Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

Friday night we had our usual happy hour gathering at Patton Alley Pub. It was pouring down rain, the parking lot was jammed and the Pub was full by the time we arrived shortly after 5pm. I was getting really cranky so Steve threw me out of the car (not literally) and told me he’d park while I got a table. Well, there were no tables to be found and we needed a place for five of us. Eric, the owner, took pity on me and set up a patio table in the corner by the pool table. We threw a bit of a cog in the waitstaff routine, but everyone had a great attitude and cheap Happy Hour beer flowed freely. After a few libations we all decided to go across the street and sample the new menu at Hickok’s, another Eric property. Eric rules Patton Alley with the Pub, Hickok’s Steakhouse, Bodega Bar and Agrario (contemporary Mediterranean). He’s our next door neighbor and great friend. But I digress. We’d eaten at Hickok’s twice before and it was good, but not outstanding like Agrario or Patton Alley Pub. I always figured it was the steak-heavy menu I didn’t like since I’m not a big steak eater. The new menu featured more sandwiches, smaller cuts of meat and more choices for chicken. We started with the bacon cheese bites which are rich, gooey chunks of cheese with bacon in them that are breaded and fried. Let’s face it: breaded and fried food is just good. This wasn’t greasy either which was nice. Steve and I decided to split the spicy burger and get salads so we might have room for dessert (Steve wanted chocolate cake). The burger was outstanding. Pepperjack cheese, wing sauce and cheddar cheese were the perfect compliment to the top grade ground beef. Half of the burger was plenty. Matt ordered the chicken fried steak which he declared to be “yummy.” Sarah got the spicy burger and also enjoyed it. Greg got the bistro broil and gushed over it. Actually, all of us were gushing over our food. The place wasn’t too packed for a Friday night (which is bad if you’re a restaurant owner and good if you’re the patron) and our waiter was great. Good food, good beer and great friends made for the perfect way to start the weekend.

Sometimes I think about my metal skills and I really get a kick out of the fact I’m a woman working in a (mostly) man’s world. I love the fact that I have tons of tools, work with torches and belt sanders and the like, and get my hands dirty to produce fabulous jewelry. Today, I decided I was going to finish a project Steve and I started last week. I had bought a really cool vintage lamp off of eBay and it needed to be hard wired so we could plug it in. We bought the wiring kit and a new base and proceeded to take the whole thing apart. Just when we’re about finished, we discover that the “cage” inside, designed to hold the light bulb in the lamp, does not hold it tight enough so we can pull the chain to turn the light off and on. We were both irritated so we wrapped it up in the bag to tackle later. My friend Kerry, who buys and sells antiques, was over and said the light was an easy fix. All I had to do was cut a piece of brass (which I happened to have) for the inside that was similar to the outside piece. Then, using two washers and a threaded pipe, the cord could run through it and the light fixture would stop at the top of the inside brass piece. I cut the piece, cut out the middle, took apart the light base, put everything back together and successfully rewired the lamp! It was a cool moment when Steve plugged it in and it worked. However, now I’m not sure I want to hang the lamp in the original intended spot. So it’s back in the bag until we can figure out where to put it. Still, I felt really cool rewiring the thing.

Today I am sporting my first official piece of camoflage clothing. Steve laughed at me stating that I was wearing something I normally made fun of on other people. I pointed out that this wasn’t official camo it was fashion camo. There is a huge difference. Besides, the embroidered dragon on the back of it adds to the “street tough” look. Oh yeah, I’m such a rebel. Actually, I’m trying to get out of my khakiblackwhitepolocroppantjeanstshirt rut so I thought I’d mix it up a bit with the trendy camo. It was a cheap TJ Maxx find so it was worth the risk.

For those of you keeping track at home, and those who aren’t, today marks only two months left to shop for my 40th birthday. This is the big one, folks, so let’s pull out all the stops. My shoe size is 9.5 or 40 European. Anything Italian is welcome. Just thought I’d let you know so you can plan accordingly.

I’m one of those people who reads magazines. A lot of magazines. I subscribe to at least half a dozen and am always picking up random issues when I’m at Target or Wal-Mart. At one time I read almost nothing but books, but as I got busier and busier, I got lazy and started reading magazines. At first it was to keep up with fashion. Now I think it’s just that my attention span is almost non-existent. So yesterday, on my way to bed, I decided it was time to pick up another book and actually attempt to finish it. For some strange reason I was compelled to re-read 1984 by George Orwell. Now, Animal Farm is one of my favorites and I’ve read it several times, but 1984 just called to me. Perhaps it was because I felt the need for something stimulating. Maybe I wanted to feel better about my own life. Regardless, I began it last night with the promise to myself not to let it gather dust beside my bed. We’ll see how it goes. The magazines beckon me as I received the latest In Style in the mail today.

