Amazeballs

Posted on October 5, 2011 by carlieblissirwin

Dear Chicago Weather,

This five day forecast is amazeballs. If you’re doing this to make up for your undeniable crappiness last week, I accept. Just throw in a light and variable breeze and all will be forgotten.

Love, Carlie

P.S. If the great weather now is due to the fact that you feel guilty about the awful winter we’re about to have, I take back all the nice things I’ve ever said about you. Jerk.

P.P.S. Thank you for providing the proper context for me to use the word “amazeballs” for the first time in my life.

Chicago neighborhood adventures: Lincoln Square edition

Posted on October 3, 2011 by carlieblissirwin

Last Saturday, my friend Megan and I decided to hop on the brown line and explore Lincoln Square, a neighborhood a little north of where I live. It’s a super cute area, and I’d venture to say it has a bit of a German influence, ja?

We walked around, drank some beer, ate some food, drank some beer, ate some gelato, took poorly exposed photos in cute bars with bad lighting, watched some polka dancing, drank some beer, rejected advances from old men and made funny observations that we decided I should include in the blog and then promptly forgot them. Also, we drank some beer.

It was a great time, as expected, since I’m always fond of places where it’s socially acceptable to wear lederhosen.

Megan and I had such a good time, that we decided to make a point to explore other neighborhoods in the near future. Next up: Andersonville! (Tentatively scheduled for later this month.)

Here’s a list of the places we hit during this particular neighborhood adventure, in case you’re interested. I’d highly recommend all of them for a successful Lincoln Square experience!

Chicago Tribune headline

Posted on September 23, 2011 by carlieblissirwin

“Forecasters predict warmer, drier than normal fall — but cold, wet winter could follow.”

I think I just set the record for fastest transition from smiling to frowning.

Today’s weather: partly smoky

Posted on September 14, 2011 by carlieblissirwin

It’s kind of crazy that smoke from a wildfire in Minnesota can drift all the way here to the Windy City.

I totally noticed the haziness while walking home from work yesterday (the sun was barely visible, but no clouds!), and the air smelled like brick oven pizza.

Needless to say, we had pizza for dinner last night.

Image from Chicago Tribune.

More places where I can spend money

Posted on September 6, 2011 by carlieblissirwin

According to information floating around on the interwebs, in the next couple of days a Topshop store is opening just down the street from where I work, and a Pinkberry is opening just down the street from where I live. I think it’s only right that I celebrate by buying some clothes and going out for frozen yogurt.

Images from usefulsocialmedia.com and collegecandy.com.

Pumpkin Spice Latte season is NOW

Posted on August 31, 2011 by carlieblissirwin

At least in Chicago!

Apparently Chicago won some sort of weird contest, and as our prize, all the Starbucks (Starbuckses?) in the area have started selling Pumpkin Spice Lattes – a whole week earlier than the rest of the country!

This whole thing seems sort of dumb to me – who among us can’t wait a measly week to get our PSL fix? BUT, everyone who knows me is well aware that I stand powerless against the lure of this magically delicious drink (see item #1 in this list). So even though I’m NOT ready for the end of summer, and it’s going to be humid and over 90 degrees the next couple of days, I may just have to pop on over to the ‘bucks this week for an early taste of fall.

Then I’m going to go the beach, drink a frozen margarita and play volleyball or something because, dammit, it’s still SUMMER!

Image from Refinery 29.

Diner en Blanc

Posted on August 29, 2011 by carlieblissirwin

How cool is this??

This past Saturday night, hundreds of people dressed in white gathered at Daley Plaza underneath the Picasso sculpture and had an elegant evening of dinner and dancing. It was part of a series of “flash” picnics called Diner en Blanc that happen all over the world. New York just had theirs several days ago, and I think it actually all started in Paris. (Could something this chic conceivably start anywhere else?)

The cool thing is that the participants signed up weeks in advance (I thought about trying to get tickets, and now I wish I had!) but the location of the dinner isn’t revealed to them until hours before it actually starts! All they’re told ahead of time is to bring food, table settings and dress all in white.

The only thing that makes me glad I wasn’t there is the fact that when I eat while wearing white, I inevitably end up looking like a Jackson Pollock painting of food stains. So not chic.

Photos from Diner en Blanc – Chicago’s Facebook page.

His last name is better than yours

Posted on August 26, 2011 by carlieblissirwin

Quote from Grub Street Chicago article about the new Farmhouse restaurant opening in River North:

“The menu was designed by chef Eric Mansavage – formerly the chef at Club Lucky – and will be based on ‘what’s available from Midwestern farmers and growers.'”

Sounds like a cool restaurant but HOLY COW THAT’S AN AWESOME LAST NAME.

Mansavage?? MAN-SAVAGE! raaawrrr!

I bet people eat his food whether they like it or not because he is Eric MANSAVAGE! A ruthless combination of man and beast, no doubt.

Good news(paper)!

Posted on August 26, 2011 by carlieblissirwin

There’s a Design*Sponge newspaper? Available in Chicago? For FREE??

I’m so picking this up on my way home from work today… if there are any left!

Don’t follow Design*Sponge? Well, A) you should, and B) you’re missing out on fun fashion, decorating and design ideas and a lot of pretty pictures, and going back to A), you really just should follow this blog.

More on the newspaper and where you can find it in Chicago and other cities here.

Image from Design*Sponge. Where else?