It's Official!

I'm officially wicked smaht... at least on paper.

I have been waiting for an email confirming the completion of my degree for what seems like months. I've had nightmares that I missed a class or an important requirement and would have to go to summer school (the spring quarter has already started). I have checked DePaul's website every day for an update but came up empty-handed and without peace of mind.

However, that just all changed. I finally found what I was looking for. Here is part of the email I just received:

Dear Kimberly,

Congratulations on earning your degree from DePaul University. Your degree information now appears on your academic record and can be viewed on your Unofficial Transcript by logging into Campus Connection. All Official Transcripts issued at this point will also verify receipt of your degree. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery of your diploma from the University.

....

Best wishes,

The Faculty & Staff of DePaul University

Mark it down on your calendars people... six weeks until the Ultimate Diploma Bar Crawl!

Day 10- Nashville, TN to Chicago, IL (Home Sweet Home)

Sunday I sprung out of bed and more than ready to head home to Chicago. The road trip was a blast and I really enjoyed all the food, catching up with old friends and driving through cities and states I've only ever heard about. However, 10 days of exploring and driving is tiring and long--we both felt like we had been gone for a lot longer than 10 days but at the same time it seemed like we could have used a lot longer in each city! Next time, if I ever plan another trip like that, I would do less cities with more time in each of them in order to get the full experience.

The drive home through Tennessee and Kentucky was beautiful. The rolling hills and mountains were covered in green trees, speckled with sprigs of this bright purple flowers and grazing cattle. It was breathtaking at some times. We ran into a couple snags on the way home. We got "lucky in Kentucky" thanks to Ally's sophisticated phone equipped with GP; we were able to avoid a huge traffic jam by getting on a parallel US highway and getting back on the interstate past whatever was blocking it up.

Also in Kentucky, we were driving along I-24 when we encountered a billboard for an "adult store" and joked about going. Then we turned out heads to the left and saw a giant sign preaching "HELL IS REAL." While we were laughing, two pieces of giant styrofoam that were sitting in the middle of and stirring around the highway flew up into the car. Ally was able to avoid one piece, but the second hit the front of the car. Once out of the pickle safely, we both looked at each other and said "We almost went to hell!" I'm convinced it was a warning from the heavens that we should never joke about going to an adult store. Ally thinks the contrary, that we should have gone because if we did, we wouldn't have hit the styrofoam. We'll agree to disagree on this one.

A few uneventful hours later, as we drove through Louisville, I joked about busting out my peanut butter, smearing it on some bread, then shoving it all in my mouth in order to pronounce "Louisville" correctly.

While most of Indiana wasn't that interesting to look at, I was fascinated as we drove through a wind farm, staring at the giant pinwheel-looking machines. I can't remember if this was before or after we drove through the city of Indianapolis, when I may or may not have playfully flipped the bird in hopes that Peyton Manning and the Colts would see it. Immature, yes, I know... but come on, like YOU wouldn't have done it?!

I think it was also at this time when we started driving along the part of the highway named "The Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds Highway." I mean, I can understand a few hours back when we were driving on the MLK Jr. Memorial Highway, but Babyface? Jeez... I guess they'll give a stretch of highway to anyone (unless it was part of the "Adopt a Highway" project and he bought it for himself).

When we reached Illinois and approached the Chicago skyline, I remembered all of the reasons why I love this city best. We may not have crawfish, giant shrimp, excellent BBQ or Mickey Mouse, but we have a lot of other great things (one of which is not warm weather right now). We appropriately ended the road trip by celebrating with a Chicago-style hot dog. Can't get that in any of the cities we visited (unless there is a Sonic, but it's not the real thing!).

Most importantly, Chicago is where my apartment is and I couldn't wait to sleep in my own bed that night.

Day 9- Jacksonville, FL to Nashville, TN

On Saturday we were up early and out the door to our final stop on the trip: Nashville. We wanted to get an early start because it was about a nine hour drive and we wanted to explore Nashville a little bit while we were there. The easy part was crossing the Florida-Georgia border. The bulk of the drive was through Georgia, land of billboards.

