Sailing

One of my primary goals when I moved to Chicago was to go sailing on Lake Michigan. I’m very happy to say that I scratched this off my list last Monday!

The experience was... AMAZING. The night couldn’t have been better! It was in the 80s with a breeze from the south. In our captain’s words, it was a “powder day” for sailing.

Our instructor's name was Captain Kirk (insert Star Trek joke here). He has been sailing since he was a boy and currently owns a sailboat with a partner. He spends his summers sailing on Lake Michigan and his winters being a ski bunny in Colorado. Must be nice! In any case, he was wonderful. His love and enthusiasm for being out on the water was contagious. We all got a chance at the helm and practice turns since sailing is really all about geometry.

I grew up with motorboats so the first thing I noticed once we turned off the engine was the silence. It is just you and the boat gracefully cutting through the water. Absolutely beautiful.

We were also blessed with an incredible sunset. One of the best I’ve seen in Chicago! I grabbed a million pictures, but below are just a few.

Sailing is expensive. Very expensive. When I saw the Groupon for sailing lessons over the winter I jumped on it. I’d love, love, love to get out on the water again, but at $250+/lesson I think I’ll be waiting a while. Where’s that money tree? Or money mast, perhaps.

New Haircut

I’ve blogged before about hair. Women and their hair is a very important subject.

I have been growing my hair out for the last two years to the point that it was longer than I’ve ever had it before. For a while, it was a lot of fun! I felt flirty and feminine. There's nothing better than that sassy little flip of your hair. However, with the hot and humid Chicago summers I found myself pulling it back every day---especially after my 5 am workouts. The last thing I wanted to do then was spend a half hour drying and straightening my hair.

So I chopped my hair and dyed it blonde! The hairstylist took off 11-inches and I will be donating it. Though it is a little weird to be carrying around a chunk of hair in my purse...

Everyone loooooves new my hair. All my coworkers have consistently told me all week how great it looks. How it fits me so well. How chic it is. Hurrah! Except that with all this praise, a little part of me wonders, Did I look that bad before? Was I frumpy and no one said anything?

On the other hand, there are numerous reports, studies, and even hotly-contested debates about how “prettier” women consistently earn more than their “plain” counterparts. New question (filled with vanity and greed): Will I receive a significant raise soon?

The front

The back

Out for drinks with my old friend, Brian (aka Teammate)

Birthday Weekend in Colorado

For my birthday, I went back to Colorado for a long weekend. I was really nervous about going back. I hadn’t been in Colorado for about six months---since Christmas---and I struggled during some of my earlier visits.

However, this trip was 110% amazing! It was a perfect mix of friends, family, food, and fishing. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Andrew and I had a great time together. Because much of our relationship is long distance, I'm always nervous about spending so much time with one another in such a short time. Will we kill each other? Will we find out about some horrible habit that is suddenly unforgivable? This hasn't happened yet, thank goodness!

In classic iPhone Picture Diary form, below are a few captures from my weekend.

A classic Colorado sunset from Coors field. The Rockies won against the Dodgers!

Andrew made marinated london broil, grilled asparagus, and mashed potatoes.  Yuuuuummmm. 

My contribution was a quick and easy Pinterest recipe. 

Here's our view of a big summer storm rolling through Boulder.

I learned the hard way about how a red-head handles, or doesn't handle, the sun. Our cloudless 90-degree day was perfect for fishing but hard on Andrew. I think we'll have you buy some of that crazy safari/desert gear next time I drag him out with me! Poor guy... I felt terrible for him.

Despite torture by sunshine, Andrew sent me flowers for my birthday! It was a gorgeous arrangement of tulips and irises. 

Moving

I recently moved. I am now living in the Bucktown/Logan Square neighborhoods of Chicago rather than downtown.

I’m excited to explore a new part of the city. Since I both lived and worked downtown, I was not venturing out much. I wanted get to know Chicago but all I knew was my walk to work---by heart. The new adventure will be fun!

A downside to moving is that felt like I had finally formed my new life at the old apartment. I had nearby friends that I could easily grab for a cup of coffee or even a long run. While they’ll still be my friends, of course, the ease of living nearby is gone.

Also, my new room has a loft in it. A loft! My first reaction was, “That’s totally sweet!” but then comes my second reaction: “Oh my goodness. I am a professional woman and I am living in a loft. I have a degree and I’m gainfully employed and I have been on my own for ages and this is what I have to show for it? A loft?! I’m regressing back to college. My life is over.” 

A little irrational, I realize. Moving is hard on everyone.

Before shot - with my bed up in the loft. I felt like I lived above a giant walk-in closet.

After shot - the next day I immediately brought my bed down. Much better.

Movie Review: The Avengers

I've heard good things about this movie so on Tuesday night I got 3D tickets and headed to the theater after work.

One important thing to note: Every time I pay extra money for the 3D "experience" and every time I'm pissed off that I fell for their trap... again. I dislike 3D. The picture isn't as clear and you don't get a good feel for the characters or the cinematography because everything is jumping out at you. Perfect example: I saw Jackass 3D and the only thing I remember about the whole movie was a giant dildo flying at my face. Point is, I will not fall for the 3D trap again! I draw the line here!

Despite the stupid 3D glasses and noisy wrappers, I liked the movie. I didn't grow up reading comics but I still feel that the movie gave a good sense of the stories and personalities of each hero. The middle of the movie got a little slow as they were developing the background, but it was necessary for the poor kids like myself who played outside as a child rather than hiding in the basement. We didn't have a basement growing up, otherwise I sure as shit would've been down there.

The movie was long (143 minutes) which meant that I jumped up from my seat as soon as the credits started. I have a hard time sitting still. Apparently there's a teaser scene at the end that I missed. It is supposed to be really cool. Oops! Looks like I'll have to watch the movie again.

The most important takeaway from this film is that I now have a giant crush on Captain America. Yes.

How to Write Good

Emily's father sent along this note---and it's perfect.

HOW TO WRITE GOOD

By Frank L. Visco

My several years in the word game have learnt me several rules:

1. Avoid alliteration. Always.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid clichés like the plague. (They’re old hat.)
4. Employ the vernacular.
5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
7. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
8. Contractions aren’t necessary.
9. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
10. One should never generalize.
11. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”
12. Comparisons are as bad as clichés.
13. Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous.
14. Profanity sucks.
15. Understatement is always best.
16. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
17. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
18. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
19. The passive voice is to be avoided.
20. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
21. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
22. Who needs theoretical questions?

Book Review: The Tiger’s Wife

For book club, we recently read The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht. The verdict was split as two of us liked the book while two did not.

I didn’t like it. I thought that it was a hodgepodge of stories thrown together with no connection or meaning. The two who liked the book appreciated that nothing was decided. They liked how open-ended it was so that they could pull the book together in their heads. I thought that it was incomplete.

In reality, this book was about two stories:

1. The Deathless Man
2. The Tiger’s Wife

I really enjoyed both stories on their own. If each story appeared as a short piece in The New Yorker or a similar publication, I would have been impressed. However, in this book the stories were haphazardly slapped together through a present-day character. I was confused and annoyed.

The two stories were good---the book was not.

Next up for book club: Lamb by Christopher Moore