In need of a break

This is my fourth week of school? I am thinking it is, but however many days and minutes and seconds I've been back in school, it feels like a lifetime.  They've got me running around and reading and getting up earlier than I feel comfortable doing.  Man, who do they think they are? Just kidding, but really, I am tired.  

The video business is done and over, or at least my part.  My part involved lots of running around and doing silly things like picking up alligator heads and food and models and whatever else we needed.  It was hot the first day, then cold the next, and then the generator broke.  We had to add an extra day, which was probably for the best in the long run.  So now that the video is done, and I've quite my job (two more weeks!) I know I am still going to be busy.  Did summer or the last eight months of my life even happen? It feels like a dream.

Lina is getting bigger yet peeing on carpets and what not as if we just picked her up.  She has however stopped screaming/crying as much which is a major advancement.  Bradley pays attention to her more but still chooses his long dog naps during the day as opposed to letting Lina bite his ears with her puppy teeth.  

As the days wear on, Chicago is starting to feel like Chicago again.  The winds have shifted and layers are being added to my daily wardrobe.  Soon enough I am going to have to riffle through my storage room and find all my winter clothes.  I suppose everything else in my life is coming up roses. If only I could figure out how to add more hours into a day.

Puppy Land: Land o' Pee Puddles

The new puppy has arrived.  Lina is a little fluff ball who has many talents such as screaming, peeing from excitement, eating Bradley's toys, and a never ending supply of energy.  Aside from the screaming (which I didn't know dogs could do) and the pee, she's an adorably amazing little pooch.  I should note that Lina is named after Angelina and thus we have Brangelina. Bradley is so enthused, ha.

Besides puppy time, school has started again. I am just finishing my first week and I've already had a quiz, a paper due next wednesday, and two project drafts due next week. For those of you who think college is easy, then maybe you want to take my place. In addition to the whole school business, the video shoot is coming along slowly but surely.  Lack of sleep, school, new puppy problems, and the million things that need to get done for the shoot make for zombie Sarah. Luckily though, I haven't gotten back into drinking too much coffee or red bull, so far I am good on my black tea and fruit. We'll see how long that lasts.

Mom and Dad came into town last weekend.  We went to the Chicago History Museum, which was something I had wanted to do all summer.  They have a life sized Chicago dog and lots of other neat treasures.  

Moms.

Bikes!

Siblings.  Where's the finger Reas?

He's going to kill me later.

Bradleys!

Lina!

6 AM, getting ready for school.

time lapse

So, its not like my life has been terribly busy but its either been really exciting and fun or I've been really tired and napping, so that's basically why I haven't updated this business. My friends are fun, Bradley is still cute, summer is awesome, and the bike is treating me well.  Last week was Lollapalooza which I like to pretend doesn't happen (sorry to those who like it). Anyhoo, as my friends and I were avoiding the downtown frenzy we went to Rainbo.  Its a bit of a hipster haven so I guess we shouldn't have been surprised to run into Jack White there, but as an added bonus Ed Westwick from Gossip Girl was there (he's also in a band).  Basically Jack White pretends like he knows my friends and I and then bought us drinks and hung out.  It was pretty exciting if you ask me. 

In other interesting news I am working on Evan and Antoine's new music video with Joe and Shayssa and a bunch of other kids.  Not that I know a thing about music videos but I am responsible (more so than a lot of kids my age) so I am production manager and my job is to make sure we're on schedule and yell at people and stuff.  The job is perfect if you ask me.  I am Ari Gold, ha.  We shoot the video the last weekend of August and it should be pretty crazy/interesting/fun.  I'll be sure to take pictures of the shoot and post them. But anyhoo, here are a few pictures of pretty much nothing. Just some things I've shot that I like. 

Chicago looking over the highway. Favorite bike ride. 

Chicago had a hurricane the other day, it was either that or a sign of the Apocalypse.  Diana, Bradley and I hung out in the stairwell after the tornado sirens went off and then went back inside when we heard that the roof door was open and people yelling.

Work, I've seen some interesting things from this window.

Das...

Its been quite a few days since I've updated which is quite all right with me. A lot has happened in that amount of time but the best has been my vacation to Grand Lake, CO. Upon thinking of all the time I've spent there, I've deduced that its almost like a second home considering I've spent most of the summers of my young life there.  Its been about four years since I've been there so this visit was much needed.  Most of my family (all 9 or so of us) met in G.L. for perfect weather. The high points were: relaxing, catching a day of M sailboat races, watching the adults act like 20 year olds (now I know where I get my party/fun gene from), rock candy, walking to town, my new boots, and consistent cocktail cruises around the lake every evening. For better or for worse, there really is no place like G.L. 

