Three cheers for 2010

It's been a crazy month since my last post. Thanksgiving in Boston was amazing, but in order to conserve money I made the decision to stay in Chicago for Christmas and New Years. It didn't disappoint.
For Christmas I got to hang out with Betsy's family in the suburbs, had an outstanding time, and even answered some questions about Hanukkah. I was still walking dogs and taking care of cats every day, like this big one called Zoe. She was a handful, to say the least. She was very strong, but also very friendly and fun to be around.
Betsy and I got to hang out a lot, and that usually means eating great food. One day we went to this place called Flub a Dub Chub's, a phenomenal little hole-in-the-wall hot dog and burger haven. My burger literally had a hot dog inside it. It nearly floored me.
We sampled some other great food like Kuma's Corner which also has unforgettable burgers, as well as a long wait, but it's totally worth it. Great beer too.
For New Years we didn't want to do anything too crazy/expensive, so we had a little shindig at my pad. Some Butler friends came up for the night, and some Chicago buddies stopped by as well. We ate pizza and homemade dip (which rocked), played cards, drank cheap champagne, and enjoyed ourselves immensely.
I've been walking a couple more dogs recently who just needed to be photographed, plain and simple. Here's Chloe, a beautiful little Shih Tzu who reminds me of Bogey but younger and more hungry for attention.
And then there's Langston, a Yorkshire terrier who just blows my mind with how cute he is.
He's literally about the size of a football, I'm pretty sure I could fit him in my mouth. But that's gross.
Ok, enough pictures for now. It's hard remembering everything else I've been up to. Ross and I restarted our old band Bricklayers Foundation, this time with his roommates Ruth and Drew. In fact, we're probably performing this Thursday night. I'll let you know how it goes.
I saw some really cool free-jazz recently at a cool bar called the Green Mill, and then Uncle Charlie stopped by this week for some great food, tasty beer, and a Wisconsin basketball game at Northwestern. Just an all around fantastic time.
As for books, I found out it was my father who was sending me those unmarked books through the mail. I finished American Pastoral, and then made my way through The Ginger Man and the Third Man. Really great stuff, especially the movie version of the Third Man with Orson Welles. I read Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk, pretty gruesome and messed up, but I give it a thumbs up. I read Timequake by Vonnegut, which was half sci-fi novel, half autobiographical memoir. Pretty unique. I cruised through the Sun Also Rises, and once again realized how great Hemingway can balance so many different emotions/aspects at once. I just finished High Fidelity, which I thought was better than the movie in most ways with the main exception being Jack Black's performance. I may be forgetting a book or two, but what can you expect with my torrid pace?
I emailed my revised thesis to my professors back at Butler, so now I wait and see if it gets approved or if it still needs a little work. Once it gets approved I can head down there, turn the final copy into the library, and take my oral exams. Can't wait!
I've also started giving guitar/piano lessons in the suburbs once a week, and will soon be giving group/individual lessons to kids at a school once a week. We'll see how it all works out in the end, but there's one thing I am sure of: Go Ravens!
PS-check out what I found at a liquor store near my house...a tequila gun! What a great world we live in!