Inspiration

Lately, pinterest has been my go to happy place. I know I'm supposed to say I love it for the design pictures, but really - I love it for the beautiful quotes and saying! What can I say? I'm a sucker for some good written inspiration.

My favorite saying is actually "Wherever you go, there you are" but I couldn't find a pretty image of that one. It is something my dad used to say when I was growing up and it has really stuck with me. 

 

Do you have a favorite quote or saying? 

Summer Bucket List

Chicago tends to only have two seasons--winter and summer. And we've been in winter now for what feels like eternity.

But, summer is right around the corner! After this long cold snowy winter, I really want to savor summer this year.  So, to help me make the most out of Summer 2011, I decided to develop a short bucket list of fun things I want to do before the end of summer.

1. Spend a day at the beach
2. Talk a long walk along the lake front
3. Go to Navy Pier to watch the fireworks and ride the Ferris wheel 
4. Spend a whole afternoon drinking in a beer garden with friends
5. Cook dinner at home on the grill
6. Attend the Taste of Chicago
7. Go to one outdoor music event
8. Attend at least one neighborhood festival
9. Go to the Pride Parade
10. Go out for a romantic dinner and sit outside
11. Have a picnic by the lake
12. Go to a baseball game
13. Spend a day at 6-Flags

So there you have it. These are the thirteen things I'm most looking forward to doing. Last summer was all about getting married, but this summer is about taking advantage of everything Chicago has to offer. I feel giddy just looking at this list! I wish the weather would hurry up and cooperate.

But, I have a feeling that once summer does come I might find myself bogged down with classes and work. Because let's be honest, it can be difficult for a type-a personality like myself to relax and have fun when there is work to be done. (but apparently, I'm awesome at rhyming!)  So, to keep myself motivated I'm thinking of making this list a permanent feature of my blog, just like "Our Wedding" or "About Me." Then when I finish up an item, I will blog and link! 

Summer 2009, pineapple drink @ Do Division Street Fest

What are you looking forward to doing this summer? Have you made a Summer Bucket List? What was the best summer of your life?

To My Fabulous Readers (that means YOU!)

Dear fabulous readers,

I think I've been remiss lately because I haven't told you how much I appreciate the fact that you choose to read my blog and to take time out of your day to leave me thoughtful, genuine comments!  I know how frustrating it can be to never get any sort of response or to feel unappreciated and the last thing I want is for YOU to feel that way. Because I appreciate you guys SO much. And to show my appreciation I do my best to always respond to every single comment and to visit your blogs and leave you comments too! But, I haven't been so good at just coming right out and saying how much your words mean to me.

Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com via Alisha on Pinterest

Remember when I was down on myself and feeling really nervous that I wouldn't get an internship for next year? Well it was your comments that cheered me up! And remember when I shared that my grandfather's health was declining? Your supportive comments were so reassuring. And most recently, when I wrote about how my husband and I handle money in what was probably way too much detail, your comments made me feel like I wasn't completely insane for oversharing. SO THANK YOU!!!!

Source: None via Alisha on Pinterest

Thank you so much! Each and every one of you (even those of you who read and don't comment!) make me smile on a daily basis!

-Alisha

My Weekend in New York

A big thank you to all of you who shared with me about what your relationship is like with your grandparents! Since I didn't have a reliable internet connection I couldn't respond, but I want you to know it was wonderful to read your comments!

I had such a great time in New York this weekend! It was really important to me to see my grandfather and I feel so lucky that I got to see him now, before his health deteriorates further. Unfortunately, he isn't doing too well. When I saw him in August he was still able to carry on a conversation,  but now he has difficulty finding words and what he does says doesn't make much sense. His doctors think he might have had a series of small strokes, but it is hard to tell. I'm pretty sure he knew who I was though and so it was wonderful to hear him say "good morning, darling" every day.

We spent most of the weekend around Bayside, which is part of Queens.

image via http://www.weichert.com/NY/Queens/

We arrived into town on Thursday afternoon and went to my aunt's house to say hi and have a quick catch up. My aunt, a clinical social worker, had some clients to see that evening so we got out of her way and met up with my cousins for dinner. Well, technically we saw my mom's cousin and her two kids. So, that makes them my cousins once removed? second cousins? Either way, it was really fun! I hadn't seen them since August and it was good to catch up. They are in their first year of college and sophomore year of high school, respectively, and it was fun to hear about their lives. They even taught me a cool new phone trick - bumping! Sounds dirty, right? But, its not. It is the new way to exchange phone numbers. You can literally just bump two phones together! I'm still amazed by this. Which, of course makes me feel old.

