Bye!

I wanted to have this whole "reflection" post on the past year, but I have no time. I have to meet my friends for brekkie very soon.

Just wanted to say I love you all! I love all the friends I've met here and everyone back home who supported me through everything this year.

Just quickly, if I were to look back on this year, I would definately say it was great. I'll expand on that when I get the chance.

Love you all!

It's starting to hit me...

... that I'm actually leaving on Saturday. :'(



I had a chat with Jack this evening about how much I love him and how much he means to me. I'm going to miss him so much, and I know he's going to miss me too. It's really hard.



I've also been packing hardcore tonight. I've had one suitcase packed for about two weeks, but am now packing and repacking to try and have everything fit and make sure it's under 50 pounds each.



Remember one year ago? I was here. It's even worse now, because I wasn't worried about the weight of my luggage back then because I actually had money. I actually have less clothes than when I came here, because I shipped a few things home and also threw out a whole bunch that doesn't fit me any more (damn you, dryer!) and a whole bunch I just don't wear now. I wish I hadn't decided to go to San Francisco now because it's causing all sorts of issues. I'm just going to put my heaviest stuff in my carry-on if it's an issue.



I have so much to do tomorrow as well! ARGH! Why do I always PROCRASTINATE?!

I just realised I've never blogged about this. This has GOT to be my favourite commercial. I have no idea why it cracks me up - maybe it's the last "The world", but I just think it's gold. It's not funny in a slapstick way, but in a, "My GOD, it's snickers!" way. Anyway, I've loved it since I first came here.

Baseball Butts

Damn technology!! Had a post all written and started uploading my pics only to have the computer freeze.

Anyway, John had given me tickets to go see a Cubs game at Wrigley field, something I was so grateful for because I really had wanted to go to a game badly. I took Judith, Natalia and Vera with me, so it was definately a good night out!


The girls on the train.


Me on the train.


Vera, Natalia and I.

The title of this post refers to the arses on the players. We spent the whole game discussing their butts. I don't know if it's the uniforms, or the type of training they have to do, but it really works in their favour. =)







A game goes for 9 innings, but if the scores are tied it goes until someone gets another home run. We stayed until the 12th inning, and realised that we needed to get on the train. The next day we found out that the Pirates beat the Cubbies in the 15th inning 4-3. Damned Pirates!!!!!

It was a good night all round. Some drama getting home, and I was buggered the next day, but it was well worth it.

Second Last Weekend

So, here's a recap of my weekend:

Went out with Vera on Friday night for dinner. We are complete losers, because after dinner we went to Starbucks, had a coffee, and it was still only 9pm. We decided to hire a video so we went to Blockbuster and there was nothing we wanted, so we went to THE LIBRARY to get a DVD from there. Like I said: LOSERS.

Saturday morning I had breafast with Judith because she was working from 12 to 9. We had a mini roadtrip to find the bloody place because this country has the annoying habit of sometimes not putting street signs up and just putting numbers up instead, so if you don't know that Elmhurst Rd is also Route 83, then you might just drive past it, like we did. =) We eventually found it in the usual fashion - you know, just after you've given up on the place.

After that we went to Starbucks and wandered around my suburb a bit. It's just too cute. I'm going to miss this place.

That evening we were having a little going-away dinner for myself, and as usual I had forgotten about it (it was only sprung on me on Thursday) and had to call people to see if they could come. Only 4 people could come on such short notice: Andrea, Vera, Miriam and her visiting friend from Germany, Theresa. It was still a good night though. Frances can kind of go overboard on the whole getting ready and presentation thing, especially since it was so casual, but it was still nice.

Sunday I went downtown with Miriam and Theresa. We had Chicago-style hotdogs from Portillos and went up the John Hancock building.





After that we went to Chinatown, which was pretty sad, as it, "That's IT?"




We ended the day with a trip to Buckingham Fountain, which unfortunately, was still not turned on.

You may recall the opening credits to Married... With Children. Well, this was the fountain that was used.

That night I drove John to the airport. He's going to the Middle East for a couple of weeks. Yes, that's right - I probably won't see him again before I leave. It was so weird. It really doesn't feel real. He said lots of really nice things to me, that I was a good au pair and such, but I'm sure he says that to all the au pairs. Lol.

So that was my weekend. Well, apart from Judith and I trying to find a Starbucks that was open late on a Sunday night, and settling for a vomit-inducing thickshake at a nasty chain-diner instead.

OMG!!!

I stayed up late to watch the 11pm repeat of today's Oprah episode............

