The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

So I got home from class and Lupe said, "Hey Erin, want to have a glass of wine and a cigarette?" And I said, "Yes!" And Lupe was really excited to share her delicious wine with me. She kept asking if I was finished yet so I could have another glass and try another bottle (because she's in a wine club.) And the wine was delicious. And we talked and giggled out on the sidewalk for a long time when I should have been packing. Then we decided to check out the little restaurant down the block that we couldn't figure out if it was open or not. There were these guys standing outside. They are renovating it and making it a new restaurant. And they were drinking tequila. And they wanted us to drink tequila, too. Good tequila. And Rick wants me to call him. And they asked what nationality I am. They wondered if Lupe and I are sisters. And we laughed a lot and drank together, even if they are Sox fans. And now I'm drunk and at home and haven't started

That was my goal. I did, however, slow dance with a cute southern boy. I'm such a sucker for that accent. I went with my friend Sarah to see Sixteen Candles, an 80's cover band, up in Libertyville last night. It was really fun. I don't like 80's music on the radio, but I love hearing it live. I did not drink at all. Just one Shirley Temple.

Tonight I went to go watch the filming of a scene from the new Johnny Depp movie, Public Enemies. It was just down the street, so I had to go check it out. Of course, I really wanted to meet Johnny Depp, but I also just thought it would be cool to see what filming a movie is like. The answer is: incredibly tedious. We were watching a scene in which a guy gets out of his car and goes into a pool hall to make a call and snitch on someone. It was a 30 second scene at the most. They were setting up for this scene all day and didn't start filming it till 1 a.m. I hung out and watched them film for a little over an hour, but that was all I could handle. How many times can you watch a man get out of a car and go into a building? I could never be a movie star; I couldn't handle the tedium. Which is kind of sad, because doesn't every girl dream of being a movie star? But I just couldn't do it; it doesn't fit with my personality. But it was cool to see how they set

I love being a Cubs fan. I'm not an expert on the team or players or anything, but I grew up in a family where being a Cubs fan is the tradition. Today I went to the game with my dad, uncle, and cousin. My dad and I go once a summer, and he tells the same stories every year. He reminisces about the route my grandpa used to take when they'd drive to games (all the way from Plainfield to the north side with no expressways) and talks about specific games he was there for. (Like the one where the final score was 23-22.) Today was an exciting game; I was biting my lip the whole time. The Braves were ahead, 2-0, for most of the game. But the Cubs came back. It went into the 11th inning, when finally, with the bases loaded, the batter (can't remember who) got hit by a pitch, forcing a run. I love being at Wrigley when the Cubs win; high-fiving strangers, singing the Cubs song... it's great. So after the game we went to Sluggers to have a drink and wait for the crowd

I've always wanted to see a tornado; they've fascinated me since I was little. I thought I finally had my chance the other night. I was walking back from Friday's to my hotel room at Cedar Point when the tornado sirens went off. It was kind of creepy for a minute because the path along the beach that I was walking on was completely deserted, and there was nowhere for me to go if a tornado was coming. I resigned myself to possible death and continued my leisurely pace back to my hotel room. In my room, I immediately turned on the Weather Channel. They said a tornado had been spotted near the Ohio turnpike and it was headed for Sandusky. "Sweet!" I thought, and I ran for my car. But sadly, I did not spot any of the three tornadoes spawned from that storm, all of which were right by where I was driving. I was so disappointed. Then I thought, what would I do if I actually saw the tornado? What if I was driving down the road and all of a sudden it was coming

Today was the perfect summer day in the city. The weather has finally warmed up, and I think it's officially summer now. Nina and I went to Berry Chill , a frozen yogurt place we'd been wanting to try. As I walked to the Borders on Michigan Ave eating my frozen yogurt with raspberries, it was one of those moments where you think, "It doesn't get any better than this." At Borders, I reserved my copy of Breaking Dawn and signed up for the midnight release party. I'm so excited! Nina and I then had a late lunch at some bistro on State St, but our consensus was that it was not very good and overpriced. But still, it was a fabulous day. I am so glad to be done with school. Yesterday was our last day. To celebrate, I went out to The Violet Hour last night with some of my favorite friends who are also teachers. The drinks were delicious, as usual. It was nice to be able to go there on a week night; it's really hard to get in on weekends. Not much el