On Friday, everyone hung out at my aunt's house and then in the afternoon we went shopping. You know what else makes me feel old? I found some stuff at  J. Jill and Cold Water Creek that I really liked. Yes. Apparently, I dress like a sixty year old lady.

I got a cardigan, a striped boat neck tee, and a simple black dress from J. Jill and a printed cardigan from Cold Water Creek.   

After shopping, my aunt had a big surprise. She made reservations for us to eat at Peter Luger - one of the oldest and most respected steakhouses in New York! I do love me some steak and after doing some quick googling and reading the rave reviews my mouth was watering! The place has a real old school vibe to it and the menu features only the classics. We ordered so much food and ate until we felt like we were in danger of having to be rolled out of the restaurant. Neill snapped this picture of me right before we started eating. You can see the steak for four in the middle of the table as well as the german potatoes we ordered. We also got onion rings, creamed spinach, and a tomato and onion salad. 

Yummo! My family loves to eat and we spent most of dinner joking about what fabulous appetites we all have :) We washed the steak down with big spoonfuls of shlag, or whip cream. Here is my mom with the sundae we split.

You can bet we all went to bed very full that night! On Saturday, after hanging out with my grandfather in the morning, my aunt took Neill and I into Manhattan to see Avenue Q. Before the show, we got a chance to walk around a bit in the craziness that is times square. I love Chicago, but I've got to admit - New York has us trumped on this. We just don't have anything that compares.

Avenue Q was hilarious! Neill and I don't go out to see shows very often (like basically never), but we both had so much fun that we decided to try and catch more performances in Chicago. After heading back into the city we ordered a spinach and meatball pizza, played catch phrase, and all hung out until it was time for bed. 

And that pretty much brings us back to the present. Sunday morning consisted of one last bagel with cream cheese and lox and saying lots of goodbyes. Now, I'm safe and sound back in Chicago and luxuriating in being able to sprawl out on my own bed.

What was your weekend like? Have you ever been to New York? What was your favorite part of the city? Or, do you have another favorite city?

Visiting my Grandfather

Neill and I are taking a break from our Chicago lives to go visit my family in New York for the rest of the week! My mom's sister is there and my grandfather, whom I call Zadie, lives with her. I can't wait to see them!

I'm particularly looking forward to seeing my grandfather. He and I have always had a special relationship and he's been like a second father to me. Growing up, I always admired his knowledge, wisdom, and kindness. He has given me so much good advice throughout the years, but there is one piece that really sticks out to me. We were in the car, driving through a toll booth. Instead of impatiently trying to get through as fast as humanly possible, my grandfather asked the worker how he was doing, exchanged a few pleasantries, and wished him a good day.  I must have commented on this because you know what he told me? It doesn't cost anything extra to be nice.

Simple. But, so true.

My grandfather is in his 90s and isn't doing too well these days. He is starting to get confused about things and we can't talk like we used to. I hate that every time I see him I worry that it will be the last time. And I hate that I wrote that, but it is the truth.

Anyways, I better end this before I start to cry.

Zadie and me in Florida

What is your relationship like with your grandparents?

Spring Break

As of this morning, I am officially on Spring Break. Its 45 degrees outside today, which is basically the closest Chicago gets to Spring in March, and I have no classes, no meeting, and nothing due. How should I enjoy the day?

I was thinking of taking a walk over to The Ark on Milwaukee Avenue to do some thrifting and then maybe stopping at Forever Yogurt for some pistachio flavored frozen yogurt. 

Source: fotokudra.lt via Alisha on Pinterest

Here's to a wonderful Monday! 

What Does Self-Worth Look Like?

I let it slip yesterday that I was spending my Friday night working as a mental health representative at a campus event for undergraduate students. In honor of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, a campus organization arranged for Amanda Arlauskas, a past contestant from the Biggest Loser, to speak. Given the strict diet and the extreme exercise routine contestants adhere to on the show, there was a concern that some students might react negatively. So, I was on hand just in case. 

via amandaarlauskas.com

Listening to Amanda talk was pretty interesting. During her time on the Biggest Loser she lost about 87 pounds in just a few months. But, she revealed that to lose that much weight in such a short period of time she worked out eight hours a day and only consumed an average of 1,000 calories. It was also interesting to hear her discuss how the competition got to her head. For example, she shared that she became quite paranoid that the other contestants were trying to sabotage her weight loss by putting salt in her food.

