not a happy mengtar.

when working togos at the olive garden, typically 3-4 people have access to the drawer that i take full responsibility for... not the fairest system.

so i got fucked out of some "mishandled" money tonight... about sixty dollars worth... so while i should have walked out with ninety, i have thirty.

do you know how many large hawaiian macadamia nut coffees and bran muffins from jupiter house that is?!?

a lot.

((14.1176))

over a month of caffeine and overly-regular bowel movements. ((but they're soo good!))

it's whatever.

i'm super-questioning faux-giving in chicago this year. i'm not sure if it'd be a better investment to rock it or actually spend christmas with my family. there's no way i can afford both.

when the fuck am i going to pay off my car?

or afford next semester's tuition?

i ran into my favorite crashsite drummer last night. ((swoon)) he apparently just lost his job at kroger for a misweighed salad.

at least i can still steal all the salads i want.

but he will be joining us tuesday for lou's import glass night. excellent.

i'm unable to subdue my drinking habits. even in financially difficult periods, i would let it consume ninety per cent of my budget.

now i even drink alone sometimes.

i haven't decided if i'm a functioning alcoholic, or just an alcoholic.

PEEECTURES!!




mengtar and a certain lx admired for his dancing, driving, snow fort demolishing, humor quoting, and baller skills.



we like to paint.




and drink wine.




i did trees.



momx thinks abstract is random shapes and colors that you can pretend to interpret after sharing three bottles of wine with her daughters.



SHARKS! going to the aquarium is quite possibly the best idea that homeboy has ever had... next to buying me a mattress.



px taught drums here. whaddya know!

chicago was a complete success.

we didn't spend as much time in the city as any of us had expected, but downer's grove proved to be more exciting than any of us had expected.

yesterday was italian night. lasagna, wine and painting. we ventured out to buy groceries and chianti and i bought yet another outfit at target ((this week only: mengtar is the cutest thing ever)) and matching kicks from payless... also, kicks is double plural because they had a bogo sale.

also, the downer's grove payless salesman is the coolest guy frpm chicago i've ever met. well, guy from chicago that i met in chicago... sure.

after clothes and shoes, we finally made it to the grocery store and home for some fine lasagna and wine and painted MODERN art... well, momx and sx painted random shapes and i made trees which weren't modern at all, but the painting was completely baller and i wanted to take it home.

oh well. cx and i will have a painting reincarnate night immediately followed by a painting hang-a-thon because my walls are bare and my house is a bore.

i woke up to confusing text messages from a seemingly somber jx.

jx said:

do you believe that people can change?

mengtar said:

absolutely.

jx said:

you are radiant and sensational.

sometimes it's nice to hear compliments before you accept your own death via planecrash.

((don't be alarmed, every time i ride a plane, i come into full acceptance that it is my deathday. i assure you, this is not new. i hate planes.))

chicago is my favorite city to fly over. second prettiest skyline in the us. second to minneapolis, of course.

i like being cute in airports and wearing sunglasses because people will assume you are a big deal. i'm glad i shaved my armpits this morning. if i hadn't and someone noticed, it would have devastating effects on my big deal status.

i shaved my armpits this morning. i am a big deal.

i have finished another book by the indespensible kurt vonnegut. timequake. if i had finished the rest of the collection ((working on it)) i might say that it is his best book since his slaughter-house days. i'm glad that now i can discuss it with best friend and the girl from work who is definitely not my friend, but i will talk to her because she just recently finished timequake as well. i'm over it.

homeboy is taking me to the aquarium today. things i want to see at the aquarium:
sea dragons ((because they were on animal planet today as the number two most extreme disguises.))
balluga whale. ((because of the raffi song and because cx said they had a whale.))
cougar ((because i heard they had one, and that is just silly))

speaking of silly, did you know that your eyelashes are just silia? whoa.

also, sharks are neat, but if i get too scared, i will have no use for the swimsuit and loosely-knit over-suit thing i also bought. i mean, i'll wear it someplace eventually, but with little or no purpose.

water = scary. damn you, stephen speilburg!

one thing i continue to find interesting when i travel is that when strangers talk to me, they often ask about my nationality.

uhh... white?

this time i was told i had an interesting accent and asked by a polite businessman if i was from the ukraine. no... minnesota. not even fucking close.

other popular potentials are russia and new york. new york is not a nationality, i understand this. strangers do not. i'm over it.

now i have to wait forever for homeboy to pick my ass up from public. i'm beginning to re-hate being in public. it comes and goes. currently, it is gone.

i spent my yesterday being a girl.

i forgot my sunglasses in texas, so i went through sx's stash...







we went shopping. a lot.

our first stop was the lucky boutique. if you're from denton, it looks a lot like la di da. i bought a DRESS because i'm basically the cutest thing ever. now i just need to find something that i can wear a dress to... homeboy and i may have decided on a play of sorts... that's a good idea. after running around grabbing everything off racks and putting almost everything back, we found a 3-dollar box.

