A weekend with my friend..

Back in August, one of my friends came over to hangout.  We talked and caught up with what's going on, but we were having a hard time figuring out what to do.  We could have easily stayed in, especially since it started to rain when she came over.  But after a glass of wine, and when the rain stopped, we decided to head down to Logan Square to check out my friend's restaurant.  It opened last summer, and I felt TERRIBLE I haven't been able to check it out.  Hence, here was my opportunity to see how things were going for him.
Masada is a middle eastern restaurant which features live music and dancing.  I loved the décor when I walked in!  I felt I was in a far away destination!  We found the owner and chatted with him on how things have been.  It was a pretty cool evening.  We smoked hookah and danced the night away.  I love surprise evenings...
The next day my friend invited me to the Cuban Festival in Reis Park.  I've never been before and was excited to see what all the hype was about.  Of course, there was plenty of salsa music, and food galore.  Luckily it didn't rain on us.  I loved seeing people dance!  I'm a terrible salsa dancer, but watching everyone gave me the itch to try to learn.  I ended up taking lessons after softball season was over.  I didn't have the guts to show off my moves, but it definitely made me want to improve on my skills.  Practice makes perfect!
Afterwards we headed back to Masada for more Arabic fun!  My friend wanted to show her boyfriend the new place we discovered, and he loved it as well.  In a weird sense, that weekend felt like a mini getaway.  It's nice to feel "away" sometimes...

With the owner of Masada restaurant...

Having fun with the hookah!

Dancing the night away...

The next day checking out the Cuban Festival in Reis Park,

Hanging out in the cigar section...

I love these two...

Good times

LOVED the live music! 

Back at Masada after the festival...

Lollapalooza 2015!

In the real world, October is almost over.  But in my blogging world, I'm finally entering the month of August.  This was a pretty eventful month for me; probably the most of the whole year.  It's hard to put into words what I have learned in 2015 so far.  So many things have changed in my life yet  somehow nothing really happened to me.  I feel different inside.  But let's get this blogging-party started with Lollapalooza! 
Lollapalooza for me is by far the best music festival in Chicago.  I love the fact they have different music for different genres.  I did not get tickets this year because I knew I wanted to save up for my upcoming trip.  I ended up watching the live streaming online for TheWeeknd and Kaskade on Friday.  It gave me the itch to go down there Saturday and find a spot outside the venue.  I heard Sam Smith's sweet voice, and danced to Alesso and Tove Lov.  The energy from the outside is just as magnifying as being inside!  People have picnics and listen to the music.  There's a lot of people watching, and sometimes it gets pretty entertaining.  I always get a kick out of seeing folks try to weasel their way in. 
I had a friend who purchased the 3 day pass, and he wanted me to go with him on Sunday.  But with no tickets, that was going to be difficult.  We checked online for stub hub and they were still pretty high.  Eventually, as the day went on, the prices started to drop.  We gathered up enough cash and headed our way down there.  In the end, we ran into someone selling their wristband.  Yes it was risky, but for me, it's a risk worth taking to be a part of this party!  We ran inside and danced the night away at Perry's stage.  I had a blast, and although I only had a few hours to experience it, I had so much fun!  Until next year Lolla!

In my happy place!!

Lol.  This did not last long!

Perry's Stage was insane!



This picture sums it up!  I had a blast again at Lollapalooza!

Ending July with an Act of God...

