Day 53

Happy 1: The art event was "Scorched" at Silk Road Theatre Project. After yesterday's class I was not looking forward to this play at all. However, it was surprisingly good. There was very explicit language at the beginning but it fit the character and at the end of the play it all made sense. The story was about two siblings in search of the father and brother they didn't know they had. I liked that every actor played more than one role and all of the characters were interesting; a mother that didn't speak for five years, an angry boxer, a mathematician, a sociopath sniper, and a notary that always said, "For sure, for sure, for sure." As usual, we had to write a reflection on our experience, but this time it was with a partner. My fellow NWCer came over at 11pm and we whipped out the character study assigned to us. Overall, the play was not near as offensive or inappropriate as I had initially anticipated. Lucky for them.

Happy 2: After the play, four other girls and I were waiting for the train. One guy comes up to us and asked if the train was headed North. Then, two black guys asked us if they could sing and dance for us. I kept my back to them, but the other girls told them yes. They serenaded us with "Find Your Love" by Drake. One of them sang directly to me, "I better find your lovin', I better find your love." It was so hard not to burst out laughing because the situation was ridiculous and they were not good. At all. Once the train came, I herded the girls on and said, "Get on the train. Get on the train." Then, we were about to get off and some dude asked for the time. I'm not sure what the deal was...

Crappy: I made a boo-boo at work today. My job was to update the fund sheets, which takes quite a large chunk of time. I had completed over forty sheets when my second supervisor asked if I had this other Excel file open at the same time so the sheets could update properly. You can probably guess the answer. He said, "I'll delete all those pdfs for you." Well, thank you, pal. I felt dumb and incompetent but he didn't told me it was not big deal. Maybe not to him, but it was a big deal to me. He and I worked together to get the project completed and I stayed until 5:15pm even though he told me I didn't have to stay late because it could wait until tomorrow. I hate making stupid mistakes. But who doesn't?

I'm going home this weekend for some family fun! Hopefully, I won't be spending time on the computer, so don't be alarmed if I don't post for a few days. One time I didn't blog and some people, who shall remain nameless, freaked out on me. Please don't be those people.

Day 52

Happy 1: Emily (my college roommate) and I tried to Skype again tonight. It didn't go very well at first. The connection was bad, perhaps due to the 13 million other people trying to Skype at the same time. Geesh, get a life, people! It took a long time to get the call started and in the middle we had to hang up and start again several times. However, we succeeded in having a wonderful, hour-long conversation. Today was not a good day, partially due to my first class of the day (see Crappy), but my chat with Emily was exactly what I needed. Seeing her beautiful face, hearing her voice, and talking about the everyday happenings in the OC did wonders for my spirit. Thanks, Roomie!

Happy 2: I am going home this weekend - woot! The trip is taking more planning than I initially thought, what with public transportation and coordinating with class activities and my internship. So, I do what I do best: stress out. But Rachel (my current roommate) helped me stay calm while I figured out my routes. I feel better now that I have three note cards filled with very specific directions. Planning is good for my soul.

Crappy: The Fine Art event tomorrow night is at Silk Road Theatre Project. This theatre is apparently located in the basement of the Methodist Church where my teacher is the choir director. One would think that this theatre would be Christian, but it is not. One would also think it would be conservative, but it is not. Instead, this theatre puts on plays that are about social justice and whatnot and they are quite controversial for many reasons: (1) bad language, (2) inappropriate content, (3) and they clearly have an agenda. The co-owner came to talk to our class today. He began by saying that he and his life partner...Wait, what? Life partner? The words "absolutely adorable" and "oh my G**" came out of his mouth during his talk. But what I disliked the most was that this guy (if you can call him that) was that he clearly thought the church was not liberal enough. In one of the plays there was a strip pole and the pole dancer's bra "malfunctioned" during the performance. And would you believe that church people had a problem with that? He didn't really understand why. It's held in the church basement, for Pete's sake! He made my blood boil throughout his whole talk and I could hardly make myself sit through the class. Since I didn't walk out, I folded my arms and scowled at him. But besides his obvious conservative-hating stupidity, what is the church thinking by allowing the theatre to stay on their premises when the plays are clearly not meshing with Christian values?

