Happy Labor Day!

I usually do my end-of-week wrap-up on Sunday night, but since I had a minor blog problem, I’m a bit behind with my posting. Did you notice my site was down a few days this past week? Eep. Turns out, I was hacked with some malware. But thanks to my amazing software developer genius friend Kim, my site was scrubbed and up-and-running again in two days.

I also figured (almost) everyone has a three day weekend, I might as well wait until Monday night. I’m already two full days into my workweek, so I know the rest of the week is going to absolutely fly by.

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Links:

Corporette has your comprehensive list of Labor Day sales. It’s not too late!

My college roommate Caitlin got engaged! Congrats!

I love this tool from Slate that tells you whether you’re gentrifying a neighborhood by moving into it. It’s probably not entirely accurate, but is still a great way to spark a conversation.

I’m obsessed with my Detroit hockey, so I’m loving this livestream that shows construction of the new District Detroit arena as it’s happening in real time, especially since I’m not living in Michigan anymore.

If you’re looking for some new fall reads, Popsugar has a list of books that are going to be adapted into movies this fall. I’ve actually read several of these, and have several more on hold at the library or loaded onto my Kindle.

I cannot stop laughing at this piece by one of my favorite Trib columnists, Rex Huppke, that claims McDonald’s all-day breakfast is an abomination.

One of my favorite Michigan-based bar chains, HopCat, is expanding across the Midwest.

Chicago tacos.

J.K. Rowling was live-Tweeting the Hogwarts sorting and all of the feels.

I love this piece about how Amal Clooney is so much more than just “George Clooney’s wife.”

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And my week highlights?

• An impromptu shopping trip. It hit 70 degrees this week which meant fall has been on my mind. I picked up this dress in wine and this tunic in olive from Nordstrom.
• Checking out the new Mean Girls collection at Dylan’s Candy Bar with my coworker Kasondra.
• More Labor Day shopping! I probably went a bit overboard, but put in several online orders. I cleared out Old Navy, ordering this anorak jacket, this dress in blue, this blazer in olive, this shift dress in olive and this scarf. I grabbed these combat boots in brown from 6pm.com, and  I also did a bit of damage at H&M, picking up this sweater in several different sizes and colors and these jeans.
• Puppy sitting! One of my friends was out of state on business this week, so I got to puppysit his golden retriever, Dempsey.
• Baking apple pie cookies. I told you — fall has been on my mind, so this felt like an obvious way to celebrate before temps rocketed back up into the 90’s.
• Dinner and beer at Piece in Wicker Park. I love pizza, so obviously Chicago is a pretty dang good fit for me city-wise. The aforementioned friend with the golden retriever lives pretty close to Piece, so we’ve gone a few times. This week’s choice was goat cheese and tomato pizza with a Golden Arm brew on the side.
• The usual 40-ish hours manning the Trib’s social media presence.
• Starting Amy Poehler’s Yes Please. I’m still working on finishing up Devil in the White City, but both of these library loans were cleared for my Kindle at the same time, so I’m reading both books at once.

(You can keep up with this stuff as it happens by following me on Instagram and Snapchat: randimshaffer.)

What’s on your radar lately? Let me know in the comments!

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Good evening you guys!

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Links:

New restaurant openings in Chicago!

Fellow college-educated single 20-something ladies! There’s a reason we aren’t in committed relationships. It’s statistics.

This satirical article about Chicago’s Humboldt Park from The Onion hits a litttttle too close to home.

Cute puppy video.

A Chicago Target store is getting a built-in bar so goodbye bank account.

I love these inspiring quotes about feminism.

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And my week highlights include:

• Friday night happy hour at The Bar on Buena in Uptown with my friend Ariel.
• Shopping and wine tasting in Libertyville with my coworker Kasondra.
• Starting The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. (Has anyone read this one before?)
• Homemade peanut butter banana oat smoothies.
• Spent an evening with my friend Mickey and her new baby kitties! (There were photos on Snapchat: follow me at randimshaffer if you’re curious!) We also made Thai peanut noodles and veggies for dinner before spending like seven hours gossiping.
• The usual 40-ish hours at the Tribune’s social media desk.

