DAY nineteen

Office Olympics! Not only did we wear matching shirts, buttons, and shades, we arrived fashionably late in flying v formation with lit sparklers and the Olympics anthem blaring. Go team! Sometimes working in Student Affairs is the most amazing thing ever, if only because I'm not the only freak getting jazzed about stuff like this.
After work I met up with Ki for happy hour drinks and the most unhealthy dinner ever. Then we went back to the '60s to see a movie for $3. Coolest random theater ever!

DAY eighteen

After another great day at work, I decided to spend some time chatting up the bartender at Boca Chica, while catching a few minutes here and there with Alex. After her $2 tip on a $70 tab from the too cool for everything teens, she lovingly paid the tab for my Coronas. She's a keeper.

DAY sixteen/seventeen

Yeah, so I kinda forgot to do this whole blogging thing for a couple days. Here's what happened, first I was trapped in a black hole of meth and cartel murder madness (watching Breaking Bad, not irl). Then I got sucked into the Men Tell All episode of Bachelorette last night, which had far too little Jef Holm for my liking. Then today was just a normal Tuesday at work...not too much to report on. After work I ran some errands, put my brand spanking new license plates on my man Reginald, then sat down for a double dose of reality television crazy - Dance Moms followed by Teen Mom. None of these things really warranted a picture, although I suppose Reg and his new accessories could have been something share-worthy. I've got to get better about finding things to take pictures of!

Here's the problem, having 4 day weekends basically means I do nothing for the better part of a week. NOT OKAY. Starting next week I'm settling into my regular schedule (that I will have through the first semester) where I work Monday through Thursday. Once that happens, my plan is to capitalize on my 3 day weekends by doing fun Minnesota adventure things. I want to see the sights, and I want to share the sights with my fans (please read that in a very humble tone). So let's just scrap these last couple days. And while we're at it, if you could forgive the sorry excuse for photographic evidence of my "awesome new life" in Minnesota that I've provided so far, I would greatly appreciate it. MUCH BETTER STUFF IS FORTHCOMING. Or maybe I'll just start taking pictures of trees and lame shit on my way to work. Either way, you will love me.

xoxo from the land of 10,000 lakes!

DAY fifteen

Because I am an adult and had cake for breakfast yesterday, I felt it was only appropriate to have a brunch of froyo with Ki. After consuming $5 worth of chocolate, red velvet cupcake, and cinnamon bun flavored deliciousness (plus toppings), I came home to spend the rest of the day watching Breaking Bad. Thank God Netflix finally added season 4, but crafty of them for waiting until the DAY OF THE SEASON 5 PREMIERE. Boo on you. I don't think it's mathematically possible for me to watch 13 episodes in 8 hours, but I sure as hell am gonna try.
Here we go.

DAY fourteen

Ki, Ryan and I decided to have a classy afternoon at Treasure Island casino, because that's clearly where normal adults go on a Saturday at 2:30pm. This was a seriously fantastic idea for many reasons: I love and have missed spending time with K and R, it gave me an excuse to drive to a different part of my new home state, I was able to gamble for several hours on the same $5 (neither losing nor making any money at the end of the day), the people watching was unbelievable, K and I found our favorite slot machine (pictured below), and R discovered and played a new poker game (which it's always interesting to watch). The ONLY negative: smelling like a casino for the rest of the day...I don't know how smokers don't realize how gross they smell.

DAY thirteen

I am not one of those people who are afraid of Friday the Thirteenth thanks to my spectacular Grandpa and his lucky 13. I enjoy them, and even look forward to when they come around. So in honor of Donald and his love of chocolate (and because I wanted to) I baked a devil's food cake. I got impatient and frosted early, so it's kind of a melty gooey mess. But, damn, was it delicious. I love and miss you, DC. I ate an extra big piece for you. :)

DAY twelve

After finishing my fist week of my Assistantship today I can say without a doubt that this whole crazy grad school adventure is exactly what I needed in my life. It's tough to be so far from friends and family sometimes, but when I get lonely I just think about how awesome my new life is and will continue I be. Luckily I have a few good friends here to keep me sane, and I know that as I get settled I will meet lots of great new Minnesotan friends. My job is everything I hoped for and more and I can't wait to truly get started. It makes me even more pumped to start classes in the fall (nerdy, I know). So for today I just have a picture of the sunset through the tree outside my window. It doesn't do it justice, but it's for Susan...she loves this effing tree.

DAY eleven

My second day at work was spent entirely in meetings. Good thing I like the people I work with and am excited about my projects, otherwise it would have been rough. Oh, and the free Jimmy John's lunch didn't hurt. And knowing what movie Kiandra and I were headed to at the end of it all really helped me get through the day (and gave me some super daydreams). No shame, people. This shit was golden.

