The Windy City

Alright, my sincerest apologizes for not blogging sooner, I was caught up in the whirl of work and trying to make plans. Now that I'm more settled, my plans are out the window and I will just be riding the wave from here on out. I'm known for stressing and over analyzing EVERYTHING so I need to focus on taking things as they come, not worrying about the future.

That said, this last month has been an emotional roller coaster, as all big life changes are. But unlike California, there has been more good days than bad! I love the city and its diverse melting pot of people. However, I am feeling much the same way I did in LA about audition life because it is a commitment to years of inconsistent work and I'm not sure I'm willing to dedicate my dance career to just that. I feel I'm stuck in two worlds, that of an academic and one of an artist. And I'm very picky on how I want them to intertwine.

With all these thoughts running freely in my head, I've begun to piece together a sort of tentative 5 year plan. I would like to return to ships to travel while saving money. On my vacations from this "work", I would do some traveling on my own through programs that work with animal conservation around the world. Eventually, I will return to school to, most likely, prepare myself for a career in animal rescue either with an organization, as a animal policewoman, or a scientist dealing with conservation. Or possibly even being a trainer or marine biologist.

I've made a list of things I want to do/see in the time I'm living in Chicago. Of course, most of them are the tourist things, but with the help of locals that I meet or friends that I have in the city, I'm also racking up a list of popular local things to do. :) My idea is to treat this like any other port that I'm visiting. Unfortunately, I don't have the same schedule as my roommates since none of them are unemployed dancers like me (ha ha) so....a lot of these adventures I will have to embark on my own. Sean challenged me to go to a movie by myself, something I argued I would NEVER do because I see it as an activity to do with friends or on a date. He told me to grow up. So, that was my first step towards my goal of soaking up this city. I went to Lion King 3D by myself. Yes, it was weird. Yes, I was slightly lonely and would have enjoyed some company. But I'm independent and I hold myself back if I wait for others to be ready to do the things I want to do. So, my second solo escapade was a trip to the Shedd Aquarium. This was spectacular because I have a real soft spot for animals. My eyes literally teared up because it was my first time seeing Beluga Whales. They were so cute. I was inspired by the live show, where they showed us how the trainers worked with the dolphins and the seals. Unbelievable. I think I would make an amazing dolphin trainer. The make it a game for the dolphins, with only positive reinforcement and treats. There's no whips, no cruelty like what I imagine happens in the circus. The point of the live show was not for our entertainment, the animals were under no pressure to preform. It was to educate us on the way the trainers work with the dolphins for stimulation and even for their own medical care. Dolphins will work on a behavior like laying its tail on the trainer's lap and allow the trainer to rub its tail. This is a training they repeat everyday, but once a month the trainer will draw blood from the tail for a check up, followed by the tail rub. This way, the dolphin knows exactly what to do and what to expect. It's genius.




Ok ok, let me stop rambling on about animals! I'll talk about people now. My roommates are all really cool and so different from me. Laura is my age, so a senior attending DePaul University. She is studying film and might look into marine videographer. I joked with her that she can film me working with dolphins. It could happen. She's also working on her scuba instructor certification. I suggested that if I book a cruise in the Caribbean, she can come scuba dive with me! Laura has the basement bedroom and I rarely see her but we try to make plans together. A few weeks ago we did a mini trip into the city and she showed me some amazing buildings and we has a fabulous dinner at Elephant and Castle, her favorite pub. I saw a few things on my list during this trip! 1. The giant reflective lima bean in the middle of Millennium Park where you can take awesome pictures of the skyline in a mirror. 2. The 26 foot tall Marilyn Monroe on Michigan Avenue, in her famous billowing white dress and "The Seven Year Itch" subway-grate stance. FABULOUS. 3. The Tribune Tower which encases various stones from around the world into its exterior limestone frame. It includes fragments of India's Taj Mahal, the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt, the Berlin Wall, the White House, and the Great Wall of China. The Tribune is loaded with hidden artifacts and I look forward to creating a scavenger hunt for myself! 4. A stroll down the Magnificent Mile. Of course. Michigan Avenue is prime shopping from couture Burberry, Armani, and Louis Vuitton to a few of my personal favs- Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, and Victoria's Secret. I have also found a new love, a fantastic find called Akira, exclusively in Chicago. From wacky boots to amazing apparel, its heaven. And on the cheap side! If only my aunts were here to appreciate my great discoveries!



Roomie 2 is Brooke. She lives across from me upstairs. Brooke graduated and is currently working a grown up, serious job to pay off college, but will be taking her LSATs this week! I remember when I thought I wanted to be a lawyer...HA glad I changed my mind! She is very smart and I love listening to her opinions on various topics from religion and politics to her small minded co workers. But, she has a very loud voice. Even when she is just talking with someone face to face, it's a bit overwhelming. And her laugh carries out around the room, and not in a good way! :/ At least she is nice and sociable, not at all a stereotypical law student!

