Braving It

My sister Mo and I went to see Brave the other day. For some reason, animated films are the only kind we see together in theater. While we enjoyed it, I have to agree with the critics--for being Pixar's first female protagonist out of 17 films, they sure don't break any ground with her. Spirited princess? Check. Marriage dilemma? Check. Conflict with mother? Check. Magic gone wrong? Check. I guess a female archaeologist isn't as marketable in Barbie form. But hey, she has great hair.

Visiting with Dad

We've been experiencing a gush of visitors these days. Most recently, Dad and his girlfriend Jaynie came out to celebrate her daughter Lauren's graduation from DePaul. Joe and I had belated birthday jibaritos with them at Borinquen Lounge (the food's amazing, the service...not so much). They gave us our belated birthday gift as well--a Soda Stream soda maker! It's a completely unnecessary but completely awesome gadget (I think that's called a luxury?) for making homemade carbonated drinks. Monique, Dad and I had planned to go for a nice bike ride by the lake, but dad had to head back home a little earlier than planned. Instead we met for brunch at Lulu Belle's Pancake House in the Southport Corridor. It was a really lovely visit. Friendly, helpful service, warm vibe, delicious food, and some quality family time. Joe and I had been meaning to try this new spot for a while--in fact, Joe grumbled that I beat him to it after he had discovered it. But what can I say? It was the perfect place for some much needed father-daughter catching up. Don't worry,  Joe, you'll have no trouble getting me back there for some complimentary iced biscuits and another veggie eggs benedict (or maybe a bacon-stuffed waffle).

Birthday Recounting

Pull up a chair while I recount the past week or so in which I have been unable/unwilling to update.

My birthday. An ungodly hot Thursday, the 28th of June. It began with multiple wakeup calls from my mother. She sweetly sang Happy Birthday to me, which would have been adorable at 10, but was downright infuriating at 6am when I finally answered the phone. I spent the first hour or so of my day fuming in bed as I tried to get back to sleep. I finally gave up and got moving.

Determined to get back on track, I went for a morning massage (gifted by my generous sister), followed by brunch with Joe, Monique and Becky at Nookies, an upscale eatery in Edgewater that I've been meaning to try. Lovely spot, good coffee, average chilaquiles. My favorite meal of the day with three of my favorite people. The stuff of birthday dreams.

Party Animals. 

After brunch, Becky dropped me off at work for a few hours. The twins had been talking about my birthday for weeks, but seemed unimpressed by the lowly birthday hats, sparkler candles and rice crispy treats I had provided. Look, dudes, if you want a swinging party, then you'd better contribute more than construction paper birthday cards with puff balls. Though they did add sparkly stickers. That was a nice touch.






After work, I went home to get ready for birthday drinks. I took my time getting dolled up (if not on your birthday, then when?). Joe said I looked beautiful. Then he made me take a few pictures of him. We headed to The Long Room, a dark and moody bar nearby that lets you bring your own food. We had packed an array of my favorite snacks to share: dolma, dubliner cheese, chocolate-covered bacon, homemade lemon-coconut bars. It was a lovely night of friends stopping by to celebrate and play a round of Cards Against Humanity.

Later at home, however, I found myself feeling a little...well...melancholy. I hate to be that guy, but I couldn't shake it, and I felt like a brat after all the sweetness my loved ones had showed me. I'd like to blame my sour mood on my rude awakening, but surely that can't be it. It's not that I resent getting older. After all, age is just a count of the number of times the earth has circled the sun since you were born. Few other astronomical occurrences get me down. Yet I felt decidedly weepy all day, despite the good times had by all. Is it all the expectations attached to such a day? What am I, seven years old again? My mom gets the birthday blues. She also manages to get Flag Day blues and Mexican Independence Day blues, so maybe that's a different story. But I did feel a little more sympathetic after my own inability to enjoy an otherwise perfect day. Whatever the reason, I sure hope this isn't the beginning of a new birthday tradition.

