I'll Tell You On Street Intersections...

Two months! It has almost hit two freaking months! In a way, I feel like I've been here longer but I also feel as though I've not done enough. So here's an update for anybody who reads this but mainly for me because my brain is still trying to recapture fragments of my experiences but is struggling to do so chronologically.

First things first, I have a job now. I don't think I've mentioned that. In fact, I've had a job for almost a month now, I think. I work in a call centre. "Again?!" you ask. "Again," I answer. But I like this job. So far in my life I have worked as a telemarketer and a market research interviewer handling outbound calls and pestering people in the middle of dinner. Now I've moved up the ladder and I'm handling inbound calls from people who are seeking employment. I work in a "National Recruitment Centre" called PeopleScout where people call in to either schedule an appointment with one of our clients (companies we represent), partake in initial screening processes and telephone interviews and ask to have their passwords reset for their web applications. You'd be surprised at how many people actually forget their passwords. I also make some outbound calls but since most people don't know how to fucken answer their phones these days, all I end up doing is leave messages in various vocal tones to make my job more thrilling. But not really. I mean, I do play around with different inflections but it doesn't really make it that much more exciting. Overall, it's a cruisy job and at least I know I'm helping people in some strange kind of way. Or maybe that's something I tell myself to make myself feel better about not getting a job in audio. I miss you, mixer.

Moving right along... I had plans to go to DC this weekend with my Madison connection but plans fell through. We were going to go for the Rally to Restore Sanity but all is not lost as they're holding one in Grant Park in Chicago on Saturday too! Good stuff. So this weekend, I'm going to eat vegan soul food at Soul Veg tomorrow night, check out a Neo-Futurists play called Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind at the Neo-Futurarium, visit the Landmark which is an indie cinema, attend the Chicago Rally to Restore Sanity and most likely drink Tecate. It's also Halloween this weekend which will be a real Halloween, unlike the pretend Halloween we have in Sydney. It's going to be a good one but then again, what weekend hasn't been? I'm also trying to organise a weekend in Minneapolis but we'll see what happens.

Now, because I'm lazy and cold and sleepy, I'm going to summarise the past month or whatever it's been since I last wrote a proper blog post. I've:

-Been to Madison and back to hang out with some of the best people I've ever met

-Witnessed crazy shit go down at punk shows, mostly involving grotty traveller kids

-Been to a few small parties

-Looked for apartments

-Discovered the wonders of Grub Hub

-Sat at random bus stops along Devon in the middle of the night

-Met people I just do not want to associate myself with but at the same time, met mad cunts (I'm looking at you, Sahar Salameh)

-Smoked hookah at Alibaba's and Carthage

-Become a regular at The Daily Cup and Kebobs

-Worked and worked and worked

-Had some good days that end in bad nights

Now if you know me, you'd know that my main priority when travelling anywhere is finding some good tucker. Let's just say I love being a vegan in Chicago. The places I've eaten at so far (not just in the last month) include:

-Sher-A-Punjab, West Rogers Park

-Anna Purna, West Rogers Park

-Ghareeb Nawaz, West Rogers Park (would you like some death with that chana paratha?)

-Pick Me Up Cafe, Wrigleyville

-The Chicago Diner, Wrigleyville

-Skewers, Wicker Park

-Earwax Cafe, Wrigleyville

-Bleeding Heart Bakery, Roscoe Village

-The Handlebar, Wicker Park

-Bale Cafe, Uptown

-Lao Laan-Xeng, Madison, WI

-Wild Dogz, Evanston

-J Wellingtons, Wicker Park

-Bourgeois Pig, Lincoln Park

-Wholefoods Prepared Foods section, Lincoln Park

-Plenty of random cafe's and Mexican joints

-On a grass patch beside a bridge on the Southside

Oh hello 1am, when did you roll around? I suppose I should get to sleep now considering I have to make the journey to work tomorrow morning. I still feel as though I've left out a lot but my brain is just mush now. I'm okay though! I'm doing really well and my health has not deteriorated so I am grateful for that and pray that it will remain stable. I do, however, still miss Vegemite. But I sure have found a home away from home here in Chicago. Okay, incoming phone call. Bye now.

Keep it honest, keep it awesome.

Yours,

-S