DAY 22: Helping the homeless

 Today I decided I was tired of doing things for myself.  ME ME ME!!!  This is MY blog and MY journey…but I want part of this journey to be about giving to people less fortunate than me.  Last night at my cooking class I thought about how lucky I was to be cooking delicious, healthy chicken for fun and how fortunate I am to be able to do something like this blog for 30 days period.  Learning about new things and taking classes, going to social events and gatherings, football games, going to medical appointments and being able to care for my dog…the list goes on!  Not everybody in this country is able to do some of those things we consider basic parts of life.  I am blessed to have such supportive family  and friends and beyond lucky to be in the situation I find myself in now.  Thank you to my wonderful boyfriend Daniel for that!

It breaks my heart to see anyone in need and in downtown Chicago you can barely walk down the street without seeing a homeless person.  There are quite a few hustlers out there…sometimes when Daniel and I are on the way to dinner and all dressed up, a guy will follow us for blocks singing in our faces until we give him money.  Last weekend we had a guy come up to us frantically asking for money because he ran out of gas and his wife and kids were in the car.  Daniel pulled 3 dollars out of his pocket and gave the guy 2 of them…then homeboy he had the audacity to ask for the 3rd dollar!  Problem was Daniel recognized this guy because he had tried the same bit on him weeks before.  In my opinion if someone is going through all of that trouble asking for money, they definitely need it more than you do. However, no one likes to be lied to.

When I first got the idea for my blog and put it in motion, I signed up for several volunteer waiting lists.  The make a wish foundation, habitat for humanity, anti-cruelty animal shelter, Chicago volunteer match website and several soup kitchens.  I had no idea how difficult it was to volunteer.  Just to get your name on a waiting list you have to answer a bazillion questions!  I was able to schedule a volunteer orientation with PAWS Chicago but that isn’t until October 6^th.  Obviously I don’t want to just volunteer for the day…I have committed to volunteering there for 6 months.  Along with helping animals I want to help people, and I was tired of waiting so I took a different approach. 

I decided today that I would get a handful of $5 gift cards and bottled waters and walk around the city and give them to homeless people I encountered.  This was a little out of my own comfort zone because I usually get very nervous around them and can’t even look them in the face.  I am not sure why that is.  I think society as a whole treats them as less than humans and that really bothers me.  I'm ashamed to say that I have been guilty of this same behavior…but most people walk by a homeless individual and act like they are completely invisible.  I have even heard people say mean and hateful things to them.  Obviously something went horribly wrong in their lives, a little compassion wouldn’t kill you!

I bought three McDonald's gift cards and two Dunkin’ Donuts cards and began my quest. It took me over 20 minutes to find the first guy!  Funny how the day I was looking for them they would all be hiding, but I went up and down every street searching.  I was curious how they would react to my gift cards instead of money.  Turns out they were excited about the cards...McDonald's being the favorite!  I was nervous each time I spotted a new person, but I walked straight up to them with a smile on my face, made eye contact and asked them if they were hungry or wanted water.   They were taken aback at first, but completely appreciative!  I asked them all how they were doing and they were all so sweet.  One guy was sitting on the sidewalk tying his shoelace and at first glance I wasn’t sure if he was homeless.  How awful and embarrassing if I offered him food and water and he was just dressed like a homeless guy but not really one!?  After I gave away my 5 cards and all my water…I went to Walgreens and got two more $5 Subway cards and a few more drinks and snacks.  Giving is addicting!  The next homeless person I encountered was a lady with such a colorful personality.  She saw my snacks and requested some chips…I gave her cheez-its and chips ahoy and she yelled, “Lawd Jesus is watching over me today!” 

It was very rewarding giving to these people and briefly visiting with them.  Their smiles definitely brightened my day!  You can see in their eyes that they appreciated my gifts and the fact that I didn’t treat them like they were invisible.  I caught people looking my way with confused and alarmed looks on their faces.  I guess some people are scared of homeless individuals because of incidents they hear about...but I don't see the danger in giving someone food and water in broad daylight on a crowded street.   It cost me less than $50 dollars to help out 7 people.  Maybe next time you are out you will pick up an extra gift card and surprise someone in need!  

DAY 23: Cooking class-Chicken 101

 You know when you fall asleep to a nice,  relaxing movie and don’t turn the TV off but then you are abruptly woken up by a terrible action movie or a horror movie…then you can’t find the remote to turn it off?!!  That is similar to the feeling you would have after eating something I have cooked.  Alarmed, extremely confused and just wanting it to stop.

