Week 7: Ace of Clubs

Traveling is probably one of my favorite things.  I've been so fortunate to check out amazing places across the globe thanks to family trips throughout the years.  Something I have not done as much as I'd like to is travel on my own.  Time and money are usually the biggest roadblocks... but this year, no matter what, I decided that I would go... somewhere.  Of course, I had great visions of traveling abroad and experiencing something I hadn't before.  Realistic, responsible Erin took charge though (who is she?) and determined that a trip like that would have to wait until I have a 'real' job again.  That being said, I am excited to announce that I have made a plan for 2015!  The trip has not been booked as in plane tickets, but it's been booked in my brain and I'm looking forward to seeing one of my near and dear buddies... Dr. Azin Q. Azma!  The last time I saw her was in Rhode Island when she generously hosted me while I attended a wedding in Connecticut.  Now she's living the good life in Las Vegas and while the heat isn't one of my favorite things, she is... so I'll make the sacrifice!  Looking forward to a dedicated trip to see her and palling around again with Zinny after this semester is through!

2007... a long time ago

Week 6: Ace of Diamonds

One time, in elementary school, I won 2nd place in a poetry contest for the following:

"Lombard Street"

Lombard Street is a twisty street and it is very hilly.
I get sick when I go down it and my stomach feels full of butterflies.
People say to move away but I say, "No! I love this street!"
You can see so many views - Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.
So don't say move away.  I'm going to stay.


Then, in college, I collected extra credit in my fishing class for penning the following:

"Fishy Fishy"

Fishy, fishy, swim this way.
Fishy, fishy, make my day.
The lure is lurking, take a look!
Have a nibble, get caught by the hook.

Fishy, fishy, please don't cry.
Your fate is not to the skillet to fry.
I'll comfort you with gentle hands,
then toss you back to the water and sands.

Fishy, fishy, thanks for taking part
In this sport I call luck, and others call art.


I also performed "Fishy Fishy" at a coffee shop in my college town, Athens.  It was a funny moment.  People were getting up and reading really deep, dark, poems - and then I hopped on stage and did little motions as I recited.  It was not well received and I remember the owner of the shop saying something to the effect of: Well, not everything has to be meaningful I suppose.

Anyway, I may not be so great at it, but I enjoy writing and don't do it nearly enough.  So I made a card that forced me to get the creative juices flowing.  I think I had extra pressure to do a good job since I knew I'd be posting it... and things didn't really come together.  Did you all catch the article about the cartoonist who The New Yorker rejected 610 times?  In case you missed it: http://www.npr.org/2015/01/25/379787274/howd-a-cartoonist-sell-his-first-drawing-it-only-took-610-tries

I decided that I'd send my latest creation to The New Yorker in hopes of finding out exactly what  "...two of the most elegantly phrased sentences," in their rejection letter are. I'll keep you posted.

P.S. - I'm bound to be rejected.  I wrote a haiku about living without gluten.  It was written while at lunch with my family - watching them enjoy onion straws and seeing people at the bar downing beers.  Two things I miss a lot
.

Week 5: Eight of Clubs

You know, as I left my house on Monday morning, I couldn't help but smile.  Chicago had just been gifted over 19 inches of snow and the streets were a winter wonderland.  Cars were buried under mounds of the white stuff and a few poor car-owners were hacking away with shovels and sand trying to dig out.  Not this girl though!  Nope, I am carless and was feeling carefree in my new-for-Chicago warm (and stylish) Sorel boots thinking how lucky I was to be a pedestrian with quality public transportation at my fingertips!  I could hear the L rumbling down the tracks a few streets away and it just made me... happy... that I could go almost anywhere I'd like to in spite of the record snowfall!

Now, the euphoria didn't last long.  I think the CTA had a record number of riders because the folks who usually biked or drove to work couldn't.  In fact, the train was so crowded I had to wait for three to pass by before I was finally able to find a spot to squeeze in to.  The studying I'd hoped to do on my long commute definitely wasn't happening.  I was safe though, and able to get to work, so I wasn't complaining too much.

On to the business of this week's goal card.  Our blizzard actually began on Sunday - which is my day for church and Starbucks with the fam (in that order).  It's become a little tradition for us to pull the card together and this week, Wyatt shuffled and selected.  You probably won't believe it, but it's true I swear, I was hoping this card would be pulled this week!  (And so I'm glad Wyatt picked otherwise deck-stacking may be suspected!)  As I trudged the half mile to Mass in the cold and swirling snow, I was thinking about the bus drivers and L operators... the postal workers and trash collectors... everyone who continues to make my life easy and 'normal' no matter what the weather may bring.  I thought this would be the perfect week to thank them for their services - and my wish came true!

