My kind of town.

I should really try to infuse some more excitement into my weeknights because I dread every single Monday. I have really good reason this week, though, because Wheat and I finally took our long-awaited trip to Chicago for some wonderful date time.

We arrived late on Thursday night and parked in a nearby surface lot (which I highly recommend, by the way, if you're looking to avoid ridiculous hotel parking rates) before checking into the Congress Plaza Hotel. Although the place was old, it was the perfect location and had a cool, old-school vibe that I loved. Our window looked out onto Grant Park and the Buckingham Fountain, which would have been amazing if we had visited while it was running.

Even our hotel was excited about the city.

The next morning, I pretended I forgot that Wheat hates brunch and we made our way to Yolk for breakfast. Fortunately, this place was good enough that even he approved when his chicken and waffles were placed on the table. I ordered the pumpkin swirl french toast with cream cheese and cranberry-infused apple slices on top, diced red potatoes, and strawberry-orange juice. I'm still thinking about it.

After breakfast, we fought against the wind as we headed to the Field Museum for a few hours of exploration. We sprang for the all-access pass and enjoyed the Vikings, Vodou, and Underground Adventure special exhibits. We also watched an Egypt 3D movie before checking out my personal favorite, the dinosaurs! The museum is home to Sue, the most complete T-Rex ever found and I was in awe of her sheer size. Her head, which weighs 600 pounds, is too heavy to be displayed on her body, so the one here is a replica.

Other highlights of the museum were the incredible totem poles, the replica Pawnee Earth Lodge, and the exhibit on the Man-Eaters of Tsavo, the two lions that killed over 140 workers on the Kenya-Uganda railway in 1898 and serve as the inspiration for The Ghost and the Darkness. After we blitzed through the final exhibit, we made our way back to the hotel to recharge for a bit before taking the Metra to meet Wheat's friend, Dong, for dinner.

He made us reservations at David Burke's Primehouse and after one quick look at the menu, I was intimidated. I basically let Dong order for me and I regret absolutely nothing. We went with the Caesar salad, cheesy popovers, and ribeye that was dry-aged for 75 days. I had never eaten dry-aged steak before, but I instantly melted into my chair. As the steak ages, the fat ferments, creating a divine blue cheese-like taste.

After dinner, we ventured to the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Tower. Somehow, we lucked into the best table in the place with a gorgeous view of the North side of the city. We ordered drinks and triple berry cobbler and soaked in the incredible views before heading to Disotto Enoteca, a laid-back, basement wine bar, to close out our night.

The next morning, we checked out of our hotel, left our bags at the front desk, and headed to Millennium Park for our obligatory pictures with the Bean. We slowly made our way to the theater district for lunch at a busy, Italian place called Petterino's. For my birthday, Wheat bought us tickets to see Beauty and the Beast, so after lunch, we found our seats at the Cadillac Palace Theater. The show, as I expected, was absolutely wonderful. The set was gorgeous, the cast was perfect, and the songs were amazing. I'll let you decide whether I cried several times during the show. Spoiler alert: Of course I did.

We ended our trip by waiting in line at Garrett's Popcorn for my favorite Chicago mix. Then, we took the Metra back to our hotel, picked up our bags, and hit the road...to Merrillville, where my fiance with the sweet tooth of a seven-year-old insisted we stop for gummy bears at the Albanese Candy Factory. Don't let me fool you - I love those things, too. Just nowhere near as much as I love this guy.

Painting the town red.

As you probably know by now, I'm a sucker for all things free and fancy. So, when I learned that Yelp Indy was hosting a Paint the Town Red party, I promptly forced Wheat to create an account and attend with me. Have I mentioned how much I love him?

We had high expectations, thanks to the awesome Yelp Cincy riverboat party we attended last year, and it didn't disappoint. The event took place in Union Station, an incredible, historic train station that hosts events downtown. It was absolutely gorgeous and we couldn't get over the architecture and beautiful windows throughout the place.

Although it was tough to maneuver through the scarlet-clad crowd, we spent over an hour sampling food and drinks from several local businesses, including Broad Ripple Chip Company, Soupremacy (chicken velvet soup dyed a bizarre pink color - A for effort!), Greek Islands Restaurant, Punch Burger, Salsa Me Krazy, Wildwood Market, and Wyliepalooza Ice Cream Emporium. Our personal favorites were the amazing s'mores bar provided by 240sweet, which included creme brulee and salted caramel marshmallows dipped in chocolate or graham crackers, and the Asian pork dumplings from Taggart's. So delicious.

Other highlights included professional massages, photo booths, painting classes, live DJs, the cutest handpress for making postcards, and tons of free drinks, which was evident by all the inebriated attendees. Downstairs, Bloomington businesses set up shop for Bloomington Bar, complete with more drinks, a speakeasy vibe, free water bottles, and my personal favorite, Bea's Soda Bar. Their strawberry lavender soda float with goat cheese ice cream was the biggest surprise of the night for me.