(You can keep up with this stuff as it happens if you follow me on Instagram and on Snapchat: randimshaffer.)

What’s on your radar lately? What have you been up to? Let me know in the comments!

 

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Links:

Facebook has overtaken Google as the top source for news links. Awesome.

The Everygirl did an interview of Caitlin Crosby, who founded the Giving Keys. I saw Caitlin talk at an Invisible Children conference a few years ago and she was so nice.

Life isn’t all about marriage. Here are some things you can do instead.

I’m obsessed with this corgi video.

Popsugar has a list of the best things to buy at Target.

Two-ingredient Nutella brownies. RIP your waistline.

So, uh. The Ashley Madison site was hacked.

…Josh Duggar was one of those outed in the hack.

Fortune has advice on what to do (and what not to do) following a job interview.

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And my week highlights include…

• My first ever Wrigley Field experience! I watched my Tigers beat the Chicago Cubs 15-8 with my friend Mickey. Not a bad first Cubs experience!
• Brunch at Toast in Lincoln Park followed by window shopping with one of my old coworkers from Mongolian Barbeque. I had the apple, pear and brie crepe, and we stopped in at several shops such as Warby Parker and Paper Source, as well as a few antique and resale shops.
• Homemade breakfast omelettes — spinach, tomato and feta.
• Drinks at Cheesie’s in Lakeview with my cousin, Ben.
• Movie night at a friend’s place to watch Back to the Future. I’d never seen it before, I know. I’m behind on my pop culture.
• Starting — and finishing — Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects. Slow-moving, but well-written with a solid plot. My only gripe? The main character was a terrible journalist.
• A work meeting at Ghirardelli for some espresso chip ice cream.
• The usual 40-ish caffeine-fueled hours at the Trib.

(You can keep up with this stuff as it happens if you follow me on Instagram or on Snapchat: randimshaffer.)

What’s on your radar lately? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Sunday!

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Links:

CoverGirl and Star Wars are partnering for a makeup collection so goodbye to my bank account.

China has totally knocked off of Chicago’s bean, and the Windy City is furious.

One of our columnists — the amazing Heidi Stevens — wrote a piece detailing scenarios where a girl might go home with a guy and then sex might not happen.

Bic published an ad encouraging women to “think like a man,” successfully pissing off many women, myself included.

Here’s how to get an 86-percent bigger Chipotle burrito for free.

I love this video demonstrating 100 years of fashion in two minutes.

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And my week highlights include:

• Reading The Girl on the Train. I recently picked up the habit of reading on my L train commutes, and as it turns out, you can plow your way through quite a few books this way!
• Renewing my hometown library card. I’ve had this card since 2004, and I renew it every year. I check out digital books for my Kindle with it for the aforementioned commutes.
• Painting my bar cart.
• Checking out the Birchbox popup right outside Tribune Tower.
• Catching the tail-end (pun intended) of the Chicago Air & Water show from a friend’s roof in Wicker Park.
• Dinner and drinks with an old coworker! Paul — a sports reporter from the Morning Sun — stopped by in Chicago, and the two of us headed to Wilde in Lakeview.
• Finally meeting the lovely Denise from Fashion Love Letters for Saturday morning brunch up in Winnetka! I had corn tamale flapjacks with sour cream and salsa at the Original Green Bay Cafe. Delicious. We also did a little bit of sightseeing, and checked out the Baha’i Temple, some beaches and the house from Home Alone.

(You can keep up with this stuff as it happens if you follow along on Instagram or on Snapchat: randimshaffer.)

I’m looking forward to a few things this week! I’m starting to get back into running (to combat my love of this city’s food), so I have a few fitness goals I’m hoping to attain.

And, I’m going to my first Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Of course, the Cubs are playing my beloved Tigers, so I’m hoping the Cubs lose.

What’s been on your radar lately? Let me know in the comments!

 

Hello hello!

