Today wasn't too good.
I woke up this morning still tired. I've been so tired for a week now. My body is begging to get 10 hours of sleep at least but I cannot afford the time. Friday was finally a night I could just crash in my bed after work. There were no shows or rehearsals I had to go to. I stayed awake after work on Friday, hanging out on the couch, watching Battlestar Galactica, trying to deny the fact that I had a lack of sleep headache. Once the episode was over - which was A-MA-ZING - I tried to crash in my bed at 9pm.
I just couldn't fall asleep. After a half-hour of failing to fall asleep, I wasted time online until around 11:30 before going to bed. I set my alarm for 8pm. Surely 8 hours would be enough or so I thought. I woke feeling like I needed another 8 hours of sleep.
Saturday I went to Mike and Amanda's wedding in Milwaukee. It was very nice, but the traffic going north on 1-94 was crazy awful. Some people didn't even make it to the ceremony on time because of it. We (James, Marla, and I) barely had enough time to change and get to the church. We walked into the church while the procession down the aisle for the bridesmaids was starting. That night was fun and much dancing was had. I think I went to bed around 3 or so. We set the alarm for 10am. I think I got some nice sleep on that roll-away bed; but I remember having to get up in the middle of the night to pee. Way too much liquid drank. Dranked? Drunk? Whatever.
Fortunately today was a half-day at work for me. I had my TourCo audition at 4:05pm and so I took the afternoon off. Naturally I procrastinated and then scrambled to get things ready. I did the audition and didn't do too well. I hate the set-up of those auditions. I can never get comfortable in those situations. Improvising out of fear or trying too hard to impress always ends up coming out stiff and not fun. And not funny.
I came home feeling pretty down about the audition. Then I came home to find Tara and Amy in the apartment. They were crying. Niles, their cat, was super sick and on his last leg. He was lying down on the couch. The previous night I was watching TV with a blanket over me. Niles sat on me and rested while I rested. He moved over to a different spot on the blanket and I noticed a diarrhea spot. He had softish poo still on his rear section. I called Tara to tell her that I thought Niles was sick again.
Niles was this super awesome cat. Skinny and orange-ish in color. Well behaved and a master jumper. Tara and Amy had gotten Niles long ago from a cat shelter I believe. They knew when they got him that he had kitty leukemia. A month ago it looked like Niles was going to die. He was super lethargic and his normal cheery personality was gone. He was pooing everywhere also. He wasn't eating. I think he hadn't eaten for three days before he started to feel better and wolfed down a ton of cat food. He was back to his normal self. He was jumping on top of the TV or kitchen cabinets. This cat had more than nine lives.
Niles was having difficulty breathing and sometime between my coming home and me getting ready to go do light for Armando, Tara and Amy brought Niles to the hospital and they put him down. It is super sad. All I have to do is imagine Niles in his normal spots around the apartment - top of the couch, top of TV, top of kitchen cabinets, on the floor in the kitchen begging for some milk - and I start to tear up. I don't think I met a better cat. I really liked that guy.
Coming home from a bad audition to that atmosphere in the apartment will make you realize that the audition isn't really that big of a deal. There are so many more important things in life.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Feeling Cool, Feeling Sick
Terry's wedding was last Friday. It was a real fun time but I had to bow out earlier than I thought I would. It also sounds like I missed some fun times at Neo and someone's apartment above a Starbucks.
The snakes decided to meet at the Lion's Pub before the ceremony, since it was practically next door to St. Alphonsus. I arrived a little late since I underestimated how long of a walk it was from my place. I wanted to take my bike but didn't know if that was such a great idea since I was wearing a suit. When I got to the Pub, Molly and Ben were already there. As the ceremony neared, more snakes showed up and it was great to see us all dressed up very nice.
St. Alphonsus is a pretty big church and it was very pretty inside. The altar area had brown carpet which reminded me of my childhood chuch, Church of the Holy Spirit, in Schaumburg. Because it was a Catholic wedding, the ceremony was quite long although not as long as I was expecting. Terry couldn't stop smiling and Paul said he saw Terry's knees buckle when he first got a glimpse of Wendy entering the church in her wedding dress. She looked very pretty. There was even a part of the ceremony that those that wanted to could go a receive communion, which I found odd. But it didn't stop me from going up there to get my wafer. Levin read the first reading and he looked great. Bill arrived late, of course, and looked rather ragged. He later went home to change and when he came back he looked super awesome in a suit. POB was there too and he biked there.
