St Patricks Day Festivities

Hey Everyone - long time no write

I wanted to make a post to recap the last couple of weeks I have been neglecting the blog. Last weekend I took a rather quick trip to Chicago (I think I was probably in Chicago less then 24 hours). In Chicago I visited and stayed with my friend Will who conveniently along with my friend Amanda saved me a parking spot in Lincoln Park by sitting in it with his kitchen chairs. The rest of the day was one bar/house party after another. I don't think I saw one person not wearing green the whole time! It was a blast and we stayed out all day. That weekend was a constant consumption of food and beer. I am sure we all had an awesome time!



The weekend was awesome and the work week just about killed it but I tried to make the best of the official St Patrick's day which was a Tuesday. The work gang went out to the fashionable limelight for lunch and green beer. I was really glad that so many people came out. After work, because my second job as a babysitter started practically right away, Michelle and I walked downtown to grab a quick beer. The phenomenal weather outside made the afternoon perfect for relaxing on the deck of Memphis Smoke and taking in the holiday that was all around downtown. People were out in packs, wearing green and drinking away the day. We even got to see some bagpipers perform.

I love St Patricks Day and I look forward to the randomness that will ensue next year :)

Jill

The beauty of simplicity...

The weather has been lovely and I made a point of slowing down last week to take it in and clear my head.

Jill and I started the week off with a walk to the library that ended in drinks and a light meal at Lily's Seafood. Their Green Goddess salad dressing and Sweet Potato fries w/ tropical mango and smoked jalapeno infused ketchup are delicious. The Happy Hour drink specials ($2 drafts/$3 well cocktails) are also nice on the budget!

I had my first non-traumatic hair cut on Tuesday thanks to the wonderful Maria at Serenity Salon in Auburn Hills. My last hair experience left me in tears (too short bangs & platinum blonde highlights), so it was refreshing to leave the salon smiling! My blowout still looked good 4 days later, I kid you not. To top things off, it cost less than I had expected so I picked up some new straightening product - Rusk str8 - which smells clean and seems to do a pretty good job :)

My weekend was dedicated to relaxation. I had the apartment mostly to myself and took advantage to the fullest. With everything moving so fast lately it was nice to unwind and catch up on sleep. I managed to do some overdue cleaning and realized just how much STUFF I have. If you know me, you also know I have a shopping problem - I cannot leave a store without making a purchase and unfortunately for my bank account and closet space... I always luck out on sales. It's amazing how all of the clutter and accumulation can affect your well being. To sum it up, the less you hold on to the less you have to lose and the more room you have to breathe. I'm making a conscious effort to focus on the simpler things and take a break from the retail therapy. :)

On a last note, I finished a good book that I wanted to share. Titled, The Translator, it's a lyrically written story by a Sudanese woman (Leila Aboulela) told through the eyes of a Muslim woman's life in Sudanese society in contrast to her life in Scotland. Central to the story is her faith, which pulls her through her troubles but also complicates her relationship with the Scottish Professor she works for and falls in love with. A pretty quick read (it's short), it exposes a softer, more spiritual side of Islam. If you do read it, I found this analysis to be pretty interesting to reflect on.




Michelle

Monday Night Concert

While attending a loft party for charity, Michelle and I grabbed 2 tickets to a music artist that I have been meaning to check out. Futurecop is a DJ Duo who’s mash up mixes consist of old soundtracks and tunes from the 80s and some contemporary beats. I was very interested on hearing more and it sounded like a great concert so my excited was at peak levels. Then last weekend rolls around and Michelle gets really sick :( like the good roomie she is she let me give her ticket to a close friend of mine Anna. Anna and I didn’t really know what we were into as the night started. My feelings were that it would be an easy concert and we could have a couple of drinks and called it a good Monday night but it turned into so much more. Once we get to the venue and find a table, Peter from Futurecop decides that we get to be his new Detroit friends for the night. It was great to get a chance to meet him and talk with him about music. The three of us sat together to watch the opening act, Theophilus London, a fun artist that I think is really on the cutting edge of the new R&B/Rap styling that I am seeing more and more of. All of the concert consisted of a lot of dancing and partying to the fun beats that created by the two artists. It was such a fun upbeat time, a true unique retro-electro/mash-up/rap/dance/pop experience.



