Hey hey!
This post is a day late this week- sorry! I’ve been up since 4 a.m. Chicago time, and not that I’m making excuses or anything, but it’s been a crazy busy weekend!
Links (from my Twitter):
Deadspin ran a story about how news reporting has always been ugly. As someone in the industry, I found this fascinating.
I wrote a guest post for my friend Caitlin’s blog on gender neutral names: Check it out!
What’s hot on dating sites? Proper grammar. As a girl with a Tinder bio that literally reads “I will probably correct your grammar,” I can confirm.
A necklace that holds your slice of pizza.
Did you know that 40 percent of millennials pay for news? Shockingly, I am not one of them. I get a free digital subscription to the Tribune as part of my job here, so I rely on that. Do you subscribe to the news?
You can now have dinner in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Dying.
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And my week highlights?
Central Michigan University’s homecoming! This is the entire highlight of my week, if not the past few months. I didn’t realize how much I missed my little college town until I ventured back for a weekend. (For comparison’s sake, Chicago’s population: 2,700,000. Mount Pleasant’s population? 26,000.)
- The Bird. I miss this bar so. damn. much. It sounds totally weird to say (and makes me seem a bit like I have drinking problems, I know), but the Bird has been my favorite bar since the day I turned 21 almost half a decade ago. It’s the perfect mix of divey, hipster and chill, and it’s guaranteed I’ll run into at least a half-dozen people I know whenever I go. Half of the bartenders know me by name, and PBR is super cheap. This was literally the first stop I made when I got into town. I’ll stop this love letter now, but I really cannot emphasize enough how much I love this bar.
- The Cabin. Not on the same level as the Bird, but I did work here for three years, and the pizza is better than anything I’ve had here in Chicago.
- Venturing to the Kelly/Shorts tailgate lot. Unfortunately I never went to the game since it was rainy and miserable, but I did go to the lot for half a second before we ditched the stadium scene for the Cabin.
- O’Kelly’s! I hate this place. But I love it. Kind of like the Lions. But, as gross and sketchy and gross and gross as it is, it’s a Mount Pleasant tradition.
- Train Wreck. This is my favorite beer from Mount Pleasant Brewing Co., so obviously I picked up a six pack to take back to Chicago with me.
- Walking through campus. I love CMU’s campus so much — especially North Campus. I can’t put into words how amazing it felt just to be back and walk past the front lawn seal.
- All of my friends. I saw college roommates, CM Life friends, MSA friends… so many friends from so many of my college social circles. It was such a good time.
- Kaya Coffee House. I loved this place in undergrad. I had to work on Sunday, so I spent the entire day holed up in Kaya working remotely. It was such a nice vibe.
And, in non-homecoming weekend highlights…
- Dinner at Oiistar in Wicker Park. I’m usually not the biggest ramen fan because I’m a klutz and chopsticks require fine motor skills, but I’m not going to turn down ramen when it’s cold, drizzly and windy outside… and I’m accompanied by an attractive guy.
- The usual heavy lifting behind the Tribune’s social media accounts.
- Helped my friend Daighna with a photo project… Can you spot me?
- Apple picking in my parents’ backyard.
- I finally finished Devil in the White City. It took a while since I was fact-checking and Googling something new every few pages.
- The most beautiful sunset on my drive up to Mount Pleasant.
- Getting access to Facebook Signal! I had my account verified recently, and now I have permission to use Signal. I’m already excited to see how I can use it at work.
(You can keep up with this stuff as it happens if you follow me on Instagram and on Snapchat: RandiMShaffer.)
After two insane weekends of travel between Chicago and Michigan, I am beyond ready to stay in Chicago for the foreseeable future. I’m really looking forward to a few things this week, like the NHL season opener (Go Red Wings!) and spending a weekend with one of my coworkers.
What’s on your radar lately? Let me know in the comments!
It’s funny how everyone has such a different experience with University. I think it’s because I went to Uni in my hometown, at a HUGE university, and still lived with my folks. I never feel compelled to go to homecoming. Heck, I’m even on the university’s payroll now and I still don’t get all the feels. The only time it ever struck a chord with me was when I was asked to give a lecture for an Undergrad class. I feel like I missed out on the whole experience
Btw, really jealous of your apple picking because I haven’t had a chance to go yet!