Once we had our fill, we made our way to Circle Centre mall for a little shopping, some more food, and college basketball action. Much to our delight, the games were being projected onto a sheet for the entire food court to see. Seriously, this city never ceases to amaze me with its coolness.

Cheers to Sears!

There may be flurries of snow falling outside, but my heart is still overflowing with enough hometown love from this weekend to keep me satisfied. Why, you ask? Because my best friend, the Bert to my Ernie, my self-proclaimed heterosexual life partner, got engaged on Saturday afternoon! The proposal had been in the secret works for a couple months (I somehow kept my mouth sealed!) and I can honestly say the day went off without a hitch.

I met her fiance, Paul, and his daughter at Party City on Friday to pick out some pink decorations before rushing to rendezvous with my parents at the local movie theater for salty popcorn and Insurgent. In full disclosure, I preferred the popcorn to the movie, but I should say that I didn't really like the books, either. Miles Teller and Theo James, on the other hand, are something I can enjoy.

After the movie, my mom and I picked up a couple cakes for the party before indulging in a delicious home-cooked steak and potatoes dinner with Dad, LP, and Elizabeth. Even though we followed dinner with my least favorite game in the history of games (Yahtzee) and my sister was still firmly planted in Arizona, it was so nice to spend some quality time with my family. The good times continued when Emma came over for wedding talk, general girly gossip, and red velvet cake.

The next afternoon, we set out for the local bar, Ole Friends, to decorate for the big proposal. I should take a second to explain Ole Friends for those who don't live in the area. First of all, you should notice the spelling of 'Old' as 'Ole.' That should tip you off immediately as to the clientele and general vibe of the place. There are cornhole boards outside, country music is constantly blaring on the jukebox, and you get the townie picture, right? Well, Jenn happens to love Ole Friends. In fact, she may be the only girl her age who does.

So, Paul expertly picked that as the location for the event and invited friends and family. Somehow, she was incredibly surprised when she strolled through the door and instantly burst into tears when she turned around to find Paul down on one knee. Mission accomplished. I may have been shaking and sobbing while filming the proposal, but it'll have to do.


Fortunately, she thought she was attending a co-worker's baby shower that day, so she was already dressed for the occasion. Note: The aforementioned co-worker called and 'canceled' the shower that morning. Paul had already scheduled to meet Alex at Ole Friends while she was at the baby shower, so when plans were canceled, she joined him, instead.

A couple hours were spent at the bar, sacrificing dollars to the jukebox (what kind of jukebox charges $1 per song?!), catching up with loved ones and missing those who couldn't make it, eating cake, and watching college basketball. The weather was perfect and so was the company and I'm still getting all warm and fuzzy when I think about it.

From Ole Friends, Alex and I hopped over to Gold Star for that delicious Cincinnati chili that I miss so much. We ate it at my house and Alex played pool with LP before we headed over to Jenn's parents' place for a glorious bonfire. Needless to say, I was brimming with hometown love as I caught up with some of my favorite people in one of my favorite places.

I'm still grumpy that I had to trade friends, family, good food, and beautiful weather for visits to the doctor, snow flurries, grey skies, and work all week, but hey - let's focus on the good, shall we? I'm ecstatic for you, Jenn and Paul. You deserve all the happiness in the world and you've certainly found it in each other.

I love you both and can't wait for the planning and festivities!

Happy Thoughts Thursday

My bad moods seem fewer and further between when the sun is shining like this. Let's get to it.

- The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. If you have HBO, stop what you're doing immediately and watch this six-part documentary. If you don't have HBO, track down a friend with an HBOGO password and watch it. I cannot stress this enough - this project, which detailed Robert Durst, the son of a New York City real estate mogul, and the three deaths that are suspiciously linked to him, is one of the best pieces of documentary film making I've ever seen. The final episode had me in chills and completely stunned into silence. If you blitzed through Serial from start to finish before you were due for another load of laundry, then this show is the perfect antidote to the emptiness you've been feeling in the podcast's absence. It also makes investigative journalism look like the sexiest, most rewarding career path on the planet, which I'm quite sure it is not. Be warned: It's graphic, disturbing, and seriously haunting.

- NCAA March Madness. Don't let me fool you. I still don't like basketball. However, Indianapolis has caught March Madness fever in a big way, due in no small part to the fact that Naptown is hosting the Final Four this year! There are massive posters all over the city, plastered on the NCAA headquarters and my personal favorite, the enormous bracket on the front of the JW Marriott. Each of those bracket slots is four-feet tall, guys. It was terrifying watching the poor guys plug in the names from their window-washer platform.

Not only have I filled out my woeful bracket (UVA vs. UK final, anyone?), but I'm also making plans for Final Four weekend. I want to do all the things - Fan Fest, Musical Festival, etc. Speaking of the Music Festival, it was announced this week that Rihanna, Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum, Bleachers, and Kacey Musgraves will be performing free shows that weekend at the Lawn in White River State Park, which is walking distance from our apartment. Anyone planning on visiting me now?