we raped the 3-dollar box.

i also got some kickin jeans ((most money i have EVER spent on a pair of pants though... totally worth it)) and a shirt that just might be my aquarium shirt...

i think i'm going to the dallas aquarium tomorrow... don't bomb it.

we picked out some glasses frames for sx at sears optical and tried on about a thousand pairs. i remember giggling a lot and taking pictures and people looking at me like why is she taking pictures when there are mirrors EVERYWHERE?!? they seemed almost angry about it.






old navy was also an amazing idea. i got a swim suit and some other things that i don't even remember.

after the play, i will find a place to go swimming.

i almost got one that was FAR cuter, but my boobs wouldn't stay inside. it was not swim-safe. it also did not pass the shark attack test. i'm over it.



we went to a baller pub for microbrew ((where i sold my soul for their oatmeal stout)) and $2 burgers. however, these weren't like minneapolis' dollar sporty burgers... these were some massive burgers. fuckin great.

post-burgers we wanted to rent the muppet movie to watch this morning, but they only had muppet christmas carol. i voted all dogs go to heaven, but was countered with two nays.

broadcasting LIVE from sx’s beautiful chicago apartment!

what a day what a day.

last night i talked to strangers. for my last night in denton, homeboy and i went to texas 8ball and ran into some homies that I dared not challenge to a game of suck. instead we got free balls and a pitcher and i did not run the table.



however, upon my arrival it went something like this…

mengtar said:

pitcher of shiner, please. ((i’m so polite))

randomdudex said:

actually, babe, i'm drinking whiskey and coke.

mengtar said:

well that’s nice.

randomdudex said:

oh… is it because i called you babe?

mengtar said:

yeah, us yankees aren’t into that.

randomdudex said:

yeah, they furthest north I’ve ever been is chicago.

mengtar said:

i’m actually going to chicago tomorrow!

random dude said:

really? bla bla bla bla dance music…bla bla… go here… and here… whatever I’m not listening.

homeboy showed up and we walked away. he said something later and i pretended not to hear.

we left for the airport hella early for my 9.45a flight so homeboy could still make it to his 8a class. i was at the airport at like 7.15ish. turns out my itinerary was changed to a direct flight at 10.55. whatev. as we boarded, they changed our departure to 11.45.

::le sigh::

it took almost two hours to locate my luggage because we were told to go five different baggage claims. this part of the story is much more interesting with arm motions and impressions.

it was okay, though, because momx’s flight was delayed and cancelled four times and we left the airport around 8p. 13 hours in planes and airports. excellente.







i received the grande tour of downtown downer’s grove. featuring midwestern and a hospital and a school where px did not teach drumline. whatever.

we inhaled a million tacos while discussing lost.







everyone went to bed while sx and i made snow men and snow angels and snow forts that may or may not be blocking a certain lx’s vehicle…


before i left for chicago, i organized my closet and it looks like this. i'm okay with it.

i’m over it. my pants are cold and wet and snowy and it is time for bed.

((bballa))

also, the internet doesn’t work so we will try again tomorrow.

i almost bought a laptop yesterday but best buy was closed and i didn't feel like spending an extra two hundred dollars at circuit city so i went home and paid my bills instead.

21 days til i'm soaking up the sun on the white sand beaches of chicago...

i paid off yet ANOTHER credit card... but i plan on putting a laptop on it pre-chicago. i'll let you know how that works out for me and how completely unsuccesful i am.

i felt fine when i got home from work, but something about beer and chips and queso gave me a wicked headache. then i was pukelor for the next two or so hours. have you ever had beer and chips and queso puke come out your nose? it burns a little... for a looong time. gross. if i had purchased my laptop last night, i could have live-blogged you every detail.

opportunities lost.

dear momx and sx,

Dallas (DFW) to St. Louis (STL) 2/25/08 9:45 am - 11:20 am American Airlines
St. Louis (STL) to Chicago (ORD) 2/25/08 11:50 am - 12:59 pm American Airlines

Chicago (ORD) to Dallas (DFW) 2/28/08 6:45 am - 9:10 am American Airlines


love, mengtar.

((yay))

momx and i are going to chicago at the end of the month.

maybe... just MAYBE i'll get a laptop before then too...

((happy superbowl. i'll be at the og where nobody will be eating.))

i waited on three GORGEOUS guys tonight. and it got even better when one removed his jacket to expose his minnesota twins shirt. easiest thirty dollar tip i've ever made.

stay tuned tomorrow for me telling you about the most awkward people i've ever waited on... ever.



laptops are losing priority and chicago is gaining quickly. i need to get out of this fucking place.

also:

sarah, meet chicago.



chicago, meet sarah.