Long time no see

WoW!!! It's been ten months since the last time I blogged here!! That's horrible. I knew I was busy and distracted, but I didn't think I was that busy. I guess it didn't help that I didn't have internet access at home for a while.

Well I am back...I don't have anything terribly exciting to that about. I celebrated my birthday Saturday. It was great fun. I had friends rotating through out the evening. I really felt honored that so many people wanted to come out and celebrate with me. It was a lot of fun and in the end I wasn't even terribly drunk. SOmething that is pretty impressive considering Iw as a the Bar from 7:30pm until 2:30am. The only downside to the evening was that John nver showed up. Even though he said he'd come. Oh well, what can I expect? He is a boy and this is sort of his M.O.

Well mostly I wanted to just start up my blogging again. I'm sure I'll have something more interesting to talk about that silly boys that don't show up for my birthday.

Until then...TTFN

Where was I...

Category: Romance/Dating

I really should be sleeping right now, but I was thinking about a comment that my roommate made to me while we were walking home from a Halloween party and I felt the need to rant for a little bit.

The thing that she said was, "Where was I when we all decided to pair off?"
It was in regards to the number of couples that were at the party we attended. And I had to agree with her. Quite a few of the people were close friends of ours, but some were people we had just met. It seemed like everywhere I turned there were people together. The quote kinda popped into my head as I was tossing and turning tonight and I decided if I wrote about it maybe it would go away and let me sleep.

The thing that really got to me was the number of guys I had flirted with; gone out with; or just plain slept with that had found significant others. Even one of my gay boyfriends had a boyfriend. And it sorta got me down. It makes me wonder what it is about me that makes me unattachable? I've got a bunch of positives...I'm attractive and funny. I've got a great sense of humor. I'm approachable and intelligent. There is just something about me that makes guys decide that they'd rather have a friendship with me than have a romantic relationship with me. And I have to say it's damn annoying. I miss doing couply things. I miss having someone to cuddle up with on a cold winter's night. I miss having relationship inside jokes and making other people sick to watch us.

I pretend that I'm indifferent to the whole thing and that it doesn't hurt, but it does sometimes. My mom is really great, every time I talk to her she reminds me about how I can do anthing I want because I don't have to worry about anyone else but myself. I have to admit that I do enjoy the freedom that single life entails. I also really enjoy all the fun stuff involved in being a couple though. I know what they say you can't look for a relationship it'll find you. And you'll know when you've met the right person. But I feel like at the age of 27 I've met a bunch of the really good guys and for one reason or another they haven't passed muster. After a while you start to wonder if it isn't them, but me that has the problem.

I guess you're wondering where this came from and I think the impetus was because of a phone call that I got from S a couple days ago. It wasn't anything life altering. He didn't confess undying love for me or anything like that. It was just kinda unexpected and out of the blue. I felt so flustered whenI was on the phone with him. I'm truly happy for him and I know that he's doing what he reall wants to do. It just sucks taht he had to move away rom me to do it. I know I'm not in love with him. I never was, but I did have true feelings for him and I miss having those feelings for someone. Even though I tell myself that I'm an independent, freespritied woman I think that deep down I'm a romantic. I think all women truly are no matter what the say that they are. And when you come realize that maybe romance isn't going to be a part of your life it really hurts. I know I'm young yet. There is plenty of time to find the one for me. But I'm also impatient and kinda tired of looking. Who knows maybe I'll meet that special someone tomorrow and it just wasn't our time yet. I hope he's out there somewhere. I want to have a wedding shower damn it!!! I know that this won't be resolved tonight and I really need to try and get some rest. But I felt the need to rant and now I think I'm done. But those of you that think you might know someone I'd like feel free to shoot him my way. I don't have any problem with going out on blind dates. Just so long as he doesn't mind me telling select details of our relationship to the blog-universe.

Dinner with friends

Categpry: Friends
I just got home from a reall great evening. A friend of my boss (an acquiantance of mine) called work this afternoon and invited us to his house for dinner. He had decided to cook and wanted people over to enjo his efforts. Now I had been told of his cooking prowess and was quite excited to be included in the invite. I have to say that it was the light at the end of the tunnel for me today because the day just wasn't going as it should. I figured that even if the meal was average boy-fair it would still be a nice evening out with people that I enjoy spending time with.

