Sunshine, Springtime, and School

I know, it's been a while.  I am unapoligetically sorry for the crazy few weeks that have become my life.  Since I last updated there have been parties, late nights, and lots to do.  While I haven't been updating, I have been thinking a lot about how I want to organize my blog and be more consistantly blogging.  Yesterday I sat down with my roommate and we had a chat about it.  She's in a web development class, so she's going to be helping me out with a bloggy revamp.  I'm excited, but a bit nervous as well.  I also don't know what I'm going to do with myself next year without this girl and our late night discussions.  I guess we'll have to conduct them over Skype.  Yup.

Anyway, in the meantime, here is a picture of the sun seting in the South Loop.  Daylight savings time has finally let me see sunsets again, which in turn makes me nostolgic.  This time two years ago I was spending a week in the wilderness, trying to figure out my life.  Springtime is a time for planning.  Planning, reorganizing, and revamping blogs.

Technology is Jealous

This is a few days late, but I'm going to post it anyway.  My computer seems to have overheard a conversation my roommate and I were having about future computer purchases.  I was picture these future purchases to be quite a ways in the future, but it appears I may have been mistaken.  I guess we'll have to see how things work out.  But without further ado...

This time lapse video is awesome.

On owning the things you like.

Amy has some Words of Wisdom for the days when you're not feeling so fine.

Some thoughts on Boy Scouts.

So, this article made me think harder about all the times guys tell me to smile.  I think next time I'll hit them with my purse.  Also, I need to get on that self defense class.

This week I like: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (especially David Boreanaz), sleep, walking to work down Michigan Avenue, Once Upon a Time, leftovers, and friends who buy me food.

21 Before 21: Skipping Class and Going Out for Breakfast

I decided that the more important part of this task was the going out to breakfast, and not necessarily skipping class.  My roommate and I went out for breakfast before our Wednesday class last semester.  I didn't take any pictures, but my roommate did.  They are on her blog, HERE.

It was fun to be able to get out bright and early.  I haven't had a meal like that in a long time, and probably wont have another in an even longer time.  I used to go out to breakfast with my dad every other Saturday (I would switch off with my sister), but that tradition has collapsed with our move to San Francisco, and the new tradition of going to the Farmer's Market for breakfast.  Don't get me wrong, I love that tradition too.  I just don't get diner food as often anymore.  Now that I think about it, that might not be a bad thing.

Of Wool, Flannel, and Downton

This week I moved back to Chicago for school.  My roommate and I don't like to turn the heat on in our apartment to save money.  When the roommate is home this leads to long chats in the living room where we wind up eating ice cream because we've forgotten that it's cold.  When I'm home alone?  Not so much.  My mom's advice would be to "Put a sweater on", but sometimes that doesn't do much.  Once the seasons change and the temperature heats up, that will be all that's necessary.  In the meantime, here are some of the things I've been doing to keep from shivering.

1. Make Tea.  This is one of the more obvious ones, but certainly not wrong.  For me this is two-fold.  I get warm tea that is delicious and awesome AND when I'm really cold I'll stand over the kettle as I wait for the water to boil, soaking in the heat from the stove.  After which I'll go right back to the internet surfing, blanket wearing mode that I was in before tea was made.

2.  Cook or Bake.  Again, not the more original, but effective.  Along with the warm things eating, and the using of the stove, this one also gets you moving.  Movement means blood flow, means warmth.  That, and being holed up somewhere endlessly is much more enjoyable with a batch of brownies or a bowl of soup.  Or both.  And tea.

3.  Fold Warm Laundry.  Tell me I'm not the only one who will run the dryer again for five minutes to heat up the clothes/sheets/whatever that's in there so you can get the awesomeness of folding warm laundry.

4.  Curl Up and Watch TV.  I've found that what I really need when I'm cold is to be able to focus on something else.  Grab a blanket and the remote and cozy up for that NCIS marathon.  Or Friends if that's more your speed.  Whatever you watch, the more engaging the better, and you'll simply forget the cold.

