Floating Island In Chicago

If Life Gives You Lemons, Throw Them At Douchebags

I am on the hunt for a new book. It is strange for me to long for a book and not have one. I can go into a bookstore or library and find oh, about twenty books at any given time that pique my interest. Alas, I have not been to the library or a bookstore in a few months. I have been hosting travelers from Airbnb recently. They pay me decent money to stay in my spare bedroom. Chloe, a doll from the U.K. gave me a book to read. It was light, girly, but something to read. And I lost it...??? How does that happen. Then I started a book about Cuba. Seemingly gone too. Is this a notion that I haven't found the book I should be reading right now? Hmmm....I gladly take suggestions. I love travel stories, historical foreign fiction, something moving, something funny, what books can you recommend?

On a different topic, I am super eager to get my creative juices flowing. Every day I am doing the research on etsy.com, looking at my mom's shop and garnering inspiration from her and my friend Jackie who makes really awesome jewelry. I want to learn how to knit, I want to dabble in painting and I want to sew some stuff. It's so hard to get into the groove. I have so much energy at work and then I go home and I'm exhausted.

For some entertainment, I present you with the "Chicago" part of this blog. The streets of Chicago are teeming with unique opportunities and quirky outlandish, awe inspiring or just plain old random things to catch your attention. I quickly forget that I live in one of the most amazing cities in the world. And it bothers me that I don't share all of the idiosynchrasies of Chicago with you. You NEED to know these things! Ready for this random?

Friday after work I had to go on a different route after work as I had left my bike on the corner of Fullerton and Milwaukee after imbimbing in one too many glasses of wine at Melissa's house for Grey's Anatomy on Thursday thus taking a taxi home. Needless to say, on the way to my bike is 1) my favorite restaurant Revolution Brew and 2) a thrift store, which I have been wanting to check out because I am in dire need of winterizing my summer wardrobe. Since it's Friday and I am free and feeling good about the day, I decide to treat myself to some Wisconsin Cheddar Ale Soup and Eugene, Revolution Brews in house Porter. As I sit there, enjoying my tasty soup, sipping on my tasty beer, doing a little bit of work...I notice a telephone sitting outside on top of a bike rack.

Eh, ok, not too unusual, people place things in random places for the hell of it sometimes. But I AM planning on further inspections. Finish my food, go outside for a gander, and there is a couple who had just left Rev. Brew and were telling people walking by "It's for you, take it". Nobody indulges them in their fun, but I do. I pick it up to hear the song "Me So Horny" by 2 Live Crew playing. There's a phone number on the phone, the creator of said phone installation is -Bored. I WILL get to the bottom of this. I call the phone number and it's an automated computer voice and a voicemessage. I leave HIM a message and get a text message back in the morning. I post an Instagram photo and hashtag it with #bored #mesohorny #revolutionbrew and get a "like" from a @wearebored. His Instagram account has followers but no pictures. There's a website posted...which is a static page and says "If life gives you lemons, throw them at douchebags". I'm hoping this guy is good looking....and single....I may have found my future ex-husband. ha ha!

Memorializing The Shiitake Mac & Cheese Cupcakes

I only have this recipe in print. I have lost it and found it several times. I am bound and determined to memorialize it forever, or as long as the internet still exists and my account therefore with blogspot. Maybe I should put the paper version in a lock box. It is THAT good! Enjoy.


1/2 lb elbow noodles

olive oil

1 small shallot, minced

1 pound shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, destemed and sliced

4 Tbsp butter + more butter to cupcake pans

2 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1/4 c. flour

2 c. whole milk

2 c. gruyere cheese, grated

1 c. sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

salt and pepper

panko breadcrumbs (less than two cups)



Preheat oven to 375


Boil noodles according to package direction. Drain, toss with a little olive oil to prevent sticking, and set aside.


Saute shallots in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until wilted, about one minute. Add mushrooms and saute until browned, about 5 more minutes. Toss with butter, thyme, season with salt and pepper. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.


In small saucepan, warm milk over low heat. In large sauce pan, melt butter, Add flour to the butter and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously until smooth and bubbly. Slowly pour the warm milk into the butter mixture and stir or whisk to combine. Let liquid come to a boil; mixture will start to thicken. Add the grated cheeses and turn off the heat. Stir until the cheese has melted.


Pour the cheese mixture in with the noodles and mix. Fold in mushroom mixture and thyme. Adjust for salt and pepper.


Grease mini cup cake pans with butter. Sprinkle pan liberally with panko and shake pan to adhere the panko to the sides. Dump out extra panko. Spoon mac and cheese into the top of each cupcake mold.


Bake for about 20 minutes, or until edges and top are golden.


Remove from oven, let cool slightly. Flip pan over onto a plate or sheet pan to remove cupcahse. Garnish with fresh thyme if desired.