After the show Anna, Peter and I decided to go and get drinks. There is one little hitch to this plan. It is a Monday night in Metro-Detroit, where do you go? So as we were trying to decide where to take our out of town friend we meet Greg. Greg, another fan looking to talk with Peter, eagerly suggests that we try LJ’s Lounge in Cork Town. Detroit sounded great, a good place to take Peter and a good way to show him around. So we make the trip down I-75 from Pontiac to Corktown. I had never been to LJ’s but I am always willing to try something new especially in Detroit. My description of LJ’s is a dive bar with a fun young hipser feel. I really enjoyed the eclectic music and people, and I would definitely go back for a casual drink with friends. All and all it was a great night and I would do it again if I get the chance. (Futurecop comes back in the summer!)

Jill

Back from a hiatus...

Apologies for the hiatus! I (Michelle) got hit with the flu and Jill has been busy going out and about and making friends with some cool new music artists.

A quick recap through last week -

Tuesday was Paczki day (Fat Tuesday). My parents own a bakery in Warren, The Donut Hole, and it's always been a family tradition to meet up to make and pack all the paczkis. This year, I ended up not working and was teased when I walked in that morning to pick some up to take with me to the office. I'm sure the fam thought I was pulling the spoiled card by not coming in earlier. I don't think strolling in with a fake fur and large sunglasses helped. What can I say... I am a diva. (kidding).



Thursday we went to the movies with my mom. First we stopped at Crust for pizza and wine. They have a great option to "build your own flight" of wines by picking from three 2oz. pre-matched samples or your own personal selections. We then headed to the Maple Art to see Revolutionary Road with Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. It threw us all into a funk - not exactly a feel good movie. I think it visually brought forth mine & Jill's worst fears about "settling".



We both like this quote and hope that we never have to feel that way when/if we decide to get married and have kids!

"Our whole existence here is based on this great premise that we're special. They we're superior to the whole thing. But we're not. We're just like everyone else! We bought into the same, ridiculous delusion. That we have to resign from life and settle down the moment we have children. And we've been punishing each other for it. "

I think that our fear of ending up that way is what spurs us to keep our lives filled with travel, culture, and new experiences. Jill mentioned this morning that she has a theory that our fears often drive our actions and decisions. I think passion also plays into it - but fear can be quite a motivating factor - and a great one if the goal is to overcome it by not being a victim of your circumstances.

Michelle

Oscar Recap and The Rush Card

After our MOCAD visit yesterday we attempted to extend our day in Detroit by visiting The Heidelberg Project but due to our lack of navigation skills we managed to miss it by... a block.  There's always next Sunday! 

Oscar Recap: The Musical is Back!  This is very exciting news for Jill as she LOVES to sing showtunes in our apartment (shh don't tell anyone).  As I was not watching it at home, her only audience last night was Ada - our cat.  Knowing Ada... she probably sang along.  We were both actually impressed by the show this year.  Jill's favorite included Beyonce's performance with Hugh:





I personally loved the AR Rahman/John Legend spectacular. John's voice is stellar and I was bopping around to "Jai Ho"





Personally think it's pretty amusing that M.I.A. was up for an Oscar for her contribution to "O Saya". We both have been fans for years (from her Sunshine/Galang days) and just saw her in concert last Spring when the majority of our friends had no idea who she was. Crazy how much happens in a year! We know how to pick 'em :)

In other news... did anyone see the Russell Simmons credit card commercial? Next time I go shopping you can be sure I'll be pulling out my Baby Phat Visa. Seriously... lol






Jill & Michelle

What's in a name...

Jill and I decided to go to the MOCAD today (Museum of Contemporary Art & Design for you non-Detroit folks) because we like to make excursions around Metro-Detroit in our attempt to recreate a NYC lifestyle (minus the public transportation system, downtown apartment, and urban pedestrian-friendly environment).  We both appreciate art and like to discuss the deeper meaning behind what we're viewing... but then we stumbled upon a piece that left us amused.  It was a broken chair... period.  It was titled "Found Broken Overstuffed Chair".  While there very well may be a deeper meaning behind it, it made us question what constitutes modern art. Is it the ability to create a metaphor or represent something in a non-obvious form?  If so, what if I found a broken crayon... could I not title it "Found Broken Dirty Crayon" and display it? If asked, it represents a loss of childhood... the frustration of the artist... a broken soul?  

We found that we could keep drawing conclusions and decided that we should start a blog about stuff that is deep (and not so deep) that we discover, reminisce about, and recommend you give a try.  We're usually pretty entertaining and for those of you who don't venture into the city very often, maybe you can live vicariously through us until you get inspired to have your own adventure! 

Jill & Michelle