5.  Get Some Exercise.  Pretty much the opposite of the last one, but once again with the movement, blood flow, and warmth thing.  Weather you play DDR on you Xbox or go run the treadmill in the shifty-looking exercise room in your apartment building, working up a sweat will make the cold less so.

6.  Wool.

7.  Leave the House.  Chances are that if it's cold in your apartment, it's colder outside.  That means that if you go outside and come back in, then the inside will feel warm by comparison.  Right?  This may work best if you walk to your destination as it offers you the most time spent outside in the cold.

8.  Invite a Friend Over.  Having someone else around doubles the body heat in the space, and also gives you something else to other than think about how cold it is.

9.  Go to Bed.  When all else fails, I've definitely gone to bed very early and/or stayed in bed very late.  What can I say?  Sometimes layers of flannel sound a lot better than a fifth cup of tea within an hour.  And not that I'm especially proud of this, but there was one time last week that I by the time I got out of bed the street lights were on.

This week a friend of mine is coming over for dinner.  We're going to be making lasagna and watching Downton Abbey (anyone else excited for the US premiere?  Bueller?).

Finals Week!

This is how excited I am that it's almost time for me to go home!

Finals week is this week and I'm so excited.  I have three exams, none of which I am especially worried about. I'm also super excited to be going home.  I hit up the airport Thursday night after class.  I'm pumped to go home and see my friends.  This will include going to my old school's nativity play, seeing my friend who spent the semester in Uganda, and giving my family Christmas presents that I'm super excited to give them.

All that being said, it IS finals week and I should probably go do some studying for those exams tomorrow.  Hopefully I'll be back with you guys on Friday, if not, I'll see you next week.

Right Now...

excited beyond belief to go home to San Francisco in two weeks.  Is that all?  It seems like so much longer.

slightly embarassed that I wound up writing a paper a whole week early fo my Monday class.  Whoops.  Oh well, now I don't have to worry about it.

ecstatic that I can go the weekend with minimal studying.  I have three exams, but all papers are done.

looking forward to this weekend's plan.  I'm going ice skating and then visiting the Chicago Christmas Market.

amazed at how positive this post is turning.

a little anxious about buying Christmas presents for family.  Thankfully I have a few checked off already.

cold.  We generally keep the heat off in our apartment to keep costs down, so if I get cold the best way to warm up is to cook something warm.  Unfortunately, that's not quite an option when you're knee deep into a research paper.  At 1am.

It's Not Hard To Feel Like A Badass... When It's 32 degrees

Last week I went rollerblading.  

I always talk on and on about how I don't want to let the weather stop from doing things outside.  I was thinking about this while on my way home one night last week, while thinking about how much I miss rollerblading. Then I got to thinking, why am I letting the temperature stop me?

So Friday morning I got up, put on my long johns and a sweatshirt, and went off on my adventure.  SO AWESOME!  There's something about being out on an empty trail and not being able to feel your fingers that makes you feel like you're on top of the world. 

And yes, it was cold.  Very cold.  But at the same time it was beautiful.  Beautiful in an eerie sort of way.  On my way South I got to ride down my favorite hill without even slowing down for potential run ins with other humans.  There was no one there to hit.  Turning back South I got to see the city skyline, and try to figure out what I think about the new Roosevelt Building being added to it.

I wish I could say I had pictures.  But alas, I'm sort of terrified of taking my camera with me.  It's sort of difficult anyway because of minimal pocket-age.

Chicago DARSIT

Geeking out with my badge and program.

Where do I even begin?  Perhaps with the nearly two hour long trip it took my old roommate Sarah and I to get to Yorktown Center, where a conference actually called Chicago TARDIS, a tribute to all things Doctor Who, was being held.  We took two different forms of public transit from start to finish to get there.  We then paid the slightly painful price of $60 to get our badges allowing us free reign of the event space (clearly there will be more planning ahead next time).  And then, AND THEN we had a freaking blast.

This was the first time I'd ever been to a convention of any sort.  I wasn't sure about it.  I wasn't sure I would fit in because I didn't have enough time to make a costume.  I'm a normal girl with a bit of an obsession.  Who happens to want to work in the television industry.  That's what I was thinking, but I now quite clearly see that these reasons were exactly why I needed to go.

