Life lately.

 

I’ve been boring lately.

Really, truly, boring.

I’m not going to complain about it because being boring has been entirely my choice. I could be at Carnival with my friend Matt right now. I could be in Ecuador learning to surf with Chris. I could even be living on one of my friends’ couches in the city.

But, instead, I’m living in the suburbs. Staying with my mom. Without a car. Enduring one of the worst winters Chicago’s ever seen.

It’s a certain version of hell.

Besides a zoo, my town, the town I grew up in, has nothing of note.

There’s a small grocery store that fulfills all my canned goods needs, there’s the coffee shop that is completely empty after 10am except on Sundays when the church crowd comes in, there’s that one pizza place I eat lunch at several times per week, that one Chinese take-out place I order from almost every Friday night, and there’s a spattering of restaurant/bars with an exhilarating menu of reheated frozen food. Going anywhere else involves either walking for a really long time (in sub zero temperatures or however many feet of snow, mind you) or taking a train that only comes once an hour on a good day (sometimes only once every three hours.)

But, I’m saving money. And, right now, that is taking precedence over anything else.

In January I was offered a month of work at my old job, the one I quit to travel the world. And I took it. A week ago I was offered at least a month more. And I took that too. Because, why the hell not? It’s money. And for the first time in over a year I will be able to pay off my credit card in full. So when I do leave again I won’t have that unnecessary debt hanging over my head.

Besides work though, I don’t really do all that much right now. In my spare time I’ve been getting personal projects done: going through my stuff to see what else I can sell, scanning old photos, updating all my websites. But, really, a lot of times, I just come home from work mentally exhausted and sit on the couch watching tattoo artist reality shows.

I flip through Tinder and match up with men. Some who actually seem cute and nice. Some who just ask me to come over for pizza and sex. But the thought of meeting any of them, taking a train to the city, taking a train back, overwhelms me, so I just avoid any mentions of getting together. Besides, if I were to spend a night out I would want to see my actual friends. Who I’m not seeing much of.

 

Well, pizza and sex is the key to my heart…

 

Once I pay off my credit card for good I’ll hopefully get a little more exciting again. Maybe I’ll finally book another ticket out of here. Maybe I’ll ask a friend if I can crash on her couch so I can feel like I’m doing…something. Maybe I’ll have something to write about.

Give me a few more weeks.

To be fair though, I have managed to drag myself out of the house a bit, so here’s a little recap of some random things I’ve been up to over the past few months:

 

Me: It’s good. Jeremy: When I ask how my food is, I want criticism. Val: OK, it sucks.

 

My first strip club!!!

 

When you order a large espresso drink at Star Lounge they instead give you two smaller ones. Which is completely awesome for a girl like me who can drink a large mocha in a minute. So when I go there I can drink a smaller mocha in 30 seconds. Wait a while. Then drink another one in thirty seconds. And convince myself that I’m pacing myself.

 

Pork hash at Bite Cafe.

 

I may have bought a pink iPhone. Then I may have covered it in a pink case.

 

I dyed my hair again. (And again.)

 

My friend Emily invited some of us over for a girly night of wine, pizza, and Christmas movies starring Santa Claus, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and robots…

 

I helped Mat cheat at a gingerbread making contest.

 

I went to the Brookfield Zoo with my nephews.

 

The Chicago Travel and Adventure Show was nowhere near as exciting as World Travel Market.

 

Me: “What kind of poison is your Poison Berry Cocktail made from?” David Burke’s Primehouse bartender: “Arsenic.”

 

A meet up for Meet Plan Go.

 

Mom: “Did you mix up the sugar and the salt?” Me: “No, they’re sea salt cookies.”

 

I order all the Chinese food.

 

I went to a Super Bowl party where I tried to eat as many mini hot dogs as I could…and made some new friends.

 

Pork belly pancake and tempura mashed potatoes at Little Goat Diner.

 

There is no rule against fighting on the escalator at Second City. Just sayin’.

 

My friend Glen had a tasting party for the beers he brewed. I particularly liked the cat beer.

 

Gouda morning burger at Hamburger Mary’s.

 

My nephew is five. Five!

 

My friends at Glutton Force Five were on Food Network’s Food Court Wars…and they won a space in a food court for the next year!

 

I survived the snow. At least, for now.

 

So at least I’m getting out sometimes. Right?

Until I become interesting again…is there anything you want me to write about? “Bad decisions,” travel stories, life events? Do you have any questions for me about me, my life, my travels, my anything? I feel like I’ve been neglecting my blog this year so far. So if there anything you’d like to hear about, please leave me a note in the comments!