North Halsted Market Days Part 2

Following my super long Saturday, I woke up in time to go to church the next day.  I DID come back home to rest up.  I was exhausted.  My friend was messaging me to see when I was going to head down to the fest for day 2, but I told him I was too tired.  I finally got up and made my way down there.  I got there around 5pm but my friend was already very tipsy.  I got him some food to sober up because his family was heading down to checkout Blue Man Group.  It was 3 blocks away from the fest.  Luckily the food helped.  I met his family who were very excited to see the show.  My friend in the end decided to join them so I headed back to the fest to meet up with the friend he was with earlier.  I got a chance to hear Robbie Rivera’s set for a bit at the Hydrate before calling it a night.  I had to work the next morning and knew I was going to take it easy.

Today I am heading down to North Coast Fest at Union Park.  My brother will be meeting me there.  I have this sad feeling this will be my last year attending EDM festivals.  I just can’t hang out all day like I use to.  It’s hard for me to come to terms because I really enjoy this.  Even if I show up towards the later part of the day, I’m still beat.  I don’t drink like I use to, but that’s not it either.  Just standing around gets tiring.  Lol.  It’s true.  Hopefully I won’t cut this out of my life completely, but you never know.  I can’t even find people to go with me anymore.  It’s not the same as going to a lounge by yourself.  I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!! 

 

North Halsted Market Days

I finished Timothy Ferris’ “The 4-hour workweek” a few weeks ago and I’m still going through my notes.  As I’m reading along, I love how he emphasizes on what makes you happy.  “Some criticize a focus on self-love and enjoyment as selfish or hedonistic, but it’s neither.”  “I believe that life exists to be enjoyed and that the most important thing is to feel good about yourself.”

LOVE THIS!  How many times have we STOPPED OURSELVES on feeling good about ourselves?  It’s as if we are constantly reminded that life is hard.  Yes, it can be, but it can also be a wonderful.  I truly believe that.

I once heard an audio CD on happiness.  It was given to me by my ex-boyfriend when we were together.  His ex-wife at the time had given it to him and I’m glad that she did.  It basically explains certain perceptions on happiness.  The sad reality is some people feel they are not allowed to feel joy.  The worst part of it all is that we don’t give permission to ourselves on having happiness in our lives.  I think this is the part that hurts me the most.

I was taught this early on by my family.  I do not know why this was the case, but it wasn’t until I moved out that I got a chance to hang out with other families.  My friends would laugh and joke around with their families.  They would dance with each other and embrace one another.  This was definitely something that I was missing growing up.

Lately the stress about my mom and her sisters have gotten to me.  I do not enjoy being around them for too long.  It’s always a dreary feeling and a lot of times I cannot wait to see my friends because of this.  We love to laugh and have fun.  I missed out growing up so there’s a lot of catching up to do on the happiness department.  Lol

Now that my trip is coming up, I’m getting anxious again.  I’m SUPER NERVOUS about my upcoming flight, plus not all the details have been worked out.  I like to have a plan but so far, we are playing it by ear.  I have to learn how to do this but it will be done.  I have no choice on the matter.

Back to recapping August events!  This weekend is already Labor Day weekend!!  Can you believe it?

The 2^nd weekend of August was one of the best times I had this summer!  It was North Halsted Market Days!  My hair stylist works in Boystown so I made an appointment for a trim and figured we could go to the fest afterwards.  I was his last client.  We walked around the corner and got a bottle of wine in time to celebrate.  We wanted to catch Robin S  and Jody Watley’s performance.  We waited for another friend to meet up with us and even found a parking spot for him.  We were just being silly and I loved it!

Once inside we found the stage where Robin S was and danced the whole time.  She was awesome!  We then headed to Hydrate’s stage for some dance music and then went to see Jody Watley.  My feet were killing me!  I still had to go to a birthday party afterwards and wasn’t sure how long I could hang out.

I got my second wind once I ate a gyro.  Lol  Hey sometimes greasy food helps.  I made my way to Humble Park for Humble Lounge.  My friend had the upstairs sectioned off for her party.  I was beat but I managed to stay til the end.  What a day!   

Dark Storm

The 2^nd weekend in August I went to the movies!  Lol.  The last movie I saw was Beauty and The Beast with my mom but that was a while ago.  I had a nice time with my friend the week before at the Taj Mahal that we decided to check out a flick.  We made our way to the theater and had some time to kill before the movie started.  We ate Mexican food nearby and talked for a bit.  So many people were walking around Logan Square.  The neighborhood keeps changing so there’s always something new to checkout.