After the ceremony we went to Mickey's for some drinks while we waited for Salvatore's to open for the reception. He caught the Mickey's staff off-guard since they had only just opened and had yet to get ice from the ice machine. I watched the Twins get eliminated from the playoffs. I talked to Krissy, wife of Terry's college roommate Doug. Later at the reception Krissy introduced me to Kristen, wife of Terry's other college roommate, Dave. I was happy to talk to people other than my close knit circle. I was super hungry since I forgot to eat lunch so I had some cheesesticks at Mickey's.
Salvatore's was nice and all of us snakes were at the same table. We were the only table to start the wedding reception tradition of dining our glasses to make the new couple kiss. The best man and maid of honor's speeches were really nice. The food was good and somehow I found myself with three glasses of wine in front of me at once. I hardly sipped them because I was already tipsy and not feeling well. I drank a lot of water. At one point a piece of lettuce went down the wrong pipe and I started coughing. I coughed so hard that I gave myself a big headache, which was a little weird. After dinner we went to the room with the dance floor. We all had to wait for the first songs before we could dance, so the snakes sat down at a couple of the tables just to the side of the dance floor. We all looked super cool in our suits and dresses.
Terry's and Wendy's first dance was nice. Then the bride and the bride's father danced. Then it was the dance for the groom and the groom's mother. After that, the dance floor was open to everyone. The DJ played some great hits and I quickly danced up a sweat. For a good two hours I was fine. Then my stomach started to get gasy from all the wine. It was to the point that I got concerned that I might have to throw up. So I decided to leave the party early and go home to sleep it off. I felt the party at 11pm, by which time many others had left for home too. However, I really wanted to dance and party until the sun came up so it was disappointing that I would be missing some fun memories with the snakes. I took a cab home, took 2 Advil gel-caps, and fell alseep rather easily. I woke up the next morning feeling fine.
I learned later on in the day what I missed. After the crew closed Salvatore's, then went to Neo, some goth dance club. They said it was fun to stand out from all the goth people that were there. After Neo, some went to some party at an apartment that is above Starbucks on Clark and Belmont.
---
Saturday was filled with a rehearal that went well, a date that went so-so, a birthday party was that fun, a reunion of sorts that was great, multiple times waiting for the Red Line that was boring, a porch party that was fun, running into girls of the past that were awkward, eating pizza, watching Freaks & Geeks, and falling asleep in my clothes while watching the show in the wee hours of the morning.
The snakes decided to meet at the Lion's Pub before the ceremony, since it was practically next door to St. Alphonsus. I arrived a little late since I underestimated how long of a walk it was from my place. I wanted to take my bike but didn't know if that was such a great idea since I was wearing a suit. When I got to the Pub, Molly and Ben were already there. As the ceremony neared, more snakes showed up and it was great to see us all dressed up very nice.
St. Alphonsus is a pretty big church and it was very pretty inside. The altar area had brown carpet which reminded me of my childhood chuch, Church of the Holy Spirit, in Schaumburg. Because it was a Catholic wedding, the ceremony was quite long although not as long as I was expecting. Terry couldn't stop smiling and Paul said he saw Terry's knees buckle when he first got a glimpse of Wendy entering the church in her wedding dress. She looked very pretty. There was even a part of the ceremony that those that wanted to could go a receive communion, which I found odd. But it didn't stop me from going up there to get my wafer. Levin read the first reading and he looked great. Bill arrived late, of course, and looked rather ragged. He later went home to change and when he came back he looked super awesome in a suit. POB was there too and he biked there.
After the ceremony we went to Mickey's for some drinks while we waited for Salvatore's to open for the reception. He caught the Mickey's staff off-guard since they had only just opened and had yet to get ice from the ice machine. I watched the Twins get eliminated from the playoffs. I talked to Krissy, wife of Terry's college roommate Doug. Later at the reception Krissy introduced me to Kristen, wife of Terry's other college roommate, Dave. I was happy to talk to people other than my close knit circle. I was super hungry since I forgot to eat lunch so I had some cheesesticks at Mickey's.
