So apparently Barack Obama was on Check, Please!.

To those in Chicagoland, the full episode will air on WTTW twice on January 16th, again on the 18th and once more on January 20th, the day of Obama's inauguration.

***

I do not remember under what circumstances I left this on Sid's answering machine. But I did. Maybe 7 or so years ago... Why he still had this, the world may never know.

Posted by val at 8:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

one.
I guess this is a spoiler if you don't watch the office. But I don't watch the office and I already knew what happened so it probably doesn't matter. And also I think I am the only one who doesn't watch the office anyways...

So I've maybe seen 2 episodes of the office. I know I know it's a good show but in general I just don't watch much primetime tv because it becomes too hard to keep up. So anyways, I made the mistake of tuning into one episode the other night and it was the one where Jim tells Pam he loves her. And then I proceeded to cry for the entire night.

two.
I think I am going to start a segment here on my blog called "things that make val cry but no one else." The above story does not count as I am sure many others cried. Today we will discuss the song "Teenage Dirtbag." Val cries at the song "Teenage Dirtbag" because she thinks the story in the song is sweet.

three.
I don't know why I bothered putting RSVP info on the invites to my sister's baby shower as I gave up on keeping track of who RSVPd.

four.
I went to Drury Lane with my family today to see Miss Saigon. You know you are in trouble when on your way there your dad (who bought the tickets because he says he always wanted to see it) says "You know what I found out yesterday? This is a musical." Yeah. he didn't know. And he pretty much hated it. I thought it was not great, but I like some of the music a lot.

We had a package where we got lunch there and then the show. Here is what I ate...

Escarole, White Bean, and Sausage Soup

Turtle Sundae

(the diet starts tomorrow)

Posted by val at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OH.
MY.
GOD.
So finally on Friday I got what I've been waiting for for a long long time...
It's sleek, sexy, powerful and works well in the dark ;-)

Meet my new camera! It is awe to the some. Just think of how amazing my competitive eating photos will be now...oh, and yeah, those pesky weddings ;-) OHOH and my FOOD!

So maybe I am crazy for buying it because it really is a professional professional camera. But I was in the market for a new one just when it was coming out...and I love it so that is all that matters. :-)

***

Thursday I went over to Joe and Alina's to meet their new kitty Remy. He is cute and friendly, except for when he bites me.

Joe spent most of the time trying to put together a treadmill...and dropping it on his foot. The rest of the time was spent making us dinner of Greek shrimp pasta. We watched Last of the Mohicans but I paid more attention to the treadmilling.

***

Friday I met up with Joe and Alina and JoeW and Meredith and Maureen and Kiyoshi to get dinner and then go see Slumdog Millionaire. We went to Rock Bottom for dinner. My chicken was really good but they almost forgot to give Alina her food and they didn't put any shrimp in Meredith's dinner. The dessert of a pint glass of sundae we shared was delicious.

So from there we headed over to the movie theatre. Four of them got their tickets with no problems. Joe and Alina had trouble with the machines and I got through to the point of swiping my card but then the machine gave me an error. A couple of machines later we finally figured out that between the first for and the last three getting their tickets, the show sold out. So after some discussion we decided to just have whoever got tickets return them and go rent a movie and head to Joe and Meredith's.

We ended up watching the Orphanage, which no one seemed to know was foreign and which I think I was the only one who really liked it. But I mostly really liked it because I watch a LOT of horror and scary movies and it is really hard nowadays to find a movie that can be suspenseful and not predictable. And I thought it did a very good job at both.

Afterwards we played some Guitar Hero World tour. I think it will take me forever to get used to their drum set. And I definitely need to wear my glasses when I sing or else I can't read all the words.

I took some pictures. These are all taken at ISO 1600, which would have been way way way grainyer on my last camera. But I think they look pretty damn awesome.

Posted by val at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I hope Heather doesn't hate me for this one...

So I've decided to go this year without a 100 list. For the last two years I carefully crafted a list of things I wanted to do during the upcoming 12 months and tried desperately to accomplish them. This year I've decided to try and go without the list for a couple of reasons:

1. The fact that at the end of the year my list of more than half incomplete forces me to focus on my failures instead of my successes.

2. I'm hoping that I don't really need it.

I started the list as a way to kind of force me to do things. It's funny now when people tell me that I have a great life, because I never really think I do. But I used to do nothing and now I do things. And yes, that is great. I needed the list two years ago to force me into planning things and force me to actually go out and do the things I wanted and not just sit home alone all the time. But I'm hoping that I don't need that anymore. I'm hoping that I can just continue to do it.

