Guy Gerber No Show

Despite my unfortunate incident the night before, I woke up troubled in the morning.  It was Friday and I had bought a ticket to see a dj perform that night.  I was pretty excited about this weeks ago when I first bought it.  Now I felt terrible and I knew I had to push my feelings aside.  I didn’t want this to ruin my evening.  I went to work and came home to rest up.  I slowly got ready and did my usual routine of calling up my mom before she went to bed.  I invited a friend to see if she would be interested but no response.  Looks like I’m going solo!

The temperature dropped down to the 40s in Chicago after a 60 degree week.  I decided not to wear a coat since I was going to uber it there.  I wasn’t too worried about it, but was surprised when the uber driver showed up with his dog sitting in front.  At first I thought I got into the wrong car.  He apologized right away and asked if this would be a problem.  I told him I’m allergic to dogs, but he again apologized that his dog wasn’t feeling too well.  He didn’t want to leave her alone at home since he was monitoring her.  She might need surgery, but for now she was on antibiotics.  I felt bad.  I could tell he loves his dog very much.  He put down the front windows for me and we talked about her situation.  It hit home hard since I knew how my mom loves her dog (even though he drives me crazy).  A pet is a member of the family who brings so much joy to the people they love.  I told him I would pray for his dog that night.  I hope she’ll be ok. 

Once I got to Spybar I noticed how dead it was inside.  I figured it was a late night spot and it would get better later on.  I waited and waited and still nothing happened.  They had two djs spinning and they were ok.  As the night went on, the crowd got bigger and bigger but still no Guy Gerber.  I was enjoying myself nonetheless.  I haven’t been out in months and I miss dance music so much.  It’s the only other place besides church where everybody is in harmony.  Eventually a girl started talking to me and then mentioned how Guy Gerber was not coming.  “What??”  I shrieked.  “Yeah, he couldn’t get in the country.  Visa issues.”  Oh my goodness.

I was frustrated, but what could I do?  I was out already, I might as well enjoy the most of my evening.  I stayed out as late as I could.  Then I grew tired and went home.  Sure enough I checked on Facebook to see if there was some sort of announcement about him being a no-show, and there it was.  I blame myself for not checking since these things do happen from time to time.  Until next time Guy Gerber.  You are still on my dj bucket list.

All black 

Spanish Square for Tapas

The day after Easter my mom invited me and my brothers to come by for ham.  I felt bad because I told her I had plans that Easter Sunday to go to the Baby Sprinkle.  I guess she really wanted to do something with us.  I need to be more aware of her needs.  She gets lonely and it’s hard trying to fit some time with her especially when the weather has been all over the place.  So far this spring, Chicago has had its nice days followed by 4-5 days of consecutive rain and showers.  I feel bad for those who are suffering with flood problems.  This rain won’t give.

That same week one of our friends was visiting from California.  She set aside to catch up on Thursday since she was also working while she was here.  Me and my friends all came together to see her.  Unfortunately, the bar that she wanted to meet up at didn’t have a working kitchen due to construction.  We decided to go to Spanish Square across the street for some tapas.

We didn’t realize we walked into their weekly wine tasting event that takes place every Thursday.  Of course me and my friends loved that!  We had a ball that night.

I ended the evening on a high note, but what happened afterwards had me troubled for a bit.  Looking back this past month was a bit difficult for me.  I’m usually optimistic but with so much tension all around, I’m hoping things will start looking up soon.  I’ve been under the weather and it’s wearing me down.  I’m looking forward to taking it easy this weekend.

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.   

Allerton Hotel

The following Thursday I went out for an event at the Allerton Hotel on Michigan Avenue.  It was nice seeing my friends for a bit.  They were introducing other hotels in the company throughout the country and were giving away raffles for a free stay.  Unfortunately I did not win but it was a fun time anyways.  The grand prize was a 5 night stay in Paris!  Oh well.  Better luck next time…

I stayed in that upcoming weekend.  I went over my mom’s on Saturday to drop off the postcards I got for her on my trip.  Luckily my uncle was over too and we all had dinner.  It was nice sharing my experiences with them.  My mom loved the gifts.

Pop's Birthday Dinner

I am currently reading “Vagabonding:  An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel” by Rolf Potts.  Since I’ve been back from my trip I was in the mood to find information on how to enhance my travel experiences.  For the most part, I’ve been fortunate to visit cities I have always dreamt about, but I couldn’t help feeling if I was traveling “correctly.”  Lol.  As silly as it sounds, I knew I wanted to visit these particular cities for my interests and no one else’s.  But upon listening to others share their adventures with me, I realized everyone had a different approach to visiting new places.  I felt that my inexperience might fall short, and was worried I wasn’t getting the true essence of a new town or city. 

Listening to others and comparing how they plan (or play it by ear) a trip made me realize that everyone has their own method.  It was up to me to customize my own interests so I could get the satisfaction I wanted out of my trips.  Yet there are other factors that come into play.  While it rained on and off in Amsterdam when I was visiting, I had to adjust my discomfort to go along with my plans.  Normally, back home in Chicago, I would stay inside nice and dry and ride out the weather.  Being on a tight itinerary meant having bad hair days and braving the wind so I could visit my points of interests.  I was on my own and I had to get things done!

In Florence however, me and my friend had our moments of disagreements.  Her interests are different than mine, and we sometimes would get pretty frustrated with one another on what to do next.  I felt as if I should have had a day to myself to go to the museums since it’s not really her thing.  I questioned who was getting the most “culture”, but in the end, we both were.  Reading “Vagabonding” made me feel secure enough to know that I was truly experiencing life out of my travels.

