hipster hair

Got up at an unpleasantly early hour to go to the eye doctor for 6 month checkup. Apparently my eyes are doing just fine. Went to Target afterwards to buy who knows what. Oh yeah, I wanted socks. Or tights, or something. As usual bought tons more additional stuff, including a velvet miniskirt. Whee! So I had tried to get my hair cut about 3 weeks ago, but when I called the lady I usually go to had quit. And the place I usually go is an emporium of cheapness, so I’m always a little afraid to take my luck with some random new person, but I sucked it up because my hair was starting to look sticky-outy and there was just too much of it. I don’t think I can ever go back to having long hair again, the thought of it being all staticky on my clothes is just awful. So I took my chances and the hair turned out pretty well, a bit more hipster and a bit less classic than I was aiming for but eh, I suppose one might as well have hipster hair when one is 25 and can pull it off, right? I got sorta-kinda bangs the last time I got it cut, the kind that swoop off to the side, but now I pretty much have real bangs for the first time in 12+ years. I think that adds to the hipster vibe.

Called Charlie to see if he wanted to go to Body Worlds but he had to take Mac on an errand, he said he’d give me a call later if he was going to the gym to see if I wanted to join him. He did so in the late afternoon and we went to the gym and shot baskets and chatted and avoided the annoying teenagers that kept trying to trample us. It was not the most pleasant basketball environment. We tried to dunk on an 8 foot hoop, Charlie was pretty bad and I was atrocious. Afterwards he invited me to his place to watch NBA games and so we ate leftover enchiladas and leftover noodles and cuddled on the couch. I tried to be vaguely emotionally distant and he was exceptionally cuddly.  C. and the band moseyed in and out, they were playing a show later and taking naps in preparation. Charlie and I got hungry again later and debated ordering pizza or going out. I came down with a cold today and felt a bit crummy but we figured it would be good for us to get out of the house. Went to Ciceros where we ate delicious ham and mushroom pizza (note to self, get extra sauce here too) and listened to a table of guys next to us who seemed hung up (ha) on the topic of balls. It cracked us up, anyway. Went back to Charlie’s, found C. there and took off for my place. Got lucky and it was (hot, amazing, best ever, involved a lap dance). Cuddled and went to sleep.

 

the 333rd day of the year

Charlie slept here, we woke up and got it on.  Finally dragged ourselves out of bed to shower and go to Noodles for lunch.  Noodles likes to send us assorted coupons for one free meal about as frequently as we want to eat there, which works out pretty nicely.  Shared penne rosa and the indonesian noodles + bread and salad.  Tasty.  Drove home, stopped at walgreens to look at knee braces for Charlie, then back to my place.  We snuggled in bed for 45 minutes before he left to play basketball.  Told him to let me know if he wanted some leftovers for dinner afterwards.  He called later and told me he was going out to the grad student cheap liquor event and I ate leftover noodles and cleaned the apartment.  Called him to say goodnight but there was no answer.

 

enchiladas and grief

Charlie slept at my place and then left to take Mac on car type errands. I called him in the afternoon and inquired if they wanted to go to disc golf, which we did at Endicott along with Ben. It was warm but windy, I didn’t keep score. Mac had a horrible cold and gave it to me. A nice day to be outside though. I went home and called Charlie a little while later to see if he wanted to have dinner with me, he wasn’t hungry yet and invited me to the gym with him and C. They played basketball for about 2 hours and I worked out in abundance. I invited them both to come for dinner but only Charlie showed up. I made enchiladas with stuff from cans and leftover thanksgiving turkey and they were amazingly delicious. Those are definitely going onto the recipe rotation. We hung out and played cards for a while then Charlie started talking about going back to his place to get some work done. Instead we got into an awkward conversation and stayed up half the night talking. He slept here.

 

this was not the best day ever

Woke Charlie up in the early afternoon for disc golf, we ate a lunch of leftover pizza and energy bars and went to Sioux Passage.  I didn’t keep score but I didn’t do very well, Charlie did well overall but with a few shitty holes.  He took me home because he had people coming over to watch basketball.  I went back to his place shortly after he dropped me off to reclaim my vacuum cleaner that he borrowed before thanksgiving.  Ate dinner and watched TV in the evening.  Charlie called in the late evening and asked if I wanted to go to steak n shake.  He made an awkward confession and we went to eat and then late night grocery shopping.  Came back to my place and the fight got worse.  I considered sending him home then thought better of it.  We stayed up late and he slept here.

