Get Rid Of Your Butt This New Years

Quitting cigs and losing weight are at the top of New Years resolution lists every year. You will have to kick your own butt into gear to work out, but the city of Chicago might help you lose the other butt--cigarette butt that is.

At the count of three-two-one happy New Year, bartenders will snatch your ashtray and throw it out the window. It may not be that dramatic, but there could be a few sloppy drunks who get peeved that they have to "take it outside."

Perhaps braving the Chicago cold for your smoke will be an incentive to finally keep your New Years resolution.

As a non-smoker, this New Years will be a breath of fresh air.

Cruise Musings

I'm back from the Caribbean and kicking through snow and the promise of three more months of winter. But I'd like to languish in my week of sunshine on the Coral Princess for a bit longer. Here's what I'm left with after we dropped anchor. Did I bring the anchor with
me? Nope, that's just the Horizon Buffet.

Horizon Buffet- Whale on the horizon! Oh no, that's just my ever-expanding waist-line. With a buffet available 24/7, I don't care if you're Richard Simmons. A few days into your voyage you'll be stuffing your hole with no self control.

Cookies & milk- Yes, they serve you cookies and milk at the pool. Bloating anyone?

Tush-tastic 5 course meals: I will have the shrimp cocktail, then the beef consume, the pheasant, and finish with the chocolate log roll. You'll have to roll me out of here!

You ate what? - I learned a thing or two about fancy schmancy food. "Ooh sweetbreads, that sounds good. Is that like corn bread or something?" Not so much. Sweetbreads are the thymus gland of an animal, lamb I think. Yes, I had a bite. Then there was the pheasant, which tasted like a chewy turkey and cornish hen which tasted like chicken.

Conga lines like whoah - I entered a realm where time the Macarena is hot like fiyah, and the YMCA takes place at least once a day, and the answer to "how you feeling" is always "hot, hot, hot." All the dances and parties on board feel like a giant Bar Mitzvah. Shrimp cocktail anyone? Must not be a kosher one.

The shows - With a few small exceptions, the shows were really bad. Don't ever mention these two words together again: Duncan Tuck. Please no more trailer park jokes, I'm begging you.

Captain, captain- (In a thick Italian accent) "I pulled this beaaauutiful white lady into the harbor at four in the morning. " He loved to make announcements, but usually the only phrase that was comprehensible was "this beautiful white lady" and "this beautiful vessel."

Ship stewards have seen it all - One day we forgot to put a "Do not disturb" sign on the door. My sister was dancing in her bra and whoops, hello! Our Steward, Eliza had seen an old man and his wife getting it on earlier. That must have been the least of it. Can you say awkward?

The ports we stopped at were St. Thomas, St. Martin, and the Princess Cays. St. Thomas is the best spot for jewelry and perfume shopping in the Caribbean. We got a great deal on diamond earrings. I loved the hilly landscape of St. Thomas, and the way the island looks at night with house lights dotting the hills like little stars. Oh and they drive on the left side. One couple my folks were talking to said of St. Thomas "We went to the French side and we'll NEVER go back. It was horrible." Yeah, there's not a French side to St. Thomas...

St. Martin is nice as well. I wish I had time to see the French side of the island though.

Princess Cays was a fantastic beach spot. The cruise line did a great job setting up the island for cruisers.

One more funny note. There were some older folks on the cruise with care-takers. They had discovered that it was actually less expensive than paying for a nursing home. That's what I'm doing as an old lady. Platinum cruise line membership here I come.

Ahoy There

The Chicago Girl is going on a cruise to the Caribbean. See you in a week!

The Sustainable Hot List

Sustainable clothing is so hot right now and global warming is um, not. Get your green on at these Chicago organic clothing stores:

American Apparel
Sustainable edition clothing line
It's just a few T-shirts, but I think they'll start to integrate more sustainable clothing into their stores.
www.americanapparel.net
Gold Coast: 46 E. Walton St. and
Lakeview: 3126 N. Broadway

Barney's Co-Op
Pricey, but spicy.
2209 N. Halsted
www.barneys.com

Nau Inc.
They pride themselves on their design philosophy, which is admirable. Plus, they have some pretty sweet outerwear.
2118 N. Halsted
www.nau.com

Oqoqo
It's lululemon athletica's organic line. Lululemon oqoqo--try saying that three times fast.
900 N. Michigan
2104 N. Halsted
http://www.oqoqo.com/

Patagonia
Patty-G is back in. Remember when all the kids at school wore Patagonia fleece pullovers? Well, I wore Old Navy because mom was too thrifty. But, this time around I'd spend a little more green on their green clothing.
1800 N. Clybourn
www.patagonia.com

Pivot
Pivot is one of the new kids on the sustainable block. They opened in September.
1101 W. Fulton Market
www.pivotboutique.com

Nibbles

La Pomme Rouge

La Pomme Rouge is French for the red apple. The food at this lushly decorated restaurant, which turns into a club later in the evening is as sinful as it sounds.