Now the issue of time has been on my mind, and I question if I’m getting enough “experience” out of my short stays.  “Vagabonding” introduces the idea of long-term traveling, but I’m still perplexed this is something I could do anytime soon.  For the idea of retirement; yes.  I could definitely see this as a possibility.  It’s grasping this concept now that has me stuck.  In the meantime, all I could do is focus on paying off my credit cards, so in the future I could figure out where my next adventure lies.  I am excited because I have a strong feeling I know where I’m going.  It’s just a matter of TIME.

Speaking of TIME, I landed back from my mini vacation and went to work that Thursday and Friday.  Me and my friends met up for margaritas after work and I told them about my time out in Amsterdam.  I rested up that Saturday and on Sunday, went over my Dad’s house to celebrate his birthday.  My brothers were interested about my trip, mostly because they were pretty surprised I planned everything on a month’s notice.  Reflecting back now, I’m glad I got a chance to tell my stories with my Dad included.  As I’ve gotten older, I realize the time I spend with my parents is precious especially with everyone having a full schedule.  He complained about his birthday cake being small, but to me, this was a big moment for all of us to have him with us.     

The table is ready!

Mexican tamales!

Selfie time with my Pops

Day Six: Florence

Since we were out all night and did a lot that day, me and my friend overslept.  We woke up around 10am and knew we kind of screwed up if we wanted to go to the museums.  We still weren’t sure which one we were going to: the Uffizzi Galleria, or the Galleria dell’Accademia.  We still had to drive into Florence so we figured we’ll decide once we find parking. 

Walking into the crowd, I mentioned to my friend that since it was getting close to siesta time, the line wouldn’t be so long wherever we go.  We settled on Uffizzi since we were closer to that one again.  We practically walked up front when we stopped.  The line was down the street around the corner.  A tour guide was letting us know that there are tours where you can skip the line, but of course, it costs a lot more.  We were stuck.  We were sluggish from being out all night, and we did not want to wait in that line.  The other setback was that if we sign up with the skip-the-line tour, it would last 2 hours.  Hence, we’re back to spending 2 hours in the museum regardless.  My friend was hesitant, but I decided to foot the cost because I really wanted to experience this.  She agreed and we got very lucky with a tour starting right at that moment.  The tour guide showed us to our group and we put on our headphones.  We followed him around with a small group of 10.  He was going to show us the evolution of art through the ages presented in this museum.  I enjoyed the tour very much since it gave us a perspective on how other artists influenced each other.   Of course, the Boticelli room was amazing!!  People couldn’t stop taking pictures of his masterpieces.  

When we finally finished the tour, I bought my gallery book as a souvenir.  This is something I started doing for myself on my trabels, (although technically I’m missing the book from the Louve museum because I was too tired to carry it back to my hotel).  

Afterwards, we knew that siesta was over, and that the restaurants that are opened would be a little emptier.  We found La Bussola ristorante pizzeria nearby.  I told my friend that I wanted to have pizza for lunch and gelato for dinner.  Lol.  This worked out perfectly!  I ordered a Margarita pizza since it was more tomato based.  I had cheese and prosciutto again for breakfast, and was craving tomato sauce really bad.  My friend decided on a Tuscan pizza instead which included cheese baked into the bread.  She loved hers as well.

We ate like queens and decided to walk around and shop.  My friend found a salon that could do manicures, so while they took care of her, I sipped on their complimentary coffee and took advantage of their wifi.

We checked out some interesting shops afterwards.  We ended up at the higher end retailers, but we couldn’t help but admire the stores.  We spent the rest of the day looking around for goodies.  Once it got later, we still had to find some gelato to check off my list.  By this time, both our phones had died out.  Luckily, we ended up finding Perche no! which I would definitely recommend.  It was delish!

As we were walking back to the car to charge our phones, we found the famous boar statue our tour guide had mentioned earlier.  This boar specifically ate truffles, which has been the number one consumer goods imported from Italy.  Legend says you have to drop coins in his mouth and rub his snout.  Hopefully it will bring me good luck!  Lol

We went back to the car to charge up our phones for a bit.  We wanted to have one last drink out and head back to the house so we could say our goodbyes to the couple who were hosting us.  We had seen a nice restaurant earlier while we were walking around and ended up there for drinks.  I will miss my friend.  My flight was leaving at 6:35 in the morning, which meant we had to be at the airport no later than 5:30am.  That to me was cutting it close, but she reassured me that I should be fine.

On our way back to the car again (this time to head home) we ran into the iconic Arno river.  We decided to take one last photo together, but were having a hard time finding that perfect shot.  An Italian man noticed our struggle and offered to take the shot for us.  He was very nice.  We chatted for a bit about the history of the infamous Gold Bridge and how many of the buildings surrounding it were destroyed during WW2.  He knew so much, I wish we had met him earlier.  We exchanged info off facebook and hopefully our paths will cross again.  I loved his energy!  He was a very passionate, happy, proud Italian who love sharing the history of his country.  I love that…

We came home and said our goodbyes to the lovely couple who had waited for us.  I couldn’t help but tear up a bit while I was packing my belongings.  This trip had surpassed my expectations, mostly because I did not know what to expect.  The sense of clarity it brought me had calmed my nerves.  There are good people in the world.  Sometimes you just have to look for them…