There's two things that one might think are great about celebrating your birthday during this time of year:
1.) It's always around (or on) SuperBowl Sunday
2.) Living in the North, there's likely snow
HOWEVER: I would state that snow is only nice when you need not drive, and the latter only makes it so people are actually celebrating something OTHER than your birthday.
But this past weekend was extra special.
It started out on Friday evening at Cooper's Hawk with some great friends and co-workers. It's been ages since I've been there. And I'm obsessed with their Malbec!
BF made the occasion extra special. He arranged an outing with Sarah & her husband Jimmy on Saturday.
We drove down to Bridgeport on the southside of Chicago to explore the area.
BF first took us to the Ferrara Bakery to pick up some cannolis for an after lunch treat.
The Pleasant House is known for their 'meat pies'. Basically English style pot-pies. You can do as I did, and get them with a side of mint peas and mash potatoes with gravy, which is AWESOME!
We sat at Maria's bar next door and they even bring you your food.
Some of the unique cocktails at Maria's.
My Hornswagglers High Tea tottie
After drinks, we made a quick stop across the street at the Bridgeport Coffee Company for some caffeine.
We ended up hanging out and watching Groundhogs Day until our evenings facilities.
Saturday evening we went to dinner with Sarah & Jimmy and Jenn & DJ at Lucia's in Bucktown/Wickerpark.
I had the most amazing butternut squash ravioli! And there was BYOB with no corking fee, which was pretty incredible. ;) It was so nice though, because it was very much like a large dinning room in some family friend's house. And they had these great, tall ceilings and large paintings, and the the ceiling was lined with faux grape vines and grape-shaped lights!
BF did such a great job keeping his plans secret, and we then cabbed it over to Joe's on Weed for a concert by Clayton Andrews.
Which to BF's credit, was an awesome idea, EXCEPT for the fact that hell descended upon the facility in the form of Indiana Hoosier fans..... which, as a Purdue fan, I have an unreasonable despise towards.
The positive was...
I MET TRACE ATKINS!
So we shook our ba donka donks and had a great time, even with all that dreadful RED!
I've determined that 2013 is the year of the PJ parties! We spent Sunday with some great friends for a Sweat Suit SuperBowl Party!
Just an overall superb weekend!
Thank you everyone for making this year, EXTRA special!
This past weekend may have gotten a little cray cray...
Friday after getting out of work a bit early and testing some offers at the store on Addison, Dan managed to replicate an exact copy of Jim's Pad Thai! My BF, the chef :)
Saturday, we grabbed coffee at the Lincoln hotel's lobby coffee shop, around the corner from BF's apt. BF was so excited because he's been watching Dangerous Grounds, where this dude travels around the world trying to find the most exotic coffee beans. Elaine's Coffee Call serves some of the brews, so we grabbed a standard drip and an Americana with hazelnut to keep us warm on our way to the Green City Market at the Nature center in Lincoln Park.
The sad part is, I really wanted to go to grab some of the Cookies & Carnitas stew they advertised on Facebook. This place is too legit to quit! During the summer, I'm addicted to their porchetta, which they typically serve as a sandwich, and I had them convert to a salad for me.
BF and I also treated ourselves to some amazing canned veggies. Typically, I'm addicted to the salsa from Tomato Mountain, but this time I got canned beats (WHICH ARE INCREDIBLE!) from Bushel & Peck's. BF got the canned brussel sprouts, which I wasn't a huge fan of, but he seemed to really dig.
After the awesome trip to the market, I drove up Lincoln to Half Acre Brewery to pick up their donation to the JLKD Spring Fling. And while I was there... I may or may not have gotten a few growlers to enjoy of my own.
RANDOM NOTE: When I came back, I found not 1, not 2, not 3, but FOUR VW Beetles in a single block all of a different color! Did I miss some random Beetle convention?
Saturday evening we went out with our good friends DJ & Jenn for dinner and drinks. We ended up at Piece, because let's face it, I've been craving it ever since I first tried it.
This is the best pizza and I'm OBSESSED with their IPA, Camel Toe.... yes, Camel Toe. They name all their beers super awkward names. But it's Hilarious! :) There pizzas, as you can see, are GIANT! (ok, ok, I admit, I forgot to take the picture of our pizza(s), so this was our neighbor's pizza.)
After at least 1, maybe 2 periods of the Blackhawk's game...I'll be honest, I really wasn't paying attention.
We ended up walking around the corner to Violet Hour. I'd been talking with their manager this past week to see about a donation for Junior League's Spring Fling. After waiting in line to get in, I finally got to put a face with a name and she was wonderful to us! She gave us each a sparkling tottie to start our evening (which went fabulous with the warm fire we were sat next to).
