#45 - Go to an NFL game

The NFL is the one major (men's) professional sporting event I've never attended. It's weirder because I flippin' love college football.

Maybe it's because the Lions have always sucked, so it never seemed like it'd be fun to go to a game... especially in the Silverdome. (Sidebar: I have been to the

Silverdome for other events, including the Motor City Bowl where I saw Randy Moss roll over Ole Miss and to watch Catholic Central High School play for the state cham

pionship. I've also been to Ford Field for other events, including an Eminem concert that featured Missy Elliot, 50 Cent, and D12 and the 2010 Frozen Four, which should have included the Maize & Blue. That's another story.)

I had high hopes for a Bears game at Soldier Field, but... holy crap are those tickets expensive! Man!

So I turned to the Lions, who were rumored to be good. Then I thought, hey, maybe a Bears fan will go with me to the Bears-Lions game. Then I realized that game would be Monday Night Football! Then I realized no one in Chicago was going to go to a Monday Night game with me in Detroit because most of my friends have jobs or school. Whatever.

I put out a feeler on facebook, just asking if anyone wanted to go to a Lions game in Detroit with me. I got a few vagueresponses.

And then I got a very uncharacteristic, committal answer from Nader Elmasri! He said if I wanted to see Lions-Bears, he'd commit right then!

I was excited for about 30 seconds until I remembered, again, that the game was a Monday Night game and he's a teacher now. (BTW, I told you real life sucks!) I texted him so.

But then! He said he was on break that week! We could go!

And we did.

The drive to Ann Arbor was no drive to San Diego, but to make it reminiscent, we left Chicago at midnight Sunday night / Monday morning and arrived in Ann Arb

or at 5am (with the time change.)

We had a delightful day touring Ann Arbor - thanks Virus & Gerald for the tou

r and love!

We headed to Detroit at 6pm for the 8:30pm game. It was a little chaotic down there since the Tigers were in the playoffs and the Lions were undefeated. There was a weird little tailgate between Ford Field and CoPa.

That's right. The TIGERS in the PLAYOFFS after ridding the post season of the YANKEES and the LIONS UNDEFEATED. 4-0!

Michigan at that time was 5-0. A lot has changed in a week. Tear. I wish it were a week ago when life was beautiful.

So the city, at the time, was pretty pumped up. It was crazy loud in Ford Field. There were a lot of drunks and douchebags and drunk douchebags.

Nader lucked out and was seated next to 2 Bears fans, while I had 2 chummy Lions fans on my side. It was a perfect situation until my Lions fans left. But things perked up once the Lions started kicking ass (love to Stafford, Johnson, and Best!). They just would have been a little better if I had someone to high five and jump around with instead of the silence that was then on both sides of me.

I managed to sneak in a hello to Nick and Kelly SMITH somewhere in there. I love them. They're delightful.

To sum up the rest, I had a great time. The Lions kicked ass. It was awesome.

We even walked to Greektown for some food since Nader wouldn't get out of his seat during the game to feed himself. It was poppin'.

Yay NFL game!

#34 - Volunteer for a race

I've read many a time that one way to inspire oneself to run is to volunteer at a race. I have been inspired watching the Chicago marathon for many years (except the year I ran it, but that's another story), so I figured that volunteering at the Chicago marathon wo
uld be supremely inspirational.

(<--- This girl's sign says, "Go Total Stranger!" Awesome.)

All I had to do was sign up online and I was assigned to be a Course Marshall. Fancy. I didn't have to hand out water or anything.

Getting there was a little tough. Michigan played at Northwestern the night before, so I was with the gang getting my Wolverine on until about midnight in Evanston.

I got up at 5:30am, got ready as quietly as possible so as not wake the beautiful Virus sleeping on my couch. (The story isn't as

good as the nickname, so if you don't know i

t, don't even bother asking. I won't tell you.) And I biked to Boystown to arrive at the Caribou Coffee by 6:30am. There was a little confusion on what I was doing until I found my name on the Course Marshall list. I got my jacket, hat, and assignment and then sat on the curb with some other volunteers until about 8:00am when the lead wheelchair athletes came through. That

was pretty cool.

Around 8:10am, the lead runners came through. I've never quite made it to the marathon in time to see them before - no offense, friends I've gone to watch in the past, ha - and it was pretttty cool.

My job was just to keep the course clear, and there was no real need of that because I wasn't in a crowded area. No one even asked me directions. Or how far until mile 8. Or the water. Nothing.

So I just cheered on runners for about 3 and a half hours. I had a lovely time. The only people I saw whom I knew were Benny, who was just accompanying a friend, and Pablo, a former employee of mine.

I would and probably will do this again. I had a great time. And got some sweet gear. Win-win-win.

