2009 in review...

Looking back on this year I am surprised I survived... It had some very high highs and very low lows...
I got out of an 8 year relationship, did some thinking, did some dating,and started a new awesome relationship.
I got a tattoo and a new piercing and learned to ride a bike. rode said bike 60+ miles one day...
Although I am a cubs fan I had 2 new cubs experiences this year: a roof top game and a Cubs sox game!
I also had another first... a broken bone.. I fell off said bike :/ and had another first, Surgery! Now I have a new metal plate... Womp womp! and learned I can't handle Jameson ( the hard way) cant forget the 3 total ER visits :/

But the good outweighs the bad
I have danced more than ever this year!had an amazing birthday!Went to the No Doubt concert, Rock the Bells and Lollapalooza.... I also went to San Fran!!!! made new friends and reconnected with old ones... realized this year that EVERYTHING happens for a reason... There are still a few days left but so far I feel like I am winning!

Resolutions

SO There is a solid 16 days left of 2009... here are a few resolutions I'd like to throw out there for 2010...

1) clean and organize my room (even if i have to pay someone else to do it)
2) graduate from college....
3) cook more (eating in restaurants is expensive)
4) pay down my debt!
5) continue biking
6) start jogging again
7) get my passport
8) use my passport
:) thats it for now.. please help keep me on track friends!

lets get physical! (therapy)

Today was my first day of physical therapy.. ooooh the excitement. It actually was pretty cool. I progressed a lot in the first session and my therapist was impressed.... ( what can I say :) ) I also see that I have A lot of work to do on my own.. and I am not all that excited for stretching the crap out of my arm everyday 2x a day... But I am excited about being able to touch my hair and put eyeliner on and flex my arm all the way, so I'll do what I must. wish me luck world..!
On another note... Surgery is expensive my new metal plate would have cost upwards of $25K without insurance... Hurry up Lawmakers get your act together.. not everyone is as lucky as me....

a New List ... cast perks

Ok so here is a partial list of the semi-perks of living in broken arm-ville

1. Most of my home work deadlines got extended
2. catching up on TV/Movies
3. Spending less money
4. no work...
5. lowered expectations LOL
Im sure ill think of more ....

You weren't wondering buuut

Casts are unsolicited high five magnets. My cast also has the power to make me 'hardcore'.... I may miss this thing.... nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

day 13... as i hen peck away

I broke my arm on Halloween. during the day .... not under the influence thankyouverymuch.
I had surgery on my elbow on Monday the 9th. Because when I do something like.... i dunno... break an arm..... I do it all the way... so why get a little girl fracture when I can destroy my elbow to the point of surgical intervention.
while simple tasks have been a challenge.. I am super lucky to have the boy taking care of me for the better part of these 2 weeks...
a gal could only wish to have an extra set of arms around half as good as the ones I got...
enough mushy stuff....
lets look at pictures

my brace... useless I had this post er cast and pre surgery.. It sucked



after surgery ... arm was completely numb for like 20 hours.... creepers

Beware of the penis power LOL

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Whining session .... WAAAA I want My life back

SO basically my time is being butt rapped by school... Also My Internet is gone at home :( double booski...
SO my birthday went off with outta hitch ( aside from hazelnut cake death) and I am now older... and negligibly wiser.... here's hoping I make it out of this semester alive

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

The day I have been waiting for/ dreading is upon us.


Be there or be .. well or hurt my feelings :) watch me become uncool! once in a lifetime event!!

HEY where am I gonna park my bike?

So as my readers know (the 2 of you that exist)I recently became more of an avid bike rider in the last few months. This has opened my eyes to some things our fair city is lacking.

On of those items on my list would be bike parking. This is especially true in heavily biked areas such as Wicker Park. To make matters worse, according to Time Out Chicago, by the end of the year 30,000 of the 36,000 parking meters are going to be removed.

So I ask Mayor Daley: How can you claim to be a great bike city if we have nothing to lock them to.. Please please install more bike racks! not only would it be more convenient but it also looks a lot nicer then random bikes chained all over fences and stop signs (you are alll about city beautification right?).

Ok vent session over...