This was so nice after waiting in the cold.
Their stellar cocktail menu is renowned!
My hot Tottie (Laird's Apple Brandy, Lemon, Spice Trader Syrup, Peychaud's Bitters)
DJ & Jenn enjoying their drinks and the warm fire!
Sunday I treated myself to an early birthday present, of a massage and hair treatment/trim at my local Mario Tricoci... A-Mazing... I now want a massage every week! Every DAY even... incredible. It was much needed, and I'll say it... deserved :)
Just an overall great weekend with great friends! I am so blessed!
As you can see, mucho pictures... I might have pissed everyone off. But I realized this past year, that without blogging, I wasn't forcing myself to take pictures.... so needless to say it made my Christmas card especially difficult to create this year.
You may have noticed a common theme throughout this email... Junior League donations. I'm on the fundraising committee this year, and I just want to express my thanks and appreciate to the local businesses that have helped us out with our efforts this year. I can't wait to see what our league can do in our community in the coming year!
To learn more about the people/businesses in this post, check out the below links:
This coming weekend I'm planning on sticking fairly close to home.
I'm really hoping to get some cleaning and cooking done, and just overall get organized.
I'm by nature an organized person, but that doesn't mean it's like germ-free/sparkling clean.
BF has said he may be coming out to go to a Bike Swap in the area.
He's been all about bikes the last year or so, and this past summer was buying bikes off craigslist to rebuild and resell.
Although he's not stating it, I get the impression he plans to stock up his working material... meaning less space in his tiny apt to hang out with friends :(.
Anywho, what I'm planning to do, other than cleaning, is cook!
Last Sunday, I hung out with BF's mom who is an amazing, seasoned, instinctual cook.
We specifically were talking about how to make a stock and soup.
Which kind of gave me the itch.
So here's my plan:
I'm going to go shopping tomorrow after work for grocery to make,
1.) Aunt Joan's Chicken Salad (below)
2.) Pot Roast
3.) Homemade Chicken noodle Soup
My hope is two fold. One, that they all come out edible, and two that I can ration and freeze this stuff for meals for the next week or so.
Do y'all have any comfort recipes you enjoy making during these cold winter months or just in general? Please share! I love to cook, but am typically just cooking for myself and stick to simple single serve.
AUNT JOAN'S Chicken Salad
Mix
Dressing: Set aside and pour on salad
1 hour before serving.
2 pkgs of chicken
ramean seasoning
3/4 C
oil
1/3 C white
vinegar
1/4 C
Sugar
Salad:
1 12 oz. Broccoli
Slaw
2 apples
diced
1 C sunflower
seeds
1 pkg dried
cranberries
1 bunch green onions
chopped
1 bell
pepper
1 C slivered
almonds
1 Rotisserie Chicken
cut-up small pieces
2 pkgs noodles
crunched up top right before serving.
This past weekend my BFF Sarah S. came to visit me!
She got in fairly early on Friday evening, and of course we had to make our way to Giordano's for some Chicago stuffed pizza.
I know there's some debate over not only which city (NYC or Chicago) does pizza best, but even in Chicago they fight over which pizza is supreme. Some people like Giordano's, while others prefer Lou Malnati's... still others prefer other small hole-in-the-walls around the city. I feel like this is a divided city over so many things: hot dogs, pizza, beers, and baseball... thank god hockey's back as they can at least agree on that.
After dinner and a few margaritas, we made our way home for an evening of shenanigans and Pitch Perfect.
This is my current movie obsession. If you haven't seen it... DO!
I asked Little Sis to get this for me for Christmas, and I swear I've watched it like 10x since.
I think I love it so much for 2 reasons... 1.) the music is AMAZING! and 2.) I want to pretend that the main characters are me and BF:
Jesse: "You're one of those acapella girls, I'm one of those acapella boys, and we're gonna have aca-children. It's inevitable."
On Saturday, we made our way to the city.
We had purchased tickets a while back to go see Book of Mormon.
We had gotten tickets to the 2pm show, which actually worked out pretty perfect, not too late and allowed us fun time after the show.
IRONICALLY, Benji from Pitch Perfect was our lead!
He was really good! The whole play was pretty clever, however coming from someone who isn't easily offended, I wouldn't say I got uncomfortable, but I don't know that I'd see it again.
The sets were awesome, and the characters were well developed. I did like the actors voices a lot!
Afterward, we were looking for a fun cocktail bar we could have fancy martini's at. We happened to stumble upon Pops for Champagne. This place was great!
It was all so sleek and shiny, with fashion shows on the tvs, and nothing but champagne on the menu!
These are the 'Start Wearing Purple' and the 'La Vie en Rose' Champagne Cocktails
We did get some lite appetizers to hold us over till we figured out dinner... Turns out there's a huge difference between east coast oysters and west coast oysters. PS West coast is WAY BETTER!
