Multitasking.

Today has been totally busy, thank god I didn't have to work. I was able to get so much done, including printing most of my graduate school documents and writing my main essay for all of the applications. I have always loved writing, it just takes me so long to get back into the swing of it...especially when it isn't something I am writing for fun. How do you express your passion for teaching on two pieces of paper without sounding incredibly cheesy?! I have been trudging through this school stuff for quite a while now and putting that essay off for way too long. Today I finally picked up my feet and made myself do it. Of course, it took me a while to get into it as expected, but once I started writing it I almost couldn't stop. In fact, I even had to erase a few paragraphs. I'm going to have Garrison edit it later, we'll see if it's really as good as I am hoping it to be. For now it just feels good to have accomplished something that has been weighing on my mind for two months. I am going to sleep so well tonight :-)

I haven't had time to accomplish as many projects as I was hoping to get to. But I guess its better to get the important things done with first. Our friend Steve's car broke down outside our apartment on Saturday so he has been over here every day since then. It's been really nice just having a friend around the apartment while we both work on our school stuff. It's a nice distraction anyway. AND Steve is a pretty awesome guy so it's been tons of fun having him here. You should have seen us all trying to get his car started on Saturday. Four of us (Steve's lovely girlfriend Rachel was there too) each trying the same number of operations, hoping that one of us had the "magic touch" to get the key all the way around. No luck though, so we finally just gave up and called a tow truck to take it to a mechanic. At least they'll know what they're doing.

Steve's broken car adventure reminded me of my own broken down car, Ruby Tuesday...which is still at my parents house (thanks mom and dad). It would always suck to have to see your car being towed somewhere and it was always worse when you had to pay for it. One thing that car taught me though was to fight hard for something that you want, and learn along the way. That car broke down more times then I can count, but I loved it so much I kept putting the time and money into fixing it back up. AND thanks to ol' Ruby, I probably know more about car engines than your average girl. Looking at Steve's car, I was able to figure out where most of the parts were. When his car wouldn't start, I was able to narrow down the sounds and parts enough to know what the general problem was and where it was coming from. Someday I will have my car up and working again, but in the mean time thanks so much to everyone who has helped me with that car...I couldn't have owned it, fixed it up, and continued to fix it up without my family and friends. And again, thanks mom and dad for keeping it for me. Wait until I win the lottery, it will be the best looking car you've ever seen.

Saturday night we went to a show with Steve. It was a 30s swing band (I think that's how you'd label it). The lady singing was beautiful and sang with a loud broadcasting voice and sang into an old fashioned microphone. She wore her hair much like Rosemary Clooney in the movie White Christmas. The band was composed of a stand up bass, a keyboardist, a saxophone, and a guitar. Everyone was dancing to almost every song. Someone was having a birthday party as well so it was a bit packed and kind of weird. This older man kept snapping pictures of Garrison and me, usually when we would hug or take a sip of our drinks. I think he thought we were part of the birthday crowd. Hope we looked good!

I have been making the best bagel sandwiches in the world, which I will describe in a later post (this one is getting so long!) G and I have been trying to eat healthier since we got back to Chicago, but it is incredibly hard with so much good food right downstairs. Also, these delicious bagel sandwiches have not been helping me whatsoever.

I was pretty excited about downloading a bunch of pictures that would go along with this blog post, but something frustrating is going on with my card reader. I dropped my computer pretty hard last night and I'm hoping this has nothing to do with that. I think that might be a sign that I need to stop staying up so late watching mindless reruns of Sex and the City and Friends. I'll get them up as soon as I can. Until then, you can click on anything written in yellow letters and it takes you to a picture (if it even works, I haven't tried it yet).

Wow, look at me wasting all this time so that I don't have to do anymore school related business. I guess a long blog post is better than no post at all. So much has happened lately I could just write and write for hours. I'll spare you the pain and just leave you with a list I have been creating in my head for days now....

CHICAGO THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE WE LEAVE

1. See a Broadway in Chicago show (hopefully Jersey Boys or Dirty Dancing!)
2. Eat Ethiopian food again.
3. See a symphony show on the lawn at Grant Park, on a summer night.
4. See the inside of the Catholic church down the street.
5. See the aquarium, the science museum, and the planetarium.
6. Visit Melissa in Iowa.
7. Drive by Tomper's forest preserve.
8. Figure out which building on the skyline has that weird blinking light.

Nine and ten are coming when I remember them. I know that there is probably more than just ten anyway.

Time to get back to things more productive.

Allie