If the shoe fits...

Oh, Chicago

I thought I knew where I was going thanks to my CTA trip planner notes I had in my pocket. I bundled up thinking I was ready to battle against the wind and snow outside. I look down thinking I probably should have thought twice about my high-heeled boots. Too late.

I go through the revolving doors and there it is. The great Chicago weather wraps my body. I should have worn my tights under my pants and why the hell did I forget my gloves?

I finally make it to the red line somehow and I haven’t been happier to see that subway station, away from the wind and snow. I transfer at Jackson and head to the blue line. I’m greeted my the sound of a street musician, he says his name is Solow as he starts rapping to a catchy beat.

I hop on my train and I sit across from a 20 something year old guy who can’t stop digging in his nose and having a snack with it. GROSS..

At last I get to Grand Ave. Oh no I think, it’s the confusing street. Sure enough, every time I come up from the subway there’s never anyone in sight to ask for directions. Why do so many streets have to cross at one point?

I start walking hoping it’s the right way. At last I see an older man coming out of a building for a smoke. I know he can tell I’m lost as I hold my directions in hand. He asks me how he can help me before I can.

Sure enough, I’m walking the wrong way. He begins to walk with me and surprisingly we have a decent stranger conversation. I made it to my meeting just in time and if it wasn’t for that man I probably would have been late.

I’m not a big fan of the weather but it’s people like him that make Chicago so awesome.

getting my passport

So I recently went to the Mexican Consulate in Chicago. The last time I was there was when I had to get my green card, which seems like ages ago thanks to my fabulous picture. My eyebrows looked like Frida Kahlo’s and my horrendous turtle neck takes up more space in the picture than my face. Either way I had been dreading this visit because I knew it would take forever and I would have to wake up early.

Since I was born in Mexico, I can’t simply get my passport emailed to me. I have to go to an office and get it there. First off, I had to go through a waste-of-a-time phone call in order to make an appointment. They had me on hold longer than I would have wanted. The lady was rude and for some reason she kept calling me ‘senora’ which means Mrs., even after I told her I was single.

But that was only the beginning. I had to wake up around 6 a.m. on my appointment day to get there before the crowd. This place is on the west side and I live on the south side. If I would take the bus it would had been like a 2-hour commute! Lucky for me I was able to get a ride.

So I get there thinking I’ll be the first in line. To my surprise, there were like 100 people in front of me! I had taken a couple of reading assignments so it didn’t seem that bad at first. The first check point I went through was to make sure I had all the necessary documents and pointless copies of every one of them.

I was then sent to the basement where I waited for another good hour to get my finger prints taken and my pass to pay for my passport. I thought I had enough money to extend it for another six years but to my luck, I was $5 short. I could only get the three year one.

After I paid it off I had to sit there and wait for another hour and a half so I could pick it up. I left there three hours later with a headache. I hate that place. There has to be an easier way to go through that process without killing three hours of ones life.

I truly hope I’m a citizen by the time I have to renew my passport again.

podcasts

I’ll be honest here, I’ve never downloaded a podcast until I knew we had an assignment for it. I know what they are and I see them on most of the sites that I visit but they never really appealed to me and I never found them necessary.

But this week I subscribed to three podcasts: VH1’s Best Week Ever, The Sarah Silverman Program and The Sound of Young America. These were the only three that I knew would interest me. After a long day, Sarah Silverman’s sketches are just what I need to make me laugh and forget about all my homework even if it’s just for a couple of minutes.

VH1’s Best Week Ever doesn’t fall behind either. It’s probably one of the shows I miss the most since I no longer have cable at my house.

And finally after hearing Jesse Thorn talk to us I decided to subscribe to his podcast and so far it’s been a good choice. I think eventually I’ll end up subscribing to more, but for now I’m giving these three a chance.

And we're friends?

I think I’ve said this before but I have had many of the same friends since high school and some since grammar school. One in particular has been my ‘best friend’ since high school. We have always lived two blocks away and thanks to my brother we have managed to stay in touch.

My brother started dating my best friend in high school. The weirdest moment was having him at my senior prom. Need I say more?

Either way, when she started dating my brother, our friendship began changing. She wold always talk about my brother and I no longer was her go to when she needed to talk. Yep, I felt left out.

It’s been three years since all that and now they are engaged. I’ve gotten over being the second person she talks to when she needs something but she has become a different person. I hate to say it but my brother is very controlling. It’s gotten to the point that he doesn’t let her hang out with me without him being there.

It’s sad to see her not fight back and have some type of freedom. This past weekend I heard from my brother that her grandma was diagnosed with cancer. I know it might not be the easiest thing to talk about to people but I know she won’t tell me unless I tell her first. Maybe I’m just the one with the problem and needs to move on.