Things I’m Learning

1.) Corporate America is all about “teams.” Everyone is on a team. E-mails are addressed to teams. Clients are calling in to speak to their team. Two people, a department, a company… all are teams. There’s no “I” in team, but I need a break from all these damn teams.

2.) I’m not a great runner and yet I’m training for a marathon. Turns out that most marathoners are not great runners. Whew! I thought you had to be an Olympic athlete in order to accomplish this. Nope. Turns out that many of my friends who have completed multiple marathons have walked in a number of them. It’s all about the experience.

I foresee the experience of my exhausted body literally crawling across the marathon’s finish line. 

Head Up

A colleague approached me this morning with some advice.

He said, "Did you know that when you walk around the office you always have your head down? I challenge you to pick your head up and look everyone in the eyes today."

And you know what? He's right! I have to be honest, I don't love my new job. I'm often overwhelmed by the people. But if I become more approachable and pick my head up, then I'm sure I'll learn that the people aren't so bad. Maybe I've been afraid that I will actually like it here.

So, Chad, thank you for Yoda moment and for the challenge. This is something I will focus on.

St. Patrick's Day Recovery

Well, St. Patrick's Day was.... wonderful!!

Chicago has been enjoying some gorgeous weather---in the 80s! did I move to Miami?---and we took full advantage of the city.

On Friday, Andrew got into town and we celebrated at the company party at D4 Irish Pub. It turned out to be a great time! My friend, Sarah, was even in town and came out to meet us.

Sarah and I

On Saturday, Andrew and I wondered the craaaaazy streets of Chicago before heading out to bbq at Andrew's parents' house in Lake Zurich. I've never seen the streets so busy before.

The green Chicago River

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

On Sunday we went shopping and had lunch at an awesome downtown bar called The Public House. From there we met a few friends to watch the Blackhawks v. Capitals. The game was ammmmazing!!!! The Blackhawks won 5-2 and we witnessed some suh-weet plays! 

Opening face off at the United Center

Blurry picture of Andrew and I in our St. Paddy's Day jerseys from GA

Highlights from the game

On Monday we went to a Chicago History Walking tour. We were the youngest people there by about 30 years, but it was still great! The guide was a great speaker and we learned a lot about some of the downtown spaces in the city. My favorite stop? The Chicago Cultural Center, of course.

All in all, it was an amazing weekend. My best St. Paddy's Day celebration yet! Maybe I'll learn to like some of these minor holidays... Maybe.

St. Patrick's Day

I often say that I'm a minor holiday grinch. I love and adore Thanksgiving and Christmas, but the rest of the year's festivities can suck it. New Years' Day, Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween---you name it. And I really don't like St. Patrick's Day.

I don't like drinking and St. Paddy's Day, especially, revolves around drinking and the bar scene. Ugh.

But I have to admit that I am ridiculously excited for the holiday this weekend!! First of all, my boyfriend will be in town! We haven't seen each other for a few months and so I'm excited to spend some time with him. I also like having someone to drag along with me as I continue to explore this city.

Secondly, my work throws a huge party for St. Paddy's Day every year. We'll be heading to a downtown Irish bar, D4, to share our limericks and to drink, eat, and be merry---in true Irish fashion. Every year they hand out t-shirts, sweaters, etc. to all the employees and this year we did hockey jerseys! I'd like to brag that this was totally my idea. :)

Two Things I Will Never Buy Again

There are two things that I will never buy pre-made from the grocery store again. Ever.

1. Croutons
2. Granola

I've already talked about how amazing homemade croutons are, but today I also made granola and It. Is. Awesome! It's so simple and easy, I can't believe that I was paying $5/bag of store-bought granola before this.

I got my crouton recipe from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. All it takes is some french bread, olive oil, and whatever seasonings and spices suit your fancy. Today I kept it simple and cubed a half-loaf of wheat french bread, drizzled it with olive oil and garlic salt, and threw the pan in a 300-degree oven for about 20 minutes. Stir it around a little bit while baking. Happiness is the result.

As for the granola, I bought my ingredients based on a recipe I found in a magazine but then I threw away my magazine (silly me!) and had to piece it together based on other online recipes. It worked well! You can also throw anything and everything into granola. This mix contains:

Rolled oats
Wheat germ
Sliced almonds
Shelled sunflower seeds
Pure agave

Basically, go to the Whole Foods bins and bag up anything and everything you want to bake together.

On your next Sunday afternoon, set aside some time, throw on your favorite tunes, and bake some croutons and granola for the work week ahead. So much better than the stale and bitter store-bought options! I'm never going back. Ever.

Movie Review: Fish Tank

Following the suggestion of @daniel_hautjobb, I watched a British independant film titled Fish Tank. Wow, just wow.

Toto, we're not in Hollywood anymore.

The movie was brilliant but difficult. Everything isn't tied up in a neat little bow with a love story thrown in. Instead, it was a compelling look at the result of broken families living in the welfare system. It is considered to be a "coming of age" story, but the hardest part is the realization that Mia (the 15-year-old main character) doesn't really have anywhere to go. The system and the lack of support---both emotionally and financially---is a vicious cycle.

Do I recommend it? Yes. Does it tear at your heart? Absolutely.

Movie Review: This Means War

I got free tickets to an advance screening of This Means War at a great downtown movie theatre, the AMC River East. That’s right, I went to an advance screening. I’m hot shit like that.

A quick description for the movie reads:

Two top CIA operatives wage an epic battle against one another after they discover they are dating the same woman.

I went to the movie not expecting much, but it turned out to be a lot of fun! Reese Witherspoon’s character in the movie was perfect (of course; yawn!), but it was interesting to see the differences between the two guys battling for the win---i.e. her heart. Chelsea Handler as the comedic side-kick was good for a few laughs. Think Seth Rogen in the movie 50/50 (a great, great film---see it).

Since I’m in Chicago and I actually have free time for the first time in a long time, I’m starting to watch movies again. Back in Colorado, I would maybe go to a handful of films a year. If that.

This whole Hollywood thing is fun! I’ll keep y’all updated with what other films I’m able to catch.

P.S. People-watching at a movie premier is epic. You either have socialites with glittery makeup or intense movie-goers with their Star Wars t-shirts and popcorn-stained fingers. Awesome.