While Amanda was very sweet (a persona that no doubt helped her get cast on the show in the first place), there were a lot of things about her talk that I found problematic. For example, Amanda shared, as though it was the most normal thing in the world, that she currently thinks about her weight "every minute of every day" and even dreams about it. She bills herself as an inspirational speaker, but is that really what we want to inspire women to be like?

Another theme in her talk that was actually really sad for me to hear about was the idea that self-worth is largely based on weight. She perpetuated the dumb (and completely false) idea that being overweight is synonymous with having poor self-worth, but being thin is part of having high self-worth. For example, she talked about deciding she loved herself enough to lose weight so that she could wear skinny jeans and men would find her "sexy." REALLY??? I'm honestly not knocking the fact that she wanted to lose weight to look better (I can relate to that), but to say these things with absolutely NO critical analysis of our culture that equates thin with beauty is doing a disservice to every single college woman who goes to hear her speak. Even just a few sentences on the idea that it is possible to feel good about yourself no matter what your weight would have gone a long way. 

i think these women look mighty fine. via the healthy apron.

Another unfortunate trap she seems to have fallen into is the "I'll be happy when" mantra. First, it was I'll be happy when I've lost weight. But, now that she has lost the weight she still isn't happy with the way she looks. Instead, she hopes she will finally be happy after losing twenty more pounds and getting her excess skin removed. But will she actually be happy then or will she find something else that needs to change before she can feel good about the way she looks? 

She spoke for a good 45 minutes, but here is a two sentence run down of her talk - being fat stops you from doing the things you want, like wearing skinny jeans, going to prom, having fun, being pretty, having a boyfriend, feeling sexy, being happy, loving yourself, etc. So, you should love yourself enough to lose weight so that you can have those things.

If I could waive a magic wand and change her speech up, this is what it would sound like --

We live in a society that shames fat women and makes them feel like they can't wear skinny jeans, go to prom, have fun, be pretty, have a partner, feel sexy, be happy, or love themselves. But, all of these things are possible at any weight. I'm happy that I've started eating healthier and being more physically active because I'm less concerned about my health and it makes my every day life is easier. But, now that I've lost 87 pounds and I'm still preoccupied with my weight and still too self conscious to wear what I want to wear, I see that true self-worth doesn't come from a number on a scale or the size of your jeans. 

ANYWAYS, my rant is over. Are you a fan of the biggest loser? What do you think about the show? Do you think Amanda is a good role model? What do you think self-worth should be based on?

Good News!

I've been on pins and needles the last few weeks waiting for an offer and one finally came on Wednesday. The placement I interviewed at on Tuesday offered me a spot and I accepted right away! I'm so relieved to finally have this mess taken care of. I can finally breathe easy and start focusing on other aspects of my life again. 

I'm really excited for next year. I'll be doing neuropsychological assessment with an adult population. So, clients will come in for evaluations for a variety of different reasons, such as traumatic brain injury, dementia, adhd, or neurological conditions. But, pretty much everyone will be there to determine their level of cognitive functioning (e.g., memory, processing speed, language abilities, etc.,). It will be my job to administer the assessments and then write up the results for the patient and their doctor (all under supervision of board certified neuropsychologists, of course).

So, a BIG thank you to each of you. Reading your words of encouragement really boosted my confidence and I think that helped me approach the interview feeling cool, calm, and collected. In honor of my success, I want to share with you some of the inspirational images I've found on pinterest. If you are following me, you know that I have a whole pin board devoted to words and these are some of the images that I have found especially encouraging.

via modernemotive.com

via weheartit.com

via quote-book.tumblr.com

I hope everyone has a lovely friday! I'll be working as a mental health representative at a campus event tonight. What are your weekend plans? Do you have any recent successes that you want to share?

Happy Engage-iversary To Us!

On the way home I was writing a post in my head about picture frames. But, who wants to hear about picture frames when there are surprise roses to talk about?

I was so focused on getting to work early today to finish up a project that it completely slipped my mind that today is our engage-iversary! I am so lucky to have a husband who doesn't forget about how special and important February 9th is to us. Not only did he surprise me with flowers, but he cooked dinner, stocked the fridge with my favorite food, and and wrote me the sweetest note.