California Love/Deamin'/kind

So if you are following me on twitter you know that I was recently and very shortly in San Fran. I must say it is a very pretty city... A little Gray form me for the summer time, but pretty.
I rode a trolley ate by the ocean and saw Alcatraz from a distance.. Hugged one of my best girls, tried on dresses in her shop and shopped for cute underthings :)
wandered around Haight street and got spit on by a bum in little Saigon... all in 3 days. It was a whirlwind I was glad I went but now I am glad I'm back :)
Psst twitpic has all my pics :) I'll post em later.

The Science of Doin' it

it's whats on the inside that counts

awesome.... maybe NSFW

When you get older you will...

So all through my childhood I have heard that statement followed by many things pertaining to life. here is my assessment of whether they ended up to be true or not (since I am now older and a tad bit wiser).

1. When you get older you will like the taste of coffee
Me: ok this is true.. I actually like the taste of good coffee.. and I like it with no milk :)

2.When you get older you will like the taste of beer
Me: I definitely do not like the taste of all beers (some one I know likes really gross ones) but I have done enough exploring to find ones I do like. Flemish sours, Iambic and Witbiers to name a few..

3.When you get older you will you will become more conservative
Me: Not really. I am a political Science major and maybe a little more attentive to what the issues are. I also find the more educated I become the more my ideas have been reinforced... (blame my liberal college education)

4. When you get older you will appreciate what I/we have done for you (parents)
Me: while my parents and I have never seen eye to eye.. I do appreciate them more as I grew to see them as human beings and allowed them the flaws that all humans are allowed instead of holding them to impossible standards.

5.When you get older you will Understand
Me: This one is just bullshit! I don't and i never will :)

Playing Ketchup

Many Blog worthy events have transpired since I last blogged... such as The Purchase and heavy usage of my awesome bike named Mimi and Lollapalooza.

First things first because that is where first things go.
MiMi.


I have been wanting a bike since about May and the ones I have been looking at have been waaay to expensive for me But I found My Mimis and I love her... It for one doesn't make my ass hurt like my borrowed bike and it is super duper fly looking ... Watch out now! I have been putting in the miles and even rode by myself ( which you would know is a big deal if you have been following along)

Next On the radar of awesome is Lollapalooza.
Here is THE crystallized Recap
Friday Sucked ass
It was muddy and rainy and fucking cold... I wish I took o pic of My sister and I in our Wizardy looking ponchos and unnecessary umbrellas...
The virgins = ok nothing special
Kings of Leon = were reaaly good and the weather cleared up so they could rock the heck out.

Saturday
Hot as FUCK! (excuse my french but it was )
Me and My sisters saw
the Artic monkeys = not impressed
SANTI MOTHER F'n GOLD = Her act was the shit ... her voice is flawless live,her dancers kicked ass and the GZA the Genius was checking out her act! You know I had to throw up that W and I got one back Holler at yo girl!! I can't wait for that duo's album to drop!
Here are some low quality Photographs of that Performance

AND THE GZA


Samantha (My lil sis) and I also Danced our asses off @Perry's DJ tent to DIPLO. By the time we left the tent we were soaked in sweat! good clean (mostly) Body movin' fun!

The YEAH YEAH YEAHs, While they were no Beastie Boys, Put on a hell of a show... Gold Lion and Maps ( my fave songs) were both done and I may have shed a tear or two during Maps :)

All and all fun times at the Fest.. I did not go to day 3 for I was half dead the next day and it was even hotter... NO DICE as Dorothea Would say. No dice...

Also I am on a quest.. I am not drinking until my b day .. and it is successful 12 days down!!

fewwwwwwwww! that was a mouth full ( that's what she said) Now you are all caught up!

Lolla Madness

So I am going to Lollapalooza. I know your thinking "man crystal is really Ballin outta control" ... Totally not the case.... I was gifted the tickets by my little sis (she is the best).

I'm excited about a few acts but I have an aversion to the masses of sweaty hipsters and fake hippies that I will be sure to be oh so close to during a few of my sisters band selections ( and a few of mine for that matter).

so I move on to this weekend with mixed emotions.... (stinky patchouli + too skinny jeans + pbr burps) + (awesome music - Beastie Boys) = a neutral 1 Awesome point.

OH NO! Twitter don't die!

I cannot get on twitter today FAIL WHALE!