By the time we reached Atlanta, I was sick of seeing the giant signs for adult stores, strippers, fireworks and pecans (and those damn signs teasing me with advertisements for Georgia peaches, which aren’t in season until May). The billboards didn’t get much better once we crossed into Tennessee. We encountered some weird stuff, here are a few amusing examples:

1. The Mug Shot. Driving through Tennessee, there was a billboard for a hair regrowth service. The before shot of the man looked like a mug shot, he wasn't only balding on top but the outfit he was wearing and the background just looked like a creepy photo. The after looked like a completely different guy with a full head of hair and a mustache. Probably worst ad for hair products I have ever seen.

2. The Stopwatch. Right outside Nashville (we saw two of them), was an ad for a medical clinic and the ER waiting times. They were bragging that the wait was just five minutes and later in the night the wait was about four minutes. The number was like a digital clock with the ability to change with the waiting time.

3. The Text Warning. Earlier in the trip, as we made our way through southern Illinois, we laughed at the "Rest Area = Text Area" billboards, and the rest stops that advertised the fact that they had vending machines.

4. The Gun. After we drove through Champaign, Ill., we came across what has become my favorite billboard--not so much because it was appealing, but because it was more appalling. The billboard said: "Guns even the score" and immediately after a second one read "Guns save lives." Really?

5. The Religious Ads. Driving through the South there are a lot of signs praising Jesus. However, as we rolled through Kentucky, I saw one asking me to "Believe On Jesus..." instead of "in." Yikes.

6. The Classic Indiana. On our drive back to Chicago on Day 10, I spotted a billboard in Indiana that said: "Illannoyed by the new taxes? SouthernIndiana.com." Very clever. Except right across from that billboard was a giant sign advertising for a wanted muderer and a number listed for anyone with information to call. I'd rather pay the higher taxes.

Stay tuned to Day 10 for the best billboard story. In the meantime, to sum up our very brief stay in Nashville...

After arriving in the early evening and settling in, we decided to head out and explore. First on the list was to find our way to the Grand Ole Opry and check it out. Turns out there was a Carrie Underwood concert there that night. I was jealous and Ally and I both agreed we should have planned better so we could have gone! After playing tourist, we headed downtown for some dinner, enjoying our last taste of BBQ before returning to the Midwest.

I really wish we had had more time in this city because it is one I've always heard great things about and wanted to visit. While we were able to get a little taste of what the area is like, the outside of the Grand Ole Opry and dinner downtown was about the extent of our exploration. The city looked pretty all lit up at night with the lights and it seemed like it would be a lot of fun. However, we were both so exhausted and kind of adventured out, and we also wanted to hit the sheets early so we could get a jump on driving home the next day.

Day 8- Orlando, FL to Jacksonville, FL

On Friday, it was on to the next stop. This would be our easiest drive—a quick 2.5-hour jaunt up I-95 to Jacksonville. It was hard to say goodbye to Renata, but I knew one of my other high school besties was waiting for me.

We reached Heather’s Jacksonville abode shortly after noon and hopped directly into the car, destination beach. The weather was beautiful and sunny, but a fierce breeze made sunning ourselves on the beach a little challenging. It’s a little hard to get some color when you’re all covered up. After a few hours of tanning and wading in the cool Atlantic Ocean, we hit a beach-front restaurant for lunch. As we ate on the patio, covered in towels to keep our legs warm, the beautiful view of clear blue skies and palm trees made it hard to admit that it might be just chilly enough to put on a pair of jeans.

A second consecutive home-cooked dinner and low-key movie night in was just what the doctor ordered. If that makes me sound old, then I don’t wanna be young!

Although they were both quick visits, it was so great to see my friends. Ally was such a champ to sit through my walks down memory lane with both Heather and Renata. Sometimes it can be difficult to be an outsider when close friends reunite, but she fit right in and with ease. I realized how much I miss my friends and how disconnected we can get when our daily lives interfere, but I am going to try to do better at keeping in touch in between our annual visits.

Days 6 and 7- Orlando, FL

One thing to keep in mind when taking a road trip to Orlando with a self-proclaimed Disney whore: plan to spend a lot of time in the land where dreams come true. Thanks to Ben, we were able to do it for two days for free.

