‘CTA’ Category

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26 August 2010

Case of the uglies

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: CTA, Food, Random, apartment

Tonight on the bus home, a woman stood to exit at the stop and when the driver hit the breaks, she took an bad fall. Like fell flat on her face.

People helped her up but I felt bad and heard the guy next to me whisper to someone on the phone, “god this woman just took an ugly fall.”

So I got to thinking about what I call, “the uglies.”

Ugly fall – See example above. When a person bites it hard on the concrete.

Ugly cry – Full out sob fest, accompanied by red eyes and nose, snot running down your face and shaking from the sobs that wrack your body. Examples: Terms of Endearment, Up and Time Traveler’s Wife

Ugly eat - When the simple task of eating becomes more of an episode of Animal Planet, causing you to own it and not hide in shame while eating in public, or causing you to hide at your desk to enjoy your ugly eat in private. Examples: Ribs, Cheetos and cupcakes

Ugly shame – Your single or “home alone” activity that you embrace but do behind closed doors, blinds or rooms. Examples: eating food that falls on your boob or cleavage

I am guilty of ALL OF THESE, sometimes doing more than one in a single day.

The only one I’m actually embarrassed by is the ugly fall. I am very self conscious in public (sometimes) and I hate, more than anything, when I fall or trip over my feet in public. I feel people staring at me, laughing and pointing, or thinking “that poor girl” as they help me off the floor of the bus.

Maybe it’s because I like being independent and not relying on someone to help me all the time, so the thought of someone having to help me up is frustrating and socially crushing, but then again, when I bite it and do it well, someone better help me up.

What about you? Which case of the uglies do you find happens the most?

Review blog update: Hey! I’m updating this again after way too long of a delay. Today I’m talking about a facial cleanser/make up remover I love from Neutrogena.

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01 April 2010

I’m in love with spring!

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: CTA, Chicago, Fashion, Food, shopping

As I type this, it’s 79 degrees in Chicago. Sure, it’s windy and cooler by the lake but it makes me want to run outside, waving my hands in the air and cry in joy.

It’s official, I’m thinking spring.  And if you tell me it’s too early…I may hurt you. So to keep my spring spirits up, I made a list of everything I’m excited about now that it’s getting warm.

Spring love list:

  • Boys in khaki’s and dress shirts without a coat (Yeah, I go into heat, you can read about it here)
  • Ice cream/frozen yogurt. I eat this stuff in winter but somehow, I want it MORE in spring
  • Open-toed shoes, aka flip flops. God I love those
  • Cotton dresses/jackets. I live in them once it gets warm
  • Sunglasses. I have a pair of Marc by Marc aviators and I’m obsessed. Any time I see sun, they’re on
  • Being outside!!! Bye bye apartment!
  • Beer gardens. Beer + outdoors = happy me
  • Fresh fruit (no scurvy!)
  • Online dating. Yes, it’s time to dust off that profile and give this another go
  • BBQing. It’s a fact that food from the grill tastes 10x better than other food
  • Days off and traveling (more on this to come, although you’ve seen some hints on Twitter from me lately)
  • Mani/pedis. My toes are really ugly right now. This weather has inspired me to change that

Okay, to be fair, I’ll list a few things I’m not looking forward to as well:

  • Sweating. I really f*cking hate it. Nothing says sexy like sweat dripping down my face
  • Humidity. My hair hates it too

The good news is that the spring positives outweigh the negatives. It’s also a great time to get winter stuff on crazy sale (hello Banana Republic!).

For example, remember this pretty shoe that I showcased in this post?

I loved them but they were $100 in January when I posted. Boo. Well, two weeks ago I was in Nordstrom and was reunited with them…at 50% off. And now, we will be living happily together in my apartment. YES!!

What are you looking forward to this spring? Big weekend plans?

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30 August 2009

Some strongly worded letters

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: CTA, Chicago, Random, television

Happy Sunday! Wooo! Well last Sunday was my big birthday and rather than bore you with tales of week-after birthday shopping all day Saturday with TC (who is a major enabler), it’s letter-time.

I had several bees in my bonnet this week that I’d like to put out there on the interwebs. So here we go!

Chicago Transit Authority bus riders -

Please shower. Seriously, I’m tired of sitting next to people  in the morning who don’t bathe regularly. I don’t want that stink on me! It makes my commute to work just awful because I have to breathe through my mouth. I know the commute sucks and I hate getting up earlier but trust me, even a two minute shower is going to feel great!