I survived the fashion show today. It was actually pretty fun except for the waiting. The MC was recovering from surgery and probably shouldn’t have commited to the event. She was very nice, but I’m wondering what pain pills she was on because she just went on and on and on about the first few models. When we got to the last few (I was one of them) she breezed through. That’s ok with me because I was getting tired. Plus, we had to fill out this stupid sheet describing ourselves in three words and telling which time in our life we’d like to relive. Ick! I hate those things. I couldn’t remember what I wrote about the reliving, but I knew it wasn’t anything deep like the birth of my children (I have none) or a last talk with my grandmother. Sure enough, I wrote something lame about reliving college so I could change my major. Bleah! Everyone else wanted to relive the birth of their children. Oh well, I figure nobody was listening by the time they got to me anyway.

The last time Steve and I tried sushi we did it take-out style. That’s because our favorite sushi haunt has turned into the land of the pretty people. For some reason, customers and staff alike at Haruno seem to think they’re better than every one else. We’ve overlooked this because they had darned good food and their sushi is consistently wonderful. However, the weekend of the finger cutting incident was the last straw. We ordered our food to go and when we picked it up we were practically sneered at by the row of people waiting for their food. Perhaps they were upset because we’d thought to order ahead, but for us it was the icing on the cake. To quote Heidi Klum from Project Runway, “I’m sorry, but you’re out.” The dilemma was now where to get good sushi at a reasonable price in a good atmosphere. Enter Umi Sushi. This new place recently opened on Battlefield and I attended a ribbon-cutting event there. Last Friday night Steve, Duane, Prudy and I all decided to give it a go and Umi did not disappoint. First, the atmosphere was relaxed and quiet, second, the staff was accomodating and friendly, third the food was delicious. We all ordered different rolls so we could share and all were good. Steve, however, got the real treat of the evening. He ordered the fatty tuna and it was buttery and tender. While I’m not a huge fan of raw fish, even I had to appreciate and enjoy the tiny bite he gave me. Three hours, two beers and one late diner (Duane) later, we all declared Umi to be a hit. I can see we’ll be returning soon.

I’ve been roped into modeling in a local fashion show tomorrow. Monday is a great time for this as I’ve spent the weekend eating and drinking so I feel all nice and bloated. I am wearing a fun outfit that’s very bohemian-chic. My only complaint is that the skirt has little coins sewn all around the hem that jingle when I walk. I don’t like clothes that make noise so it’s not something I’d wear in real life, but it is cute. Stay tuned for the riveting update after the show.

Today Steve promised me we’d do some work around the house. The original plan was to work on the basement and gather stuff to be donated, but we hit a detour on the “home project” road. While reading the Sunday paper, Steve mentioned his t-shirts were on sale at Target. Yes, this is an example of the the stimulating conversations that occur after 10 years of marriage. Anyhoo, we decided to make a Target run before it got busy. I mentioned I wanted to go to Lowe’s and get some mole killer (another riveting conversation from the morning) so we ventured over there after Target. Recently, we’d noticed our bathroom sink had a crack in it that was getting larger so we stopped to look at new sinks. Lowe’s had one on sale that was exactly the one we wanted. We ditched our earlier basement project and decided to install a new bathroom sink. Steve promised the job would be done in about an hour and a half; just in time for lunch. Well, those were famous last words. The geniuses who installed the last sink bolted it to the wall (which is standard), but tightened the screw so tight Steve couldn’t get it undone. Several attempts later, it finally gave and came out. After about an hour and a half, we decided to break for lunch. The sink went outside by the curb (we’re so white trash!) and Steve was thinking a break would be perfect. After lunch, we had to stop again for a trip to Osco for plumbing tape and silicone, then we headed toward the home stretch. Yes, it took twice as long as anticipated and we didn’t do any other projects, but it’s so beautiful! Who knew a sink could be so wonderful? Again, this is an example of the special times married couples share after being together for so long. Still, it’s nice to get home projects done and the sink is quite lovely. Now, if anyone is looking for a porcelain sink with a crack in it and a matching pedestal, just stop by our house and feel free to take it from the curb.

How’s this for funny? I write for a local magazine and the editor recently sent me assignments for the July issue. I’m supposed to cover the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Fall Hunting Classic. I’m a fashion writer! I like things that are pretty. Camouflage, while a spring trend in clothing, is not my idea of fashion. I don’t care about guns, deer season, duck season (I love ducks!), bows and arrows, etc. I asked my editor if this was his idea of a sick joke. He just chuckled and said he was looking for the “Tammy touch” in the story. Apparently he wants sarcasm. He’s threatening to make me actually attend the event. That’s when I reconsider my writing career.