Happy Hour Birthday Party

I’m still trying to catch up on my posts!  Let’s get to it!

Back in September one of my friends wanted to meet up for drinks during happy hour for her birthday.  It fell on a Monday and she wanted to see if she could pull this off at the last minute.  I had already made plans with my other friends and cancelled on them at the last minute.  Luckily they were understanding.  I wanted to catch up with the birthday girl since I haven’t seen her in a while.  I feel bad when I can’t remember when we last spoke.

The good news is she has re-located and had changed jobs as well.  I’m so proud of her and at the direction her life is going.  She’s a wonderful person and deserves all the success she’s worked hard for!  

The birthday girl wanted to go to the new Hampton Social in Streeterville.  This new location just opened up that day, and we were expecting a huge turnout.  We waited at the bar until a few more friends showed up and then got a table.  On this night in particular they had a singer playing the guitar for entertainment.  He was really good!

We started ordering away appetizers since it was dinnertime.  I ordered some avocado toast.  We were enjoying our night when our server introduced us to the manager.  He brought over a large punch bowl for the birthday girl to share with others.  Now that’s hospitality!

Thirsty Thursday at Star of Siam

I don’t get a chance to go out very often during the week.  A friend of mine wanted to meet up for dinner and I suggested Star of Siam.  I got there a bit early and left a reservation time for them before I headed out to Sable Kitchen and Bar.  They were across the street from one another.  I ordered a glass of rosé and spoke to a tourist at the bar.  She was visiting from Philadelphia.  I could see the stars in her eyes whenever she talked about how big Chicago was from her city.  She looked very excited to be here.  I sometimes feel bad that I don’t share the same enthusiasm about Chicago like I use to.  Our city has gone through tremendous changes over the years and I miss how things use to be.  We use to have very diverse neighborhoods, but now with gentrification happening everywhere, some places are beginning to look “the same”.  Oh well. 

Once my friend arrived we made our way to Star of Siam.  I wanted to eat a bit healthier, so I ordered the chicken pot stickers.  But that peanut sauce had me craving more and more.  I ended up eating the whole thing!  So much for that…

Happy Hour at Masada

Following up Spring Awakening, I had drinks with a friend later in the week on a Thursday at Masada.  It was nice catching up.  I rarely do things during the week since I try to catch up with my workouts as well as shopping for groceries.  I have limited access to a supermarket in my neighborhood and not having a car does not help.  Plus as I’ve gotten older I hate doing chores on the weekends.  Lol.  Regardless, Masada was a nice treat.  We sat outside in their beautiful patio and had some light bites.

Happy hour and Housemusic

Now that the weather warmed up a bit in Chicago, people took the opportunity to go out and enjoy themselves.  I got a chance to see my friends on tax day Tuesday for happy hour at Union Sushi.  My friend will also be in Europe the same time I will be but traveling in different locations.  It was nice comparing notes.  I am reminded how fortunate I am to go once again.  We ended up at Concrete Cowboy to check it out before we all jumped in our Ubers.

Inside Concrete Cowboy 

That Friday I found out that one of my favorite djs had passed away.  I was quickly saddened and decided to play his music all weekend at home.  Avicii brought a different element to edm that was recognized throughout the dance scene.  I was going through my breakup when he was at the top of the charts.  His music helped me cope with the sadness I was dealing with.  To hear that he is gone too soon shook me.

A few days later the media announced that his family implied he might have taken his life.  NOW THIS HURTS.  I had watched his documentary Avicii True Stories at home earlier, and to hear this news brought a new perspective on what was going on in his life.  He was exhausted about his work schedule, but his management team would not lay off the grueling tours he had been committed to appear in.  Eventually he took some time off to recoup, but reports suggest his management team were continually pestering him about returning to work.  

It made me think a lot about what success means to people.  For some, it’s having a lot of money.  With that in mind, it gives off the notion that you would be free to do whatever you want to because money would be there to provide for you.  But is that true?  Avicii employed a crew for his tours and business.  He was the talent of course, and without him involved, how would the business survive?  There is speculation that Avicii never liked the spotlight, and had anxiety whenever he performed live.  He just wanted to make music behind the scenes.  

I have my struggles too, on “Meaning, Life, Happiness”.  I sometimes look back on my life and see the mistakes and wrong turns I’ve made.  They lead me to a different path that was not what I expected.  I can’t help but feel responsible about the outcome, but I try not to beat myself up too much about it.  

For Avicii, I pray that he didn’t suffer much on his final hours here.  I can’t help but wonder if people would have left him alone this all could have been avoided.

RIP Avicii 

Happy Hour at Sunda

In January we had temperatures go up and down.  One particular Thursday the temps touched 60 degrees but then fell back into the 30s the next day.  My friends wanted to take advantage of this warm weather to ge together for happy hour.  A friend of theirs was in town and wanted to meet up.  I brought a pair of jeans to change into after work and made my down to Sunda.  I was in the mood for sushi, but everyone else ordered a bit of everything.  It felt weird being out and about.  I cannot remember the last time I hung out with this set of friends.  I usually hibernate in the winter because I loathe the cold weather but this was a nice break from the norm.  Of course now that I’m recapping this day, Chicago is experiencing a blizzard.  It will snow for 12 hours straight!  I guess winter isn’t done with us yet!