UGH!!!  One of the most frustrating things that could happen to someone!  A pipe burst.  And to happen when I was at work.  I started to cry when my landlord called me.  I couldn't believe it.  To make matters worse, it was early in the morning too.  Around 8:30am.  I cringe just thinking about it.  Mostly because you feel helpless.  Mostly because you wonder why me?  My landlord called me back to explain the situation once he soaked up all the water.  He said it was an act of God.  But what did that mean? 
Sometimes in life, you wonder why certain things happen to you and not someone else.  Were you "chosen" to go through this?  What did this experience teach me?  Why was a pipe burst an act of God?  There will always be pivotal moments that will be unexplainable.  What matters in the end is how you react to these unfortunate incidents.
Let's face it.  We've all heard how bad things happen to good people.  Being "good" offers no protection from Life's misfortunes.  It's a terrifying reality that we face daily.  There are times when I think my life is pretty boring, but then I quickly remind myself that it could change in an instant.  It  could change into something I'm not ready to handle yet. 
At the time, my co-workers calmed me down a bit.  They re-assured me that my apartment is pretty old, and things will break down from time to time.  It happens.  That made me feel a bit better because they were right.  What was once new will become old.  This can be applied to ourselves as well.  We all will die eventually, this we know.  But how and when is the question. 
If it weren't for my friends at work, I would have been a mess for the rest of the day.  I went home early to see the damage myself, and luckily it wasn't so bad.  My landlord placed a bunch of fans around and left the air conditioner on to dry up the humidity in the apartment.  Unfortunately, my neighbors downstairs had it worse than me, which to this day I feel pretty guilty about it.  This affected other people and I couldn't help but feel responsible.  Since it happened on a Thursday, I stayed with a friend at their place that night, but on Friday when I came home from work, I went straight to the gym.  My apartment was noisy from all the fans that it sounded as if I had a  jet engine running!  I was getting aggravated.  Luckily my girlfriend wanted to grab some drinks at a rooftop bar.  I figured that will kill a couple of hours.  I showered up and ran out of there because I started to get a headache from all the noise.  We ended up at Kensington Roof Garden and then went downstairs to where Parliament Nightclub was located once it got late.  Due to the noise ordinance in Chicago, most rooftops are closed by 11:30pm.  We danced for a bit then headed to Room 7 and ended our night there.  I was happy my friends were around to hangout with me.  I had the fans running the rest of the weekend, and by Monday night, I felt my place had dried up enough to turn off the fans and air conditioner.  I had to get rid of a bunch of stuff too.  Mostly things that were under my bathroom sink.  Oh yeah, the water that was spilling all over the place was hot water.  Go figure...

Kensington Roof Garden was a great place!  Me and my friends had a great time there...

Checking out the scene at Room Seven...

A hot night in July but we made the most of it...

Family Life...

Still got lots to blog about concerning events back in July.  I need to finish this month quickly before the holidays take place.  Back in July my dad had family visiting us from Puerto Rico.  Most of my dad's side of my family never moved to Chicago.  This was a nice change in pace since my dad is usually the one who goes out and visits them. 
For the most part, my dad was absent when I was a kid.  My parents divorced when I was eight years old.  Things got kind of messy because I remember my mom saying bad things about him.  Whether or not they were true about him, I wouldn't know, but one thing DID stand out and that was the fact that he was never around.  Period.  I remember him visiting us one or twice every 6 months at first, but then it turned into years, and he would disappear.  My mom really needed money from him, but he did not pay child support.  She would try to call him at work, but he would not pick up the phone.  There were moments when she worked two jobs to support us.  I was still pretty young.  It was a nerve wrecking time for us because she would leave us alone a lot to be at work.  This was back in the late 80s and the laws were less strict because divorce was not as common as they are now.  My mom eventually hired a lawyer, and in the end, they brought my dad to court.  If he didn't agree to pay for back pay, he was going to go to jail. 
My mom won the case and my dad indeed DID pay for back pay child support.  But by now I was already 18 years old.  I was already an adult.  It was a bitter sweet victory for us, but he still did not come around as much. 
I moved out of my mom's apartment when I was 20 years old.  I got my own place with my boyfriend at the time.  Little by little my dad started to pop back into our lives, but I was over it.  I had my new life and I was a young adult ready to move things forward with my boyfriend.  Eventually our relationship fizzled out 5 years later, but I refused to move back home.  I had too much pride in asking anyone for help.  I ended up moving in with two friends of mine temporarily. 
My brothers started having a relationship with our father.  I was confused because I had no desire to spend time with him, but my brothers jumped at the chance whenever he called.   As time moved on,  I basically saw him whenever it was convenient for me and never made the effort.  I was too busy, or really didn't care to see him as well.  What for?  I needed him back then when I was a kid, not now as an adult. 
When I reached 31 years old, my dad brought us together and told us he wanted us to come with him to Puerto Rico to meet the rest of our aunts and uncles.  I wasn't interested, but my mom took me aside and told me to go.  "You don't understand.  I just never thought he would come back.  You should meet them."  I was taken aback.  I didn't realize I was holding it against him that he wasn't around most of my life.  I was holding a grudge, and my mom was telling me to let it go. 
How do you let it go?  So many emotions come to mind, but I was surprised she was telling me this.  Especially since she always made him sound bad.  In actuality, I really didn't know my dad very well.  Maybe this trip was a way to get to know him and see what he's about.
When me and my brothers went to Puerto Rico, one thing that stood out the most was how "surprised" people were whenever our dad introduced us as his children.  They had no idea he had a family.  I didn't know what to make of it at the time, but looking back, I wonder why he hid us in the first place.  What was it about us that made him disappear? 
I did enjoy meeting our aunts and uncles, and listening to stories about their upbringing.  My grandfather (my dad's dad) passed away pretty young at 45, so my dad ended up taking over taking care of his mom and the rest of his brothers and sisters.  To this day, he still sends money over there to support them financially. 
As to why he never did this with us is still a mystery to me.  For the most part, my mom told me when I was a young girl to take care of myself and to support myself because "men leave".  From that moment on, I never relied on anyone to support me financially.  I tried figuring it out myself.  I sometimes had a part-time job for play (makeup; clothes) as well as my full time job (rent, bills).
Now that I'm older, I'm still figuring out where to file certain people in my life.  It's a hard decision to make sometimes when people hurt you.   Sometimes all they teach you is how hurtful people can be, plain and simple...