These past few months I've been amazed at how much I love being married and surprised at how grateful I've felt. Neill brings so much into my life and every day I feel lucky that two years ago - on February 9th, 2009 - he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

Katie Makkai - Pretty

This is such a beautiful video - it brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it. I hope you like it too!

New Years Resolutions

A  few days ago I shared that I created my new years resolutions based on where I want to be a year from now. Come 2012, I'd like:

+ to have my master's degree
+ to have strong relationships with friends, family, and Neill
+ to be financially secure
+ to be healthy
+ to be happy

I want my resolutions to go farther than just simply stating my intentions though. I want my resolutions to be a plan for how to get there. For example, it is easy to say that I'm determined to be financially secure in 2011. But, this doesn't speak to what this means or my plans for achieving this goal. So, I've created a few action steps to help me reach each goal.

In order to have my master's degree I will stay committed to my research. This means that I will work on it at least once every week, even if this means not getting my classwork done. It is more important to me to finish my thesis than to get straight As (although those are pretty fun too), so when necessary I will put my own research first.

In order to have strong relationships with friends, family, and Neill I will work on creating more time for my VIPs.  I'm pretty good at giving Neill lots of face time, but I need to work on staying connected to my friends and family. This year, I plan to renew my efforts to keep in touch with my friends and family. For example, I'd like to invite my father over for dinner once a month. Besides making more time to see people, I want to work on being a better friend. This means showing up for the important events and returning phone calls-something I'm terrible at! 

In order to be financially secure we will pay my credit cards off in full every month and save a minimum of 10% of all of our income. Because we are supported by Neill's income, I want to make sure we maintain an 8 month emergency fund. Plus, it is my personal goal to make the maximum contribution to my Roth IRA ($5,000). Furthermore, I want to learn more about finances. In 2010 I read two of Suze Orman's books (I love her) and this year I plan to read more on the topic. These are some lofty goals, but Neill and I take our financial security very seriously.

In order to be healthy I am going to focus on health--not just weight. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I want to drop the weight I gained after Neill and I tied the knot. But, being healthy is so much more than losing the poundage. I want to be healthy not just to see the size on my jeans drop; I want to be healthy so that I can enjoy the rest of my life. To do this I want to focus on healthy eating, physical activity, and educating myself on these things.

In order to be happy I'm going to follow through on my plans! And when I stumble, I will be kind to myself :)  Hot cocoa and marshmallows are surely the first steps to the road of happiness, right?

Happy New Year!

In just a few more hours 2010 will be officially over and a brand new year will have begun. I'm looking forward to ringing in the new year with my husband's family and my adorable niece.

For me, the start of a new calender year is a reminder to make purposeful decisions about how I want to live my life. I like the idea of a fresh start, new beginnings. A clean slate.

I was skimming through The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People the other day and I was struck by the second habit - Begin With the End in Mind. The basic suggestion is that we should figure out where we want to be and then work backwards to develop a plan of how to get there. For me, developing a plan on how to get to where I want to be in the end is daunting, but it seems easier to create a specific plan when thinking just a year from now. This year, I want my new year's resolutions to reflect my end-goal. By beginning with the end in mind, I'm hoping that I will be able to stay focused on my intentions.

So, what is my end goal? In a year from now I want . . .
+ to have my master's degree
+ to have strong relationships with friends, family, and Neill
+ to be financially secure
+ to be healthy 
+ to be happy

In a few days, I'll share what my resolutions are and how they will get me to my end goal. Until then,  I hope you have a happy and safe NYE!

Celebrating Christmas for Jewish Girls : A Guide (Part II)

In Part I, I described what I would call the interfaith low point of our relationship. I was angry that Neill knew nothing about Judaism and unsure if he could ever "get it." I'm not quite sure what Neill was feeling at this point. My guess is that he was probably feeling confused ("Why is she so angry about this? What is the big deal?") and frustrated (Why is she acting like I'm a bad person or that this is my fault?"). But, I think there might have also been a part of him that understood where I was coming from to some extent. Having grown up as an ethnic minority in a predominantly White area, Neill knows a thing or two about being the odd man out.

image

In this post, I want to focus on how we got from Point A to Point B. I am writing this not only to reflect on our relationship, but also with the hopes that others going through the same thing might be able to take something useful from this.

