So its almost Christmas, which means its super close to New Years, and that means Ive been in Chicago for a year now. It seems crazy, because I honestly didn't think i would make it this long. A year ago this week I was going through all my shit, packing the essentials, and saying goodbye to everyone. I was also freaking out. A lot. I guess that was a good thing though, I was about to get on a bus to travel 1,000 miles, to go to a city I had never been too and have no job and no place to live. You already know about that though.

But I still wonder what I have really accomplished though. What did I actually do in the last year?

Lets be really cliche here, and make a randomly ordered top ten list. Isn't that what your supposed to do at the end of the year?

1. Drank a lot. To the point where I often didn't remember major parts of the night and how I ended up certain places (Todd's couch? huh? Todd doesn't remember either). There were also lots of days where I was too hung over to function before 9 pm the next day.

2. Did lots of drugs. Lets list them... Weed, Coke, muscle relaxers, Xanax, percocet, DXM. If theres anything else I dont remember (see item 1).

3. Had a bunch of one night stands, and a couple repeat fuck buddies. I dont think I want to admit to the number, we'll just say its more than 8. Some how I'm still friends with most of them.
3a. Been in conversations with 2 or more people at the same time that I had previously fucked with out it being awkward. It was a little wierd, but somehow not awkward.

4. Got in 2 somewhat major accidents on my bike. The first time I was drunk, hit a curb, flipped over the handle bars, and landed face-first on the sidewalk. My front tooth is still broken. The second time I hit a truck going through an intersection and spent about 4 hours in the ER. I went to a party that night and drank lots of beer and did a bunch of coke.

5. Lived in 2 different apartments, with different people in each one. I won't write about that though, cause I already have.

6. Had 3 different jobs. So maybe it looks bad on a resume, but I was moving up to a better position and making more money each time. I lied a little to get the current one. Actually maybe lied is the wrong word. I exagerrated about my past work experience and was offered and accepted a position I wasnt really qualified for. luckily I work with people who didn't really care and are willing to help me out and teach me stuff. Thats how you get a job as a cook without culinary school.

7. Went to lots of shows in basements and met tons of awesome people. I guess I went to being a wanna-be punk to a real punk. I totally have an in at all the shows, know people in lots of bands, and apparently im cool enough for people to share there beer and drugs with me. Maybe its time to learn how to play guitar for real, instead of just a couple chords, and be IN a band... maybe.

8. Spent 90-100 hours on Greyhound busses. Its over 30 hours to get from VT to Chicago. I did it 3 times this year. The first time moving here, then going back to VT and back to visit family in August. I learned that Xanax is the key to sanity on trips like that. I had some in August and completely zoned out most of the time.

9. Got mugged. That totally sucked. It was February, and I was walking home from a bar. I could see my apartment building when this guy comes down the sidewalk walking toward me. All of a sudden he has me against a fence and is reaching into my pockets and managed to take off with my wallet and cell phone. I sat in the snow and cried for a minute.

10. Went to Gary Indiana to buy weed and got harrased by a gang. I was with a couple other people, and we had gone to a gas station with a couple kids who lived in Gary. These guys come up to the car while were waiting for the girl, and are peeking in asking who we are before telling us to get the fuck out cause shit was about to go down. We got the fuck out. I never went back.

So maybe some people would look at that list an call me a fuck up, and say that I'm wasting my life. I don't think so though. I'll admit to having a couple regrets, but nothing I think too hard about or get depressed about (except for when I'm lying in bed at 6pm still feeling like shit between vomiting from the night before).

I didn't try to kill myself this year. I can't say that about the past couple. I guess that means things are getting better.

Huevos Rancheros y Horchata Por Favor

I shouldnt be allowed to drink whisky anymore. It leads to bad ideas and forgetting big parts of the night. Or maybe it was the three long island Ice tea's that lead to the forgetting things, or maybe the weed I smoked.... but anyway, the point is, I dont remember HUGE chunks of last Friday night. Here's what I think happened though..

The first part is pretty clear, actually I remember it perfectly. I got out of work at 10:30, and found Alex sitting on a bench in the mall outside the store. At first I thought he was waiting for me to walk to the bus, cause we take the same one home and the closest stop is about 6 blocks away. It turned out he was waiting for a couple other people to finish closing to get a ride to Skylark. I asked If I might be able to get a ride too, cause my plans involved being a loser and going home to do nothing, and he thought there would be. So we squeeze into Sarah's car with Edith and another kid whos name I dont remember, and go to the bar.

It was fucking packed in there. I got a beer, the worst PBR ever (I know what your thinking, PBR always sucks so why am i complaining about it, but it was seriously way worse than normal, and I kinda like PBR when its good). We found Joe who was already drunk, his roommate bought me another beer, then Edith comes by with her Long Island. She told me they were only $5 and super strong, so Im like, fuck that beer before liquour bullshit, Im drinking Long Islands the rest of the night. And I had three of them. Eventually Todd showed up from who the fuck knows where, and the bar closed, and I left with Joe and his roommate, I dont remember his name so we'll call him Bob. Joe and Bob live a couple blocks from me so I asked them to make sure I was with them when they left so I could walk home with them. I we start walking down Cermak, when Todd catches up asking if were going to the party. Bob goes home, but Joe and I are like Sure, why not?

So we find this girl Courtney's place and go to her party. As soon as I got into the Kitchen some other co-worker hands me a bottle of whisky and I take a shot. This is where things start getting jumpy. I think I took two more, and so did Todd. Then we go to the back where people are sitting around a dining room table smoking weed. I took a couple hits and said "hi" to the adorable Dominique.

And then Im outside, standing on the sidewalk with Joe and Todd. And Courtney is standing on the steps in the doorway asking Joe why he punched some kid.
"Your bigger than him Joe, What the fuck? He's just a kid, your a grown man, why'd you have to hit him like that?"
I found out later that it was all because Joe wanted a beer from the kid.

Jump to some Mexican restraunt in Pilsen, where Im sitting across from Todd, Ordering Huevos Rancheros and a Horchata. I briefly remembering eating them, and Todd telling me that he went to Culinary School at Kendall College.

I dont remember leaving, or walking anywhere, but Im at Todds apartment. He's showing me his broken bike frame, and two bikes, and we smoke another bowl while I pet his cats before I go to sleep on his couch and pass out.

I wake up around 1pm the next day, and decide to just go home cause I feel all awkward because I dont remember how I ended up there. He gets up, helps me find my hoodie (in the opposite corner from the rest of my stuff?) and asked me if I know where I am.
"Ummm, no." I say, slightly embarrased.

I was at 18th and Ashland, and walked home in the snow trying to fill in the blank parts from the night, and deciding that Whisky and weed probably dont go well together.