one year

Well, tomorrow marks my official one year anniversary in Chicago. It seems so..surreal. I can't believe it's been a year. I moved here with an uncertain future and I feel like I'm in the same boat now, but with less money, more friends, and a bunch of places that I can recommend to visitors ("Have you been to Kuma's Corner? Best burger place in town!"). I was hoping to fall in love with this place and feel like I would never have to move again, but my wanderlust has won out, and I can't wait to move. With that being said though, I have loved this year: I've been through some of my roughest times, been surrounded by tons of great people and had some of the loneliest times of my life, been through a blizzard that shut the city down and an unbearable heat wave, have made the greatest friends and had some of them leave me already, from shit jobs to wonderful jobs, and... it's only been a year. I've decided to do a little recap of my favorite pictures and moments from Chicago.

First picture of my new home. [September 1, 2010]


Driving around the airport with Joe, blaring Mumford & Sons and Lady Gaga. [September 7, 2010]


Multiple trips to the Lincoln Park Zoo, especially when I was unemployed. [September 15, 2010]


My daily walks by the lake. [October 18, 2010]


Graceland Cemetery [October 31, 2010]

Sanctuary. [November 11, 2010]

My first real job in the big city. [November 15, 2010]


Wandering Macy's with three of my favorite boys (and girl, not pictured). [December 30, 2010]


New friends made, and a city finally explored. [January 17, 2011]


BLIZZARD. [February 3, 2011]


Multiple trips on the Metra. [February 25, 2011]


First day of warmth. [March 16, 2011]


New place of work. [April 16, 2011]


New hobbies. [May 22, 2010]


Claire & Seth [May 28, 2011]


MUMFORD & SONS! Not in Chicago, but I can't pass up an opportunity to talk about my boys. [June 5, 2011]


Oak Street Beach. [June 17, 2011]


Back alley photo shoots. [June 29, 2011]


The Decemberists at the Aragon. [July 25, 2011]


The el. [August 6, 2011]


Lindsey & Tony (I know I just posted this, but God, I love these two). [August 25, 2011]

Year two, let's go.

music monday: noah and the whale

I wanted to share something charming and British because I spent 9 hours from 10pm yesterday to 7am today locked inside a British store with British people and by the time I dragged my sleep deprived ass home, I was definitely talking with an English accent. I couldn't embed the video, but it's super darn cute, so you should check it out.

Things around here are about to get sentimental as I approach my one year anniversary in Chicago. This morning I got up (side note: Plan of attack today: get up early, work out, eat a big lunch and drink wine, sleep, shower, and be up and ready to go by 9pm for my 10pm-7am shift) and went down to the lake for a walk, something that was a regular occurrence when I first got here and had nothing but time. Mercy by BRMC came on my iPod, and reminded me of when I first got here. I was really into them the last few weeks of Ohio and my first few weeks in Chicago (until I finally downloaded the entirety of Sigh No More, and then it all went downhill from there), so listening to them brought me back, and I realized that this time last year were my last few nights in Ohio (and the post coincidentally is a BRMC song). As I sat there this morning, I reminisced about my first few days in this city, and I oddly fell in love all over again.

I really love being able to have a blog and look through to last year and see what I was up to. It's kind of inspired me to start the 365 Project again. Yay or nay?

farewell, tony

When I first started working at Wolf, I was at first completely intimidated by Tony, but once he told me this long story about him and his guy friends going to the midnight book party for Harry Potter, I knew it would be a friendship for the ages. In a couple of days, Boston is claiming him for it's own, and I'm not sure how I'm handling it. We went out the other day, and today was his last day at work (spoiler alert: nothing got done today). I'd say he's probably one of the better friends I've made here in Chicago, and I'll miss him greatly. Goodbye, Tony!

This is where Mike spent a lot of the night. I commented when he put in $5 in the jukebox, "Five bucks? You want to play 18 songs?" His response: "You're goddamn right I'm going to play 18 songs."

These are Tony's shoes, being held together with gaffing tape. They found their final resting place in the garbage today at 4:31pm.

Lindsey, still hungover from the other night.

Tony is the only person who can make me look good, even when I haven't washed my hair and have been working non-stop for days, and put no effort into my personal appearance and I'm pretty sure I've had strep throat too. But you would never tell in this photo!

"I love hair!"

This is probably how I'll always remember him, with a camera strapped around his shoulder and a cigarette in hand.

music monday: the avett brothers

In honor of my first of what I'm assuming will be many 48 hour/6 day work weeks! Ready, go.

20/21 august 2011

Well, shit. This weekend has been fun. I've got a new tattoo, saw a sweet marching band, and on Saturday bestie Rob came down from MKE. We ate our weight in nuggets, went to the air & water show (twice), went to my favorite bar in town, had some whiskey, watched some Arrested Development, went to the plant house at zoo. I mean, what can be better than that?

Rawwrrrr!

after the storm

I wasn't exactly planning on sharing this with a lot of people out of fear of being judged, but it just turned out so perfectly. This past year in Chicago has been incredibly fun and rewarding, but has not been at all easy. And this song was there for me when no one else was.

Many thanks go out to Jake, who might be the most talented and coolest person I've ever met. I mean, who else watches the History Channel while tattooing?

Thanks for the glamor shot, Rob.

19 august 2011

I have lots to talk about recently, so let's get down to it.

Chances are you went to the College of Wooster and have heard about this before, but in the event that you haven't, C.O.W's most famous band is now, well, famous! I'm having a hard time fathoming this. They made this video, then it was featured on some blog, then another, and another! It got to the point that a friend of mine from Chicago, who did not go to school with me and has never heard of the Whiskey Shivers before, posted on his Facebook and I immediately texted him, "WHERE DID YOU FIND THAT VIDEO?" to which he replied "A blog that I read a lot, did you like it?" And I just respond "OMG I KNOW THEM." And Rob W, of course, made this amazing video, and all I can say is that I'm super proud of them. And it's a damn catchy tune too.

I also went out and did this:

(more on this later)

And then this happened:

This, my friends, is Mucca Pazza, and they're the craziest fucking band I've ever seen. They're like... a freak marching band. I can't describe them, but they wear vintage band uniforms and play sick and twisted marching band music. They were awesome. Thank God they're based in Chicago, so now I can go see them all the time.

funfetti

Stacy H and I made these bad boys, despite the hate that we get from others (*ahemTONYahem*). Yum.

music monday: deer tick

And oh, what a crying shame, what a crying shame
What we became