4 Goals for Summer 2011

Summer is (hopefully) officially here in Chicago and here are a few goals for my first full summer in this awesome city.

1. Play outside. I find it far too easy to hide inside (where there is AC) and not go outside. I mean, I have a Kindle FULL of books to read, a couch to sit on, and cold beer. Why do I need to go outside? Probably because I live in one of the best cities on earth and my skin can use some sun.

2. Wear sunscreen. An hour at the beach on Monday left my arms and legs and chest as red as Pantone 195c (see above), and Jimmy said that sitting next to me felt like sitting next to a space heater. I am RADIATING heat. I am in skirts and dresses until my thighs fade enough to put jeans on again. So, for the rest of the summer, I will be SO MUCH BETTER about sunscreen.

3. Run more 5Ks. I ran the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge last week (well, I ran some of it and walked the rest with a coworker), but I want to run more and be better.

4. Find a local farmer's market and go. Pretty self explanatory, but this is one thing I want to do.

What are your goals for Summer 2011?

4 Things I'd Do If This Doesn't Work Out

I often think about what I would do if my current career aspirations didn't work out. You know, if I can't hack it in the cutthroat world of marketing and PR (but let's be serious, I can). But it's always good to have back up plans and dreams.

1. Hooters Girl. Anyone who knows me knows that I can do this. And I heard once that you make hundreds in tips. So, there you go. Plan A.

2. Freelance Writer. I love to write. And the only reason I don't write more is because I simply don't have time. So if I could figure out how to make that pay the bills, I would. I know there are a lot of people (probably more talented writers) trying to make this work as well. But I do love writing.

3. Dolphin Trainer. I went to the aquarium with Jimmy last weekend for my birthday, and I decided that I want to be a dolphin trainer. How hard can it be?

4. Baker. I love to bake, and even though I don't have a scrap of artistic ability, I'd love to learn how to decorate baked items. I think that would be so much fun.

Realistically, I could end up anywhere, doing anything. But these are four things (some tongue-in-cheek) that I could do. Who knows? Maybe I'll end up being a dolphin-training, freelance-writing, baker who moonlights as a Hooters girl.

5 More Things I've Been Up To

So again with the not posting. Sorry guys. Here's a list of things I've been up to lately.

1. Baseball. Ah baseball, the great American sport. I've been to four games in the past month or so...three Cubs games and one Sox game. All but one were pretty cold. The Cubs won 2 of the 3 games I went to. The Sox were not playing very well when I went, so they lost. I'm starting to love baseball!

2. Visitors. My dad came to visit in the first weekend of May and we had a blast! We went to a baseball game (Cubs vs. Reds) and an AMAZING dinner at The Purple Pig. We also checked out the Bodyworks exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry and a show at Second City. Then on Sunday we took Paige and Kate to Tweet, my new most favorite brunch spot.

Sidenote: Seriously guys, Tweet is amazing.* It's a gay bar by night and the best brunch ever by Saturday/Sunday mornings. And just as seriously, brunch is my new favorite meal.

3. Work. Well, this is a given. But I've been working a lot lately. I've started this new thing where I go in at 7:30 so then I can get a good day of work in and still be able to leave at 5, and then I have a little free time and can enjoy the sunshine before my body starts to cry for sleep. But I've really been enjoying work and I'm trying to learn as much as I can as I go along the way!

4. Yoga. I finished Beginners 1 (aka Yoga for Dummies) and signed up for Beginners 2 (aka Yoga for the Dummies who finished Beginners 1). I'm still not very good, but I really enjoy it and am starting to feel more comfortable in the difficult positions like shoulder stand, plough, and crow. I love it because there are only 12 asanas (poses) and it's easier for me to remember exactly what I'm supposed to do for each one, rather than trying to follow along with new poses each week. (We don't do the pose pictured above, btw.)

5. New friends. I've made a few new friends since moving here and have been spending a bit of time with them lately. I recently went and saw "Bridesmaids" with the ever lovely Anna and have been doing all sorts of fun things (such as bowling at Southport Lanes, seeing shows at iO, and wandering the city) with my new boyfriend Jimmy.

That's about all I've been doing lately, and it keeps me pretty busy! I'll try to get back on here a bit more regularly to post about the random thoughts I have throughout the day. Unfortunately, I'm feeling a bit under the weather right now but I've been to the doctor and should be all fixed up in no time!

Some projects for the next few weeks are finding more recipes that I can make using my square foot of counter space, actually making the cookies I've been wanting to make for a while, using my black bananas for banana bread (my coworkers will love that!) and keeping the chaos in my apartment at a more manageable level. Oh, and figuring out my Health Insurance, paying off my credit card once and for all, and celebrating my birthday!

*If you ever go to Tweet, you have to try the Chilaquiles. Trust me. It's amazing.