Through the years various family members have tried to teach me to cook to no avail.  I even worked for the Rachael Ray Show in NYC for two years and listened to her recipes and sensible cooking techniques daily. I probably remember less than 1% of what I heard. I blame this on a few things.  1) Throughout college and living in LA and NYC, my kitchens have been entirely too small to spend an extended amount of time in them.  (and in NYC I had a small mice problem)  2) In NYC and Chicago you can basically have anything your stomach desires delivered to you at almost any hour, or you can just walk across the street to get something.  3) I have never had the proper utensils/pots and pans because I am not married!  Don’t you have to get married and put that stuff in your wedding registry?? It is so expensive!  4) I have lived by myself for most of my 20s.  Why put that much effort into cooking if there is no one around to acknowledge or appreciate the hard work?

The scary chicken parm...guess it does look pretty bad. 

The aforementioned reasons for my horrible cooking skills are what drove me to finally sign up for a cooking class.  I had every intention of cooking for my boyfriend at least a couple times a week when I moved in with him.  I have lived here 6 months and have unsuccessfully cooked 3 times.   The first time I attempted to cook breakfast.  I usually make delicious scrambled eggs for myself (it is about the only thing I can make) but I wasn’t used to making so many at once so I ruined that.  And SOMEHOW I ruined the frozen potatoes and frozen sausage patties.  Months later, I attempted cooking chicken parmesan that turned out mediocre.  My boyfriend swears it was good but I think he was just being nice.  While I was pan frying the chicken, I heated the oil too long and burnt the first batch of chicken to a crisp, causing the entire apartment to be fill with smoke.  This scared my dog Twinkie so much that at first he cowered on the windowsill (wanting to jump?) and then hid under the bed for hours.  The chicken actually burned a huge hole in the trash bag.  The third failed attempt at cooking was a healthier version of chicken marsala.  Too horrible to even talk about…disgusting! 

Twinkie afraid of my cooking?

 I would love to tell you that my Chicken 101 class at The Chopping Block in Merchandise Mart has transformed me into an expert chef!  At least I should have an extensive understanding of how to cook chicken now?  I did learn a few new things that will help me cook in the future, but I think this class was a little too fancy for me.  I need a more basic approach, although I don’t know how much more basic you can get than “101”.

 There were 5 students in our class and one instructor named Luco from Peru.  The class was almost 3 hours and here was the menu we cooked:

*Brined and grilled chicken panzanella with tomatoes, cucumbers and basil

*Sweet and spicy barbequed chicken legs with fennel slaw

*Roasted pesto chicken with garlic potato salad

The beautiful finished product!

Chef Andi Gayle

 I stood to the left of Luco our instructor as we all worked together to complete each chicken recipe.  I kept getting the task of cutting the vegetables, which was quite difficult for me today because I swear I sprained my wrist during my workout yesterday.  Not to mention fennel is really hard to cut!  After Luco corrected my technique a few times he said in his Peruvian accent, “ HONEY, it can’t be that hard!”  Way to crumple any remaining confidence I had left Luco!  Overall it was such a fun learning experience and the food we made was so yummy!  Brining  is one thing I learned about cooking chicken  that I think will help me in the future!  I had never even heard of it before.  No wonder my chicken has been so dry and icky.  Even though Luco wasn’t impressed with my chopping skills, I am gradually feeling more confident in the kitchen.  Next time I think I will take the pasta class or the cupcake boot-camp.  No way one cooking class was going to “get me cooking” as they say, but at least there is a slight improvement!    FYI deboning a chicken is so gross and I highly doubt I will ever do that on my own. 

ALMOST!

DAY 24: Pottery painting

Glazed Expressions

 Today I ventured to a place called Glazed Expressions in the Lincoln Park area to create a little masterpiece on a piece of pottery.  This wasn’t on my original list but I keep adding things and I got invited to go, so I figured why not!  I would consider myself a crafty person and I love any opportunity to create something purdy.  In college I paid my sorority dues by painting paddles, pillowcases, picture frames and anything else I could paint crowns, bunnies or strawberries on.

The place was really cute and had every kind of pottery you could think of!  I chose a star of course because they are my fav. Obviously painting a star isn’t really a soul searching activity, but I it was so relaxing and therapeutic.  I had a lot of quiet time to think and while I was painting my star I reminisced about some of my funny crafty moments as a kid.  When I lived with my grandparents and my mom in Waco, I liked to decorate each Christmas with homemade paintings and ornaments.  My favorite thing to decorate with was glitter! (I still love glitter)  I used glitter in every single picture I made, but it just wasn’t enough….so I sprinkled gold glitter all over the house.  ALL. OVER. THE. HOUSE.  In the carpet, on the furniture, on the piano keys and probably even in my hair.  I was so proud and thought it looked so beautiful and festive, boy was I wrong.  My aunt (who was a complete clean freak) was there and completely flipped out on me!  Luckily this incident didn’t deter me from using glitter in the future.  I don't care how old I get, I will always love glitter.  Unfortunately they didn't have any to use today, but if I need some, I am pretty I could still find specs of gold glitter in random places at my grandparent's house!

