I am making two hors d'oeuvres for Saturday, since I'm going to that second party with the Prophecys. I'm indifferent as to which one for which party, so I'll give you gals first choice:

Spicy Shrimp Boats

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Rolls

ETA: I could also split them so each party gets half of each. Maybe I'll do that.

Oooo, do that!

Jen would you mind if I borrowed your stove to heat stuff up? Everything will be cold by the time I get to your place.

i have a spare ornament kitten, if you want me to it.

Thanks, star. I'll let you know by tonight. I think I can run to Macy's or Crate & Barrel.

I've decided to bring some wine tomorrow. I have some fab stuff from the exotic lands of Utica, IL.

star - I found something very cute at Macy's today for the exchange. I'm good.

I got tomorrow off, home-girls!
Just gotta whip up something tasty and find something purty to bring besides my precious ass

Oooh! Everything sounds SO good! I can't wait to see you all tomorrow! I still have no idea what I'm cooking...that's tonight's project. I'll definitely have some mulled cider warming on the stove so we can all warm up after being out in the cold!

Of course anyone is welcome to use the stove/micro to warm anything up!

And I'm so excited that everyone is taking my STUFF!!! Woot! That is the greatest gift of all, me thinks! Kitten, you've got the boom box - everything still works fine, and the speakers aren't bad at all.

For those driving - there are 4 guest parking spots at our building - one is in front along the bushes, parallel to the lake. There are also three around back, in the far NW corner - the only three spots without overhead cover.

Did I mention that these truffles have bourbon in 'em? It will be a sugar and alcohol filled event. The way the holidays should be spent.

Ooo, turbo, you read my mind with that cider!

I'll probably stop in Evanston on the way for an ornament. It totally slipped my mind when I was out today. Either Ten Thousand Villages, or is that cute chachki place that was next to Campanola still open? For some reason I don't remember seeing it the last couple of times I drove by, but I wasn't really looking for it, either.

I decided to up the ante, and we're gonna be a wassailin' this afternoon - how delicious does that sound?! ...I'll keep the likker separate, for those that may want un-likkered wassail.

I decided to make baked beans...doesn't go with anything really, but sure sounds good, and smells great simmering in the oven. Mmmm...

oooOOoo! I'm gonna be wassalin' this afternoon.


did i ever say how much i love the word chachki?


ok. i need to finish getting ready and go pick up kitten.

Wassssaaiiill!

The town I'm from in Texas has Wassailfest every year. It's kind of a big deal. And I've missed it the past two years so I am very very excited for wassail.

Thanks for coming out this afternoon, everybustie!! The food was all wonderful, and I probably ate too much of it, but YUM!

Here's the Wassail Recipe - I think I'd use half the amount of fruit called for in the recipe next time.

And here's my blog post about the baked beans.

Thanks turbo for hosting us!

I had a great time too! Sugar, alcohol, friends...what more can a girl want.

thanks turbo - another great gathering. so nice to kick off the holiday season with all you lovely ladies!

Yep, thanks to the turbos for a lovely afternoon! And thanks for the parting gifts, too!

Star, don't forget, I want that recipe....so yummy.

Polly, I love nothing more than passing along my stuff to people who can use it!! Turbomann is in slight terror of the organizational frenzy come over me this weekend.

I think I have a wee bit of a sugar hangover today...but oh, it was SOOOoooo worth it. Thanks for bringing all the yummy treats!

A favor from my Chicago Busties, please. If anyone sees a notice about Carrie Fisher coming to town on a book tour for her new book Wishful Drinking please email or call me. I would love to meet her and I never know about book signing events until after they have happened. Thank you!

hey kitten, you might want to check Carrie Fischer'swebsite.

I've been checking it and it just says dates will be announced. If she come here, I just don't want to miss it. The site does have some great shirts for sale, Princess Leia w/martinis.

I'm a Midwest girl and new to this thread, so I don't know ya'll (had to prove my midwesterness), but those smoked salmon and cucumber rolls look like my new favorite food and Carrie Fisher has an incredible sense of humor about past addictions.