Birthday List ( lists are awesome and you know it)

Some things I want

1) straighten some financial stuff out

2) figure out what I wanna be..... since I think I am supposed to be a grown up

3) to finally be done with school

4) better self control

5)someone to clean my room :)

If you know where I can find these things let me know

Mary is Back

Mary is the name of my 'borrowed' internet.. She is back and now I may blog. For some dumb reason I can't blog from work... grr...

I wansta

Some things I wanna do before I get old and Die....

1) Live in another state for at least a year. (somewhere on the warmer side)

2) Live in a country where I am not fluent in the language (lots of options here)

3) Learn to Sky dive solo

4) Travel to India, Turkey, South Korea, China, and Japan. Tour Europe on train.

5) see all of the MLB parks

... hmmm there is more... but .. maybe next time

azúcar!!!!!!!!!!!

If you know me.. ,even a little, then you know I LOVE sugar. I live for a Fancy truffle, red velvet cupcake, or a coconut curry milk shake...
I also am a Yelper and made a super sweet list to lust over :)
mmmm Candies :) take a peek! SUGAR SUGAR OH HONEY HONEY

ch ch check it out

Smart and funny politcal cartoons... make you laugh and think.. here is a link to my fave the front row

Getting girly up in here

Awesome find
This mascara is tops sure it looks like some kind of dark ages torture device but eye love it ( get it eye.. umm never mind)Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes Mascara

PSA of the Day: wash yo hands fools

Dear Co-worker:
I was in the locker room changing and I noticed that you left the bathroom area without washing your hands. i just wanted to share some info with you from the Center of disease control (www.cdc.gov) because maybe you are just on sure on how to do it.

Wash Your Hands: The Right Way
When washing hands with soap and water:

Wet your hands with clean running water and apply soap. Use warm water if it is available.
Rub hands together to make a lather and scrub all surfaces.
Continue rubbing hands for 15-20 seconds. Need a timer? Imagine singing "Happy Birthday" twice through to a friend.
Rinse hands well under running water.
Dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use your paper towel to turn off the faucet.
Always use soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.
If soap and clean water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub to clean your hands. Alcohol-based hand rubs significantly reduce the number of germs on skin and are fast-acting.

When using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer:

Apply product to the palm of one hand.
Rub hands together.
Rub the product over all surfaces of hands and fingers until hands are dry.

Love,
Crystal


To the rest of you lovelies:
see this is why you need to open the bathroom door with a paper towel and do like me and keep a giant bottle of hand sanitizer on your desk!

The Death of the Cool

Once upon a time I made a proclamation. Full of naïveté, but thinking I knew everything, I insisted that after the age of 25 you ceased to be cool. It vanished on your 26th birthday never to return again.

In less than 2 months (53 days to be exact) I will turn 26. So for the next 7 weeks or so I will be using my "cool" to it's fullest, for on September 3rd 2009 the angel of death will swoop down and take my cool away..........

ugggg Did I really just say that? pppffffft maybe my cool is gone already...

Crystal's Coolness
9/3/1983 -9/3/2009

And the Award goes to ....

RIDE THE CITY
This site rocks... I have been looking up routes all day ... They have a New york version too as well as several other large cities... It helps you find the safest bike route (ie Bike paths, Bike lanes) to get from point A to point B. Jawsome!

Level: [x]Expert [ ] intermediate [ ] Wussy

Ok Ok .. truths time ... I may not be an expert (by any stretch of the Websters) but I am kicking some serious bike booty.. (including my own... ouch those seats are not comfy). With some awesome coaching and moral support from the boyf. I went from only riding down one way side streets in the afternoon to changing lanes on Damen that evening... I guess Imma quicker learner then I thought... Tour De France here I come (uuhh maybe not... )

This about sums it up

It's like riding a bike

Well it is exactly like riding a bike.. well, because that's what it is... I am enroute to bike awesome landia.

I kinda love it... I found a nice bike that I want now I just need to learn to ride it..

I know you're not supposed to forget... but Im not exactly miss coordination. I am also scared to ride in the streets. I have to get over this considering that I will be taking a class for credit that revolves around bike rides ( he said we will most likley do a century ride 100 MILES !)...

Luckily I have someone willing to teach me the rules of the road... Time to put my big girl helmet on and get going...

Is this real life...

slits for eyes
my 3am mistress made of beats and absolute turns in to a 7am bastard with the sound of the alarm
feeling up the Snooze button..
It becomes more than just a friend..
that 7 minuets in heaven was amazing....
coffee > Hemoglobin... lets swap..
becoming blood sisters with celestial mermaids

ew..

