GirlTalk-- Sat., Nov. 8

Sat. night, Tim & I wrung out our livers and went to see Girl Talk at the Congress Theater. Now, I had seen this guy before at Lolla and it was HORRIBLE. A bunch of stoned 12 yr olds pushing and shoving and being generally annoying. But I love this guy. And listneing to him a couple of times post-Lolla made me cave and get tickets. I wrote about Girl Talk before and I had a hard time describing this guy, so I posted the Rolling Stone summary:

“Big ups to the fair-use principle of United States copyright law: Pittsburgh DJ Gregg Gillis aka Girl Talk says that's what allows him to use hundreds of unlicensed samples in his music. On 2006's breakthrough, Night Ripper, Gillis proved he was a true party-starter, effortlessly combining dozens of hip-hop, pop and rock hits in every song. Feed the Animals ups the ante, implementing more than 300 samples to make an utterly virtuosic mash-up record. On "Like This," one 90-second sequence alone works in Beyoncé, Rick Astley, Nine Inch Nails and Yo La Tengo, among others.”

Well guess what? More stoned 12 yr olds. This time there was more room so it wasn't AS annoying. And don't get me wrong-- I had fun. But mainly I felt old hanging out with these guys:

Another Random Friday Night-- Friday, Nov. 7

This Friday was one of those random ones that evolved. Shannon asked if I wanted to get a drink to catch up. By the end of it, Mandy, Tim, Miriam, Gil, the Zeeb Bros., Steve and Shannon's friend Chris all wound up at the Edgewater. There were shots, dancing, lots of jukebox singing and a waitress who got a lot of attention. It was a long week and the weather has started to change. So this kind of Fri night only seemed appropriate.

Mandy, Shannon and Tim's oh-so-charming middle finger

Tim & Shan dancing
Gil & Miriam

Scott and Amberly

Miriam striking a pose

Serious Steve

Brett got a hold of the camera. And thus the nostril shot

And the crotch shot

The Zeeb Brothers

Happy Miriam and Happy Shannon

Me & Shan

Yes We Did!-- Tues., Nov. 4

I’m trying to memorialize it all. It still feels very surreal. Here’s my best shot:

I woke up nervous. I haven’t felt this personally about a candidate for president, well, ever. It was hard to focus on work. I got home around 5 and had a drink to calm down. Ethan and I traded texts for hours afterwards. I couldn’t stop watching the pundits on cable news. It all just made me more nervous.
Tim and I headed down to meet Laura and her friend Sarah before heading to Grant Park. The plan was meet for a drink, watch some returns, then head over to the park. The train had plenty of Obama supporters already on it. We met the girls at Cardozo’s Pub in the Loop. I had a beer. Still nervous. Sarah mentioned the idea of Obama losing. Still nervous. So we had a couple of shots. 3 to be exact. Then the east coast started coming in. Pennsylvania was blue. Maybe it was that. Or the conversation with friends. Or the booze. But I was feeling better.

Laura, Sarah, Me & Tim w shot Number 1.

Laura, Sarah & Me w shot Number 2.

With a buzz on, we headed to Grant Park. We stopped so that Sarah could take a pee break and man in the street sang “A Change Is Gonna Come” to us. I though he just might be right. We made our way over to Michigan Ave. And there was the mass of people. There were street vendors selling t-shirts, buttons, hats. People were already cheering, singing. There was a literal buzz (and not the alcohol induced type). I was feeling even better.

Laura & Me on our way to Grant Park.

We got to the park. We had been warned about long lines and security. There were a lot of people. But no security. They checked my ID and that was it. No metal detectors, no pat downs, no going through bags. A little bizarre. But the crowd was happy and diverse and friendly. So it didn’t really worry me. Probably should have. But we just picked a spot on the field and started watching results on the big screen. He was north of 200 electoral votes. It was the best I’d felt in a long time.

"Badgers 4 Obama" pin

They called Virginia blue and I jumped up and down. And a few minutes after that—they called the election. Jumping, cheering, crying. Poor Laura couldn’t see the big screen and so couldn’t quite believe that they called the election. It felt like seconds later that McCain made his concession speech. It was a very respectful speech and I was glad that the crowd around me was equally respectful. The only boos were actually for Sarah Palin. And then we just started waiting for Obama!