Day 51

Happy 1: I was leaving the office after work and I heard the elevator ding, which meant it was stopping on our floor. Since we're on the second floor from the top, I knew that if I missed the elevator, I would have to wait a long time for another one to come all the way back up. So, I heard the ding and hurried around the corner, planning to hop right on. Little did I know, three of my co-workers were standing right there. They got really quiet and then one of them looked at me and said, "We were just talking about how loud you are." Hardy har har. I am not loud. In fact, I am very well behaved at work. Very few sarcastic comments come out of my mouth. The lady that sits next to me said I was funny. When I commented that I hardly ever talk at work, she said, "Yes, you do. And your facial expressions are fun to watch." Clearly they love me. I don't know why I'm surprised. What's not to love?

Happy 2: My roommates were out of the apartment until 8:30pm. That meant three blissful hours to do whatever I wished. What did I do, you ask? My Insanity work out, which was insane. Then, I listened to praise music on Pandora and ate supper. After that I rocked my Metro paper (a self-portrait based on culture, race, and ethnicity) that's due tomorrow. I was very productive.

Crappy: The receptionist in my office has not liked me since I arrived for my interview. Perhaps because I asked her about the split elevators and she pegged me for a dumb farm girl. Who knows? Here's the story: So, I like to take my lunch break every day in the little sun room and so does she. I generally wait for her to get done with her break and then take mine around 1:30pm. It was about twenty minutes to one o'clock and she hadn't gone yet, which was pushing my break time even later. So, I took my break. A few minutes later she opens the door and said, "You're going to have to do me a favor. I don't like to eat my lunch at the front desk, and this is the only place I can eat it." She went on but I will spare you the details. Basically, she wants me to monitor when she goes out to get lunch so I know when she'll be back to eat it. What is that? Are you kidding me, lady? Trying to be nice, I started to say something like, "You can have the room now, I'm done eating." But before I could finish my sentence, she closed the door. I had to take several deep calming breaths in order to regain composure. It's a good thing I was doing my devotions and the Bible was on the table next to me.

Day 50

Happy 1: Word of the day: patience. I had a mug of hot chocolate this morning at work. Unfortunately, I was a little hasty in my consumption and burnt my tongue. That's me being not so patient. However, my patience paid off in another area. The necklace that I wear every day got a tangle in it, which is the worst. I struggled with it for a long time (at work, actually) but with the help of two paperclips and some finagling, my necklace is now tangle free.

Happy 2: I successfully dialed in to a conference call all by myself. It was tricky because you have to dial the number nine before making a call outside of the office, which I didn't know. While I waited five minutes or so for help from the system operator I heard, "An operator will be with you momentarily. Please have your conferencing details ready so we can better assist you." Ten second pause. "An operator will be with you momentarily. Please have your conferencing details ready so we can better assist you." Ten second pause. You get the idea. Annoying, but amusing. One of the main speakers had a slight speech impediment. But it wasn't consistent, only certain words slipped him up. Words beginning and ending with "L" were fine but "really" and "population" were a little troublesome. This is generally not a laughing matter, but it made me smile. There's more. At the end of the conference call there is a time for Q&A. The operator said, "The next question comes from the line of Bob S." A voice came on the line and said loudly, "Is that me?" "Yes, sir, that is you." Absolutely hysterical. What is this, middle school?

Crappy: On my way to work I witnessed two men, on separate occasions, digging through the garbage, clearly looking for something to eat. It breaks my heart but I'm never sure what to do. What is the correct response, to give them my lunch? I don't know how to help them. It is a crappy, crappy thing.

Day 49

Happy 1: For a Sunday, it was a fairly productive today. I have to write a reflection on the art event we attended during the week. Well, this week it was the Hyde Park Art Center and I didn't particulary like it. So I wrote my response in what is known as the sarcasm font. I think my professor will like it. Or not.

Happy 2: Today I wore flannel. My brother's flannel shirt, to be exact. It was a good day.

Crappy: My roommates and I attended New Life Community Church this morning. It was...interesting. The praise team was not very good, in my opinion. And the pastor's message was reduntant, and he repeated himself a lot, and he said the same thing over and over again. The topic was Ephesians 3:14-21 and God's power at work within us. There are three kinds of power shown in these verses: (1) the power to embrace the indwelling of Christ within us (he drew attention to the distinction between to dwell and to be a guest), (2) the power to grasp the multi-dimension of God's love (wide and long and high and deep), and (3) the power to experience and know the love that surpasses knowledge. The pastor also talked about verse 20, how God can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. Pretty good, but I don't think I'll be going back any time soon.