Once we got inside the Logan Theater I noticed the bar right away.  I absolutely LOVE this concept of lounge/ movie theaters!  It was very relaxing having a cocktail while we watched Dark Tower.  Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey were eye candy galore! 

 

New Beginnings

I’m FINALLY catching up with August events although this month is almost over!  Unbelievable!  I can’t believe how fast time flies.  It scares me sometimes.

I had an amazing day today.  I went to see the exhibit “The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg” at the MCA.  Takashi Murakami blew my mind!  I think this is what I needed to feel better.  Last night I couldn’t sleep because I started thinking about my trip.  This morning my stomach wasn’t feeling so great.  I’ve barely ate anything because I keep running to the bathroom.  My co-worker was worried I was going to bail out on our art date, but I toughened up.  We’ve been waiting for the perfect Tuesday to do this.  On Tuesdays it’s free at the MCA.

I will speak about our experience later on when I catch up on my blog.  But for now, let’s discuss the first week in August.  I heard about an unexpected death of someone my friends knew the weekend of my mom’s yard sale.  Prior to that, my mom had admitted herself to the hospital from an anxiety attack.  I was feeling overwhelmed.  A friend of mine called me up at work and wanted to have dinner with me.  I didn’t think it would be a good idea at first since I felt I wasn’t going to be good company, but then I thought, why not?

We went to Taylor Street for some Indian food.  Taylor Street is known to be an Italian neighborhood here in Chicago, but over the years, it’s grown to be more of a cultural environment.  Restaurants now serve more of a global cuisine.  My date wanted Indian food and suggested the Taj Mahal.  Lol.  Regardless of the name, we had a good time catching up with one another.  I definitely needed that.

I laid low on Friday once I received a text from my friend.  It looks like she needed some help moving into her brand new place!  I was very excited for her and agreed to help out once I got up.  I did my usual Saturday routine of chores and headed out there once I was done.  I had a going away party to attend to later on but I let her know I could help out for a few hours.

Her place was awesome!  Everything was brand new (which helps out a lot).  It was pretty hot that day, so we definitely worked up a sweat.  I felt bad leaving early but they had a majority of their stuff moved in by then.  Moving sucks!  Lol

I rushed home to get ready and headed to my friend’s place where they were having the surprise party.  Our friend was moving to Miami with her family, and my friends decided to throw a party for her pre-celebrating her birthday as well.  It was nice seeing everyone.  That weekend was also Lollapalooza weekend, but I wasn’t planning on going.  I didn’t have any tickets and figured no one I knew was going to be there anyway.  I found it funny when people were texting me to see if I was there.  Lol.  Next year I guess.

I had fun hanging out with my friends.  I’ve known them for close to 20 years, but they go way back since high school!  I love that they kept in touch for all these years.

The next day, I took a brief trip down to Lollapalooza, but only to hear the music from the outside.  It was still a hot Sunday, and I got a chance to hear Perry’s stage for some EDM.  I don’t know if I could do this fest again, but this Friday I have a one day pass for North Coast Fest.  Let’s see how long I can hang there…

When Darkness Falls...

I’m recapping the last weekend in July.  It was a tough one.  Since August is flying by, I realized how I’ve been in a funk ever since.  It’s been a tough summer for me mentally.  There’s been some amazing moments for me, which I adore because summer is a fun season.  Yet, as fast as those wonderful times entered my life, they left just as quickly.  It’s hard.

My mom suffered another anxiety attack.  I wasn’t too worried about it at first.  We had some pretty hot weeks in July, and she mentioned how it was hard for her to breathe sometimes.  I warned her that the humidity was high and she might be having seasonal allergies.  I told her to take it easy and she insisted that she would. 

That weekend of the white party was a long weekend for me.  Since I wanted to see my favorite dj, I stayed out until 5am that Saturday.  Once Sunday came and went, I decided to use a personal day to run some errands.  I thought about my mom, but since I spoke to her the night before, she seemed to be feeling better.  I relaxed the whole day, and when the time came to call her in the evening, I got the shock I didn’t see coming.  She told me she admitted herself to the hospital.  I freaked out of course, but then she reassured me that the doctors didn’t find anything physically wrong.  She had suffered an anxiety attack.

My heart broke into pieces.  I started to cry when she told me the doctors advised her to see a therapist.  Here we are once more.  Two years ago, when my mom returned to work after the death of her husband, she did therapy for two months before she quit.  She just didn’t see what the point was.  

I cried because I want my mom to WANT to get better.  She’s been stressing herself out ever since she put the house on sale.  We’ve had four prospective buyers that in the end backed out.  The pressure is on because my mom is afraid this house will be sitting on the market too long.  I get it.