Tim & me after the election was called.

Here I should note: I’ve been a Democrat my whole life. My parents aren’t and they always wonder where they went wrong. I actually blame them and the Catholic schools they sent me to. I may no longer believe in many of the Catholic doctrines, but my schools instilled a sense of service in me that’s fairly ingrained. And I want that sense of service in my gov’t. So I would have voted for Obama regardless. But his intelligence, thoughtfulness and eloquence stirred something new in me. I’ll let the New York Times explain with more detail why I’m an Obama fan: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/opinion/24fri1.html But when I was waiting for Obama to come out, I was thinking about the personal, about people in my life. I knew Kim was crying somewhere too. I knew Eva was in the crowd. I knew Ethan was relieved. My only wish for last night was that all my friends who wanted to be there could have been. A celebration like that you share with as many loved ones as possible. Luckily I had Tim and Laura.
Back to the show-- A minister came out and said a beautiful prayer. The National Anthem. The Pledge of Allegiance. Then the first family came out. The crowd went nuts. The speech was beautiful. Obama has been mocked for his eloquence. For his “fancy” words. But I’m of the belief that words matter. That intelligence in a President is a good thing. I want my President to use words to make me want to be a better citizen, to bring out the best in me, to stir me, to inspire me. And that’s what he did Tueday night.

The First Family

"If there is still any doubt"

"Yes We Can"

They played Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising” as we left the park. I danced and sang down the field. There were huge crowds leaving. The L ride was a long one home. We were tired and dreading the next workday. But man, oh, man…

Black & White. Young & Old

Leaving the park

A few random things:

• Everyone was texting and calling and then all of a sudden signals seemed to be jammed and no on could use their phones. I wanted to tell my friends about what was going on, thank Kim for getting VA to go blue, remind Weis it was bc of us that IN was blue, but I couldn’t!
• On the L ride home, there were 4 young guys talking about getting home and ordering pizza. I knew they were young but then they mentioned that the delivery should go to Monroe Hall and it was official—they were DePaul students. So cool that they spent the night w Obama and then home to a party pizza (apparently it’s a HUGE pizza).
• There was a big police presence downtown but I didn’t see any trouble. Lots of police on horseback. The weird thing—people taking pictures w the horses. Oh and the helicopters everywhere! Kind of cool.

Random Saturday-- Sat., Nov. 1

So this Sat. was a random one. Fri. was Halloween but I: 1. had to give someone I like 2 weeks notice and; 2. had been out the 2 nights before. So I was bummed and tired. I decided to take a nap after work and then rally for a Halloween party. And guess what-- no rallying. So Sat. I slept in and felt good. I wasn't sure what we were going to do Sat. night, but I was starving-- so Tim and I headed over to Bad Dog for lunch. I rolled out of bed in a baseball hat and no make-up assuming that I'd return home, shower and get ready for the night's festivites. Well-- we all know what happens what you assume. We started watching college football. And then Mandy asked what we were up to. Then Jon. And, well, next thing you know, we were at Bad Dog for about a 10 hr. stint. I started w Miller Lite but traded up to the Maudite bc it was $5 and 8% alcohol. Talk about bang for your buck! Tim went another route-- Jaeger bombs with Jack & Coke chasers. Tim said it was bc he was tired and needed the caffeine. I suggested JUST Red Bull or JUST Coke. And he proceeded to order a Red Bull and vodka. I think he's still hungover. By the time a showered Jon and sober T & Jordan showed up, Tim was kind of babbling. But it was one of those random fall Sat. where you have no real plans and college football sucks you into a bar and the beer keeps you there. And Dan-- you were missed.

A Jack & Coke in a Tennessee cup.

Tiago, Jon & Jordan. They were sober and clean.
And still asked some random chick to be in a picture.

Jordan & me w the baseball hat and no make-up. Oh, and sweatshirt. Sexy.

A quick lunch...10 hrs. later.

Rob came out and joined a confused Tim.

Even w all that caffeine, he could barely keep his eyes open.

He just looks a little sad here.

Who thought we should hit Ricochet's after all that?

