Chicken soup for the soul

Things I learned from being sick with some sort of stomach bug or salmonella*:

(Fair warning: there is TMI in this post.)

1 - That I remember why I abhor throwing up. I tried so hard to suppress it initially, but sadly, it all went downhill from there. Come to think of it, it's probably also the reason why I don't drink, because I'm too lazy and disgusted to clean up the inevitable mess.
2 - That you should never ever throw up in the bathroom sink. Go for the big ol' toilet bowl instead.
3 - That you should only use high-quality, double-ply, Angel soft toilet paper, for the obvious reasons. 
4 - That my dog actually does care about us. Last week when Shawn had this bug and came running to bed with extreme chills, FurFur ran over with the most anxious, serious expression I have ever seen on a dog. She stayed by our sides all day when we called in sick.
5 - That I really miss my mom. She was the first person I wished was by my side when this hit last night. I haven't had an illness like this since I was a kid, and I was reminded again there's nothing like my mom's love and doting, checking my temp, bringing me homemade wonton soup (broth only, no dumplings) and force-feeding me Gatorade "because it's good for you" despite my inability to keep anything down.
6 - That I'm still an obsessed workaholic, I managed to send 20 work emails or so between rounds to the bathroom, bed-ridden, doubled-over, and with chills.
7- That Pepto is your friend.
8 - That extreme illness still can't keep me away from Facebook.
9 - That my "kickass Asian super-human mutation", as The Fella calls it, which prevents me from ever getting sick, has finally failed me after almost 19 years of uninterrupted health. 
10 - That I have such caring friends who ask about me, and that The Fella is the best husband ever. Despite not being 100% himself, he cleaned up all my messes overnight, brought me a bedside basin, gave me my meds, defrosted leftover chicken soup I made when he was sick last week, and brought my favorite movie (Love Actually) upstairs in case I wanted a perk-me-up.  

Back to sleep, folks. 

* I must have caught whatever The Fella had last week, which he and his labmates caught from one colleague's kid. Or, my sudden sickness is because of a massive egg recall/salmonella in the Midwest. I just found out that a bunch of people who were at the weekend beach bbq are also deathly ill, and the one thing we all ate with egg product were these fabulously tasty brownies... could this really be the culprit?

The weekend, succinctly

It was the last weekend of summer. The hazy dog days have come, gone, and come again for one more lingering weekend. Today's temps skyrocketed into the 90s (according to weathermen, "the hottest day of the summer!") – for me, a pleasant finale to summer as I know it – because one mere weekend past, a crispness suddenly tinged the air, signaling the first hint of fall. (I won't lie, I went into a slight tizzy of excitement as I giddily began planning my fall ensemble – really fun stuff for this Florida girl!)

We lazed at Pratt Beach around Lake Michigan with a big group. Gold and red watermelon slices, three kinds of pasta salads, barbecued meats, a water balloon toss contest, a boom box, and a side braid in the hair with sun roof down relegated me to summers past in sunny, South Florida...

Other weekend happenings included a trek to the Polish market way out in the Montclare neighborhood, resulting in a cart overflowing with Polish goodies, including high-quality dried and smoked sausages, Pączkis (Polish donuts), seven jars of soups to keep us warm this fall, Nutella, and a variety of tasty prepared foods, most of which had cabbage in it............

A run to Einstein Bagels for Sunday breakfast because I was feeling nostalgic for home, when my mom used to pick up a dozen bagels every weekend...

{ Everything bagel with garlic and herb shmear }

And a self-imposed purging of our closets – because we missed spring cleaning this year and wanted to make it up to summer – uncovered this scrap of fabric from my childhood. I think my grandma made me a sundress from it, but it's FurFur's accessory now. I hear "bohemian chic" is very big this fall.

A healthy, California-inspired lunch

I was feeling very SoCal today. A combination of things – kickin' off the morning with a dose of Katy Perry's retro-summer musical style on The Today Show, chatting with Maya in San Diego about the La Jolla Open Aire Market, and a surprise Friday half day, escaping into blue skies, sunshine, and crisp breeze – inspired a late afternoon nibble on warm pita with juicy Roma tomatoes and homemade pesto, fresh mushrooms, and hummus. 

"I know a place

Where the grass is really greener

Warm, wet and wild

There must be somethin' in the water

Sippin' gin and juice

Layin' underneath the palm trees (undone)

The boys

Break their necks

Try'na creep a little sneak peek (at us)

You could travel the world

but nothing comes close

To the Golden Coast

Once you party with us

You'll be falling in love

Oooooh oh oooooh..."

- Katy Perry's California Gurls

25th floor rooftop terrace, Tribune Tower

This evening... blazing sunset from the 25th-story, private rooftop terrace of the Tribune Tower, flying buttresses and grinning gargoyles, flickering shadows, bossa nova and Argentine tango, bright orange linens fluttering in the breeze, and cocktail in hand on an impossibly perfect summer evening teetering on the verge of fall. 

