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02 February 2009

Random Monday thoughts

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Fashion, Food, sports, television

Well, it’s Groundhog’s Day…again. And because January wasn’t long enough, Mr. Groundhog saw his shadow today, which means six more days of winter. Ding! I love that movie :)

Guess it’s not time to put away the Uggs or deep winter jacket just yet.
Anyhow, today was kind of a long day so I’m putting tonight’s random thoughts into a bulleted list, with a strong Super Bowl focus (for this week.)
  • Jennifer Hudson looked fabulous last night singing the national anthem. Her voice is still strong and she looked nervous but composed. She’s a fighter and she came back with style. I totally want that outfit
  • I used to hate clothing tags that would itch my back or hip, but now that clothes have gone tagless, I have started wearing my clothing inside out more frequently. This especially includes: T-shirts and underwear. Last week, I wore clothing inside out at least three times. I’m a freak
  • The Office! After a disappointing few weeks, the Office was super awesome last night. Granted, I could always use more Jim/Pam sweetness in my life, but Dwight’s “safety training” exercises were more than enough enjoyment. One of my favorite parts was during the fire when Angela threw her cat into the ceiling, only to see it crash back down on the opposite side of her desk. I could not stop laughing. 
  • I think Lulu (my Macbook) is having temper tantrums. Lulu has been freezing up a lot lately, forcing me to have to restart the computer without properly shutting down. So I turned on my inner geek switch and broke in my new back-up hard drive (just to be safe.) I would freak out if I lost all of my photos and music, so to be safe, I have a date with the Genius Bar this weekend!
  • As soon as I saw the GI Joe and Transformers 2 trailers last night, I could see my friend Ryan go into a child-like joy fit. I have a feeling I will be dragged to one or both of those movies this summer. I’ll go willingly to one, but not the other
  • Super Bowl commercials – Careerbuilder: Tips and Doritos: Crystal Ball. Why? Throwing a snowglobe to get free snacks is hilarious and wishful thinking. And let’s be honest, when you’re not happy in your job, who hasn’t cried constantly, screamed, daydreamed of being somewhere else or wanted to punch small animals? I do love koalas though.


  • My favorite all-time Super Bowl ad: Bud Light swear jar. I have a potty mouth so anytime TV beeps out swears, I cannot stop laughing. More immaturity
How did you celebrate the game? Or what is your favorite Super Bowl celebration food? The food spread was thin where I was, but I’m planning something bigger for the Oscars, with taco dip! 
Sometimes I wish the game was on Saturday night so I could fully celebrate with fatty foods and beer but I need to lay off the booze now anyhow.
Happy Monday!
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25 January 2009

Key Learnings, family visits, cupcakes and cold!

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Chicago, family, Food, sports

Whenever family comes to town, it feels like the longest day(s) ever. There is a lot of prep work in coming up with things to do and back up ideas in case the plan has be changed, mapping out where to eat, what to see, etc. That said, it’s still great to have visitors :)

So while I put my apartment back into normal shape now that my brother and SIL are gone, let’s check out my key learnings.
Key Learnings:
  • Ice skating is a fun idea until you strap the skates on and realize you have zero idea what you’re doing
  • Zamboni’s are still entertaining to watch as an adult
  • $3 mimosa’s are a great Saturday night companion
  • You really love your family when you spend an entire -11 degree day outside showing them the city
  • Entertaining guests all weekend is exhausting!
  • It takes a lot of tolerance to watch people unknowingly dirty up your apartment and not immediately clean up after them
  • Long underwear is never a fashion faux pas, especially when it’s cold
  • You know you’re just like your brother when you both eat an entire mini-cupcake in one bite and don’t judge the other person
  • Dancing in restaurants near closing time is publicly acceptable
  • It’s okay to leave barely a 10 percent tip when your dinner in a non-busy restaurant takes 1.5 hours due to poor service
As I mentioned on Friday, my brother and sister-in-law were in town this weekend and it was fabulous. Now that he’s married, I don’t get to see him as much as I want to, so getting nearly two days with him was a real treat. And because he doesn’t spend a lot of time in Chicago, we covered a lot of ground Saturday, full of food, drinks, sight seeing and trying to win lottery tickets to Wicked (which closed this weekend.) It’s fun to be a tourist again. 
We didn’t get lucky on tickets, but my brother and I did throw caution to the wind and went ice skating at Millennium Park, which did not turn out as expected. We’re more “summer sports” people and both of us looked ridiculous baby stepping around the rink (while holding the bars for support) so that we wouldn’t fall. After two slips and an hour in the freezing cold, we called it a day, but had plenty of laughs and one great picture.