I drank some Coca Cola today .. Now i remember why I don't....... instant headache... ooooof you got the wrong one bay-bay unhuh

Never to old to learn a lesson...

So I basically will never get this day back..
spent all morning in the ER and the rest of the day in bed.. I believe the word I am looking for is Uggg..

Kids be careful when you drink... Tequila, Jameson, anything with the word bomb in it, and vodka do not mix.... take it from me .. I still can't get this hospital bracelet off....

toodles,
CP

Unoffical offical CTA Bus/Train Rules

I have been taking the bus in the city since paper hole-punched transfers and tokens, so I know a thing or 2 about the un-written laws of the CTA Bus etiquette.
here are a few notables and if you have any to add please feel free to leave them in my comments section...

1) Do not crowd the bus... It slows everyone down ... it's ok to stand in the back by the stairs (I promise) ... Stop being a buncher and if people start to bunch then feel free to push past them..

2) elder, pregnant teen, person with a missing limb, or small children.. Let them sit...

3)don't spit your sunflower seeds on the floor of the bus.. That shit is ssooooo gross

4) Do not rile up the bus crazy person. He is screaming, she has a thousand bags... No amount of yelling will de-crazy a crazy person.. so just look forward to your stop and embrace the madness!

I really want.... (Part of the bored at work edition)

Some stuff I want... Cause it's my blog and I can publish what I wanna...

1. The new Nintendo Ds... (this is mainly due to the camera feature that allows you to superimpose mustaches on people)

2. Cable... I'm dying with out Bravo and Food network and cartoon network

3. More cubs tix anytime any place playing any team

4. Sushi for lunch.. ( I brought my lunch today :( frozen brown rice and beans anyone? ill trade )

5. My new Tattoo

6. My new Piercing

7. Monies

8. Cupcakes

9. a house keeper

10. Shades for my windows

just a thought....

I was taking a class last semester on politics and youth .. and read an interesting article about how youth nowadays has been prolonged until sometime in the 30's ... there is this new restless stage .. you have responsibilities and expectations and such but.. you are just not ready to settle down..

I feel it... there is the generational divide that is very clear when I am with my aunts and uncles and especially my grandparents. Questions about marriage and Children and such.. and the disapproving glances when I brush off their queries...

anyone who knows me is fully aware that I am not ready for ANY of those things (my allergies to children are quite severe) but just a generation ago, I would have been labeled an old maid by now.

I am on the long road when it comes to finishing school and while I think that it is awesome that most of my journey is complete with just a few years til i am done with my bachelors and masters (a lil more if i go to Law school) I am terrified about what that means...
where did they put that pause button on my clock.. and more importantly where is the pause button on my bio-clock... ACHOOO
dun dun dun!

These are a few of my Favorite things... Bored at work edition

kinda strange/fun/embarrassing things that I like ... Putting em out there cause I'm not ashamed

1.Smell of instant hand sanitizer... Purell
2.Putting Elmer's glue on my hand and peeling it off... (umm haven't done this in a while :/)
3.smell of nail salons ... mmmm formaldehyde
4.Those little lychee jello cup things
5.Dancing with the stars/ real housewives of...... (which ever city)
6.Lady gaga (:x)
7.garlic breath
8.the texture of those new biodegradable plastic spoons :)
9.Indian in the cupboard the book and movie (PLAZZZZ TEK)
10.chewing on straws... LOL

I'M SUCH A DORK

More Silliness... Can you tell me where the TGIFridays is....

Dear Guests from small town America,
So if I am ever visting your city.. and you have a specialty .. like Amazing restaurants ... don't let me go to TGIfridays, Bennigans, or Applebees....

I swear don't you people watch Anthony Bourdain or Samantha Brown .. or read Zagat or trip advisor... Yelp maybe ... how 'bout a google search??? Maybe not..

Why do you want directions to "Fridays" .... they have that in Cairo Il, or Witchta or Hammond...
I understand about budget dinning... I'm not a rich woman ... but why not try a charming neighborhood cafe/ bar and grill or an Italian beef or chicago hotdog or Pizza...

Not to mention Pizza!!! NO I DO NOT HAVE A NUMBER TO DOMINO's!!!

