February 2006 Archive

Location:
Casa Huff & Cooper, Chicago IL

Current joy:
Isabella is purring next to my lap. Still ignoring me. But purring, And nearbye. And Tiberius is lookign at me with his pretty eyes as if I’ve done somethign mischievous and if he stares at me long enough, I’ll confess.

I must say that waking up to sunlight and reflexology treatment by a cat is one of the nicer ways to wake up:

Recap on Friday night:
Things that I forgot I did:
- Giggling so hard at Cinnamon’s snorting that I fell into the snow, and then tried to cover up for my dorkness by attempting a snow angel. In about 1/4″ of snow. Slick aren’t I?
- Kicking Andrew & Cinnamon
- Apologizing shortly afterwards
- Sitting on the bed and hug attacking them

Yup. That about sounds like me.

Satuday:
A slow start as I had both hangover and body soreness from excess walking. I mean, my knee pits hurt. Hurt! Who knew that knee pits could hurt?

Hung out with my friend Steve & muddled around town, got some chicago style stuffed pizza, through some book stores, stopped by quimby’s and then off to see Andrew perform at Subterranean for the Around the Coyote arts festival thingie. Eric Labrat was the host and it was a sporadic but varied performance night of self published writers. Yay indie DIY.

After that we were off to Grafton Pub to sip on scotch (slowly) and catch up with Phineas and Brenda. I’d read Phineas ages ago and Brenda I met at SXSW a few years back. I kissed her. I (almost always) remember people that I kiss.

Chillax, chillow, chillup.
Chicago.

Location:
Casa Huff & Cooper
Chicago,IL

There’s nothing quite like waking up slightly hung over and being slightly smug with oneself that one was able to manage to remember to charge one’s ipod and pluck out one’s contacts and wind up on a bed without having somehow managed to sprawl puddle-like on the floor, completely immobile, and heavy in body and soul from just too much gawddamn joy.

Morning folks!

Yesterday, left to my own devices I walked from Casa Huff & Cooper in the north end of town down to Lincoln Square where I rendezvoused with a long time friend/cousin via marriage at his workplace in ze Book Cellar. From there, learning that for whatever reason, my ATM card was deactivated when I tried to take some cash out to buy myself breakfast.

*calling the 1800#
Me: Hello, my atm card’s been deactivated. I wanna know why.
Bofa: Account # please…
Me: ***** – *****
Bofa: Mother’s maiden name please..
Me: ******
Bofa: And last four of your social security number
Me: ****
Bofa: Ok…
Me:Um yeah… so can you re-activate my card?
Bofa: Oh…
Me: what? you deactivated my atm card last time when i did my roadtrip. apparently too many gas fill-ups during a short period of time laid up a suspicious flag
Bofa: well actually, your atm information has been compromised
Me: say what?
Bofa: yes. it’s been compromised. we’ve sent you a letter last week with a new atm card that should have been put int he mail yesterday.
Me: But …. I’m traveling out of town for a month. I’m not going to get that.
Bofa: I’m sorry.
Me: So you can’t reactivate my card?
Bofa: No. It’s been compromised due to skimming.
Me: Say what?
Bofa: Your information has been compromised.
Me: So.. the only way I can get money is how?
Bofa: Well if you make it down to one of our branch locations
Me: Um… lady, I’m in fricking chicago. I have no cash on me. My atm isn’t kicking in, and I can’t even go get busfair or a cab. wtf. (to note. I actually did say doubleyoooteeeff)
Bofa: I can try & help yo locate our nearest branch
Me: Mother.Of.Gawd.
Bofa: Where are you right now?
Me: I’m at a fricking starbucks becase I have a gift card for them.
Bofa: You’ll have to be a little more specific.

****
After being transferred from the 1800 number to a local branch in chicago who could provide more specific directions (for which i’m actually pretty impressed that they did that) i wound up walking another 2 miles through cold chicago to belmont & racine where I finally deposited a check and got an ungodly amount of money out. Ok, it’s not that ungodly but yo, i just don’t carry around that much cash with me ever. I mean, do I look like I’m turning tricks?

Anyway:
Yes: Lengthy walk through the north side of chicago and around and back,

Followed up by hanging out at some huttenbar/huttenbrau or whatnot with my cousin and drinking spiced wine.

Then! Omg (ohemgee)
I was taken out to delightful dinner by my long lost friend ES who I haven’t seen in literally 10+ years. We were involved in an intercollegiate organization way back in the day so it was nice to catch up and see what’s up with MAASU folks at the end of the day. Cuban food at Cafe 28 is fantastically Dope! (Mojitos too!)

And then!
Off to the HopLeaf. Where I drank a few crazy beers called Kwak. I think I ordered it because I thought it was sorta Asian. Yes, I’m that weird. I’m all full of AzN PrIdE sometimes. Ordering it, you must sound like a cross between madeline khan & a duck.

Darlink. I vood like ze kvak. Yes. Ze Kvak.

It comes in a peculiar glass with a round bottom that does not stand up on the table well without your hand to hold it or a mini wooden stand with a concave divit in it to hold it. So either you have be sober enough to hold it while drinking, or it must rest carefully in it’s wooden stand. Regardless, confusing azn german duck beer. Good shit.

Gigglypuffs.
And.. um…
Yeah.

That was the end of my first full crazy marvelous day in Chicago.

So here I am, slightly hung over, in the pull out bed, drinking water, and blogging. My legs are a bit sore from yesterday’s walk, my head’s a little fuzzy around the edges, but my spirits are on redbull or something cuz them mother fuckers got wings.