I can’t believe I wore a simple tee and jeans in January!

Cocktails 

And sushi 

Baby Sprinkle

Still trying to catch up on April events.  I’ve been sick for almost a week now.  After a while it starts getting to you.  I don’t know what I have.  Cold, sinus infection, allergies, wheezing, fever, migraines.  It goes on and on.  Not to mention, I’ve been having trouble sleeping because of it.  I have a checkup coming up on Monday and if I’m still sick I’ll ask her to prescribe me something.  I thought I could ride it out but it’s starting to interfere with my life too much.  I’ve become irritable because of it.

Last night I yelled at my mom pretty bad.  I’m ashamed of it but she had me so frustrated.  I just don’t get her sometimes.  I cannot figure out what she’s thinking because she changes her mind too often.  Do you know anyone like this in your life?  How do you handle this person?  For me, it’s hard because I do not know what this person is thinking or where they are coming from.  I am not a mind reader and for me to guess what someone is thinking is very hard.  How would I know what your perception is?  Why should I figure out the clues?  Wouldn’t it be easier if you tell me what you are feeling?

The thing is, I never really know what my mom is feeling.  I think she goes with whatever the majority rules, and I’ve never been that way (or I try not to be).  I want to look after her best interests but with these mind games, I’m afraid I won’t know how to help her. 

The following day after the Davis Theater was Palm Sunday.  I went to church that afternoon and found out one of my friends went on a cruise for Spring Break.  Nice!  I’m curious about vacationing on a boat.  Who knows?

Later that day me and my other friend decided to meet up for margaritas.  We called up our other friend and headed to Skokie to Uncle Julios.  This was one of the nicest days we had in Chicago and we wanted to sit outside.  It was fun catching up with my friends on juicy gossip.  

The Easter Bunny showed up for Palm Sunday.

The following weekend I helped out a friend by keeping him company while he was going through some stuff at his storage unit.  It was another hot day in Chicago, but I needed his expert advice on how to handle my mom with the house situation.  I was still pretty unsure if we should put it on the market or not. After listening to my friend’s advice, I had no choice but to sit this out.  The pros and cons go on forever.

The next day was Easter Sunday and I went to mass in the afternoon.  I then had to go to a Baby Sprinkle for my friend who is going to have her 2^nd child.  A “sprinkle” is a smaller baby shower since nowadays it is more common to have just one shower for a family.  It was nice seeing friends come together with their little ones.  Kids love having fun with other children.

Two friends stopped by later after the party and we headed to Café con Leche for some afternoon cocktails.  It gets harder and harder for all of us to get together.  That is why I jump at the chance to see them when the opportunity arrives.  I just want everyone to be happy, no matter where the road takes us.   

I wore a maxi dress to the baby shower on Easter.

Just hanging with my peeps 

I got to hold my friend's 2 month old son!  He was loving the Paris themed mural!

The House is up For Sale!

I finished up the month of March on my last entry.  As we are now in the month of May I’m aware I’m behind in my posts.  I finally finished reading my  book on Vagabonding, and in the meantime have kept busy practicing my Italian.

April was an interesting month.  It turned out to be a difficult time for me, with friction between friends as well as misunderstandings that created confusion.  I have not felt more out of place in years and feel very responsible for what is going on.  I’m a Gemini and we are the masters of communication!  I thought I was pretty good at making myself clear but now there’s so much uncertainty.  I do not know where I fit it.

Earlier in the month my friend wanted to get a group together for happy hour.  The weather was nice for a change and I was curious about the place they had chosen for drinks.  Ocean’s Cut is located on Kinzie street, and with a quick uber ride from my work, I was there in no time flat!  This particular day fell on a Tuesday, which was their weekly giveaway drawing on a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes!  Needless to say, there were more women present that evening, but the drawing itself was a big hit.  Women love shoes and I think this is a wonderful giveaway to generate business.  It was a fun evening with cocktails and stories.  I also got a chance to give my friend her souvenir gift from my trip. 

That upcoming weekend, my mom had me come over to sign some papers.  She had finally decided to sell the house.  I was surprised she did this, but now it is apparent we have to do something.  She wants a new change and feels this is the best decision for her.  I have to support her no matter what.  The realtor explained how the process will work in order to put the house up for sale and we all decided on the date to do it.  Until the meantime, my mom has to do some finishing touches before the photographer comes by to take pictures.  Everything has to look good by then so they can post it online.

Since it was a tough two hours, once the realtor left, I wanted to treat my mom to the movies to see “Beauty and the Beast”.  She was very excited and we went to the newly renovated Davis Theater in Lincoln Square.  I picked a late afternoon show so we could have dinner afterwards.  I noticed a new restaurant nearby and told my mom we were going to eat there.  It was called Art Tango and she loved her dish.  I just wanted her to get her mind off things before she headed back home.  I know she has her work cut out for her before the listing is posted.  So many changes in such little time.   

