Wow... why do things keep sucking? Do YOU know why? Because I don't
Saturday didn't start out that badly. I didn't set an alarm for the first time in weeks (maybe months), and woke up to (probably) a wrong number at 9:30. But that didn't matter because it was still almost two full hours later than I normally wake up. When I woke up, I turned on the tv and looked around for something to watch... and I came across a Miami/Florida State football game on ESPN Classic from 2002, which I started watching. For some reason (perhaps the impending football season) I just became flooded with Fall memories... sitting on a Saturday afternoon watching football, going to St. John's Cider Mill and getting apple cider and doughnuts, the smell of the leaves, going to Ferris State games with Nate and Jase and sitting in the student section or the opposite endzone and talking football/playing football/enjoying each other's company all afternoon. I was flooded by such a nostalgia that I wanted it to be fall and I wanted to be home... and I missed everything about the fall in Big Rapids, Michigan. If I didn't have this writing 5 show, and a rehearsal Sunday morning, I probably would've driven home. But it's not fall... and I would've been disappointed if I went home because nothing's the same.
Saturday afternoon I got a call from the renewal agent at Planned Property Management (the company that owns my apartment building). She gave me an offer at a rate a little higher than this past year's rate to stay in my apartment. But the rate she gave me was significantly less than the I told her that I was looking to maybe move into a one bedroom apartment in my same apartment complex... because I've decided that my studio is really too small to spend another year in. And it is... it's a small room and not a place I could bring friends over if I ever decided to have friends. Or even, heaven forbid, I try to date someone. Although, the more I think about it, the more I think that I just can't afford putting up the extra cash to have an apartment that I can have people visit. Y'all may just have to put up with the floor.
I then called my parents to tell them about the offer to stay in my apartment, and just generally to catch up on what happened to me since we last talked (probably last weekend sometime). My dad and I talked for a while, and I'm not going to get into it... but my dad and I basically argued about money. Long story short, I think I've got one year to make myself pretty much self-sufficient. Thusly, I'm having to re-adjust my thinking on a lot of things (as I honestly can't afford to live in this city without help). Say good-bye to Thad. Say good-bye to lots of other things, and say hello to an even more frugal (if it's possible) Mr. J. Steeno.
At night I went to dinner with Andrea and Brian at Salpicon on Wells. It's a very expensive Mexican restaurant and, in my opinion, wasn't worth the price. But, as with all business dinners, I didn't pay, so I guess it was worth it(?). No... even if you don't pay, overpriced food will always be overpriced. That made sense.
After dinner, the three of us went up to the sun deck of Andrea's apartment complex. It's been surprisingly cold in Chicago for late July... I think it didn't get any higher than the mid 70s today, and there was a wind all day which made it seem even colder. Anyway, we went through all the applications for crew members from the Wells Coldstone. The applications included one from a guy who I do improv with, Jerry. I don't really want to go into this, but I don't really think he'd fit into the Coldstone atmosphere. Unless we want our new thing to be yelling really loudly and swearing almost every second. If that were the case, he could most certainly be our poster child. And it's not like I don't think he's funny, because he is... he just isn't a team player in a team game... and it really shows. I do feel bad, though, because he's asked me twice about it and I'm going to have to say either "I don't know" or "It looks like you're not Coldstone material" or "You're a fucker, shut your mouth". All of those things are difficult to tell someone, so I don't look forward to it.