First-World Problems, I Guess

So I may have mentioned before that I have a hyper-developed guilt complex.  Guilt, guilt, guilt.  I feel bad about everything.  I feel responsible for things that aren’t my fault.  I feel bad for things that no one else will ever, ever care about.  It’s so fun!

The latest object of my guilt is the fact that I live in this beautiful and amazing city and don’t really go out all that much.  I could probably count the number of restaurants I’ve been to in Chicago on one hand.  I haven’t really explored much other than my own Lakeview area and the Loop.  (Bucktown?  Wicker Park?  What?)  And it’s super embarrassing that with all my history in dance and music, I have not been to one dance concert or music concert in this city.  No theater, no nothing.  I’ve been to some poetry readings in someone’s apartment and that’s it.

There are legitimate reasons, I guess…money is a big one, since you need a lot of it to go to concerts and plays.  Time is another.  And then there’s that whole “I don’t have anyone to go with” issue, which is probably just an excuse because lots of people go to things by themselves.  I think.

This weekend I have absolutely no plans, and I’m completely exhilarated by that fact.  It’s like…I GET TO SLEEP AND SIT ON THE COUCH AND WATCH TV!!!!!

Ew.  I don’t recognize myself.  And I feel like, as a Chicagoan, I should be going out every night and doing amazing, exotic things. 

It’s Saturday night.  What am I missing?

Blue Man Group?

Second City?

I’m sure one or two pop stars are here tonight.

Probably some famous comedians.  Or at least really funny ones who aren’t famous yet but will be.

A symphony, a choir.

ICE SKATING.

I was watching the news and Jason Segel was here tonight, so whatever.

And here I am, doing things I could do in any small town in the US, getting excited by things like Command strips and cleaning supplies.  Baking muffins from scratch and being like OOOOH, LOOK AT THIS NEW LAUNDRY STARCH!  IT SMELLS SOOOOO GOOD!  LET’S IRON!  IRONING IS SO FUN!!!

Yeahhhhh.

Oh, and I spent 9 hours putting together my IKEA dresser last week, by myself, and it was perfectly blissful.

Before.

After.

What is wrong with me?  It’s like I got old.

(And I’m not kidding about Command strips.  They are the shiznet.)

What Happened Lately: Bananas, Umbrellas, and Guilt

Hi Folks.

It’s been a while.  Sorry.  Turns out that going to school full-time, working 40 hours a week, and have a 3-hour commute each day (round trip) is HARD.  I’m not complaining, because things are going well, but…holy guacamole.

Anyway, here are a few things that have happened since we last got together:

I accidentally ate a piece of BANANA CAKE.  It just looked like white cake with yellow frosting.  I put a bite in my mouth, gagged a little bit, threw it in the trash, and tried to forget the trauma.  I’m still not over it.  Bananas are the worst. 

I learned that umbrellas are mankind’s worst attempt at technology.  Here’s what happened to mine all in the span of one hour:

1.       The plastic protective shield that is supposed to keep your finger from getting pinched in the metal part (you know, the part you squeeze to collapse your umbrella) broke off.

2.       True to form, I squeezed the metal part to collapse the umbrella and it pinched off a sizeable chunk of my index finger.

3.       While I was walking along, gingerly cupping my hand to keep the blood from getting all over me, the top part of the umbrella broke off completely and went bouncing down the sidewalk.

It was cold and wet and windy, and I no longer wanted to live. 

Then I bought a new, better umbrella, and so far it hasn’t failed me.  But it’s only been, like, 6 days.  So we’ll see.

I’ve been giving my bedroom a makeover, including putting this on the wall:

It’s a little bit hippie for my taste, but I do like the warm colors.  They’re lovely in the colder weather.

It’s also been a big week for using online deals, for me.  I used my first Groupon and I tried GrubHub for the first time.  GrubHub?  Awesome.  You order food without having to talk to anyone on the phone.  Groupon?  Awesome, but also anxiety-inducing.  You want the deal, but you don’t want to go use it when 478 OTHER PEOPLE HAVE JUST BOUGHT IT.  How do the restaurants and places like that handle it? 

Anyway, I bought a mani-pedi combo on Groupon and then started freaking out because the Yelp! reviews weren’t great, but I had an okay experience.  My nails look better and I got a good hour or so of relaxing, even though I wasn’t completely relaxed because I always feel like I need to be helping my attendant.  I feel bad when they do your nails and then you can’t touch anything so they have to cart your purse and your coat and your stuff around for you.  And then your jeans are all rolled up and they come over and roll them back down for you before you leave, and you feel totally helpless, but also grateful because they just brushed some pristine polish on your nails and you don’t want to scratch it.

In the end, I love the final result of my mani-pedi, but it has done a number on my already solid guilt complex.