dinner and theater? yes please!

[My brother - Ryan - briskly walking past Wrigley Field trying to get to the theater]

Just got home from seeing The Skin of Our Teeth a comedic production by cast members of The Artistic Home. My brother and I took the train in and froze our badungas off in the Windy City wind! After battling (and winning against) the wind, we had a really great dinner at the Goose Island Wrigleyville Brewpub. The picture (below) edoes not do my salad justice. We are planning on going back, because my brother is just shy of being 21, so he didn't get to try any of their beers. We then took a brisk and bitter walk to The Artistic Home. My overall thoughts of the show were... eh? The show was definitely entertaining, but it was odd, confusing, random and 2.5 hrs long. The theater is tiny - 45 seats and the actors get up in your biz, so there were uncomfortable moments for sure. The actors were definitely talented, but I was just overall confused. Refer to the website if you want more information, but I don't really recommend seeing the show. I still had a blast just hanging with the bro.

[um... yum!]

Got me thinking though... I used to act in high school! How did I do that? Even though I am more confident in who I am as a person now than I was back then, I do not think I would have the balls to get up in front of a crowd and play different characters now. I had to portray so many different people...

• Rich school girl who loved to party and smoke marijuana when mommy and daddy were at work
• University of Wyoming student, Zubaida Ula, who was angered that people could act so hatefully against someone for being gay
• Princess in Rumpelstiltskin
• "White" trash lady who wore a teal sweatshirt with a howling wolf on it
• Elf in a Christmas play
• 5 year old at a birthday party who just wanted to eat cake
• Real estate agent trying to sell a fabulous home.

I wish I had the time, effort, and opportunity to act again.

...Not going to happen.


What a great and random Thursday though!

My Big To Do

My Spring & Summer Fun To Do's...

• Go for a long (for me) bike ride
• Seek out photo ops
• Go to my cabin
• Ride a roller coaster
• Visit Ryan St J in St. Louis
• Kentucky Derby party @ Mike and Shley's (May 1)
  
• Visit the Sears Tower (not Willis darnit!) Skydeck
• Go to Ireland (June 2-7)
  
• Hot air balloon ride
• Chicago blues fest (June 11-13)
• Humboldt Park Art Fair (June 12)
• Have a bonfire
• Have a picnic
• Green Music Fest (June 26-27)
• Go to the zoo
• Go to a concert
• Paint pottery
• Pride parade (June 27)
• Go to a museum
• Volunteer
• Play bocce ball
• Gamble at a casino
• See a movie in grant park
• Go to a cubs game
• Pitchfork music fest (July 16-18)
  
• Go to the beach
• Play tennis
• Lollapalooza (Aug 6-8)
• Go camping
• Chicago Jazz Fest (Sept 3-5)
  
• Paint with acrylics
• Oktoberfest Chicago (Sept 24-26)

... the plan is to take pictures with my new camera (see previous blog entry)... and blog about each of my spring/summer outings :)

purchase of the week!

Finally purchased my camera!!!!! My brother found some deal online. I ended up getting the Canon Rebel XS vs the XSi. No clue what the difference is. I am a SLR camera newbie, so there is a lot of learning to do. I did play with a friend's camera on Sunday and he has some version of a canon... guess who fell in love instantly? I wasn't even using any of the crazy settings and the pictures were amazing! Now to plan photo opportunities so I can practice before Ireland!

I don't know if people read this... but does anyone have any good suggestions for shows to see downtown (Chicago)? I have Thursday off and my younger bro is on spring break, so I want to take him to a show. A lil help?



...It is sunny outside. I think I'll go clean out my car! I just need to be outside.

how much is that doggy in the window? arf arf!

I want a dog.

In my current life a dog is not really appropriate. It would make the most sense if I was married, lived in a house with a yard, had a steady job, with no children yet... but I want one now! I have been talking with Jay about dogs that we could maybe get in the future. We have yet to agree.

Jay wants...

...an American Bulldog... or...

...an Irish Sheepdog... or...

... a Jack Russel Terrier...

and I want...
... an Irish Setter... or...

... a Corgi... or...





... a Sharpei.

... although my mind changes like every other day.

I need to do more research on dogs. I need to know more about how high maintenance certain dog breeds are, which ones bark less, which ones need more space, which ones are the least aggressive, etc etc etc. We have time to decide though. I bet what is actually going to happen: Rachelle and Jay walk into a shelter and fall in love instantly with some dirty mutt in the corner. done and done. :)

I want a puppy!!!!!!!!

Rainbows of Green

I had my "yearly" evaluation at work the other day. I haven't been working for a year yet, but my manager does everyone's evaluations once a year. Anyway, I received great reviews! She told me that of any of the new graduates she has ever hired, I received some of the best reviews! This made me blush. Hearing all of this has also made me want to work harder, which may have been her intentions... and if so, kudos to her for being a great manager!