How I Made Our Interfaith Relationship Work For Me*

+Being Honest With Myself

Even at 19 I was aware there were certain things that I would be unable to compromise on in regards to religion. For example, I felt strongly that my future children be raised in the Jewish faith and culture (i.e., no going to Church one week and Synagogue the next). I was honest with myself about what I felt were my deal breakers and I didn't even pretend to want to compromise on these.

+Being Honest with Neill

Given that there were issues I knew I could not compromise on, I directly asked Neill about his views and was honest with him about where I stood from early on in our relationship. I believe the conversations went something like this,

Me: Do you want kids?
Neill: Sure, one day. I love kids.
Me: Great. Just so you know - if I ever have kids they will be raised Jewish. Okay?
Neill: Um. Okay.

It probably wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that I interrogated him about his beliefs. Somehow, Neill managed to pass! But if he hadn't? I don't think I would have stuck around. I feel bad saying this, but it just wouldn't have made sense for me to invest my time and energy. For example, one of my deal-breakers was the belief that Christianity is the one true religion. Why would I be with someone who looked down on my religion?

It's worth noting that the process of being honest with myself and with Neill is not something that you can just check off your list and be done with. It is a continuous process. Plus, people's feelings on religion can change. Now that we are married I obviously wouldn't run in the opposite direction if Neill decided to recommit himself to the Church (at least not right away), but if that ever happened we would have A LOT of issues to work out.

+Letting Go of The Anger/ Finding my Sense of Humor 

Ohhh my good friend anger. It was hard to let you go, but I'm so glad I ditched you at the curb. 

Why did I have so much anger in the first place? The answer to that is much more complex than I can adequately describe here, but I'll share the key pieces of information. My grandfather on my father's side was a Holocaust survivor. He escaped from Austria and came to the United States, but the majority of his family did not survive. Obviously, this experience drastically changed my grandfather's world view and to a large extent his view of Christians. This was passed down to my father who then passed it down to me. But, by the time I was 19 I could see that this anger had not served my father well. Anger, unless put to good use, rarely does.

That's not to say that some of that old anger doesn't pop up once in a while. Now, however, I direct my anger at systems - not people. For example, instead of: "I'm angry at Neill" it is "I'm angry that there are school systems in our country that do not educate their students about Judaism and other world-religions." I fully believe that people are a product of their environment and so redirecting my anger in this manner is consistent with my values. Furthermore, statements such as this are more productive in that they suggest institutions that need reform instead of just raging at one individual. 

The second part of letting go of my anger at Neill was finding a reaction to take its place. For me, it really helped to approach situations with a sense of humor. Joking about our differences can sometimes help bring us together.  

image

+Involving Neill in My Family's Traditions

Whew! After all of that hard work, we are finally getting to the fun part! Once we figured out that Neill was willing to learn and I was willing to teach, it was time to get down to celebratin'. In thinking about what was really important to me, I decided that I didn't care whether or not Neill had a large body of knowledge about Judaism. In general, what mattered most to me was that he got my flavor of Judaism. In other words, I wanted him to understood my beliefs, my culture, and my faith much more than I wanted him to know factual information on the religion.  

And what better way to learn than by doing? Sure, Neill was like a deer in headlights his first time at a Passover seder, but now after a few go-arounds through a haggadah he is a pro!

I remember the first time we went to celebrate Chanukah at my mom's house we practiced the Chanukah song in the car the whole way there. Now, fast forward five years. This past Chanukah, Neill blew my socks off by being able to SING THE HEBREW prayers for lighting the menorah ALL BY HIMSELF. Yep. Pretty amazing, right?

And of course, Neill took an immediate liking to the food. But, I guess it is pretty hard to not like a bagel with cream cheese and lox :)

image

+Clearly Communicating Expectations
This is last, but certainly not least! I don't think I can over-stress how important this was to making things work. Because we are still figuring out how we want to celebrate these holidays and developing our own traditions, we still have to communicate about our plans. But, sometimes I have this nasty habit of thinking that Neill should just magically know what I want (example: "What do you mean you didn't know I wanted you to cancel band practice so that you could be home all 8 nights of Chanukah????"). So, I have to work doubly hard at making sure I communicate what I want. This means that I have to first decide what I want in advance. For me, this can be the most difficult part! But, I appreciate that it helps me be more purposeful in how I celebrate the holidays. I've found that if I can clearly communicate with Neill about what I'd like, Neill is usually more than happy to make that happen.

image

 So there you have it - the five things I think are the vital elements to our interfaith relationship: honesty with self, honesty with partner, having a sense of humor, involving your partner in family traditions, and communication. 

