chicago

what ridiculous fun can be had in this city. and by ridiculous i do not necessarily mean in a childish or frat boy way - though that was covered too. some highlights from just the first day because i don't have time for a complete post:

Arriving at 8:30am - sure, it was no fun waking up as early as we did to catch the plane, but I wouldn't do it any other way. It meant we had plenty of time to drop our bags and

Be at Frontera Grill when they open at 11:30. There was a significant line, but thankfully we snagged a table on the first seating. Oysters, ceviche two ways, carne asada, pork tacos - all delicious - as were the margaritas which set the tone for the remainder of the day. We were desperate to find another cocktail at 1pm. In a town like Chicago, it shouldn't have been an issue but we had only been there a few hours and were already a bit in our cups. So we took this LONG walk around only to stumble in to the lamest bar at 1pm ever. I won't even name the name because maybe it would have been fun at night. So we quickly finished up those drinks and

Headed to the Blue Frog for more drinks which was recommended on Yelp and nearby.

Quick side note: To the iPhone apps Yelp and HopStop: thank you.

So the Blue Frog reviews talked primarily about their karaoke at night, but also of all the old school board games they had. Since it wasn't night and we don't sing anyway, we tried to play a few but was sort of not as much fun as it could have been (we should have played All My Children!) so instead we bellied up to the bar to meet all our new Blue Frog friends and watch Jeopardy! and drink what ended up being too much. These friends included but were not limited to Cliff (the bartender who bled later in the evening) and then Julie and Larissa (there are some people who will find that hilarious - we did). After far too many drinks, food was in order so we settled for a recommendation by the nice frog folks for

Deep dish pizza at Pizano's right down the street from our hotel on State Street. It is sort of a good & bad thing that our only Chicago pizza experience was while we were hammered. I don't think i am a real fan of this style pizza - i really do like my crust doughy and bubbly and wood fired. Still, it was tasty and one slice sure did help with all the alcohol swimming around. But only one slice - man, that was filling. So we arrived in Chicago at 8:30am and we

Passed out in Chicago at 8:30pm. Yep, FAST asleep. 2/3 of us threw up - I was the lone wolf - which means Day One was a TOTAL SUCCESS.

a rainy day edition

Today is one of those days that i want to make a bed in the living room and watch movies all day. Rainy, nasty, cold.

listening: or rather, what I may listen to later - Richard Louv, the author of a book (The Last Child In the Woods) that i have been trying to read for oh, 9 months, was on Charlotte Talks this morning talking about kids with 'Nature Deficit Disorder.' I love the hypothesis of the book but not really a page turner if you know what i mean.

reading: well, NOT The Last Child In the Woods. BUT as a marketing director with nary a marketing class under her belt I often question if I am doing what Marketing Director are supposed to be doing. But what I have been reading this morning are several mags featuring some of our wines and I like to think I played a role in making that happen. Check out some of the highlights:

Bon Appetit - November 2009

Wine Enthusiast - November 2009

Wine Spectator - Insiders

and also HERE

Also, in tomorrow's Wine & Spirits mag we have 2 producers featured on the Top 100 Wineries list!

watching: the days count down until it is time to go to Chicago!

eating: a real home cooked dinner every night this week - following an article from last month's Real Simple. Didn't like the Week 1 recipes, but Week 2 pretty good so far. Also, I spent only about $70 at the store for the week.

drinking: in moderation. because i have a feeling that chicago will pretty much be a binge.

CAP: woke up with his manners this morning

now format idea

maybe instead of the listening, eating, drinking blah blah blah format that has been done to death and is completely unoriginal yet i still like it -

For the month of October I could post on "What I Want to be for Halloween" by Caleb Peterson. It would be updated almost daily. Today? Spiderman. Because "he has webs in him" - even the best craftiest websites don't tell me how to get the webs inside. Also, I loathe those websites and the self induced pressure to be THAT mom that makes his Halloween costume.

But I have to admit...last year's robot was RIGHT ON.

short caleb edition

listening: humming the Imperial Death March.

reading: If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss. It was Erik's very favorite (according to Grandma Pete). He (Caleb) about fell out of bed laughing last night at 2 particular passages:

"I'll hunt in the mountains of Zomba-ma-Tant

With helpers who all wear their eyes at a slant,

And capture a fine fluffy bird called the Bustard

Who only eats custard with sauce made of mustard.

And, also, a very fine beast called the Flustard

Who only eats mustard with sauce made of custard."

NOTE: Holy xenophobia!

"I'll catch 'em in countries that no one can spell

Like the country of Motta-fa- Potta-fa-Pell."

watching: The Holy Trinity: Star Wars Episodes 4-6. see also: "listening:"

it's a snoozer

listening: trusty Pandora station. though it is losing some of its originality. Yes, we have established I like the White Stripes, Death Cab for Cutie, Radiohead, The Shins, Iron & Wine. How about giving me some stuff I don't know?

reading: actually, proofreading. tasting notes for an upcoming portfolio tasting.

watching: the leaves starting to turn colors - i just love this season.

eating: special K with fresh milk in a glass bottle

drinking: one too many vodkas (actually it was the shortie that got me)

CAP: did not do something for me, even though i did something for him. i can't tell if he doesn't grasp the subject or just chooses to ignore it. yes, i can tell. he knows exactly what he is doing and it is infuriating!

Captain Sir Star Wars Superhero

listening: The Black Keys Attack & Release and specifically Psychotic Girl - can't get sick of it

reading: Newspaper headlines. Yesterday when I glanced at the Charlotte Observer's homepage, headline coverage of the devastation in Southeast Asia was limited to the following: "'Survivor' not harmed by Pacific quake, tsunami."

watching: Sesame Street. Trying to wean Caleb of the Wow Wow Wubbzy and push something that has some educational value (yeah, yeah, I'm talking about TV - start judging). This morning they were talking about NEAR and FAR - when I was a little girl Grover was my favorite and his NEAR and FAR sketch my absolute favorite of the Grover moments. Sadly, either we missed the sketch this morning or they retired it. Thankfully, we live in the age of youtube!

eating: Pancakes. Much improvement made on the morning front - enough so that Caleb & I enjoyed pancakes for breakfast - that I made from scratch mind you (there are no other pancakes in my mind). He ate 2 1/2 - which is a hungryman breakfast for him. Also, when I was a little girl I loved pancakes more than Grover. Seriously? I could eat a half dozen EASY.

drinking: nothing of enough interest to report. some black coffee to get me through the rest of the day. not very good coffee at that.

CAP: This Halloween costume obsession is killing me! First it was a Jawa. Then a pirate. Then he brought a knight in to the mix (thanks to his buddy Harris at school). And then he tossed around "Star Wars" as a general category - sometimes being as specific as a stormtrooper. And then he saw a Batman costume at Target. What is a mom to do?