She decided to have a yard sale to downsize her belongings.  Me and my family came by to support her.  She did well that Saturday and got rid of a lot of stuff.  I was watching her like a hawk, but she seemed to enjoy having us around.

My friend invited me out for drinks afterwards.  I waited a while for her.  Right before she picked me up, I got news that someone we knew had passed away suddenly.  I was in shock.

Once we went out, my friend could tell something was off with me, but she had her own drama going on, so we focused on her.  It was a lot for me to process, so I stood quiet for most of the night.  Not one of my best nights out and I wanted that day to be over.

The next day, me and my family went back to check on my mom’s yard sale.  I was mostly quiet there too.  I was in a loss for words.  I just want everyone to be ok.  But the more I look around, I feel that the people I love are suffering in their own way.  I feel so helpless. 

In the end, my mom made some good money getting rid of some stuff.  We also ended up getting another offer for the house.  So far, this one is going through.

  

Barcelona

Well by now you are aware of the terrorist attacks that happened in Barcelona and Finland.  Now of course, my mom is worried about my upcoming trip.  It’s frustrating because that’s the last thing I wanted.  Now here we are.

The funny thing is, I’m not worried at all.  I’m overwhelmed with other personal news that I want to leave even sooner.  I want to be as far away from this place as I possibly can.

Do you ever wonder about soap opera characters that leave town because of whatever issues they face at home?  They never kill off the characters, but in reality we know through gossip sites that these actors have been considered for other acting projects.  They get to “leave town” on their soap opera, do a film or play, then after a couple of months, “come back” for a dramatic entry into everyone’s lives.  I wish I could do that in real life.

Back to recapping July’s events.  I can’t believe how fast August is coming to an end.  I hope my trip doesn’t fly by like this.

The last Thursday in July I was invited to an art showing at a lounge.  My fb friend who also promotes most of Chicago’s nightlife invited me.  He’s a wonderful host and has helped me in the past get friends inside top notch lounges.  I decided to repay the favor by attending his newest business venture.  I normally do not go out in the middle of the week anymore, but I knew I wanted to do something different from my normal routine.  I’m glad I did.

I took a nap and that helped me a lot.  I got to Coco Lounge a little bit after 10pm.  Luckily I saw some familiar faces and hungout with them the rest of the night.  Some of the paintings were sold right then and there.  How awesome is that?
Afterwards, our little group decided to checkout Joy District down the street.  I can’t believe how many people packed this place on a Thursday night!  It was fun times dancing around for a bit.  What a nice surprise…

 

White Party

I’m still trying to finish up July’s events.  Following Sunday’s going away party, I went to meet up with my friend and her husband to see La La Land at Millennium Park.  Unfortunately, even though that day fell on a Tuesday, the park was so packed they weren’t allowing any more people in.  We decided to have our picnic at Maggie Daley park instead.  They are practically right next to each other but we couldn’t see the movie at all.  Instead, we met up with more friends and had a nice night out.  My friend is pregnant and wanted to try to enjoy her summer as much as possible before the baby arrives.  She is due later this month. 

The rest of the week was pretty low key.  Saturday, me and my friends were invited to a one year old birthday party.  It was for a friend who lives in the suburbs.  Her son’s big day was being held at a pool that had water slides and a lazy river.  I’m normally not a fan of the suburbs, but this pool was nice.  We spent a majority of the afternoon there.  Afterwards, we rushed to get back to the city for another birthday party.  I had already warned my friends that I bought a ticket to see one of my favorite djs perform at Prysm later on.  I knew that was going to be a late night thing.  I figured I would have time for everything.

The 2^nd party took place at Whiskey Businessat their rooftop.  It’s located in Wicker Park.  Luckily we scored on parking (a rare find in Chicago) and headed upstairs.  It’s a sports bar and they also had a live dj playing 90s music.  I had the most fun there!  We danced around and had a blast.  Our other friends showed up later and I felt bad having to leave soon for the White Party at Prysm but what can you do?  To kill some time we went to a karaoke Mexican restaurant and ate tacos.  My friend decided to come along for the party since I had an extra ticket.  Unfortunately, my favorite dj did not start playing until 2am!!  I’m getting way too old for this!  We waited and waited but it was hard after a long day out and about.  My friend stayed with me for 45 minutes until she decided to go home.  I stayed behind because I really wanted to see him, but I was so exhausted.  In the end, I know in my heart it’s probably one of the last times I’ll ever see him live.  It was bitter sweet for me…

 

Selfish

It’s official.  London is booked.  I felt incredibly guilty afterwards.  I teared up once I saw my itinerary. 