I also recently celebrated St. Patrick's day like many people did. This was the first year I decided to partake in the festivities Chicago had to offer. What a crazy scene it was. We started in the neighborhood of Wicker Park at 3pm which was pretty low key. Then, we moved to the neighborhood of Wrigleyville and that was pretty crazy. People everywhere wearing green and some even in costume. I ran into a giant green teletubbie!
I even saw a total of 5 people throughout the day/night that I knew from U of I, one of which was one of my roommates from college. We ended up hanging out with her and her friends for a little while.
It was a fun time overall. I love the color green so you definitely don't have to force me to don shades of green and drink some beer.

Reviews of the places in Chicago I have been in the last 3 days...

• Moonshine is where we got our first beer and had our pre-drinking lunch. It advertises itself as an "urban roadhouse". Which makes perfect sense. They serve beer in jars and their portions are huge. They serve po'boys, pizza, burgers, tots... yum. I had the nachos which her giant and yummy.
  
• Vines is where we headed to next. This place was a good scene because they have indoor and outdoor, separated by giant windows to let all the light in. During the summer they grill outdoors and have bags to play outside. Their beer garden is cute. I just had a miller lite, so nothing to rave about for right now. I have eaten there before and I cannot recall it being amazing or disgusting, so I guess it was so - so.
• Mullens was our next stop. It was very Irish themed there which made our stay there very fun. Everyone in the entire bar was decked out in green. We felt very at home there. The staff was very friendly and fun. They were playing Irish music, so that definitely got us in the mood for St Pattys.
• Houndstooth is where we met up with my roommate from college. This place was obnoxiously packed. It felt like college all over again. I was not a fan. I can see this place being fun when it is not busy, though. There are two halves of the bar, though and we finally found my roommate on the non-busy half where there are tables and waitresses. The busy side is one long bar.
• The Bar Celona was our last stop. This place was SO much fun. We scored two tables in the front so when other friends ended up meeting up with us, we had our own little "section". They were playing mixes of some 90's music and we had a blast. They also had $2 beers so that was easy on our wallets. They ended up opening their front wall - which was a garage door- and this made the bar open to the street, so it was a little chilly for us considering we were the two tables in the front, but the manager bought all 15 of us shots to warm us up.
  

... overall a good St Patrick's day.

Tonight is Friday... most people are excited... but I work tonight. I am somehow not stressed out by the idea of going into work as I have been in the past. I have Saturday and Sunday off where I get to spend two days with my boyfriend and his family. I love Jay's family. Sunday is Corned Beef and Cabbage day at his parents' house. They do this every year. I am excited for it.

Have a great weekend everyone!



Random Rachelle...
-the only reason I am sad to see winter go... is because I love to wear boots.
-I have had a cold for 4 days now... thanks to Jay. gr.
-I love Taco Bell... my guilty pleasure.

my body hates me

pic from here

I have been so unbelievable unhealthy lately. I need motivation. I need summer.

My current excuse is that I am either sleeping or on the go. I only work three times a week, but I work 12 hour shifts and I am a night-shifter... making my sleep schedule all whacked. Then, on my days off I am either in the city living it up or down in Champaign, IL visiting the boyfriend. I am seriously almost never home on my days off. My 2001 Toyota Corolla ("Rolla") and I are best friends... we are always driving somewhere. (I have had my car since I was 15 years old and it still runs like a dream)

With that being said, it is difficult for me to plan healthy meals and go to the gym. I am often presented with the dilemmas: go to the gym or sleep because you are exhausted from being up all night... go to the gym or spend that extra 2 hours with your boyfriend that you miss so much... go to the gym or beat traffic and head to the city to hang out with your best friends... go grocery shopping and make a healthy meal or grab some Jimmy Johns on the way to Champaign. The latter(s) always win.

The thing is, I do not mind working out and I do love eating healthy foods. The problem is getting there. Once I get to the gym I will do the deed and workout and feel good, but motivating myself to get there is the problem. Eating healthy foods is not difficult for me, I love vegetables and fruits, but the motivation to plan these meals out is where I lack.

excuses... excuses... excuses... aren't we all just full of them?


Random Rachelle...
- My room is orange and I love it.
- I have a pimple and it is driving me crazy.
- I miss Jay.

current me

A lot has happened since the last time I posted at the beginning of this month.

Bullets are so necessary here...

• Visited Champaign, Illinois to hang out with old and new friends. I love the fact that my friends, both old and new can all get long. Such great people. We grabbed some beers, played some pool, and danced.
  
• Saw Alice in Wonderland in 3D. I have mixed feelings about the movie and I am starting to think I should maybe see it again. I had all these ideas of what I thought the movie would be, fun, funny, playful... but I felt the movie was not. It was way more dark and serious that I expected, but now that I know that maybe I should see it again? It was definitely visually pleasing and entertaining, but just not up to par with what I was wanting to see.
• I was able to file my tax return. I know nothing about money or finances, so I handed over my forms to my mother and she handed them over to her "guy". I should probably learn, but it is so much easier to hand a piece of paper over, then have to sign my name in a couple places, then I get money back. This year my tax return is going towards the camera I am going to buy that I wrote about a couple blogs ago.
  
