Ah, Summer

Few things are more pleasant and wonderful than the first warm spring/summer weekend. Okay, I guess this was technically the second warm summer weekend here in Chicago, but it was just absolutely perfect. I've lived in this goddamn city my entire life, and each year I forget how the first warm day captures a sense of perfect contentment and can automatically elevate your mood. The entire city exudes a sense of relief and exhilaration -- the general giddiness is nearly palpable, and you forget about the dry skin, the bitter wind, the frozen snot, the spitting snow/rain hideousness, and the constant grey. The following list summarizes the feeling:

-- You feel like you can really, finally take your wretched winter wool coat to the drycleaners.
-- The flip-flops come out.
-- You don't feel a chill when the wind picks up.
-- Everyone walks around with a goofy smile on their face. In fact, people are generally in a better mood.
-- You switch from red wine to white, and it doesn't feel inappropriate to drink rum or tequila-based cocktails.
-- You only end up flicking off one or two retard drivers or pedestrians per day.
-- You start sweating just from walking.
-- You can sit outside and enjoy a meal or a drink. You don't rush through said meal or drink.
-- You stay up later because it is still light at 7:45 at night.
-- You don't need to moisturize every patch of skin on your body.
-- You can start wearing the tank tops with the built-in bras and not worry about flashing everyone on the street with headlights. You can also wear cotton dresses and pull out your cloth purses and open-toe shoes.
-- You can actually smell flowers and other sweet scents among the exhaust fumes.

All right that last bit was a little too cliche. Sorry about that.

Some other things I'm thinking about:

-- I'm now an aunt two times over! Congratulations, Swati. I forgot how cute newborns are. Seeing them still does nothing for my so-called "maternal instinct," but I do admit they are pretty fucking cute. Also, I have to say, it's pretty cool when your friend with whom you used to have dorky sleepovers and go to the mall and buy $5 earrings from Claire's has a child. I saw my friend's breast though, that was kind of weird.

-- Maybe it's the impending summer, but I'm regressing again and acting like a delinquent. It's fun.

-- Avec is by far one of the best restaurants in Chicago. It gives NY restaurants a run for their money, seriously. Interesting to see the similarities between Avec's menu and style and the Momofukus, even given the stark difference in types of cuisine. Both serve high quality, flavorful, cleverly-conceived, well-executed cuisine in casual yet highly stylish settings. By the way, when and where and how did the gourmet pork obsession begin?

-- When the fuck is Gary Sheffield going to get it together?

-- I absolutely hate cable television. I hate, hate, hate both Direct TV and Comcast. Seriously, I'm convinced both have a business model of fucking over their customers as much as possible, knowing that we have few choices, and hoping that instead of fighting their morass of bullshit, we will just give up and suck it up and end up swallowing 18 unfair, ridiculous fees; draconian return policies; and general assfucking. Hence, my 2 hours of wasted time at Circuit City today on the phone with various Direct TV customer service reps. But I do want my high definition TV! Now my beautiful new flat screen hanging on my wall that I just stare at in disbelief that I own such a ridiculously gorgeous piece of consumer excess will be silent for two weeks. Obviously I will live, and yes, I am aware of the hideous yuppery of this paragraph.

-- On a similar note, I have to give props to Circuit City. Their adept manager and employees handled an extremely irate, angry, frustrated customer with professionalism and calm.

-- I'm dreading work.

-- I can't wait to go to the "beach!"