Dear Diary: Last night, the Iowa category was so hard!

A minor life improvement has been made. Last night we found a Thursday night Pub Quiz.

Ben and I had made plans to go ice skating with Julie and Jason, but we didn't much feel like skating in the pouring rain. (Winter? I'm starting to realize it was one of those things you only believe in when you're a little kid. Now that I'm grown up, those magical snow-covered mornings have drifted back into the realm of the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. Winter in the 2000's is balmy, wet, and disgusting.) We were looking for something new to do and stumbled upon trivia night at Ginger's Ale House. I was super excited after many tales of trivia nights in Minnesota and my excellent trivia night experience in Seattle. I did a bit of arm twisting, and was thanked in the end for doing so, because we had a really unique night and a great time. It's a big, no-frills Irish pub, popular during soccer season. I called the bar twice before we left and spoke to two different people with Irish accents. ("Well o'course yu'd want to be ther hat sevun thairty if yahr plannin' ta compeet!") The pub quiz wasn't packed, and we were the youngest people there. The team of the oldest people there included an old-timey harmonica instructor from the school. We ate dinner there too. I had a pot pie with a big flaky crust, Ben and Jason ordered the special "Bacon and Cabbage" which was Irish bacon (ham) with cabbage and some delicious carrot stuff and mashed potatoes, and Julie got the Irish breakfast, blood sausage and all. We drank Dead Guy Ales for $3.50 a pint and our team, the Stable Table, came in a solid 5th place. We're all very excited to go back.

Work has been really busy. A lot of people have made the new year's resolution to learn a new instrument and see more concerts, because even though we've had twice the number of regular desk staffers we have been on the phones non-stop, 9-5, with people constantly waiting on hold. It's starting to slow up a little bit, which is good because we're getting fried. There is a lot you need to know to work that job, and I feel like my brain has been depleted from plucking bits of information from all areas. Teacher personalities, styles of music, particularities of different instruments, abilities of different aged kids, schedules, policies, web orders, staff needs, regulations, prerequisites, prices, discounts, details, details, details. It was great to exercise a non-job oriented part of my brain last night and give my OTS knowledge a rest! I'm getting excited for my worms classes again though, trying to plan out some new songs and fun stuff. No more driving to the suburbs to teach classes this semester! I'll only have one day off but I think it's a sweet tradeoff. I'll actually have two days off: Saturday and Montues, which is a day that begins at noon on Monday and lasts until 3:30 on Tuesday. I'll also be playing in the upcoming WW concert; should be a good time.

I never told you about New Years. Ben and I had a fun night, dressed up in our fancies and biking around the city. We went to a lofty theatery party at the new Spareroom, and then biked over to Margaret's place just in time for midnight. She's the TV critic and editor of Time Out Chicago's TV and radio section. We were all ready for midnight, champagne freshly poured, watching the crowds in downtown Chicago on TV and ready for the countdown, when suddenly: blip! blip! blip! The TV started changing channels, and all we could see was



We rang in the new year to the dramatic BAM BAMP! chords of Law and Order, and by the time we found the remote and got back to the countdown channel, they had already done it and were halfway through the fireworks. Thanks Tivo!! Happy 2007! We laughed, drank our champagne, and then drank a lot more beer over the course of several rounds of flip cup.

I highly recommend beginning your year on a bike with your strapless red dress tied up around your side, cutoff pants underneath, shouting Happy New Year a la "Hello you old building and loan!" to anyone you see.

Lately I have realized: Living in the city is awesome. I totally love it.