Pride and Prejudice

There are at least two things that I need to learn. One is humility and the other is how and when to keep my big mouth shut. I've been less mindful lately and acting on impulse more than I usually do; it's probably symptomatic of being around a bunch of new people that don't really know me. It's easy to take shortcuts with people you are close to, but when you do the same thing around people that you don't really know very well, there's something lost in the translation.

I've also pissed off my roommate (the one I don't know, not the one I'm friends with) at least twice by being a complete dunderhead. I'm not really sure why it's always her that seems to bear the brunt of my obliviousness, but I've definitely come face-to-face with the outward appearance of my actions as of late, and they don't always reflect the good intentions I sincerely have.

I've got to buckle down on the studying front, too. I'm not here for but 5 weeks, and I've got a lot of proving of myself to do. Yikes.

Adventures in Chicago, Part 3

I'm in Chicago visiting for a few days; I'll post my other adventure entries soon but I had this one ready to go, so enjoy!

My last night here in Second City before I head down to the boot camp in Champaigne. It's called "Second City" (according to Nick) because it burned down once and then they rebuilt it, a second time. It occurred to me that San Francisco all fell down in an earthquake once and they rebuilt, too, but I guess that Chicago got to it first.

After the debauchery of last night (relatively tame on the debauchery scale, but red wine hangovers are still no joke), this morning was a little painful. Not terribly so; just a tad unpleasant for a while. We played the tourist game and went to the Magnificent Mile, which is just a large band of high-priced retail stores in downtown which Nick jokingly refers to as the 'Miracle Mile' because he's twice heard clueless guys seriously tell equally clueless tourist girls that the swath of capitalism lain out before them is, indeed, known as the miracle mile. And that's America, folks.

First stop was the Jazz Music Record Store, which may actually be a miracle to certain people. Then we went to have double 'cheezboorgers' at the Billy Goat Tavern (for the reference, go here). The skit is actually based off the tavern and not the other way around, and yes, the guys actually talk like that. Everybody gets a double, too, whether they want it or not. They only have Coke and no fries, just chips. If you ask for water, they say, 'River or lake?' It's definitely an experience. It's a tourist trap on weekends and where the reporters from the Chicago Tribune hang out on weekdays after work--they do serve beer, after all. It was fun to watch other hapless people endure the confusing verbal abuse from the guy working the counter. It was kind of a rite of passage, and then you were inducted into the club of people in the know.

We had our fill of bad-for-you food and traipsed off to indulge my retail therapy needs. On the way, we stopped at the Tribune building, which boasts rocks from all over the world as part of its facade. I touched a rock from the Great Pyramids in Egypt today! Wow! And, naturally, took the obligatory picture under the home state rock. (There's one for every state in the Union.)

Filene's Basement is not exactly the bargain-shopping utopia depicted in What Not To Wear, but I did find some good buys.

Sam is playing Banquo in a production of Macbeth right now (Incidentally, the last time I saw him perform? He was Macbeth. In an entirely different city.) so we went to see that at the Athenaeum. A very creepy job with minimal production fluff--the only props were weapons (naturally), a couple of benches and stools, and some goblets and wine. The sound was particularly effective at setting the mood--freaky whispering and ominous drumbeats in the background. Definitely the most eerie version of the 'cursed play' I've seen.

I was really happy to see Sam again--we all went out for pancakes and beer at the diner across the street after the show. Yes, pancakes and beer. This diner serves alcohol, so naturally I had to indulge the bizarre juxtaposition and have a Heineken with my giant pancake full of fruit. (Don't give me crap; Heine was the best option they had--it is a diner, after all.)

And that's that. Forgot to take a pic with Sam--I'm terrible at the picture-taking thing; it's always something I think about way after the fact. I'm still bummed I didn't have my camera yesterday at the Shit Fountain. Oh well.

Memorable quotes from the evening:
Sam: "Yeah, just the other day at work I stabbed somebody in the leg and didn't even realize it!"

Me: "Oh my God, there's a huge banana in the middle of my pancake!"

Reggio: [talking about Seattle] "Yeah, you know that big ol' pin thing they got?"
Me: "The Space Needle?"
Reggio: "Yeah, that's it! I went up there, too! Scared the hell outta me! Everybody else was ordering cappuccinos and I was like, 'Where the elevator? Get me down!'"

Geeks 2

WE WON!!!!! Yay! The night before I left for Illinois, The Tiny RumpledForeskins reigned supreme over Geeks Who Drink. Go team! For info, head to the Geeks blog.