Miss Chelsey Wagemaker hits Chicago!
I got a surprise phone call from Miss Chelsey Wagemaker this morning saying that she was on her way to Chicago with some friends. What was I doing tonight? "Besides blogging?" Ah ha haaa... I'm so clever. And I'm kidding. I did, however, have rehearsal tonight. But she also had something to do tonight, so the fact that I was going to be busy at night wasn't a big deal.
Later that afternoon, she called me to let me know that she and her friends had made it to Chicago. They were walking up and down Michigan Avenue... so I met them at the GAP on Michigan. Chelsey had brought her friends Chris and Tara from home. Tara, I believe, I met before somewhere, as she goes to Albion. I don't remember when or where we met previously, but I do remember meting her before. Regardless, they wanted me to "show them around" as it were; give them something to do while in Chicago. Yes, I DO live here. But I don't get down to Michigan Avenue very often. It's basically just a long, expensive street... and the only reason I ever go down there is that someone is visiting. Or to go to the Virgin Megastore (which isn't very often). So I felt like kind of a douche because I didn't know where we could go just to hang out. I ended up dragging them to the Apple store and the Disney store. However, Tara had some kind of fixation with going up in the John Hancock building... so we headed that way.
I've never been up in the Hancock Tower before. I've been in the Sears tower, when Ken came to visit and we walked all that f--king way downtown when we should have just taken the El... but I felt all unsure of public transportation because I'm a very back-woodsy/ignorant person. Who followed that? Anyway, we headed up to the observation floor of "Big John" (who knew they called it that??!). It was a beautiful site on a beautiful night... and my prose is beautifully trite but my rhymes are beautifully right... on. What was that? Where was I? Oh! I was on the Hancock Tower Observation deck. I think the coolest part of that, honestly, was being able to see my building from the Hancock tower. I was able to show MC Dubs and her friends where I live and even what I think was the Second City. It was interesting to be able to look down on where I live and where I "work." *shrug* With the right perspective, everything looks so well ordered through the chaos.
After heading up to the Hancock observation floor, we went to the Cheesecake Factory... which is right downstairs in the Hancock tower. We each got a slice of cheesecake... but it wasn't the cheesecake that made this trip special. After about five minutes with Chris and Tara at the Cheesecake Factory... I finally felt very comfortable. It turns out that I had unknowingly been nervous around Chelsey's friends before we went to the Cheesecake Factory. I think that has something to do with my feeling that what I like to do is boring to everyone else, so when people I don't know want me to show them around, I feel pressure to entertain them (this is probably linked to whatever it is about me that makes me want to be an entertainer). But when we were sitting around a table, just talking and eating over-priced but still delicious cheesecake, they felt like old friends to me. I had a really good time, and if any of them come back to Chicago, I'll probably drop whatever I'm doing to hang out with them.

Then I left Chelsey and her friends to go to Mockupations rehearsal. Unfortunately, we were sans Robert... so we didn't do a whole lot. We blocked a dance, of all things. And, because I'm in so many scenes with Robert, I didn't really do all that much beyond blocking a stupid dance. And with Chelsey in town for only the night, I would have rather not been wasting my time at a rehearsal I didn't need. Oh well... I'm sure she'll be back in Chicago again. And I had fun with her and her friends while they were there... so that's really what this is all about, isn't it?

#10 Best of 2004: Easter at Adam's If there's one thing that's quasi-universal about growing up and leaving home it's that holidays are tough. Strike that... holidays are brutal. Easter is one of those holidays that you don't really think about all that much, but even in college I was home with my family for Easter. This past Easter, I was invited to have a home-cooked meal with Adam, his mother, Chip, Dave, and Leeza. This event solidified Adam as, probably, my best friend in Chicago... as he thought enough of me to invite me to spend time with he and his friends and family. I can't even begin to describe how good that made me feel. I suppose I can begin to describe it... It's the tenth best thing that happened to me all year... how's that? Heehee... Thanks to Adam and his mother, for making Easter 2004 special.