ugly saturday

Alright, I'll be honest. I just spent my entire Saturday night watching Ugly Betty reruns and the season finale on http://www.abc.com/ and even though I recognize how undeniably lame this makes me, I loved

every

single

second

of it!

happy happy hour

I got to enjoy one of my very first happy hours since joining the workforce tonight! For the past couple of years, I've either been sitting on a plane sipping nothing more than complimentary tomato juice or stuck on the Kennedy fighting rush hour traffic, probably drinking day-old diet coke from the console. Tonight, since I had to be in the city for Victor H's vet appointment, I got to join my friends at Sheffields, a classic Wrigleyville establishment with a great outdoor patio. The weather's been so weird this June we weren't sure it would be a go, but lo and behold, the weather held out and I finally got to indulge in one of the few wonderful weekly rituals of adulthood: happy hour!

Here's GD and I, enjoying our elusive post-work week cocktails with friends:

(Sadly, my happiness quickly turned into sleepiness, and I fell asleep sitting upright a few hours later. Hey, at least I gave it the ol' 'college try!')

summer is coming! finally...maybe...sort of

The last two days were spent in leisurely pursuit of the perfect summer weekend: baseball, good food, cold beer, fireworks, and a nice long stroll in the woods. Even though it was rainy and cold here in Chicagoland, we didn't let that dampen our fun (pardon the super-lame pun). I'm trying to fully savor each free moment and lazy Sunday afternoon, since I know they will be few and far between before long!

I went with GD and his fam last night to a Kane County Cougars team, the local feeder team for the Oakland A's. GD's dad was generous enough to buy a box for the whole crew, which was incredibly nice, especially since it cold and rainy...and all you can eat and drink food and bevs didn't hurt either. I have to say, though, the highlight of the night wasn't the baseball but the Zooperstars!, a motley crew of mascots including Harry Canary and Beary Bonds. I was a little disappointed tho- woulda loved to have seen this guy when GD and I were at the Phoenix Suns a few months back:

http://www.zooperstars.com/Characters/Shaquille_OSeal.asp

Even though the suburbs usually elicit an irrepressible groan and eye-roll, GD's parent's place in Wayne, Illinois is both peaceful and beautiful. It's a tiny town on the outskirts of suburbia, and instead of Walgreens and cookie-cutter homes, the neighborhood is replete with prairies, creeks, and forests.

GD and I spend this afternon hiking along the marshes. It was beautiful, but I made the bad choice of wearing my new ann taylor sandals, which badly need broken in. By the end of the hike I was hobbling barefood on my tippy toes since my heels were covered with blisters. I always have to fight new sandals to break them in, however...and while they may have won the battle, I will (I must!) win the war.

Sadly, due to my fashion fau pax, we had to take the road more traveled by...

But it was still quite pretty!

book it!

Today, GD and I headed to the loop to check out the Printer's Row Lit Fest, the largest book fair in the midwest this summer. (GD standing for human Garbage Disposal, since at any given meal, he consumes most of my food food & leftovers).

Although the book fair is any grad student's dream come true, GD and I are trying to practice fiscal restraint, since he's recently unemployed and we're both heading into loads of debt this fall. So, we walked around and gazed at all the pretty books and posters, but collected free bookmarks instead of books:

Plus, for me, shopping in used bookstores is a skill and an art, requiring shelves upon shelves of deliciously musty books, as well as ample space to sit and to sort tales of loves lost from cookbooks and poetry so I can figure out which of my newfound friends are keepers. At the bookfair, people crowded around the tables like pigs at a trough, making it difficult to fully enjoy a good browse.

Heading out of the fair, though, I discovered a tent filled with a book-lover's dream come true: books of all types for $1 apeice!

I was even more delighted to discover that this magical station was being run by a local non-profit organization, Open Books, which uses all profits from its sales to fund its various literacy programs around Chicago. Who could pass up such a win-win?

Sadly, however, I had a couple of beauties picked out, but only 4 quarters to spare...until this kindly gentleman came along to the rescue

Thanks to GD, I purchased Cider House Rules by one of my favorite authors, John Irving, as well as classic The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. I don't personally consider myself a feminist, but I do think it's important to understand the remarkable women, sociological context, and movement that enabled me to do things I take for granted, like go to grad school and have a career.

(You can't see it, but the original pricetag on Feminine Mystique is only $1.50...this book is truly an American classic!)

Also, hopefully, in addition to volunteering for the annual Newberry Library Booksale, I will get a chance to volunteer for Open Books...what an incredible organization!

http://www.open-books.org/programs.php