It's so cold in the C

Cold, warm, cold, slightly warm, and then too cold.  Chicago is like being in a bad relationship with it's mood swings.  The ice has returned to the streets and sidewalks so my bike has been put away again.  Besides not wanting to leave the house, I've been busy busy busy.  Crossfader King had an event on Valentines day which went well.  It was Emilio's b-day also so cake and champagne were had. You can't beat that can you? Anyhoo, now we're working on a monthly event over at Sonotheque in West Town.  

Since my Saturday was busy, Dan and I did our Valentines stuff on Friday and went to Azucar in Logan Square for the best tapas I've had in Chicago.  The place is pretty small which gave it a personal feeling, the food and drinks were amazing, plus it wasn't that expensive either. Go here to check out their website. If you go there, try the artichoke hearts!

Aside from work and eating well I've been working my butt off at school.  Class every morning at either 8:30AM or 9:30AM sucks if you live an hour away.  Plus isn't your last semester of school supposed to be the easiest? Apparently not.  But I am almost done and I shouldn't complain since I am graduating on time. 

Since I am incapable of finding a scanner here are some more mobile finds to keep you occupied. 

Metropolis Coffee shop bathroom. People write the dumbest stuff in bathrooms and it's not even interesting.

Watching tv.

Ukrainian Village store front.  This place is a travel agency by the way.

Mimosas and reading.  Things that you think go well together but actually don't.  

A year ago I had just gotten to Dublin. Time flies by quickly.

It's Winter. Still.

It's only January and I want to escape. I am currently accepting invitations to exotic places but in case that doesn't pan out, there is an advertisement trying to sell me heated clothes and I am giving it second thoughts right about now. My only fear is that it's basically a heated blanket and that I'll suddenly burst into flames. Despite the cold good things are happening. I've fulfilled, at least temporarily, one of my new year's resolutions. I am currently employed as the PR intern for Crossfader King. It's fun and challenging and hopefully will open doors to more things so all is well in that department. On the other hand I am failing as a photographer. I haven't done a single thing but I have a assignment due next thursday so be on the lookout for that. Besides that you should look at the stuff below. The Cool Kids video that I worked on this summer is finally out so take a look here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b_ty5VuOk0

escape route.

I hate this add campaign. They had to add the Gatorade sign so that people could even know what it is for.

Crepe bake.

Things to do

Its a new month, and a new year, thus time to update the old blog. I had a lovely and relaxing Christmas in Kansas City. Despite the grizzly weather I go there a week prior to Christmas  and then Reas, Diana, and the dogs drove there on Christmas Eve.  The gifts were perfect, the food was amazing, and the company was wonderful. While we had a white Christmas, it has also been really weird but we all seemed to have survived.  60 degree weather during the winter in the midwest is weird and scary.  

New Years was good mainly because Dan came back on the 30th from his european excursions.  We went to a party with a bunch of his friends, ate like fiends because we hadn't eaten all day, and happily enjoyed the open bar.  Later on we went to another party where I played with a dog that looked like Bradley but bigger. So far 2009 is good but that's probably because school doesn't start until the 12th so my worries seem to be a million miles away.  

Since its a new year we're supposed to have resolutions.  I don't actually remember ever making any but a few things that need to get done this year are:

1) Get a job after I graduate (i think my parents would approve of this one) 

2) Work on photo stuff more and more 

3) Be more positive. Apparently the older I get the more negative I am thus since I am only 22 I thought that I should at least slow down the negative progression.  This is the year of me holding my tongue...or at least trying to.  "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all". 

So there you go.  Here's to 2008, you were a grand adventurous fun filled year, and here's to 2009 - may you be better than the last but not as good as the next. 

The birth of 2009.

John and Dan and some inventive lighting.

Obama.

Camouflage Lina.

Lina wears Bradley's hand-me-downs.  A true younger sister.

Mom's Christmas card picture. 

Sarah and Reas circa 1989? 

Murphy.

Don't stare into her eyes.

This made me miss my flight to Kansas City.  So much snow.

Slip Sliding

Its definitely winter in Chicago. Besides the twenty degree weather, I also took a fall on the ice today which tells me, no more bike riding. I've actually become quite the scaredie cat lately.  I got into my first bike wreck on Halloween and since then I've taken my sweet time riding the buses and taking more cab rides than I'd like to reveal.  

Besides snow, ice, and the uncomfortable cold, winter also means finals. Thursday was my last day of real class and while finals start next week, I've somehow gotten incredibly lucky and only have three finals of which only one is a written test.  All those years of all nighters during finals week seem a million miles away and I somehow cannot even imagine doing them now.  My deepest thoughts are with those of whom will be sleepy eyed and pumped full of red bull in the library in the coming week.

Now on to the visual part.  Here are a million pictures starting with Thanksgiving and then randoms from my cell phone. 

Mom.

Dad.

Ian and Joy.

Turkey.

Peek-a-boo Bradley.

She had a hundred dollar bill on her hat. This plane was going to KC and then to Oklahoma.

North and Clyborn Redline. Northbound. 

The RedEye is everywhere.

This makes me happy. It would make me happier if it wasn't in this elongated comic sans font though.

Yes He Did

In the almost four years that I've lived in Chicago I've seen a lot of history.  I was at the Sox stadium when they won the world series, I've walked in my share of protests, but among those and other such things, this past Tuesday was the biggest.  People were excited and scared to go downtown and I didn't know what to expect either.  However when I got down to Grant Park there were no tensions, just happily anxious people.  The scene was likened to Taste of Chicago, minus the food poisoning and the rednecks.  There were millions of cameras, flags, vendors, hugging and kissing, and friends making me very happy that so many people cared.  With all of this Dan and I walked around, me taking pictures and him filming it.  All and all it was an amazing night.  Since I apparently have a problem with posting, here are a bunch of pictures, with the latter half being from Tuesday.  

A photo project I did with Bradley. 

Dan

Britton

Old man in Wicker Park.

Reas as the "first dude" aka Sarah Palin's husband.

Dan is Romanian and is applying for US citizenship now.  

Christian and his girlfriend.  A few of the many people we ran into downtown.

Right after they announced that Obama had won.

"Obama is my homeboy" t-shirt. Expect this at your local Urban Outfitters.