We packed in as much as possible in a day and a half (we hung out with our gracious Orlando hostess Renata on Thursday evening). On the first day we spent all of our time at two parks—doing more drinking than riding—but on the second day we were able to hit rides in all four parks in just a half of a day.

During our first day at Disney, after a stop at the Magic Kingdom to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean, we headed to Epcot to drink around the world. I’ve wanted to do this since even before I turned 21 and every time I tried something got in the way. But this time, Ally and I attempted the challenge. We started in Mexico, at the suggestion of my friend Meg (who did this last summer) and said they offered the best margarita she’s ever had. It was indeed delicious.

From there we drank clockwise around the world, er…the park, drinking a combo of wine and beer at each stop. After splitting the worst chicken teriyaki I’ve ever had at Japan (I’ve had Healthy Choice meals that tasted better than that), we were plenty starving and ready for some ethnic food to go along with our exotic drinks. Right around Morocco (after Italy where the woman poured our wine, charged us and THEN asked for our IDs), we started to feel the effects and skipped the Middle East country and went straight to France. Ally said France had the best ham and cheese croissants ever and I wouldn’t be disappointed. She was right. In an effort to keep myself from eating two of them, I got a giant chocolate chip cookie to wash it down.

After nine countries, I had had enough. Ally stuck it out for one more—England—and we passed over Canada. Nine out of 11 isn’t so bad. Drinking around the world seems a lot easier than it is. It’s also a lot more expensive than you might think—between overpriced drinks and food, it is not something a poor college graduate should be doing, but I didn’t care so much in the moment (especially seeing I didn’t pay to get in the park). It was all part of the experience and one I figured I should make the most of seeing I don’t know when I’ll be back.

As always, I was able to learn a few things. First, it’s a good idea to drink with someone not only because it’s more fun but it also helps defray the costs when splitting things (food or a drink—which I highly recommend because you can have more of both). I also don’t recommend riding the ride inside the Epcot ball after completing this feat. Unless you’re looking to take a quick nap, then go for it.

Day 5- New Orleans, LA to Orlando, FL

While in New Orleans, Ally and I decided to tweak our route a little and head straight to Orlando from NOLA and then Friday morning head up to Jacksonville. We figured that by the end of the road trip we would appreciate the shorter drive from Jacksonville to Nashville, which would be about eight hours instead of the 10 or so it was from Orlando. That way we would have more quality time in both Jacksonville and Nashville.

Tuesday morning we reluctantly left New Orleans and headed east to Florida. We had an awesome time in NOLA, thanks to Christiana and Rachel, and were sad to leave it in our rear view mirror. But it was on to the next stop, which promised just as much fun for us.

The drive from NOLA to O-town would be the longest leg of the trip, clocking in at just about 10 hours. We were on I-10 east for 542 miles, driving through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and finally into Florida. Driving across the panhandle of Florida was boring and long to say the least and about the bulk of the drive. I learned that Tallahassee is an extremely boring city to drive through—the most exciting thing to look at was the water tower. Even Jackson, MS was cuter to drive through and stop in than Florida’s state capital.

By the time we hit I-75 south, we were ready for a change in direction (and also some dinner). As the driver, I made the excellent decision to pull off the highway and into a Texas Roadhouse parking lot. I’m on vacation, so I ordered a steak and probably ate 1,400 calories in sweet rolls alone. Take that diet.

After a delicious dinner and a few more hours in the car, we drove through Gainesville and hit our first speed bump of the road trip. The directions we had (which took us ways to avoid tolls) instructed us to drive down US-27, a strip of road with stoplights every few hundred feet and speed limits that ranged anywhere between 35-50 m.p.h. For nearly 60 miles. I about had it, knowing it would add about two hours extra to our trip when I knew taking the Florida Turnpike would get us there in half the time.

Long story short, Ally and I disagreed on the way to go. While she was correct in stating that part of the fun in a road trip is exploring the US highways and observing all of the sketchy charms (and there were a few), I was not amused or up for an extended stay in the car after an entire day of driving. The road reminded me of Route 9 in Massachusetts, and I know all too well that it can take well over an hour to drive 30 miles to Boston. The stop and go of the red lights wasn't something I had patience or energy for either (and we all know it's definitely not a virtue of mine to begin with).

