i am moving tomorrow. nervous that i'm not ready enough. confused because i'll still be in this apartment for a week to sleep, but how much else should i do here? should i take all of my pots and pans and utensils? the TV? i actually hired movers, but i can walk some stuff over....and ask the sexy cabdriver to pick me up with any heavy stuff. did i talk about him? saw him again a couple nights ago at the local store.

i am now thinking about boys and going out with someone else who asked me, only because frank fucking cancelled! (yesterday....supposed to have arrived tomorrow....inconveniencing me in many ways.....) and i understand the problem he's currently having with his family, but i don't see why i should be the one to get screwed. oh well. i'm actually angry at him, not feeling sorry for myself or angry at myself for something that's not my fault. this is a *significant* improvement in my personality and i'm rather proud of it.

anyway, back to my new place. i am going to be living ONE BLOCK from the lake, by a real beach with sand and everything. awesome. awesome awesome. i will walk and become gloriously athletic. or something. but i did buy a swimsuit. (clint says the lake might have e. coli. i hope not. people are in it.) i am also going to be a mere block from the museum of science and industry, which is stunningly lovely. yesterday when i was all cried out about frank not coming, i took a bad-ass walk through the nature preserve in the park behind the museum. a sweaty hour later i didn't feel too bad.

i am moving to a studio so i will be saving over a hundred dollars a month, but the initial cash outlay for the movers and furniture has me feeling very nervous. ulcer-type nervous.

so, my birthday dinner. i see that i promised details. well, it just so happens that the restaurant where we ate, osteria via stato, was just featured in...umm...one of the national food mags. i already packed it or else i could tell you which one. it started with olives, bread, beet salad, salmon, salami, roasted onions with parmesan, small fresh mozzarella balls.....maybe more.....the pastas were pesto or bolognese. i wanted both veg main courses, so i had a little scoop of risotto off on my bread plate and then my main plate was filled with polenta and a really light vegetable stew, mostly fennel and mushrooms. tasty. i had wine, of course, and limoncello for dessert with my sour cherry crostata and a little ice cream with a birthday candle.

AND: i got a "high pass" on my german exam! wheeeeeeeeee!

i think i have cleared up everything i had in my mental blog folder.

i have decided that my favorite manufacturer of at-home health products is HoMedics. what a name.

sorry about the hiatus.

patoot: i am moving in a few weeks but i will give you my new address as soon as i know it.

all is chaos at the moment, gotta be out of the apt and gotta get ready for school and before that frank's visit! ack!

more details as they become available.

my birthday weekend was very satisfying. T&T stayed the weekend, so i had lots of laughs, lots of good food, lots of walking and talking. i got to show off the neighborhood, which i love doing. i think that we should hit the museum of science and industry and jackson park when you guys come again!

my party was pretty cool--kind of laid-back. i felt like i had to keep moving, talking to everyone, and so i don't really remember what i talked about with anyone. but hey, it's just great to have so many friends who wanted to come over to see me, to nosh and chat and drink. of course i grossly overestimated how much people might eat and i will be eating this stuff for the rest of the week. i don't even know what to do with all the olives. but i think i can handle having potatoes and cake on hand for the next few days!

yesterday i went on a great walk to the beach near here. i'd never even considered walking there before, but now i think it will be a semi-regular jaunt. also i got offered drugs on the street for the second time in my life. so i guess now i look like what i am? i don't know.

today i am looking for new apartments online. i should go to work but it's just damn hot again today. this weekend my parents are coming to celebrate my birthday. we are eating at someplace yummy!!! full disclosure later.