I needed the first hand knowledge that fandom was not completely crazy.  I needed to see for myself that nerds are awesome and I can fit in just fine with people if I just be myself.  I knew all of this before.  I just forget sometimes and need reminding.

Panels with titles like "People Dig Chicks Who Dig Time Lords" (It's a book.  Which I now own.), "I'll Tumblr For You", "If Silence Falls In An Empty Forest Will River Song Notice?", and "Inspector Spacetime: The Panel"; I nearly didn't know where to begin (and a call from my best friend while she's in London didn't help matters -- love you Al!)

These panel's taught me more that I ever expected to learn from a nerd convention.  I learned about creative licence verses sticking to the book.  I wrote down at least a dozen names that I need to have a proper sit down to google.  I got to know the entire history of a little known show called Inspector Spacetime all through the experts and show creators.  It was fabulous.

I think the best part of all of this was realizing how attainable it is.  With the Doctor Who fandom especially, the people who are now creating the show have been lifelong fans.  It's been around that long.  And the cycle will only continue.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My roommate last night, trying to stay up late so she adjusts to the time difference in San Francisco.  She's left early this morning; her perfect scenario. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

I knew when I started college that there would be a year that I wouldn't get to go home for Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday), and it appears that this is it.  I was working all afternoon and evening today and have work again bright and early Monday morning, so it made sense that this was the year I stay in Chicago.

Overall I think it's shaping up to be a pretty good weekend though.  Today I'm going to Grandpa's house for some Turkey and hoping to bring home plenty of leftovers.  Saturday I'm going to a Doctor Who convention with my old roommate.  I'm kind of super excited for the nerdiness that is sure to ensue.  Bring it on.

This year I am thankful for family, friends, and inspiration.  Speaking of inspiration, I'm working on a new weekly series that I'm super excited for -- get excited.

Around Town: Old Friends

Friends come to town and good things happen.

I feel woefully inadequate for creating this post now as opposed to when it happened just over a week ago.  Part of the reason for this of course is that I took no pictures.  I am horrible at remembering to take pictures when clearly pictures should be taken.  Though that's not to say that the weekend wasn't documented.  There were many pictures taken, just not by me.  (Pictures can be seen on my roommates blog HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE)  But regardless of the lack of pictures on my end, we all had a blast.

He was in Chicago to look at a school (I don't want to say which one because I haven't actually told him that I'm writing about him) that he may be coming to next year.  In Chicago!  Near me!  I'm trying not to be super excited about this, because I know college admissions can be tricky, but nevertheless I am very excited about the possibility.

Long story short the weekend was filled with staying up late, getting up early, eating out, the Girl Scouts (more on that in a later post), playing Nintendo in Wicker Park, wandering the city, good conversation, and frozen yogurt.  I wouldn't change anything.

It was strange to see him here in Chicago since I'm so used to him being in San Francisco.  Very strange.  Fun, but odd at the same time.  I miss him a lot since he's still in San Francisco and I'm here in Chicago, but that may change next year (*maniac grin*).  Of course all these people visiting this month has gotten me extremely behind on my chores and some of the homework things I should have been doing, but that's only half relevant, so we choose to ignore it.

Around Town: Austin

So, in keeping with tradition, I will do a post on my weekend trip out to the Austin neighborhood for my InterVarsiy chapter's retreat.  I feel like I should put a disclaimer here that this isn't a normal "Around Town / Around the World" post in that I didn't go to Austin for a vacation like the other places I've written about so far.  Also, I am notoriously bad at remembering to take pictures, and since the weekend was so short I have no pictures whatsoever.

Now that all is out of the way let's get down to it.  I went to the Austin neighborhood with a handful of other members of my school's InterVarsity chapter.  We meet up with a handful of students from DePaul University's InterVarsity chapter as well.  On Friday night we spent time getting to know each other, eating way too much cheep, off-brand candy, and talking about what God is doing in Austin.