AND THERE WAS A HUGE CLOSEUP OF JUDITH AND I!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not joking!! There were only 3 glimpses of people in the audience, and Judith and I had the biggest one. I looked like shit! Judith looked great, as usual, even though she doesn't think so. OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!

OPRAH IS MY GOD!!!!

So, it's 9pm, I left the Oprah Show at 10am and I'm still riding on the high I got from being there. =)

It was AWESOME!

I had to leave at 5:30am (argh - apparently it's a real time - WTF?) to drive Judith and I downtown because we were worried about traffic. We got there really easily though and had time for Starbucks before we went in. We started lining up at about quarter to 7 and sat in the waiting room eating some "brunch biscuits", which turned out to be part of the show. They were actually quite good. Then we went into the stupio at about 8:30 and found out it would be a LIVE SHOW!!! Not only that but CARLSON KRESSLEY from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and some lady from the Food Network over here were going to be on the show!!!!!!!

So yes, to say I was excited was an understatement. Here's the show's premise stolen from the Oprah website:

In February 2007, Oprah teamed up with QVC, the world's largest televised shopping network, and launched her search for the next big idea.Over the next three months, more than 6,000 innovative men and women traveled to conventions in Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia to pitch their products.The inventors may have shared a common dream, but every idea was unique. The QVC judges saw everything from inventive ideas for the home—like a backyard breeze ceiling fan mister—to luxuries for the loo.Entrants had just 10 minutes to convince the judges that their ideas were best-sellers, but only eight could move on to the final round!Now, the final decision rests in the hands of Oprah's audience. To help them pick a winner, Oprah has brought in two celebrity judges who aren't afraid to speak their minds!

So yes. We saw all the products, then voted at the end.

Oprah looked awesome!

I totally heart her!

Those pics weren't mine cos our cell phones and cameras were taken out of our bags and checked in security, which is tighter than an airport!

Oh! And at the end, we were given $100 gift cards to QVC!!! Whoohooo! I've already spent $70 of mine. ;) On Smashbox cosmetics. There's not much else on there that I like. Hey, free's free!

So yeah, it was just awesome! And surreal. I just am SO HAPPY I managed to go there before I leave. Hell, I'm happy I managed to go there before I die!!!

SHITE

So, I've started packing, and all I can say is SHIT. I threw out A TONNE of clothes, and I've packed all the clothes that I'm sure I won't wear in the next 20 days (YES! 20 DAYS!), plus half the souvenirs I've bought for people. I realised as I was packing that I bought very few for myself, which I'm happy about. I decided soon after getting here that I'd buy a magnet from each place I go, and I've managed to do it so far, except for Pittsburgh, cos I couldn't find any I liked. ;)

So yes, the packing. The suitcase I packed is 46.4 pounds. The max for the American Airlines flight to SFO is 50pounds per bag. So that's all I can do for that one. The other bag is smaller, and somehow I'm going to have to try and fit all my shoes in, plus everything else.... EEK! Even after throwing some shoes out, I'm still left with 8 pairs to pack (already packed the ughs). I don't want to even THINK about my scrapbooking stuff....

All kinds of STUPID

So, Judith and I managed to have our big movies, pizza and drinks night on Saturday because her host mum was out of town and we were both free for once.

Here's where the "all kinds of stupid" part comes in.

We go to the supermarket to buy some alcohol, and because Judith's only 19, I buy it, obviously. Judith was just standing near the door waiting. So they ask to see my ID, then ASK TO SEE JUDITH'S!!! They refused to sell it to us because she didn't have her ID on her. I was just laughing in a "what a stupid country" type of way and we went to find a liquor store. But, I mean REALLY! I've gone shopping for alcohol back home and haven't had everyone with me questioned for their ID. It's bad enough that you have to be 21 here to drink, but to refuse to sell me alcohol because someone with me is under 21?? What if that was my sister and I was just hanging out with her? Sure, she's blonde and German - don't judge my family!!!

So yes, that was Saturday night. Saturday day was Jack's First Communion and John's family flew in from Pittsburgh and Frances' mum came down from Wisconsin. It was fun. Those of you I sent photos to, sorry about the size. I was just going to send them to Frances and John so they could print them (and that's the size the camera takes them at) so I thought I've loaded these buggers up, why don't I just add more email addresses. So I did. =)

I can DIE now!

Or, at least I can on Thursday after 12!

I JUST GOT TICKETS TO A TAPING OF OPRAH!!!!

