OMFG I'M GOING TO THE ILLINOIS INAUGURAL BALL IN DC!!!!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! over christmas i found out that my cousin (who lives in DC) and her mom are going to the illinois inaugural ball. after considering a trip to DC to just be in the city for the inauguration, and then rejecting the idea due to lack of job, financial responsibility, etc etc...i got a surprise call today that my mom is going to pay for my flight to DC and my grandma is buying me a ticket to the ball!! the ball! of obama's home state! so he's practically guaranteed to make an appearance! OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG i can't believe it! SOOO!!!! EXCITED!!!!!! BEST PRESENT EVER!!!!

0 trackbacks | 12:55 PM | permalink

buenos aires day 10: congreso - san telmo market

We took a cab to Congreso to have lunch at a Peruvian restaurant recommended by a couple of our guide books. But of course, since it's Argentina, the restaurant wasn't going to open until an hour later than posted. So, we went to la Moncloa for licuados and coffee to kill some time. Then we walked around the block a few times in an effort to avoid a creepy probably-homeless guy who was trying but not trying to sell some weird rings, and was (maybe) attempting to teach us some words in Spanish. We were all really uncomfortable until I remembered to say, "No molestar!" and we scurried away.

Finally Chan Chan opened, and it was really good! The restaurant was brightly painted (including the bathroom) and the food was plentiful and cheap. We ordered a ceviche sampler - five different kinds of ceviche - as an appetizer, but when it came out, each portion was big enough for a meal. I had lamb stew and there were some delicious little corn nut type things for snacks.

Sunday is market day in San Telmo, and we wanted to get some presents for people back home. Market day. Was. Crazy. The streets were completely filled with people - a complete about-face from the rest of our stay. We saw a great tango band, lots of neat antiques and jewelry, and a group of young people holding up signs offering free hugs! We went to Havana to buy dulce de leche and alfajores then headed back to the apartment to relax before dinner. On the way back, a pigeon flew by me and pooped on my foot. ON MY FOOT. AS I WAS WALKING. HOW!??? Anyway, luckily I was wearing flip flops so it easily washed off with water from one of our omnipresent bottles, but unluckily I was wearing flip flops so the poo was all over my bare toes and warm and slimy and so gross I wanted to cry.

We were at the apartment for an hour or so when we started to feel some weird vibrations. It was kind of a 'Jurassic Park' moment. It got closer and closer until we realized some drums were headed our way. We went out on the balcony and saw a drum and dance group heading down Defensa!

We had dinner at Manolo so we could have steak one last time. Cecile and I ate our entire steaks, making sure to slather them in Manolo's delicious chimichurri.

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i just saw... heidi montag & spencer pratt

last night i was boarding my flight from jfk to lax, and i walked by them in first class. yes, spencer still has the terrible beard, but he's better looking in person. heidi is gorgeous, tiny, and has fantastic hair (though it's the fake-est color ever).

0 trackbacks | 7:26 AM | permalink

ficlets

since apparently ficlets is being shut down, i reprint here the one ficlet i managed to write. i had intended to write them regularly but inspiration was rare.

If Only It Were Pickles

“Does this smell OK to you?” Jack asked.

Sam recoiled. “I dunno what it’s supposed to smell like. It looks…OK. I guess.”

Jack gave the jar a lazy shake and watched the contents quiver. He shrugged. Sam held out the backpack and Jack dropped the jar inside. Sam staggered under the extra weight and winced. He balanced the bag on his thigh and tried to zip it shut.

“My mom says it’s four miles away,” Sam gasped, hopping a bit on one leg. “How long do you think it’ll take to get there?”

On the other side of the garage, Jack started picking through a stack of boxes and opened one marked “TOOLS”. He didn’t answer.

Sam took a breath and carefully shifted the backpack over one shoulder. “How long d’you think?” He eyed Jack and frowned. “What’re you looking for? That’s my dad’s.”

Jack pulled a long screwdriver out of the box, feeling its balance. “Something sharp. Or heavy. I’m not taking that thing anywhere without something I can depend on.”

