The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

Sunday night I was lucky enough to have dinner with both Jen and Ray. When I got to their place, my beautiful little goddaughter came running over, pointing at my ankle yelling, "Tattoo!" (She'll be 2 in August.) So Jen asked her what it was a tattoo of, and she said, "Flowers." And Jen said, "How many flowers?" And Parker counted all three. What a smartypants. Jen paints her nails to teach her colors. Love it. I had dinner with Kris last night at Sweetwater on Michigan Ave, and we ate out on the patio, so it was pretty and just nice to be outside. I love Kris dearly and don't get tons of one-on-one time with her, so that was cool. It's nice to be spending as much time as possible with my favorite people before I leave. While I was waiting for the L to go home, I heard the most beautiful street performer playing the violin. He had a recording of a piano accompanying him, and it was just achingly sweet. I've never seen so many pe

Last night was a typical night at DC’s. Rachel and I have a routine that I will really miss. Like we always sing along to Miranda Lambert on the way there, and roll down the windows to smell the country air and look for fireflies. When we dance to the Super Love song, there’s a line that says, “If you’re talkin’ about love, hey, you better talk to me” and Rachel always says “Erin!” instead of “me.” We make catty comments about the girls’ slutty outfits (last night Rachel was having a fit over all the visible bra straps), and I always complain that I can’t get the hips right on the Sweet Home Alabama dance. We have a group of friends there now that we always try to dance near. And we usually end up helping new people learn some of the dances; I helped a girl with Watermelon Crawl last night. It’s just such a comfortable, happy place for me. So, I totally grabbed a guy’s crotch last night. He was all over the place during the stampede dance, and ran right into my hand. Maybe tha

I’ve had two in the past week. It’s going to be really hard to leave here; I love this city. Saturday was amazing. I went to the Keith Urban, Dixie Chicks, and Eagles concert at Soldier Field. I never really thought much of Keith Urban until I saw him live. I'd always liked his stuff, but didn't think he was anything special. After seeing him play the guitar, my opinion has changed. I also didn't think he was that cute before (kind of a pretty boy), but I have revised that opinion as well. I was beside myself with joy when the Dixie Chicks came on. There was a review of the concert that said the Dixie Chicks stole the show, and I agree. There is so much passion in their music, and when you combine that with their level of technical skill, it is perfection. I think my favorite was when they sang “Goodbye Earl” at the end, although I also really loved seeing Natalie Maines singing about someone telling her to “shut up and sing or (her) life will be over.” > I left the con

So... yeah. I'm moving to Phoenix. Figured I should blog about it, although I don't have much to say. I'm sure I'll have a lot to say after I get there AND have internet access at home again. I'm going to be the 8th grade honors language arts teacher at a middle school there. I am super excited about this position. And, thanks to my friend Nicole (who gave me the idea), my room is going to look fabulous. It's going to be Hollywood themed. Here are the reasons I came up with for moving to Phoenix: 1. Something new and exciting. Everyone is leaving Chicago. 2. I have fabulous hair in Phoenix, thanks to Kasia and the dryness. 3. Rachel, Abby, and Kasia 4. Got a job doing what I want. Well, close to it, anyway. I've never taught honors kids before; it will be very different from what I'm used to. Here are all the reasons why I shouldn't move to Phoenix: 1. Pay cut 2. Far from family (and my parents don't fly) 3. I don't actually like Pho