It's a Beautiful Day and une bonne nuit

The last few days have been the most fun I've had in a long time. The holiday weekend was perfect- spent in the sun with cold beer and the best friends a girl could ask for. And the work week has been even better!

Tuesday night I went to the U2 concert at Soldier Field, which was the best concert I've ever seen. Bono and his leather pants in 85 degree heat are a sight to see. Aside from a great show, I love how my being there even came to fruition. On Saturday I was working at the rooftop and had a group of three guys sit down in my section. One of them, Peter, was shamelessly hitting on me, but to the point that it was hilarious and not creepy. Maybe he was serious, but he was so over the top about it that it made me laugh. So after about an hour of serving and getting to know these guys, Peter tells me I should take their extra ticket and go to the U2 concert with them. Normally I would never do something like that since my overprotective mother raised me to be completely neurotic and paranoid about becoming a Dateline special. But I usually have a good sense about people, and these guys didn't give the vibe that they were going to murder me and dispose of my body in Lake Michigan. And so I happily obliged. I mean c'mon, it's Bono.

[Bono and The Edge work the stage.]

I have never had such a great time with a group of people I didn't know. I think these guys are exactly how my friends and I will be when we get older- reassuring that the fun doesn't have to stop! They dubbed me "4th Ticket" and assured me I'd be their fourth ticket to other events. I hope they make good on it! After the show we couldn't find a cab anywhere, so we ended up taking a load off at a bar. It was some bar/lounge I'd never heard of before, and we were literally the only white people in the entire place. Was interesting being the minority for once! Within minutes of arriving, Peter was buying shots for the whole bar, Dennis was paying the DJ to spin Electric Avenue and 80s for me, and a good time was had by all. A very random, fun night.

[With my new friend Dennis at U2.]

And last night, the bender continued. Jackie and I had plans to go see Bridesmaids, until I got a text from my friend Matt. He got a table at the last minute for the Studio Paris grand opening, along with a dinner reservation at Paris Club beforehand. Oh and the table is next to the stage where Cee Lo would be performing later that evening. Don't mind if I do! Last night was a good reason to wait for Bridesmaids on DVD. Dinner was fantastic, as was the company, and our table was literally a few feet from Cee Lo. He only sang like four songs because I think that's how many he has total, but it was great and very fun nonetheless.

 ["If I was richer, I'd still be with ya..."]

[Thanks for the best Wednesday ever, Matt!]

The bender ends today because I have to work tonight and should probably rest a little bit before I head to Sin City on Sunday. I can't believe how much fun I'm having lately- I hope the Summer of Alessia continues through the end of September!

As of Late

Hi readers! It's been a while since I've written anything- I've been busy with work and couldn't seem to find anything to write about. Although I think that was due in large part to personal circumstances over the past couple months. Juggling three jobs and a failing relationship were time consuming to say the least, but now I'm creating more time for myself and the things that matter, so my creativity should be less stifled from here on out.

[Photo from my lakefront run last Sunday.]

A few things to fill you in on...

Love life. The aforementioned failing relationship is over now, and though it was an amicable split, it was definitely for the best. I look at my parents and grandparents, who have these ideal healthy relationships- my grandparents celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary in May, my parents had their 29th last month- and I just thought, wow, this shouldn't be so hard. When you find the right person it just works. There's no incessant bickering, no petty bullshit. Life is too short to quarrel all the time. And just because you appreciate and care for another person doesn't necessarily mean you're compatible. And so we parted ways, and I think we're both better off for it. Plus, it's summertime- what better time to be single? And on that note, I've got a Vegas trip on tap for mid-July. Hell yes.

Work. Things are going well at the PR firm. I'm just doing administrative work for now (you all know how much I loooove that), but it will be what opens the door to a career. I should be starting on some project work for clients soon, so I'm looking forward to that. And as for moonlighting as a drink slinger, that's going about as well as it can be. I love working on the rooftop because it's pretty lucrative and always keeps me guessing, as it has quite the cast of characters that come through. The other day I had a guest ask me for a glass of white zinfandel (we don't carry that swill so she opted for chardonnay instead) with a shot of Malibu rum to pour into it. I mean honestly, WTF? But despite my sensibilities being offended from time to time, the mixed bag of suburbanites, tourists, hoodrats, and businessmen keeps things very interesting. Plus, I get a tan at work. Not too shabby. And I still work at the sports bar, but considering that now both the NFL and NBA are locked out, that might be a waste of time...

Anyway, now that I'm single and actually a fun person again, here are a few pictures from the past couple weekends. Let the good times roll!

One of the best weekends I've ever had in Chicago...

[My dear friend from home, Marc, came to visit me on the roof.]

[Good people.]

[Poppin' bottles in the ice, like a blizzard...]

[Sunday Funday in Wrigleyville with my cousins and Eric.]

Last weekend at Kelly and Andrew's engagement party...

[My friends are the best.]

[Roomies!]