*swoons*

Yes, that's right. After 11 months of trying, it's finally happened!

And to think, I was *this* close to giving up! But I didn't, and Oprah didn't fail me.

Now I'll be struck by lightning or something crap.

Art Institute of Chicago

Each museum has a day where entry is free, so Tuesday I went to the Art Institute. I don't know why I've waited so long! It was just fantastic.


I was lucky because they have an exhibit that ends in a week or two called "Chezzane to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde" so I was able to see that, and it was lovely.


Mostly I was just shocked that they have so many famous artworks in that gallery! I'm just going to post photos of my favourite paintings, and some that I just took because they're famous.

Monet:

American Gothic, Grant Wood:






Georgia O'Keefe:



Two Sisters (on the terrace), Renoir:




Here's some that I've forgotten the names of and their artists (I've got it all written down somewhere). I just really liked them:

Getting there....

I've been terribly lazy of late for no real particular reason, other than the fact that I procrastinated with the NY post which has just put me far behind, which makes it difficult to catch up... especially when you don't write ANYTHING! =)

I'll just talk about last week.

Last Sunday, 15th April, the weather was BEAUTIFUL! It really was perfect, especially since it was still quite chilly the week before. So a few of the girls and I went downtown to take advantage of the weather. We had no idea what to do, so Vera had the idea that we should go to the cultural centre and see if we could get a tour with one of the Chicago Greeters. I had never heard of this, so I was really excited. Let me just tell you, even if we had had to pay for the tour, it would still have been excellent value for money!

Our greeter was lovely and took us on an hour-long tour of the Loop, starting with the Cultural Center itself.

Not the world's best picture, but this is the Tiffany domed roof of the cultural centre. It's so exquisite!

Here is the view of Millenium park from inside the centre.

Here's us girls on State Street, that Great Street (Frank Sinatra, anyone?). All over Chicago, for Spring, there's tulips, which is MY FAVOURITE FLOWER. =) If the gorgeous weather weren't enough to make me happy, that would have pushed me way over the edge! L-R: Me, Miriam and Vera.

Our greeter took us on a tour of the famous artworks and sculptures in the Loop. This mosaic's by Chagall, titled 4 Seasons:

This is "Untitled" by Picasso, and everyone just refers to it as "The Picasso":

Apparently it's supposed to be of his second wife. If my husband made me this and said it was me, I'd be feeling a little insecure about my appearance. That is, until our guide showed us a different angle:

I would never have noticed this profile if it weren't for our wonderful guide!

Here's another sculpture across the road from The Picasso, but I forgot who made it:

After that, we went and got some free Garrett's popcorn after getting a voucher from our guide (it's way famous and very popular, especially after being named as one of Oprah's favourite things), and then went to hang out at the beach for awhile. It was really just the perfect Sunday!

My birthday

Sorry this post is so late - there's just been a whole lot of drama lately.

So here is the birthday post. I can honestly say this was the best birthday I've had in 6 years. Perhaps even more. It was just great.

EXCEPT THAT I WOKE UP AND IT WAS EFFING SNOWING!!! WTF???????? I've said it before and I'll say it again, whichever gods are up there, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM HATES ME.

Anyway, for my birthday we went to Medieval Times, somewhere I'd wanted to go ever since I saw the Cable Guy. Basically it's this big arena with a jousting performance in the middle. I thought it would just be that, but they have this whole story with a king and princess and wizard and bad-guy and all these knights competing to win. It's all pre-planned and incredibly well rehearsed. The winner is based on whose side cheers loudest. There are 6 knights and as you walk in you're given a paper crown with the colours of the knight that your section will be cheering for. We were cheering on the black and white knight.

They give you food to feast on while the knights are jousting and you eat it the way they ate it back in those days - with your hands. Too much fun.

So our knight didn't win, the yellow knight did, which was obvious from the start because their side cheered loudest cos it was a school group of teenagers. Don't worry though, our family did our knight proud. My voice was so hoarse by the end of the night. =)

I figure the best way to explain everything is just to put some pictures up and let you see for yourselves.


The procession of the knights.


Cheers!


Our b&w knight.


Judith and I striking a pose.


Part of the theatrics.


It's called a lance. Hello!


Go Black and White Knight!!!


More theatrics.


Mmmm... chicken! I wanted to pull the skin off and do a Jim Carry from The Cable Guy and say "silence.... of the laaaaambs", but I knew no one else would get it, and you guys probably don't either. =)


The hand-to-hand combat was so well choreographed! It was so much fun to watch.