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Links:

This girl took her senior pictures in a Taco Bell. I love the idea! My senior pictures were way too serious, and it’s not like I ever look at them now.

This woman bled freely through a marathon to bring awareness to women without access to safe menstruation products. Awesome for her.

I love this Tribune piece about what the future of Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood could look like.

One of my old coworkers, Sarah, wrote about why she moved from Grand Blanc to Flint. I used to work at the Flint Journal with Sarah, and I lived in Grand Blanc during that time, so I love this and it makes me wish I had lived in Flint.

This piece about American slums (ie: Detroit) making a comeback is a good read.

This is a piece of fantastic hard-hitting political journalism coming out of Michigan. Kudos to another Chippewa – Chad Livengood – for uncovering this.

As a lazy person, I love this piece on hairstyles for wet hair.

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And my week highlights?

• Drinks at Sheffield’s in Lakeview with Ariel Cheung – a super awesome DNAinfo reporter. (Our drinks of choice were Lagunita’s Citrusinensis)
• Trib family drinks at DryHop Brewers in Lakeview. (I alternated between Shark Meets Hipster and Eat a Peach.)
• Dinner at Pasta Bowl in Wicker Park with a friend.
• A beach day at Uptown’s Montrose Beach with a coworker. Fun: Flipping through Vogue and drinking mimosas. Not fun: This terrible sunburn I’m currently rocking.
• A day-time shopping and lunch trip with my friend Mickey on State Street.
• A tour of the Tribune’s printing facilities at the Freedom Center! (Post coming soon, promise.)
• Wine and apps at Rootstock in Humboldt Park with some friends before subsequent trips to Boiler Room and Emporium, both in Logan Square.
• Thai (From Penny’s Noodle Shop in Wicker Park) and watching the new Wet Hot American Summer First Day of Camp with a friend.
• A typical 40-ish hours of social media work at the Tribune.

(You can keep up with this stuff as it happens if you follow along on Instagram or on Snapchat: randimshaffer.)

What’s on your radar lately? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Sunday! Right now I’m standing somewhere in Grant Park listening to so many amazing musical acts. I can’t wait to fill you all in with a Lollapalooza post once this weekend is over!

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Links:

I love this story about a blind man that paints by touch.

Refinery29 has hacks for a healthier week.

I usually try not to get too heavily opinionated on my blog (much different from real life), but I loved this Nicholas Kristof piece for the NY Times about the future of Title X.

Some retailers think Cosmo is racy and needs to be covered up.

I love these tips on how to make your bedroom an oasis. My room is the last piece of my apartment I focus on, so it’s a good reminder that your bedroom needs some attention, too!

Ice cube tricks. (Sounds weird, but it makes sense!)

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And my week highlights include:

• Lollapalooza! I have a few friends staying with me, and we’ve been frolicking through Grant Park all weekend. Stay tuned.
• Dinner at my friend Mickey’s apartment. She has a gorgeous backyard in Humboldt Park, so a few of us girls had Asian noodles and peanut sauce — accompanied by wine, of course.
• Dinner at Wicker Park’s XOCO with a friend. We dined on the patio so we could bring his golden retriever along, and she stole all of the attention. (She’s adorable though, so it’s to be expected.)
• Rooftop Train Wreck Ale! Train Wreck was my favorite beer from Mountain Town Brewing Company, so when a friend brought a six-pack to Chicago for me, I was elated.
• Brunch at Wicker Park’s Bongo Room! I was sorely tempted by the mountains of chocolate-covered pancakes (chocolate is my love language) but settled for a vegetable croissant for pre-Lolla energy. (There were salted caramel white chocolate pretzel pancakes though so I’m not totally disappointed.)
• A trip to Cheesie’s in Lakeview for “the Mac” and cheap cans of PBR. (PBR is also my love language.)

(You can keep up with this stuff as it happens if you follow me on Instagram or on Snapchat at randimshaffer.)

This week should be pretty laid back. I don’t have any visitors scheduled this coming weekend which sounds so, so nice. What are you up to lately? Let me know in the comments!