Forgive the picture. At this point, it hurt to smile because of the wind
Andy and I also checked out a new cupcake place, Sugar Bliss Cupcakes, which is located across from Macy’s downtown. What I love the most about this place is that they have full-size and mini-cupcakes, which is perfect if you want to try several kinds at once. Below is a picture of our bounty. I definitely want to go back for the full size Texas Red Velvet cupcake (yee haw!) and frosting shots. Those just sound awesome.
Clockwise: Chocolate peppermint, chocolate/vanilla, chocolate/milk chocolate
Finally, the best part of having my brother in town is that we sat and talked about anything, from movies to politics to news. We have a lot of the same interests so we never run out of things to talk about, which is probably why we were up until 1:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Oops. And he’s the only guy I would let yell “keep dancing woman” at me at dinner Saturday night, when I couldn’t control my dancing groove to Rihanna’s “Disturbia.”
How was everyone else’s weekend? Tonight is the SAG Awards so check back tomorrow for my fashion recap. The response was so great from the Golden Globes, that I’ll keep it going!
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16 November 2008

Weekend key learnings and matchmaker fail

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Fashion, Relationships, sports, Wisconsin

This weekend I went back to Wisconsin and it was exactly what I needed. I got to drive and enjoy some Wisconsin Badger football…in the freezing cold and snow. I love college football, but I have to admit, the November games are tough, especially when you’re sandwiched in the stadium. But I wouldn’t give up going.

Anyhow, on to the learnings!
Key Learnings:
  • Even with four layers of clothes on, it’s amazing how you fast you can get a chill
  • Hearing a kid scream “we’re all gonna die!” on the train home, is not comforting
  • Try to be subtle when holding your breath in a cab that smells like onions
  • A Bloody Mary and soft pretzel are great ways to start your Saturday
  • Think before saying out loud, “I’m tired of taking my clothes off.” People won’t know that you mean you’re tired of taking your clothes off to try on other clothes at the store
  • If Goodwill breaks your donation while dropping it off, it’s totally fine to jump in the car and speed off before they return to deny it
  • Chanel and Louis Vuitton are not appropriate gameday accessories. My rule: don’t wear anything you don’t mind spilling beer on
  • When your parents ask what liquor you want for the cooler, don’t say just juice. They won’t understand. Just say beer, even if you only want juice
  • You know it’s been a while since you’ve seen someone when they comment “wow your hair is brown now” and it’s actually been brown for almost two years
  • It’s okay to break out into spontaneous dance to warm up your legs and body. But you might look silly
  • Be an adult and own up to the fact that you look  like a d-bag in a mock turtleneck. They’re not made for everyone
At the football game, my stepmom and her friend tried to play matchmaker for me, ending in a big FAIL. Both of my stepbrothers are in long-term relationships and with my brother married, that means it leaves little spinster me the last one solo. 
Before the game, my stepmom and her friend, who has stadium seats near us, were talking about kids, and her friend asked if I was single. When I said yes, she smiled and told me I had to meet her 38-year-old son, who is also single and has never been married. I laughed and said okay (I mean, why not?) and my stepmom was just beyond excited at the prospect of a love connection.
But the woman sharing a pre-game table with us interrupted this nice moment by saying, “oh my god he’s 38 and unmarried? What’s wrong with him? Why is he still single?” My stepmom threw this rude person her patented death rays, but the mood was killed. I agreed to go through with the “introduction” at half-time and sure enough, when this poor guy came over to the seats to see his mom, she pushed me forward and said, “Craig, meet Jessica, isn’t she adorable?”
As if my cheeks weren’t red enough already from the cold, my embarrassment was added on top of this. Fortunately, the matchmaking appeared to be nothing new to this guy, who rolled his eyes, shook my hand and then turned around and left. My stepmom and this woman were crushed and my dad told my stepmom in a pointed tone, “Jess is fine, don’t force something on her. She’s perfect on her own.”
Thanks dad, I think you’re right :) Back to the drawing board.
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19 October 2008

Key learnings and tailgating

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Random, sports

It’s that time again, the weekend is over and as I sit here with a cup of cocoa and soft lighting, I’ll share with you some of the things I learned this weekend.