An hour later, we found a way on to the Turnpike and about 20 miles later pulled off to ask the good people at 7 Eleven how to get to Renata’s house. The tension in the car was so thick you could cut it with a knife, but the 7 Eleven cashier and the delivery guy dropping off cases of soda helped ease the pain as they went back and forth with each other as to how to best direct us on our journey.

About 12 hours after we left New Orleans (including stops but not counting the hour we lost crossing time zones), we reached Orlando and Renata’s welcoming arms. Thankfully with us in one piece and our friendship still intact.

Needless to say we went straight to bed once we got settled in. We needed our beauty sleep and all of our energy for the busy day we ha

Days 3 and 4: New Orleans

Let the eating begin!

Before embarking on this trip, I promised myself that I would be good and try my best to stick to my new 1,400 calorie diet restrictions. I packed healthy snacks for the car rides like apples, reduced-fat Cheez-Its, a bag of rolled oats to make for breakfast, and peanut butter and bread (yeah, I brought a butter knife). I even got oatmeal and a fruit smoothie at McDonald’s for breakfast/lunch before we left Memphis when all I really wanted was an Angus burger.

But the deal was off when I got to New Orleans. NOLA is a place I’ve always dreamed of visiting and the food always played a starring role whenever I thought of my future visit. No way was I going to let my cholesterol ruin this trip for me. Sure I could have fun without eating a boatload of calories, but I didn’t want to regret not eating something because of a stupid diet. You wouldn’t go to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and have a single piece of sugar-free fudge would you? I might never have another chance to sink my teeth into crawfish or the fried deliciousness offered here. A couple days wouldn’t kill me… this city and dinner in Memphis would be the only stops where food played a large and unique part of the visit.

(A bumper sticker in the restaurant we had lunch at on Monday)

You better believe I’ve kept my promise.

Sunday, after we recovered from out Bourbon Street outing the night before, we headed out for some boiled crawfish, shrimp and a platter of fried seafood at one of Christiana’s favorite local spots. Before the first course arrived, I could already smell how great it would be. Instead of bread, Deanie’s brings you a bowl of cooked red potatoes to munch on, which have been boiled in the same broth as the crawfish.

When the critters got there, Christiana had to show me a few times how to peel them. I had never seen, let alone eaten, shrimp with the head still on it, so it was a little difficult to peel. While Christiana kept saying that the crawfish were small this year, the Gulf shrimp were huge and delicious! After the meal I may or may not have commented that I might not be able to eat New England shrimp again the same way. There was something sweet and tasty about the meaty Gulf shrimp.

When you eat crawfish, you are supposed to suck the head after you rip it off because a lot of the juice it is cooked in resides there. Ally never sucked the head before in her previous visits and told me she speculated that it might be the brain that you suck out. Christiana said it wasn’t brain, so I took a chance and sucked the head with caution, and I am glad I tried it—it was a quick burst of flavor, no brains.

For my main course, I chose a platter of fried catfish and shrimp. I was good and ate very few fries and barely any of the catfish. Mostly because I was so full and knew I had a good two days of eating ahead of me.

After lunch, we hit up the drive-thru daiquiri joint and sat by the lake to soak up some of the sun. Needless to say we needed some naps by the time we got home.
For dinner, Christiana and her roommate Rachel took us to their favorite local Mexican place, Juan’s. I got some delicious tacos with a kick of spice. After dinner, we hit up the gelato place.

On to the next day…

On Monday, Ally and I explored the French Quarter. Before heading downtown, we stopped for breakfast at a coffee shop. Instead of choosing the decadent cranberry muffin, I chose a hard-boiled egg and a banana. I figured a good decision now would make up for the grease I would consume later.

My two missions for the day were to have a beignet (fried donut) from Café Du Monde and some jambalaya. I accomplished both and they were better than I ever could have imagined them tasting. The beignet tasted like a superior version of fried dough and I wanted more than the order me and Ally split. I also got a Café Au Lait (half coffee/half steamed milk) from there and poured the leftover powdered sugar into the coffee.

I had the jambalaya for dinner, as well as blackened gator and blackened oysters for an appetizer (split amongst the group of course). I had had fried gator in Jacksonville a few years back and it was pretty greasy and fatty—Christiana told me it was cooked wrong and she was right. This gator was delicious! And the oysters were also amazing.