On Wednesday I delivered some Dunkin Donuts gift cards to the people who get me to and from work (yay for the new job!) and school safely every week.  I also left one for my mailwoman.  I see her pulling her three-wheeled cart all over creation to deliver our mail and it looks like hard, cold work.  The amount wasn't much, but I hope it was enough to let them know I appreciate what they do!

Week Four: Nine of Diamonds

This week, I said, "YES!"

I'm not sure where I saw or heard of it, but somewhere out there this "Say Yes" philosophy is floating around and when I heard it, I thought it would be something interesting to try.

On Sunday, the Nine of Diamonds was pulled and I began my week eager to see what occasions I would have to say yes to.

Things started off slowly... I said yes to accepting a jar of pickled beets from my neighbor, for example.  One day, I lost my Ventra card and said yes to my lab partner when he offered me his for the commute home and back to school the next day.  Accepting help isn't always easy for me and typically I would have just politely declined and gone and purchased another one.  (By the way, the Ventra system is awesome... because I had registered my card, when I called them they were able to immediately cancel it and transfer my balance to a new card which was then mailed out to me!)  My lab partner looks super sketchy on his card - he told me not to be afraid of his photo - but he is not scary at all and is obviously very nice!

Then on Thursday I had a pretty significant 'say yes' opportunity.  I was contacted by a family for a home health care position.  They live 'way out' in Hyde Park which is about an hour and 30 minute commute for me... each way... Normally I would have passed given the long commute, but since I was saying yes I agreed to an interview. 

This wasn't just any interview.  The family contacted me Thursday evening around 5p.m.  I had just gotten out of my Anatomy and Physiology course and was on my way to a volunteer orientation at Lakeview Pantry.  The woman told me she had my address from my resume and wanted to come over (to my house!!) to meet - that evening!  I wasn't going to cancel my Lakeview Pantry orientation so I told her I had a volunteer commitment that evening.  She asked how late it went and when I told her she said she'd just come over then.  ACK!  I'm not a dirty person or a slob by any stretch... but my apartment definitely needed some straightening up if a potential employer was going to be stopping by to assess me - and my home!  She agreed to meet me the following morning...

... at which point I was hired!  This tardy post is a testament to life with work, school, and a 3 hour commute making things busy!   I trekked out in the middle of the blizzard we just had to Hyde Park on Sunday and again yesterday, so I guess you could say I've officially started!  So far, the commute has not been ideal for studying (the phrase 'packed in like sardines' comes to mind) but I'm glad to be employed and it's interesting work.

I was hoping I'd also be able to 'Say yes!" to an offer on my house... alas, I am still waiting on that phone call.  Maybe this week... :)

Week Three: King of Diamonds

When I moved to Chicago I needed to decide whether or not to keep my car.  I drove a 26 foot UHaul up to the Windy City and I did not tow my little Dodge Caliber behind.  (Driving that behemoth was crazy enough, towing a car as well would've been insanity.)  So for months I didn't have the luxury of a vehicle.  It turns out, I didn't really need it.  Everything I need (or want for that matter) is a walk or "El"-ride away.  There were a couple times I found myself wanting a car though...
1. Thinking about my aging pup and wondering, if she ever got really sick, how I would get her to the vet.  Ours is about a half mile away which is just fine to walk to on healthy days, but I'm nervous for when we'll really need vet services...
2. Isis related again - but gone are the days when she will be able to make the trek home to KC for holidays.  Amtrak and Megabus don't allow 70 pound dogs, no matter how sweet and well-mannered they are... and I refuse to put one of my best friends in a crate in the belly of a plane.  Thinking about Isis-less holidays kind of makes me sad.

That being said, having a car up here is kind of ridiculous.  It costs a lot to insure, register, and get a city parking permit.  There are days when you have to move a car for street cleanings.  Living less than half a mile from Wrigley means Cubs game parking fiascos - even trying to find a spot to park becomes a challenge.  And gas up here isn't cheap, either.  So I did a little pro/con exercise and decided to part ways with my periwinkle blue hatchback.  For the amount of times I'd use it, it just didn't make sense to endure the expense and hassle.  If I'm ever in an Isis-medical-emergency bind, I'm sure my sister or one of my friends (and their cars) would come through for me.  This Christmas wasn't as weird without my furry friend as I thought it'd be (shoutout to Josh who watched and loved her most of the time I was gone).