Greg cooked a great meal and I helped myself to seconds. The meal was all about comfort food. There was braised steak, mashed potatoes and brusell sprouts. It reminded me of a Sunday dinner back home. The conversation was light and happy. We talked about everything, work, famil, friends, silliness. The wine flowed and the laughter bubbled out. It was definitly a great end to a not so great day.

As I was walking to the train from Greg's house I tried to figure out exactly what it was that made the evening so special. Was it the spontaneity of the evening? The laughter? The food? It was a culmination of all those things. It reminded me of home. It felt right. The one thing I've noticed about living in the city is how disconnected everyone seems from each other. I mean you have work friends and college friends and roommates, but it's so hard to make a connection with anyone. This evening was a connection. It was a step outside of the hectic day to day that we all experience. Especially people that live in cities. I was so reluctant to leave I wanted the feeling of connection to continue.

Tonight was a great evening and I really appreciate the invitation into Greg's home. It was nice to feel connected again even if it was for a few hours.

New and Improved!!!

Category: Blogging

I recentl added categories to my blog. I was getting kinda annoyed by the fact that I couldn't have them. It was actually keeping me up nights. I know what you're thinking. "If that was keeping you up nights then you may be a little touched." You're probably right, but none the less it was an annoyance that need to be fixed. I spent several nights thinking it through and finally figured it out.

Basically I created new posts and linked them to my other posts. I havn't dont this with all of my posts. I don't know that I will. I have quite a few now and it is a tedious process. Since I only really get to blog later in the evening it kinda cuts into my sleep. Which I am in short supply of. I do invite you all to peruse the links that I do have and read some of my posts that you haven't had a chance to read yet.

I promise I'll write something with a little more substance soon.

My 27th Birthday

Category: Friends
I was trying to decide what I should post for the evening and I realized that I hadn't mentioned anything about my 27th birthday celebration. I feel kinda silly talking about this now considering that it was a month ago. I'd been meaning to do it earlier, but then life intruded and you know how that can be.

So I decided that I wanted to celebrate entering my mid-late twenties at the Kit Kat Lounge. For those of you unfamiliar with it this place its a martini bar with a twist. The twist as you can see from the picture below is that they have drag queens entertain you while your enjoying dinner and drinks.















This is me and one of my "sisters" Megan having a photo op with the lovely entertainer.















Meri and Steph(roomie) enjoying a few Long Islands

The drinks and entertainment were a lot of fun. Apparently I had decided to celebrate the day of my birth on the same day that a bunch of women were having their bridal parties. Let me just say tiara and asymetrical tops and leave it at that. Something I really don't understand though is why would you want to go to a drag bar to celebrate one of your last nights as a single woman? When I get engaged I'm having strippers. After all it will be the last time that I get to touch a man that isn't my husband.

After we finished dinner we decided to leave the Kit Kat and go to a place that didn't have squeeling blondes in asymetrical tops. For us that would be the lovely establishment known as The Twisted Spoke. What birthday would be complete without $2 Whiskey drinks afterall?













Me and my "sisters" at The Spoke, I'm the one in the middle.

Megan and Meri are two of my closest friends. We met in college and we've been through some very interesting times together. I trust their opinons above pretty much anyone's. They're the type of friends that will kill a man for you. And they'll make sure that it doesn't get traced back to them. I love them to death.
















Me and DB

During the evening I did find myself getting a little sappy. (Blame the aclcohol)I just felt so honored that there were so many people there that wanted to celebrate with me. I don't know that I could express in words how great it is to know that I have such great people in my life.

I know what your wondering where's the silly drunken picture? Well I don't want to disappoint. Below you will see a picture I like to call The Last Supper. I think that if there was ever a need for a poster to display what alcoholism looks like this would be it.










The Last Supper

All in all the birthday was great fun and I had a lot of fun. A great way to celebrate entering my mid-late twenties. And the hang over wasn't even all that bad.

