You need this

Do you live in Chicago?
Do you like visiting Chicago?
Do you like standing in the middle of a neighborhood street eating food that is really bad for you and washing it down with an overpriced beverage?
Do you like listening to all sorts of local bands?
Do you like to explore different areas of the city and get a sense of what different areas are like?
Do you have trouble remembering what festivals are going on each weekend?
Do you regret not making it to more festivals each summer and wish you remembered to plan better?
Do you have a Google calendar?
If you answered 'yes' to one or more of these questions then this link is for you!

https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=ZXVpZGpyaTdmMDNhb3FpZWkwanU2OWU2bjBAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ&gsessionid=PeYd5aSFztUGvGJihT-5vA

When you click on the link a calendar with all the Chicago summer festivals will pop up. In the bottom right corner, there is a button for 'Google Calendar'. You can click on that and all the events will be added to your personal calendar.

And, now you will never have to miss a festival again!

Random Thursday Thoughts

I have a few thoughts going around in my head today. None of them are really worth their own blog post so I'll just put them all together and give you a quick glimpse into the scary place that is my brain.

1. I got a free chocolate bunny at Trader Joe's today. I know that it's Easter candy that they just can't get rid of but when the cashier asks if you want some complimentary chocolate, the answer is always 'yes'.

B. I got an invitation to a baby shower the other day. This is actually a very regular occurrence in my life these days. However, it was addressed to me 'and guest'. I don't even get 'and guest' added to my name for most weddings that I get invited to. It's a co-ed shower and in celebration of some really awesome people, so I'll be going for sure. I'm just trying to imagine asking someone to be my date to a baby shower.

III. Lately I've been struck by how often I come across people who talk a lot but don't actually say much. Am I the only person who notices this? Or am I just easily irritated? (The answer to that second question is a resounding yes, but we aren't going to talk about that here.) You know what I mean. You're sitting there listening to someone speak and all of a sudden you realize that they've been talking for a very long time and all they've really told you is that they had oatmeal for breakfast.

That's all. I'm going to go eat the ears off my chocolate bunny now.

Let's talk about baby showers

I have a question about baby showers: Why do women subject each other to them?
I am thrilled to celebrate my friends and how they have been blessed. I don't mind buying them something that they need in order to prepare for this new life or make them something cute for the baby to wear. I get it that some are very excited about the new adventure and some are freaked out more than they will ever say.
But, I'm going to be frank with you. I do mind going to a party where I am forced to smell mashed up foods placed in diapers to figure out what they are. I don't want to taste different baby foods. I'm not a fan of guessing how big around my friends' bellies are. Long discussions about making your own baby food, cloth diapers versus disposable, strollers, baby carriers, etc. aren't really all that interesting (at least to me).
Who thought of these things to begin with? And, why do we women think that we have to continue this trend? Is there some reason that we can't celebrate the impending arrival of a new little person with a party involving fantastic food and drink that isn't decorated with pastel baby booties? Can we have good music and not feel forced to sit around playing games that even 5 year olds find boring? Can we open gifts without everyone giving their opinion of how their kid did or did not like that product? Let's get together and laugh and celebrate. Let's eat decadent food and enjoy creative drinks. Let's have a raucous good time. Let's change the trend so that we all look forward to baby showers instead of dreading them (either secretly, or not-so-secretly).

Note: I apologize to anyone who has ever thrown a baby shower or anyone who is planning one now. I'm not talking about any one baby shower specifically and don't mean to offend anyone. I'm just a little cranky this weekend.

I'm Tired

**Note: This post is whiny and a bit petty. Please don't read if you are just going to think I'm a horrible human being. I am perfectly aware that my problems are very small in the grand scheme of things. But, it's my blog and I'll write what I want.**

Here's the deal. I'm tired. Mentally. I've been getting enough sleep and generally feel pretty good but I'm tired. My life is starting to run away with me and I don't remember what's happened. Mostly, I'm tired of walking through life alone. Single. I have amazing friends and I am grateful beyond words for them. It's because of them that I am not actually alone. But, they aren't at my house at the end of each day. They aren't always there where I just want someone else in the room with me. They can help me make big decisions in life but it's not exactly the same. I feel like I always have to be in charge and I kind of want to make someone else do it for awhile.
I'm in one of those seasons of life where things at work and things personally are both going full speed. We're trying to finish out the last 2 1/2 months of the fiscal year at work by hitting an extreme goal. Deadlines are tight and the chances to make mistakes are around every corner. One day off means I'm three days behind. At the same time, I also agreed to co-chair a capital campaign that my church is doing. We're just getting started and this is the most intense time for all of that work. I'm working with great people but there are a million different details to figure out and keep track of. I'm looked to as one of the people that can provide guidance and structure to the team. It's my job to help keep people on task while not falling behind on my own tasks. It's working towards something that I believe strongly in but it's going to be a challenge to get there. I'm feeling like I'm walking the line between the breaking point and my sanity. So far, I'm keeping my balance.
That's where I'm at. I'm done being petty for now.

