8 People You'll Run Into In The City

Now that I've been living here for a little while, I'm starting to notice some characters that come through my life every once in a while. This post was originally going to be much snarkier (if that's possible) because I was very, very frustrated today. But then I went to yoga and relaxed and didn't feel like being so mean anymore.*

So anyway, here are 8 people you may run into while traveling around the city:

1. Young men with neck tattoos. Your mother must be so proud. The same goes for those young men with tattoos all over their face.

2. The homeless woman outside of the train station. I don't purposely avoid eye contact and ignore you out of the meanness in my heart. I find it easier to avoid contact and communication than repeatedly say no every day. And I don't say no because I'm judging your lifestyle. I say no because I, too, have very little extra money besides what I use for rent, food, and the necessities.

3. The lonely looking person waiting for a train or bus. Sometimes you look so sad. I just want to give you a hug and say, "Hi! You're not alone in this world!" But most of the time you look like you want to be left alone. Sometimes this person is me.

4. The slightly crazy looking person on the sidewalk. (Or the train, or the bus. Most of my interaction with crazy people happens during my commute.) Please stop flipping me off. Please stop singing Michael Jackson on the train (ok, don't stop doing that. I loved it). Please stop following me down the sidewalk. But mostly, please don't try to talk to me when I'm reading my book.

5. The "socialite." Don't you ever get tired of going out? Do you ever wake up and say "What am I doing with my life besides partying?" I'm hoping you find your bliss in hangover-free mornings, and soon.

6. The cute guy walking a dog. Yes, I realize you're married. But you should know that I'm not staring at you. I'm thinking of a way to become friends with your dog.

7. Suburbanite teenagers on the train. (Or bus.) Yes, the city really is the big, scary place your parents warned you about. And yes, this means you should act terrified on the Yellow Line** and the northern half of the Red Line. Oh and PS, the seats on the train aren't all covered in urine***. I promise. But if you're really worried about it, take a cab. Those are mostly clean.

8. Me. Well, I'm a 22 year old woman who's apartment is always teetering on the brink of disaster. I'm getting into yoga, addicted to my phone, and starting to learn as much as I can about marketing banks. I love my Filofax, chocolate, and my family. I'm trying to figure out how to leave my mark on the city, but thus far I'm quite content with my (mostly) quiet little life in the big city.

Which one would you most like to meet?

*Sorry, Heather.

**I'm of the opinion that the Yellow Line is the tamest CTA line there ever was. I mean, it goes to SKOKIE for goodness sakes.

***I like to think this. I'm sure there are a lot more urine covered seats than I want to know about.

A Few of My Favorite Things

My loveliest friend Heather requested a blog. Being the entirely reasonable person she is, she gave me until Wednesday to write it. However, being the entirely too busy person that I am, I don't have tomorrow night or Wednesday night to write it. So tonight it is.

Unfortunately, I cannot for the life of me think of an interesting thing to make a list about. So this will be a "favorite things" post. Also unfortunately, I can't afford to get everyone a KitchenAid Mixer or a trip to the Bahamas*, so you'll just have to read about my favorite things!

1. Puppies! I met my uncle's puppy, Bedlam von Chaos, this weekend. He's a weimaraner. And he's adorable. And did I mention his name? Bedlam. What a great name for a pup! We spent a rainy Saturday afternoon napping and reading on the couch and, let me tell ya, if that's not heaven then I'm not sure what is. (Also, a google image search of "weimaraner puppies" produces the cutest page of results on the entire internet. In fact, I did it for you. Click here for awwwws.)

2. Girl Scout Cookies! I finally got my Girl Scout cookies in the mail and the first thing I did was devour a box of Caramel Delights (formerly known as Samoas). Then I put my Thin Mints in the freezer, as that is the ONLY way to enjoy Thin Mints.

3. Sisters! I drove back to Monmouth this past weekend with Paige for the 118th birthday of our beloved fraternity, Alpha Xi Delta. While there, I was able to see my lovely sisters and spend the weekend celebrating Founders Day.

4. New music! Over the past week I've discovered Brooke Fraser (LOVE) and Lupe Fiasco (LOVE). Also over the past week, Lady Gaga released Judas, which is a really awesome new song.