It took me over two hours to finish my star because I wanted it to be perfect.  I used the brightest colors they had and adorned it with the number 30 to commemorate my upcoming birthday.  I realized that I am an instant gratification type of person....I have to wait a whole week for them to fire and glaze it!?!  Bummer!  I can’t wait to see it when it is done and all the bight colors show through.  I will post an updated pic when I get it! 

My star!

I am really looking forward to my cooking class tomorrow.  Hopefully I can learn some new skills because I am seriously lacking in that department!

Day 25: Twinkie goes to the vet

I would like to introduce you to my Chihuahua, Twinkie Rico!

Twinkie in his sombrero

Twinkie is 4.4 pounds (a little overweight honestly) and just celebrated his 5th birthday. He is well traveled and has a slight case of napoleon complex. He will stand up to and growl at any dog, any size, which makes me nervous that he will get his head bitten off one of these days. When he has to be boarded they always tell me he is the Alpha dog and runs the show. He spends most of his time inside…I try to walk him but end up having to drag him down the sidewalk because he obsessively sniffs every single scent ever left by another dog in the history of the world. He doesn’t like little kids because they are unpredictable and make him nervous. If he spots a kid when I’m carrying him in his bag and walking through the airport, he will start vibrating with anger and bark his miniature sized head off. Of course kids always want to pet him because he is so small and cute which sends me into a complete panic. Twinkie likes to hump the air. And what is his most charming trait? He eats his own poo. I have tried everything to get him to stop doing this but nothing works! It is so vile…I consider giving him away every time he does it. Gross, disgusting, repulsive, foul and YUCK! The doctor says it is common in little dogs. WHYYYYY??? Smells come out of him that should not come out of a doggie so tiny!

Don't mess with his bone!

So now you know Twinkie…I will get on to the task I had today. I was a responsible mommy and took him to the vet! This task really isn’t that hard, but Twinkie had to have his medical records faxed from NYC, Texas and Los Angeles and usually his vet bills are far more expensive than my own medical bills. That is my excuse for putting off this appointment. In the past he has had teeth pulled, growths removed, and the most expensive bill was due to him eating a grape. ONE GRAPE. It was my fault for feeding it to him, I guess I had a blonde moment and forgot that grapes are highly toxic to dogs. Particularly miniature dogs. After several trips to the animal ER in New York, two overnight stays and over $3,000 in bills, Twinkie survived and I learned my lesson the hard way. Luckily today Twinkie only had to get two shots updated and everything was fine on his checkup.

The hard life

Today I also registered him with the city…only took me 6 months to get around to that. In order to get “pet of the week” in our building he needs to be registered, so honestly that was my motivation! (He really wants his picture in the elevator)

I will end this by saying I am lucky to have a healthy dog and Twinkie is lucky to have a loving home…but there are countless animals that are not so fortunate. We live close to the Anti-Cruelty Shelter and it breaks my heart to see all of the beautiful animals with no homes. I give a small monthy donation to the ASPCA and I encourage you to do the same! Every little bit counts.

“Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to.”                        

Alfred A. Montapert

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.” 

Anatole France

Sleepy Twinkie on his birthday

My love!

DAY 26: Chicago Bears football game

After the game, Bears won!

Football just makes me happy.  Rah rah rah!  But probably not for the same reasons as other people.  I am not a diehard fan, but I love the feeling it gives me.  The fall weather, the marching bands playing and everybody uniting or dividing and pledging their allegiance to one team or another.  And you can't leave out hot dogs and beer!!  I know enough about football to follow along with the game because I was an educated cheerleader, however  I don’t understand every little thing.  I am sure I annoy the crap out of my boyfriend asking him questions about every other play.  One thing I can completely relate with:  The feeling everyone gets after a perfect pass leaves the hands of your favorite quarterback and makes its way down the field towards the end zone.  Everyone waits with bated breath and when that catch is made, it is a beautiful thing!  Today towards the end of the game this precise thing happened to put the Bears ahead of the Lions.  Then the Lions appeared to have a late game winning touchdown, but the pass was ruled incomplete on a controversial call and the BEARS WON! Hey, a win is a win!  I high-fived everyone I saw with my bear claw!

I am embarrassed to say (as a Texas gal) that this was my first “real” NFL game.  I saw half of a Bears game during the pre-season last year but that doesn’t count.   When I lived in NYC I attempted once to see a Giants vs Cowboys game at The Meadowlands, but we got there too late and were unable to get tickets.  We ended up having to watch the game from the parking lot.  A big FAIL.  I was extra excited today to actually be on time and stay for an entire regular season game! 

