Life in Chicago

Well it's not like I have just been sitting around here, folks! And you know I'm working on some (outside-of-work-work) work projects (that I love!) when I take a study break to write here.

In a vague/vain attempt to fit in here or find a niche, I have:

• joined and then reluctantly un-joined a gospel choir (only b/c of scheduling! I will rejoin in a month, i love being a methodist - don't get creeped out, i could care less if you worship cheddar cheese squares every Sunday, I'm just saying. Methodists. It works for me. I still would kill to start an acapella quartet or duo...y'know in my free time)
• joined a Go-Go dancing group
• took up flamenco
• re-launched guitar lessons
• bangs
  
• lived in Lincoln Park for 3 weeks, Logan square for 5 months, and now will be in Andersonville (IT IS THE CUTEST) until the winds finally blow me out of this town
• been to like all the record stores ever and they're weird (and i haven't found one where they have turntables so you can listen to the records before you buy them WTF)
  
• While i lived in Logan Square, got to know the owner at Rosa's and he is great and a total bad-ass italian conga player
  
• soul night at The Hideout and Dannys = :/ (you really can tell folks who didn't grow up with the music, they dance completely wrong...personal opinion, and I'm allowed it)
• decided where/whats as far as graduate school goes...GRE and GMAT here i come
  
• I saw Rahm Emanuel in a coffee shop
• Met some Dap Kings (who bought ME a drink! hehe!) and one Shay J, and all i have to show for it is a pencil drawing of the Hollywood Bowl. In other words, all i have to show is amazing. All I have to remember is amazing-er.
  

Only thing left on my list here really is to figure out what the deal is with the Numero Group.

And I'm looking forward to Whuffaoke coming to town next Thursday! We will sing.

Chicago on the whole is not singing to me. But I'm trying to focus on listening, b/c maybe it's a song I've never heard, and it has to grow on me. The effort of really owning a city and all it has to offer may be too much to ask from me for this town. I sound so grouchy! I'm keeping an open mind, especially since the weather stays over 55 degrees most days now. That makes it easier. I really have had fun. Just not fun owed to Chicago being Chicago necessarily. Maybe that's a detriment of a Big Town, and neighborhoods that would rather be a part of Chicago than a part of themselves. THEORIES! I got'em.

To be fair to Chicago, I also got to spend some seriously magical QT with some friends of mine who come to town (as my grandma Nannie, who used to live more or less in Englewood for like 1 year in 1939 or something, says - "Oh Chicago ...it's really a better place to visit") ...from varied locales - St. Louis to DC to Brooklyn ....will you be NEXT to spend 7 hours drinking beer and dancing with/for me?

B/c that is **my** regional specialty and it is what we would do if you came to visit.

also, MAJORA CARTER, please recognize

St. Patrick's Day

i spend many many hours just kindof meandering and sometimes things get pretty. (pretty cold, but also pretty)

Climate

I don't like the weather here. 

Lori Confessional, Re: CHICAGO

Some of you will be getting this letter, but in case you did not, here it is! 

Hi! Lori here. 

So ok, Whether you know my favorite cheese and my favorite Beatle (Tomme de Savoie and Paul, respectively), or whether you've just figured out that my hair is brown, I wanted to be clear. I have moved to Chicago. More precisely, I've moved to Chicago because I'm pursing a pretty intriguing career opportunity at a small tech startup just about 6 blocks up the street from Threadless.com. Cool, huh? It's called Perkspot.com. 

Yes. I know these big ol' lumped together emails can seem impersonal, so if I haven't spoken to you in a bit, feel free (actually please do) contact me via phone, email, postcard ... I'd love to tell you, in that long-winded, parenthetical and personal way I have of telling things (case in point : this email), all about how and why I ended up here. (short story: on a plane from NYC and for a job after being laid off in December by Moosylvania Marketing, respectively) 

Worse things have befallen a young lady than a new job in a new town, though at times I really do feel bereft for having to leave St. Louis.  But I'm comforted knowing that helping myself is helping St. Louis (and if you're from St. Louis, or anywhere for that matter, and find yourself needing help - holler! lori.e.white@gmail). But I'm up to some good things here. 

Anyway, I'll be posting updates here on MRVG and pictures of my beloved Flickr, both which, like myself,  may go through a slight existential crisis, but not to worry, you will like it and all the nuggets you've come to know (in both the blog and the Lori) won't be much different. They'll just be wearing more layers in wintertime, b/c frankly, it is way colder here than anywhere I have ever been ever. Seriously, ever. I think my corneas froze once.

That being said,  I welcome your hellos, and most importantly (to me) look forward to your thoughts on my thoughts on the old blog which will be "eloquently" translating the transplant of one Mississippi River Valley Girl to the fertile technology corridors of the Great-Lake(s)-that-pretty-much-look-like-an-ocean. 

Come visit, say hello, scold me for leaving, congratulate me for breaking free, express your indifference, poke me on the facebook, & email me for my address if you care to send any toasted ravioli.

Repping the 314ever,

Lori

And so I'll leave you (for now) with a slideshow of my stl pictures (oh there are plenty, and there will certainly be plenty more...though I'm really going to try to take pictures of Chicago as lovingly as I did of St. Louis...a challenge!)

peace out.