I also treated myself to an early birthday treat of a bottle of champagne. Tots worth it!
Cheers to you going there soon! Let me know and I may meet up!
Afterward, BF was so sweet. He drove us down to Little Italy for some 3 Aces!
We got to enjoy ourselves with some crazy pool while we waited on our table:
And I got all artsy... I blame the champagne...
Maybe had 1 too many totties
And BF was nice enough to take us home :)
Sarah had to head home the next day, and I will miss her until we can plan another fabulous adventure!
Sunday BF helped his brother move and I hung out with his Mama.
We ended up going to Rosebud's for lunch in Naperville before hitting up several fund shops.
Just overall an INCREDIBLE weekend that will not soon be forgotten!
To learn more or interact with some of the places and people mentioned here, check them out below:
Chello everyone! I apologize for the extended, shall we call it a virtual holiday?
After the holidays things just got crazy with Year End for work!
Where to even begin with what's been going on...
JANUARY:
The big thing was my trip out west to L.A. with BF again for his company's End-of-the-Year Bash. The amazing L.A. Holiday Blogger Erin picked me up at the airport when I flew in on Friday. We went to lunch in Brentwood at this great sushi place, Sugar Fish, where I experienced my FIRST public celebrity sighting!
(From Jurassic Park, The Fly, and more recently one of Rachel's Dad's on GLEE!)
We saw Jeff Goldblum grabbing a bite with some people and I was informed by the locals that you're not supposed to tweet/blog/etc. at the time because then they'll get mobbed, but everyone seemed very respectful!
After lunch we walked around Brentwood a bit, before driving along the PCP and stopping to enjoy the absolutely gorgeous weather!
Erin & I
The Gorgeous view!
We ran & screamed on the beach, and Erin even convinced me to do some cheers from our CHS days! "Y-E... L-L, everybody YELL!"
That evening we grabbed some pretty tasty 'Margs' (in the words of Mrs. K.G) over at Baja Sharkeez near BF's hotel. What I couldn't get over was how awesome all the fish was! Between Sushi for lunch and the fish tacos I had for dinner... I want to live in Cali just for the fish!
Saturday, BF and I debated about what to do for the day before the annual shindig that evening. We decided since last year I made him do all the touristy stuff, we'd go in search of some famous California wines. Since Santa Barbara was about 2H away, we felt that would significantly cut into potential wine time, so we settled on Malibu... and boy was it A-MAZING! In search of our first vineyard, we accidental stumbled onto an ACTUAL vineyard (not a tasting room like you're apparently supposed to), then from there stumbled onto the Biggest Loser Ranch... that's right, I KID YOU NOT! We eventually at lunch there as well... after finding the wineries :)
BF at the Ranch Restaurant
Me out in front of Malibu Wines
This year's company blow out was at the club 'My House' it was neat and creepy all at once. Neat because it actually modeled a potential real house, complete with full kitchen (used as a second bar in this case), outdoor patio with grill, den, and living room. Creep-tastic because it had an actual bed complete with fur throw blanket and in-room jacuzzi...
creepy bed at the club
But all in all it was a pretty amazing trip that provides some wonderful memories.
February: I got old... nough said.
Well, not actually Old-Old... but old-er. I had my birthday, around the Superbowl.... again. The Superbowl was in Indy. Everyone from Indy in the Midwest was freaking out and going home to see the spectacle. Same-ole, Same-ole. :)
All kidding aside, I actually had to look at my calendar to remember what I've done because I've been so busy. For my birthday weekend, we actually spent it downtown watch Purdue lose in a miserable basketball game at Red Ivy. But BF and I made up for it the following weekend for Valentine's Day. He took me to the Violet Hour... a place I've been DYING to go to since he first told me about it! We got all dressed up, and went to enjoy our $12 cocktails. But BOY is it worth it!
One of th bars at the Violent Hour, but imagine with much dimmer lighting.
The bar doesn't allow people to crowd everywhere. there's almost always a line. But this allows you to feel like you're in an intimate setting even in a large room.
The bar tenders don't use hoses of soda water or even jugs, everything is glass or pewter and the drinks are mixed the old fashion way!
I was also recently recognized at work and received free tickets to see Cirque De Soleil. We went, I was creeped out by the eery music and scary clowns. All-in-all, though this year has started off big.
Meet Lucky (with the yellow rubberbands) & Ricky (in the green).
These beauties arrived at work roughly around 1pm on Friday along with their buddies, the clams. I named them Lucy & Ricky because Ricky kept trying to push Lucy off the table... 'He's got some 'splainin' to do....'