Crossroads

I am really digging several websites right now, and as long as they continue to be in existence, I will continue to follow them. One is brainpickings.org. It is an intellect's delight, as well as the artist or really anyone culturally curious or otherwise. Today there was an article posted that referred to the original "Mad Men", David Ogilvy. I had been having writers block for quite some time now. What should I talk about, and thinking about how good the other blogs are I read. They seem to have flow, and structure, and intent with each paragraph. Alas, like my life at the moment, chaos ensues. So be it. The one point I took out of the article is that you should never write more than two pages on any one subject. Tell that to Ayn Rand or any of my professors or someone writing a thesis. Ok ok ok, so there are certain times one must be held accountable for more than two pages. For right now, that is going to serve me well, because it means writing on my blog is no longer daunting.

10 Tips On Writing From David Ogilvy

My MacBook Pro is brand new and the card reader isn't recognizing my SD card from my camera. It's always something. Luckily I'm in Orlando again and the Apple store is across the street. Hence I don't have any photos of my own to post as of yet but I'll find some visual stimulation for you this post.

Photoshop continues to daze me but the weather here is brilliant. Sitting poolside sipping Fanta naranja gives me incredible joy. I'm convinced Vitamin D needs to be a huge part of my life. I'm getting better at building out websites and eager to learn more but I must admit, it seems so daunting the amount of information to learn about coding, wordpress, photoshop, fireworks, so on and so forth.

SO...I read an issue of Maxim magazine the other day. A favorite of mine is also GQ and I've read FHM before. I'm a huge advocate of a media revolution of sorts (I'll have to expound on that subject another day...way too much) and I've done extensive studies in the way media is presented to and by women. Bottom line? Sorry but women's magazines suck ass. I admit, I occasionally pick up a Cosmo or probably my favorite (if I have one) women's magazine is Marie Claire but seriously??? Men's magazines are so much cooler. And have more interesting material. In Maxim I learned how to filet a fish, siphon a gas tank, learned about a new hit comedian, got to experience Cameron Diaz in her real element (foul mouthed and sex crazed) and not some watered down version for the ladies, learned how to make some great new summertime alcoholic punches, heard some new jokes that were actually funny, read about the history of the donut, read articles peppered with swear words (which is ACTUALLY the way people talk) and avoided a host of ridiculously stupid articles about how to please your man or low fat recipes and overpriced clothing options. In short, fuck you women's magazines. I think if I read any magazine that is feminine or such, I will choose Family Circle or whatever because it's $1.99 and I would buy it for organizational skills, crafts or recipes instead of stupid shit in Vogue, Elle, Cosmo etc....

I've been thinking (again) about a book to write. Or a script. I started one when I was at DePaul but I have to find it. It's so difficult to get into the habit of writing regularly. On that tip, I started a few more blogs so check them out!

www.grievancesagainstsociety.wordpress.com
www.pagesfoldedover.wordpress.com
www.postcardsfromhell.com

grievances against society i welcome experiences from others. The people that co-exist in this world with me sometimes baffle the shit out of me. And sometimes get on my every last fucking nerve. I hate saying that because I have a lot of awesome people in my life and I also just try to understand that everyone is different and like Oprah said on her last show "just because you were born gives you worth on this planet". God bless your heart Oprah. I try to keep your words in my mind but it's really hard sometimes when you encounter fucking idiots. So grievancesagainstsociety is an outlet to share your pain with the rest of us.

pagesfoldedover will be a book review site of sorts. I have many books that have made it to my top favorites list. And all of them have tons of pages folded over because that particular page struck me in some way or held significance. I always meant to write about them right away but just as this site lacks frequent updates, those books stayed on my bookshelf waiting to be written about.

postcardsfromhell is also a site I would want you to contribute to. Please send me your stories from vacation or abroad.

It's been an interesting 6 months for me. I went from thinking I was going to be in Costa Rica for a really long time, to deciding to move back home and really missing my friends and family. I went from being completely heartbroken over someone who wasn't even worth my time in the first place to gradually learning to give myself more credit and realizing things don't work out with certain individuals because I deserve way more and am way better than that. Looking back I realize the goals I have made I
actually reached, therefore, setting the bar higher once again and making some goals in my head that I'm certain will eventually be reached. I now realize the sky is not the limit! there are no limits.

Hm...well I don't really know what visual aids to post with this post. I promise I'll get on the picture thing.

Next Stop Miami!

Could my life get any more interesting? I sometimes think about what I'm going to write on this blog and think nothing quite interesting is going on. But I'm beginning to realize it's quite the opposite. I landed in Orlando six days ago. I was a bit sad when I arrived at O'Hare in Chicago. That's always the case. And when I think about home I get a little teary eyed. But I know home will always be there. Needless to say when I touched down in Orlando that adrenaline rush, that excitement and flurry of being in a new place, washed over me. The roar of jets coming and going and the bustle of the people going to and fro in the airport always gives me a thrill.

