Every day's the fourth of July

Good times!

Oh the good times!

Saturday was a fabulous day. I woke up early and did a ton of yoga. I went out for brunch with Meredith at the Heartland. We hung out by the lake in Rogers Park. We went to a rummage sale and I bought a teapot. We came home to my house and sewed over mojitos. We had dinner at Pizza Metro. Then Meredith left and Andrea came over, and we biked to her friend's birthday party, which ended early, so we went to Mac's and talked the night away. I was biking home, happy as a clam--Uh oh, here is the bad times. Look what I found:


Parked in front of our apartment. Hit and run. The front wheels were slammed against the curb with enough force to send the back end of the car out into the street. The neighbors heard the crash and saw a big dark van speeding away, but couldn't get the plates. I spent Sunday filing a police report and biking around the neighborhood looking for smashed vans whose bumper might be missing a piece like the one left at the scene of the crime. Came home with nothing but a sunburn. The extra crappy news is that Ben and his dad were going to switch the car over from his dad's insurance policy to Ben's at the end of this month. And apparently, Kurt can't make another claim, even one where we're totally blameless, without getting kicked off his policy. So we are up shit creek without a paddle. Ben's gonna take the car in for some estimates this weekend. It seems drivable and is turning okay and everything, but you never know what invisible damage lurks unseen.

Ugh, so that was totally lame. So totally lame. Back to the good times, please.

Babysat Karl! He's a total sweetheart! Ben came home! Yay Ben! It's been a bit of an adjustment back out of single-livin', which I had grown to like in many ways. But Ben's such a good companion, and he's fun, and it's nice to have him around again. He had a great trip. Monday night we had a fun date, got sushi, biked up to a great ice cream place in Boystown. (Good homemade ice cream in Chicago! It does exist!)

Tuesday Millennium Park gig, with the best group of singers yet, and many friendly and complimentary fun folks. And then Tuesday night at work, on a night before a holiday... One couple who takes guitar on Tuesday nights, Lucas and Lizzie, just moved into a lovely coach house around the corner from the school, and they threw a party after class for the social group of students and staff that has gotten so close from week after week of good times. Ben came over too, which was great. Everybody tied one on, or three, and we had a fuuunnnnnnn time. The next day I was magically unhungover, which may or may not be due to our bewildered bike ride home in the coldest, hardest, wettest, rainingest rain ever. Drenched. Just sopping wet. My shoes are still not dry and it is three days later.

Then it was the fourth of July! Ben and I took it easy, brunched at Flo, hung around playing guitar, people-watched at Filter. Meredith called to see if we wanted to join her and Taavo and Ben Stub.r at their friend Marjorie's barbecue. She was an actress in Ben's last show. We didn't know her but it was right in the neighborhood so we picked up some brats and walked over. As soon as Marjorie let us in I thought she looked familiar, and I asked Ben who she was reminding me of but he didn't have any idea. Finally I asked her, and she said she thought I looked familiar as well. We spent a long time trying to figure it out. Where'd you grow up? Madison/Milwaukee. Where'd you go to college? Seattle/St. Paul. Where else have you lived? Where do you work? What shows have you been in? What concerts have you played? Are you a friend of so-and-so? Where have I seen you in the neighborhood? What bars to you hang out at? We thought we had it when she said she nannies and takes a little girl to WW, but it's out in the suburbs, and we've never been there at the same time. Stymied. We could not get it and finally gave up. Then an hour later or so this guy was talking about how he knew the people at the party, and he kept saying that she had grown up in Madison, and suddenly I thought of all my cousins' musicals I'd seen.

I ran back over to her. "Where did you go to high school?" "Madison West." "Did you know Aar0n K0nk0l?"

Her eyes got wide and her mouth opened up and all of a sudden it clicked for both of us and the nickname that some people had been calling her finally registered--

"Lindsay!!"

"You're Molly! YOU'RE MOLLY!!"

We had been trying to figure out what neighborhood bar we'd seen each other at or something... This was my cousin's longtime highschool girlfriend, who had been to my house for Thanksgiving, who had vacationed with us in Door County, who I had seen in her high school's production of Into The Woods, who had come to numerous family events. Her hair was red instead of blonde, but still so curly, and the nosering was gone, and she was Marjorie now? "It just looks better on a headshot," she said. Ben has heard about this girl, even though they broke up before Ben and I started dating. Everyone in the family loved her. And here we were! We live within walking distance! We have the same friends! She was like, "Oh my god, I have to tell Debbie." (My aunt.) We called Aaron instead and left a message.



Now we will be BFFs. It was so awesome.

Then we walked back to our place and watched people try to blow up our neighborhood. There's something to be said for lakefront-quality fireworks being shot off in the street behind your apartment. Except you won't be able to hear the something that is said because it will be too loud.