Salvatore's was nice and all of us snakes were at the same table. We were the only table to start the wedding reception tradition of dining our glasses to make the new couple kiss. The best man and maid of honor's speeches were really nice. The food was good and somehow I found myself with three glasses of wine in front of me at once. I hardly sipped them because I was already tipsy and not feeling well. I drank a lot of water. At one point a piece of lettuce went down the wrong pipe and I started coughing. I coughed so hard that I gave myself a big headache, which was a little weird. After dinner we went to the room with the dance floor. We all had to wait for the first songs before we could dance, so the snakes sat down at a couple of the tables just to the side of the dance floor. We all looked super cool in our suits and dresses.
Terry's and Wendy's first dance was nice. Then the bride and the bride's father danced. Then it was the dance for the groom and the groom's mother. After that, the dance floor was open to everyone. The DJ played some great hits and I quickly danced up a sweat. For a good two hours I was fine. Then my stomach started to get gasy from all the wine. It was to the point that I got concerned that I might have to throw up. So I decided to leave the party early and go home to sleep it off. I felt the party at 11pm, by which time many others had left for home too. However, I really wanted to dance and party until the sun came up so it was disappointing that I would be missing some fun memories with the snakes. I took a cab home, took 2 Advil gel-caps, and fell alseep rather easily. I woke up the next morning feeling fine.
I learned later on in the day what I missed. After the crew closed Salvatore's, then went to Neo, some goth dance club. They said it was fun to stand out from all the goth people that were there. After Neo, some went to some party at an apartment that is above Starbucks on Clark and Belmont.
---
Saturday was filled with a rehearal that went well, a date that went so-so, a birthday party was that fun, a reunion of sorts that was great, multiple times waiting for the Red Line that was boring, a porch party that was fun, running into girls of the past that were awkward, eating pizza, watching Freaks & Geeks, and falling asleep in my clothes while watching the show in the wee hours of the morning.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
My Suit Story
I bought a suit! Yay for me actually doing what I said I was going to do!
I wrote up a story of my journey in buying a suit on the CIN. This is what I posted:
My first choice was to go to Men's Warehouse on State. It was closer to my work downtown than H&M and it closed earlier. My plan was to check it out, then Macy's since it's super close to MW, and then head north on Mich Ave. for H&M. I'd compare and contrast and later that weekend I'd make a decision. I figured I'd like H&M but didn't want something that would fall apart; figured that Macy's would be great but too expensive; figured MW would probably be the best of both world, great customer service and low prices.
Walking to MW I discovered that there's an H&M on State St. "How convenient for me."
MW was a bust. I go in and some lady asks me if I need help. I say I need to get an idea of their selection, look at some styles, and figure out the cost. She takes my jacket size 38 (in her opinion, my height puts me sort of between a regular and a long). She shows me over to a super small section that's got the 38's. Not much to chose from and she leaves me to check it out myself. So much for customer service. I take a few out to look at but I'm confused. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking for really. Still only have a vague idea of the style I want and I'm not sure I can spot a "Mod" style from a non-Mod one. The only one who really took an interest to ask me questions and make sure I was being helped was the female security guard. I wait another 3 minutes trying my best to emote "help me," get fed up and leave the store.
I walk a short walk to H&M on State St. It's smaller than the one on Mich. Their suit selection is minimal to say the least. Regular Fit or Slim fit. I'm slim so I figure I want slim. Not really keen on any of the styles. No one who works at the store even notices I'm there, which isn't surprising since it's H&M. I'm in and out in 5 minutes deflated and worried that finding a suit is going to be harder than I thought. (I have no patience for clothes shopping)
I head to Macy's. I get to the suit section, approach an older man who clearly works there and when he asks, "can I help you?" I offer "I want to buy a suit." Dollar signs sparkle in his eyes and he helps me out greatly. His name is Eric. He helps me try on suit after suit. I told him I was looking for a sort-of Mod style and he immediately knew what styles I was talking about. He led me to the Hugo Boss right away. Man, those suits are hip. Tried on some less expensive ones after I found out their prices. Still wasn't sure I knew what I was doing. Because I'm easy to push over and like to agree with people, I said that the suit I had on was great and that I liked it. It was probably the 11th suit I tried on. Eric got me some pants that fit way snug and his tailor lady to chalk out where to hem the sleaves and pants. The suit I was wearing cost $695; but there was a 20% sale on some of the brands. I got cold feet, gave some lame excuse that MW also showed me a suit that I liked, and told him I wanted to think about it. The gleam in his eye died when he saw the sale go away. I offered the only thing I could think of to compensate him for his help: a compliment. He also tells me that I have a limited time to get the suit. Why? Because I said I had a wedding to go to this Friday and it takes them a week to do the alterations. So if I delay longer than say a day, I won't have the suit in time. Good to know. Definately the best customer service I've ever had. I felt really taken care of there. Not quite the level of service Larry Miller give Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, but close enough.
