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2005-04-18 - 12:50 p.m.
Big city? I'm feeling a little grouchy today. I have PMS, my throat is a little scratchy, I have a lot to do at work that isn't quite as fun as usual. We're out of groceries because we were in Wisconsin all weekend and didn't get back until 10pm yesterday, so I had nothing for either breakfast or lunch. I'm just generally a little more emotionally fragile than usual. I bought my favorite shirt of all time this morning -- I got my wallet out of my purse and put it on my desk so I could use my credit card. Then I went to Goodwin's to get something comforting and healthy for lunch. All the way down the elevator, I was thinking to myself, "Am I forgetting something? I have my purse and my key card. No, I can't be forgetting anything." I ordered from the friendly sandwich-making-people, and walked over to the cash register to pay. And (did you see it coming?) my wallet wasn't in my purse. I turned to the owner guy who had been helping make the sandwiches and said, "I forgot to put my wallet back in my purse -- I'll run and get it and I'll be back in 10 minutes." He replied, "Oh, you're a regular* here. Would you rather just stop in and pay for it later?" Ummm... wow. I didn't think anyone did that kind of thing anymore. Trust? In 2005? I told him I'd be back in a few hours (it's right on my way to the client site, so it's not difficult for me to run back in), and took my sandwich back to my desk and enjoyed the heck out of it. *I'm really not that much of a regular. I try my hardest to bring my lunch because it's just so darn expensive to eat in the Loop. Or to eat out every day anywhere. Plus, while there are a lot of healthy choices (Goodwin's and Windy City Wraps come to mind), they're often more expensive than the unhealthy options. But since I'm an idiot (as has previously been established), I tend to leave my lunch on my kitchen counter. Or just forget that I need a lunch. So I probably stop in there every couple of weeks or so. Wisconsin It was nice. Relaxing, lots of beer and food, spending time with my husband and dog without law school stuff stressing us all out. The dog had so much fun playing, running, and swimming with my in-laws' dog he slept the entire 3 1/2 hour drive home. I woke him up purposely once because he hadn't moved in so long I thought he might be dead. He woke up when we got to downtown Chicago and sat up, looked around, and woozily slumped back down. I want to trade places with my dog. Best Husband of the Year Award goes to... ...mine! (Surprise. Were you expecting someone else?) The other day (Thursday, I think?), he was on his laptop sitting on the couch and yelled, "Fuck!" I asked him what was wrong and he looked a bit concerned. "Well, I'm not sure how much I can tell you without giving it away, but I ordered you a present. And the connection shut down as I hit 'Confirm' so I ordered again. And the website says that you can't cancel orders or return things, you can only get exchanges." Me (out loud): Oh, that sucks. Maybe you could call them?
Me (in my head): WHHEEEE! A PRESENT! On Friday, he told me that the company had sent him an email saying that they routinely check to avoid duplicate orders and so they had cancelled one of his orders. He was very happy. At this point, I couldn't contain my curiosity, so I asked him why he had gotten me a present. My birthday isn't until October, our anniversary isn't until June, and there aren't really any other gift-giving holidays in between. His answer? "Well, I've been wanting to get you something to let you know how much I appreciate what you put up with. I try not to use law school as an excuse, but I know I do and I know a lot of the extra crap falls on you. So this is just a thank you for everything you do for me." Obviously, I cried. And then he laughed at me because I cried. Then when we got back on Sunday night, he checked the mail and came in with a package! He said, "I know you're not good at waiting for presents, so just let me open it and take out the receipt."
Me (in my head): PRESENT! YAY!
Him: Okay, it looks small, but that's because it's women's-cut so you can show off your hotness while wearing it."
And he pulls this freaking adorable Chicago Cubs jersey from behind his back. AWWWW!!! Cool Thing #1: He was going to get Corey Patterson's** number on the back, but since it's a replica jersey not authentic the numbers would have been blue instead of blue with red edging and also the Cubs no longer have last names on the back of their home jerseys. So it wouldn't look authentic if he had gotten the name and number on the back. Therefore, he knows where to order just the numbers and will have them put on the back. Cool Thing #2: Since the jersey is cut for women, it has a little strip of Velcro where the boobs are. So that it doesn't get that nasty little gappy button area and make me look fatty. It is pretty tight, but in a good, cute way. **My favorite player on the Cubs. Love him. But some constructive criticism in case he's reading: dammit, Corey, stop striking out and bunt more! I will love you more if you do, I promise! Speaking of baseball... If anyone has requests for an installment of my Baseball for Casual Fans series, email me. If your hard-core baseball fan friend has been saying something you don't understand but you don't want to look silly? Let me know. I'll explain it (hopefully) without making your eyes glaze over. I'm of the firm opinion that baseball is NEVER boring, you just have to know enough about it to be able to enjoy it. Football, basketball, even hockey and soccer -- you can generally follow them and enjoy it without knowing the intricacies of the game. Baseball, though, needs a little mental effort. The next installment, later this week, will be a quick history of Chicago baseball with sections on why the fans of the two teams don't get along and why Chicago hasn't had a championship for nearly 100 years.
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