Try the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc paired with the Amish Chicken.

Fashion Fantasy

What's your fantasy? Luda might not say fashion, but c'mon what girl doesn't get riled up over discount designer brands, $5 Stoli cocktails, and goodie bags? It's a fashion frenzy! Meet me there at 8 p, I'll be one of the VIPs (as always). Hey, VIPs like free shit too.

Holiday Fashion Fantasy
December 14 : 8 p.m. - 12 a.m.

Price:
$20 after 11 p.m.; no cover before 11 p.m.; $5 VIP admission at 8 p.m.

Event Phone Number:
312-733-6699
Rednofive

Neighborhood: Warehouse District.

440 N. Halsted St.
Chicago, IL 60622

312-733-6699

Browse discounteomen's boud fashions from AKIRA, Spotland Yard, Francesca's Collections and other local boutiques. Includes a fashion show (11:15 p.m.), looks from antique Gray and men's store Revolver, plus appetizers and $5 Stoli cocktails. For VIP admission ($5; includes a gift bag and raffle ticket) arrive early (8 p.m.).

A New Lean Mean Cabrini-Green

Nestled between Lincoln Park and the Gold Coast, two of the most affluent neighborhoods in the city, is the project, Cabrini Green. Walk less than 10 minutes from a swanky hood and you’re in another world. But The Chicago Housing Authority is dishing out $1.6 billion to bring two hoods even closer.

Here’s the idea: mixed-income housing. It makes sense. It’s an area that’s grossly undervalued. The developer that bought it paid $5.5 mil—about half the price of a piece of land just down the block. The plan, which is set to be completed by 2015 will have 25,000 new units. Currently, only 16,000 have been built or rehabbed.

But how do you define a successful mixed-income housing development? One Harvard Master of Public Policy student states the goals these developments in his 2002 study:

D Deter negative behavior (gangs, drug deals, crime)

-O Offer more life chances

Rebuild communities

Have other mixed-income housing developments worked?

Lake Parc Place here in Chicago succeeded in attracting moderate-income working households who overall felt safe and satisfied with their living experience, but interaction between project residents and non-project residents remained minimal. Sure, they’ll greet each other in the halls, but watching each other’s children is a rarity. There are still more questions than answers when it comes to evaluating whether these kind of projects work, but progress requires change.

''For the last 30 to 40 years,'' said Mr. Peterson of the Chicago Housing Authority, ''we've isolated public housing residents socially and economically. But the residents are ready for a change. We want to integrate them back into the fabric of the community.'' http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/08/15/chicago.cabrini.reut/index.html (2000)

But they won’t all be integrated. Those that want to stay must past rigorous screening tests and when the process is complete, there will be 14,000 fewer public housing apartments in the city. Where will the other project residents go? The city has been trying to find private housing for the residents with mixed success.

Even one of the developers said: "It's going to be tight. It's going to be really tight."

"This is a crisis. Mixed income isn't the answer. It's not going to accommodate. It's a fraction of the need,”said Candice Howell, former Vice President and director of the screening of Holsten development company.

What’s your take on The Parkside of Old Town?

Sources:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/692580,CST-NWS-cha12.article (December 12, 2007)

http://chitownliving.com/2007/11/15/parkside-of-old-town/

http://www.fanniemaefoundation.org/programs/hpd/pdf/hpd_0904_vale.pdf

http://www.parksideofoldtown.com/

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/506890832.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/11/60II/main532704.shtml

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/505243962.html

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/rfs/505850443.html

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/rfs/504936289.html

The Bloggerist Speaks

I've wanted to work in the media since I was 14 and started spinnin' jams at my high school radio station. From there it was my college newspaper, radio station, local TV station, and campus magazine. I took Journalism to the max.

But while my formal Journalism education stirred my curiosity and reinforced my idealistic nature, there was too much uncertainty in a field that paid and respect were low--uncertainty about my future and the future of Journalism.

So there I was, melancholy in the Motor City, three months after graduation and only a secretary job(albeit at a media buying company) to show for my education, I was left wondering if this was the right field for me. The only Journalism jobs that I could get were in small towns and I had my mind set on the city life. I'm just not a country girl, honey! Yeah, I don't speak like that.

So four months later, employed at a search engine marketing firm as a Copywriter in Chicago, I wondered where my quest for truth had gone. The allure of Journalism was still there, but the glamor was gone, and even in the past few years, the meaning of Journalism has changed. What is Journalism? It used to be Walter Crokite behind a desk using an authoritative voice that told listeners, "I know what I'm talking about. I'm a big wig." Now blogging and Journalism have merged and submerged and diverged. Who really knows what Journalism is.