And God is doing so much.  Austin is a neighborhood that was radically changed in the 60's with white flight and is now a heavily black neighborhood where a significant percentage (I don't remember the number) of the population is living under the poverty line.  I struggle sometimes with how I should be dealing with race in my daily life and this retreat was occationally uncomfortable in that I was usually the only white chick there.

Being the minority is a switch for me as in most other places I am the majority.  I was a good experience for me to be the one that looks out of place.  My school is big on diversity and is always bragging about our amount of diversity, but I find that it isn't mentioned much outside of the admissions process and the office of Multi-Cultural Affairs.  The thing is though, that we are all broken people.  "Black", "white", "red", "brown", "yellow", what-have-you, we are all broken somehow by the pain and hardships that come with living.

The amazing thing is the community that grows when people are in such tough situations.  On Saturday I went with a small team to a local church and we helped them with cleaning their sanctuary; sweeping, mopping, cleaning bathrooms and polishing pews.  I learned that the church building is nearly a hundred years old and was built as a catholic church.  The current owners of the building are a Baptist church, and they've been there for 18 years.  The church congregation has been meeting in some fashion for nearly 50 years in the same neighborhood.

Saturday night we went out for Soul food (am I spelling that right?), and debriefed with each other talking about what we'd done in the afternoon.  Once again we ate too much food.  This time it was more nutritious than candy.  That night I sang hymns because I freaking love hymns.  Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em.  Apparently this is abnormal for a person my age.  I don't even care.  I could also talk for a very long time about stained glass windows, but I'll spare you.  For now.  I feel like there will be a post about one or both of these subjects at some point in the future*.

My love of hymns was actualized even more so when we sang a few in church Sunday morning.  I was in awe of the love and peace that surrounded the church.  The sermon talked about a lot of things, but the part that especially stuck with me was the mention of tithing.  I needed that reminder and still do as I figure out my finances for the rest of the school year half based on the atypical month of September.  Which is now October and feels to be very officially fall.

The chill in the air followed me back all the way to the Loop as the whole lot of us took the green line home again, home again.  Beginning again with "normal" life was a bit of a strange experience.  There was homework to be done, dishes to be put away, and Doctor Who to watch (Umm, guys?  Doctor Who? Anybody?).  Good-bye Austin.  You've taught me much, and I wait to see what else I have to learn.  Thank you for letting me stay, and bringing me back.

*But I also promised a post on farmers market meals and an "Around the World" post for my Denver / Boulder.

Can't Take the Sky From Me

This past Saturday I, in a display of complete nerdom, went to an event called Can't Stop the Serenity.  It was a charity event supporting a charity called Equality Now, supporting women's rights around the world.  For me, it was more of an opportunity to see Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog and Serenity on a really big screen than anything else, but that it benefits charity is an extra plus.

There was an auction, and a costume contest, and a friend of mine that come into town to come see it with me.  So much fun.  Next year I want to enter the costume contest.  So much.  I'd never been to something like that before and it was really fun to be around a bunch of other people who also loved something as much as I do.  It was hysterical to see "Fandom" used as a legitimate word in conversation.  And by hysterical I mean awesome.

As a bonus, yesterday my roommate and I went to Borders to check out the reduced price duds for their going out of business sale.  I snagged a few seasons worth of TV including.... Firefly!  I've seen it all before, but it will be nice to have it legally in a hard copy and to see the special features.  An in-depth consideration of all things Joss Wedon is inevitable, I'm sure.  I just have to see some Dollhouse so that it can be a bit more well rounded.

This Moment

Today I walked down to the library to try and get a book for a mini-book club a friend and I are starting, and was struck by the amazingness of Chicago and of how far I've come. My family as a whole is from here, but my imediate family spent so much time moving around that I didn't know where to call home. I would come to visit, but never to stay.

Two years ago I was passing though. Quite literally, my mom and I were on a road trip from our former house in New Jersey, bringing the car to our new home of San Francisco. I toured my school for the first time on that visit. And I got a chance to see my crazy Uncle who was, at the time, home from working in Bagdad. I was so happy to see him, and so excited to be in the city. Expectant and nervous about the future. Uncle John told me that I would be back, and he presented as if I didn't have a choice in the matter. I laughed, but the funny thing is that I'm not so sure that I did have a choice in the matter.