It looks like those 2009 book tour dates are going to get posted soon at her site.

hey alluna! welcome to the lounge. dayton is a great town. some great musicians have come from dayton. i've been wanting to drive to ohio to visit chrissie hynde's vegetarian restaurant.

au contraire, star. chrissie hynde's "vegeterranian" is in akron, oh. i hope to sample it soon

yes, i know her restaurant is in akron. i knew it wasn't dayton. i think kim deal is from the dayton area.

ah, i got it now. had no idea kim deal was even from ohio!

what next, marilyn manson opens an eatery with macy gray?

hey Chicago (specifically north-sider) busties - any recommendations for a good gym in the area? I've looked into a few options and I'm leaning towards the Evanston Athletic Club, but I'm wondering if anyone has had a particularly good/bad experience there or anywhere else. My biggest concerns are location/distance form home and public trans and cost. thanks!

My biggest priority w/a gym is proximity. I need to it be no more than 1 mile from my house or I won't go. Is Evanston close enough for you?
I've never heard anything bad about it although I know it isn't cheap. Have you considered Cheetah Edgewater? That is where I work out.

ETA: Save the Date Chicago Busties! I'll be having my Oscar party this year on Sunday Feb. 22nd. If you want the official Evite, please send my your email address. Thanks.

ooo - I've always wanted wanted to go to an Oscar party.

I did look into Cheetah and it's definitely closer than EAC (a serious "plus"), but it was about $20 more per month. prophecy_guy is joining too, and EAC offers a nice discount for full time students. Cheetah does have free Metropolis coffee, so it's still in the running . Good to know you're happy with it, though.

Really?! I pay $49 a month to use just the Edgewater location. What does Evanston charge?

i'm down for an oscar party. can we dress up like our favorite movie character from the past year? i think my new year's resolution is to make every party a costume party. heh.

prophecy, well, i'm thinking, while the facility in evanston might be cheaper...which facility might you see yourself using more?

proximity is a big thing for me too. but, it could just be cause kitten and i are such the practical virgos.

kitten - the individual member price at Cheetah is cheaper, $59 month compared to $65, add to that the student rate of $49, it would be $108 for both of us. EAC allows you to add additional memberships for only $40, so with full-time student rate of $45, plus an additional adult membership at $40 brings it to $85 for both of us. I know I was surprised, cause I was sure EAC would be more.

Cheetah is waiving the enrollment fee right now, but then EAC has the enrollment fee 50% off, plus your first month free, so that's a wash. EAC has a pool and basketball courts (hubby likes that), but Cheetah has belly dancing and coffee. Cheetah is a bit closer, but EAC is still pretty convenient and if I went to work out before or after work, I could take the purple line express and shave 10-15 min off my commute.

Gah! I'm so indecisive. I was hoping for somebustie to say "facility x is poop, facility y is brilliant."

FWIW, I *loved* EAC. I was a member for most of the last 8 years, and sadly just cancelled my membership a few months ago - now that I'm working downtown, taking the train up to EAC, and then home after was just too much of a PITA for me to reliably get up there a couple times a week. Turbomann is hopeless at leaving his work at a specific time to pick me up from the gym, so I finally ditched the membership...and now that its cold out and I'm not biking to work, I really miss it.

The instructors at EAC are VERY good, if you're into classes. And if you like Spin class at all, you owe it to yourself to try out my friend Tess' Monday night 5:30pm class...its a very small group, non-intimidating, but Tess just has this zen way of leading a class that is both motivating and almost relaxing. And she chooses excellent music. I think I may buy one of the packs of guest passes, just so I can get my Tess fix every once in awhile.

And then there is the cosideration of the steam room and sauna in the locker room...if I'm being honest, the sauna is the real reason I miss EAC so much in the winter....its a REALLY nice sauna, and if you preheat it while you workout, its plenty hot when you're ready to unwind.

thanks, turbo! We did end up joining EAC, so it's really good to hear some first-hand positive stuff. We were very impressed with the facilities when we did the tour and the price is right, so I feel good about it. I also purchased 2-for-1 sessions with a trainer, just to get me on track and get a "plan" going. Honestly, the spin class is a little intimating, but I may give it a try when I'm in better shape. BTW, thanks for the CSA rec, too. I'm very excited to bust into all the goodies.

another inquiry for the northside ladies - can anyone recommend a good vet for cats? part of my new year's resolution is to take better care of me (hence the gym) and better care of the kitties. thanks!