Roomie 3 is Caitlin. Super nice and funny. She lives next door to me and we are both cramped in the same size room. She also just graduated and is working on paying off her student loans. She just got a job as a preschool teacher and is looking for a serving job. I must say, I am glad to not be in debt! Although I complain about not having money because I work a part time job and it all goes to rent, I can't imagine living this life AND having college bills to pay for....the next 10 years. EEK. For example, Laura has RACKED up some loans since her freshman year she attended school in Hawaii while she was going for a marine biology major. Then she transferred to DePaul, which is an EXPENSIVE school. I can't even imagine how much she will owe when she graduates.

I was considering taking a class or two at DePaul but I'm not sure I will be able to commit to a semester. It's hard for me to commit to anything right now when I'm considering returning to ships to continue more traveling. I looked into volunteering at the Aquarium but they asked for 6 months to a year commitment. As much as I would love that, I can't guarantee that I will be here and available for that long! My tentative plan seems to be the best course of action for now.

Backing up to my first few weeks in Chicago, I will mention the amazing time I had seeing my cuz, Nathan Ford. His girlfriend, Lauren, literally lives a street away from me! It's crazy what a SMALL world this is!!! I had a great lunch and caught up with them. Hopefully, Nathan will be able to steal away from his spy job in Washington to come visit Chicago so I can see him more. It sucks they lived in Cali and we were in Colorado so we rarely got to see each other growing up. But, it made the time they did visit that much more memorable! And now that we are all spread out over the nation, and the world (Chinese Sean), our time together is an incredible occasion. Lauren and I went to the Chicago Air and Water Show the following weekend. Her friend's uncle had a boat docked in the pier so it worked out perfectly. We watched the jets and parachuters perform their spectacular stunts. I would scream in fear and anxiety every time a jet would fly high above then shut off his engine and spiral downward, leveling out just in time. She just laughed at me. This show was just one example of the many incredible events Chicago has to offer, year round. It is a bustling city, but not overwhelming like I believe New York would be.



Cameron and I have started a bit of a tradition to meet up every week or so for brunch at some of the unique and sensational breakfast restaurants. Our first stop was Southport Grocery and Cafe where we dug into delicious Cupcake Pancakes. This coming Sunday we will be hitting up the Orange Contemporary Brunch restaurant where I might indulge in either a Cinnamon Roll Pancake or the Chai Tea French Toast. Cam is a great connection for me into the musical theatre world and loves sharing the knowledge he is getting from school. He will graduate this year then work a few choreography jobs he has lined up and be in a few shows both home and here in the city. Then he will move back to Colorado or stay out here to start building his resume in preparation for New York. Funny enough, I've taken New York off my list. I still want to visit, of course, but I don't want to live there. It's the new way I am thinking, where I want to do EVERYTHING and not spend my time waiting for one chance. I've got a packed bucket list, and I gotta progress thru it all!!!!!

Wrigley Field was also on my Chicago list and last week I went to a Cubs game against the Milwaukee Brewers with my friend, Tim, who just moved to Chicago. Tim was our sound tech on the Vision so I did both contracts with him! We had amazing seats, in line with first base! Not that there were any bad seats, the stadium was SO SMALL. I think Coors Field was modeled after Wrigley, they were extremely similar. Wrigley opened in 1914 and is the oldest National League ballpark still in use. The scoreboard is hand turned and there are beautiful ivy fields along the outfield wall. Wrigley is iconic for its unusual wind patterns off Lake Michigan, which will favor either the pitcher or aid home runs. Maybe that was the original inspiration for the "Windy City" nickname, because it is not significantly windier than any other US city. In fact, Boston has a higher average annual wind speed than Chicago. Some sources claim the nickname was a term being used metaphorically because Chicagoans were supposedly braggarts. Thankfully, the current population is losing this reputation. However, downtown Chicago does earn the title of the "Windy City" as unforseen side effects of the tall buildings sucks the wind into the streets. I did experience this passing the Tribune Tower. While other places are calm, you dip into the skyline and you might have to hold on to your hat!



All in all, the city has a lot of amazing things to offer and I look forward to spending my time here exploring every nook and cranny. I'm excited to have the opportunity to return home for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year and hopefully I will have a few visitors in the new year! (HINT HINT ya'll....come visit!!!!) I'm creating an ever growing list of things I want to do while on land, some are here, some in other cities, like Celine Dion in Vegas. And some are even back home in the 303 because after all my travels, I've realized there are so many amazing things Colorado has to offer that I can take advantage of! :D