Other than my little getaway I've been taking advantage of these few summer months that I have left.  Working at Feast isn't the most rewarding place to work but I've come to enjoy it.  Hopefully this time next year I will have connected at least a few dots in my head about what I want to do, and maybe be in a different city? Who knows. I am about to go see the new Batman which I can't wait for and I saw Mamma Mia! the other night in Denver.  Let's just say I have ABBA stuck in my head to the point that I've downloaded their greatest hits. I think I spent too long in europe.  So since I can't remember all that's happened in the last two weeks, here's a photo recap.  

Reas and I gave Bradley a bath.  He looks like a drowned rat but we love him anyway.

I like this dog more than I do most people.  He's a jerk but look how cute he is. 

Kenton and I enjoyed the holiday that is 7-11.  Free slurpies at most 7-11's is a glorious thing.  

Laura and Susie and Sparks. This is a pretty normal situation. 

So I went to this moped rally party, which was aptly called the "bro-b-q". While the joke was that they were making fun of bro's, the real joke was that they are real bro's.  This picture sums up that night.  I think I was pouring beer on them from the roof, but after them yelling "bro's first!" and preventing us from getting a beer I think they deserved it.  

Reas and Diana drove me from Denver to G.L. in this convertable. I liked the drive through the mountains but it got a little shakey when we were driving up and up with no guard rail and a foot between us and the edge of the cliff.

Mom likes kayaking.

Reas, Diana, and I stayed in the boat house.  It was perfect and this is the living room set up. Check out that leopard print foot rest. 

The old house.  

The yacht club. Its like 100+ years old. 

Guys picture. 

There was a full moon while we were there.  I wish this picture was better but it was too dark to do much.  G.L. is at an elevation of about 8,000 feet so the sky is impecably clear. 

This is Reas' signature pose.  I think you could look at any family picture from when he was 10 or 12 and he'd be pulling the same move.  

I don't know how people have the time to blog. Here I am having trouble updating every week and my schedule isn't very demanding at all, while there are other people who blog like every hour. Oh well, all I know is that it's summer and I've been doing lots of summer things which don't include computers or blogs.  Bradley and  I took a two hour walk last week, well we kind of had to but it was fun none the less. I've also been having swimming pool escapades which may or may not include mace. Long story short, there is such a thing as loving your job to much.  Anyhoo, Reas and I went to KC for the 4th of July. The trip was short and sweet, but if I had stayed any longer I think I would have exploded. The 4th was pretty tame, there was lots of food and lounging and tandem bike rides with Dad.  I've found that its really hard to find something to do in KC and incredibly easy to find things going on in Chicago, especially since its summer. That may seen rather obvious but its incredible how slow KC is, but that may just be because I know about 3 people there now. Next week I am going to Grand Lake for a week. I figured out that it was when Pitchfork is going on which sucks because I know lots of kids that are coming in that I'd like to see. Outdoor festivals aren't my thing but hanging out with good kids is.  Anyhoo, this is my week or so of picture updates.  

Grade school playground on Oakley.  This huge child climbing thing creeps me out.

"Elvis House" on Damen. It really is called this. 

Before 12 or even 1 Milwaukee is fairly dead.  Bradley and I go on walks and then end up here for some people watching and siren howling.  

First McDonald's in 6 or 7 months.  Airport breakfast.

Back of the Western Auto sign in KC.  

Jamie and I went to some lame 4th party.  I was trying to take a picture of a guy passed out in a closet full of Discovery Zone balls but instead these guys made me take their picture.  I guess in a way they sum up the lameness of the whole party. 

you know what happens when you assume...

I got bored for the first time the other day. It was around 5 so I decided to take pooch on a long walk. I guess that's a semi good way to deal with boredom, it was either a walk or ride my bike but I hate riding my bike during rush hour for fear that I might get run over.  Plus riding my bike resolves night time boredom, not day boredom. I had my first night ride the other night and it was a much needed one.  I love riding through the quiet neighborhoods and down Chicago Ave. and when I hit the bridge that goes over the highway you have the perfect view of the city.  I think seeing the city like that is one of my favorite Chicago moments. Summer nights and riding bikes go very well together.