YAY! Glad you picked EAC! Now you've got me wanting to go back there again...I may have to splurge on the guest passes so I can go back to my favorite spin class (and use the steam room and sauna). Tess' Monday night class is great for beginners - she really takes time to set you up properly on the bike, its a very small class, and you don't feel so self conscious, as its not the uber-crazy spin people. I really love Myra's Nia class on Saturdays, too - very fun dancey-playful stuff. Any Lynn's yoga classes are awesome too - she's super sweet, though the class is a bit advanced for me - I just like her style, and would go to the back of the studio.

Glad you guys got hooked up with the meat share - let me know how you like everything. We just cooked up last month's rump roast this evening. Yum.

Hey I know some of y'all like bloody marys so I thought this might be of interest:

$2 Brunch Bar
What: Chipotle Bloody Marys and mimosas are just two bucks when you dine during brunch hours.
Why: Cheap swills.
When: Every Sat. & Sun., 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Kitsch’n River North, 600 W. Chicago Ave., at Larabee St. (312-644-1500).

thanks ava! we will have to go there upon your return from the dirty south of texas. make sure you bring the heat with you, ok?

My friend Ramon went back to Chicago last night and apparently its warmer tonight than it had been in awhile, which I think proves my theory that Texans can indeed transport weather.
I will try to pack the 80 degree weather we have here when I come back. That would be amazing.

let's see a show of hands for how many busties think Blago appeared like a whack job on tv today.

Both hands in the air from me. What was he thinking?!

Me too! 59-0!

As much as I try to educate myself about Illinois political system I always seem to be a few steps behind. I am having trouble finding out much information about Pat Quinn other than he's our new Governor. Before being lieutenant governor he was a treasurer for the state? I think he has an economics degree, so this all sounds good to me. But the lieutenant gov. position is pretty much just for looks right? From what I understand it has approximately zero power. All I can find on the news about him is about how he's a nice christian man, which I could care less about. I just want to know if he's going to be better than the last douchebag we had in office. Anyone care to help clarify things for me?

Sure, ava. One of my co-workers was on Quinn's staff about 10 years ago. He said that Quinn has a long history of hammering for reform against the tides, and says that he's a straight shooter, sometimes to a fault, as he will tell unpleasant news. He also apparently has a quixotic streak, and can ramble on about odd things from time to time. I am hopeful that he'll shake things up a bit.

Quick note: I have a bunch of old Bust magazines that I am looking to get rid of. I figured that I would give you ladies first dibs if you want them.

I might be interested...I have to get all my issues together and see what I'm missing. I think I have all the way back to the Missy Elliott issue. What issues do you have? Or too many to list?

I don't know if y'all watched this tonight, but it's kind of funny.

http://chicagoist.com/2009/02/03/sneak_pee...n_letterman.php

So is this:

http://chicagoist.com/2009/02/03/what_now_for_blago.php

Okay, here are the Bust magazines I have:
Spring 2003 (Frances McDormand)
Summer 2003 (Cher)
Fall 2003 (Juliette Lewis)
Spring 2004 (Tina Fey)
Dec/Jan 2005 (Rosie Perez)
Feb/Mar 2005 (Bjork)
April/May 2005 (Amy Sedaris)
June/July 2005 (Sandra Oh)
Aug/Sep 2005 (Justin Theroux)
Oct/Nov 2005 (Susan Sarandon)
Aug/Sep 2006 (Tara Subkoff)
Feb/March 2007 (Gwen Stefani)

I also have Bitch mags:
#12 2000
#13 2001 The Interview Issue
#15 2001 Post-9/11 issue?
#16 Spring 2002 Insider/Outsider
#21 Summer 2003 Maturity/Immaturity
#24 Spring 2004 The Smart Issue
#25 Summer 2004 Labor & Love
#26 Fall 2004 The Fake Issue
#27 Winter 2005 Home & Away
#28 Spring 2005 The Masculinity Issue
#29 Summer 2005 Truth & Consequences

Ok, here are the ones I'm not sure that I have, if you could hold onto them for me, for the next time I see you (probably your Oscar party?):

Summer 2003 (Cher)
Fall 2003 (Juliette Lewis)
Aug/Sep 2006 (Tara Subkoff)

As for Bitch, I buy those more sporadically, so whenever I see you I'll look through and decide if there's any I want. And if you want to get rid of all of them before that, feel free!

Cool. I've set the three magazines aside.

I'm baaaack!!

wheeee!

Hooray!

When's our next get-together? After this weekend, my only commitment for the next few weeks is going to see a potential wedding venue on February 21st. And kitten's Oscar party on the 22nd, if that invitation's still open?