Sam heard the jar gurgle. He was starting to have second thoughts.

0 trackbacks | 12:59 PM | permalink

new year's eve in new york city

Kind of on a whim, I decided to come to New York City for New Year's since I'd never been before. I stayed with Travis at his place in Brooklyn. I spent my first afternoon wandering around SoHo, checking out the shops (and crazy packs of shoppers) while waiting for Travis to get off work. We went back to his place, changed, and headed back into the city to the Village. We ate at a great Thai place called Cafetasia and walked to Kate's birthday party at Fat Cat Billiards. Fat Cat is in a big basement and has billiards, ping pong, tabletop shuffleboard, chess, scrabble, and who knows what else. Mike and Jon and Riana were there too! Eventually we had to leave because it was insanely hot and stuffy down there.

On New Year's Eve, Travis and I made an obligatory trip to Times Square - we got there, I took two photos, and I said, "Ok. Let's go." It was really cold and windy and snowing but already at NOON there were people lining the street, holding a place for the big celebration. These people had blankets (well, some of them did) and snow was slowly building up and drifting around them. CRAZY.

We walked down to Bryant Park to see the tree and ice skaters, then took the subway back down to SoHo for lunch. We met up with Travis's coworker, Ed, and ate at The Cupping Room Café, where we saw a girl that totally looked like Nako.

Travis and I went back to his place and watched 'Snatch' then bought champagne, liquor and snacks and started getting ready for people to come over. By this time it was seriously windy and cold outside, so we weren't sure how many people would actually venture out. We killed a good hour and a half with some Family Guy before Will stopped by. Then Kathleen, Tony, Nicole and Ed arrived. It was a really good time - very laid back. A good group of people. Kathleen brought party favors - the usual fare plus moustaches and glow bracelets. We watched the ball drop via Hulu and spent the rest of the night listening to the weird noises outside (maybe whales?), watching videos on YouTube and texting and receiving texts. Which I know doesn't sound that thrilling, but was pretty damn fun.

0 trackbacks | 12:00 PM | permalink

buenos aires day 9: iguazu falls - la gran aventura

We had breakfast at the Rio Tropic, then headed to the park for La Gran Aventura, the big tour of the falls. First we rode through the jungle and a guide pointed out plants and animals and gave some history of the park. Then we piled into boats and headed to the falls. After hitting some fun rapids, the captain made sure we got splashed a lot and steered us under one of the waterfalls. Everyone was soaked to the skin and it was gloriously fun. Cecile and I bought a disposable camera to use when we were up close to the falls and, while most of the photos didn't come out, there was at least one good one.

After the boat ride we hiked up the Circuito Inferior and viewed the waterfalls from the river. We saw a couple men making sandwiches on a long wooden board and then a very unafraid lizard, that smelled the food and wasn't afraid to go after it. We took the bus back to the Rio Tropic - well, it took us to the main road and we walked the remaining half mile or so. We showered, checked out, and took a cab into town for lunch. We ate at Charo, which was my only mediocre meal of the trip, got licuados at Real then got back on the cama bus for Buenos Aires. About an hour out of Puerto Iguazu it started pouring rain, and when we got back to Buenos Aires we found out that it started raining there when we left and kept raining the whole time. So much rain, in fact, that everything was closed and buildings flooded. We planned our side trip at just the right time.

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kitten!

today i went with cecile to pick up her new kitten. she is a little, all-black, 4 month old, and has been renamed 'kuma' in honor of the awesome chicago burger place where we had lunch just before the pick up. mocchi (the 2 year old cat cecile has had for a few months) sniffed kuma a bit then walked away, totally uninterested. then kuma started nosing around mocchi's climbing tree and mocchi visibly stiffened. then they smelled each other some more. it's adorable. i'm going to die of adorable today. it's inevitable.

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so much food at christmas

...and i have eaten ALL OF IT. the pants are a little tighter, the gait is a little slower - ahhh christmas.

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