Yet Another Fail

I meant to run the Bucktown 5k. I even picked up my packet. And went home early after game watching all day on Saturday. But then... I just didn't want to. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to go with Masters because her niece was visiting. I was just nauseous enough not to want to get in the car. Whatever. I didn't go. Fail.

#59 - Go on a Date with Someone Whose Last Name I Don't Know

I know this should be a big deal, but even the thought of going on a date with someone I don't know is sooooo out of my comfort zone. I just don't do it. I don't know why I have that fear. I've probably only gone on 4 "first dates" in my life.

The first one was with my high school boyfriend. I think we were already "dating" by that point. It was Valentine's Day, so high pressure. I think it was President's Day weekend because I remember it being a lunch date on a week day. He brought me flowers and a giant card that had "10 reasons I love you" on it. But he had taken all of the "loves" and scratched them out and wrote in "like." Funny but weird. We went to Zingerman's for lunch. I remember being very nervous even though we already knew each other fairly well.

The second one was in college. Yes, that's correct. I only had one boyfriend in high school. We dated for a month and then broke up and then dated again for over a year. Anyways, I didn't go on another date until my junior year of college. I met this guy when I was working the intramural golf tournament and he worked at the course. I helped him put away carts when it started raining and ruined the tournament. Then a couple weeks later I was working a track meet and one of the girls brought me over to meet her friends who came to watch her throw. One of her friends was that same guy. So she gave him my number. He called me. We talked. He asked if I wanted to get dinner sometime. So we went to Charlie's and ate some chicken sandwiches. It was nice. We hung out some more. My friends began teasing about how he hadn't made a move. They said I was dating a gay guy. But really, we just weren't dating. And now we are exactly what we are meant to be: friends. He's now in my top ten favorite people. Friend love :)

I had my third first date my 5th year of college. I met Matt through my neighbor boys. He was cute. He asked me out like a boy should. We went for a walk in the Arb and then got Stucchi's. It was nice. He was nice. We kinda dated for a bit. Then it fizzled and I dated someone else. Then we reconnected when he was living in Chicago. Then I moved to Chicago. Then we dated for 5 years. He's still a nice guy.

So none of these situations ended badly. And the ones where I had a friendship that just kinda evolved into more have ended very badly. So I shouldn't be afraid of first dates. But I am.

On Saturday I watched Michigan football with Chris Zann and Ed Cruz, my 2 favorite roommates. After the game, they stayed put in the bar while I ran to get my race packet for the Bucktown 5k. I dropped off my car and headed back to the bar to watch Michigan State - Ohio State. A group of guys had been there watching and stayed to watch that game too. There were probably 20 people in the bar. And, oh man, after Michigan won, Ohio State lost. What a day!

As we're watching the game, Zann asks if I'm interested in any of the guys at the other table so he can make a move for me.

I said, "Zann, they can hear you."

He said, "Which one?!"

And I whispered, "None... they're not cute."

I then reconsidered. I said, "Maybe the one in the grey shirt with his back to us but I can't tell until I see his face again."

Zann said, "CA-CAWWW! CA-CAWWW!"

The guy turned around. He was, indeed, cute.

I was completely embarrassed.

Zann did nothing to help.

But... as we were deciding where to watch the Tigers game that night, the guy in the grey shirt came over to ask where we were watching the Tigers game. He suggested we go with them to The Crossing. As we had no other plans, we went.

After ordering one round of drinks, Zann left to get Holly from the airport.

Ed decided we then looked like a couple, so he told me that he was now my adopted Asian brother that my parents adopted. From Asia.

I told him we didn't need a cover story. It was fine.

So grey-shirt guy, now known as Steve, came to talk to us for a bit.

Ed said, "Steve, I am Megan's adopted Asian brother. Her parents adopted me. From Asia."

I said, "That's not true."

Steve seemed a bit confused. I would have been too.

Our friend Rebeca then agrees to meet us, so on Steve's next trip to the table, Ed says, "My girlfriend is on her way!" I didn't feel the need to contradict that one. Sorry, Rebeca, but Ed was getting weird.

Rebeca, Holly, and Zann arrived at the same time. I was free to leave Ed's side.

Anyways, Steve asked for my number. He texted me on Sunday and the only day I had free in the next 2 weeks was Tuesday after an art class I signed up for. And then there was a work emergency and I didn't go to class, but I did want a drink, so we went out on Tuesday.

We met at Messner's and watched the Tigers game. We had a nice time. Our waitress was barely wearing clothes. It was a little strange for a Tuesday night when there were only like 5 people in the bar. Otherwise, no big drama. I don't know why I was so worried.

Thanks for all the help and encouragement, friends!

#66 - Build a fire.

Yes, I know building a fire isn't rocket science. But I've never done it. I've helped, but I've never built my own.

