Birthday girl showed up!

After that night when the birthday girl slept in her own party, she texted me apologizing for what had happened.  She was feeling better from her cold and wanted to celebrate her birthday that Saturday.  Her friends were going to have a table at Tao Nightclub and invited her and her friends to join.  She extended the invitation to me and I told her I might consider it if I got back at a reasonable hour from a Simbang Gabi celebration at my church.  They were hosting a filipino Christmas and my friends were going to be there.

I did manage to get back on time in order to meet up with the rest of the girls.  We were told to get there specifically around 10pm so we could walk in and not wait in line.  I didn’t realize the entrance to the club was at the side of the building.  The nightclub was HUGE.  Much bigger than I anticipated, but then again, the layout was more spacious than they had it before when it was Excalibur.  We enjoyed ordering cocktails at the lounge near the women’s restroom.  We walked around to look for her friends who had the table.  After a while, the girls weren’t feeling the place.  They were disappointed in the music and asked if we could go somewhere else.  They decided on Underground nightclub.

They found their friends at the table and said goodbye.  I was indifferent.  I felt the music was going to get better as the night went on, but it wasn’t my call.  We took an uber to Underground, and luckily there was no line to get in.  Once inside, we found a spot to hang out and ordered more drinks.  This time the girls were enjoying themselves more.  I was happy that they were happy.

    

Pride Fest Saturday

I didn’t realize I was pretty backed up on my blog.  I haven’t even gotten to my birthday yet!  Lol.  Well let’s get back on track so I can catch up.  My memory isn’t so great anymore.

Following up my Thirsty Thursday happy hour session at Masada, I had no plans whatsoever so I decided to give myself an at-home pedi.  My girlfriend from Providence called me up and we were chatting away when my other line kept ringing.  I saw that my other friend was calling but decided to text her instead to see what was up.  No response.  I continued my conversation with my Providence friend when again, my other friend was calling.  At this point I was worried something was wrong since she never responded to my text, so I told my friend to hold on while I switched over. 

-Are you home??

-Yes!  What’s wrong??

-Oh nothing.  Get ready!  We’re coming to pick you up.  We’ll be there in 15 minutes!

WHAT THE??  I switched over to my other friend from Providence and told her what was going on.  She got excited for me!  According to my horoscope, she said I was going to have a great weekend.  Oh my goodness.  I really wanted to stay in, but I had no choice.  My friends were downstairs in no time flat.  Off we went.

We had a little trouble trying to find where all the action was.  It was the weekend of Taste Of Randolph, but we knew we didn’t want to go around that area.  We first hopped around a bit and finally settled on Underground.  Luckily we got in right away and even found a table.  We danced so much that nice that my feet were killing me the next day.

Even though this was an unexpected thing we pulled together at the last minute, we definitely made some memories that night!

After my long night out the night before, I took some time to rest up at home.  I made plans with my friend to meet him in Lakeview so we could walk together to the Pride Fest.  This is something new that started in Chicago about 2 years ago.  They decided to make Pride month a little longer by having two events.  The first is a neighborhood festival which occurs the weekend before the parade.  The parade has always brought a large crowd regardless, and with the new addition of the fest, it helps accommodate everyone trying to join in on the fun.  Me and my friend had a blast!  I knew offhand that I wasn’t going to come to the parade so this fest was perfect.  We went out afterwards to the neighborhood clubs and called it a night.  I loved that weekend…

Labor Day Madness

I’m recapping Labor Day Weekend before I went on my big trip.

Since I only purchased one day for North Coast Festival that Friday, I figured I would do my chores and usual leg day routine at the gym the next.  One of our friends was in town from Michigan but she wanted to meet at Brookfield Zoo around 1pm.  I wasn’t sure which of my other friends were going so I could bum a ride.  I do not own a car, but lately, it’s become harder to meet up with my friends.  Some of them have kids and have moved out of the city.  I was thinking maybe in the distant future I should consider getting one, but who knows.