After dinner, Christiana and Rachel took us to a shop to pick up some pralines (pronounced praw-lines). Because I had never had them before, I bought a small pack for two reasons—in case I hated them and in case I loved them. I'm sure you can guess the result (hint: begins with an "l").

It’s safe to say I successfully ate my way through New Orleans. And as promised, it will be time to observe my diet once we cross the Louisiana - Mississippi state line.

Day 2- Memphis, TN to New Orleans, LA

On Saturday, we reluctantly dragged ourselves out of the comfy Memphis bed around 9 a.m., showered, packed up and headed out to explore the area a little before we got on the road to New Orleans (NOLA for short). Call me corny, but I laced up my blue running shoes (on purpose) and started humming the Mark Cohen tune as we walked the sidewalks. We explored a few blocks of this quiet area of the city before deciding to pack it in and try to find Graceland.

Even without directions, we were eventually able to find Elvis’s humble abode (thanks to the help of a Walgreens employee and a not-so-helpful one who had no idea Graceland was a block away). We parked along the service road and took photos in front of Graceland’s gate—when I was taking my picture I leaned up against the gate and at the same time the security guard’s phone rang loudly and I thought I had set off an alarm. Needless to say we took our cameras and ran. Before we left we did take a moment to sign our names on the famous wall outside the mansion—“Kim and Ally road trip 2011.”

The whole experience was kind of surreal—the mansion is in the middle of the city, sitting back from a busy mini-highway. It was weird imagining that the musical icon used to live there and how popular he was, knowing that people write some crazy things on the wall about him, and come out in droves to tour his home and see his grave (the line for tours was ridiculously long). His private, big ass plane, the “Lisa Marie,” is parked across the street for tourists to admire as they wait for their tour.

After a brief walk in Memphis and through Elvis history, I changed out of my blue sneakers and into flip flops as we bade goodbye to Tennessee. The drive from Memphis to NOLA was much more interesting than the previous day’s drive. Instead of flat corn fields, we enjoyed admiring the rolling hills sprinkled with the occasional cow and horse farms. We even stopped in Jackson, Miss. to see the Capitol building on our way through. A little over six hours later, we made it to NOLA.

As soon as we arrived in the Big Easy, we changed and headed out to Bourbon Street with our friend Christiana. Christiana graduated from DePaul’s journalism program last year and is the person who introduced me and Ally. She is originally from outside NOLA and moved back last June. On Saturday night, she had a friend’s bachelorette party to attend downtown so we tagged along.

We started the night off at Pat O’Brien’s, where we got a hurricane to go (this was something everyone told me I needed to do) and continued to walk up and down the street. On our way to Pat O’s, I caught a set of big gold beads, which would have knocked me out and given me a concussion if I hadn’t caught them as they were thrown from the balcony. From there we followed the bachelorette party to a dance club called Gold Mine, and stayed put for several hours.

The highlight of this bar was the Flaming Dr Pepper shots we had. What is this you ask? Well, it’s a half glass of beer with a flaming shot of something dropped in it, which combined really tastes like a Dr Pepper! Yum. I also high-fived and made friends with several Celtics fans who were dressed in jerseys and straight from witnessing Boston’s victory over the New Orleans Hornets a few blocks away.

Our last stop of the night was to some place for slices of pizza and frozen daiquiris to go. Half of it is still sitting in Christiana’s freezer. Snack for later.

Talk about a great first impression. I think I’m going to like NOLA!

Day 1- Chicago, IL to Memphis, TN

After working a half day on Friday, I met Ally at Midway Airport around 1:30 p.m. (south of the city and close to where she works so we could get a head start). After a quick stop at McDonald’s we hopped on the highway and were off!

Except it was the wrong highway. A miscommunication in directions cost us about an hour, but we both agreed it was best that something like this happened at the beginning rather than deep into our tight road tripping schedule.