Sit back and enjoy the sharing.
Key Learnings:
  • When you put your wallet in your desk drawer and say out loud, “hey I have to remember to put this back in my purse so I don’t leave it at the office tonight,” actually do that. CVS isn’t happy (neither are you) when you realize that you didn’t follow through with that piece of advice
  • It’s okay to break your rule of “not drinking before noon” on college game day (Blood Mary’s at 9 a.m. will do that)
  • Going to a home game and supporting the visiting team in the stands leads to a lot of teasing and taunting
  • Guys that “chew” are automatically unattractive
  • Spending eight hours in the car in one day can make you and your carmates crabby
  • Continuously eating food and walking can keep you awake
  • Shrimp on the grill is delicious
  • French onion dip with potato chips is like a slice of heaven
  • I should not own a dog
  • When you shower on a daily basis and then skip a day, it makes you very heightened to your temporary new smell
  • Port-O-Johns are never enjoyable to use
  • Finding your favorite college, non-Boones, beverage at a bar can totally make your day
  • It’s always good to get out of the city for a day or two and enjoy the country scenery. There’s something soothing about looking out at a farm field with the wide open sky and fall colors
As I mentioned on Friday, I went to Iowa for the Iowa vs. Wisconsin NCAA football game this weekend. And if you follow college sports, you will know how that game turned out. So that was definitely not a high point of my whirlwind 24 hours, but I do have to tell you about some amazing tailgating.
My family members are not big tailgaters. We’re more of the “let’s go pay for someone to cook and wait on us rather than cook it ourselves” kind of people and we don’t like to carry all the stuff to the game and store it. So I was forewarned about the amazing tailgating that I would be a part of before the game on Saturday. And my warning was correct because it was AWESOME (said in a sing-songy voice).
I was reminded how much I love french onion dip with salty potato chips and homemade mac and cheese. This on top of an amazing spread of chips/salsa, cheese squares (also a solid choice), grilled shrimp with butter and garlic salt, homemade trail mix with pretzels, Chex Mix, pecans and corn puffs all mixed with caramel. O-M-G it was amazing.  So I thought that was great but then the pork chops, homemade mac and cheese, baked beans and potato salad came out, of course followed by two dessert trays. Seriously, I did not think it was possible to eat that much and not keel over. That’s what Bloody Mary’s will do for you :)
The food was amazing, which will now become amazing leftovers this week. Even better! We were able to tailgate on someone’s front lawn near the Iowa football stadium, which was perfect to get into the game on time, but our restroom facilities consisted of a Port-O-John in the backyard, which the men used more as a leaning device while urinating in the bushes. Gosh I love college football.
So that is the story of my key learnings for this week and my awesome tailgating story. How was everyone else’s weekend?
Reader Note: Thanks everyone for your comments on my personal. I appreciate the offers to date me too! Very sweet. Believe it or not, I’m not that picky when it comes to guys, but I’m really glad you all enjoyed it!
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02 October 2008

My lots of love list

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Chicago, Fashion, Food, Movies, music, sports
It’s way past by bedtime (yes, it’s only 10:30 p.m. – sad) so I’m shamelessly copying this idea from some great bloggers I know because at the end of a long week, as I get ready to kick-start the weekend, I want to take a step back and focus on things that I love. Some things on this list might be cheesy, but I’m having a sincere moment here.
Yes, there is a lot of love on this blog tonight.
So without further ado, here is my inaugural love list.
Smell of fresh laundry - leaves falling - breaking the spine on a new book - opening up new lip balm - watching a thunderstorm - going for walks - getting a good song on my iPod shuffle setting - smell of home cooked food - someone giving me a honest compliment - laughter - hugs  - someone brushing my hair - drinks with good friends - chocolate cake - watching movies - reading a good magazine - cashmere - wrapping a soft scarf around my neck - knitting - dancing to loud music - prancing around my apartment in high heels - playing dress up - kissing a baby’s soft cheeks - quiet Friday nights - snow crunching beneath my feet - playing in puddles - taking pictures - a good steak - champagne - watching the Badgers - the sound of a perfectly hit golf ball - sound of a tennis ball hitting the sweet spot - fresh cut flowers - air conditioning on a hot, humid day - guys in a nice, tailored suit - smell of leather shoes - feel of newly dyed hair - ice cream - breeze blowing through the trees - kisses on the cheek – The Colbert Report – sweatpants – having a “lay down” – watching a movie, wrapped in a blanket - Dancing/pretending that I know how to – the “smell of fall” – jumping into a warm bed at night – curling up with a warm bowl of soup – fires in the fireplace – ironing – sound of rain – spending time with my good girlfriends
Oh yeah, I have one more to add on here too. Relaxing on a Friday night with a movie, People magazine and a Pepsi. That’s my plan for tomorrow night. I cannot wait! Plus I have a friend’s birthday party this weekend so a “night in” would be nice, considering there will be shenanigan’s galore on Saturday.
Next week I’ll also recap the bloggy event that I went to tonight that was hosted by the 3-A-Day of Dairy program. (To disclose, 3-A-Day is one of my company’s clients). Not only was it a good time with cheese, but also I got to meet some awesome Chicago bloggers, like Erin and Laura!
Almost TGIF time! Does anyone else have fun plans this weekend? At some point this weekend I need to transition out my summery clothes to fall ones. It’s bittersweet.
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