Dinner out and girl talk

Hibiscus Margaritas

Dinner out with girlfriends. I know that everyone does it, but I feel so lucky to have these dinners in my life. There's getting together as a group or at a party. But there's something about a one-on-one catching up with a girlfriend that is irreplaceable. Laura and I have raised these dinners to ritual status. And we've both described them as revitalizing, sustaining, even nourishing-- and not just from the food. But the food always is good. As is the booze. And last week I was lucky enough to have 2 of these:

Wednesday- Butterfly and The Hurricane

Wednesday was dinner with Mandy and I insisted on a Hurricane at Butterfly. I had a rough day. We're going through a lot of transitions as work and the roller coaster is a little draining. Mandy was good enough to indulge me and let me order whatever I wanted at my favorite sushi place (which I learned about from a girls night dinner w Liz). We polished off 4 sushi rolls and a bottle of wine in the process. Then over to a nightcap at May St. Market. The service at this place is just perfect. We went in for drinks. Mandy wasn't sure what her 2nd glass of wine should be. So the manager brought over a flight so she could taste them and decide what she liked best. And then there's the complimentary flatbread they always bring us. So attentive, so pleasant. If you're in the area, it's a great place for dinner or a drink. And catching up with a friend. It was a great way to make a rough Wed. a memorable night.

Thurs- DeCero & Sexy Tacos

Thursday was dinner w Laura. We put this on the calendar over a month ago. It's our new thing-- celebrating not only bdays but 1/2 bdays. So Oct. 30 was close enough to Nov 1 which is my 1/2 bday. Of course, Laura told EVERYONE that it was my real bday, they brought dessert and sang to me. And we closed down the restaurant as per usual. We had the 8 taco platter (pictured above) which was good. But it was the margaritas that stole the show-- guava (we each had 1), hibiscus (we each had 2) and passion fruit (we each had 2). So...that's 8 tacos and 10 margaritas btwn us. Hell yeah! As a result, the conversation rambled all over the place and the camera came out. You can see the wackiness that ensued. Made for a rough Fri. am. But sooo worth it. Can't wait for the next ones on the calendar!

My "birthday" treat

Laura's "drinking" a bottle that we found on the bar and I'm "smoking" the candle from my birthday dessert

Okkervil River and Obama-- Tues., Oct. 14 and Sun., Oct 19

Last week was an odd one with me mainly trying to recooperate from the exhausting weekend w the law school crew in Boston. There were a couple of events worth noting:

Okkervil River

http://www.okkervilriver.com/

When Jew Dan asked if I wanted to see Okkervil River at Metro, I instantly said yes. It didn't really register that it was: 1. on a Tues.; 2. at 9 pm; 3. with 2 opening bands; 4. after being out of town the weekend before. But I rallied! Met him at Gingerman for a couple of drinks beforehand. Crooked Fingers was the 2nd opening band and they were pretty good. Okkervil River was great. Really, really great. They have this alt-folk-emo sound most of the time. Tim compared them to Bright Eyes. But live? They totally, rocked. Lots of loud guitars, hip shakin and mike stand kicking over. Really rocked out. Lots of energy. Rhett Miller and The Old 97s energy-- and if you know me, you know that's HIGH praise. The show ended around 1 am. The next day was pretty rough. But it was so worth it.

Obama

http://www.barackobama.com/

In 2004, Lisa, Lori, Ashlee & I went up to Milwaukee to canvass for Kerry since WI was a swing state. It went blue. So we figured we'd give it another try-- this time taking on Indiana. It was only me & Lisa but I had mentioned it to Dan at Okkervil River and he wanted to join. So Sunday morning the 3 of us went to Michigan City, IN to canvass for Obama.

All I know about Michigan City is that it has: 1. outlet malls and; 2. casinos. The neighborhood we went to was a crystallized version of the economic crisis we've all be hearing about. Most of the doors we knocked on there was no answer. Of those, a large portion had "for sale" signs on the front lawn. Some were even boarded up. There were just a disturbing number of vacant homes falling apart. I'm not sure if that is due to the housing crisis or to a depressed community. Regardless, it was sad to see. The up side was that when we did encounter people, they were Obama supporters and excited about the election. We informed people about and encouraged early voting. Dan got a woman who said that she was a supporter of Hillary's but not of Obama's to change her mind. It was a beautiful fall day and lovely to be outside talking to people, getting excited about the election. PLUS we got Culvers for lunch. AND Steak n' Shake shakes on the way home. What more can you ask for? Other than for Indiana to go blue!