After a long eight-hour drive down through a whole lot of nothing in Illinois (surrounded by all of the fields, I felt like I was in the middle of the movie “Twister” and a tornado would come out of nowhere and get us), Missouri (you can imagine our excitement when we finally crossed into a new state) and Arkansas (thank goodness for the state’s 70 m.p.h. limit)—we finally reached Memphis around 10:30ish. We checked into the hotel, dropped our bags and hopped in the hotel’s shuttle to Beale Street.

When we got to Beale Street (Memphis’s smaller scale version of Bourbon Street) we hit up the first BBQ joint we found. Except for a few snacks, we hadn’t eaten in hours and were starving. All I wanted to do was have BBQ in Memphis and we got it. The half-rack of ribs really fell off the bone—it was easier to eat it with a fork than your fingers.

After some fine dining at Blues City Cafe, we found Silky O’Sullivan’s, a dueling piano bar famous for its gallon-sized bucket drinks. We severely overestimated our abilities to drink it, and maybe underestimated how much alcohol really was in that bucket. Unfortunately, we were so tired and full that we had to leave some behind (which nearly made Ally cry… she hates this form of alcohol abuse).

We hitched a ride on the trolley back to the hotel, which was a really cool experience. As the old-school trolley cruised down the street, we were able to catch a taste of Memphis at night as a nice bonus. And it only cost $1!

We finally made it back to the hotel and just passed out. We had plans to wake up early and head on our way to New Orleans!

You're invited.. to Road Trip 2011!

Consider this your official invitation to live vicariously through my upcoming road trip!

Who: Ally is my friend from grad school. We met through a mutual friend and have gotten very close ever since.

What: My friend and I are celebrating spring break and graduation with a 10-day road trip down South and we are planning on blogging, FlipCam-ing and tracking our moves, for your entertainment.

Where: The plan is to travel from Chicago down to Memphis (for a night, long enough to eat some authentic BBQ and walk around in our blue suede shoes); across to New Orleans (where we’ll visit our mutual friend and stay for a few days); down to Jacksonville (for a night); then down to Orlando (for a couple of days. My friend Ben gave me his free Disney passes he gets for working at ESPN—we’ll use it to park hop and drink around the world at Epcot); then up to Nashville (where we will stay in a hotel downtown for the night) on our way back to Chicago. (See map to the right).

When: Well, in just a few hours! Noon Central Time to be exact. Returning next Sunday.

Why: Because we are young (said in a Pat Benatar voice) and we deserve it! I’ve always wanted to see some of these places we are going and taking a road trip has always been on my Life Bucket List. I feel like driving through a different area of the country and taking in the sights will help give me a new or refreshed perspective on life. Sometimes we spend so much time in our own little worlds, we forget that there is more to life than paying bills, 9 to 5 jobs and all of the anxiety and stress that comes along with our day-to-day lives.

How: We’ll be cruising in Ally’s 2002 emerald green Volvo S60, nicknames “Old Faithful,” OF for short. To quote her blog post: “It got its name because despite a fire extinguisher exploding underneath it and ruining the engine, OF still managed to get me from Los Angeles to Chicago in 2008. Since then, it’s overcome numerous problems like flat tires, engine failure, gas leaks, Snowpocalypse 2011, and ignition problems like a champ. True to its name sake, OF keeps kicking and gets me where I need to be.”

I’m going to try to post an update and photos daily, or whenever I have access to an internet connection, so check back often if you’d like to see how this all goes down, and how long it takes for us to kill each other ;)

Fig Newton's Law of Dieting

One of Newton's Law of motion reads that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. Or something like that ... I didn't pay too much attention in physics class. In the case of my diet adventure, there are certainly actions and lessons learned. Here are a couple.

Action: Got lots of fruits and vegetables at the grocery store after work last night
Con: 2/3 cup of peas is 70 calories?!? (groan) I feel like vegetables should count as zero calories. In fact, I should get extra calories as a reward for eating the damn things!
Pro: I know I am eating healthy snacks and some of the fruit actually helps curb my sweet tooth, which is good seeing I have a half-eaten bag of Twizzlers staring at me from the top shelf of my pantry.