The men in my life...

My aunts and uncles from Puerto Rico.  My Dad has a huge family out thee that never moved to Chicago...

The Longest DAY of the year Part 2

Trying to recap summer when it's fall is pretty challenging.  I'm terrible at blogging, but I want to get this moving before the holidays arrive.  That's when things get really hectic.  On my down time lately I've been trying to clean up my apartment a bit.  I've neglected that, too.  I usually clean my place on Saturdays but I've accumulated so much "junk" that I've decided to tackle my weekend projects in full force.  I've even got a list going so I can handle these tasks one by one.
Back to the LONGEST DAY of the year (so far).  I finished up my work party and went back home to freshen up, just so I could go BACK downtown to ANOTHER party right down the street where I was from originally.  lol.  Our work party ended at 9pm, plus we were under that sweltering sun for 4 hours.  I NEEDED a shower badly.  I ubered it home and decided to wear my neon orange strapless dress.  Since this birthday party was at a nightclub, I knew it wouldn't start hopping til after 11pm.  It gave me some time to unwind and rest for a bit.  Once I showered up, I got my second wind and headed to Parliament.  I was the first one there of my friends, so I made it over to the birthday boy's table.  He had bottle service.  Luckily they showed up soon, and we had a great time.  I danced so much my feet were killing me the next day.  We stopped by Time nightclub for a bit and called it a night.  I got home by 4am.  So technically, since it was a Friday and I had worked earlier that day, I was officially up 22 hours straight!  I had been up at 6am!  I was exhausted, but it was worth it.  Like I said, it's pretty common to pack so much in one day...


With the birthday boy himself...

Good times!

Over at Time Nightclub

What a night!

The Longest DAY of the year...