I am just about finished with Seth Godin's "Meatball Sundae." http://www.squidoo.com/meatballsundae
He has a totally fresh take on "new marketing." He doesn't really focus on how new marketing techniques affect Journalism, but he does talk a lot about blogs and how these new avenues of communication can bring together companies and consumers. There's more direct communication that ever before. I think the same can be said of Journalism. Now readers can question and interact with the text in front of them. Consequently, Journalism is changing, perhaps for the better.

In J-School, we debated whether bloggers are journalists. Don't you need formal education to be a journalist? Should there be an exam? I would like to think my education means something. But Journalists are the same at their core. Journalists are storytellers. If you can tell a story about people, something true, something real, then you are a journalist.

So Journalist, blogger, bloggerist, tell a story, tell the truth or as much as you can and new journalism will allow the reader to decide if they buy it or not.

Friends In Funny Places

You can find a plethora of articles about how to meet guys in your run-of-the mill fashion magazine, but not necessarily how to meet new friends. Seems natural enough to meet new friends through other friends, co-workers, or classmates. But sometimes when you're moving somewhere new and you're open to meeting new people, you'll meet people in funny places.

Picking up chicks at the bar?
I'm at The Sound Bar my first week in Chicago. My cousin loses her friend and tells me to hang out with her friends. I start chatting with a girl I assumed was her friend. Guess not. Turns out, she just moved to Chicago a few days ago too. "Can I get your number," she asks. "Not like that or anything, but we should have lunch." We did and we're friends now. Kinda cool, right?

The Craigslist Connection
When you're moving to a new city, it's a good idea to live with someone new. I just moved to a new place and have a great roommate to hang out with. I was searching for apartments with another girl and we're friends now too. Make friends with Craig.

The Niche Friend
I've always had an ecclectic group of friends. But I share similar interests with different friends. I went once to a French group meeting, but have been too busy to make it out there. Plus it's far and I'm lazy. But I'd like to get back into it. It's nice to have niche friends.

Do you have a funny story about meeting a friend? Leave a comment, I'd love to hear it!

Mad Luv For The Sweater Dress

Sweaters conjure up an image of coziness--coupled with a roaring fire, hot chocolate, and snow hugging window panes. But this season, you can feel cozy while looking chic in a sweater dress. Sweater dresses are hotter than a roaring fire this winter and you too can burn it up. Let's get to it. Here are my picks for sweater dresses under $100. www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=36291&pid=480424&scid=480424002 $69.50 Yeah, I know it's GAP. Not exactly high-brow fashion, but this sweater dress is cute and for you lil' and tall gals out there. It comes in petite and tall.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2951139? $49.50 Category=&Search=True&SearchType=guidednav&keyword=sweater+dress+in+All+Categories+%3e+%2450+or+less&origin=searchresults The dress is called 'Amber Waves.' All I have to say is G-d bless America for this comfy number...or Taiwan?

www.fcusbuymail.com/ProductDetails.aspx?language=en-US&ProductID=71H5P&CategoryID=w_dresses $49.99 Fuck dresses! I mean, Fcuk dresses. Pardon my French, but this Fcuk could lead to more than just fcuddling. Just strap on some boots and leggins and rawr, easy tiger.

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=283091&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results $49 See, that's what I'm talking about. There's so much you can do with this dress. Dress it up, dress it down...Either way, you're dressed accordingly.

Shopping Discounts

The Chicago Discount Shopping Lowdown
Leave a comment if you're a local store that has a sale going on!

Today:

30% off French Connection @ Water Tower with this coupon:
www.shopwatertower.com/html/SaleDetail.asp?ecd=137325

Macy's Trunk Sale Event:
www.chicago.metromix.com/style/shopping_event/grand-chicago-designer-trunk-loop/264343/content

The Nomad Settles Down

You've looked around, maybe used a couple apartment hunters, but you have not found a place.

New to Chicago? Tired of crashing on your friend's couch? Here are a few places to start.

classifieds.chicagoreader.com/chicago/Results?subsection=oid%3A122

http://chicago.craigslist.org/apa/

http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/IL-Chicago.html

http://www.apartmentratings.com/

I'm going to follow-up this post with a complete run-down of all resources I used so you won't have as hard of a time as I did. I also have quite a few humorous stories to share.

Good luck on your apartment hunt!

A Whirl

On a lighter note--

The Loehmann's on 151 N. State: is having a sale today.

I saw Oliver Nataf who goes by the name NO play at L'Alliance Francais de Chicago last night.

http://www.af-chicago.org/app/homepage.asp

His music is in French and he's trying for a Blues-infused feel. I like his voice though he might need a style consultant.
www.website-no.com

I am going to try to see this play tonight. I'll review the performance if I end up going.

http://neofuturists.org/