10 year BU law school reunion-- Oct. 10-12

Night 1: "How would you ladies like the best limo ride of your lives?"

This past weekend was my 10 year law school reunion. Not really sure how that happened, but there you have it. Tim came with me to Boston for the festivities. We landed at 7:30 and were at the Cask & Flagon by 8:30. A quick stop at Amy & Theo's, an even quicker change and there was a beer in my hand soon thereafter. The drinking by the crew had started much earlier-- some had started with cocktails at lunch at 1:30. So everyone was in different states of inebriation. I had to catch up. The Bud Light wasn't doing it. But the 2 Jamesons took care of it. It eased the pain of watching the Sox win at a bar on Lansdowne St. But I love these guys and it was well worth it. The night ended with the girls + Tim leaving the bar and having a guy w a Town Car ask us, "How would you ladies like the best limo ride of your lives?" Who could say no to that? Other than some aromatherapy scents being pumped out, not sure it was any different than any other Town Car ride. But then again, I had been drinking whiskey. What did I know?

Ethan & Lauren at the Cask & Flagon

Kim, me, Nicole & Theo
Ameen, Fintan, RIck & Ethan. Everyone knows what it means when the baseball hat is down that low.

Happy Ethan & Kim post-Red Sox win.

Sexy Nicole & Theo with bemused RIck & Ameen in the background.

Theo & Ethan at the end of the night.

Day 2: The baby tour

We started Sat. morning with some greasy food to combat the hangovers that some of us had. It was a girls day + Tim. Tamara and Michele both have newborns so they were taking a pass on the reunion festivites. But we couldn't be in Boston and not see them and meet the new additions. So we walked over to Charlestown, did part of the Freedom Trail, Nicole & Tim insanely climbed to the top of the Bunker Hill monument and then we visited the babies. It was pretty impressive-- 2 newborns and a toddler and not a single moment of crying. That's better than most of my Friday nights. The kids were beautiful, the moms were good and all in all, it was a lovely afternoon.

Us with the Bunker Hill monument in the background. Nicole & Tim walked the 300 steps to the top. Tim still can't walk right.

Aunt Nicole holding Baby Ella

Mama Michele with Little Griffin

Addison and Kim digging a hole in the sandbox. Not a castle. Because you need wet sand for that.

Night 2: "I want to have sex with Tom Brady"

I have no idea how we did it, but 5 girls + Tim managed to get ready for the reunion with 1 bathroom at our disposal. And we were on time! The reunion was at the Intercontinental and we had a decent turnout. There were professors and fellow classmates that I recognized. But I was fairly antisocial, only talking to the crew that I had gotten trashed with the night before. I mean, they ARE the cool kids after all. I thought the Dean's speech was relatively entertaining, the food sucked but the booze flowed. Wine glasses were knocked over and some even broke (poor Nicole got injured!) but neither were done by me, so that was a success. I didn't fall OR cry. Ethan declared that he wanted to have sex with Tom Brady. I told him I would put that quote on the blog. He threatened to have the blog shut down. I guess we'll see what happens. After the bad dinner, we went to the downstairs bar to catch the Sox game and this time watched them lose. Kim declared that they need to trade Timlin. Tim & I quietly cheered the loss. The night seemed to fly by. I thought we were back at Theo's by 10 but I was informed it was more like 1:30. Back at her place, we had frozen pizza and Slim Jims. Just like 1998.

2008 v. 1998- Ethan now pours his beer into a glass. WTF?

Ethan & Lauren

Rick & Julie. She just had twins. I can't believe it.

Kristen & Ameen

Me & Tim

Theo, me & my giant head that blocks out Nicole, Nicole & Kim.

Amy & Theo-- the best hostesses ever

Tim & me and the self-portrait

Amy, Kim & Theo

Me & Theo at the end of the night. Not bad.