Last year I was back again, preparing for moving here, attending college orientation. I was here, but also still competely invested in my life in San Francisco. To some extent I still am. I was a little scared, but putting on a brave front of not minding.

And now. Now I am here for the long haul. I have an apartment in a location I love. I have a growing support system here in Chicago that includes not only family, but classmates, friends, and members of my church as well. I am excited as ever to continue to explore the city and learn even more through school, church, and life in general. I'm excited to be able to share it all with this here blog as well. I don't know how many people are reading, but I'm glad to be able to put these thoughts into the world. I'm sorry if I seem to be waxing poeticly positive nonssence quite a bit recently, but I'm very excited about living right now and I hope it's not too over the top.

Also, how do you like my hat?  I just got it the other day and I'm wearing it everywhere!  Can't get enough.

20 Before 20: Learn to Navigate by Bike

I set out at the begining of the summer with this as my goal. What I lreaned: there's really not much to it. I already knew how to ride a bike, and since I have a drivers license (in two states even), I know the rules of the road. Really all it took to navigate by bike was combining the two together. There were some things that I did learn over this summer of spuratic bike riding though in San Francisco, Montreal, and Chicago. These are the rules I try to follow when I ride.

1. Comunicate. This is sort of a blanket rule that I think a lot of things can be squished in to. Motion to drivers when you're going to be going into their lane. Shout that you're about to pass another biker. Make eye contact with drivers, pedestrians, anyone who's path you may cross who you want to make sure they know you're there, try to make eye contact. Smile and say hello to people who can hear you. Just for fun.
2. Lock it up. Properly. Get a big old hefty U-lock. Find either a bike rack or a tall pole to tie your bike to. If you choose to lock it to a parking meter then the more power to you, but be sure that your lock dosen't allow the bike to be lifted over the meter (learned that one the hard way. When you lock up the bike you want to make sure that both the frame of the bike and the front tire are included with the lock. If you know how, then for extra protection you can pop the front tire off the bike and then lock that, the back tire and the bike frame to the rack/pole. I've found that back wheels are much more difficult to take off and are less prone to being stolen.
3. Put your phone/keys/other things likely to fall out of your pocket in your bag. There's nothing worse than your phone falling out of your pocket while you're riding down a busy street. I've had it happen to me a few times, and while nothing's broken yet, it's still very inconvenient. Backtracking means you loose momentum and time. No one wants that.
4. Know where you're going. I think this may be the most important thing of all. You do not want to be stopping in the middle of traffic to try and figure out if you're supposed to turn or go straight. You don't want to find out at the last second that you were supposed to be turning left up here, and should have gotten in the turn lane half a block back. If I'm going someplace I've never been I study the map carefully and then draw my route on a post it and stick it to the handlebar for reference. Works every time.

Those are the rules I go by though I'm sure there are others. I've also just gotten a bike check up which has helped my bike emencely. My new favorite thing, now that I'm riding fairly regularly in Chicago, is riding under the El. When I come to a stop light I use the El support beams for balance so that I don't even have to put my feet on the ground. It's like a game for me. Riding over the Chicago River is fun too. A lot of the bridges have only grates as the street over the river so you can look straight down into the water.

In Transit: Utah

Currently on my way back to Chicago*. My mom and I decided to drive to get some of my stuff halfway across the country. It's not so bad. Really. These pictures were just taken in Utah in the middle of the great salt desert. It just so happens that we had recently stopped for ICEE's, so you get pictures of those too.

I'm not sure when I'll be posting next, but I'm planning to make blogging a priority for the remainder of the summer. I also am looking forward to what the school year is going to bring, but more on that in another post. For now, I'll just be eating Arby's, drinking ICEE's, and driving, driving, driving. Also, I feel that I must inform you of the existance of a casino/cafe/gas station/mini-mart/Jack in the Box on Route 80 very near the border of California and Nevada. On the Nevada side of course. They claim to have Bonnie and Clyde's death car. That is all.

* Due to the blogger app on my phone epicly failing, this is no longer true, but I liked this post so Idecided to post it late anyway.