My friend quickly tried to cheer me up.  It’s only one week after all.  I just want this time for myself.  To be selfish.  As I’ve gotten older I realize there’s nothing wrong with that.

We all need to take care of our mind, body, and spirit.  It’s our duty!  Sometimes, circumstances robs us of that, and we “forget” about ourselves for a bit.  If nothing happens then it lasts longer.  Then the next thing you know, you won’t even recognize yourself when you look in the mirror.  You question how did you get to this dreadful point.  This rut that has been eating away at your existence.  Then your mind wanders to what is the point of all of this anyways.

Sorry for the negative post, but these past few weeks have been hard on me.  It seems wherever I try to escape, I find myself stuck listening to someone else’s problems, or witnessing tragic news on fb, or trying to calm my mom down.  I’m exhausted.  I want to be reminded of the “big picture”.  The one where you remember how truly wonderful this world really is.  We just get accustomed to seeing the bad that it spills over to our personal lives.  It’s a sad society that we live in.

It’s so sad that we can’t even enjoy our time here, in the present.  I realize through my heartache that I had no choice but to “live” past my broken relationship and figure out how to move on.  Traveling scared the life out of me.  So much that I knew I had to keep doing it again.  Some people may not think it’s a big deal, but to me, this is how I “live”.

I’m nervous about talking to my mom tonight.  I did warn her earlier in the week that I was planning to book another trip.  I know she needs me but she will be fine with my brothers.  They will check up on her while I’m gone.

Back to my recaps in July!  The weekend of the event at Warwick, my work party and rib fest was coming to an end.  That Sunday my friend wanted to catch up so we met at the nail salon where she had an appointment.  I haven’t hung out with her in a while since she started a new job.  I miss her dearly and we had some laughs.  She had some friends who were relocating to Kentucky, so we went to say our goodbyes at The Wit Hotel.  After cocktails we grew hungry and headed down to the Elephant and Castle for some chicken pot pies.  The weather was perfect to sit outside and share stories, but once we headed up to London House for more cocktails, it was too cold for us to enjoy the rooftop.  We settled for the rooftop at the Virgin Hotel were we continued laughing and playing around.  I miss that night…

 

Rib fest Cook-off!

My mom’s big move is coming up on the 15^th!  This is going to be interesting seeing her downsize from her home to an apartment.  I am considering doing something like this in the future as well.

My love of traveling has taken over my lackluster love life.  Lol.  It’s funny but it’s true.  Putting myself out there, trying to figure out which direction I turn to—left or right, reading people’s faces, making sacrifices for the sake of learning a new city, all remind me of falling in love.  Unlike men, traveling has not let me down!  I want to explore more and meet new people from all over the world.  I know I’m late in the game, but I’m excited for the upcoming years to come.  I haven’t felt like that in a very long time.

I hope my mom will be able to join me.  One thing I’ve realized is traveling is not for everybody, and I’m not sure if my mom would WANT to do something like this with me.  I want her to embrace life again.  Since I’m currently not in a relationship, and she is a widow herself, I would hope she would get the same feeling I have about seeing new places.  Who knows?

Back to my recaps!  After my work party the following day was Saturday.  For the most part, I wanted to take it easy, until my friend called me up inviting me to a cook off.  Her boyfriend’s family in Frankfurt hosts an annual rib fest cook off every summer.  Participants each cook their secret recipes and then get judged from their neighbors who are in the panel.  After they make their decision, friends and family get to try the ribs themselves and try to guess who the winner is.  There’s even a trophy ceremony!  That Saturday was pretty perfect with good food and friends.  I love summer!

 

Annual Summer Party

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  I missed out on Lollapalooza this year but it was hard seeing everyone’s footage on social media.  Lol.  It’s one of my favorite music festivals but because of my mom’s house being on-sale, I didn’t want to commit to anything.  Regardless, there were plenty of memories I’ve had over the years and I posted a few of them on Facebook and Instagram.  I DO have a ticket for North Coast coming up Labor Day weekend, but I feel my love for music festivals might be winding down.  *sniffle sniffle

Over the years I’ve had some amazing times at music festivals but as I’ve gotten older, I hardly recognize the acts and have kept loyal to my favorite artists.  Oh well.

Back to recapping July’s events.  Following the event at the Warwick Hotel, it was our annual summer party at the firm.  We held it at the restaurant in our building, which works out for everyone since Union Station is down the street.  It was fun seeing people enjoy themselves.  We had people from our other locations fly in for this party.  It was nice seeing faces behind the voice.  Once the party started clearing up, we decided to head somewhere else to continue the fun.  We ended up at Parlor on Randolph Street and ordered some thin crust pizza.  It was delish!  I always enjoy our work parties!