Action: I saved enough calories for some low fat ice cream for dessert
Con: For the first time in my life I actually measured out ice cream. Not in the form of how many scoops I was going to be eating. I literally crammed as much Edy's slow-churned cookie dough into that 1/2 cup measuring cup (130 calories) and then carefully trickled a tablespoon of chocolate syrup (50 calories) on top to make sure the chocolate was evenly distributed. I licked the spoon to make sure I got my calories worth.
Pro: I have learned to budget my calories wisely during the day enough to be able to have dessert.
Unexpected Pro: I made sure to savor it, and it actually tasted better knowing I could only have a certain amount. When I have more, I didn't take time to taste all the flavors.
Another Unexpected Pro: It was enough for me!

Action: I didn't go over 1,400 calories yesterday
Con: I am starving.
Pro: None. I am starving.

Forget Isaac Newton. I would kill for a Fig Newton right about now.

Day Two: "Lay off me, I'm starving!"

I cheated a little yesterday. I was so good all day, I even researched how many calories were in those stupid little creamers when added to an 8 oz. cup of coffee (about 20-- a better bet is going to Dunkin Donuts for a medium coffee with skim milk for about five more calories). I knew I was going to be meeting my friend out at the bar for $1 tacos last night and had budgeted enough calories for two tacos and a draft beer. Well, I was starving and the tacos were delicious. I forewent the beer for an extra taco. And then had a fourth (they are small and oh so delicious! They also seem pretty healthy, not loaded with crap and grease like Taco Bell or my favorite late-night Mexican joint across the street from my apartment).

While I ended the day about 200 calories over, I definitely realized how many more I could have eaten and passed over because I was conscious of what I was shoving in my mouth. Instead of reaching for a spoonful of ice cream (which usually leads to another) when I got home from work, I opted for some carefully measured peanut butter on a slice of wheat bread to tide me over until dinner.

I'm not perfect, but I'm learning. Not everyone is able to hit a home run in their first Major League at-bat like Daniel Nava (Red Sox reference... can you tell I'm eager for spring?).

I've been watching this for a few laughs since it's pretty much how I feel, and because I've been repeating the line over in my head every time I want to eat something. Enjoy!

My Lenten Offering: Cholesterol

Hi my name is Kim, I'm 27 and my total cholesterol is 241.

If I were a pro baseball player that number would be exalted as a decent mid season batting average. But in the world of cholesterol, they prefer you sitting below the Mendoza Line (for you non-baseball fans, that's 200).

I've had high cholesterol since I can remember. When I had it tested for the first time at age 22, I sat vulnerable in my barely-there, raggedy patient gown as the doctor told me I was fat. When I started to cry, she shoved antidepressant samples into my purse and handed me glossy brochures of cholesterol medications. I refused to take medication at that age and in five years my opinion and cholesterol haven't budged.

I'm a victim of genetics and I played the Poor Me card for a while. I even threw a mini-fit when I found out my independent health insurance was going to cost $50 more every month because of my high cholesterol. Call it immaturity mixed with a little bit of denial. It was unfair and embarrassing to even consider popping a daily pill to control something in my body, especially when the pill I'd be on would be the same one my parents take and one that's featured in infomercials with old people who are probably just happy they're alive, forget about having a sub-200 total cholesterol. To me, the same people who needed cholesterol medicine were the same ones filling prescriptions for Viagra.

High cholesterol has a social stigma. I've never seen a 27-year-old on a Lipitor commercial blaming genetics and an average diet and exercise plan on her need for the medicinal assistance. While I'm sure I'm not the only mid 20-something person going through this, I'd sure appreciate some reassurance, a commercial that doesn't make me feel like an outsider.

A couple weeks ago I used my new insurance to get tested again, and it was no surprise when my paperwork arrived with a large number on the wrong side of the carrot, accompanied by a note from my doctor warning me that my cholesterol was "way too high" and to call her ASAP. It was a light bulb moment for me. Here I am, a month before my 28th birthday, and my cholesterol is still on the move... upwards. I needed to listen and obey, do whatever I could to fix it. Whining and complaining about how unfair it was to be dealt this card wasn't going to unclog my arteries or prolong my life.

Doctor's orders: Lose 10 lbs by upping my cardio and limiting myself to a 1,400-calorie, Mediterranean-style diet. That is the equivalent of starvation for me. I know, sounds dramatic. But I hate limits and rules. After six months, if the number is down, I guess I'll keep working hard. If it's not, well, it might be time to give in to in to the almighty pill.