 

blech

Slept over at Charlie’s, woke up and got my period. Blech. Spent the morning feeling like ass and laying on Charlie’s couch. I finally felt a bit better and we went to pizzeria uno for lunch. Had a make your own pizza with sausage/onions/mushrooms, realized the magic key to recreating the chicago classic is getting extra sauce. Most pizza is better with extra sauce, I ordered papa john’s a while ago with extra sauce and Charlie and I have been getting them like that ever since. Went back to Charlie’s for a little while, then he left to play basketball.  Called him to say goodnight, we made plans to play disc golf in the morning.

 

home again

Wake up and have received a text message from T. inviting me to delmar lounge at 2am.  Weird.  No response from Charlie, I wonder if everything is ok.  Call him and wake him up, he says everything is fine.  Head home around noon, hit snow around the IL river.  Stop in Bloomington to buy a new windshield wiper since mine are shit.  Call Charlie to say hi, he is driving somewhere and I ask if he wants to hang out when I get home, he says sure.  Snow stops shortly thereafter, turns to rain.  Traffic goes through Springfield at approximately 5 mph.  Charlie calls sometime later and says he’s going to dinner at M.’s and he has guys coming to watch basketball and I can come to that if I want.  I finally get home after 6 hours, I try to get gas but the lame-o dinosaur has closed early.  Once home I eat thanksgiving leftovers for dinner and try to get the apartment in order.  Screw that watching basketball crap.  Charlie calls after basketball is over and we go to his place to play FIFA.  I sleep over there.

 

downtown

Went for swedish pancakes with P&R and then went on a downtown loft tour with my mom.  A couple of unimpressive apartment type buildings and a couple of really cool ones, especially one owned by a Swedish couple who had IKEA all over the place.  It made me wish I had a camera with me.  Seriously, one looks at the IKEA catalogue and says ha, no one’s houses really look like this but their place looked like it could be featured in a magazine.  Picked up my sister and went to a depressing play.  It wasn’t supposed to be depressing, merely nostalgic in some manner I found the attempts to force the audience to feel certain emotions to be depressing.  Went to dinner at the thai restaurant, tasty as always.  Tried to call Charlie to say hi, no answer.

 

very little shopping involved

Hung around the house with my mom in the AM and helped her do yardwork. Lots of raking and putting stuff away for the winter and whatnot. Picked up sandwiches for lunch from Mary’s Market. Went out to Borders with my mom in the later afternoon, which was pretty busy but not frenzied. Stopped by Target on the way home to look for tights for my grandma, no luck. Had thanksgiving leftovers for dinner and went to an Ice Hogs game. They moved up to the AHL this year and it was a good game to watch, even though they lost. Called Charlie to say hi, didn’t get hold of him.

 

usually the mashed potatoes are my favorite, but my sister ruined them

Woke up early-ish, headed downtown to soup kitchen. I was in the carry-out department as usual and we handed out upwards of 530 carry-outs, which is the most I can remember doing for years and years. Went home for an hour or so to change and whatnot before going to Pam’s. My sister and I helped her finish up the cooking and then we ate: turkey, corn pudding, peas/carrots, sausages wrapped in bacon and the aforementioned potatoes. My sister insisted on mashing them (we always fight over it) and used an immersion blender instead of a masher. They were WAY overmashed, more like the consistency of thick potato-leek soup instead of mashed potatoes. I did not find it appealing, and was a little bitter because I would have made them much better. Stuffed ourselves and followed it up with pie, watched Christmas Vacation and played some board games. Headed home and to bed, I talked to Charlie for an hour or so.  We had a happy conversation where we talked about the conversational bizarrities of other people and how he likes me so much because I can talk about lots of things on multiple levels.  Was glad to hear him being cheery and affectionate if stuck by himself for thanksgiving.

 

heading north

Slept at Charlie’s, although I’m not really sure why since he stayed up all night with M. doing god knows what.   FIFA, probably.  He asked if I wanted to go get pancakes at 8am or so but I preferred to sleep at that point.  It was agreed that he would get me pancakes to go so I’d have something to eat before I hit the road.  I went back to sleep and was woken up at 10 by Charlie and pancakes.  Ate those, went home, showered, packed, replaced wiper blades, got going.  Paid $2.99 for gas which was annoying as it was 10 cents or more cheaper a few days ago.  Drove to my mom’s in miserable weather, it rained pretty much the whole way, and my new wiper blades didn’t work.  I had purchased the kind intended for winter weather, where the whole wiper is encased in rubber.  Turns out that acts as a mini aerofoil and lifts the blade off the window at highway speeds.  F– to winter wipers!  Got home, helped cook, had dinner with my mom, talked to Charlie a little while my mom went to get my sister from the bus stop.  He was happy to hear from me, said he’d slept most of the day.  Nothing much else exciting other than first snow in northern IL.  Brr!