Dipping into 2017

When I first started writing this post, 2 months ago, it was a delightful four degrees outside, which was a major upswing from that morning's negative numbers, and wind chills creeping lower beyond that. So this city does what it does best and looked awful whilst trudging around in nine coats and three pairs of pants (it happens to the best of us, but not me because I took an Uber to work).

If I can recall winter 2015, which I definitely can, I remember it being super mild, like, sitting-in-parks mild because it was fifty freakin' degrees in the heart of December. But 2016 it was when this post was being written, which in every other sense was a total bitch, so it seems on par. I also feel like those who had a "good" 2016 are keeping that slice of information to themselves. It would very much be like claiming your adoration for the Cleveland Indians in the final week of October in Chicago. You just didn't do it. But while the weather was rather miserable, there have been some beautiful flurries that momentarily coat the city in wonder and beauty. Luckily today is not one of those days, as the temperature reads in the mid forties.

Whatever, let's get to the good stuff, which is music. I feel such a large shift lately. I will FOREVER be an XRT girl. That is where my core base of music is and it will never, ever be neglected by my musical soul. I just find that I'm gravitating towards an array of other things I haven't been into in a long time, or have been, just haven't properly shared. I know I briefly touched on this topic in my last post, but music transitions are huge, and perhaps hit me harder than they would most. I typically have about two or three each year; where I listen to particular groupings of certain genre's. I never know what it's going to be, but usually it's something I already love and have completely neglected for at least a year, as if it's a musical Rolodex, and there are somethings that just stay in the background for longer than you intend them to. I guess it's all about the mood, and the mood always has the ability to change.

This particular set of music has come to me at all different times, from numerous sources. Some old, some new. I've been listening to these particular jams and the albums they belong to, quite a bit over the past two months. I have been in such a whirlwind, that it leaves me little time to write, but so much time to listen.

{Heavy in Rotation}

Wolf and I by Oh Land

Legend Has It by Run The Jewels

Okay, sidenote; I've been a RTJ fan for a minute now, and a month or so ago

my cab driver asks me which radio station I would like for him to put on.

Obviously, I chose XRT. It's The Big Beat with Jason Thomas. He plays

'Noise Pollution' by Potrugal. The Man (solid jam), and THEN PLAYS THIS SONG.

I lost my mind in the back of this car. Chicago's Finest Rock bringing my

other finest choice into the mix. HOT DAMN! What a moment. Also, this song solidifies

my final decision in needing a pair of nunchucks. I need to just throw down to this song.

and every other Run The Jewels song.
Demon Days by Gorillaz
Outlier by Bonobo
Say Something Loving by The xx
Obsessed upon first listen.

Adorn by Miguel

Holy. Shit.
Oui by Jeremih
My girls were bumpin' GCI in the back at work one day, MONTHS AGO, I heard this song AND FELL IN LOVE WITH IT. I had no idea who it was by, all I knew was "ah ah yah" and that apparently helped no one. I hadn't heard it again until 5 days ago. I thoroughly flipped out and was finally able to find out who it was by and it's title. THE SATISFACTION WAS REAL. This is an album I've been listening to in full. Another rather sexy jam off Late Nights: PLANEZ (ft. J. Cole). If this guy needs a dancer for any show or tour he ever does, he can contact me.
Hard Liquor by SOHN
Hot Thoughts by Spoon [NEW SPOON! YES!]

Déjà Loin by Yann Tiersen

I put 'Fervier' on my Halloween mix a couple posts ago because it was

extremely appropriate. However, I've been listening to him for years. I even

went to see him live hoping I'd get to hear some of the songs I love most. 

Nope. Anyway... his album, C'était ici, has to be one of my all time favorites.

He's behind the music for Amelie, which hopefully helps familiarize his work.

I listened to this album straight through twice in a row a few weeks ago whilst decorating cookies.

