Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

I spent my lunch watching people compete against Rex Grossman in a snowball throwing contest. Not that I want to blatantly toss out free corporate sponsorship (especially since a certain coffee joint can get on my nerves every now and then), but this was a cool event. They made a bunch of snow, put out peppermint mochas (my Achilles' heel), collected money for the neediest kids' fund, gave out free coffee - my favorite blend (Christmas Blend) and I got to see a player from the Chicago Bears. Bonus points for the fact that it was Sexy (though I am way too old for him) Rexy.

It was a fun time and has got me even more excited for Sunday's game. I have to say, J.G. was posting about places she would live instead of Chicago, I can't imagine living anywhere else. Visiting, sure. Moving away from Chicago - don't think so.

Where At Least I Know I’m Free

There are a lot of things wrong with this country. I could spend hours writing about improvements we need to make - healthcare, worker's rights, education, child care...I could go on and on. I could spend days writing about the democrats taking back the Senate and House, Rumsfeld's resignation and the scandals of recent days. To cover G - Dub(ya) and all his shenanigans, I could spend a lifetime at the computer.

And that is what is right about this country. I can speak my piece – peacefully. I have the right to agree (or disagree) with the government. I can practice my faith (or have no faith at all). I can assemble. I can select a government through an election process. After participating in a free election, I can sit back and watch the peaceful transition of power. That is the thing I find most miraculous. Every 4 – 8 years, the supreme leader of this country abdicates power to a newly elected individual. There is no coup de tat. There is no violence. There is just a transfer of power. It really is amazing.

To that end, I would like to take a second to thank those that have defended these rights and privileges for me. (I am remiss in that I am 3 days late on this one)

For those that fought the Revolutionary War, because they believed that taxation without representation was wrong. (I’d like to thank my relative, John Hart, for signing the Declaration of Independence).

For those that fought the Civil War, because they believer that no man (woman or child) should be considered property of another.

To the men and women of World War I and World War II, who fought for their country and defended the democratic ideal.

To the veterans of Korea and Vietnam, who fought in conflicts that were not recognized as wars until years later. The controversy that surrounded these wars made it difficult for those who participated in them and yet there are those that answered the call of duty (or draft) and served their country honorably.

To those members of the military in active service around the world, especially those in Afghanistan and Iraq, our thoughts and prayers are with you and for you.

Regardless of my opinions on this current conflict, I will always proudly support the men and women of the military. They risk their lives every day, defending my rights.

And so, Happy Veteran’s Day to All, but especially my dad (Vietnam Vet – whom I couldn’t be more proud), my friend’s father (proud Marine until the day he passed), my friend Jimmy (career Navy), a kid I used to baby-sit for, which is wrong in many ways (Afghanistan) and my friend’s husband (just returned from Iraq). God Bless America.

Haven’t had a dream in a long time

Last night, the Bears played. I was psyched about the game and looking forward to removing the bitter taste of last week’s loss from my mouth. N., J. and I went to a bar / restaurant to watch the game. We were hungry and some of us may have been a bit hung-over. We got there and there was nowhere to sit. We ate tater tots to hold us over. (They were the only things that would fit on the ledge we were leaning on).

We waited for a table to open up and then watched in frustration as a group that already had 2 tables swallowed up the next available one. (Chivalry is in question now – they really didn’t need the 3rd table to hold their waters). We watched as dating couple got the next one – seriously don’t think they even knew a game was on the TV.

We are now cranky and frustrated and to top it off, the Bears aren’t starting off that well. N. and J. decide to stake out the scene and locate a table that looks ready to go. They find the over-served, non-couple couple and chat with them. They promise us they are leaving soon. Over an hour later, we are frustrated and watching drunk guy close tab after tab. N. goes over to talk to them about facilitating a smooth transition. Next thing you know, she is sitting at table with non-couple couple. Within a few minutes, we are all at their table with them. We watch as the girl throws every “I’m absolutely not interested in you” signal in the book at drunk guy and we watch drunk guy miss them all.

We immediately order drinks and food and continue to watch the game. Interestingly enough, as soon as we procured the table, the Bears started to show us why we love them. Our food comes and we devour it. Well, drunk guy devoured J.’s fries, which was pretty funny to watch. The girl keeps talking to J. and blatantly ignoring Drunk guy. Drunk guy keeps telling us how hot our friend (N.) is and how she is the hottest girl in the bar. The whole thing just kept getting weirder and weirder. (My favorite part was when he kept screaming ‘touchdown’ when the Giants were in the end zone, trying to make it 100 yards down the field. We kept telling him ‘safety,’ ‘safety,’ but it was a moot point. Midway through the mess of this interaction, J. leans over to tell N. and I that she had a philosophical epiphany to tell us later.

