Do 1 Thing Every Day that Scares You

5 points (which can be redeemed in drink-of-choice form at a local Chicago establishment) go to the first person who can name what that line is from. Cheaters suck, so no Googling that. It's an easy one...

So have I mentioned in my previous posts how thankful I am for the incredible life I am living and for the best summer I've ever experienced? If I haven't, I would like this to be noted as a consistent feeling during the last 2 months.

This week only added to the fun. I was babysitting my best friend/boyfriend, a 7-month old toothless little creature named Michael, who happens to live in the neighborhood of Mike "Chitown" Johnson. So Thursday, I ventured out for dinner and drinks with Chitown and crew. (Side note: suburb mosquitos are much more persistent than city 'skeeters.) While out, I met someone who went to college with someone I went to camp with after freshman year of high school. Small world, big OASC network-- what's new. ;)

Friday was low-key. I spent my evening in Joann Fabric buying workshop supplies and a used bookstore browsing to my heart's content. I think used books are so powerfully cool-- they have a story beyond the words on the page, because they used to sit on the shelves of someone else's house, and they probably traveled places where they would be read. Have you been to more countries than I have, used book? C'est possible. Anyway, I had really great conversation with former campers of mine, which put me in the perfect mood to start gearing up for workshop (countdown: 6 days!). I miss so many of those "kids," but one of my very favorite parts of being a camp counselor is seeing what all of them have evolved into after all these years I haven't been able to see them. It is humbling and really speaks to the passion I have for youth development.

Saturday, ohhh Saturday. MEAG CAME BACK! Meag, one of my roomies, was in Mallorca (Spain) for the first half of summer. But this Saturday, she came into the city to hang out with me. We went to lunch at Heartland, popped a squat on the new quad in front of the IC and did wonders for the image of Loyola's student life as hoardes of prospectives shuffled by on giant weekend tours, and then we went to the beach, which has really turned into my second home since the weather took a turn for the better. If I was tan before, I am now sepia, or at least copper. Thing #1 that I did that day that I was afraid of? Swam in the depths of Lake Michigan. I'm not afraid of water, and I'm not really THAT afraid of water I can't see the bottom of, but I am terrified of the undertoe stories we heard during our "lake safety" lectures when I was a child. BOOYA, undertoe...you do not rule my life.

Cue arrival of big sister Kelly. First, let me preclude this entry by saying that my sister and I have been introduced by Shawn as being "exactly alike." Our friend James also told us earlier this summer that we were "the white version of Sister, Sister, only not twins." We laugh the same, say the same comments and usually think what the other one is thinking at any given moment. AWESOME.

We headed to the Ben concert, which was actually a 21+ church fundraiser in the West Loop. On the way, the only exciting thing that happened was a sighting of a little boy (seriously, age 5 probably) who had the most killer calves I have ever seen. They were like Dong Song's, only on a pre-kindergardener. At the event, all of the volunteers who were "working" were also boozing as hard (nope, definitely harder) than all of the non-volunteers. We found out shortly after seeing Mike-the-worker so drunk that he was doing MJ's "anti-gravity" move (kudos to my sister for that colorful imagery) that volunteers drink for free. Sounds like they got the winning deal out of that one! We also won in that department, because our first drink was poured by volunteer Phil, who had also clearly been drinking, and he told us his beer line was "the line to be in all night," which we wholeheartedly agreed to when we walked away with all of our beverage tickets still in hand.

Our second drink costs were footed by my newfound fleeting boyfriend, Lance, or as I like to call him, Lancepants. Let me clarify that we did not flirt for or ask for drinks from them, but they offered to refill ours and wouldn't take reimbursement afterwards. Fear #2 that was faced? I drank out of a cup that potentially not just my lips had been on. The cups got may or may not have gotten mixed up in the refill process, and me being the germophobe that I am, I would not usually tolerate such potentially careless switching of mouth juices. However, they were being nice and I was watching a badass concert in sweltering heat, so I cleared those thoughts from my head and enjoyed a delicious (free) brewski. Ben played an excellent set list of new songs and classic sing-alongs from his previous albums. He played "Army," which allowed for a sisterly-twin moment because the line, "My redneck past is nipping at my heels" made both of us shout out, "ELYRIA!"

On our way to meet up with our friend Mike (not to be confused with drunk-worker-Mike) and his hat Aristotle (see image at paragraph break), we saw the King of Mullets ride by on a bike, and I am a hardcore mullet lover so that was a for sure highlight. We encountered drunken Ben fans who were singing on the street, so naturally we indulged their behavior and sang in harmony with them. We also rode the train home with Walker, Texas Ranger, which was cool because I've never met a celebrity in Chicago before.

Sporcle was my main finals week pastime, but it is also a tradition to play every mildly interesting game with my sister when she's here, and today's Sporcling led us to realize that Michael Richards is being featured on one of the the newly-released 2009 US pennies. Check that shit out-- Seinfeld really IS a cultural icon!