Day 48

Happy 1: Rachel and I woke up early (for a Saturday) to go on a tour of Bronzeville. We walked around for nearly three hours, seeing the sights and enjoying the beautiful weather. One of the things we were supposed to find was a 14-foot bronze map of the neighborhood. Hard to miss something that big. But we did. It turns out it's laid into the sidewalk and we walked right across it without realizing it. Then, the tour guide instructions told us to stop for lunch at Chicago's Chicken and Waffles. What did we order? A plate of chicken and waffles, of course. Well, our waiter was really fun. He said, "I'm going to sit here and pretend like I know you," and sat down at our table to take our order. We split the order (mostly because we're cheap) and needed an extra plate. When he came by to drop it off, we were blessing the meal. Before walking away he said, "Were you all gossipin' about my pretty blue eyes?" After devouring the yummy food we patiently waited for the bill. The waiter dropped it off and walked away. The bill was not a bill, it was a receipt. At the bottom it read, "It's on me today! Thanks ladies. (Smiley face)." No joke, he had paid for our meal. We didn't know what to do so we left a hefty tip for him. Yes, this was completely unexpected and slightly awkward. But no worries because I think he was...let's just say...a little light in the loafers.

Happy 2: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra offers $10 tickets for students. Who could pass up a deal like that? Rachel and I got all dressed up and headed to the 8pm show at the CSO. On our way down the hallway of our apartment, we passed two guys. And the one said, "Hello ladies" with an accent. I think he was actually foreign, though. Just keep walking, Anna. The concert was amazing. Our seats were in the terrace, above and behind the performers. It was definitely a neat perspective. We saw the conductor's face, the musicians' music, and a close up of the performers' speedy fingers. Today was pretty spectacular.

Crappy: In our refrigerator we have a tiny freezer. It doesn't close very well and we get a lot of frost in there. My roommate cleaned it out and put the ice shavings in the sink to melt. Well, Kristin decided to make a snowman. Why not? But she didn't stop there. She put dish soap on it so it was a pretty blue snowman. The crappy part? The moment she looked away to do something else, he fell off his perch on the edge of the sink. She accused me of killing him. How rude. Clearly, I did no such thing. I love little blue snowmen.

Day 47

Happy 1: Rachel and I wandered down Michigan Avenue in search of Garrett's Popcorn. We may or may not have had a little trouble finding it. But that's beside the point. We found it, bought an $8 bag of the Chicago Mix (cheese and caramel), and took it back to the apartment to share it with Kristin. I like adventures that end successfully.

Happy 2: My Practicum group and I visited Hyde Park, the neighborhood we're observing. It was a beautiful Fall day with leaves on the ground and the scent of freshly cut grass in the air. I took my time walking the streets on my way back to work.

Belated Happy 3: I don't know how this is possible, but I forgot to add this to yesterday's post. And it's definitely worth mentioning. In college, one of the most valuable skills I acquired was how to peel a banana like a ninja. Yes, it is quite an impressive talent. As a good roommate, I shared my secret knowledge of ninja-banana-peeling. Kristin's form was good but she was a tad over exuberant in her execution. Her banana ended up half-peeled on the floor. Hilarious. Perhaps it's one of those "you have to be there" moments. You'll just have to take my word for it that it was uproariously funny.

Crappy: At work today I was a tired of working on a certain project. So I asked the lady next to me (she's super fun and she only comes in twice a week) if she needed any help. I heard her making comments about how tedious the task was that she was working on. I like tedious tasks, so I wanted to help her out. She told me to ask my second supervisor, but I told her it was fine. While I'm working on the project she says to the guy, "Yeah, Anna was looking for something to do. Is it okay if she works on something for me?" He looks at me with a look I didn't particularly like and said, "Do you have this done and this done and this done?" I had all but one long-term project completed. To clear the air, I told him that I merely offered my services. With a smile he said to the lady, "Sure, I guess it's best to utilize her skills." Whew, catastrophe averted. However, I feel like the lady threw me under the bus. She totally ratted me out, man!