Cookies laced with sin and evil and sprinkled with sugar

I had a meeting tonight after work and I made cookies to share with everyone. Meetings are always better when there are cookies. Plus, I love to take advantage of a chance to bake when the goods won't sit around my apartment for days taunting me. Awhile ago, I discovered Pecan Lace Sandwich Cookies with Orange Buttercream and they have quickly become one of my favorite cookies. They are pretty easy to make (although messy), they are super tasty and everyone is always really impressed by them. When I told people what they were called, it was quickly determined that they weren't lace cookies but that they were laced cookies. There had to be something illegal in them. After the meeting a friend of mine asked if they were made with sin. I responded that they were made with sin and a dash of evil and then coated in sugar to make them go down easier. He then decided that there was also magic in them, fairy godmother style.
Needless to say, they were a hit. So, if you want people to praise your amazing skillz and think you are the most beautiful person in the world, make these.
Here's the recipe (stolen from Bon Appetit)

Cookies:
1/4 Cup unsalted butter, room temp
1/3 Cup sugar
2 T light corn syrup
1/3 Cup flour
1 Cup coarsely ground pecans
1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling:
1 Cup powdered sugar
1/4 Cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 T orange jucie
3/4 tsp orange zest

For Cookies: Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir butter, sugar, and corn syrup in heavy saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Add nuts and vanilla; stir to combine.
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart (they really will spread). Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until bubbling and lightly browned, about 11 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely.

For Filling: Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Spread 1 teaspoon of filling onto bottom of 1 cookie. Top with second cookie, pressing lightly to adhere. Repeat with remaining cookies. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container at room temperature.)

Advice for today

A colleague of mine just stopped by my desk. We discussed a project and then, as is predictable on a Friday afternoon, our conversation turned to random ramblings. At the end, I was left with this advice on how to avoid awkward interactions with people in the hallway: 'Always carry a prop and pretend something outside is really interesting. '
In our office, we have long hallways that are in many ways confrontational. You're walking along, usually on your way to the kitchen or bathroom and then a co-worker starts walking towards you on their way to the kitchen or the bathroom. Inevitably, there will be a moment when you make eye contact with the person coming towards you and possibly smile and nod at them but then realize that you still have a long way until the two of you actually meet and cross paths. Then, there is a moment of panic when you don't know if you should look away or keep staring the person down. If you look away, you can't really look back at them again so where do you look?
That's where the previously stated advice comes in. If you are always carrying some papers or a notebook - a prop -you will have something to look at. You never have to may eye contact with anyone. Just always stare down at your work. (This option is a bit strange if you are going to the bathroom because then you have to deal with the awkwardness of the prop in the bathroom.) The other option is to look out the windows across the cubicles and pretend that something outside is really interesting. This is pretty easy since all of the windows either look out onto Michigan Ave or onto the lake. Often, you can get the other person to look outside as well and wonder what in the world is so amazing.
So, there you have it. Very useful advice on a Friday afternoon.

When I grow up I want to be a ballerina

Last year, Groupon had a great deal on season tickets to the Joffrey Ballet. I had never been to the ballet before but I figured that since I love musical theatre, opera, symphonies, etc., there was a good chance I would enjoy the ballet. In about 5 seconds, I talked K into getting tickets with me so that I wouldn't have to sit by myself. Last spring, we had the chance to renew our tickets for the same price and retain our seats (which are balcony seats but dead center and pretty good). It has been so enjoyable to have this experience. It's fun to get dressed up on a Saturday night and head downtown for an evening of culture. We usually walk north through Millennium Park after the show to grab a glass of wine and a snack at the Tavern on the Park.
A couple of weeks ago we saw a performance called 'Winter Fire'. (Only after a small ordeal with a conference championship basketball game and switching of tickets and last minute favors.) Winter Fire included three shorter ballets that were all unique and powerful in their own ways.

The first, 'In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated', was a high energy piece that combined the classical and the contemporary with a score that smacked you in the face from the start. The second piece, 'After the Rain', drew you in from the beginning through precise movements that were filled with emotion.

The third piece is the one that still haunts me though. 'Infra' was created after the London bombings and takes place below busy streets. A quote from the choreographer sums it up best "Literally below the life-affirming Opie screen and beneath the haunting surface of the music, I have attempted to create a series of human intimacies, bared from under the skin - prosaic, imperfect and fragile. In this landscape of miniatures that expose the very signs of life, physical empathies and emotional inferences rescue the lost narratives of the population on stage. Infra has become simply about people." - Wayne McGregor
At some point in the middle of the piece I found myself fighting back tears and realizing that the music and the dance had come together and touched something inside of me that I had not expected. I was completely lost in what was happening on stage and felt that I was almost under the streets with the dancers and sharing in their joy and pain.