Ed Hardy doesn't make you tough...

What an uneventful day! Seriously, I spent it in the Skokie Library working on job applications and sending out networking emails.

I did get to spend a bit of time with my cousin, who, until now I hadn’t really seen since I’ve been here. She’s in school and works, and then goes out with friends or has night classes, so we’re like two ships passing in the wind.

And, as amazing as it may sound – my sleep schedule has actually been pretty great! I know I’m going to jinx myself by saying it, but I have been falling asleep between 10 and 12 each night and not spending hours laying there waiting to actually drift off.

This might also be attributed to the neato alarm clock/thermometer/sound machine thing I found in my closet. This thing is AWESOME. Rain, thunderstorms, ocean and rainforest are my options, but rain is the clear winner. The one strange thing about this little heavenly toy… it looses time. Like, 2 hours a night. Very weird since the damn thing is plugged into the wall! I have learned to ignore it and just let the beautiful noise entertain me while I sleep.

Oh! There was one memorable moment of my day that has everyone talking on Facebook… A wanna-be (sadly not the Spice Girl’s song) thug in an Ed Hardy hoodie decided it was an awesome idea to swagger (see Laura, I used your word this time!) out into the middle of traffic and expected all of the lovely thousand pound cars to just slam on the brakes for him.

Really?

I know Ed Hardy has like a god to these kids, but wearing fake tattoo inspired clothes does not make you invincible.

Also, I think anyone wearing that crap that doesn’t actually have a tattoo is just asking for judgment, and who am I to disappoint?

The next time this jackass decides to walk out in front of me in the middle of the street (not even in a crosswalk!) I might just be so distracted by his dumb shirt to remember to hit the brakes…

Tourist!

As I mentioned earlier, my wonderful dad drove up with me (ok – really, he drove, I just sat around and said “I’m bored” a lot and played with the radio to an annoying degree.)

After spending some time with his brother, Daddy headed into the city for part of the day with me.

We took our respective trains in and met at State and Lake (otherwise known in my world as the Marshal Fields (now Macy’s, I know but that’s so lame) stop!!)

I was holding out for a yummy Chicago meal, but hunger got the best of us and we were pulled in by the delicious smells coming from Corner Bakery. It’s another Panera/Atlanta Bread Company concept but with more flexibility on their paninis.

Daddy hasn’t come to the city in a while and he wanted to see the Sears Tower (aka Willis Tower – again with the lame renaming!) so that is where we headed after lunch. Since his last visit a good 5 or so years ago, they have added these utterly retarded Plexiglas places where you can look straight down the 103 stories.

Do we really need to encourage people to jump from tall buildings, because this just seems like practice to me.

Needless to say, I had absolutely no desire to walk out on this ledge. My dad did though and he was even a bit shaken by it.

The views were beautiful, even on a slightly overcast day, and I would love to see it at night, but I don’t see myself spending the money to go back any time soon.

I then had a fab idea to take him to my favorite spot in the city. The place I would get married if I were to get married in Chicago (Vegas is still winning out – but that could change) which is the Cultural Center.

The Chicago Cultural Center is the old public library building. The walls and ceiling are mosaic tiles and they have inscriptions from great authors. The center room on the third floor also has a Tiffany dome which I am totally in love with. Especially when the sun hits it just right!

He wasn’t as impressed as I am with it, partially because it was a bit stuffy and we were hot from walking (a journey that shouldn’t have taken half as long as it did because I am apparently directionally impaired…)

That was the end of our adventure as he had to catch a train to the airport and I had a date with Macy’s – which was totally unproductive :(

I love you truly…

After arriving and unpacking Sunday evening, I spent most of Monday running errands and atoning for my sins a la Yom Kippur style. As long and grueling as that day was, I accomplished quite a bit, picking up essentials that I forgot to pack and purchasing a few “Fall” clothes to tide me over.

Let me tell you Florida people, you are missing out on the super cute stuff they have up here. Really, I’m in love with the totally different fashion. Your sweaters have nothing on mine now! HA!

To preface, I’m generally not a nice person when I don’t eat, so after not eating from 5pm Sunday, 24 hours later I was just about to crack.

Literally, I couldn’t even carry on a conversation because I was so hungry and thus also exhausted from the lack of food energy.