This ramble brings me to this week's goal card: Soda Free

I probably didn't add this to the list above because I'm a little embarrassed and a little ashamed.  Times I wanted a car:

3. When I want to buy Diet Coke in bulk.

There you have it.  My secret's out.  I really love DC and have one probably every day.  The stupid grocery store up here puts it on sale, but only when you buy a ridiculous amount all at once. 
Example: 12-pack 3/$9 when you buy 3.  Regular price $5.49
WHEN YOU BUY THREE!?!?  How am I going to walk home with three 12-packs of soda in my arms!?  Why would I spend over five dollars on 12 cans of coke!?  ::sigh:: The reason I want a car... to get the sale price on Diet Coke.  If that isn't the most pathetic thing.

I knew I had maybe a little addiction when getting soda on sale weighed in to my pro/con car list.  I really knew it when I broke down and bought a granny-rolling-cart so I could get that sale.  (In my defense, the granny-rolling-cart has been helpful other times, too... like when I buy dog food, or lots of toilet paper, or cans of tomato... these things are heavy AND bulky... I'm not Wonder Woman!)

I added Soda Free as a weekly goal to challenge myself and to see really how deeply my addiction ran.  I can tell you... it's been hard.  I relapsed and had one on Tuesday after my long day at school.  (Not even 2 whole days into the challenge!!) I had the worst headache and had a lot of studying to do and I thought maybe I needed some caffeine.  It tasted great but I felt guilty the whole time I sipped it.  The studying got done though.  (I'm rationalizing my weak-will.)

The rest of this week I have been soda free.  Drinking more water and more coffee.  Mainly more water.  Two more days to go.  I don't think loving Diet Coke makes me any better or worse of a person.  I haven't noticed any real differences to the way I feel now versus when the week started.  I do think soda is an expensive and unnecessary 'habit' that I may eventually try to break.  This week without hasn't convince me though... and so, I will continue rolling the granny-cart.  Admittedly looking pretty dorky as I do.

Week Two: Jack of Spades

 

 

I've always had a dream of having a well-stocked liquor cabinet.  It's really been more of an idea (unlike my actual dream of having a closet with 50 pairs of TOMS... 3/50... almost there).  I envision having people over and mixing up fun and interesting drinks.  This probably started about 2 years ago when my beloved beer began giving me an allergic reaction... Good-bye beer journal and all of the yummy microbrews with artsy labels I tasted around the country with fun friends - writing about funny times with each entry.  Moving to Chicago has only deepened this desire - every restaurant has cool drinks that are too expensive to try!  And so, the Jack of Spades did me a solid this week - "New Cocktail Every Day".

I actually groaned a little when I pulled the card.  This was my first week back to school and I wasn't looking to go on any benders.  I don't drink every day, either.  Not even a glass of wine! So I asked myself - why did you write EVERY DAY!?  Couldn't you have just said one or two?  But I didn't.  And in week two I'm all about keeping these goals... so here goes...



MONDAY
"Kristi's"

My sweet Western Slope Mama gave me this recipe.
Mountain Dew, Spiced Rum, Orange Juice
She didn't provide any measurements so I winged it.  I don't have any cute cocktail glasses so I used one of my favorite every day glasses and added a spunky straw.  This was totally yummy.










TUESDAY
"Esky's Hot Spot"

Chicago's been cold this week so I googled "winter cocktails". Esquire magazine had quite the list and I added a few of theirs to mine to try. 
2oz Irish Whiskey
1 sugar cube
lemon peel
4oz hot water

Um, no thank you Esquire.  The drink was only good cause it was warm.  Otherwise I took about two sips and dumped the rest.  No fear, dear friends, I won't be making this for you.



WEDNESDAY
"Brown Derby"

Wednesday found me applying for jobs and getting things organized for the semester.  This included four hours of printing out labs and homework assignments for Chemistry and putting additional homework assignments in my planner.  Then reading and re-reading the first chapter in my Anatomy book... then making beautiful notes. Then making a lab notebook.  I topped off my night with a Brown Derby in one of my favorite art-fair finds.

2oz dark rum
1oz lime juice
1tsp maple syrup
Better than good.