What I am working on is a list of ONE THOUSAND things to do in my life. It's not done. And I suspect that it will not be complete for a very long time. But I will continually update that and hopefully continually cross things off. This list will focus on the big things I want to see and experience and accomplish. (Right now it is mostly travel with some things I want to learn and some foodie things thrown in). Here it is, about 50 things so far. I'll keep it (and you) updated.

I do have a couple of things that are on my list of things to do for the year. I have about 17 goals that I want to finish or work towards this year. I'm not publishing them all here, but if you want to know send me an email and I will probably tell you.

I am also apparently in a race with Walter over three of them: move, find a significant other, and gain (him)/lose (me) weight. It's on Walter. It's ON.

I hope everyone has a great 2009 and a Happy New Year! What do you want to accomplish this year?

(and sorry Heather, this means no more monthly updates for you.)

Posted by val at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

To begin this I just want to say that I love all my friends to death. but this is going to be a very bitter post. and i am really tired because i don't sleep anymore. so it won't make sense.

Happy New Year, eh?
I've just felt really off and crappy lately about everything and over the last two months I've felt like I crumbled. I just hoped that something on New Years would go on to help me step away from that, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. Actually the whole night went 100% of how I predicted it would go. To the t. (except the whole wheel chair thing, that's an added bonus) I didn't really want to do anything.

So I met up with Jen and Adam at 6:30 for our 6:30 reservation at some restaurant out in Arlington Heights. The place was packed. With many old people. Nad called and her dog got into chocolate so she had to take him to the ER and wouldn't make dinner. And while waiting I was run over by a wheelchair. Seriously I have a big purple bruise on my leg. It still hurts.

Anyways.

Over an hour after our reservation they finally seated us. The food was OK but nothing spectacular.

We don't get out of there until a little after 9.

We were then heading out to some bar in Mt Prospect to watch a Bon Jovi cover band. We got there maybe 9:30/9:45ish. They were supposed to start at 9 but hadn't gone on yet.

Did I mention that this was all about 45 minutes from where I live? And I had to drive, so I couldn't even drink.

We met Nadia at the bar which turned out to be this sports bar like place with all these highboy tables.

So I love Jen and Nad to death and I am happy we have our traditional New Years celebrations together and I couldn't ask for better best friends. But it gets incresingly hard. Because they are both so very married and I am so very not. And I love hanging out with them and I love seeing them but when we end up in a situation where its just me sitting at a table with 2 married couples and no interaction with others it can get kind of lonely. Especially on something like new years.

Fake Bon Jovi went on at maybe 10:15. There were these girls at another table who I swear thought it was the real Bon Jovi. Nadia called them woo girls. Did you see that episode of How I Met Your Mother? Exactly.

So anyways. I stayed for two songs I didn't really know and then decided to leave. So at around 10:30 I left the bar and drive 45 minutes to MK's house in Bolingbrook for his party. i got there around 11:15. He said hi when I came in. He said bye when i left. he didn't say a word to me the whole rest of the night. maybe i was wrong when i said i love all my friends. I told you though that i was 100% correct in my predictions. I knew that would happen. so whatever.

Anyways. it was fun hanging out with Alina and JoeJoe and Scotty and Andy et al. And Joejoe is OK with taking me and Heather on as second wives. and he ever gave me a kiss after midnight (well, on the cheek). and i got pink champagne.

And I think Russell called me. Or someone using Russell's phone.

And I called back and left a message that said "oh baby baby. oh baby."

And he called back and said:
Guy: Who is this?
Me: Val, who is this?
Guy: Who is this?
Me: Val, you called me first. Who are YOU?
Guy: Who is this?

That was fun.

I dunno it's not like i didn't have fun, i just really didn't feel like being anywhere.

But as I told Andy earlier, the way i figure it, i have pretty ok new years in the past and my years have sucked...so if i have a really sucky new years my year has to be great...right?

i took pictures.

Posted by val at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I sort of have this love/hate relationship with New Years. Like part of me actually thinks something can possibly change between December 31 and January 1 and the slate be wiped clean. Like a new date can mean a new life. Like I can just be this whole new person. (of course, I fucked up that new life by 12:01 anyways, but I digress)

I think the Game of Life was the appropriate theme for my year. I seemed to have extreme ups and extreme downs and not very much in between. And I guess so is life.