BF came over and we made a fabulous meal. This place sent the whole kit & kaboodle except the wine... literally!
They sent clam chowder, lobster, corn, and clams.
They were extremely tasty, even if they fought back a bit while I tried to eat them (I got some scratches on my hands from the shells)
Saturday morning, BF & I got up early and used my awesome gym. I've been meaning to be better about my work out schedule, but with the holidays, traveling, and work things have just been insane... but that could be me making excuses for not wanting to work out. It's always the same. I hate running and working out. When I was cheering and would do summer boot camps with Paul & Brian at All Star, they'd make us run around the complex and follow in their cars... I hated it, but it made me better, and made me feel better. The only work out I've ever really enjoyed is when I was tumbling. I worked at the gym to pay for my private lessons after our 2-3 hour practices. I miss tumbling...
Anywho, got side tracked on memory lane.
But after an awesome workout, BF & I geared up for holiday shopping. We had some party gifts and family gifts to get before the holiday rush.
We also went grocery shopping as I needed to stock up to prepare for my little shindig on Wednesday. I'm having some friends over for a little cocktail party and secret Santa. I'll be sure to share a re-cap with recipes!
Saturday afternoon/evening I baked chocolate chip cookies (recipe below) to take into work and to share with my neighbors. I had already made my bourbon balls (recipe below). I just got all sorts of productive and made both a meat & veggie version of J.M.'s lasagna. I guiltily confess, I forgot the mozzarella cheese and was forced to use the sharp cheddar I had. To make the recipe veggie, I just split the sauce and put in artichoke hearts and mushrooms. BF is trying really hard to be 'healthier'. I also managed to get all my cards done for work (as I'm giving my presents out today as most people start their holidays next week).
Sunday, BF and I got up again to work out; it just feels so good to be healthy! After coming home to do laundry, he headed off to deliver his 'Christmas Girdinara' while I made the dough for my candy cane cookies (recipe below) and cleaned. I still need to do some more before my party, but things are shaping up.
Yesterday afternoon, we had BF's dad's family Christmas in Lombard. It was really nice and we watched the Bears game (even though, I don't really care about the sports aspect of spectating and the Bears failed in overtime... sorry BF, I prefer the social aspects :) ). Overall it was a great weekend!
I hope y'all had a great weekend as well! After all this baking, I think I've inspired myself to make Mexican wedding cakes as well.... I'll include that in a later post!
Cookie Recipes
Bourbon Balls
1 cup finely chopped vanilla wafers
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup confections' sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa-optional
Combine all, optional roll dough in 1 tablespoon balls through additional confectioners' sugar. Store in air-tight tin.
Candy Cane Cookies
1 cup shortening
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon almond
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red food coloring (keep till end)
Divide dough in 1/2; put red coloring in 1/2; Blend well; place in two pieces of waxed paper; then, chill; after several hours, shape & bake at 350 degrees.
Nestle's Chocolate-Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (softened)
2 large eggs
2 cups (12 oz.) semi-sweet chips
1 cup chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Using tablespoon sizes, put on cookie sheet and back for 9-11 mins. Cool 2 mins
Jamie's Lasagna
1 lb. hamburger
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
16 oz. Tomato Sauce
2 6 oz. cans of Tomato Paste
Brown & drain beef. Add rest of ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 30 mins. Cook & drain 10 lasagna noodles.
You'll need roughly 2 cups mozzarella cheese.
Wet Mix:
2 eggs
1 cup parma cheese
1/2 tablespoon pepper
3 cups cottage cheese
2 tablespoon parsley flakes
Mix above in bowl separately. Then take 4 noodles in 13 x 9 x 2" pan & 1/2 meat mix & 1/2 other mix with 2 cups mozzarella cheese and repeat. Bake for 30-40 mins or until cheese is melted. let stand 10-15 mins before serving.
This past Saturday, BF & I traveled to the deep south to visit with my family for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Each year, BF and I switch which holiday (Thanksgiving or Christmas) we spend with each or our families. With the being in either Chicago or Atlanta, it'd be pretty expensive to try to do both.
This being said, because I only get to see my family about 3 times a year, I try to spend as much time with them as possible when I can, so BF understands most of my limited vacation days are spent in Atlanta. He's pretty wonderful :)
So we flew early from Chicago on 7am flights... needless to say getting up at 3:30am does not agree with us. We had hoped to meet up with a good childhood friend of mine for the evening but he got stuck in Statesboro (GP - you and LJ owe us a double date when we're in the same city again! Or maybe y'all should just come up to Chicago sometime soon!).
