Did you know that there are still places in America where smoking is allowed indoors??  It’s like taking a step back into 1962.  And you feel like a criminal being surrounded by so much brazen smoking.

My mom and I went antiquing in Indiana on Sunday and stopped at a small (albeit awesome) diner for lunch.  And there was a smoking section.  Right next to the non-smoking section.  We were amazed, as if we were aliens dropped on this planet for a moment in time.  Is this really what flew in restaurants just a few years ago?  Because cigarettes are dis-gust-ing!

The entire place was thick with smoke.  People were taking bites of food between drags.  Babies sat at tables where all the adults smoked.  It was insanity.  It seems like all of this legal smoking inside business was in another lifetime. 

And, as an ex-smoker, I have always been very accommodating to smoker’s rights.  Until this diner experience, I was all about letting people smoke in places that were just bars (i.e. they don’t sell food just sweet sweet alcohol).  But holy shit, not anymore!  I want to live.  I want to smell my laundry detergent.  I want to smell my shampoo and hairspray.  I want to get my money’s worth out of my perfume.  I do not want to smell like a walking ashtray upon leaving any establishment. 

In Europe I don’t mind this because A) I’m in Europe, what is there really to complain about B) it feels authentic.  When smoking was banned in Paris my Parisian compatriots went crazy because to them, it was impeding a lifestyle, not just a habit.  And I wholeheartedly agree on that!

It wasn’t too long ago when it was thought okay to smoke while pregnant.  And we certainly were okay with smoking inside until quite recently.  I wonder what will be banned in 30 years that we’re doing now.  Hopefully it won’t be being awesome. 

Pet Peeve of the Day: St. Patty’s Day aka amateur hour

Quote of the Day: “Son, when you participate in sporting events– it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how drunk you get.” –Homer Simpson

As 2009 (and the decade!) comes to an end, I thought it would be nice  to reflect on the past year considering I’m a huge fan of “end-of-the-year” lists! I’m not a fan of personal info on my blog but I think the following is pretty benign. Also, 2008 was such a horrible year, that I was determined to make 2009 awesome. I think I succeeded… Here are some month-by-month highlights (consider this my supremely annoying Christmas card!):

January

• Quit my job
• Turned 26 (sayonara quarter century!)
• Went to Madrid with my BFF

February

• Enjoyed living the unemployed dream before it got boring and tedious

March

• Started my awesome blog!
• Went to Arizona for Cubs Spring Training, baked in the sun for what I would later find out would be the last time I could do that. Thanks for the tan Arizona!

April

• Another exciting Cubs season began…

May

• As quick as the Cubs season began… it was already over.
• I learned the value of couponing thanks to all the frugal blogs out there on the information super highway! Not sure how much I saved but if my CVS receipts are any indicator, my year-to-date savings there alone is over $800!

June

• Went to Las Vegas for the first and last time
• Went to my first Cubs-White Sox game on the scary southside

July

• Can’t remember much about this… I can only assume this means that I went on the traditional midyear/midsummer bender

August

• Started grad school!

September

• Reunited with my long lost lover and became engaged!
• Went to Seattle with my family for an awesome Bears-Seahawks game

October

• Formed a legendary karaoke band, “Annette”

November

• My long lost lover moved in and I said goodbye to my beloved single life forever

December

• This  month flew by, I have no idea what happened in December besides Christmas and going to Pittsburgh with my Dad for an awesome Steelers game!

So that, in a nutshell, has been my year. I look forward to making 2010 even more awesome, if that’s possible. Thank you also to all of you, my readers, for making my blog and my year worthwhile! Have a fabulous New Years, be safe, and I’ll see you again in 2010!

I know you all have probably already seen this, but considering my brother just discovered it like a month ago there’s a chance you have been in the dark as well:  Texts From Last Night.  I just pray one of my Schlagger induced texts don’t end up on there…

And in case you haven’t linked this up from my Blog Roll, (and you hate hipsters/Wicker Park/etc. as much as I do) you simply must go here:  Look At This Fucking Hipster.

To encourage my Francophile-ness, I like to study up on this list hoping to use these words in real life: List of French Words and Phrases Used By English Speakers.  It is quite comprehensive; c’est magnifique!

This is simply the most legendary website I have ever seen: Jewgle.  Go ahead, Jewgel something, it’s fucking jokes!

Any other awesome websites out there that I haven’t discovered yet??

Pet Peeve of the Day: Being treated like a child in grad school

Quote of the Day: “Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature.” –Tom Robbins

On the page where I check the “stats” of my website (how many visits, visits per IP address, length of visits, etc.) there is a section where I can read search terms that trigger my site to come up in the results.  I always find this very interesting because there are some funny/odd things that people look up and I like having a little insight into how people search the internet.  I have not gone through all the search results to find what page of mine the term brings up because sometimes it could be like a million results later.  Others are more obvious.  Here are some of my favorite:

“Most people would steal if they thought they could get away with it.”  I remember that this was a question on numerous job applications that I filled out many moons ago.  It makes me nervous that this is probably one of the most popular search phrases that come up in my list.  Are people looking for the answer to this?  What is the purpose of googling this?

“Goldschlagger.”  This is another popular term.  It makes me happy that I am not the only one still interested in Schlagger!  This is also sometimes grouped with “College goldschlagger” or “Goldschlagger drunk” (don’t really know what these mean orthe results people are looking for).  But Schlagger is alive and well in places other than my life! 

“Don’t need to be told what to do.”  I cannot imagine what post of mine this search phrase points to.  But again, why do people Google this?  Do they want Google to confirm that they don’t in fact need to be told what to do? 

“Getting kicked out of Wrigley.”  It’s as if people want confirmation that this will or will not happen.  What are you really looking for when you search this?  Videos?  Maybe but they don’t televise fans getting kicked out so I doubt any video exists…  But I’m glad people keep trying!

Pet Peeve of the Day: Red roses

Quote of the Day: “The things we know best are the things we haven’t been taught.”  –Vauvenargues

Nooooooo.  Just when I was starting to adjust to the 15+ year old 773, Chicago has announced we will be getting a new area code: 872.  That’s right my friends, Marshall Field’s is now Macy’s, the Sears Tower is now Willis Tower, and here comes 872.  RICHIE!  What is our fine city coming to??  Do you really think we are going to get the Olympics at this rate? 

If you think I’m just going to accept this 872 code, you have another thing coming.  I imagine a scene down the road where I meet a really hot, awesome guy.  He gives me his number and it is 872-555-1111.  Guess what amazingly awesome dude who loves the Cubs/Bears/Chesney/the beach/Klinker/Kerouac/Goldschlagger/snow/Chicago, I will NEVER call you. 

I abhor taking calls from 847, 708, and 630 area codes (all suburban), and now I’ll have yet another area code to blacklist.  I do love raging though, so I guess I can thank the telephone Gods for that.  See, there always is a silver lining!

Things I Live For: The Cousin Trifecta, sunless tanners

Quote of the Day: “Being, not doing, is my first joy.” –Theodore Roethke