That's all for now!

*I really wish my favorite things right now could be KitchenAid Mixers and trips the Bahamas. I just got my car insurance bill, so my favorite things next week will probably be cereal and ramen noodles.

4 Really Great Decisions I've Made Lately

I'm just going to come clean and say that I'm not sorry for not posting more regularly. Because if I was a slave to the blog, then I wouldn't have anything to write about. Plus I really don't like apologizing in every single post I write. It makes me feel guilty.

So, in my free time when I find myself not tethered to a computer*, here are some really good decisions I've made:

1. Started running. This was a good idea for multiple reasons**:

a. I just feel generally better.

b. I enjoy the feeling of camaraderie I have with my fellow Lake Shore path runners.

c. I just feel like there should be a third list item. (Lists should be comprised of more

than two things, or so Mrs. Soderberg taught me in the 7th grade. Or was it one thing?

Who knows.)

So, even though I can feel the shin splints coming back with a vengeance, I think this was a good decision. So far. I've signed up for a 5K at the end of May and have tentatively (ok, not tentatively) decided to run a half marathon in September. Training during a Chicago summer, however, may not end up being a great decision. Time will tell.

2. Read. Read, read, read. I've read more in the past few weeks than I've read since I graduated college. In fact, just tonight, I read Bossypants by Tina Fey in one sitting. Added bonus of reading: I don't rot my brain with the same reruns of Criminal Minds and SVU. Although I just realized that my reading caused me to miss tonight's brand new episode of How I Met Your Mother. Oh well.

3. Bought an awesome shirt. My friend Tynan started an awesome clothing line called Namesake Apparel. {Tumblr & Etsy} (Just so you all know, and so you all can be just like me, I got the white shirt. I'm wearing it tomorrow.) Anyway, you should go look at this stuff because the designs are awesome. And my friend is awesome. So, go forth and spend!

4. Stayed up all night. Because you're only 22 once. And my sources tell me that once you get old and arthritic, you can't do that anymore.

Anyway, those are the great life decisions I've made in the past few weeks. My next post will tackle the adult tasks I've been procrastinating on. These include things like figuring out my health insurance and....figuring out my health insurance. Stay tuned!

*I manage two computers at work, so, not surprisingly, I don't really feel like dealing with my computer when I get home from work.

**A list within a list. I'm committed to this concept. Don't judge.***

***I work for a bank now. I'm being brainwashed into the idea of disclosures. No minimum balance required to read, must maintain $5,000 in total relationship with me to avoid a monthly service fee of an $18 Starbucks Gift Card and an Almond Joy candy bar. © 2011 Confessions of a Listaholic.

5 of the Most Egregious Errors in Online Dating

Well, it's April in Chicago. I'm hoping that spring isn't too far behind.

I'm starting to grow my bangs out, so needless to say, I'm entering kind of an awkward stage in my life. So naturally, I thought it would be a good idea to start another profile on OkCupid. I know I quit my last one because I was spending far too much online and I found the whole process to be a little creepy. But I'm giving it another try, but this time with limits. I try not to check it too often and delete messages that give me the creeps. However, I have found quite a few common errors on these gentlemen's profiles:

1. Zoolander face. No one looks good with the Zoolander face. Not even Ben Stiller.

2. Wildly inappropriate messages. I'm sorry, but messages saying "Your really hott" are not only completely grammatically incorrect, but they're also incredibly creepy and not productive.

3. Creeping. The same people look at my profile over and over and over and never message me. That, sir, is creeping.

4. Not asking questions. When you actually do message me, ask questions. Don't just talk about yourself. How am I supposed to respond to that? With the same level of narcissism?

5. Generic profiles. I'm pretty sure every guy on OkCupid is a world traveler, an adventurous eater, and really good at making people laugh. But I already assumed that, so tell me something else about yourself.

4 Things I've Realized Lately

As I move through life and become older and (hopefully) wiser, I'm realizing things about myself that I didn't see before. This doesn't need much buildup, so we'll just go right into it.

