Movin' On Up

This week Jackie and I completed a move to our brand new big girl apartment downtown. After two days, three great guys helping us, and two U-Haul rentals (complicated by my debit card number being stolen on moving day no. 2- lovely), we finally got everything into the new place. We absolutely love it! River views, granite counters, in-unit laundry, shorter commute... we couldn't be happier. Looking forward to having a housewarming soiree soon!

Decorating the new digs in the coming weeks... pictures to follow.

Lollapaloozed

Between Lollapalooza and my company golf outing, I'm coming off the longest bender I've had in some time. Five days of music, drinking, and being in the sun. It was probably a pretty lousy idea to go out Thursday and kick the weekend off a day early, but I'll sleep when I'm dead I suppose.

I'd been looking forward to Lolla ever since my first time there last year. It is the best three days of summer! Discovering new bands and great music, rocking out to old favorites, eating fried food, drinking beer, and doing it all with your friends. And all of this happens amongst the amazing backdrop of Chicago.

Aside from Lady Gaga being absolutely disappointing and strange beyond belief (politics, daddy issues, and fake blood- no thanks), I was thoroughly impressed with all the bands I saw. If you haven't heard of them, The xx and Cut Copy are both worth a listen. Phoenix was incredible and I enjoyed MGMT like I expected to, but the best musical experience of the weekend came at the very end.

Feeling good after some Bud Light tall boys, I headed over to Perry's, the DJ stage, and it was going off. I had left my friends at Arcade Fire, so with no one to keep track of, I headed into the thick of the dance party. It's good I was a bit intoxicated because otherwise I would've probably been really disgusted. It was 90 degrees and humid, and everyone was just packed in and sweating on each other. Couple that with the fact that the majority of people at Perry's are on some type of illegal substance, and you've got the makings for a very wild dance party. At one point I actually had to tell a guy (that was clearly on E) to please stop touching my head... but after some necessary relocation all was well.

I ended up leaving because people started moshing, and I was getting thrown like a rag doll and almost lost my sandals. And then I looked down and discovered that I was covered in mud from the knees down. But all part of the experience, right? I probably just described what most people would consider their hell, but when you're feeling the music you just gotta go for it (and take a very long shower when you get home).

The company golf outing followed yesterday. For some idiotic reason I opted to play golf and drink in heat and humidity instead of spending the day at the spa. And I can't golf worth a damn. I did have some good drives and could putt pretty well, but it was anticlimactic to discover my lack of talent after 18 holes and five hours. I was underdressed in a tank top and was told I looked as though I'd been "roasted on a spit" after the round was over... and I have some pretty sweet tan lines to prove it, let me tell you. But I had a fun team and got to play on an absolutely stunning course. Was a long but good day, though I'm definitely looking forward to some R&R the next couple days.

Air & Water Show is this weekend so it'll be time to rally again soon. I'm beginning to think Chicago has such bad winters so we take some time off and recover from the summer.

Oldie but a Goodie

Sometimes there is nothing I enjoy more than going through old pictures. It's like opening up a time capsule and having the memories come flooding back. I got into some good ones last night.


The picture below is my favorite- my little brother cutting a rug at my cousin Jen's wedding in 2004. I miss this kid more than words and cannot wait to see and talk to him again in September! Counting the days (49) til I'm home to see him graduate as a Marine.

Ego Stroke: Outrunning Jake the Bachelor

This is my last half marathon post, I promise. But I cannot help but blog (read: gloat) about this. Rock 'N Roll Chicago just sent an email to all the runners, recapping Sunday's race. The email included a list of celebrity runners and their respective times. I finished faster than the following celebs:

• Al Roker, TODAY Show, weather anchor (3:20:58)
• Giuliana Rancic, E! News and the Style Network (2:20:05)
• Kelly Bensimon, Bravo's Real Housewives of NYC (2:21:40)
• Jake Pavelka, Dancing with the Stars, The Bachelor (2:23:05)
• Jason and Molly Mesnick, The Bachelor Season 13 (2:42:54)
• Andrea Powell (who??), actress on ABC's "The Gates" (2:44:31)

You might look amazing and have personal trainers, but I'm still faster than you!

I'd been down on myself for having to stop to walk and stretch so much, but after seeing this... who cares?! I beat the Bachelor with abs I could do my laundry on, and that's good enough for me.

[Photo via Twitter]

The Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon: Shock and Oww

I have never been happier to be done with something as I was this morning upon completion of the half marathon. Up until today's race, the farthest I'd ever run was 9 miles. That was five weeks ago. Since then, I've maybe run 3 miles a week because happy hours and out-of-town visitors have taken priority over workouts. But trust me, if you ever decide to run a long distance race like this, do not take time off training. The body really needs to be accustomed to that much pavement pounding. My knees and lower back hurt like I've never experienced, and my Achilles tendon pops when I walk down stairs. That can't be good. Thank God for Advil.

Aside from feeling as though I got beat up, the half was a really interesting and great experience. And it was very fortunate that the weather was perfect- not humid and not too hot. I had to stop and walk or stretch more times than I can even remember, but despite that, I still did well and got a respectable time (which I will post later so the guy I've got a running bet with won't know how well he needs to do!). Running through the city of Chicago is very cool in and of itself, so I'm very glad I pushed my athletic limits and went for it today. I definitely wish I would've kept up my training regimen, as I'm sure that would've shaved another 15 minutes or more off my time, but regardless I'm happy I finished! Though I must say, I've never been less excited about something as I am about running the full Chicago Marathon in only 70 days. God help me!

Now it's off to bed, as I lament my bedroom's lack of TV on which to watch Shark Week. Hope you all had a great weekend!