I was back in Ann Arbor for the Michigan v. Eastern Michigan football game. (A HUGE family rivalry. We talk about it all year old. It's crazy. You should come next time. Go Blue!) I told my dad that I was hoping to see Evelyn while I was back. I said told him she said that she and/or Brian could help me build a fire. The conversation proceeded like this:

"I can build a fire."

"Okay."

"I used to build them all the time in the backyard."

All the time? Debatable. "Okay, Dad. Well, I was just thinking of what Evelyn could help me do and she and Brian go camping and fishing and stuff, so I thought she could probably build a fire."

"I was an Eagle Scout."

"Dad, would you like to

help me build a fire on Sunday?"

"Yes."

On Sunday, Dad grabbed a hatchet and matches and we went into the yard. He told me to pick up some small sticks from a pile in a flower garden next to the driveway.

"You just keep a pile of small sticks? And this is where you keep them?"

"No."

We gathered dead leaves. Then he ripped some bark off of a log. There has always been a pile of logs in the backyard for indoor, fireplace fires. I have seen my dad build those many times. I still don't recall an outdoor fire. I hope he's too old to figure out how to actually read this blog because I'm sure I'll get a lecture about it later if he finds out. has

He moved some other log things to uncover lots of bugs, including this slug. I did my best to help the slug survive, but he kept crawling towards the spot where we were going to build the fire. I think he lived. F those earwigs though. I hate those things.

So I piled some dead leaves and then made a stick pyramid on top of the leaves. I guess my pyramid was too pyramidy because Dad stepped on it to squash it down. He

also chopped some wood shavings, with a box cutter though, not the hatchet. I guess the hatchet was

just for show.

The fire was a success. I can't wait to build a bigger one, with Chris and Chris' advice, which is just keep piling on bigger and bigger sticks and then logs until either it's as tall as me or until I can't lift anything heavier. Man, I miss the days of having 2 Chrises in the house.

Thanks, Dad! Success!

#92 - Change a tire or oil

Yes, I understand that neither of these things are exceedingly difficult. But I've never changed my oil. (Like, personally. Obviously I've had my oil changed.) I have done parts of changing my tire but someone always comes along and plays the hero and changes it for me.

So Sunday afternoon, my little brother and I each paid each other a favor. He taught me how to change a tire with no help. I helped him rotate his tires. Since there were 4

tires, I could do one and a half with coaching and then did one without coaching.

We even made sure I knew how to use the exact jack in my car so I'd be all

set if tragedy struck.

It was awesome once we got some tunes going and Karl got lost.

#33 - Tutor

This is an extension of Volunteer for a Cause. I wasn't sure I'd actually be able to tutor with 826 Chicago, but I managed to squeeze it in my schedule. I'm now doing every other Thursday 3:00pm - 5:30pm. That either means I squeeze those work hours onto another day or come back to work on those days. I'm hoping it'll be doable and I can continue tutoring because 826Chi wants a commitment of at least every other week on the same day for all of their tutors.

I did my first day last week. I had 2 3rd graders, Paola and Emma to work with. They were quite chatty but fun. I guess it was a crazy first week. Usually they have 20-30 tutors and 30 some kids. Last Thursday they had 67 kids. It didn't really phase me to work with 2 girls doing their homework since I have taught 10+ kids in a learn-to-swim class with criers and drowners.

The funniest part of the day was when all the tutors met after tutoring to pick a team name for the Thursday group. We all introduced ourselves, said how long we've been tutoring, and shared something "interesting" about ourselves. The first guy told us he had found out within the last year he had 3 kidneys. He didn't learn until one of them went bad and he was sick and then had to get it removed. And by went bad, he described it as being mush. Weird. So then some other people go and share some not as interesting things. Then another guy says it was weird the 1st guy shared something about a 3rd kidney because one of his kidneys,

in fact, was rotated 180 degrees, so backwards. He only learned when he had a scan for something completely unrelated. Apparently it's no big deal. So then some other people went. One guy shared how earlier that day he helped his son cut off his 8-year dreadlocks. They were still in his car. His son planned to make a wig of them. So then a couple more people go by and this girl shares that she, in fact, has one kidney that is twice the size it should be. Super kidney. How bizarre is it that about 25% of our group had some bizarre kidney condition, but all had working kidneys? So we decided our Thursday tutor name should involve kidneys in someway: The Kidneys are Alright. The New Kidneys on the Block. Hilarious.

I'm pretty excited to continue. It's just 2.5 hours every other week where I get to interact directly with kids. I love hearing kids tell stories. They're hilarious. And after tutoring, the tutors go to the Teacher's Lounge. Which is actually just the bar down the street. Delightful.

Thanks to Rachel Felson for introducing me to 826 Valencia, which led me to 826 Chi, and to Hassan Ali for encouraging me to join him in volunteering there even if I still haven't seen him since I started :)