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 

IT IS FINISHED...

Today is Good Friday.  Despite the worldwide headlines about the Brussels attacks, it's important to be close to our friends and family this holiday weekend.  It's times like these that we should find ways to spread love to one another.  My mom mentioned to me the other night to pray.  "Evil cannot be in the presence of God', she said.  And she's right.  Although I don't mention my religious faith very often, I was raised in a Catholic household until I was about 8-10 years old.  It was then that my mom stopped taking us to church altogether.  During those years, she went through a divorce, which might explain her losing faith altogether.  I didn't put much thought into until I moved out of my mom's house when I was 20 years old.  My first live-in boyfriend was very spiritual, and it was from him that I started to have my religious awakening.
At first, it branched out of astrology, and then literature when I was in college.  Reading up on Socrates and Plato made me look beyond the box of a higher power.  As the years went on, my mom got married again to her 2nd husband, who become involved in a Christian church.  They both attended heavily and although I was skeptical at first, I noticed my mom's demeanor had changed dramatically.  We never had a great relationship in general, but things with her became easier to deal with now that she became a Christian.  Things were looking up.
After my last breakup, I became depressed.  Someone suggested going to church to let God hear me.   I figured why not.  I ran out of options.  I tried therapy and didn't enjoy the sessions.  I knew I had to heal on my own, but it was hard.  I felt completely lost.
Now that I try to have a better connection with God, I see things differently than before.  I am extremely grateful for the things I've discovered about myself and about HIM as well.  Despite someone's beliefs, I feel everyone has the same message for one another.  To Love.  To be kind.  And to make the most of our time here on this earth.
Last Friday, I had dinner again at Union Sushi.  Since I was still observing Lent, we figured sushi was the way to go!  I love that place!  We had a great time, and even got a limo ride that night.  lol.  It was pretty cold so it was nice to cruise in style.  Too bad I couldn't join in on the festivities.  Everyone was going out afterwards, but I headed on home.  I can't wait to see how much money I've saved by the end of this month.  I think I did pretty good!

LOVE the skinny geisha cocktail!  Definitely one of my favs...

Selfie time!

King crab!

The only place I eat oysters...

sashimi

Of course, rolls were involved...

Tried the alligator rib, but I think I broke the Lent rule.  YIKES!

Traveling in style.  Had fun while it lasted before I headed home for curfew.  I'm proud of myself...

Time Flies When You're Having Fun...

Happy Friday world!!  I took a trip down memory lane yesterday by looking at some photo albums off my Facebook page.  Boy does time fly!  I was quickly saddened by all the changes that occurred in such a short amount of time, especially from 2011-2012.  I saw pictures of me and my ex, my other friend with her husband.  We all looked very happy together.  Obviously me and my ex broke up not long after and my friend and her husband are currently separated.  I found a group picture of a woman who passed away last year.  She is one year older than me.  The weird thing is we are still  going through the motions from those years.  You don't have enough time to adjust before something else happens.  It's the sad reality of life.  It DOES move fast, and sometimes staying afloat is all you can do.  I left work bummed out, only to receive a silly video text from someone currently on vacation.  He is truly living it up out there!  It made me feel warm inside knowing he's enjoying his time off.  Embrace it, I thought to myself.  You never know what's around the corner that can change your whole life.
Last week was a short work week due to Martin Luther King Jr.  I took down all of my Christmas decorations.  I am pretty satisfied with the my holiday décor and am looking forward to what retail shops will be offering up next winter.  It's a joyous season, but now that we're in January, my focus is mostly shifted to my resolutions:  what I would like to get out of the upcoming year.  Since I'm aware of the changes that have happened in my life in the past, I really want to manage my money better and build up my savings.  For what?  Who knows.  But at least I can get a head start with the financial aspect of it.
I did some damage control over the weekend.  I'm not proud of it either.  It is a reminder to me to not get too carried away for it to become a habit or else I'll really be in big trouble.  What started out as a simple dinner plan grew into a full blown night out on the town.  I wasn't prepared for staying out so late, especially since I already had plans the next night for a birthday party.  UGH!!!  Regardless, who can resist Union Sushi and some cocktails?  Yes I am guilty of such, but I DO want to tone down the nightlife scene.  We made our way to Concord Music Hall to check out Morgan Page and Borgeous only to end up at The Mid later on to catch the same show!  LMAO! 

 The Skinny Geisha Cocktail!

I'm not a fan of oysters, but I DO love how they garnish these at Union!

We ordered a lobster and had this dish FIRST! 

The lobster bisque came SECOND!  This was DELISH!!

Finishing up the last of the lobster via rolls...

HUGE turnout for Morgan Page and Borgeous...

These guys were a fun crowd...

I can't believe we went out after this show.  No pictures of The Mid because my phone died out.  We didn't stay long...

Longest Night of the Year...

As I'm ending my 2014 year, I see how much things have changed around me.  Regarding my friends and family, the challenges we've all faced in a matter of 6 months were pretty overwhelming.  You never know what Life will throw at you.  I think that's why I'm more grateful than ever for the love of my friends, who have seen my ups and downs, and still manage to make me laugh in my darkest times.  They're the ones who are rooting for you no matter what.  They're the ones who will tell it to you straight.  They're the ones who will reach out to you when you go in hiding feeling sorry for yourself.  It's a sisterhood that shows no jealously, no hate, no quarrels, no dishonesty.  It's LOVE and it's a wonderful thing to be a part of.  It takes a lot for me to open up, and the fact that these wonderful ladies have been a part of my life for over 10 years have been a blessing. 
Moving forward to the now, the present, my friends have entered new phases in their lives which makes it difficult for us to all get together like we use to.  I know I have to branch out and meet new people and luckily I have met some interesting characters.  One in particular loves to have fun and has a ton of friends.  Back in December, we celebrated her birthday party all over the city.  We still cannot live it down, and the stories we made that night will be remembered forever.
First up, FOOD!  She had a pri-fixed menu at Union Sushi + Barbeque Bar.  That menu was an interesting choice of dishes.  We definitely took a ton of pictures for Instagram.  lol.  But I will say, it did take up most of our night.  I was starting to get sleepy! 
Next up on the agenda, having cocktails next door at the Franklin Room.  We all walked together down a set of stairs into a cozy pub.  We had a couple of cocktails there but before we got too comfortable, the birthday girl reminded us she had a table at Bevy nightclub down the street.  By now it was after 1am and I was getting pretty tired.  I guess dance music was in order...
Bevy nightclub was packed.  Luckily we had our table waiting for us.  I took a ton of pictures and we had a blast there.  I loved seeing the birthday girl all smiles for her day.  We closed the place down at 3am!  Almost everyone left but we still had a strong group that wanted MORE.  Off we went to get into some trouble. 
We headed down to Time nightclub.  Since this place closed later, they got hit with a wave of people that came from other spots that closed early.  We danced to hip hop and had a blast!  I couldn't believe that we also closed that place down!  This night lasted 8 hours from dinner to dawn!  I was amazed at my stamina as well but sometimes having fun can be an adrenaline itself! 

Say CHEESE!!

 

 

Check out that menu!

 

Catching up at The Franklin Room...

Let's boogie at Bevy!

PEACE!!

 

 

 

When things get blurry at Time nightclub...