Judith and I lookin' pretty.


My knight in shining armour..... that he took off and substituted for a dress.

So yes. Awesome night. I thought that was my present, and I was so grateful because it was expensive and they also let me take Judith along, but then on Saturday night we had a cake and they gave me some really good gifts. I was so surprised! It was an awesome birthday.

Drama last week was that one of the old au pairs emailed Frances to say they're sorry about hearing that she and John were getting divorced. So of course Frances went off at me, and all I could do was apologise. Meanwhile, I really do feel like I did nothing wrong. BACK IN JANUARY I had emailed Nicole, the previous au pair, asking for advice because John told me that they were getting divorced. She told this other au pair, Tina, and TINA WAITED 3 MONTHS to contact Frances about it. Bloody hell. Firstly, why would she wait that long to say anything, and secondly, why would she ask about it BEFORE THE PARTIES INVOLVED EVEN TOLD PEOPLE??????????? Hello?? It's called tact. Even if you heard about it, you wait until you're told by the people themselves. I know it might seem silly that I don't think I did anything wrong, but Frances doesn't know that John told me that they were splitting up, and I thought I'd better not get him in even more trouble, so I just said I noticed the tension and sought Nicole's advice on what I should do because I was worried about them breaking up when I'd only just gone through this with my parents.

I think things are OK now, or at least, Frances is acting like it's OK. I really don't care anymore. The day she received that email was the day I found out that my grandpa is in hospital very sick. I think my rock beats her scissors.

The Concert

So the Sunday I arrived home from New York I was due to drive Judith, Natalia and Andrea up to Milwaukee to go see a concert. Matt Kearney was headlining, but it was also featuring Rocco Delucca and the Burden, and The Feeling. I had no idea who Rocco Delucca and the Burden were, but I was obsessed with a few Matt Kearney and The Feeling songs so I had to go.

By the time I picked up the girls, my 2 hours' sleep wasn't an issue because I was at that point where you're beyond tired and have way too much energy and enthusiasm.

First thing we did when we got there was go to this pub called Moe's and eat some food (I was positively starving, because all I'd eaten all day was a cupcake from Magnolia's Bakery). Here's all us girls at the pub:

L-R: Andrea, Judith, Natalia and I.

The concert was great! Rocco Delucca and his band kicked it off, and even though I didn't know any of his music it was still my sort of stuff so I enjoyed it. Actually, I lie - I knew the last song, Colorful. I think it gets a lot of radio play.

Next up was my fave band of the moment: The Feeling.

This band's from England and their music is quite mellow at times, sometimes pop-ish, a bit rock. It's good stuff. Here's a link to their site where you can hear samples of their songs. My favourite songs are Sewn and Rose. They were so different in concert than how I imagined they'd be after hearing the album. They're actually rather theatrical and are great on stage. My photos didn't turn up that well, but here's another of their lead singer:

At the end of their set the drummer threw one of his drumsticks into the crowd, and it bounced off Judith's head and was coming straight for my eye, so I caught it. That was fun! =)

After The Feeling left, I went to the bathroom with Andrea during the break between bands and came back to find a group of the tallest guys in the entire world standing in front of us. Judith was furious. They'd apparently just walked in front of us and decided to just stand there. We'd had the perfect spot in the middle with no tall people in front. Not happy, Jan. I asked them if we could stand in front of them or something and they were like, "We'll work something out", but nothing ever came of it and we were stuck behind them. Bastards. We eventually managed to move around them to the side but it was still a crap view compared to what we had.

Anyway, Matt Kearney came out and he was fantastic!! Here he is with his band:

Yeah. It was just great. He sounded exactly like he did on the album (don't worry - no lipsynching) and he was so into the music. =) It was just awesome.

That's him close-up.

These photos are the only semi-good photos I have of Judith and I. Sorry if you don't like them, Judith, but they're the only nice-ish ones I have - send me yours!

Somewhere around 10:30 I started to feel the lack of sleep. Poor Judith - I was practically falling asleep on her standing up! The wave of exhaustion was like being hit by a train, it hit me with such a force and I was so unprepared. But soon after, it left, or I forced it away and I got back into the music.

I was worried about driving home, but it was fine. I knew that if I needed to, Judith would take over driving, but it was OK. I just karaoke-sang along to my ipod the entire way home and it kept me awake. I feel sorry for the other girls in the car though, lol.

So yes, Sunday, even though it started out so shit, had an awesome ending. =)