Houdini by Foster The People

Shades of Cool by Lana Del Rey

All in all, 2017 has been an interesting array of emotions compacted into what feels much more than two months in. Overall, things have been going well. There's always room for improvement and progression, and right now I need a lot of both. There have been a lot of great things going on and ways I've been keeping myself plenty busy. Dan and I celebrated the incoming of 2017 at Scofflaw (seriously, GO THERE) - one of our favorite places and had an amazing time. I attended the XRT Listener Poll in the first week of January, The people that I surrounded myself with that evening were exquisite. I had a really lovely time and am so glad it was able to happen. I've been spending plenty of time at Bitter Pops, Dan and I checked out the Art Institute last week and tried Terzo Piano, Tony's latest - verdict is out, it was delicious.

 Roamin' with the Lions outside the Art Institute and  The lovely ladies at Bitter Pops/2nd home

NEW YEAR'S EVE at Scofflaw

I recently made this concept for my shoppe - based on Run The Jewels 3. I was super stoked when I found these yarns and knew right away I needed to utilize them properly. I am in love with the album and wanted to make an inspired, yet wearable piece. LISTEN TO THE FULL ALBUM HERE.

XRT LISTENER POLL!

A groovy group of us that can usually be found sending off righteous tweets pertaining to XRT, gathered, and took over the front table at City Winery. We listened to the finest DJs from the finest station lay down what went down on their station in a year's time.

It's a night where you feel like you're best friends with everyone in the room.

It's always nice to meet with those you interact with on a different platform. An inviting group of people where everyone just seems to "get it".

WXRT Chicago ‏@93XRT  Jan 6

@Tessa_SMASH We are enjoying your treats from @DinkelsBakery this morning and you're a very good dancer.

and the morning after you get some Twitter love. Treats earn tweets. As does dancing well.

And here I am. In the thick of transition, which seems to be my favorite place to reside. All that I care about right at this very moment is getting outside and soaking up some of that sun that will only be here for an hour or so. I've been nothing but productive today, but as always, I've got some extra energy to burn. A Monday afternoon stroll is exactly what I need. TG

28 and Feelin' Great!

A couple of big things went down over the past couple days (and then I bought some makeup);

I turned 28;

HOLY MACKEREL! It feels good, it feels great! I like being this age. I like being older and I think for me, the journey will only get better, or at least that's what I'm hoping for. I'm enjoying gaining a bit of wisdom along the way and having different opportunities and experiences to look forward to. For the first time, perhaps ever, I worked on my birthday. I normally was always able to weasel my way out of it, but this year was different. While it's a fact I couldn't pass on the cash, I also wanted to surround myself with my work crew. They've become such an important aspect of my life, as I work with them each day the ones I share the most laughs with. You all know how it goes; your work friends have the ability to know you on such a different level and I really value that aspect of the relationship. I also have a lot of spectacular regulars that I've become well-acquainted with by now, and some of them stopped by for my birthday with a small gift in hand, and others were there just for the sake of being there, and I got to say hi and pass on a little birthday cheer. The best birthday gift is being around those who bring you joy, who fill your life with that much more purpose, those are the faces I want to see, those people are the ones I want to celebrate with. 

Scofflaw;

Oh, what a lucky duck I was. It was my choice for dinner (birthday brat). While there are SO many places I want to go, sometimes you just want to go somewhere you love and are familiar with. There's little room for error on such days, and I knew Scofflaw wouldn't disappoint. A friend highly recommended this place to me over a year ago, and last night, it was my 5th time heading to the swanky gin joint and every time it hits the mark. I'm a huge fan of their "Swizzle" series. It's always a tropical-based tiki drinks, finely tuned with things I typically really go for in cocktails; coconut, lime, & pineapple. Any one of those three items listed in a drink will typically result in me ordering one. HOWEVER, last night was all about kicking it off with a Red Snapper. I needed to settle the score with my Bloody Mary craving, it was simply just too far ahead in the game and I had to get my fix before it totally took me over. In all honesty, you really cannot go wrong with any drink you order; they are all made extremely well and while each one is unique, they each taste superb. 

The kick of that drink was fantastic. The perfect amount of spice, and while there was no garnish (duh, it was a Tuesday night), it was exactly what I needed. The vibe was there and that's all that matters. But you best believe I followed it up with not one, but two Swizzle #15's.

Me with my Red Snapper!