Or if you have a regular state cigarettes or whiskey scent on you, please, Febreeze before you go. I promise to say thank you.

Love, Fellow bus rider who DOES shower daily

—————————————

Chicago women -

I know it’s cool for the end of August, but when it’s still 60-70 degrees outside, there is NO reason to wear Uggs. Save them for when we really need it, when it’s 30 degrees or below.

Don’t worry, that time is sadly coming faster than we want.

Love, A practical Uggs fan

—————————————

Banana Republic -

I still love you and give you lots of money (hello were you there on Saturday? I was!) but your new return/exchange/rewards points policies suck a**.

If you’re going to make changes like that, please give notice to cardmembers in their statements so we know ahead of time. B*tches.

Love, Disgruntled Luxe card member

—————————————

Emily Blunt -

First, you’re gorgeous. Seriously, I would LOVE to have a figure and flawless skin like yours. And I know I should say I’m happy for you that you’re marrying the man of my dreams, who is my soulmate and who I love/lust after regularly, but the news of your engagement to John K did make me very sad.

Way to kill my Friday. But to quote my buddy Maris, half of all marriages end in divorce anyhow, so I’ll make a suitable wife #2.

Don’t judge me, first Michael Buble and now John K? Come on girl, save some dreams for the rest of us!

Love, Anonymous ;)

—————————————

The month of August and upcoming September -

Get your sh*t together.

Seriously. I don’t want sweltering heat but 60 degrees as a high during the day? WTF? I’m not ready to bring out the fall clothes yet. I still have cute summer things I would like to wear!

Love, Me and the Midwest

—————————————

Jordin Sparks -

I’m totally addicted to your song, Battlefield. And I became addicted to it because my friend TC has gotten me into watching VH-1 in the mornings and I saw your video and now that’s all I can listen to.

Thanks for burning your catchy, Pat Benetar-inspired (but not really at all like) song into my head.

Love, A girl who needs to stop playing that song 10x a day

—————————————

Kate Gosselin -

Please for the sweet love of god, don’t do any more media interviews. I’m tired of you appearing on the covers of my favorite magazines, like People and Us Weekly giving “exclusive” interviews.

I don’t want to read about your drama anymore!!! But thanks for the heads up about you appearing on The View, I will make sure not to watch.

Love, Me and hopefully a lot of other people

—————————————

Geniuses at MadMenYourself.com -

Seriously, you guys deserve kudos for creating this. It not only killed an hour on my Sunday, but it also helped me get more excited about the new season starting.

And you let me look super curvy and cute in 1950s garb and pose with Don Draper. Meow. Thank you!

Love, A big Mad Men fan

Um here is my image, I know, I had some issues with the hair and nose but that dress and clutch, HELLO!:

Well those are my letters for this weekend, as you can see, I had a lot on my mind!

How was everyone else’s weekend? Do you agree with my letters or have some celebrity or issue you would like to write a strongly worded letter about?

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16 March 2009

Public transportation pet peeves

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: CTA, Chicago, pet peeve

The CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) is my main source of transportation in the city. Now that I’ve been car-less for four years and try to use cabs only when absolutely necessary, there is a certain amount of adjusting that happens when you rely on public transport.