THURSDAY
"John Collins"

I have a pretty great BIL. He was really excited about this week's goal and when I shared it with him said, "Do you need any bourbon? We've got bourbon.  Why don't you come over and we'll make YOU a cocktail?  Better yet, have dinner with us, too!"  How could I pass that up!?  The picture says it all... showmanship, pride, elegance.  Wyatt and I enjoyed the drinks on the left... breastfeeding Bug had the Shirley Temple on the right.  All drinks were paired with the most incredible quinoa mushroom 'burgers' and zucchini.  I am a lucky girl.

1 1/2 ounces bourbon whiskey	1 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce sugar syrup	Club soda
Maraschino cherry for garnish	Orange slice for garnish

FRIDAY
"Moscow Hot Chocolate"

Another day, another classy/classless cocktail glass.  I actually love this mug (An octopus is my Spirit Animal).  And I loved the drink I put in it!  As a fan of the Moscow Mule (I was actually gifted a copper mug this Christmas!), when I stumbled upon "Moscow Hot Chocolate" I knew I had to try it! 
1oz vanilla flavored vodka (I didn't splurge, so I just added a little vanilla extract)
3/4oz amaretto liquor
4oz hot milk (I use vanilla unsweetened almond milk)
1TBSP instant hot chocolate mix
This tasty bev warmed me right up for my chilly evening walk with Isis around the neighborhood.




SATURDAY
"Scotch and Lime"

I pulled out my antique-store find for this limey drink.  The whiskey on Tuesday didn't go over very well, so I decided to give it another try... I do, after all, now have a big bottle of Jameson.  Luckily, I liked this simple cocktail much better.  It called for blended (what's that?) Scotch whisky - which I didn't have and although my dream of the stocked liquor cabinet is still strong, I wasn't going to make a special purchase.  So I used the Irish stuff and I think it came out well.  No fancy garnishes, but it was totally yum as is.
3oz blended Scotch whisky
1/2oz lime juice







SUNDAY
"Bee's Knees"

One of my chic friends sent me this recipe to try.  Angela and Andy are oldies AND goodies and are foodies like me!  They're always throwing fun theme parties and trying interesting recipes so I thought this one would probably be a delight.  Today I went out for Thai food with the first new friend I made in Chicago (the first weekend I got here!) and came home to sip on this while finishing up this post.  I put it in another favorite art-fair find.  Refreshing!
2oz gin
3/4oz fresh lemon juice
3/4oz honey simple syrup





And there you have it.  New Cocktail Every Day is complete! 
What are some of your favorites?







Week One: Seven of Spades

One of my very favorite things is giving presents to people I love and... who am I kidding... I love receiving them, too.  So, this past Sunday felt a little bit like Christmas morning.  I woke up excited about what adventure my Deck of Goals had in store for me and couldn't wait to shuffle and select.  But first things first.  Sunday is one of the best days of my week because it means an hour at Mass holding my favorite boy Godchild, my nephew Oscar.  He had fun clawing at my necklace, trying to rip the glasses from my face, dancing to the music and overall being very squirmy - just what a 7 1/2 month old should be!  Then he peed through his clothes and it was his Daddy's turn to hold him.  :)  After a quick diaper change and a less-than-quick Target run, my sister, bro-in-law, and Oscar came to my house to give their opinion on a new rug I bought.  (They approved.)  While hanging out together I decided it would be the perfect time to pick a card and who better to pick it than Oscar!  I spread the cards out on the coffee table and he swirled them around in his hands until finally he found one he liked and proceeded to pop it in his mouth!  That kid will chew anything!

 

 

What did he select?  Well, his mom - my beautiful sister Chloe - exclaimed right away, "Good job, Oscar!"  So I turned it over to see: "Invite Chloe for massages".

 

Two things popped into my mind when Oscar revealed his card.  1) Yay! Fun sister time! 2) OMG, people reading the blog are going to be thinking "What!?  Her goals are to get massages!?  What a crock!"

My mom told me, "Who cares what people think?", but I still feel like I should explain.

No, not all of my goals involve pampering myself.  In fact, very few are.  That being said, anyone who knows me knows I'm not really a girly girl.  I don't like shopping for clothes, I get my hair cut maybe once or twice a year, and my nails rarely see polish as they're almost always in a half-chewed state.  About the only thing pampering-wise I do for myself regularly is get my eyebrows waxed.  And that hurts.  So I threw a few do-something-nice-for-yourself things in the mix.  And on this particular card I thought my sister, the new mom, the hard-working attorney, deserved to have something nice for herself as well.

The appointment is booked.  Thursday at 7p.m.
Chloe will head there straight from her long day at work and I will head there from my day searching for work.
And we will begin this new year relaxed.  And together.  It's a beautiful thing.