I didn’t have any plans until the evening when our other friend invited us to her place in Skokie.  We headed over there and hung out all night.  It was fun catching up.

The next day, our other friend was planning a Labor Day bbq in her new home.  She bought a house not far from where I live in the city, which is nice because I can actually see her from time to time.  Lol

Once at the bbq it was food galore.  I was having a good time until another friend was messaging me.  She wanted to go out.  It was nearing 7pm but she insisted Estate was the place to be right now.  I had to go home and change.  I ordered an uber and off I went.

I messaged my friend that I was on my way once I was dressed.  We got to Estate around 9pm and she was right!  Apparently they had a block party happening along with djs on stage.  People were dancing all over the place.  I was enjoying myself.

Because of the noise ordinance, the crowd came into Estate after 10pm.  I didn’t realize how packed it could get on a Sunday night, but then again, it was Labor Day weekend.  I saw some familiar faces, too!  Once it got close to midnight, we decided to go to another spot.  

A few of us headed to Tunnel in River North.  Again, it was nice seeing more familiar faces and catching up.  I wasn’t paying attention to the time at all.  Next thing you know, Tunnel was announcing last call.  We still didn’t have enough.  We wanted to head to a later spot.  

People started heading to different spots but now me and our new group decided to go to Underground.  It still tops as one of the number one venues in River North.  Luckily we got in but the vibe inside was amazing!  I forgot how much fun I have in this place.

I felt a little guilty the next day on Labor Day on all of the spots I went to that night.  I haven’t gone out like that in a while.  I can’t help but think how much more of this I have left in me.  What can you do when you live in the city?

Let's celebrate!

Talk about having the holiday blues!  The mood in Chicago is very grim.  The Chicago Police is under investigation.  The mayor is constantly defending his actions involving the Laquan McDonald shooting.  Not to mention there's protests happening all around the city.  Everyone wants answers.  The upcoming presidential election has the topic of terrorism on their agenda.  As well as controversial remarks being made involving Muslims in our country.  It does not feel like Christmas at all.
It's a sad time for our city, and for our nation.  My mother was pretty emotional about Thanksgiving without her husband.  Tomorrow me and my brothers will be coming over to help her put up the Christmas tree.  She thought about not putting it up, but we talked her out of it.  I wish she wasn't so sad.
I wish I wasn't so sad!  What gives?  I'm beginning to feel like I'm sinking.  I have friends around me that are having some tough times too.  I don't remember the last time I've been excited about anything.  It's been a while.  I wish I could pack up and leave, just to recharge my batteries.  It's not that I'm overworked.  Hey, I'm content when I AM at work, only because I get to take my mind off myself for 8 hours or so.  But Facebook and other social media reminds us of the world we're living.  A world that is so unsettling.  A world that is unfamiliar to us all.  Not only do we know how scary things can get, it's HOW we handle things that is making me worried.  I miss my old life.
When I returned from Italy back in September, Labor Day had passed.  I remember trying to adjust to my jet lag before I headed back to work.  I walked in and my co-workers noticed right away something was wrong.  I felt lost in translation.  Flying on a Dublin flight to Paris, then walking the streets by myself, jumping on a mini plane to Bari.  Then spending two weeks all around Italy had taken it's toll on me.  Not to mention landing in Chicago and feeling the energy there among the people.  I've been in contact with Irish, French, Italians and now Chicagoans in a matter of 14 days.  It's the most drastic change I've encountered in a while.  I felt so lost.  I still don't know where I'd rather be.
I've obviously adjusted back to my life.  But now things are back to the unfamiliar.  In my own city.  In my own country.  I'm wondering if people around the world feel the same uneasy feeling I do.
Within the following week from being back in Chicago, I attended a dinner for one of my friends for her birthday.  It was at a Tapas restaurant out in Niles called Café Marbella.  The food was delicious.  I remembered tasting the food and thinking to myself how different it was from the Italian food I've been having the past two weeks.  Yet it was still delightfully good.  Maybe a trip to Spain is in my near future?
Afterwards, we didn't know where to go.  We figured let's hop on the expressway and by Rio Nightclub.  We made our way inside and mingled for a bit.  We decided to head downtown.  We passed up Underground and noticed the line wasn't so long.  Then we found parking.  A sign!  Let's see if this is possible. 
Luckily we didn't wait long.  We walked in and had a blast.  Some of the girls in our group have never been to Underground and they loved it.  A table full of men invited us over.  They were at a wedding reception earlier.  We had a great time!  I was happy the birthday girl was enjoying herself.  She deserved the best for her birthday.  It was good times.
It seems so long ago that night.  I hope things look up soon.  I miss me.