1. I'm more like my mom than I once thought. I was talking to my dad today and said something that I've heard my mom say, and I said it with my mom's tone and inflection. It made me take pause and think, "Oh crap." But a good "oh crap," not a bad one. I'm realizing that I have a lot of my mom's personality traits. I'm fiercely loyal, crazy efficient, and extremely persistent. But I'm also a little impatient and I don't suffer fools gladly. But my mom is an amazing woman and I can only hope to become half the person she is!

2. I really value my "me time." I'm very thankful that I live alone because I'm starting to see the introverted side of my personality come out more often. Please don't read "introvert" as "shy." Introverts aren't necessarily shy, and more often than not, they only seem shy to extroverts. I enjoy talking to people (maybe a little too much..read on for explanation) and love hanging out with groups of people. Conversely, I also find those two activities to be extremely draining and after a particularly busy weekend, I usually need to sit on my couch and stare at a wall.

3. I'm turning into an old woman. I go to bed at 10 pm and wake up at 5:30 am (ok, closer to 6:30 am). My free time finds me paying bills, balancing my checkbook, and worrying about laundry, cooking, and dishes. Well, I guess instead of "old woman," I should just say "domesticated."

4. I talk WAY too much sometimes. Remember how I mentioned I was going on a date with a guy named Jon? Well, I went. And it was a nice time. But then he never called. I was reflecting on the evening and I think that I may have scared him. I drank a little wine and started talking. And talking. And talking. I'm afraid I did the same thing with a new acquaintance at a party on Saturday. I never thought I would be the one to talk too much, but I guess I am.

That's all for now. Have a lovely evening, friends!

*I know the picture is random and that I usually try to make my picture match the subject. However, how can you resist gerbils in teacups? That's right. You can't.

Thursday Thank Yous

Really quick one tonight, guys, because I *need* to clean and go to bed! Anyway, here's what I'm thankful for at the moment (and always)!

1. My friends. I know I've been thankful for this in the past, but it's always good to have a reminder. My friends are the best people in the whole world and I love them SO much. Added bonus: I get to see my darling Morgan tomorrow! (Hence the necessity to clean clean clean..)

2. Daylight Savings Time. While I bemoan the lack of sleep and the inability to wake up on time, I love having daylight left when I get home from work! When I started work, I was leaving for work in the dark and getting home in the dark. This is much better.

3. Community. I love the communities I'm creating. I can't really define it, but I'm so thankful that I have the ability to live in community with people I care about.

What are you thankful for today?

Top 5 Things That Have Happened To Me Recently

Wow guys, sorry. My name is Melissa and it has been 17 days since my last confession (of a listaholic). Life has been so busy! But here's a fun post to catch you all up on my life. So without further ado, the top 5 things that have happened to me in the past two weeks and a few days:

1. New phone! I got a smartphone, but it is very capable of making me feel dumb. It's an HTC Incredible and I'm still figuring out how to make it work.

2. Online dating! I had a brief adventure into the world of online dating and found it creepy and time consuming. However, I did go on two agreeable dates with a nice guy named Alex (who I decided I wasn't interested in) and I have a date tomorrow with a guy named Jon. I have deleted my account, though, because I was spending so much time online creeping profiles.

3. Work! No, seriously. I love work and it's exciting. As of today, I have worked there an entire month. It's lovely. We go bowling and to hockey games and to Cubs games (in April) and spend a lot of time hanging out. Oh, and I guess we work too.

4. Parties! I had my housewarming party last weekend and I had fun. I think everyone else did too. And then this past weekend I partied myself out and had to lay low on Saturday, one of the biggest party days in Chicago! Oh well. I don't think I'd like green beer anyway.

5. Starbucks! In celebration of their anniversary, they decided to give away treats between 2 and 5 on March 10-12. I went on the 11th and the 12th. I've also decided that my new goal in life is to get a Starbucks Gold Card, so I've registered my gift card (and I may have purchased a gift card solely for this purpose) and am only using that at Starbucks!

Well, those are the most exciting things that have happened to me in the last two weeks and a few days. I'm off to celebrate the birthday of Enrique the goldfish, who is turning 1 today, with Paige, Kate, Ashley, and Ashley!

PS-I love this picture! It's so adorable!