Over the weekend I check online for pictures of Mod suits and check in on this thread to see what people say. On Sunday I see The Science Of Sleep (good, not great; needed it to be way more grounded) and Gael Garcia Bernal's character where this nice mauve colored 4-buttoned suit. It strikes me as very Beatles-ish. I think maybe I need a 4-button suit. I ask you all and you give me your opinions.
I think I might go back to Macy's and try again, this time feeling more confident about what I want. But I'm relucant because it's expensive there. Based on Stacey and Bob's recommendations, I decide to check out H&M one more time. This time I'll go to the bigger store on Mich. I'm not in the mood to shop since I'm feeling sick, but I force myself to go to the store after work.
Much better selection at the larger H&M store. Once again they have it divided into Regular and Slim cut suits. I notice though that all the Slim cut suits have only two buttons on them. "That's not what I want," I say to myself. Then I check out regular cut and they have 3-buttons. "That's more like it." No 4-button suits, but that's okay. Speaking of "okay," I checked out Ok Go's video of the dudes doing the dance on some sort of patio. The tall dude is wearing a nice suit. I freeze framed it many times to check out the suit he's wearing. It's not a 4-button and it has a slit in the back of the jacket placed right on the butt. I figure that's the kind I want. I'm such a push-over and easily infuenced by the media.
I try on a nice 30R Regular cut suit. It's black with very faint lines on it. It fits like a dream and it's not too big in the shoulders. The pants were too tight, but because H&M is fine with mix and matching, I steal a size 34 pants off of a 40L suit. I also buy a fancy new tie and belt. I looked like a rock star in my new outfit and felt totally "Mod." It all cost less than $400 and I got a nice suit carrier thingy for free (free with purchase of a suit).
Roomies Tim and Tara thought it was kick ass when I showed it to them when I got home. I don't have a camera, but I'm sure I'll be able to show everyone pictures of me in the suit after I go to the wedding on Friday.
End of post.
----
Other news? I'm too busy to date. Or they girls I meet just aren't what I'm looking for so I don't make time for them. Went on one date on Sunday. It was okay. No spark. Shortest date I've been on I think. Meaning we met up to see a movie and after the movie we parted ways; mostly of my chosing. I'm messaging some other girl but all of the sudden this process of meeting people online has become EXHAUSTING. I'm also so busy with rehearsals and improv in general that I have almost no time to fit in a date. And then when I do find time to fit in a date, my first thought is usually, "man, I could really have used that time to have cleaned my room or work on myself a little more. Maybe I should not date and focus on myself more."
I wrote up a story of my journey in buying a suit on the CIN. This is what I posted:
My first choice was to go to Men's Warehouse on State. It was closer to my work downtown than H&M and it closed earlier. My plan was to check it out, then Macy's since it's super close to MW, and then head north on Mich Ave. for H&M. I'd compare and contrast and later that weekend I'd make a decision. I figured I'd like H&M but didn't want something that would fall apart; figured that Macy's would be great but too expensive; figured MW would probably be the best of both world, great customer service and low prices.
Walking to MW I discovered that there's an H&M on State St. "How convenient for me."
MW was a bust. I go in and some lady asks me if I need help. I say I need to get an idea of their selection, look at some styles, and figure out the cost. She takes my jacket size 38 (in her opinion, my height puts me sort of between a regular and a long). She shows me over to a super small section that's got the 38's. Not much to chose from and she leaves me to check it out myself. So much for customer service. I take a few out to look at but I'm confused. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking for really. Still only have a vague idea of the style I want and I'm not sure I can spot a "Mod" style from a non-Mod one. The only one who really took an interest to ask me questions and make sure I was being helped was the female security guard. I wait another 3 minutes trying my best to emote "help me," get fed up and leave the store.
