Tag: chicago

Becoming a Biker

by rhealitycheck

So I think I can officially say that I am well on my way to becoming and avid bicyclist. I originally started this biking kick to just start living a healthier lifestyle and I think I can officially say that I’m starting to accomplish this. Being in grad school just kills my motivation to go to the gym or try to fit extra things into my day. I guess partly it’s just that between work and school it’s hard to justify spending hours at the gym when I could be studying which is what I need to spend time doing considering I am paying lots of money for this education.

But what I have discovered is that if I bike places then I take care of the being active and staying fit/healthy while actually getting to my destination. It’s like the greatest thing I’ve ever managed to discover. Not to mention biking around Chicago is just great because the bike paths just off Lake Shore drive are just so pretty and nice to bike on. I have to say sometimes the wind can get a little obnoxious, especially when it’s a head wind but I think I just need to get more used to it. It’s been a little sad for me because I don’t really have the time to read the newspaper as I’m used to but I’m trying to work a way out for me to get up earlier so I can get down to work a little earlier so I can grab breakfast and read the newspaper for half an hour before I actually start working. That way I’ll get my news and I’ll be doing something healthy! At any rate, I think my bike is one of the best investments I’ve made and I absolutely love it. I’m so glad I’ve stuck it out and haven’t quit, which I definitely felt like doing because the ride to/from work is a touch long for a novice cyclist who isn’t used to that much exercise.

Most Efficient Starbucks of Ever

by rhealitycheck

Ok, well the title could be wrong but I’d have to say this Starbucks that I just discovered would be quite difficult to beat. They have a line that is constantly hovering at the door yet all of their customers make it out in 10mins or less including placing orders, paying and picking up their coffee. It is phenomenally busy, it’s right outside of Union Station in Chicago (between Canal & Wacker on Monroe). I am just amazed, not to mention they were friendly and courteous and the coffee is just as good as anywhere else. They even have a few regulars that they know by name and write little notes to on their coffee cups.

(Maybe I should change the purpose of this blog, it initially was supposed to help me keep up with current events but it seems to be turning into Rhea’s Adventures in Chicago.)

Most Fab Haircut of Ever

by rhealitycheck

So this weekend I got my hair professionally cut for the first time in 6 years. I had stopped going to hair stylists the summer before my sophomore year of college because at that time my opinion was that I’d had expensive haircuts of approx $100 (I consider that expensive anyway) down to super cheap ones that cost about $15 and I had never got what I wanted. I found that most stylists didn’t listen to me and didn’t necessarily give me hair that grew out well or were even close to what I wanted. So I decided to start cutting my hair myself because if I do a bad job at least I’m not out of money and it’ll grow out. The first few could have been better, they weren’t horrible or tragic but they weren’t exactly fabulous either.

After about a year they began to have a lot of consistency and for a year and a half while I was still in college they were good enough that I started cutting my friends’ hair as well. After college I went back to only cutting my hair because let’s face it when you have a job you don’t have time to be people’s personal stylist out of the goodness of your heart (or at least I don’t). And quite frankly up until this weekend my opinion was that I’m a better stylist and I know my hair better than any professional I had met thus far. (So much so that my friends who haven’t seen me in a while after I give myself a cut will always compliment my hair and ask who my stylist is. I always got a kick out of smugly saying, “I do my own hair, from cutting down to styling/colouring/product etc”).

So since I started grad school in June I really haven’t had time to spend on my hair and definitely not enough to give myself a decent cut. Let me back up a bit, early in June when I had just started work and a few weeks after I had moved to Chicago, there was this poor kid selling salon gift cards outside my office and was getting turned down right and left. So I decided to be nice and just pick one up and figured I’d probably give it away as a gift to one of my good friends.

After having this card for a couple of months and not having time to cut my hair except for minimal trims that weren’t even close to acceptable, I decided maybe I’ll just bite the bullet and let someone else cut my hair, I mean what’s the worst that can happen? I’ll hate it and it’ll grow out, that’s not the end of the world. So I made an appointment and went in not expecting much. By the time I left, I was amazed.

I have officially decided that I have met the stylist of my life. Her name is Gabi, she works at Colin of London just north of downtown Chicago. I have never been happier with my hair. I gave her minimal direction and she has done a wonderful job. Not to mention everyone that walked in the salon knew her and everyone else that went to her *loved* what she did too (I got to see a couple of cuts because she talked me into highlights, which I surprisingly like. I’m not sure I’d do them again, they look great – barely noticeable, which is what I like – but they’re a little pricey without the gift-card and I don’t think I’m invested enough to put in the maintenance that highlights require).

So this is my shameless plug for my wonderful new stylist, Gabi, if you live in Chicago, she’s worth going to see. My hair looks fabulous styled or just air-dried. I never thought I’d see the day when I met someone who could do better things to my hair than I can but I’m eating my words quite happily.