Mom & I grabbed $3 Dollar Cafe ribs for lunch which went perfectly with Football and Family. But almost immediately after sitting down at the house, Nana called frantically because she had gotten a flat tire on her way to work. So dad and I came to the rescue. It was quite the dramatic rescue as she was on 285 which apparently Atlantans now see as their own personal circle shaped NASCAR track... Dad was inclined to point out that even in NASCAR they have a 45 mph zone in the pits to change the tires... they were averaging like 85 mph whizzing by his head, while I played flag-girl getting them to slow down or change lanes. But we got Nana to work only an hour late.
SOAPBOX:
I don't typically try to be mean or negative here but I'm very upset about this: Nana had just purchased all new tires 3 days prior... I don't care what the garage people say, there's no pothole in Atlanta that would cause the tire to separate from the rim the way it did (maybe in Chicago, but not in Atlanta)... this being said the Goodyear at Macy's Perimeter made my Nana PAY FOR A WHOLE NEW TIRE! They took the whole situation very defensively when I called them out on this BS but refused to budge... therefore DO NOT GO TO THIS STORE FOR YOUR AUTO NEEDS! They were typical southerners, sweet to your face but stabbing you in the back (and I can say that cuz I've done it)... but I expected them to do their jobs. Ok, I'm done. Sorry. :( I was just so upset that they thought they could rip my Nana off without any repercussions. I'm tempted to call the Better Business Bureau on them...
Fini
When we got back, since our evening activities got canceled, BF was happy to sit with Daddio watching NCAA football while Mom and I braved the early Thanksgiving shoppers up at the mall. We ran into Macy's and then got Rusty washed. Dad did some great steaks on the grill and it ended up being a fairly jammed packed day for just having arrived.
Sunday, we took some time to just hang out again. BF and I met up with our great newly wed friends LG & CG! We met up with them at this little Mexican restaurant in Dunwoody that apparently is a favorite of some other family friends of ours.
Our Family Friend, Photographer Deb Jansen, even used it as the back drop for her photo session with Nana!
They had the best fish taco's ever! I swear, I've never had better fish taco's than in Atlanta. We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with LG & CG and CG's brother AG and mom even stopped by! We then checked out wedding/honeymoon pics at their house.
That night, Nana came over for our early Thanksgiving. Macy's wouldn't give her the time off. :( and since we're planning on enjoying the holiday at the Farm, this would be the only time we got to spend with her.
BF is working today, and Nana's coming over so we can spend the day together. We have brunch plans in Roswell in a little less than an hour, so I'd better skedaddle. I'll post more this week from the Farm!
Short and sweet this week folks! Been a crazy week and I have lots to do before heading down to ATL for the Holidays.
What the BF is watching - Cleaning out my DVR
The Prep and I have a rotate the Holidays between our families and Thanksgiving is going to be down in the dirty south this year. That means that all of my violent (Walking Dead/Dexter/Boardwalk Empire), boob filled (How to Make it in America/Hung), toilet humor (The League/Tosh.0/South Park) shows will be sent straight to the DVR for the next 10 days. Going to have to power through all of those one off specials that I recorded on the Food/History Channel. At least I will learn something.
What the BF is listening to - "I Stand Alone" by Theophilus London
Another song from "How to Make it in America". Used heavy in the season trailer. Super catchy
Game of the Week - Blackhawks at Canucks (Wednesday 9:00 CT)
This is one of the best rivalries in sports right now. For three years in a row the Blackhawks and Vancouver had met in the playoffs. Each time the series only gets more and more intense. The nice thing too is that the Blackhawks are CLEARLY the good guys here. Vancouver are a ton of choking cheap shot artists and their fans are assholes.
That is the face of the enemy. Soak it in. I am not just being an obnoxious homer here. Hipsters AND sore losers. What a terrible combo. Order must be restored. By the way you filthy Canucks, here is a reason for a ton of people to gather together in the streets.
Investment of the week - Vikings +1 over Oakland (I am 2-0 right now)
Ever since I got my permit I loved driving. It has always been a relaxing activity for me. Originally it was just the ability for me to get away and have freedom from staying put. Now a days I love it for the ultimate escape from work. The car is the one place that I can't be asked to jump onto my computer and send something out. Traveling via airplane isn't safe anymore. Want me to tweak that big presentation? Sorry not now guys. O, I need to be on this call? Sure, I am happy to jump on, but I can't take any notes. Behind the wheel is a place to relax. That is why this week we are sitting down and having a little chat about one of my favorite activities. Road trip!
