Quote of the Day

"To begin with, it's worth noting that all the insanity around us notwithstanding, there will be a moment when this age will start to make sense. That brave new world will look very different than it does now. And- though this may be the hardest thing to imagine, what with the economy in shambles and creeping anxiety about ideas we hold dear- in some ways it will look better. But it is also true that there is no book of answers we can take off the shelf, peruse and then snap shut with a nod and the acknowledgment, Now I understand this age. No, in an era in which the inevitable- when the world's most solid looking financial system tumbles into chaos in less than a year, when countries we thought pleasant turn dangerous, when our lives seem constantly assailed by fresh risks- innovative spirit matters a great deal now. Yet there will be many dark days ahead when it will be hard to get too far from that old unnerving aphorism of Mao Zedong's: A revolution isn't a dinner party."

- Joshua Cooper Ramo


(Idealistic? A bit. An interesting perspective? Sure.)

Dan Savage said something on his podcast today:

"Every relationship you are ever going to be in is going to fail..until one doesn't."

I find it to be realistically reassuring, don't you?

So, to all you fellow Parties of One- I pass along this adage. (I also pass it along to those of you who are in a relationship, holding out for something that you know ain't comin'!)

Queen of the Road

Ladies and germs, I would like to introduce you to my new bike!

It's actually a used bike, but it's new to me! I picked it up at Nearly New Bikes on Broadway and Sheridan. They take and old frame and totally update the bike, so it's...you guessed it, nearly new! It's super lightweight, which has taken some getting used to, but I love it.

I am soaking up the last few weeks/months of ride-able weather and enjoying being soooo close to the lakefront path. It's such a luxury to live so close to the lake and I'm trying to take advantage of it best I can!

My car is on the way out, so it's bike and public transit from this point on. Green transit all the way, baby!



I'm thinking of calling her my Black Beauty...

Back in Action

My father recently sent me an email asking if I still blogged- the answer is yes, but the last few weeks have been crazy at work and by the time the day ends, the last thing I want to do is stare at a computer screen.

But I’m back, people/Dad!

I return to the blogosphere with good news- I have officially/FINALLY relocated to the great metropolis of Chicago. It’s been a long time coming and I finally got my shizz together and made it happen. Props to my besty for setting me up with a very useful budget on Excel. She now gets to partake in free cable whenever she likes because she’s a mere floor below me!

Anyhoo, I actually LIVE in the building I WORK in, so that’s convenient. I feel like it’s payback for all the years of commuting back and forth to school and work. Commuting helped to make my life much more stressful than it ever had to be.

Here’s where I thank ALL my city dwelling friends for always lending me a couch to crash on. I seriously have wonderful, dependable friends; I never once felt stranded in the city in the four years I’ve been doing my thang down here. I also need to shout-out to Dustin because he is a true blue helpful pal with the move-in. I may not have a boyfriend, but he plays his gay boyfriend role wonderfully.

Also many thanks to mi padres for y’know, everything.


It’s election season, folks and it’s sure to be juuuuuicy. How about that nutjob, Palin? ;)


More to come…!

A Blogentine

I thought I'd take this opportunity to send a "Blogentine" (I know, I kill myself!) to all of you.

Gentlemen, think of it as a little glance into the complex mind of a straight woman.

Ladies, I know you feel me.

I've come to realize that we are in the midst of some sort of epidemic. There seems to be some sort of "bug" going around. Don't worry, girls- only in rare cases do we catch it. It seems as though mostly the fellas are susceptible. I've been doing my research, and although I am just an amateur when it comes to these matters- I think these boys may have caught something in…

…college.

Yes, this pesky bug may have been lurking in our beloved, collegiate hallowed halls, or in public bathrooms, dorm rooms, bars and even (dare I say!) frat houses! It is seemingly very contagious and even genetic in some families. And ladies, although it is rare that we catch this "bug", we CAN be carriers- passing it along from one guy to the next. Tragic.

I didn't even really plan on researching this epidemic, it just sort of annoyed my girlfriends and me so much that I couldn't avoid it anymore…I just had to over-analyze. We sat around restaurants, bars, basements and cars (hey, that rhymes!) going over our repeated qualms with these boys (unfortunately when they have the disease they can't yet be referred to as "men") and found that we had a real problem on our hands.

It seems as though these infected boys don't really know what they want (confusion), and they say one thing, but mean another (mood swings). They also seem to be lacking consideration (disconnected) for the lovely ladies around them.

Does this sound familiar yet?

Ladies, have you ever gone to a party and found yourself sitting in a corner, talking to a charming, attractive, witty guy for an hour or more? After this seemingly obvious connection has been made does he get your number, seem very interested, and then never call? Yep. It's the bug.

OR, do you ever find that you meet a guy out, have a great time, stay in contact for a bit and then come to find that it seems as though your dreamboat has fallen off the planet. You think "What did I do wrong?! Did I come on too strong?!" Well, maybe you did- I wasn't there, but if you're relatively normal, you probably didn't do anything wrong. He probably just has the bug.

Boys, do you find that you're relating to any of this? Do straight men even read my blog? Who knows? Chances are if a straight man is reading this he probably has the bug, but is exhibiting "denial" symptoms…either that or he's my dad. Hey Dad!

I know what you're all wondering…what about a cure? It seems as though the bug is something that is cured with a little thing known as "maturity". Shocking, I know.

Throughout my sitting around, being annoyed research, I've come up with some "at home" remedies:

Boys- First off, look up the words "considerate" and "consistency" and memorize the definitions. If you're considerate enough with a woman to be consistent, you may end up with something very good. If you are inconsistent, she will become annoyed by you and have little hope in the fact that you're the great guy that you think you are, because you're probably giving yourself too much credit anyway.

If you find you are interested in a young woman, please do not "half pursue" her. Do you like it when you only hear half a story? No. If you like her and want to take her out, do it. If you think she's cool, but realize that you don't want to date right now, then don't keep the cool, smart, funny girl around for the booty call. She's too cool, smart and funny for that. Call up that girl that sends you random, drunk texts saying "wut chu up 2 kutie". She probably lacks just enough self-respect (and intellect) to come right on over. Besides, if you're still in the booty call business, that's just the girl for you. Lucky for you, there is a SURPLUS of amazing, beautiful women out there just WAITING to be treated like the amazing, beautiful women they are.

Ladies- unfortunately we are slightly to blame. I know, I know- it's hard to hear, but listen up- I'm thinking that if we want a man, we should start holding our boys and ourselves to a higher standard, otherwise we'll be stuck with the doofballs that actually do want to go on dates with us, but spend half the date talking about their ant farm…OR the guys that start picking out baby names on the third date (no offense to the kind of girl that likes that kind of thing, but c'mon- that's weird). So, let's hold out and hold up, okay? Hold out for the gents that test "negative" for the bug (and any other disease for that matter…) and keep the standards up.

I think the above mentioned remedies (along with plenty of sleep and lots of fluids, of course) should help turn the bug around in most cases, and in those cases in which they don't help- please seek professional attention immediately.

Oh, and I have no future plans involving medical school, but I do plan on continuing to sit around and bitch about the male species with my friends.

Happy Valentines Day!