Café Marbella in Niles

The birthday girl with her friends

She was happy we made it to her dinner. 

Checking out Rio Nightclub for a bit.

I'm glad I wore my ankle boots and not heels.  It turned out to be a long night!

At Underground Nightclub.  It seemed so long ago. 

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!

Cup Chasing!!

As you know, the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup again this year.  For any Chicagoan, we go CRAZY whenever one of our teams wins a championship.  One of the winning traditions the Hawks do for their fans is taking the Cup to various places in the city and show up unannounced.  With the help of social media, such as twitter, people get to follow the cup and see where it shows up next.  I love how excited the fans get by just word of mouth.
One Wednesday evening my friend texted me to say that a tweet was sent out on where Old Stanley might be.  It listed various places such as The Scout and Underground as well as Paris nightclub.  We decided to go cup chasing and head downtown.  I had to get up in the morning but decided not to drink at all.  It was the safest way to get up in time for work.  lol. 
I got by the Hubbard neighborhood and quickly texted my friend.  There was a huge line outside of Paris nightclub, along with cops blocking off the streets.  I was guessing they were in there already and quickly ran to Underground.  My initial plan was to get inside a venue before they showed up, but since they were at Paris already, Underground was the place to be.  My friend joined up soon after and we walked around and found some more friends to hangout with.  Well it turned out to be a pretty late night!  It was 1am and STILL NO CUP.  We all kept checking Instagram as well as Twitter constantly for any updates.  Looks like they ended up at Paris around midnight and were still partying it up with the fans.  I did not expect to be out so late, but at this point we were so close to seeing the players, I knew I couldn't leave.  The anticipation was growing and Underground was getting packed.  It was hard not to drink and join in the celebration.  It was finally around 2am when the players walked in.  I was so exhausted by then, but with all of the excitement the crowd was giving them, I got my second wind!  Unfortunately, they DID NOT have the cup with them because apparently the cup has a curfew (go figure).  But it was still a blast we got a chance to party with the players.  I got home by 4am.  Just in time for a nap before I got up for work at 6am.  It was a rough morning but totally worth it!  I would do it all over again... 

Not the actual Stanley Cup.  There were various imitations on the night of the Championship.

Waiting around at Underground...

Still waiting...

STILL WAITING!  lol

They're finally here!!!  The Chicago Blackhawks!!

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The Hunt for a Calm October Part 3

I CANNOT forget about the best part of October, which is, of course, HALLOWEEN!  I thought long and hard what my costume would be, and without a doubt, I chose a Roman Empress!  I was super excited too!  I ordered it off Amazon and sure enough, it arrived in time for the festivities.  The problem was, the weather was horrible!  Rainy and cold.  I was pretty close to not doing anything, not to mention, I had a sore throat that would not go away.  But in the end, I called up a friend, and headed down to her place where her roommates were throwing a little party.  I loved my accessories, too!  I bought a headpiece from Claire's and won a gold coin bracelet off ebay that went perfectly with my outfit.  I also wore my gold gladiator wedges since my gown was long.  We had a good time, and even headed out to another loft party where we partied it up some more.  They had a costume contest, and there were some pretty clever ones!  I like when people get creative.  The winners were two girls who were dressed as wine boxes (with actual wine coming out of the nozzle).  Pretty impressive ladies!  We had an hour to kill so we headed down the Underground nightclub and danced to Thriller.  lol  Goodtimes...

This devil scared us!  YIKES!