The road trip is arguably the most manly and American of all vacations. Taking the open road. Seeing the country at the ground level. If you are so fortunate as to have people in the car with you, the conversations tend to be awesome. When driving it makes it a part of the trip in a way that hoping on a plane never can. When on a road trip there are however some rules and roles that that everyone needs to follow. Next time you get ready to gas up your ride, keep the following things in mind:
Role: Driver
Pretty self explanatory, but it pretty much the most important role. Driver needs to be someone who is alert at all times. Carries the responsibility of getting everyone there in one piece. Outside of having a license and not driving like an old lady, the only real requirement is stamina. The longer your driver can be behind the wheel the faster you get to your destination. Sometimes you need to be able to swap out the driver and have him take a break. Personally, the only way that this happens when I road trip is if we are trying to drive straight through the night.
Role: Co-Pilot
Robin to the Driver's Batman. The Co-Pilot basically takes care of all the things that the driver needs but can't do because he/she is driving. Need to have an address punched into a smartphone/GPS for directions? Got it. Hey can you hand me some of the beef jerky? Got it. Change the song. Got it. On top of this your job is to make sure that the driver stays awake. This could be car games, playing music, conversation.....basically anything but falling asleep. As mentioned before the exception to this rule is if there are only 2 people in the car and you plan on driving through the night somewhere. If the Co-Pilot is to drive while the Driver takes a nap, then it is acceptable for them to get a little shut eye themselves.
Role: Backseat
Your job is to bring anything possible to the table. If you can't bring something positive/interesting don't do anything to ruin things. No complaining, no snoring, no talking on the phone, and worst of all no excessive farting. Backseaters need to be prepared to at any point step up and be ready to fill in at either of the two front seat roles. You can also feel free to nap at any time.
Rule - Don't be a dick about your bodily functions
We are all human, we get it. Sometimes you are just going to have to pass gas. Let everyone know that you are about to do it, apologize, and crack the window. Just don't make a habit out of it.
Rule - Be smart about your bathroom stops
The driver is the person that ultimately controls the stops, but he needs to be respectful. Announce when you are likely going to be stopping for gas so people don't have to ask if you can stop. Sometimes it just doesn't work out that way though and if you can give a heads up to the driver that you need to go the problem should be resolved fairly quickly
Rule - Avoid gas station bathrooms
Try to go to a place where food is served. In general I try to go to a McDonalds. While I hate them as a company and will never give them another penny of my money ever again (another story for another post), they do manage to consistently ensure a clean bathroom across all of their franchises. There is one at almost every stop. The prep has always stated that she would keep an eye out for Cracker Barrels. While those giant truck stop/resturant/shopping center bathrooms are typically fine, most gas station bathrooms are horrible horrible places where horrible horrible things are done. Spare yourself the need for a Purell bath and take the extra two seconds to go across the street.
Rule - You are never too old to play games.
Make a sign and try to get a reaction. Get a truck to honk the horn. "Would you rather". All solid options to get a good laugh and make the time go by. Just make sure that the Driver is being safe and you are good to go.
Rule - Listen to as much of the radio as possible
With everyone having a smart phone that is loaded with all of the music your little heart desires, this rule becomes a little less important, but it is still a good idea to turn the playlist off from time to time. First off, no matter how large of a playlist you have, the ability to preserve it never hurts. Once a song gets played on a road trip it has officially be played. Avoid repeats at all costs. By listening to the radio you can extend it a little bit with stuff you might not have thought of throwing on. Plus you get the added bonus of learning what is going on in the local area from the commercials/traffic updates.
Another overlooked radio feature is AM. AM stations can sometimes be reached across a couple of state lines. One of my favorite roadtrip memories happened while listening to Greg Maddux pitch his way to his 500th win on WGN 720 while I was in the middle of Ohio. If you are in the car with sports fans you can find a sports talk station just about anywhere.
Rule - If your drive is over 3 hours, it is acceptable/encouraged to eat food that you would never eat otherwise
Jerky, slim jims, combos. These are all terrible things for your body that will be cemented to your colon for the rest of your life, but dammit it is a road trip and you are given a free pass to go for it. On a road trip to Alabama this past summer I saw my friend consume a pickled sausage. It was glorious/disgusting. I myself am a beef jerky man. It is the only time that I really allow myself to eat it. When selecting my beef jerky I particularly enjoy trying to find the most random gas station brand that I can find.
Rule - Be a seeder
Those those who are not in the know, a seeder is someone that enjoys sunflower seeds. Throw em whole in the left cheek, eat the seed and move the shells to the right one. Spit when appropriate. I tend to keep an empty plastic bottle on hand for these occasions. This is great to pass the time and also works as something to keep the driver awake as well.
Rule - Don't freak out if we hit traffic
It is about as useful as complaining about the weather. Unless you can offer a smart way around it, drop it. We are all in this together.
Rule - Have Fun!
This is a road trip! There is a reason that they say that the journey is more memorable than the destination.
Ok lets start the weekly stuff...
