the hancock, the restaurant, and celebrate de pere

i work in the hancock center. i was promoted a few weeks ago and started last week. the view is gorgeous. the picture on the left is what i see when i turn around and look through the conference room windows behind me. it's the oak street beach. the new job as been an adjustment. the vibe is much different. much more tense. i work with all young women, and, admittedly, a group of young women can be as turbulent and unpredictable as the chicago weather. after a few days spent in the pit of despair, the ice broke a little on friday. i've come to the understanding that some of these women simply hate their jobs. this alone can turn a perfectly good woman into a bitch - i've watched it happen to me in the past week. i can sympathize with their frustration. we're all a little suffocated. drowning in legal pads and bland office furniture. of the four of us on the floor, three majored in the arts. and here we sit at desks, sending requests to security, thirty floors below, when an office is too hot or too cold.

will took me to dinner on mother's day (just a coincience) at the restaurant where he works. it's at the top of a skyscraper on navy pier. circular, so you can see the entire city - the lake and the skyline. we had fun making believe we were wealthy chicagoans, drinking grey goose martinis and eating our food in tiny sized portions on white plates. his friend pat prepared our food. i had seared tuna, and with dinner we had a bottle of wine that reminded us why our choice wine for lazy weeknights, yellow tail, is only 8.99 a bottle. cause it's crap! well, no. it's fine for us. our cab home flew along lakeshore drive, leaving the skyline behind us as we returned to the northside of the city.

this morning i waited in a crowded clinic waiting room surrounded by screaming babies of all races (except white) for two and a half hours to see a doctor. it was hard to find a place on a saturday that takes insurance.

this is my orchid. a gift from one of the lawyers who worked at the previous center in the south loop. i've been really good about feeding it warm water every five days or so. i can't believe how long it's been alive already. i couldn't even keep a cactus alive, i get so distracted.

a year ago i walked into this apartment with my mom and girl who was showing us apartments, surprising an irritated, half naked man. i've been keeping it pretty clean so that when they start showing it again i won't be surprised. maybe i should stop showering, just so i won't ever be caught in my towel in front of some strangers. "oh, hello. i'm sorry, i wasn't expecting you. oh, and by the way, i think you should know before you make any decisions, because they kept it a secret from me at first, be prepared to be scalded by flaming hot water every minute or so in the shower. other than that, it's a great place."

for memorial day weekend, will and i went back for celebrate depere to hang with krystal and her fiancee rodney (pictured with me, looking hardcore). surrounded by severe hick-age and way too much country music, we resorted to the carni games. we won some toys, as you can see. i kept the patriotic bear, will's got a dalmation, and the happy couple went home with a basket ball and a rubber ducky. so i guess you could say it was worth it, even though they stopped serving beer at 10:30.

tonight i'm going out on the town with will's friend kristin. i'm excited. my tax return came back, eaten up mostly by the misbehavior of pars cove and their sheisty tax ways, but it's still enough to go out and have a good time tonight and have plenty left over. rock on.