Re-capping July is much easier today.  The temperatures reached 77 degrees!!!  Chicago is very happy right now, plus the Cubs won the Wild Card game which entered them into the playoffs.  Yes, the Cubs are in the playoffs to win the World Series.  We're thrilled to see them reach this far.  Let's pray they keep going!!
The firm that I work for has two parties that everyone looks forward to.  One is the summer party where you can bring a guest, and the other is the holiday party which is for employees only.  This year's summer party was held at the Godfrey Hotel, which I LOVE because it's one of my favorite spots in the city.  Usually for work parties, I try to find a dress I can wear since it's something that doesn't happen very often.  I have friends that love to wear dresses, but for me, I have to really love it in order to get it in the first place.  I found this shift dress at H&M on sale, and people kept complementing me all day at work.  Not bad for $10!  I knew by the weather forecast that it was going to be HOT that day, so I had to look for something that would keep me cool.  The dress worked out perfectly for me. 
Our party started after 5pm with a trolley ride down LaSalle street.  Once we got up there, we made our way to the bar since it was scorching already.  The temperature was 95 degrees!!  We tried our best to keep cool, but the sun was beating on us the whole time.  I was pleasantly surprised people stuck around as long as they did.  The Godfrey Hotel is a gorgeous venue, so I know people wanted to enjoy the party as much as they could.  We made the most of our time there and left with the night still young.  It was over by 9pm, which worked out fine for me because I had to make it to another party later on, this time at a nightclub.  Thinking back, I can't believe I stayed out late as I did.  It's exhausting just thinking about it....lol.

Bring out the beer!

Staying cool under the hot sun!

Despite the HOT temperatures, we had a good time...

My paisley print shift dress from H&M!

Trying to find some shade for pics.  lol

Mamby On the Beach!!

In July I got a chance to go to a music festival and I loved it!!  There's no denying how much I love dance music.  Over the years I would attend as many as I could, but now that I'm older, my body can't physically take a full 3 day weekend of untz untz.  It can be exhausting.  I couldn't pass up this festival which was premiering by the beach.  Off I went on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
Me and my friends headed up to the main stage which oddly resembled the Sydney Opera House.  Hence, housemusic was playing and we were in heaven.  I had so much fun that day!  Since I had to work in the morning, we didn't stay for the whole thing, but we definitely got our music fix. 

LOVED the graphics at the main stage...

Packed house!

Good times!

Festival selfie...

They even had a teepee!  lol

October Blues

One of the things that drive me CRAZY about seasons changing is the fact that Chicago is never consistent.  It's never a gradual thing, that's why I feel I don't get to enjoy fall altogether because it jumps right into winter.  Not to mention, we are the windy city and it plays a major role in our weather forecast.  Right now it's been pretty gloomy and we've had mist/ rain all weekend.  I'm beginning to miss the sun terribly.  Looking back on July's events isn't helping either, but at least it makes me smile knowing I tried my best to enjoy my summer.
First up, July 4th!  Since this year it fell on a Saturday, Chicago was pretty empty by Thursday.  Lots of people travel back home for the holidays, so for the most part, things seem pretty quiet around here.  I went to a rooftop party to watch the neighborhood fireworks go off.   I LOVED IT!!  Neighborhoods were battling with each other on who threw the best show.  At one point, you didn't know where to look for some firework action!  I had a great time catching up with my friends...
The following weekend I headed out on a boat for a birthday party.  Everybody brought something to munch on.  We headed out to the Playpen on Lake Michigan.  For those who don't know, the "Playpen" is a spot right in front of the Chicago skyline where boats meet up and chain themselves together in order to have a huge party out on the lake.  There's music and dancing plus you get to make new friends.  The water was pretty choppy that day, and we didn't get a chance to stay out there too long due to the weather, but we had a blast regardless.  So far July was alright... 

Watching the fireworks go off on a rooftop party.  Are you excited about the new Star Wars movie?

My friend's baby is wearing her red, white and blue ensemble!

Poor baby looks tired here; but she was a trooper!

Boat party action the following weekend!

Too bad the water was to choppy and it started to rain on us.  It was my only time on the boat this summer...

Finishing up the month of June!