Movie Trailer Time - Breaking Dawn Part 1 (November 18th)
Dear Prep,
For some reason I have seen all of these movies and have not liked any of them. All these movies are poorly written and filled with a ton of staring. Regardless of my accurate opinion of these movies I have accepted that you like them and will be seeing it. If you force me to watch it I will try to be patient, but understand that the 130 minute torture session called "New Moon" nearly killed me. If you do choose to go and see this with coworkers it probably will be for the best.
PS - If we are not seeing this movie together I am considering eating a ton of White Castle the night before it premieres, getting one lone creepy ticket to a watch party, and openly farting White Castle toxic onion farts the entire time.
What the BF is listening to - Midnight City by M83
This song snuck up on me. I first heard it on spotify, then it was on the ending credits to "How to make it in America" as Ben and Nancy got it on, and now I am seeing it all over the Victoria's Secret commericals. Expect to hear a lot more of it soon because it is good. Gave the rest of the album a listen to on my way down to Purdue this past weekend. First time I saw and just listened to a full album of music in a long time.
GAME OF THE WEEK - Lions at Bears (November 13 - Fox afternoon game)
Yes another Bears game. After this past Monday the Bears are looking good for their post season hopes. Right now they own the last wild card spot and have tie breaks against the Bucs, Falcons, and Eagles. If they can take this one they are back in total control.
Pick - Lions +3 - Bears win this in a close one, but do not cover the 3 points. If you are so inclined to place an "investment" I would consider the Steelers -3 against the Bengals. I just don't believe the hype behind Dalton.
Welcome back to the BF Corner! Now that Halloween is over there is a large shift in focus towards celebrating the Holidays. It seems that the Christmas season is starting earlier each and every year. I know that even the Prep herself starts celebrating the second the last pumpkin candle goes out after Halloween.
Personally, I am getting a little tired of it. Yes, I love Christmas, but too much of a good thing is bad. I used to love Christmas music, but working in a retail store that plays it non stop for the entire extended Holiday "season" will drive a man to crazy. We go so overboard that it renders the whole thing no longer special. Take time to enjoy the end of fall. The last of the leaves are falling, and we should squeeze every last bit of Fall. Very soon your hoodie will not be enough to keep you warm outside.
What other holiday has two months of celebrating behind it?!?!?! Can you imagine if the Halloween "season" started in September? Pumpkins keep us in check with that. By rotting they remind us that too much too soon will leave you rotten and done by the time trick or treating starts. What about Valentines Day? You ready to start seeing pink stuffed animals and candy hearts in mid December? I doubt it. The only one that I can really get behind is if St. Patrick's day started in mid January.
Pace yourself people. Wait till Thanksgiving is over to get your inner Griswold on.
RANDOM VIDEO BREAK TIME!
Ok, back to the action! Over the last three months it really has felt like a giant road trip at times. Bachelor parties in 'Bama, Purdue on the weekends, business trips to St. Louis.....yeah I have spent a lot of time behind the wheel of a car lately. This has lead to some solid road trip conversation. It feels like one that gets repeated over and over again is about covers songs.
Cover songs are ones that are remade from an "older" or "original" one. Before the rise of Rock and Roll it was quite a common thing for a record company to record multiple versions of the same song. Often if they felt a song was good, they would get an artist or group that they felt to be more marketable. Another tactic was to get an artist to record an already popular song on a different label, so they could begin to distribute it on their own. Over time covers became a great way for rising artists to make get their names out there to pave way for their original material. It became the standard at rock shows for bands to play covers during their encores because they didn't have any true hits of their own. Once in awhile a cover will become as popular, if not more popular than the original, but with the recent rise of the show Glee we are seeing an appetite for cover songs like never before. Love it or hate it, you cannot stop this machine.
Here is a list of some of my favorite covers in no particular order:
Boys of Summer
Original Artist - Don Henley (1984)
Cover - The Ataris (2003)
This song IS summer. Both versions are awesome, but the slightly faster pace and electric guitar cannot be denied. Of all the punk covers of hits this one reigns as the best.
Sweet Dreams
Original Artist - Eurythmics (1983)
Cover - Marylin Manson (1995)
Great example of one song, pretty much the same lyrics, VERY DIFFERENT SONGS. Both have the whole creepiness factor nailed down solid, but Manson's version is down right scary. Ever since its use in the 1999 remake of "House on Haunted Hill" this has become a standard for filmmakers in the genre. It was good to see that both got nods on the Pilot for the new show "Grimm".