• Three of my bestest friends live together in the city and they just got a puppy (pictured above)!! Well, its technically Laura's pup, but since they live together they are going to be mother (Laura), step mother (Lisa), and step mother (Lauren) to the puppy. I am calling myself his auntie. He is a pug and his name is Oscar. I honestly have never really liked pugs, because they are so alien-like to me, since they cannot look me in the eye and they are able to lick their eyeballs. This pug, however, has won my heart over. Lisa and I had to take care of him for a day while Laura was at work and we bonded. The pup may pee everywhere, because the previous owner was awful and never potty trained him to go outside. This pup does not bark, does not bite, is super playful and loves to snuggle. I am in love.
• Friday, Jay's friend's band was headlining at a bar called The Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville, right across from Wrigley Field (home of the Chicago Cubs). The band is called MER (lead singer = Edmer). Listen to his music if you get the chance! Anyway, the show was so much fun, with friends of friends of friends everywhere making the crowd an awesome dance party. I am so glad Jay's friends from home, who I consider to be my friends too, are amazing and always up for a good time. Many of my friends from home are just as fantastic as his, or even more so, but less up for getting tipsy and starting a dance party out on the town. I need to start pushing them to do more fun, "in our mid-twenties" outings.
  
• More exciting news... one of my friends from the University of Illinois just got a job at my hospital... and on my floor! I met my friend Emily B freshman year, first semester in Rhetoric 105. The class totally sucked, but I made so many friends from that class that I continue to keep in touch with to this day! Emily and I weren't besties or anything, but she is an awesome and fun person and I really hope she ends up working my shift. Having fun people to talk to definitely makes the shift go by faster.
• Manny Pacquiao won the fight last night :) My family is Filipino and they love their record-breaking, Filipino boxer.
  

... so that sums up my last couple weeks. With the gaps filled in by me working three days a week.


And upcoming events....

• Tomorrow... eating SUSHI with my friend Franke. I. love. Sushi.
  
• Mar 17th. ST PATTYS DAY... Chicago definitely celebrates this holiday with a bang... and I happen to be off of work... so day drinking in Chicago... here I come :)
• Mar 21st... Jay's family does a "corned beef and cabbage" meal every year and I can FINALLY attend this year. I have been unable to go the past 3 years. Hopefully I'll like this corned beef stuff... eek. I have started to develop an aversion to meat recently. Seafood is where its at!

Have a great week everyone!



Random Rachelle...

• I wish I had the balls to wear those feathered headbands. (my head is too large)
  
• I wear a size 8 in shoes.
• My toenails are always painted.
  

wrinkles

[photo from here]

One of my patient's died the other night. The death was an expected death, because he was really really old and had a bunch of complications and wouldn't survive surgery, but still it hit me hard. I have never been there when someone died. I was in the room one minute with him and the next minute the family was calling me back in telling me he just stopped breathing. I cried in privacy, so I could appear strong in front of the family, but boy was that rough. Thankfully my co workers were uber supportive and they guided me through the process, the emotional process... and the paperwork.

When I look back on the event and actually think about the family and the life my patient had lived... it actually brings happiness to me. This man lived to be almost 100 years old. The stories the family told me about him made me wish I had the opportunity to know the real man, not the dying person in the hospital that I had come to know. I just really want to make sure that I live life in a way that when I am in a death bed, people are smiling and laughing at all the good memories I have bestowed upon their lives. I hope that people will never stop saying, "Remember the time when Rachelle... [insert incredibly awesome, hilarious, and fun story here]".

It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of this crazy world. There are some days when all I can think about is the next time I get to go party in the city... or the next time I get to see my boyfriend... or the next thing I want to purchase on ebay just because I feel like it. I wish I took more time to think about the big picture. I really should just tattoo on my forehead "live as if you will die tomorrow", because as a nurse I should know that this really is a possibility for anyone. People die all the time at unexpected moments.

The other reason I am posting about this is because... people need to stop pitying old people. I was at the library with my friend Amanda yesterday and there were quite a few old people there. She said old people make her sad. I guess, before I started working as a nurse old people made me sad, too. It was sad to think that they are closer to dying; they always appeared to be suffering somehow and their wrinkles just made them look sad. Now that I encounter old people all the time, I really do not feel sad for them. That is NOT what they want. Old people don't want others to feel sorry for them. They want to be respected, celebrated, and they want to share their stories and knowledge that they have accumulated all these years. Old people are like walking history books. I sometimes sit down and just talk to my patients and ask them questions. They are seriously fascinating. As far as the wrinkles go...they earned them and should be darn proud of them!

I may be singing a different tune when I am 97, but as a 24 year old looking forward, I can truthfully say that I do not fear being old... I will be the best granny on the block!

good day.


Random Rachelle
... my current wrinkles are found on my toes, elbows, and hands.
... I owe the library $24 in overdue fines. I suck at returning rentals of any kind on time.
... I will not sleep from 10am to 4pm. I am a nocturnal mammal.