My other addiction(part 2)

Category: Misc
The Beginning of the End:
So the release date for The Sims 2 rolls around and I of course make my way to Best Buy and purchase it. I got the special DVD edition that has Sims bloopers and videos of the people they based some of the characters off of. Very entertaining.

When you start the game it asks you to create your family. Now this stuff is amazing. You can choose skin tone, body type, eye color, hair color. You can even alter the shape and the size of facial features. In other words if you so choose you can create a character that looks very simialar to yourself. Which of course I have done.

Once you have created a family, wheter that's one person or several you choose the neighborhood and house that you want to live in. That's where the real fun begins. Your Sims need to have jobs so they can buy cool stuff and food. They have parties and grow old and even die.

I think the thing that draws me to the game is trying to accomplish the life aspirations that the characters have. You have to meet these goals and still make sure that they carry out their day to day needs, like eating and sleeping. When I play the game I try to set an alarm so that I only play for a couple hours. That doesn't always work though. Sometimes I set the alarm with every intention of stopping and then I tell myself one more hour. The next thing I know I hear the garbage trucks in the alley and I look outside and the sun is starting to peek it's head over the buildings.

Damn another night with only two hours of sleep. As I pass out I vow to myself that this will not happen again tomorrow. And yet time after time I find myself drawn to the game. I keep telling myself that I can stop at anytime. I'll quit when I'm ready. But I've been coming to the realization that I can't quit.

EA draws me deeper into it's world:
I visited the Sims 2 website recently and saw that there is an expansion pack that I really want to have. I was able to resist the first expansion pack called University. Where your teen Sims could go to college and join frats. This new one is different though, now your Sim can go out clubbing and even have it's one car. No more car pooling to get to work. I know I must have it. I'll probably find myself wandering into Best Buy sometime this weekend. I'll tell myself I'm only going in to browse, maybe buy a new ink cartridge for my printer. But deep down I know I'm lying to myself. I need to up the dosage. Having the plain Sims game isn't cutting it any more. Somehow I will find myself wandering into the games section and there it will be. And it will probably be on sale too. It's as if this program was meant to be mine. Oh, well I guess I have to give in to fate. My roommate will forget what I look like. My friends will forget my name. The bags under my eyes will increase and be bloodshot from lack of sleep. But once I get over the first wave of enjoyment I'll be able to mellow out. I've been there before. I'll make it through.

My other addiction(part 1)

Category: Misc
I'm sure most of you are unaware of the fact that I am a smoker. I don't proclaim my right to smoke or complain about the lack of public places in which I am allowed to smoke so how would you know?
This post isn't going to be about that either .
I have this terrible addiction which is depriving me of sleep and causing me to ignore my friends and loved ones. This addiction is called...The Sims 2.
It is a role playing/simulation game invented by EA. You know of Sim City fame?
How did I become imbroiled in this terrible Sim Culture you may ask?

The Introduction:
I blame my father for my addiction to this game. For one Christmas when I was about 16 or 17 I received a PC game in my stocking. My brothers had all received games for their PlayStation and I guess my Dad didn't want me to feel left out. Since I hadn't shown any interest in the PlayStation, but was always on the PC I gues he figured this would be an appropiate game. The game that he gave to me was called Sim Tower. The basic premise was to build a building in which you could add various establishments such as Offices, Condos and Restaurants. As you met various requirements your building would get a star rating and you'd get to add more goodies to your building. This was the beginning of the end for me. I would spend hours at a time just trying to reach the next star rating. Since it's not a timed game the hours would speed by as I sat in front of the computer. Luckily I was still in school and had a bedtime and was forced to vacate the computer. So the game was not allowed to infiltrate my life completely.

The beginning of the end:
Because I had registered my initial game with EA they would periodically send out newsletters talking about the games that they were working on and the release dates. One of these newsletters mentioned a new and intriguing game called The Sims. The game talked about getting involved in the lives of the little people that populated their previous games. Being able to move them through their lives. Make them go to work and dance and even pee!!! I was enthralled. By this time I was in college and didn't really have a lot of disposible income. But I made sure that I had the money for this game when it was released. It lived up to all that it said it would. Being a Virgo I enjoy being in control. What better way to fulfill my yearn for control than a game that puts the happiness of little computer generated people in my hands? I loved it. I would start out intending to spend just a few hours playing before I went to bed at night. The next thing I knew the Sun would be coming up and birds would be singing. No problem I was young and didn't need much sleep anyway. I'd catch a nap between classes and be good to go. Little did I know that EA had more in store for my poor sleep deprived body.