And then they left. Drunk guy and date. Separately, thankfully. You know that it is bad when drunk guy date comes back to apologize to us for drunk guy and even wistfully remarks that we look like we were having so much fun (which, we were). She pointed out that this was a completely unsuccessful 4th date and that he wouldn’t go away. When they left, J. leaned over and said to us, “sometimes, it is better to be single than to be on that kind of date.”

It’s true. Whenever I think that I am too picky, I will think of drunk guy and think, it is okay to be picky. It is good to be willing to experience things and try (and fail). But, it is also okay to enjoy your life without putting yourself in drunk guy / bad date path. Does that mean that I am perfect at selecting dates? Obviously not – those that have read this page before know that I make some pretty lame mistakes. However, that girl knew by date 2 that drunk guy was not for her and yet, there she was on disaster date #4. Why? Probably because she doesn’t want to be single her whole life. Well, most people don’t. However, I reiterate, it is better to be single than to be miserable in a relationship. She should’ve gone to watch the games with friends – she would have had a hell of a better time.

As for the Bears, holy hell was that a fun game!

Hester—108 yards and a fake out?? Awesome!
Jones – Bring on the Running Game!
Musin – Wear your moose ears proud, he kicked it up a notch yesterday!
Rex – Wow! Some mistakes, but is seems we got our Sexy-Rexy-Back. (This pun was written intentionally for N., who secretly wants to see Timberlake in concert and will probably hurt me for writing that on this page).

Side note: Thanks to Jen for her ringing endorsement of this page. (I am terrified of that, but hopefully, up to the challenge).

See I'm Smiling

Why is it that the guy you want to talk to lingers just out of reach and the one you could go through life without talking to again spends the day chatting you in email? Weird. On the same note, I may be slow on the uptake, but when I make a decision, it is made. So the getting away from Mr. Toxic is exactly what I did and I have not looked back.

That being said, why does he not get it? Invited me to a party - actually 2 different parties. I politely declined the first invite - thankfully I had another engagement, so I didn't have to make an excuse up. The second invite irritated me though. Well, the snarky tone irritated me. It was the "I'm sure you will be at the blah, blah, blah party." Really, what makes you so sure? Is it the fact that we have barely spoken (except when you were insulting me or being a total jerk) in the last several months? Or the fact that I flat out told you that I didn't want you in my life? Which one gave you the security to think that I would be there? Seriously, ego check on aisle 7.

The funny thing is that we both throw annual events a few weeks apart from each other. Last year, it was a different story. Last year, he was there and it was fun. Well, his party wasn't all that fun. I should have taken that as a sign of things to come, since I was pretty miserable and it was only a few days later that he essentially ditched me on New Year's Eve. This year, I didn't invite him to my party. Why would I? Figured it would be easier on everyone (especially my friends) to leave him off the list. Why didn't he think to extend me the same courtesy?

On a side note, I always said that I wouldn't use this space to say hurtful things, but this is me venting. The way I see it, he never read this when we were together (which was always a point of contention) - he is certainly not going to start now.

Incidentally, only Jen will get the title reference. However, if you are curious, listen to the soundtrack to the Last Five Years. We saw it at the Royal George. It is the saddest, most interesting thing I have seen on stage in awhile. It is chilling to watch a relationship start and disintegrate in both directions.

Devil Inside

Somehow, the last week was swallowed by Halloween festivities. I know a lot of people have a negative taste in their mouth when it comes to Halloween, but I love it. For a shy girl with a few too many insecurities, it is nice to bolster myself with a costume and a cocktail and be a bit more risky then I normally would be.

We went out on Saturday night dressed as deviled eggs. Slightly silly, made funnier by the fact that we blatantly stole the idea from a 5-month old baby. I think that I had more fun Saturday, during the day, running around like crazy searching for our costume parts then I did on Saturday night. Don’t get me wrong, Saturday was fun, but I think we expected too much out of it and it ended up being a normal Saturday night. (Well normal for us is strolling in at 4 AM after a pit stop to the burrito house). I will say that the costumes were a hit. Cute and conversation starters and what more do you want out of Halloween?!?