stuffing ourselves on Chef Graham Elliot Bowle's 10 course palate menu. There was only one dish that both of us agreed was "just good." Everything else was absolutely amazing and lived up to all the hype: the wine, the service, the view, and the FOOD. It was also very unpretentious, which was most welcome. The Peninsula also gave us a lovely bottle of champagne since it was my birthday, which aided in my falling dead asleep in a well-fed stupor.






Saturday was the 40th birthday celebration of one of Disc0's good friends from his days working in advertising. The birthday boy is a musician, so his band had a reunion show and he also hosted sets by two Chicago-based country bands. His band was super cute, playing lots of angsty songs he wrote 15 years ago, and they're all really good musicians. Can I just tell you that I am possibly more into country music now than I was living all around it in Atlanta? At the party, I was exposed to the band that I think will fill the empty space in my life where Atlanta bands Hot August Knights, Kingsized, and Amy Pike and the Last Cold Beer used to be: Fulton County Line. That is, I will follow them around and go to their shows and learn their set list and be a weekend groupie again. I'm pretty sure the lead singer is a bona fide cowboy, and if not he sure dresses the part from his boots to his beard to his hat to his full length duster coat. And he does a pretty kickass shimmy while he croons and yodels (you heard me!) They have a standup bass, a pedal steel guitar, and electric banjo and I love them.

Now we're spending the day doing some prep work for our first time hosting Thanksgiving! We are sooo excited to see our families! Yay!

Fancy Pants

So it turns out chicago can be super fancy as well as super fun, convenient, and friendly. You just have to leave our neighborhood. Disc0's mom is in town, and last night and today were full of glam.

Last night disc0's mom really wanted to go somewhere with delicious desserts, so we did a little research and headed to Marche. It's part of the KDK family of restaurants, which are made of fance (my noun form of fancy). We had an amazing late-ish dinner, actually just ordering appetizers instead of entrees (which were huge and delicious, and the waitstaff was very pleasantly unsnooty about it) and then had fantastic desserts (sorbet; banana bread pudding; praline pineapple cake--YUM. )

Then today we went ahead and had afternoon tea at the Drake Hotel, oh yes we did. I'm pretty sure when they said "nectar of the gods" they meant Devonshire cream. With strawberry jam. On scones. I did this with my own Mom last summer, and it was just as gilded as I remembered; the Palm Court and ESPECIALLY the Powder Room made me feel very Great Gatsby. Quite the luxurious afternoon.

So tonight we made organic deviled eggs, salad, and broiled potato chips from our farm share stuff. Simple but luxurious in a different way...