DAY ten

First day as a Graduate Assistant! YIKES. I have an office, keys, and meetings on my calendar. This is for real! I'm so excited for this job and the experience it will give me in Student Affairs...not to mention the swag I scored today (and will keep getting) and the sweet deal on tuition. :) Now it all begins!

DAY eight/nine

Right, well I said this might happen when I started this blog. I definitely forgot to post yesterday. I started the day with Beth's bridal shower, and then lost the rest of it and all of today to reading Catching Fire and Mockingjay. OOPS. Tomorrow is my first day at my Assistantship at the U, though, so I should certainly have something to post then.

DAY seven

I spent a delightful day with my long lost friend Alex exploring Minneapolis. We started at the farmers market and got some sick deals on baskets. Check it out...5 for $1!

Next we had a bloody mary lunch at The Cafeteria in Uptown, and then wandered around MOA (many surprises were in store there...). I can't wait to have more great days with my dearest Alex!

DAY six

I took an accidental 5 hour nap today, so I have relatively nothing to share. I did however receive a heartbreaking ESPN update (which was also texted to me by a Chicago friend sharing my misery). I'm not sure how to feel...

DAY five

Today was Susan's last day in the Twin Cities, so we played tourist. First campus, then we cooled off in a movie for a bit, before going to the Capitol building, the Cathedral of St.Paul, and a short stroll along the mighty Mississippi. After I drop Susan off at the airport tomorrow at the crack of dawn I will be alone in my new life for the first time. Weird.
I promise my pictures will improve... I'm still getting the hang of this whole thing.

DAY four(th of July)

Happy Amurcuh, everybody! Today I celebrated the birth of our nation by getting my cable and internet up and running so I could watch this week's episode of the Bachelorette. Oh, and then my mom and I went to Woodbury to see some sweet fireworks.

DAY three

I have Internet! Cable...not so much. After 4 very frustrating and unsuccessful calls to Comcast to get picture and sound to go along with the channel guide and information I'm giving up on tv for the night. I apologize for my not so thrilling posts in these first days, I promise better pictures are to come.

Damn you, Comcast.

DAY two

I am officially an adult now. I spent my second day in Minnesota making a gigantic and terrifying purchase, but I am happy to report I've got wheels, y'all!

It's hard for me to look like a serious adult, as demonstrated below. He still doesn't have a name...any suggestions?

UPDATE: he's got a name now! Reginald Mercer Goldberg. learn it and love it, folks.

DAY one

I have arrived! Thanks to Kiandra and Ryan and their extreme muscle, my entire UHaul was unloaded and carried up 2 flights of stairs in 90 degree weather in under 2 hours. We are superhuman. And now that it is technically almost day two in the great state of Minnesota, I'm finally getting around to posting. My pictures aren't all that exciting because my brain and body are exhausted from the chaos of the past 36 hours.

First: an injury sustained early in the unloading process, followed by many bruises.
Second: the St. Croix river welcoming me to MN.

the why of the thing

I have friends who have created blogs to post a picture a day from their travels through life. Sometimes the photos are mundane or boring, sometimes they are silly or staged, some days they are even forgotten. The days when the photo really captures the person's life, gives a slice of the world through their eyes, however, are momentous. Every time I come across these photo blogs I feel inspired to add it to my bucket list. As I made my triumphant return from my parent's rambler in Bothell to my new digs in the Windy City I even vowed to start one of my own to no avail. I can blame this failure on a number of things - my lack of a smartphone capable of taking and posting pictures directly on the internet, my laziness, and the fact that life got so busy so quickly that this great idea got lost in the shuffle. But I think I know now the real reason I let it fall by the wayside - Chicago wasn't a new enough adventure for me. I'd been there and done that all before in the 4 years I called Loyola's lakeshore campus my home. I didn't feel the need to record my daily life because for the most part I was going back to old haunts. You can only find amusement in so many late night travels on the Red Line to want to capture the moments forever in blog history.

But my next adventure, well that's a horse of a different color. In a few short weeks I will be packing my adult life yet again, loading it all onto a truck, and driving north in search of a brand-spanking-new life. Destination: Twin Cities. Reason: University of Minnesota Grad School - MA in Higher Education. Goal: never let myself forget to have fun with life, every day. This blog will hopefully help in that endeavor, forcing me to observe the world around me, never take any moment for granted, and crossing some things off my bucket list along the way. I can't promise I won't have forgotten days, or those days where my life is pretty rote and therefore afford nothing more than a picture of good food or a pretty tree. But I can promise that I will live each day to the fullest and try my hardest to become an adopted Minnesotan, sharing my first glorious year in the land of 10,000 lakes ONE PICTURE AT A TIME.

countdown to DAY ONE: 26 days.

