Thai on Taylor Street

Finishing up recapping my weekend when my friends were in town from North Carolina.  The next day was Sunday and some of them had flown out earlier in the morning.  After church, I got a chance to meet up with one of the birthday boys and my girlfriend.  We decided to hit a fest on Taylor Street for the Taste of Italy.  Taylor Street was always known for being the street for Italian cuisine, but over the years, it has grown into a diverse community.  I rode the Blue Line over there and got off at UIC school and got an uber ride from there.  The air and water show was still taking place, so the traffic on the expy was insane.  I figured if I rode down there via transit, it would help me cut the traffic.  We decided to meet up at Ralph’s Cigars which was nice because I’ve never been there before.  Once our friend met up we walked in the festival.  It was crowded and hot, perfect for some Italian ice.  Unfortunately, due to time restrictions we figured we should get the birthday boy some real food instead.  He insisted on Thai food (lol) so we went to his favorite restaurant.  It was nice catching up to them.  I told them about my struggles with my mom and her anxiety.  They shared me their stories as well.  It’s nice to hear different perspectives on how to handle senior parents.  Our friend had to run to catch his flight, so we drove him all the way to the airport.  We were cutting it close but he made it!  On the way back I caught up with my girlfriend too on my emotional weekend.  I hope she understands where I’m coming from when I tell her how I feel.  I’m 9 years older than her and I want to make sure she can see things from my perspective.  Getting older and dwelling on regrets is a hard.  You have to realize at one point, some of the choices you’ve made haven’t been the wisest.  In the end, you just want your loved ones to be safe, and everyone to be happy. 

I made it home in time for my older brother to pick me up.  My dad wanted to celebrate my younger brother's birthday.  I had a chocolate cake from Portillo's for the dinner.  Unfortunately it was pretty hot that day and the cake fell in.  At least everyone still enjoyed it!  Lol

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…