Besides having on-point drinks, Scofflaw has a bangin' menu; it's chocked full of goodies at extremely reasonable prices. Mixing, Matching, Pairing, & Sharing is the name of the game at Scofflaw. Charcuterie, kale salad, braised short ribs, liver mousse, and of course, a cheeseburger, will all be found on their menu, along with plenty of other things to fill in the gaps. The environment is unique and the vibe is always a good one. Head over there when you get the chance and head into the back room.

Lollapalooza line-up announced;

Ay yi yi. This day has the ability to make me or break me. I get so anxious around Lolla lineup/ticket time that I hardly know what to do with myself. Last year's line-up blew it out of the water, almost every act was someone I wanted to check out or was an act I needed to see. I didn't know what to expect this year. Once the headliners had crept out into public knowledge, I was thirsty for this festival. I LOVE Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, & Red Hot Chili Peppers, but I couldn't come up with who else would round this fest out. While up early for work, I took a peak at the dropped announcement this morning and just kind of went "huh, alright."

I wasn't that stoked about it, and while I would absolutely be tickled pink by the opportunity to see Radiohead again, I couldn't justify spending $120 on another time around. While there are other artists I could see that day, sometimes I just prefer the venue show, and perhaps that will be my chance to check out pre-shows/after shows when they roll through. Same with Red Hot Chili Peppers. Would I love to see them? Hell yeah, but not for $120. What I DID do was get a Sunday ticket so I can groove my little heart out to LCD Soundsystem - that to me was extremely worth it. Also, Flume?! That was another artist I was pretty hyped on who also happens to be playing on Sunday, along with Haim. Hell yeah!

I'm almost relieved. I was a bit stressed about making the money work. I'm glad that the line-up isn't all I wanted it to be this year, because frankly, now's not the time to be spending money on festivals or be filled with sorrows over missing killer acts. I am very glad I get to enjoy the glory for a day, there's a lot to look forward to.

The mini makeup haul;

I'm not going to act like this is suddenly a make-up blog, but you get the idea.

1) Physician's Formula mineral wear 2) Maybelline BB cream 3) Essence XXXLShine 15 True Love 4) Essence liquid lipstick 5) Essence black gel eyeliner 6) Maybelline Pumped Up! Colossal Mascara 

For makeup and me, it's been a journey. Needless to say, it was pretty vital that I hit Ulta in March for double points, the $10 off coupon, and of course, to get the freebie gift (Benefit roller ball mascara #blessed). I was also equipped with $30 in gift cards. It was the perfect time to reload on a few things that had been running low, plus, you know, birthday treats.

While I always go with Physician's Formula powder, my other items have an ability to shift. I like trying out new products and brands, and today I was extremely curious about Essence. Keep in mind I've been seeing this brand for a long time, but for whatever reason, at that particular moment, it piqued my interest. So much so that when an employee came by, I asked her about it and raided her brain of everything she knew about the line. What it boiled down to was that the brand had actually gotten some great feedback from users, but certain items were more reliable than others (so I figured). 

Based on appearance only, it seems as if it's branded similar to a Korean makeup company- very cute and unique packaging, but they're not, they're based out of Europe.What I really wanted to know if their products were cheap (like, really cheap) because they was shitty or cheap because sometimes you just get lucky and can come across great products that aren't marked up. I like to take a gander and see where certain things are made. XXXLShine is made in Germany, as where the liquid lipstick is made in Italy, which holds some validity. Essence even has little ingredient guides for their products off to the side, which is always nice to have on hand. I am looking forward to seeing how these items play out.

I've tried a lot of different brands at this point, and sometimes for certain items, I just keep coming back to the "mass product" side of the store. While I do believe there are certain things worth paying more for, there are a handful of things you can get in this area of the store. This time around, I wanted to get the most bang for my buck, whilst getting the best quality at that price range. A lot of time was spent at Ulta, comparing different products and shades, which was nice versus just making impulse buys, because that is so easy to do in such an environment. I'm happy with my new stash, but don't look for a review anytime soon, unless it's some life-changing shit.

All in all, this has been a great start to the week. I've got a couple tunes up my sleeve to get out to you guys next time. Get out there and do something awesome! TG