Learning to improvise

Recently I was back in Chicago for two weeks. It was a big errand-fest and eat-a-thon with a weekend in NYC thrown in.

On the errand side, I sold a bunch of stuff on ebay and repacked what's left of my Chicago stash. The day before I left, I did my taxes (full disclosure: Rudy did them) and then I cried quietly in a corner when it was revealed how much I owed the IRS. I was too sad to even shake my fist.

Eat-wise, I ate tacos and pizzas and burgers and ribs and brisket and fries and incredible peking duck. Man, I miss Chicago food. In New York, I had dinner with Jessi in Brooklyn and lunch with Jess at Cafe Habana. Mmm, corn. We had tapas at a place called Boqueria too. I love that when I hang out with them it's like traveling back in time. Jess and I are in our early 20s shopping at Century 21, and Jessi and I have snuck out of the office to get a coffee and gossip.

I also did some very Chicago things. Like shop at the Gap. Okay, that doesn't count. How about like go to an ice hockey game at the United Center. It was my first time seeing ice hockey live and I got a lot of confused looks from the Blackhawks fans. As in "Why is an Asian girl at an ice hockey game?" It was the same eerie feeling I got when I went to the U.S. versus Honduras World Cup qualifier match. People looked at me like I was wearing Forehead Tittaes.

Oh man, this should have been at the top of the post: I hit a video poker jackpot at the Horseshoe casino! I won $425 on a 5 cent machine! The elderly people at nearby machines were totally burning with jealousy. I smiled so much that night my face hurt.

And I almost forgot. I walked by a haggard-looking David Schwimmer in Soho. I wonder what it's like to walk around so rich and not give a damn?

The main piece of news from my trip though -- and this is where I switch to a serious tone of voice -- is that I gave up my status as a full-time employee at my company in Chicago. Bye bye, safety net. But the big reason for that was so I could sign on as a contractor instead.

Hellooo, back-up plan.

Comments

[Jessi]

I think the fact that one would have to go through life as David Schwimmer cancels out being rich.