Today I went over to Chris's to pick some stuff up and he gave me the Rainbo calendar poster that I totally forgot about.  The background of the poster is of photobooth pictures and Chris and I are in one of them.  There are a bunch of other kids on it too like Alicia and Raneta, Casey and the other Rodan bartenders, and other familiar faces that I don't know names of.  The picture of Chris and I is lovely, I think I am pretending to pick his nose, go figure. I like that they did that for their calendar, brings back tons of good photobooth memories. 

I start back at Feast tomorrow. Kind of excited to have a job again and to see old co-workers and also kind of nervous that I am going to mess something up per usual, oh well. Lately its been hot and humid making me not want to be outside but you can't waste a summer in Chicago by being inside, you'll regret it when the winter chill hits.  Other than that I've been to my storage unit a million times it seems. I guess I still haven't totally settled down since most of my belongings are in storage right now.  I did however get my bike out so me and my trusty ride are roaming the streets again.  There was lots of stuff that I was thinking I should write in this but apparently not.  I am going back to KC for 4th of July with Reas.  Should be fun to have a family hang out and to play with Murphy.  

Anyhoo, I keep either forgetting to take my cameras with me or just can't take them with me so I've been taking pictures on my cell phone.  I'll spare you all the pictures of Bradley but here are some more goings on with me and my city. 

Something I really like about Chicago are the names of stores.  I used to live on Ashland and across the street was a place called "Very Best Dry Cleaners".  "Always Open" is a good one too, I don't know I just think its funny because its so obvious. 

So this is the park that they've spent the last year or two working on.  It used to be a gravel pit filled with trash, its pretty now and there's a ledge to skate there so there's fun for everyone.  There are some things that I don't like about though, which are the people who use it as a dog park and take their dogs off their leashes and the old men that go there to tan. Two things my days could do without seeing. 

Laura and I saw this dog in Buffalo Exchange. Its wearing a Tutu. 

We hang out on Laura's porch a lot and watch the bike riders and softball games going on across the street.  Its summer and I like doing things that involve friends and porches.

summerrrr

Obviously I've totally slacked at posting, but I am back to the grind. Being in KC was relaxing and I had some good times with friends such as Amber and Ali.  After KC I finally made it back to Chicago so now I am here trying to get on some kind of schedule but that's pretty hard since its summer and the whole point of summer is not having a schedule. I've been doing a lot of walking Bradley, riding my bike, and hanging out with Laura and Suzy. Some highlights of being back have been seeing Monika and Chadwick and eating at Chicago Diner all in one night (their vegan "milk"shakes are amazing), going to see Katie A. in her new band Bromance minus the getting really lost finding the venue, seeing Crystal Castles for free at Double Door, actually the best part of that was the free part but also the actually getting in and the sweaty uber excited kids parts weren't too bad either, and group bike rides are always nice.  

The weather has been pretty amazing lately, little to no humidity and in the 70's or low 80's.  Yesterday was a perfect day, slept in, went on a good run, layed out on the roof with Reas and Diana, helped Kenton move, hit up pizza metro with Kenton and pooch, saw Curt and Josh play at Sonotheque with Laura and Suzy, went to Rodans, ran into some friends on Milwaukee and came home.  Down points of the evening were that I got a flat on my bike and lost my favorite sweater but those things are easily fixed. Anyhoo I got my job back at Feast which is good news for the pocket book.  I am actually excited to work there again, mainly because its really easy and I have a super flexible schedule. Tomorrow is free day at the Chicago History Museum so I think I am going to hit that up.  I want to go to one of the museums once a week this summer. Kelly and I have a thing called Adventure Wednesdays where we do something interesting in the city and just have a fun day, so I am adding another day to my week which is Museum Day.  I just want to get in as much fun and adventuring as I can this summer because its my last one. After this its all business and no fun. Anyhoo here are some random pictures from my daily goings on. 

View from the roof. I am going to be hanging out here a lot this summer.

This is where I hang out a lot in the morning. I watch people ride their bikes down the street and the cars slam on their brakes because they didn't see the speed bump. 

Puerto Rican Fest! Its officially summer in Chicago.

Crystal Castles. We waited in line for 30 minutes for this business. Good thing it was fun, and free.

Kelly is going to kill me for putting this up here, but I think she looks cute. I missed this lady lots while I was gone.

Ali is hiding and Amber is obviously having fun. Alex just wants to know what's going on.