My first Expansion Pack:
EA in it's endevour to improve their game and make it more lifelike developed Expansion Packs. Now m ySims could get more exciting jobs. Cooler clothes and go out on dates. Even Woo-Hoo(that would be sex for those of use in the real world)! Yet again I spend hard earned money and the hours in front of the computer increase and my sleep lessens.

I Break for Reality:
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing and I was able to lessen the hold that EA and The Sims had taken on my life. Friends, school, work, all helped to bring my out of the world of The Sims and back to reality. The game would now sit idly for several months at a time. Every once in a while I would break it out when I had a weekend to lose and be perfectly happy.

EA tightens it's grip:
Then I got another email from EA. Why oh why do I continue to register my games? You would think I would have learned. This newsletter is complete with screenshots and links to the website, so you can watch tantilizing videos. Is that my beloved Sim in 3D? Yes it is. Not only is the content richer and more enthralling but it has even more aspirations. More interactions. You can even make videos and invent stories. On top of that the the realease date is dangerously close to my birthday. It was like a sign. This game would be mine.

Subscribe to me

Category: Blogging
I recently set up an account with Feedblitz . It's a feed subscription service. So now you guys don't have to figure out my feed or bookmark me. You can get all m up to date ramblings delivered directl to your mailbox whenever I update m blog. Right now I am the only subscriber. I know a lot of you guys are connecting to my blog through BlogAdvance, which is awesome. I hope that you are all enjoying the rambling thoughts that I have to offer. I would love it if you subscribed to me though. There's a form at the bottom of my blog where you can subscribe. All you have to do is enter your email address. In this day of Spam I completely understand if your weary of putting your email out there. But it would definitly give me a boost to know that there are people out there that are interested in reading what I have to say on a regular basis.

I know that my blogs are fairly long so your going to have to scroll for quite a while to get to the bottom of the page. I've been thinking about changing some things though. I want to create my own design and just use Blogger as a host. Or maybe even pony up the cash for one of the fancy hosting servers and leave Blogger. If any of you has any suggestions I'd love to hear them. I really appreciate the advice that the veteran bloggers have since I am still very new at this. Of course all of these prespective improvements are contingent on whether anyone out there is even interested in what I have to say. So scroll down to the bottom of the page and enter your email. I'll do my best to keep you entertained.

I've decided to make it that much easier for you guys to subscribe to me by putting the Feedblitz form in this post. Look at how nice and accomadating I am.

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Conversation on the porch

Category: Friends
I've just said good night to my roommate for the evening. We were spending an evening on the porch finishing up our drinks and smoking some cigs. I've decided that every living space that I have from now on is going to have to have some sort of outdoor sitting area. There is something about a porch that is your own that is condusive to in depth meaningful conversations. Maybe it has to do with the fact that you can't really see each other's faces. Or the amount of alcohol that we've drunk. But people really connect when they're out on a porch in the evening.

I met S on our porch. Look how that turned out. Granted he moved to L.A, but it was good while it lasted...

A Brief Break for a Weather Complaint

Category: Misc

I'm actually sitting at work right now so this will be brief.

I have lived in Chicago for seven years now and I have to say that I'm still not used to the sudden temperature changes that happen in this city. Yesterday it was 80 degrees out. Wore a cute little peasant skirt, a tank top and sandals. I was sweating profusely by the time I had walked 2 blocks. Today the temperature was 50 degrees and rainy. All Day!! I am not happy at all. I understand that summer can't last forever. There is a need for seasons. How else would the Bears know when to hibernate?( The animal, not the footbal team. Even though they play as if their asleep) All I ask for is a gradual transition like most other places. I already gave up my trees and hills, must I surender my weather as well?