Some magical photos and magnificent views, day to night, from the corporate event we planned... it's all in the details... 

 

The weekend, succinctly

I have been feeling completely tired and unmotivated to do much of anything this weekend. The worst part was that the blah-ness was tinged with a general feeling of anxiousness. It's really the most annoying feeling ever. Not a cabin fever restlessness sort of anxiety, but more like an anxiety stemming from a certain few things that I would rather avoid but can't, like condo association issues. I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I am really looking forward to the work week so that I can bury my head under projects and not deal with the other stuff. I know, it's dysfunctional, a little bit.

As such, there are almost no pix from the weekend because I did nothing on Friday and Saturday. Absolutely nothing. I thought about doing the Millennium Park free fitness classes on the Great Lawn as it was such temperate weather, but couldn't muster up enough energy to actually leave the house. I also didn't feel like cooking or eating leftovers or ordering in, so you can see what a predicament that was. I resorted to eating peanut butter, which I really really hate, for an ounce of nourishment. I was awoken by a new tenant next door at 2:30 in the morning and therefore it limited the livelihood and productivity of my Sunday.

I did rally to go to The Vintage Bazaar, and later, dinner at Cafe LaGuardia with The Fella. Brazilian Red Snapper and sweet plantains were a delicious end to the weekend.

{ Cafe LaGuardia }

Treasure-hunting, part deux

The Vintage Bazaar, edition 2, was today. For the past few months, I was eagerly anticipating its return ever since The Fella and I happened upon the first VB in March. We had brought home unexpectedly awesome vintage treasures, like this chair and cape! In fact, that was the day I was inspired to start a blog to stay connected with friends and family afar, to keep them posted on my daily adventures and treasure-seeking life all the way up here in Chicago.

This VB popped up at the old Congress Theater, now used as a music venue. Legend has it this old movie palace from the 1920s is haunted...

{ weekend vintaging outfit, head to toe: Danskin tee, A|X skirt,
leather bag from our Spain trip, vintage locket }

Interesting mix of Italian Renaissance and Classical Revival styles on the interior...

{ antique chandelier, a remnant of the old movie palace days }

And let the vintaging/treasure-seeking* fun begin!

{ old-school Lincoln Logs game }

{ a 1950s contraption to help you lose weight. Just strap the belt around the waist,
push the On button, and the vibrations will melt away the pounds! WTF! }

I couldn't resist picking up this pack of old black and white photos for $3. There's something so interesting about peeking into someone else's life and imagining. I think I will tuck a photo into each piece of mail I send as a quirky, little oddment!

{ old black and white photographs with handwritten notes. Who is this sailor? He's cute! }

*Other vintage purchases from today not pictured – an 8mm camera (for display only); a Kangol brand beret, 100% virgin wool; a University of Bombay tee for The Fella, and a crystal lamp for the guest bedroom. 

Transformers celeb stalking

Okay, admittedly I'm a total celeb stalker. A colleague and I headed down to the set of the latest Transformers movie at State and Lake. Today was the last day of a month-long filming, and apparently there were Shia and Josh (Duhamel) sightings this morning at the site.

We got there at noon, but it looks like they had just wrapped up, and the set of blown-up concrete and vehicles was being broken down for good. No Shia, but nevertheless, still pretty cool!

Baby Jordana's first photo shoot

Oh em gee. My baby niece is just so insanely beautiful! I can't wait to meet her in December!

(I'm kinda dying over the giant flower headband – is it terrible that I want to steal it from a baby?)

{ surprise! }

Bringing a little Miami to Chi-town

It occurred to me the other night while watching the Navy Pier fireworks that last year, around this exact time, I was watching these same fireworks with my old college pal, Darcy, who was back in the States on holiday from working overseas. It was only supposed to be a one-night layover through O'Hare, but it randomly turned into a three-day stay with me when she couldn't get out on standby-after-standby flight to the Philippines via Hong Kong. (But don't get her started, her travel log was actually from Virginia --> D.C. --> Chicago --> Hong Kong --> Manila, final destination.)

And so, a whirlwind weekend through Chicago ensued, recreating days gone by of UMiami fun. Amidst our CTA public transit escapades, there was boat-spotting in Lake Michigan, brunches in Wicker Park and dinner in Chinatown, and bar-hopping downtown. 

{ taking the requisite stupid tourist pix under The Bean }

{ a boat named Viagra }

{ under the dingy lighting of the CTA El }

{ I'm on a bus }

{ Stop & Drink House }

{ why wouldn't you drape yourself across a fireplace? }

{ Clark Street Ale House, River North }

{ Francesca's al Forno, Wicker Park, throwing up "The U" }

I miss college!