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Chicago that Toddling Town
Friends – that’s what it’s all about!
I’d been a sort of recluse the previous weekend, and before that I had been out of town for friend’s weddings, so Chicago outings had taken a detour to nowhere as of lately. But partying needs no disclaimer, I like my friends, and we like to party! Saturday started with the Wrigley Field adventure to get the wristband (again, fingers crossed!), quickly followed by a 3-hr writing class (you all saw that entry), and the beginning of the end started at 4:30PM in a magical place called Kirkwoods.
Below is the photographic evidence of the night.
*There might have been some straws with mustaches, and we weren’t quick enough to get them. But there is no problem a pen I found in my purse can’t fix! Melissa and I quickly corrected that situation.
*Karaoke at Trader Todd’s. Trader Todd’s is not a classy joint by any means, but is it fun? Yes, yes it is… every time. The girls are doing a rendition of Britney Spear’s “Oops! I Did It Again” and it was glorious – it included choreography!
*This is what happens when I find the pen again. Like a sir.
*Esteban finally joined us, and just in time for me to start singing. I can’t help it – someone played Wilson Phillips! “Some day somebody’s gonna make you wanna turn around and say good bye. Until then baby are you going to let them hold you down and make you cry…” Are you singing it yet? It will be stuck in your head all day. Those sweet stylings of the early 90′s, you can’t get away from them. And why would you want to?
*And then Alexis showed up! Victory all around.
I may have also seen the actress who plays “Snooki” in a local production of a Jersey Shore Musical. Yes, it’s as amazingly bad as you can imagine, but her bump it was definitely amazing. And apparently she’s in character the entire time. That’s the real reason to go to Trader Todd’s, what it lacks in class it makes up for in people watching opportunities.
***
I did mention that Saturday was a long day. Well, it ended with Karaoke. Unplanned outings are sometimes the best ones.
Wristbands, Lottery, and the Cubbies
Steps for getting Cubs tickets:
- Wake up early on a Saturday
- Head to Wrigley Field
- Take 2 forms of ID (at least 1 must be government issued)
- Fill out forms and get wristband
- Now – sit and wait for the drawing… and pray your number gets called in the top 20 so you can actually get tickets.
Apparently, it’s some sort of Cubbie tradition to go through this process. I said “yes, and” in the improv tradition. It made for a very long Saturday, but now I can say I did it. And, who knows, maybe this is the year! (OK, I can hear everyone laughing now.)
But most importantly, hear this everyone: My number is 10592. I really want tickets for the Cubs/Red Sox match up in June. So, think good thoughts and send good vibes.
***
UPDATE: Nowhere near the lottery number. Meh. I still got the tickets for the match up, AND the Red Sox played Chicago twice. There was a nice White/Red Sox encounter. I <3 Baseball.
Leap Day Brownies!
Leap Day is a special occasion… So special we only have it once every 4 years, like the Olympics or the World Cup. Therefore, we must celebrate in a most decadent way!
It did fall on a Wednesday this year, which meant that preparation time (Tuesday evening) is limited. Still, I thought worth some sort of ready-made decadence with some assembly required was apt for such occasion.
Which leads me to Slutty Brownies*. In a time crunch, Slutty Brownies live up to their name: they’re easy!
First the ingredients:
- Pack of Oreos
- Packet of brownie mix (I went with Ghirardelli’s Chocolate Supreme)
- Cookie dough (Nestle Tollhouse – mostly so I could pronounce it like Phoebe from Friends)
- Baking tray and parchment or wax paper
- Also, brownies will need egg, oil, and water
Spread the cookie dough on the bottom of the baking tray. Word to the wise: wait until the cookie dough has softened a bit, mine was a little too cold when I started – took a rolling pin to it!
Then lay a layer of Oreo cookies, like so:
In the mean time, you should whisk that brownie mix together and work those arms. I only did cardio as a workout today, so I’m counting this whisking as my weight training for the day. Don’t you think?
Pour the brownie mix over the already laid out Oreos and cookie dough.
Then place in oven at 350-375o F for about 30 minutes. (Check – all ovens vary.) Take out and let cool.
There’s some variations I’m looking to try during the upcoming weekends. Mostly after Lent, since Alyson (my roommate) has given up sweets for Lent and was ready to have my head on a platter for making the apartment smell like a chocolate factory. Life is not without temptation, my dear friend.
Don’t think I did this just to torture her! I’m taking these as a work bribe so people will like me. I’ll make sure to post some pictures of the decadence in action!
*(I can’t take credit for them, so I’m linking it to The Londoner – another blog I thoroughly enjoy.)