- Bakersfield. I've loved this place for well over a year now, but it bears repeating - Bakersfield is worth the long wait amongst hipsters, yuppies, and other millennials impatiently sipping their margaritas. The flavor combinations on the tacos are mouth-watering and the guacamole is pure perfection. Yes, it's a little pricey, but can you really put a price on delicious guacamole? Oh, you can? If you're fortunate enough to have a location near you, I highly recommend it. Get the mole taco.

- Pacers games. The last two weeks have been a complete whirlwind for Wheat as he had four home games in seven days. The upside to that? I got to watch some NBA basketball. First, I devoured some salty popcorn as the Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime. Then, my parents came to town for some seats in the lower bowl, but the Pacers fell to the Toronto Raptors. I blame Drake. Seriously though, the seats were great, I could practically smell Larry Bird, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was in town, too.

- Green canal. On Monday, Indianapolis did its best Chicago impression and dyed the canal green. As I mentioned, my parents happened to be in town, so we went to the official dying event. The place was packed with people in all shades of green. We couldn't hear anything that was going on, but we did hear bagpipes and suddenly, a few people were pouring green into the water and the fountain turned a shade I would call highlighter yellow. Oddly enough, the water around the fountain toured a bright, beautiful shade of green.

- "Octahate" by Ryn Weaver. I'm declaring this my spring anthem. I love her voice.




Are you as scared of Robert Durst as I am?
Does your city do anything cool for St. Patrick's Day?
What's making YOU happy this week?

Happy St. Patrick's Pi!

Guys, it finally happened. Little bits of spring started popping up this weekend. The snow melted from our parking lot, t-shirts made their way out of the closet, car windows rolled down, and things started looking green. Although Wheat had a game smack-dab in the middle of the weekend, we did our absolute best to embrace the spring-ness. Mission accomplished in my opinion.

Saturday afternoon was spent all over town in an early celebration of St. Patrick and the ultimate Pi Day (3/14/15 9:26:53). Wheat performed his annual tirade against St. Patrick's Day, exclaiming that the man was actually British, not Irish. I shrugged him off and laughed when he was deservedly pinched by strangers for not wearing green. Serves him right, yeah?

Downtown was a crowded, fabulous mess of people. Participants in the Shamrock Beer 5K, clad in green head-to-toe, squeezed between attendees of Indiana Comic Con, dressed as Doctor Who or Pokemon or whichever fictional characters their hearts desired. Others celebrating the holiday imbibed green beverages while live music from My Yellow Rickshaw blared across Georgia Street. It made for people-watching gold.

We began our afternoon at one of our local favorites, Scotty's Brewhouse, where we enjoyed lunch and some college basketball. After checking out the festivities, dodging joggers, scoping out costumes, and dancing, I decided it was high time for some pie, so we made our way to Shapiro's. Again, Wheat poo-poohed my festive plans and ordered a sugar cookie. I, on the other hand, embraced the day and dove headfirst into a slice of coconut cream pie.

At this point, Wheat headed off to work, so I curled up on the couch with a book (I finally finished Allegiant!) and some old episodes of Ellen. I neglected to mention last week that I won a ticket to the aforementioned Indiana Comic Con. After checking out the schedule of events, I decided that my inner nerd desperately wanted to attend and with a little doe-eyed begging, Wheat agreed to buy a ticket and go with me.

So, on Sunday afternoon, we made our way to the Convention Center for my very first Comic Con experience. Needless to say, it was wild. The people-watching was well worth the price of admission. We saw people dressed as Star Wars characters, Disney princesses, Jay and Silent Bob, Batman villains, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, etc. Shortly after our arrival, there was a costume parade and we spent the first half hour enjoying the view and eating hot dogs. The main convention area was filled with vendors, memorabilia, art, comics, and just about everything you can imagine, including the Rancor and the Ninja Turtles.

We met up with my coworker Wendy for a bit before getting in line for the Game of Thrones Q&A session with Rory McCann (The Hound) and Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo). The guys were hilarious, drinking beer and cussing up a storm. Momoa spoke in Dothraki and played ukelele, McCann played the harmonica, they posed for selfies, and gave a little bit of insight on the show. Momoa was also recently cast as Aquaman, so he got a lot of questions about that. After the panel, we walked around the convention a little more before sitting in on the Disney Princess panel with Paige O'Hara (the voice of Belle) and Linda Larkin (the speaking voice of Jasmine). I didn't think I would be so emotional, but my eyes welled up when people started talking about how much Beauty and the Beast meant to them as a child. O'Hara sang a bit from "Little Town" and talked about the live-action movie coming out (she approves of Emma Watson being cast as Belle). They also gave a little advice to hopeful voice actors before ending the session.

After the panel, we rushed back home for Selection Sunday and some Chinese food, the perfect end to a wonderful, spring weekend.

Have you ever been to a Comic Con/Pop Con?
Am I a total dork for wearing a Muggle shirt?
Did you celebrate St. Patrick's Day early?