Monday Mayhem

My commute to work was troubled due to a suicide jumper on the Blue Line.  At first, without knowing all the details, it cast a negative impact with all the riders.  Everyone wants to go to work and not be troubled.  Then word of mouth came from a fellow commuter that a person got hit and all service lines were stopped because of it.  Off I ran across the street to make it on the metra train.  I made it to work 2 minutes late and didn't think much about it, but because of the domino effect it had on the city, other people I worked with were late as well.  That's when I heard that a person committed suicide and jumped in front of a train. 
The responses were surprising.  "They had to do this during rush hour?", and "Why couldn't they do this on the train after mine?".  In the end, someone chose to end their life publicly and it's heart breaking.  I feel for the person who thought this was the answer to end whatever they were going through. 
I can understand how tough things can get.  I had a bad week last week.  News about family members, co-worker's and friends were pretty depressing.  As I get older, I pray that everyone finds peace within themselves.  Life can get frustrating.  Sometimes people check out.
Which is what hurt me about what happened.  Suicides are becoming more frequent on the cta.  I pray that people find the spirit to move past their hurt and trust that this too shall pass.  I wish we could find ways to incorporate more self awareness with stress and other mental issues in our daily lives.  Faith is what pulls me through!  It's not always going to be sunshine and roses.  There will be times when things won't go your way.  Just trust that everything will work itself out.
Last week on Monday a friend of ours was making his way through town.  He had an exam he had to take, and afterwards, wanted to catch up with everyone.  We decided on Happy Hour at The Scout and had a good group going.  Once we finished up in there, we were itching to do something fun with everyone.  We made our way over to Marina Towers to go to Spin Chicago.  Last time we were there, we never got a chance to play ping pong.  This time we were determined.  I was surprised how much fun I had in there.  I'm absolutely terrible when it comes down to sports of any kind.  But I will say this, I DO try anything once! 

I'm a sucker for margaritas.  Happy hour at The Scout!

Time for some ping pong action!

Let's do this!

A tub full of ping pong balls in a tub!  Perfect for a selfie!

Luckily the rules aren't so complicated...

It's good to connect with old friends...

Let's play ping pong!!

Happy Hump Day!!!  Not much happening with me.  Since that nice Sunday I ran by the lake, the weather took a turn for the worse.  We dipped back into the 30s last week.  People are getting sick.  I did my best to stay low key.  I figured Spring is right around the corner anyways. 
My friend had her baby one week ago today!!  I ended up visiting the happy family both Thursday and Friday.  I'm so happy for them!!  He is truly adorable!  I learned so much for her experience.  Most of my friends are becoming 1st time moms.  Everyone of them have had a different experiences in the delivery room.  It's good to be informed on what happens behind closed doors because I'm pretty new to this.  I really haven't been around children; let alone babies. 
I did meet up with a friend later on that Friday evening.  She was with some friends at Beef and Brandy restaurant on State Street.  Believe it or not, I would pass by the place and thought nothing of it.  It was my first time there and it was pretty busy.  Mostly business corporate crowd, but that was fine by me.  I was dressed down for casual Friday, so I felt comfortable.  lol
It was my first time out in weeks since I gave up staying out late for Lent.  I was home by 10pm, right in time before the snow fell.  I stayed in the rest of the weekend and caught up on my reading.  I'm re-reading Make Money Not Excuses by Jean Chatzky.  I read it a few years ago and figured I could go back and learn some more tips since I'm trying my hardest to save this year.  I'm hoping I can develop good saving habits so I could move past my small term goals to my long term goals.  Bottom line:  I need to get to my end zone so I can prove to myself that I can handle my responsibilities.  Not finishing a goal is conditioning you to fail, and I don't want to do that to myself anymore.  It's not healthy for my mind. 
Since I've been staying low key, last night I ended up meeting my friends for some after work cocktails.  It was 69 degrees outside!!  Unbelievable!!  I love Chicago when it gets warm.  Everyone was out walking around.  I DID miss that feeling of not wearing heavy coats and layers.  It felt great! 
I walked over to Marina Towers at the Tortoise Club where my friends were indulging in $1 oysters.  Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of oysters, but that's a pretty good deal.  They were closing out the tab and wanted to checkout Spin Chicago next door. 
We walked inside and got the details.  Yes, it's Susan Sarandon's ping pong club.  She has 5 locations and from the looks of it, this might be the next hot spot for the upcoming months.  We made our way downstairs to the bar area and enjoyed the action.  Me and my friends couldn't help but get excited about planning a gathering there.  It looks like a lot of fun!!
Regardless, I made it home by 10:30pm.  Not bad on a school night.  lol.  For it being nice outside, I really didn't miss the scene that much.  I think trying to stay in more will make me appreciate the nightlife again when this is over for me.

I LOVE checking out new spots...

They have 30 min and one hour rates...



After work cocktails...