GO BEARS!

Seriously, I keep racking my brain trying to remember if I have been to see a Cowboys game at least?! By default I am supposed to LOVE the Cowboys.  I definitely like them...for sure!  My step-mom is a Cowboy fanatic and they named their female boxer Moose.   The only team I come close to feeling that way about is the NEW YORK YANKEES!  (I witnessed their World Series win last November) But ok, back to football.  I didn’t have a hard time jumping on the Chicago Bears bandwagon.  I love the team colors, I love bears and I find the fans charming. I especially love that Soldier Field is dedicated to the men and women of the armed forces and that a part of the outside looks like a spaceship.  Bottom line, I had a wonderful time with my orange and blue gear on and waving my bear claw while singing "Bear down, Chicago Bears!!"  

Thanks to my boyfriend Daniel for an awesome time!

This weekend I truly felt like I immersed myself in Chicago culture!  Tomorrow is it back to the stuff that needs to get done.  Twinkie goes to the vet for shots and checkup.  :(

DAY 27: Windy City Wine Festival

Enjoying my wine!

There are a few things that make me happy without fail.  The original Broadway cast recording of Wicked, macaroni and cheese and WINE/CHAMPAGNE!!!  Today I had the pleasure of attending the Windy City Wine Festival at the Buckingham Fountain in Millennium Park.  I had a friend with me so I didn’t have to feel like a lush all on my own! Over 45 different food and wine booths = pure heaven! 

I had every intention of writing reviews and telling you details about all the different wines and bubbly I tasted, but after our 15+ tastings, that idea went into the slop bucket along with the wines I didn’t like.  I did sample a wide variety of yummy libations and ended up ordering half a dozen bottles of Almond flavored sparkling wine.  It probably has a bazillion grams of sugar in it, but it was our favorite! 

A beautiful setting!

A girl behind us in one of the lines said she felt like a “wine whore” sampling so many different wines!  I coulnd’t agree with her more!  What better way is there to celebrate being an adult than exercising your right to wine?!  Napa Valley and the champagne country in France are two of my favorite places in the world!  I just visited Napa this April with my boyfriend, but we were only able to spend a day out there. I can't wait to go back!  In July of 2008 I spent a day in Epernay, France at the Moet and Chandon/Dom Perignon wine cellars.  I wanted to hide out in the caves and live there for awhile.  I could survive on champagne and cheese, right?

Napa Valley

In Epernay, France....Champagne country!

My aunt made this picture of me!

It is definitely a perfect weekend to enjoy Chicago.  Tomorrow I am off to see Da Bears!! 

DAY 28: Bike tour around Chicago

Today had to be the most gorgeous day ever for a bike ride!  70 and sunny!  It is that wonderful time of year after summer before it gets too chilly in the fall.  I don’t even want to think about the Chicago winter that awaits me.  So I woke up today and booked a tour with Bobby’s Bike Hike of Chicago.  Originally I was just going to rent a bike and ride around on my own, but then I came across this lakefront neighborhoods tour that went through the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Old Town and then along Lake Michigan.  I figured it wouldn’t hurt to learn a little more about the city.  After all that IS one of my goals here!

Looking sexy in my bike helmet in front of the amazing Chicago skyline!

Honestly, when I’ve traveled to other countries, I have always been annoyed with the bike tours.  I guess I wanted to figure out the places on my own and try to blend into the local life.  It is funny how I decided to do my first bike tour in the city I live in, with a bunch of tourists.  I had to do the tour alone (meaning without someone I knew), but that didn’t bother me.  I have been to the movies and dinner alone a million times and even traveled all over Europe on my own!  However it is nice to have a friend there with you to laugh at how stupid you look in the bike helmets.  I just had to feel and look stupid alone, but I think it is good for people to do things solo every once in awhile.  Besides that I was worried about the effect the bike seat would have on my tush during the 3 hour tour.  I had to order special padded pants for my spinning class because it was so uncomfortable.  Luckily my sensitive bum was cushioned by a smoooooshy seat on a super cool cruiser named Ziggy. 

The tour itself was amazing!  I learned so much about the city and Eddy my tour guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining.  Chicago is definitely feeling more and more like home to me.  One of my favorite parts of the tour was in Lincoln Park at one of the most famous Abraham Lincoln statues in the country.  They say if you rub his toe it brings you good luck!  I feel good luck coming my way!  Oh yeah, the old Playboy Mansion was pretty cool too!  Lord only knows what happened there.  

Along Lake Michigan

Abe wishing me luck!

The old Playboy Mansion