I walk a short walk to H&M on State St. It's smaller than the one on Mich. Their suit selection is minimal to say the least. Regular Fit or Slim fit. I'm slim so I figure I want slim. Not really keen on any of the styles. No one who works at the store even notices I'm there, which isn't surprising since it's H&M. I'm in and out in 5 minutes deflated and worried that finding a suit is going to be harder than I thought. (I have no patience for clothes shopping)
I head to Macy's. I get to the suit section, approach an older man who clearly works there and when he asks, "can I help you?" I offer "I want to buy a suit." Dollar signs sparkle in his eyes and he helps me out greatly. His name is Eric. He helps me try on suit after suit. I told him I was looking for a sort-of Mod style and he immediately knew what styles I was talking about. He led me to the Hugo Boss right away. Man, those suits are hip. Tried on some less expensive ones after I found out their prices. Still wasn't sure I knew what I was doing. Because I'm easy to push over and like to agree with people, I said that the suit I had on was great and that I liked it. It was probably the 11th suit I tried on. Eric got me some pants that fit way snug and his tailor lady to chalk out where to hem the sleaves and pants. The suit I was wearing cost $695; but there was a 20% sale on some of the brands. I got cold feet, gave some lame excuse that MW also showed me a suit that I liked, and told him I wanted to think about it. The gleam in his eye died when he saw the sale go away. I offered the only thing I could think of to compensate him for his help: a compliment. He also tells me that I have a limited time to get the suit. Why? Because I said I had a wedding to go to this Friday and it takes them a week to do the alterations. So if I delay longer than say a day, I won't have the suit in time. Good to know. Definately the best customer service I've ever had. I felt really taken care of there. Not quite the level of service Larry Miller give Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, but close enough.
Over the weekend I check online for pictures of Mod suits and check in on this thread to see what people say. On Sunday I see The Science Of Sleep (good, not great; needed it to be way more grounded) and Gael Garcia Bernal's character where this nice mauve colored 4-buttoned suit. It strikes me as very Beatles-ish. I think maybe I need a 4-button suit. I ask you all and you give me your opinions.
I think I might go back to Macy's and try again, this time feeling more confident about what I want. But I'm relucant because it's expensive there. Based on Stacey and Bob's recommendations, I decide to check out H&M one more time. This time I'll go to the bigger store on Mich. I'm not in the mood to shop since I'm feeling sick, but I force myself to go to the store after work.
Much better selection at the larger H&M store. Once again they have it divided into Regular and Slim cut suits. I notice though that all the Slim cut suits have only two buttons on them. "That's not what I want," I say to myself. Then I check out regular cut and they have 3-buttons. "That's more like it." No 4-button suits, but that's okay. Speaking of "okay," I checked out Ok Go's video of the dudes doing the dance on some sort of patio. The tall dude is wearing a nice suit. I freeze framed it many times to check out the suit he's wearing. It's not a 4-button and it has a slit in the back of the jacket placed right on the butt. I figure that's the kind I want. I'm such a push-over and easily infuenced by the media.
I try on a nice 30R Regular cut suit. It's black with very faint lines on it. It fits like a dream and it's not too big in the shoulders. The pants were too tight, but because H&M is fine with mix and matching, I steal a size 34 pants off of a 40L suit. I also buy a fancy new tie and belt. I looked like a rock star in my new outfit and felt totally "Mod." It all cost less than $400 and I got a nice suit carrier thingy for free (free with purchase of a suit).
Roomies Tim and Tara thought it was kick ass when I showed it to them when I got home. I don't have a camera, but I'm sure I'll be able to show everyone pictures of me in the suit after I go to the wedding on Friday.
End of post.
----
Other news? I'm too busy to date. Or they girls I meet just aren't what I'm looking for so I don't make time for them. Went on one date on Sunday. It was okay. No spark. Shortest date I've been on I think. Meaning we met up to see a movie and after the movie we parted ways; mostly of my chosing. I'm messaging some other girl but all of the sudden this process of meeting people online has become EXHAUSTING. I'm also so busy with rehearsals and improv in general that I have almost no time to fit in a date. And then when I do find time to fit in a date, my first thought is usually, "man, I could really have used that time to have cleaned my room or work on myself a little more. Maybe I should not date and focus on myself more."
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