Life in Review

It's been a while, so I thought I'd update you all on the big changes in the She's Gone Rogue community:

1. I just bought 3 Mega Millions Lottery tickets.  The jackpot is up to $640 million and growing, so naturally, I had to be a part of that.  Also, I am fully aware that by tomorrow I won't be $640 million richer.  The government takes half, so I'll just be around $320 million richer.  In which case, I will go ahead and purchase this little ditty.  (On the off-chance that deal doesn't go through, please see No. 2.)

2. We found a new apartment!  It's in Lincoln Square, which appears to be a cool/young/fun/hip/awesome/glorious/safe/interesting/studious/German-food area, so that should be a good time.  We actually haven't spent much time there, other than looking at a few apartments, and it's not actually much of a better commute for Matt, and I don't actually know why we're doing it, but whatever.  It's gonna be greeeaaaaaattt.  At the very least, we'll have 2 bedrooms, a balcony, a (working!) fireplace, a bonus attic room, and laundry.... for freeeeeeeeee!  So, we'll pretty much be living the dream.  Also, we decided that in lieu of a car, I will just get an Iphone to help me wander around the streets of Chicago.  Bang!  Game. Changer.

3. We went to Denver, and we actually came back! I know, I was pretty shocked myself.  Denver is glorious.  The mountains are glorious.  The elk are glorious.  The turkey fights are spectacular.  It was pretty fantastic to see all our old friends, and I made sure to mention (more than once... with tears in my eyes) how happy I was to be reunited with all my buddies again.  Some people were embarrassed.  I was not... but I am a little bit now that I think about it.

4. I did some temp work the last couple weeks downtown.  I think I worked like a total of 8 days, and it was heavenly.  I am ashamed at how entertained I was by doing data entry for 20 hours.  I wouldn't want to make a career out of it... but I probably could.  I'm that good.  Plus, it paid for my new Iphone that I have yet to purchase.  But that's neither here nor there, as I have the winning lottery numbers clutched in my sweaty palm.

5. We will be gleefully attending a charity pub crawl tomorrow afternoon/evening/early Sunday morning.  We are very excited.

6.  I got a new Food and Wine magazine with some sweet new recipes I can't wait to try.

7.  I started running outside again.  It is muy bueno.  I can go much farther outside, which is good for the ol' waistline/thigh circumference.

8.  That is all my news.  Word to your mother.  

Oh My Lady Gaga!

I am rushing to write this, as it looks like it's about to Apocalypse (can you use that as a verb?  Boom.  Just did it.) outside my window.  We have now had two major storms here in Chicagoland, both of which knocked our power out at our new apartment.  I feel certain this will be the third.  The power is flickering as my fingers dance across the keys, but I will not be deterred.  Every light in my apartment is on, along with both the bathroom vent and the air conditioner.  If I'm going to lose power for the third time in a month, I'm going to soak in every last drop of electricity possible.

I don't actually have much news, but I do, however, have a proclivity for dramatics.  Firstly, I'd like to say that Matt took me to a Cubs versus Phillies game Tuesday night.  Our first game of the season (I'd only ever been to one at Wrigley before, about four years ago... in case you hadn't heard, I've been out of town for a while), it did not disappoint.  As I remembered from my previous game, there were lots of drunks running around in Cubs gear, but there were also a fair number of Phillies fans.  I don't know where they came from, but it sure as hell wasn't Philadelphia.  I thought (hoped) we might see a fight between drunken Cubbies and stone-faced Phanatics, but we did not.  I, forever the rebel, tried to incite tensions by wearing both red and blue. I've been told that if you can't wear Cardinal's gear, you cannot in good conscience fully support another team.

 

This is..... BASEBALL!

I thought I was being quite magnanimous and humorous in my wardrobe selection, but many others did not think it was so.  I had two old guys on the train comment in it, and they were not impressed by my rehearsed "I'm a walking contradiction" accompanied by a winning smile. Apparently you don't mess around with baseball.  I can't tell you the particulars of the game because I wasn't paying that much attention, but I can tell you the Phillies won.  Yay.  I was actually pretty star struck with the Phillies, as this is the only team my husband will watch or talk about.  Ever.  

 

Cliff Lee.  I'm allowed to root for him because he's from Arkansas.  

 

Shane Victorino - he of the crazy eyes.  I'm pretty sure he's a meth addict, therefore, he is my favorite.

 

See?  I stole this from Google to underscore my claim. (Because everyone knows pointing at your head means you're psychotic.)  

 

Boom.  Ryan Howard.  

 

Boom.  Seth Huber posing like an Asian.  

And that's about all I have to say about that.  The power is still on, and the storm seems to have subsided.  Wow.  This is a first.  As for my blog post title, I guess a bit of explanation is in order.  I just read an article in The New Yorker (I truly am that pretentious), and the writer mentions a Chinese youth who uses the phrase, "Oh my Lady Gaga!" to express surprise.  This seems such a very good depiction of Chinese youth today that I giggled over it for a good 20 minutes.  I can just picture one of my little Chinese students, 8-year-old Jerry, exclaiming "Oh my Lady Gaga," instead of the "Oh my God", of which he was so fond.  Ahh, China.  How I miss you.  

Also, I realized in my last post I forgot to mention that Matt is leaving me.  

For two weeks in August to to go Korea.  (See how I did that?  I told you I have drama in my blood.)  Someone should come visit me, because we all know I probably won't have a job by then, and while I will have a car, I won't have any company in my fancy new apartment.  Think about it.  

If You're Lucky Enough to be Irish

You're lucky enough!  Saturday we went downtown to see the green river, because I've never seen it, and I heard it was the last year they were dying it!  Something about it being bad for the environment or something.  It was really cold.  Apart from the color of the river, it was a big change from India.

 

It looks way greener on my computer.  Stupid blogger.  It is like bright, kelly, slime green.  

 

Chris, Danielle, Matt, me.  We be ballin'.  

After viewing the river, it was too cold to do anything else, so we went to a bar and had a green beer.  Wow.  What an exciting blog post this was.  All these pictures are from Matt's new Christmas camera.  It is both chic and portable.  

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day.  

 

Hema (who claims she owns nothing green), Danielle, me.  

 

Ha.  Matt did a much better version of this, but I didn't snap the shot in time, and he almost fell in, so he wouldn't re-do it.  Lame.  

I am loving America.