I'm about 36 hours into the 1,400 calorie part (waiting to receive some glossy pamphlets from the doctor regarding the specific diet) and I already want to eat my arm off. I couldn't sleep last night because I was so hungry-- but I'm pretty sure most of it was me convincing myself I was hungrier than I really was. I've already warned my roommates and coworkers that I'll probably be a total b*tch for the first week or so. Food is my happiness (red flag!), but perhaps the forced cardio will help release the bitterness I've been carrying around with me lately and I can find joy in something else. Something that doesn't harm my health and my chances of having a long, happy life.

Unofficially a Master

Well, the day has finally arrived. Last night I passed in my last project and I am officially unofficially a Master!!! Exactly 18 months to the day of my first day of school, I had my last (I started Sept. 9, 2009 and ended March 9, 2011) and everything I have worked so hard for over the last year and a half has come to fruition. I've put the done in Dunbar.

Everyone keeps asking how it feels or if I feel different. The answer is no, not really. I just feel exhausted and can't wait to go home and relax tonight. I think the celebrating will happen this weekend (it's the big St. Patty's ChiRish celebration here) and it will eventually sink in next week when I don't have to go to class, or next month when my friends have to go back to school for spring quarter.

It will really hit me when I get that diploma in the mail. The day I get it, I will be taking it on a bar crawl. One drink for me, and one drink for my really expensive coaster. And then when I walk across the stage for graduation on June 12, it will definitely be official.

But right now, I am just waiting for my official word that I have passed and am indeed a graduate school graduate. I keep having mini nightmares that I missed something and really am not done. No official celebrating until then, but I did grab a few "I'm done!" drinks with my classmates last night, and joked about burning my AP Stylebook with the table candle. I actually am a total nerd and love that book, so I would never really burn it (however, there are a few books I've collected over the last year and a half that I wouldn't mind taking a lighter to).

While I wait for official confirmation, I am looking forward to the weekend, my upcoming road trip next weekend (which my friend Ally and I will be blogging about as we go along) and work trip to Boston in April.

I just want to thank everyone who's supported me and helped me during the last year and a half, through my midwest move and my master's. I couldn't have done crossed these two things off my Life Bucket List without it. I love you all and can't wait to share a photo of my diploma with you when it comes!

A Visit From Thanksgiving and Christmas in March

Yesterday I spent the day at our office in the suburbs. Cantigny Park was the home of our benefactor, Robert McCormick and now houses his mansion (now a museum), a military museum, gardens, a golf course and lots of lush park space.

It is also home to some wild turkeys.

I had heard about these turkeys before, we even made it out social media mascot. But I had never seen them in person.

When I head to the suburb office, I have to be out of the house by 6:30 a.m., take the L to the Metra, which then is about an hour ride to Wheaton, Ill. Needless to say, it being a Monday, and an especially early Monday, I was a little groggy. So when I was sitting in the room and turned around to see a giant turkey staring at me in the window, I was a little caught off my guard.

The two turkeys--appropriately named Christmas and Thanksgiving--kept checking up on us throughout the day. They would come right up to the window and stare in. It was kind of creepy. For some reason, I had quite the hankering for a heaping pile of mashed potatoes, some crescent rolls, sweet potatoes and... well, you get the idea.

One of the turkeys lingered outside the window through our entire lunch, causing me to develop a small case of indigestion. Thankfully I had picked the chicken sandwich over the turkey melt I had originally planned on ordering.

It was at this time that my coworkers began to engage in conversation regarding how pretty the turkey looked (I have to admit, this one had shiny greenish/blueish tinted feathers on part of his body, but I couldn't get past the stick legs and bright red gobble thing). While everyone seemed to concur that these turkeys were beautiful, one coworker dissented, saying no turkey is good-looking. Of course, I had to add my two sense, so I said:

"The only good-looking turkey is one that's golden brown and just out of the oven ready for me to eat!" They all told me I was gross and insisted I be quiet because Thanksgiving or Christmas (whichever one it was) might hear me.

While the turkey finally went away, my craving for a nice slice of white meat didn't. I'm also pretty sure I'll be getting some hate mail from PETA for this.