But, that night was an Alumni Association meeting for my sorority in the area and I really wanted to go. I haven’t been involved with the alumna since graduation, but this group seems fun and young and professional and I really think I’m going to like doing things with them.

When you think about it, I had literally been in the city less than 24 hours at this point, I only knew my family and one friend from high school and I don’t have a job.

What part of this sounds positive?

I’m surprised I didn’t need a xanax to make it through the evening! (It would have been nice though I’m sure…)

As fate would have it, the girl who sat beside me, CS, at the meeting was so friendly and welcoming and really put me at ease that evening. She too has recently moved (back in her case) to the city from the south.

Well, CS works for a non-profit, which is ideally the type of event planning that I would love to get into here, as to in some small way help people. (Yes, Republicans do in fact like to help people – we just don’t like giving handouts.)

We exchanged information and she is keeping an eye out for positions that she might come across in the non-profit sector and is keeping my resume on file in case any positions open up with her organization. So keep those fingers crossed!!

All in all, I can say I’m even more in love with my sorority than ever before. I truly feel like I can lean on these women and they will help me find my way in this new place and for that I will be forever grateful.

Driving North!

I decided a little over a month ago that I was going to take the leap and just head up here and see what I can accomplish. Thankfully, I have amazing relatives with a guest bedroom and they like me enough to let me stay for a month and see what kinds of networking I can get done!

First off: I Hate Road trips! The only exceptions to this rule have been because of the company... and even those were only shorter jaunts in the past few years.

According to my parents, when we went on long trips when I was little, I would get so fed up that I would start throwing my toys at my parents from the backseat. This trip, the toy throwing was replaced with "I'm bored!"

On Saturday morning my wonderful father and I headed out around 7am. That was, of course, after only 3 hours of sleep on my part.

Side note: I’m an insomniac. Seriously – I can attribute it to my current stress and anxiety levels because I’m unemployed and my fondness of naps (when it’s the only time one feels rested, its hard to resist a snuggly bed!)

Highlights of the trip included:

• Hot air balloons over 275 – SO pretty!!
  
• Vampire Weekend playing at the MacDonalds in Gainesville (I found this totally random since they aren’t exactly popular mainstream music.)
• In GA, I saw this KFC. The beak moves! Wow. Just wow.
• Then the rain moved in – not just any rain, the “red” radar type that causes flash floods, which followed us through GA and TN. Super fun I tell you.
• We detoured to Danville, KY to stay with my Grandparents for the night and on the little winding two-lane road we ended up behind a trailer filled with baby cows. This wouldn’t be interesting if it weren’t for the fact that we saw that same trailer on 75 outside of Ocala, FL.
• Day two consisted of creepy cornfields as far as the eye can see with windmills in Indiana – which is the most boring state to drive through ever. I can totally understand John Dillenger when he said “There is absolutely nothing I want to do in Indiana” from just driving through it.
  
• Dropped off the father at his brother’s house in Valparasio, IN and had dinner with the family around there.
• Finally drove into the city and to my current place of residence, Skokie!
  

Just after I arrived, a huge cold-front, complete with tornadoes and hail blew through the Midwest. I like to think of it as my initiation into the North.

PS – Sorry for the photo quality – I have an old Palm phone and that’s the camera that I used. Also - still figuring out how to get the damn thing to display photos in the blog instead of linking!

New Beginnings!

After much encouragement, yours truly finally has a blog. For better or for worse - here it goes!

The Chicago Experiment is going to be a chronicle of a twenty-something Florida girls attempt to make it in the Windy City.

Highlights that make this particularly interesting:

• I have lived in Florida my entire life. That means I have never been through a real Winter.
• I also hate the heat – hence moving to the North.
• I have always lived in the suburbs – totally new to City life.
• I have a biting personality – but you would never know it from meeting me because I censor myself around the majority of people.

Goals:

• Get a job! Preferably doing event planning for a non-profit or something in entertainment – I’m a planner and an organizer.
• Find a place to call home!
• Be social!
• Meet an “other” that proves to be significant (and maybe a few that aren’t significant but still fun (NO, I’m not a slut, thanks.))
• Finally get in shape.
• Start living life for the first time in a long time!

That said, I promise nothing of this blog. It might be entertaining, it might just be a way to keep track of the goings on in my life – I don’t know – but I’m along for the ride!