With all of these things coming together, Neill and I have been able to successfully navigate our interfaith world. In fact, the longer we are together the less it feels like we even are an interfaith couple! If you take away the labels of "Jewish" or "Christian", we have more beliefs in common than not. And when we pray, I believe we are praying to the same God. Plus, as Neill has become more invested in celebrating Jewish holidays, I've found myself becoming more open than I ever thought I would be to celebrating the Christian holidays in our home.

In Part III, the last installment, I'm going to talk about how we are bringing the Christmas cheer into our home for the very first time!


*I can't really speak to how Neill came to terms with our interfaith relationship.

Planning A Last Minute Chanukah Party

Happy (almost) Chanukah! This year I've committed myself to lighting the candles every single night - something I haven't done in years. Even though lighting the candles only takes a few moments, the hustle and bustle of day to day life make it easy to skip a night here and there. So this year I've been proactive -- I've rescheduled meetings, informed my professors that I won't be able to make my evening classes, and asked Neill to shift around his schedule as well. It feels good to make time for celebrating the holiday together. 

Unfortunately, with Chanukah coming so close to Thanksgiving this year I've barely had any time to prepare! But, I'm determined to have my parents over one night so we can all celebrate together. Thankfully, we already have a menorah and candles so the only thing I need to take care of is the menu.

My aunt and me frying latkes together

 I've decided to make two kinds of latkes - potato and zucchini (my personal favorite). To make the latkes feel extra special (and taste extra delicious!) we'll have a "toppings bar" of sour cream, applesauce, cavier, and creme fraiche. I'd also like to make noodle kugle and a simple roasted veggie. And now here is where things get sinfully easy, we'll be taking some help from the grocery store and serving a gussied up pre-made rotisserie chicken.  Since latkes, the real star of the show, require a fair amount of "hands on" time I figured I'd give myself a break with the chicken. Fortunately, the traditional Chanukah dessert is also easy - jelly donuts! 

Neill forming the latke

latkes frying up

In case there are any other MOT (members of the tribe) out there who are planning a last-minute Chanukah meal, here is a comprehensive shopping guide for the menu above. The ingredients are based off of recipes you can find here, but there are a ton of recipes online and they all call for basically the same things.  Also, if you are missing the basics you'll need to pick up a menorah, candles, and a dreidel.

Happy Chanukah!


You need . . . .

Vegetable Oil

Salt and Pepper

1 lemon

10 large eggs

3 small onions

3 large baking potatoes (each should be about 1 pound)

1 pound of zucchini

1/2 cup matzo meal

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 pound wide egg noodles

2 cups sugar

2 pounds full-fat cottage cheese (large curd)

2 sticks of butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

Salt to taste

Sour cream

Applesauce

1/2 pint of creme friache

Cavier (whatever is in your budget - I'll probably go with salmon roe)

2 rotisserie chickens

A few sprigs of fresh herbs for garnish

6 jelly donuts

Fresh vegetables 

Chanukah gelt (chocolate coins)

Life Gets Better

I decided to take a trip down memory lane today and think about where I was at this time last year. I think my blog post from October 25th, 2009 says it all:

"FML


i woke up at 6 am to grade papers".

And that was a Sunday!

It is easy for me to get caught up in complaining about how hard x,y, and z is (mainly because I'm a wimp), so it is nice to have this very real reminder that things are actually pretty good for me right now. Life gets better. Sure, it probably gets worse too - at least sometimes. But, I believe that eventually everything will even out. Last year on this date I had to wake up ungodly early on the weekend to get some grading done, but this year I got to sleep in and spend all day working from home. And by working, I mean avoiding my real statistics work to blog and think about dinner.   

twice baked potato for dinner. yes please! image source.

What were you doing this time last year?

Potbelly's Sandwich Works (Wicker Park)

Eating Potbelly's is like going home. In fact, if they had televisions that played Law and Order: SVU I would be very tempted to make this place home.

Because, seriously, what more do you need than a wreck, salt and vinegar chips, and one of their delicious (diet) cream sodas. food orgasm in my mouth. I suggest starting with a few bites of the wreck, then move to a swig of cream soda, and top it off with a chip or two. Enjoy and repeat.

If you want to treat yourself, get one of their big soft cookies. And if you *really* want to treat yourself, get one of their luscious ice cream sandwiches made aforementioned cookies.