GLEE Time
Don't Stop Believing
Original Artists - Journey (1981)
Cover - Glee (2009)
As discussed before Glee is a force of nature. They dominate at awards shows, are on top of the itunes charts, and have opened a world of film, reality show, and video game spin offs. There are a lot of great songs from Glee over the last couple, but this is the one that started it all. The original happens to be one of my favorite songs. There were many a fuzzy night at the fraternity house that I had me drunkenly signing this song at the top of my lungs with my friends. The song itself has been voted as the best power ballad ever, and it is the most downloaded song on iTunes. No cover will ever come close, but damn Glee gives it its best shot. As a former high school choir member myself this song and show grabbed my attention and pulled me in. While I would not consider myself a Gleek, I have always openly admitted that I enjoyed the show from its start.
Dynamite
Original Artist - Taio Cruiz (2010)
Cover - Mike Tompkins (2010)
Youtube shout out here. The Taio Cruz song is fine, but there is something just addictive and fun about Mike Tompkins' wildly creative video. He has a whole series of videos like this one where he is a one man acappella band. For you Gleeks out there it is arguable that his Teenage Dream cover is better than the Darren Chriss version.
Smooth Criminal
Original Artist - Michael Jackson (1988)
Cover - Alien Ant Farm (2001)
Dear Alien Ant Farm,
When I was in high school I purchased your album Anthology because I loved your cover of Smooth Criminal. While that cover was awesome, the rest of your music sucks and I would like my $12.00 back.
From - Everyone
Mrs. Robinson
Original Artist - Simon and Garfunkel
Cover - The Lemonheads
Can't think of another Lemonheads song if my life depended on it, but I will always remember that they are a band because I like their cover.
Ring of Fire
Original Artist - Johnny Cash (1963)
Cover - Social Distortion (1990)
I love Social Distortion. It blows my mind that they are not a more well known band. In this cover of the well paced Cash classic, they go into their own turbo mode and rip their way right through the song. My gut tells me that if I ever was trapped in an actual ring of fire, it would feel more like the Social Distortion version than the Cash one.
Hurt
Original Artist - Nine Inch Nails
Cover - Johnny Cash
Ahhhh you see what I did there? Both songs stand on their own two feet and are hits in their own right, but the Cash is a little more haunting with the fact that it was recorded just before his death.
I Fought the Law
Original Artist - Bobby Fueller Four
Cover - The Clash
While I said that The Ataris version of Boys of Summer is the best cover of a hit, the Clash have the ultimate punk cover. Once The Clash unleashed their punk sound on this twangy classic it forever became their song. Bands ranging from Social Distortion to Green Day have covered this song as well, but it is more of a cover/tribute to The Clash.
All Along the Watchtower
Original Artist - Bob Dylan (1967)
Cover - Jimi Hendrix, Dave Mason, U2, Niel Young, Dave Matthews Band, Grateful Dead, Pearl Jam
Surprise! You thought this was going to be someone covering Jimi's song? Wrong! What is arguably Jimi's best song is in fact a Bob Dylan song. Jimi recorded his cover only 6 months after Dylan wrote and recorded it. This is rare case where the cover is more popular than the original. Rolling Stone has Jimi Hendrix's cover at #48 on the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Give both a listen. Who does it better?
Twist and Shout
Original Artist - Isley Brother
Cover - The Beatles
This song makes me think of Ferris Bueller, which makes me think of Chicago. Nuff said
Whew time to get to the weekly stuff!
What the BF is listening to - Yeah I think we can safely skip it this week. Just pick a video from above.
What the BF is watching - Grimm (NBC Friday 8:00 PM CT)
As mentioned above I gave the pilot a slot on my DVR. After giving it a view I have to say I was pleased. The setup is that a cop starts seeing weird things around him only to find out that he has some special kind of power to see monsters. It plays off of all the old brother Grimm fairy tales. NBC must not care too much about it if they are giving it the kiss of death Friday Primetime spot, but I am going to try to enjoy it while it is on air. The Prep watched the pilot with me and was able to enjoy it after she "got used to the whole face changing thing." Looks like a good compromise show. Right now it is probably a Level 2 on the scary movie scale.
Movie Trailer Time! - The Muppets (opening November 23rd)
Dear Prep,
We are going to see this movie. I don't care if you don't like the Muppets. They were a staple of my childhood. Just be happy that I want to see a movie that isn't a horror movie or an action one.
Love,
The BF
GAME OF THE WEEK - Bears at Eagles (Nov 7 - Monday Night Football)
So ready for this game. After a bye week I am chomping at the bit for more Bears football. If the Bears can go in and take this one from the Eagles they put themselves in an even better position to secure a post season bid. It won't be easy though. The Eagles look like they are starting to figure stuff out. Hopefully the Bears past success of being able to shut down Vick happens again.
Pick - Bears +8.5. For those of you that are bold this might be an interesting Money Line Play.
Alright that should do it this week. You have any favorite covers? Movies you are looking forward to? Let me know if there is anything I should be checking out.