So far 2015 has been a difficult year but it didn't stop me from doing the things I wanted to do.  I struggled with days wondering if I would ever experience joy again, but then, out of nowhere, something wonderful would happen.  It's easy to disregard good thoughts when you feel you should be mourning, especially when there is a death in the family.  But Life can be beautiful, and you shouldn't ignore those precious moments.  Friends are your second family, and it was great whenever I got a chance to see them.  You wonder about the people who come in and out of your life.   Whether it's by choice or not, sometimes you get lost in the shuffle. 
Following up my birthday, was Father's Day, which fell on that Sunday.  On Friday for my actual birthday it was a brisk 68 degrees.  Hence me wearing my birthday-gift to myself.  On Saturday it warmed up to 77, but the rain wouldn't stop, putting a damper on the Taste of Randolph Fest.  But on Sunday it was beautiful!  A perfect summer's day with temps hitting 82 degrees!  I was excited that my friends wanted to get together and try the fest again.  I made my way down before I met up with my family later on.  It was nice walking around and soaking up the sun.  I didn't want to head out so soon, but my dad's wife wanted to have a Father's Day dinner.  My dad appreciated us showing up.
The following weekend, a friend was relocating to another city, so we decided to celebrate his new transition.  I often thought about relocating myself, but for the time being, I want to make sure my mom is ok.  We painted the town red!  Started off at Siena Tavern (my first time there) and then danced the night away at Underground.  I saw so many familiar faces that night.  People I haven't seen in 10 years!  It's funny how some things never change.  People chasing something they can't put their finger on.  I wish someone would catch me.  I'm right here.

Perfect Sunday for the Taste Of Randolph Fest!

Good luck on your move!

First round of drinks at Siena Tavern!

Underground with new friends!

This place is always packed!

Throwback Thursday to my BIRTHDAY!!!

One of the things that bother me about my birthday (besides getting older) is the fact that it falls in June.  Although I DO love the summer, it is a gentle reminder that half the year has gone by.  Up to this point in 2015, my mom was taking care of her sick husband, who eventually passes away, resulting in her depression.  Yeah, so far I wasn't enjoying this year.  I was trying my hardest to get out of this funk.  My mom went into therapy with the suggestion of her doctor, but soon quit after a few weeks.  I wasn't expecting her to quit so soon.  I really wanted her to talk to someone about her emotions, mostly because I was feeling depressed myself.  I couldn't help her feel better.  I was failing.  I was not good at this.
It was a tough situation to be in because I saw no way out.  All I could do was try to visit my mom once a week, as well as call her every night to make sure she's ok.  I felt my brothers weren't doing enough to help me deal with her.  I felt I was taking it all in more than them, and it was making me upset.  I needed some time for myself. 
I joined my Firm's softball team.  I needed to do something to keep my mind busy and not have to worry so much.  They've been asking me for years to join, mostly because they need players badly.  I'm terrible when it comes to sports, but I agreed to do it. 
I learned a lot about sportsmanship.  I also learned I should have been doing this a long time ago.  When you're in a team, you NEED TO WORK TOGETHER, and a lot of people have a hard time doing this.  They don't "play nice".  I loved our pep talks before each game, as well as our talks afterwards recapping the plays.  We supported one another, and it's something I needed at the time.
I am doing the best that I can, given the situation at hand.  I tried my hardest not to let my teammates down.  And if we lose, we got another shot at it next time.  Plain and simple.  It reflected what I was feeling with my mom, and it made me feel better.  Not to mention, swinging a bat whenever you are mad at the world DID was pretty therapeutic.  There's no doubt about that. 
So once my birthday came knocking on my door, my friends wanted to do something special for me.  I just wanted to hangout with them and catch up, but they insisted on taking me out to dinner.  We went to Sunda and had sushi and then afterwards, went all over the place.  lol.  We stopped by Hubbard Inn, then finished off at Room 7 for some non-stop dancing.  I loved my birthday!  I forgot all my troubles and just focused on me for one night.  It was perfect.  I don't think my friends understand how much it meant to me.  Especially now with our busy schedules, it's getting harder and harder for us to get together.  The one thing that does matter is that we check up on one another from time to time.  If you wonder how someone's doing, give them a call or a friendly text!  You never know if they need a little pick me up.   

Wearing my birthday-gift-to-myself

Good times at Sunda!

Hubbard Inn for some champagne!

The next day we headed down to the Taste of Randolph fest!

Goofing around while waiting for the rain to stop...

Found a birthday party to crash ...

Another birthday wish...

LOVED my flowers and balloon!