Love,
Crystal
Your friendly neighborhood Concierge

Drama Lovers the Myth bustin' edition... Werd!

The Fallacy
The older you get the less petty drama surrounds you...

The Truth
Drama Lovers will always be drama lovers unless they make a true effort to eradicate it.

I used to be all about it... but I found out fast that it gets you no where... I don't want the gossip I don't want the dirt Leave me out of it..
I'm too smart for that stuff!

Grandpa Rudy Aftermath

So the lil' bro and I got some brews and took some shots (bad idea?) .... danced the night away and one of us... (me) stayed awake till the sun came up... woot...
We created new slang .. I'm not telling you what a budlight is lol :)
But most importantly we shared some memories...

one thing I forgot yesterday that I wanted to mention was how 'til the day he died that he wanted to go back and get his bachelors... :) he used to tell me how he got his associates but he still wanted to go back... :) So when I cross the stage next year it will be for him!

RIP Grandpa Rudy... Happy birthday

Today is the anniversary of my Grandfather's Birthday, Rudolph Hanz Steen.
He was my mothers father.
We lived with him in his home in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago during the end of his life.
Unfortunately, my bother and sisters and I didn't really get to know much about him 'til this time, i would like to share a few fun things that I did know.

Grandpa Rudy, as we called him LOVED the movie Das Boot- I must have watched parts of this movie like a million times.. My mom had to hide it at one point!

He was also a trained sharp shooter in the armed forces... watch out now

He was very proud of his German heritage.

He loved his Beer and Bullet Popsicles ( the red white and blue ones)

His favorite Breakfast was german potatoes sausage and eggs .. My mom loved making it for him!

He loved his dog Shannon.. I remember her from when I was a little girl :)That had to be his best friend he still talked about her 10 years after she passed

when We would sing happy birthday to someone he would always harmonize with us at the end :) now I do it when I sing happy birthday :)

There's a ton more.. But i'll leave it at that :)

Happy Birthday Grandpa Rudy PROST!

Desperately seeking doll parts and other slightly crazy requests

No lie! A guest just asked me to find her a place that sells doll parts... mission accomplished but why do I feel like I am now a party to something very wrong ... Dun Dun Dun!

A list (thanks)

Things that are good... 10 things to think about so I don't explode...

1) Key lime Ice cream with graham cracker swirl
2) Spicy octopus sushi
3) having No Doubt tickets / Lolla tix
4) New Modern art wing at the Art institute
5) Twittering at work :)
6) Blogging at work
7) DOROTHEA's Pep talks
8) giving Doro Pep Talks
9) chocolate facial hair
10) not telling :)

ok I feel better

Oh my god Oh my god you guys!

So Legally Blonde was quite Awesome. 2 thumbs up
If you are a fan of the movie at all or a fan of musicals and pure silliness I recommend it.
High light of the show was the number they did based on the 'bend and snap'.. if you have seen the movie you will know what I am talking about :)

Don't hate!!

I gets ta see Legally Blonde the musical GRATIS tomorrow!

Damn it feels good to be a gangsta' or umm concierge :)

I will give a full review next week :)

My random question on here was funny

Q: Why is raspberry associated with the color blue?

A: a long time ago when color and flavor associations were being created someone just wanted to fuck with us and start making raspberry flavored shit blue... Red had cornered the market with cherry, strawberry and some gross apple crap(not sour or green. whats the point) so why the f not make raspberry flavored things blue along with your tongue after you eat them... ( that's super attractive btw)

or it could be this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_raspberry

or this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Raspberry_(singer)

that WU chick

Remember Me

So a friend and I went to dinner at Chickpea on Chicago ave and they have some pretty cool movies posters in Arabic (for american films) collaged on the wall. One of them was for the Movie Willow. I have to say im a huge fan... Now if they only had it in the redbox... hmmmm

Laundry day! :o/

So as lame as it seems I will be staying in on a friday to do laundry. I have a lot... and I pretty much went out all week so the time has come...

CUBS ROCK MY SOCKS

Cubs win again like WOAH!

If no one reads this now ...

I am ok with that.. It really is all about the inflated sense of self-importance that I have. My little blips may of may not show up on anyone's radar.. but when I am long gone this shit will exist somewhere... some one will find it and I will be famous after I am dead like most great artists ...