Avocado Mac and Cheesing

Dudes. I chose this new recipe tonight from the blog Two Peas and Their Pod after my sister not-so-subltey requested that I make it for her. It is so very yummy. It's as creamy and hearty as mac and cheese should be, but still tastes summery and fresh, thanks to avocado, cilantro and lime juice. I added an extra half avocado to the avocado sauce, as mine were rather small, and colby jack instead of pepper jack for the cheese sauce. Then I blended some jalapeño into the avocado sauce to add a little spicy kick to the pasta. Even though my week has been crazy busy, this dish was quick and easy to make (though you have to give the cheese sauce a few minutes of your undivided attention).  I loved it (and so did my sister). Next time, I'll try adding grilled chicken, tomatoes, and asparagus to really flesh it out. 

Do you like green mac and cheese?
Would you eat it in a box? Would you eat it with a fox?

Show Going and Celebrating

Sunday was Monica Barcelona: Bitch I'll Cut You at the Chicago Women's Funny Festival at Stage 773. Having both seen my sister perform improv and gotten haircuts from her for years, it was great fun to see the two combined. It's essentially an improvised salon scene with a live haircut for one lucky audience volunteer. Mo and Erica rocked it. The show was high energy and got loads of laughs from the audience.

But you don't have to take my word for it (I am a little biased, after all). Our friend Ada Grey agrees. Ada is a 7 year old who has been blogging her reviews of Chicago theater since she was 4 (dictated to her mother). She was there with an official press pass and a front row seat, swinging her mary janes in anticipation. She loved the show, and raved on about it afterwards. You can read all about her take on Monica Barcelona in a couple weeks on Ada Grey Reviews for You.

After the show, we headed to Coopers across the street for celebratory drinks. They do a $3.50 beer of the month special, and this month is Shiner Ruby Redbird. Holy crap, people, this is one refreshing beer. Kind of like a grapefruit shandy. It's rare that the cheap beer on the menu is also an awesome one. I will definitely be picking up a six-pack for my next picnic. We decided to celebrate our celebratory beers with a bbq pork/coleslaw pizza. I love trying unusual food combinations (chocolate covered bacon, anyone?), and the pie didn't disappoint. It was fitting after a show that combined Monique's dual talents. I'd go back for this dish, which is saying something in a town where there are unlimited choices for amazing pizza. Also, I hear they have homemade ice cream. 'Nuff said.

My new favorite summer brew.

Checking Off the List

One of my favorite things to do is knocking out silly little tasks that get ignored indefinitely (yet I'll leave a sink-full of dishes for a week, go figure). Last night, it was WD-40ing the door hinges. Our place was built in 1906, and while I love it, the squeal of our old paint-crusted hinges drives me up the wall, especially when I'm trying to get ready quietly so Joe can sleep in. It took about 2 1/2 minutes, and now I can sneak around our apartment like a ninja. It's the little things.

I also got my watch battery replaced yesterday. We took a pleasant stroll to the watch repair shop (with a pit stop for cantaloupe bubble tea), walked into the ammonia-filled workroom, and walked out 4 minutes later with a slight buzz and a working timepiece. My sister and her then-boyfriend had given me this cute little Fossil watch when I was maybe 16. It disappeared somewhere within a couple years, and was forgotten about shortly after. Years later, I got a call from my dad, who had just had the roof of my childhood home replaced. The roofers had found, in the leaf-jammed rain gutters, my watch, still ticking away, without a scratch or rust spot in sight. If a watch can survive me, you know it's a quality one.

Brunching

Featured in TimeOut Chicago! 

Yesterday began with a lovely brunch with my sister and some friends.

This is my sister.

Ok, that is her alter ego Monica Barcelona. She is performing at
the Chicago Women's Funny Festival
on June 10th at Stage 773.
It will be good. You should go.

The twins. 

Brunch was yummy, as were the bloody marys. Our friends brought their darling two-year-old who is very good at the Spiderman theme song. Kids are the best. I take care of the most amazing three-year-old twins a couple days a week. The other day, one described to me how orange juice is made by squeezing potatoes. "Hmm, I hadn't heard that," I replied.

"Oh, it's just an expression."

Oh, right, THAT expression.