But enough about 2008. Fuck 2008. I'm not going to write a big ole' recap this year. And forget the damn list of one hundred (and fifty) things I wanted to do in 2008 and forget that I didn't even make it through a third of what I had hoped to. And I am going to totally forget the half of my year that was boring and sad and sometimes miserable and instead focus on the fact that the rest of my year was pretty damned awesome.

From a week in Amsterdam, to New York, Coney Island for the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, to driving 20 hours in 26 hours for an 8-minute hamburger eating contest, to driving to Mount Rushmore and back, to spending more time in Champaign than I have in the last four years combined, to good friends getting married, to staying up all night watching horror films, to hanging out with new friends and old, to all the times in between...

(I'll post by recap of New Years and my plans for 2009 later...stay tuned)

Posted by val at 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Relax; you already know which sweetheart is for you. You do not have to reject anybody. The person not chosen by you will intuit your intentions and bow out. This frees you up to meet with your destiny.

Posted by val at 8:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by val at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

eye candy for heather
I know Heather waits for this... Yesterday the Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale started so I took off after work for my semi-annual stock up.
By now I have this sale down to a science...start with the bra bin...then move on to underwear...then the periphery items (pajamas, shirts, etc.). Always look at tags because they like to try to trick you into thinking the non-sale merchandise is sale merchandise. Go to the line that looks as long as every other line, but goes twice as fast because it is really one line that feeds into two cashiers. Science I tell you.
Anyways, here's the loot...

(Yes, yes Victoria's Secret DOES have a line of collegiate gear for U of I)
See what you're missing out on boys? ;-)

scotty is leaving me soon
I went to the frog bar last night to see scotty. It was fun but I forgot the memory card for my camera :( I felt naked all night. Scott is scared of me though and thinks I am weird. Andy called me the most girly girl he knows. Which is odd because I'm really not that much of a girly girl. My financial panther then gave me the option of filling out paper work in the parking lot or at his house. So I went to his house which ended in me laying in his bed and being shot in the ass. That's all I'm saying.

coffee break
Starbucks is advertising their new tea lattes that debut in five days. I am afraid that that means the end of the espresso truffle (pronounced expresso by everyone who works at starbucks).

new years
I still have no clue what I am doing for new years.
it's either...
go to mk's party (where I will probably end up crying)
go out with my best friends (but they are both married, and I am so totally not... and they don't really have any plans yet)
somehow split my time between the two of those.
Go to bars in the city with a friend from work.
Go to bars in the city with Heather if she is in town.
I'm not sure what to do.

Posted by val at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

So Sid brought up having a threesome in the comments of my last post. Obviously, this is what ensued... (sorry Jeff, had to post it...)

Val: but if you, sid, walter, james, joejoe all have dates i'll be left out in the cold :(

Jeff: well there will be no single women, that doesnt mean no single men

Val: i know. but i don't know how quality these other single men would be...
not that the list of guys i mentioned is all that quality... :-)

Jeff: shiiiiiitttttt you just dont know what you are missing out on

Val: hey, you're the one who wants to bring a date...i'll be the one drunk on slushy drinks and lonely...

Jeff: haha yeah but the last time that happened at a wedding, i just got cried on
the last time if happened overall you were half passed out and unresponsive

Val: :( i'm a bad lonely drunk

Jeff: i dont even thnk you were that drunk at the wedding

Val: yeah, i wasn't really drunk. so see, maybe i would be slutty at a wedding when i was drunk ;-)

Jeff: 3 some it is
haha

Val: threesome with who?

Jeff: i dont know, whoever, i will see where the night takes me and have everyone else force feed drinks on you
who knows maybe it will be an 8 some

Val: haha
i'm trying to think who i would have the threesome with if i had to choose

Jeff: haha are you getting double teamed or is it 2 girls and a guy
haha

Val: i dunno. unless it was with joe and alina...
you would be one of them i think...but it's mostly a trust thing and because i know you the best

Jeff: yeah
you should see if heather wants to be your date to rob's
everyone knows her

Val: hmm...true

Jeff: tell her i am going, she will be sold

Val: oh, i'm not enough of a selling point?

Jeff: dude, i am awesome

Val: you don't think i'm awesome?

Jeff: i am just saying heather will be sold on ME!
wooo1
woo!
go me

Val: i'm awesome AND cute, take that

Val: hmmm...but that does make it sold for the threesome...you, me, heather. mmmhmmm

Jeff: haha josh might kill me

Posted by val at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)