I now work for a company called ZV Media. ZV Media does a lot of things. In fact, just about anything tech related they can do. For the most part what I am training to do right now is build out websites. When I say this, I mean there is a process from start to finish when a client signs on to use our company. First we buy the domain for them, then we register all of their information into our database, then we build out a pretty nice site for them and then we open a google applications account for them. Although I'm not programming and doing coding from scratch, I am learning a whole lot about photoshop, css, html and php coding. The company is new, and building every day. I'm not making much from start but I am taking a chance. I really believe in the company and most of all the people running it. My bosses are super cool and very hard working and enthusiastic for business. That's the gut instinct that had me take this opportunity and go with it. Some may think it's crazy to pick and go learn a new profession but really any profession for me is a new profession unless I want to be a paralegal again. I'm happy to have that experience under my belt but I'm not interested in going back into an office five days a week eight hours a day any time soon.

So it's been a week and we've mostly been working but last night I went to my first Ice Bar. We only stayed in the ice room for about ten minutes to take pictures but it was something I had never seen before so it was cool. As always I ran into a few people I know from the house music scene and people that know people that I know back in Chicago and Indiana. I swear I should go into networking. There's rarely a place I go where I don't have some kind of connection with someone. And now? I wake up Saturday morning and get the news. We're driving to MIAMI and the Florida Keys!!! Um. Yea. I am beginning to like Florida a lot. It's weather is amazing...I mean it's warm out and it's the middle of January. It's MISERABLE right now in the Midwest. The weather affects my mood and mental well being like whoa. I wouldn't mind trying somewhere in California too where the weather remains mild but you can access the beach or the mountains within an hour or so drive whichever way. I love mountains. I love the ocean. I must admit I would like to find someone who has the same vision as me. To flit about the world or the country and make a home base in somewhere like California or a place as I just mentioned that is close to mountains and ocean all in a days trip. Or even better, have a place in Chicago and somewhere else. I don't know, just a twosome, a team to make whatever decisions we make together and have someone to do life with. Alas, there are some things you can't buy, money and love. So until then, I continue on my path with me, myself, and I. And all the lovely people I meet and befriend along the way. And what a good life it is. :)

Here's the hilarity for the day....and this is why I fit right in here with these people in Orlando. We laugh every day about something or other. Recently A stumbled upon this website for an "attorney" supposedly here in Orlando. He was joking and sent the guy an email asking him if he wanted us to do a new website for him. Just please check out http://www.bobduljohnsonattorneyatlaw.biz/ Seriously you can't help but chuckle at the very least. Anyway...the guy wrote him back several times with hilarious witty responses. For real the guy should go on a night time talk show. If he is a lawyer, it's an interesting approach for business. lol. BJ, Bobdul Johnson. lmao.

Laughter and Forgetting

There's a book I read, "The Book Of Laughter And Forgetting". There's a lot of laughter in life. And a lot of forgetting. But how is it that we come to forget the things we forget? Or remember the things we remember? I like laughing. Depends on what I'm forgetting if I like forgetting it or not. Funny thing huh?

Anyway....Central America and all of its peculiarities don't cease to amaze me. I'm made fun of for lawn furniture in my bedroom and suicide showers. Today at my old apartment, where friends of mine now live, there was a nasty sounding snake found in the doorway, literally of their apartment. Black with yellow or red or yellow and red diamonds on it. Small head. Literally between the wooden door that gets shut and the iron gate that sits outside of the door. I've found large frogs/toads in my kitchen sink and under my sink, I've had cockroach madness, and I've seen stingrays in the water, hell, I've even seen a snake on the beach and in the rainforest, but never in between my two doors at my apartment. Creepy. Last night I was sitting in my bed and I saw an ant carrying a small (but bigger than the ant) dead black crunchy looking spider across my wall. The circle of life won, I killed it with my shoe. That won't stop more from wandering around in my house in the jungle.

My favorite store, wait, no, my favorite two stores here are the Libreria and Gollo. The Libreria is kind of a mix between a toy store, a paper store and a craft store. But you can get all sorts of stuff there if you know what they have. Backpacks, toys, games, wrapping paper, notebooks, coloring books, crayons, erasers, drawing paper, paint, glitter, learn Spanish books, Costa Rica hand held flags, memory sticks and SD cards, adapter for international plugs, pens, graph paper, music paper, all sorts of fun crafty stuff. Gollo is magic. I bought a mirror for $8 where the hardware store (Ferreteria) wanted $40 for a cheap flimsy mirror. Gollo is the answer to every cost effective person's dream in Jaco. Ashtrays, makeup, dog beds, closet organizers, candle holders, towels, linens....i guess it's just like a walmart or target but cheaper and smaller. Hard to explain, kinda like a dollar store.

Yep, now I lay in my bed and look at my beautiful green surfboard and hope that I can get all my work done so I can go surfing soon. It's very interesting to reflect on how I felt when I left Jaco and how I felt when I arrived in Chicago and how I felt when I left Chicago and now how I feel upon my arrival in Jaco this time. I've met new people, got to know others that I felt farther away from before whom now I am closer to, both here and back home. Life is so interesting isn't it? Kinda had a doldrum day but thinking about how weird and fun life is makes me remember, and laugh. :)