First off an update: The Cozy Corner got a sign! Being bored and unemployed has given me time for arts and crafts.
Jenna Visited
A good friend (Jenna) came to visit and spent 4 days with us, which was super great getting to see an old friend. It just felt right that she was here hanging out. So now we will pester her to move here for the next 2 years, that way she can visit permanently. On the Wednesday that she arrived we went downtown and checked out Taste of Chicago, where I ate my first ever churro... crazy I know.
I also got free/cheap alcohol because the woman working at the Budweiser tent was clueless. That being said we hung out for a few hours in the sun on the lawn waiting for the fun. (like the band) concert.
The concert was fantastic! They were super chill, they played all their hits plus a couple of songs I had never heard before that were absolutely beautiful. I don't know what more to say about it, it was just kind of a perfect day and a wonderful concert! I had an incredible time. After the concert we had time to make it up to the Navy Pier to watch fireworks... we stopped by The Bean and Millennium Park on the way. It was a long walk and we made it just in time. Nothing better than a great concert, cheap alcohol, and fireworks.
The next day (Thursday) we went to the beach with Jenna, because you know we have a lake and a bunch of man-made beaches. It was a beautiful day, the water wasn't too cold, but quite refreshing. Travis found some geocaches, I read some of Ellen Degeneres' book, Jenna read Harry Potter en español, and Megan and I went swimming and we all soaked up the beautiful sunshine. (I might have soaked up a little too much considering I am still recover from my sunburn from last week).
While Jenna was here we also discovered a park called Oz Park with statues of the characters from the Wizard of Oz and dedicated to the author of the book.
And of course, Jenna couldn't visit Chicago without seeing some Improv. We went and saw Improvised Shakespeare at the iO. Not only was it some of the best improv that I have ever seen, but it might have also been the best Shakespeare I have ever seen. It was absolutely hysterical and I would definitely go see it again. We tried to go see the free improv set at Second City, however it started at 1:00am and that would have posed several problems. So Jenna went to Second City and bought a t-shirt.
After this whirlwind of 4 days we had to say goodbye to Jenna, but hopefully she will be back to stay ;)
The Week That Hell Took a Vacation in Chicago
This past week has been so incredibly hot! Now I realize that Chicago is hot and humid, but this was crazy! When the weather says it's 92º but it feels like 99º and the humidity is over 90%, that's when I get cranky. With no AC we have to find things to do just to get out of the heat, like go to the movies, sit in McDonald's, go to the grocery store, eat a lot of ice cream, and take freezing cold showers about every 2 hours.
Megan got an AC unit just in time for the weather to become bearable. But now at least one room in the house will always be cold no matter how hot it gets outside.
My Birthday
I don't know about you, But I'm feeling 22... Everything will be alright, if we just keep dancing like we're 22... (your welcome for getting that stuck in your head for the rest of the day). There didn't used to be anything particularly special about turning 22 until Taylor Swift wrote a song about it.
Anyway, I didn't do anything super crazy or extraordinary. On Wednesday night before my birthday Megan and I went to the Roger's and Hammerstein Celebration at Millennium Park. We got Panda Express and set up a little picnic and enjoyed songs from Sound of Music, Showboat, Oklahoma, South Pacific, and a few others I had never heard of. It was a lovely night except for the fact that it poured for about 20 minutes and a lot of people didn't have umbrellas and got soaking wet. I had an umbrella and I still got pretty wet.
The whole thing was pretty great. People had whole little tables set up with full dinners and glasses of wine. I loved just looking around at all the different types of food that people brought. I had a blast and the music was great!
On my actual birthday, it was ridiculously hot, so Megan and I went to see The Heat (to get out of the heat) and got dinner at Costello's, where Megan works and food is free. We then had class. It was the first time I cried because of improv class. We had a substitute teacher who really frustrated me and made me think too much, but at the same time challenged me and taught us a lot. Yay! The good and bad things of crazy older men who were a significant part of making Second City what it is today.
After class, like usual, we went and saw the free improv set with a bunch of kids from class. As always they were fabulous! After the improv set Megan and I with a few of our new friends Nathan, Jessie, and Velin went to a bar across the street and got drinks and hung out for a while.
All in all, I would have to say that it was a pretty good birthday and I don't know about you but I'm feeling 22. (I had to do it again).
In Other News
I got a Job!! Working for a Stage Manager... as her nanny, but still!! I'm getting paid and I now personally know a Stage Manager in Chicago, connections can be found everywhere!
So look at my job stats:
101 Nanny applications
13 Rejections with no contact
7 Email only conversations
5 Phone Interviews
9 Interviews in person
1 JOB!!
All things happen for a reason. I am hoping this job will not only benefit me in that now I have a job, but also connect me to theatre people in the city.
Unfortunately it is only till the end of November, but that gives me time to find other work!
I also get to go home to Colorado for 4 days in August for a friend's wedding and to see family. The acquisition of a job and the generous donation of my parents have made it possible for me to go home for a few days and I am super excited. It also means that I get to be home for my little brother's birthday. As my Father so poignantly put it "Spend $300 to save $5 on shipping."
Coming Up
The weather in Chicago is going to calm down :)
Auditions for Second City's Conservatory are this Friday and I am super stoked.
So stay tuned for more posts (hopefully not so far apart and so long).
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