For example, you “plan” your trips so you can maximize your time out and about. If I go out for the ATM, I also swing by the store and grab a paper too or only got to the ATM when I’m leaving for dinner. If I want to go somewhere on public transportation, I plan on it taking about 30 minutes because, well most trips anywhere in the city take at least that.
But along with these more minor changes, there are certain other things you have to allow for, like the unusual things you notice on the bus, which inevitably begin to irritate you, such as:
  • Cuddlers – If you really cannot stand to be physically separated, I recommend going back to bed. Then you won’t tickle my gag reflex
  • Loud talkers – This includes personal conversations and people on cell phones. One woman was speaking so loud on her cell phone that I could hear her over my iPod, which was IN my ears. Indoor voices!
  • Mistaking the bus for home - It drives me insane when people feel the need to stretch out the morning newspaper on a packed bus. I also enjoy stretching out with the newspaper…at my home. I don’t need half of the Times’ Business section stretched over me, thanks
  • Excessive PDA - Much like cuddling, I don’t need to watch you swap spit and feel each other up. I have Cinemax for that :)
  • Space hogs – I am guilty of this too, but it’s an unspoken rule that when the bus fills up, you move your bag from the seat next to you so others can sit down. Yes, it’s not as much fun, but it’s necessary. People who don’t do that are rude
  • Bumper cars - Eek, another thing I’m guilty of, but I really try to avoid this. This includes having people collide into you with their oversize purses or bags. If I had a nickel for every time I was hit in the shoulder or head by a purse, I could pay off my student loan. And one time, after a chick hit me multiple times in the head with her Puma bag, I pulled out a pen and made a mark on the white leather portion of the bag. Burning in hell, I know
  • Personal space issue – I don’t really have an issue with this, but after having some guy caress my butt on a packed bus once, I get very nervous when I’m packed in. Especially if the person sandwiched next to or behind me hasn’t showered or reeks of cigarettes. That is the worst!
Well those are the top things that irritate me. I may complain, but the CTA still provides me with transportation and provides me with lots of fun stories :)
What are your public transportation pet peeves? Or do you have any great CTA/public transportation stories to share?
Oh and feel free to let me know how glad you are that you don’t have to take public transportation because you have a car. I miss my car and I love driving when I go home, but my stories are never quite as interesting as in the city.

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19 January 2009

Key Learnings and hot man bus fail

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: CTA, Chicago, Food, Relationships, music, television

Since I’m one of the few people I know without HBO, I couldn’t watch the Obama We are One concert today (sniff sniff) so I’m relaxing after a nice dinner with friends and preparing for work tomorrow (even though our office is closed.) Oh and I need to bring out my Obama buttons for Tuesday too!

So to help delay me from doing something productive, let’s bask in some key learnings together.
Key Learnings:
  • Friday fish fries are the perfect way to close a long week
  • Tequila served out of a plastic test tube will make you feel like throwing up
  • Beer tastes good but can give you a wicked headache the next day (not good)
  • When smuggling in candy to a movie theater, avoid food that makes too much noise when opening it so you don’t draw attention to yourself
  • There are some ugly fur coats on Michigan Avenue
  • Grocery shopping when hungry is a bad idea
  • Don’t sit next to the man rocking back and forth in his seat on the bus, you never know what he’ll do next
  • Even if a guy says, “This may not come out right but I mean it as a compliment,” whatever he says next will be mean
  • Telling a woman she’s wearing a “grandma sweater” is not a good conversation starter, same with telling her friend that she looks like a lesbian cartoon character
  • Beer + good 80s music = dance party in public. I love 80s music
  • On bitter cold days, CTA bus tracker (which calculates when bus routes will be at your stop) is a godsend
  • Friday Night Lights on NBC is one of the best shows on TV. Everyone should watch it and bask in the hotness of Coach Taylor. Meow

Hot man/bus fail
It has been a long time since I saw a guy who was so attractive that I literally couldn’t look away. Sure, there are celebs that I think are very attractive, but not in a sense that when you see them, you can’t help but stare at them (in a non-creepy way.) The last time I had that feeling was with a guy in Minnesota…which was….several years ago.
I found myself in a “non-creepy stare” situation on Saturday while I was on my way to see Slumdog Millionaire (great movie). I was sitting on the bus, listening to my iPod, when I looked over and saw a guy, maybe around my age, standing near the back exit. And I have to say, he was the most attractive man I’ve seen in a while. Like, I could not take my eyes off of him because seeing him sparked a little flutter in my chest. Now I wasn’t staring at him like a piece of raw meat, but I dare to say, he was semi-tall, dark and handsome.
And in true me fashion, I didn’t take a picture (don’t have a camera on my work BB) and while trying to tweet/stare at him, he suddenly jumped off the bus near Tiffany’s (is that a sign?) and disappeared in the crowd. I actually thought for a moment that I made him up.
So while it was disappointing and a half-fail that I didn’t get to wave or say something to him, I have to say that the reminder that a guy can cause the long-thought-dead flutter in my chest to reappear, is a start. And right now, I’ll take what I can get.
Photo Sunday:
En route to the movie, I saw the biggest icicle that I’ve ever seen and, of course, was compelled to take a picture of it. Enjoy!
How was everyone else’s weekend. See any good movies or did everyone hibernate because it’s “warmer” but not actually warm?

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