Letter of Love

Dear Minnesota,
This is a love letter. I know that's a bold statement to start with, but guess what? I'm a bold gal. I have been not so patiently anticipating my move to your lush and vibrant landscape for months now, and let me tell you, absence does make the heart grow fonder. So I don't want to beat around the bush any longer, I'm going to get right to the point and lay it all on the line. I'm ready to really fall in love with you, hard and fast, and I hope you are prepared to love me back because at this point in my life I just don't think I could handle that kind of rejection.

I may be sarcastic and bitingly witty, sometimes judgmental, and joke that I'm a real meanie, but in all honesty I'm a pretty nice lady. I like to think that I will be able to embrace the "Minnesota Nice" and give off the same warmth I've always felt from your people before. I can honestly say I've never met a Minnesotan I didn't like, and that's certainly something to aspire to. I can be generous with time and treasure, am a fantastic listener, have a great shoulder to cry on, and genuinely love to hug, all traits I think will help in my pursuit to fit in among the ranks of the sweetest people in America. Let's be real, there are too many entitled, self-absorbed and selfish people in this world and I don't need to be another, especially if being nice will get me in your good graces.

Hot dish is one of the greatest food concepts I've encountered in my 23 years as an eater. I can't wait to forget about the word casserole entirely and jump on the hot dish train to a satisfied stomach. I love saying my "oh's" like a real "o", and vow to embrace the "ay" in bag, dragon, flag, and diagonal like I was born doing so. I'll even do it without mockery or mimicry. I promise to visit the boundary waters at least once during my tenure as a Minnesotan, if only just to say I've been and lived to tell the tale. I doubt I'll participate in any daring outdoor adventures while I'm there, but it's enough to just have been, right? Not only are the boundary waters on my list of places to visit, but I can't wait to tour every corner of the little man's hat, taking in your best sights.

I may have never been much of a state sports super fan before, but Minnesota, you are one of the few places I think I can really root for. Whether I'm clearing for the Twins, Timberwolves, Wild, Vikings, or my new school team the Gophers, you can bet I'll be one of the loudest in the bunch. Lord knows I love me a good live sporting event, and even more an underdog comeback kid. I won't be a fair-weather fan and desert you when times get tough. Once I've got a Minnesota address to call home I'm all yours - win or lose, rain or shine, sweltering summer or bone-chilling winter I'll be your girl. Wearing your colors and cheering your names.

I'm going to be calling you home for the next two years at the very least, and I'm hoping, if all goes well and we get along as swimmingly as I've planned, it will be for much longer than that. This is a long-term relationship we are starting here, and as Luke told Lorelai "I'm all in." I'll give you my heart if you give me yours, and we can share all of the wonders and secrets I bet you have hidden in your borders. We've got memories to make, my friend. Let's get started!

xoxo - your new lady love,
Claire

twelve schmelve

alright, so maybe my re-entry into the blogosphere hasn't gone as intended. maybe i totally forget that this totally public online diary exists for periods of several weeks. and maybe i will blame that on the fact that i've got lots going on in my world right now. so to get back up to speed on the life of me, here's a short list of the ch-ch-changes since i last updated.
summer happened, which brought along a ridiculous heat wave that my body was not equipped to handle.
my mom paid an extended visit to Chicago to see her baby giiierrrrllll in July. we had a blast and did lots of touristy things, and i was reminded just how freakin' awesome that Susan lady is. she's a gem.
another awesome friend moved away from Chicago (and me) - Hailey Ballhands Gillen, you will be missed (but you will also be visited in WV, no doubt.)
i switched departments at work, which so far is a welcome change and hopefully will bring more excitement as the program year swings into full gear.
my computer died a sad and painful death, but out of misery rose Rob the MacBook Pro. who, let's just be honest, is the most badass laptop in the world. he's sleek and sexy, too. RIP Theodore.

that is by no means exhaustive, and doesn't really show how busy i've been lately, but you get the general idea. on a happy note, a coworker has become one of my closest friends over the past few months, and i am delighted to add her to the short list of people i really dig. Beth, and by extension her fiancé Tommy, are great additions to my circle and i'm so excited to have many more adventures with them over the coming months. i'm really pumped to get drunk and sappy at your zoo wedding reception next year and say things i might regret in the morning, guys. and that's a sign of true love.

now i'm off to spend a good chunk of the day studying for the GRE (while some distracting television plays in the background). i will tell you one thing about the GRE, it's not making me feel any better about my math abilities. i wasn't wrong all those years when i avoided math like the plague. i really don't possess a talent for the numbers. words are my game, y'all. good thing i won't have to take any math once this GRE ridiculousness is over and done with. wish me luck! countdown to test date: 41 days. (aka: time to hit the books!)

ttfn