Hey Friends! I'm going to write about Tuesday and Wednesday today so you are getting two for the price of one! What a deal! (its free to read this blog anyway but I thought this sounded more fun)
Tuesday
After complete downpour Monday into Tuesday we woke up with some water on the floor of our living room that seeped in because the rain. Luckily, not a lot of the carpet was wet because my clothes in my packing cubes soaked up most of the water. Yep, I started off my morning with most of my outfit choices being soaked with rain water. Not ideal, but I am over it now. Then we headed to Starbucks for our morning drinks.
Class was very fun as usual, I don't have any groundbreaking details to report besides extreme fun. After class my mom and I headed to the loop for dinner. We went to a place on my list called Pierogi Heaven, which is a place that only serves pierogis. It was fun to try, but not a top choice (I think I'll stick to making Mrs.T's frozen pierogis for now). We did a bit of shopping just for fun, not resulting in any purchases, and then headed to iO (iO is another big comedy theatre in Chicago). We saw a long form improv show featuring two teams. The first team was The Late 90's and they were super great. The other team was a pair of ladies, Katie Rich and Holly Laurent. Katie Rich writes for SNL and I am a huge fan of hers so I was geeking out the whole time. Holly is super successful as well and talented and the whole thing was amazing. My friend from class, Leela, was also at the show so we got to sit by each other and completely fangirl over Katie and Holly. It was so amazing and comedy is an awesome art. The only downside is my mother and I did not get home until a little after midnight so it was rather late by the time I got to bed. For the record- it was so worth it.
Wednesday
I did not wake up to any wet clothing so Wednesday morning was a win. My mother and I went to Starbucks in the morning and I worked on some sketch stuff and reading my way through Mindy Kahling's book. Class today was awesome. We played some new advanced games in improv that were mind-blowingly awesome. Sketch was spent going over some sketches and a free pitch day which is always fun. I am working on a song for sketch that I am pretty excited about. And then in standup we started working on picking things we liked to use in our show (sidenote- I am completely terrified for the standup show. Performing in front of class has been ok but doing it for a group of people scares the living daylights out of me).
After class my friends Kendal (from year one) and Ann (all three years) went out to dinner. We went to a nice Italian restaurant. I ate some delicious rigatoni ala vodka. I had a great time chatting it up with my friends. Its cool how we all have very different lives and don't see each other often but still get along great and I feel close to both of them. After stuffing ourselves with Italian food we went and got coffee at Starbucks (not the smartest choice but defiantly the tastiest). Then my mom met me in the Starbucks and she and I decided to head home for the night because of three reasons 1- We are both super tired from being out late last night, 2- I feel disgusting after eating so much food (worth it, but still), 3- I have quite a few things to work on for class tonight.
M&M
Not a lot to add. The improv show we saw Tuesday evening was very good - especially Katie and Holly. Katie, in addition to writing for SNL, helped write Cecily Strong's material as host of the Washington Press dinner this year. Katie and Holly truly commit to the characters they create as they improvise and their show was funny and sometimes even touching. I spent Tuesday cleaning up Grace's wet clothes and today went to the Art Institute to hear a docent speak on modern art. I plan to hopefully go tomorrow to learn about architecture. While we had toyed with returning to iO tonight for their Wednesday Harold show (a form of long improv created at iO), it is nice to have an early evening as we are catching a show that one of Grace's instructors is directing tomorrow night at Second City.
Well I have sketches and stand up material to work on so I better go do so. :)
Yes And,
Grace
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Monday, June 15, 2015
Day 8: Track Jackets
Hey Friends! Little known fact about me- ever since I was young I have dreamed of owning a track jacket. Not just for the fashion sense, but for the sense of belonging to a group. Growing older, I realized that this would probably not be possible. I decided not to do dance team (which is probably divine intervention), and the word sports is a different language. However, today a dream came true. Thats right folks-- we got track jackets! The track jacket is the only reason I signed up for this program (ok not the only or the main reason, but it was a huge selling point for me). Not only do I have a killer looking jacket but it is also exclusive. They ordered us navy, which means there are only nine of them in existence. I am geeking out over this and have no shame, at all.
Per Mary's request here is a picture of my class in track jackets (the man on the far left is my teacher but we were missing a kid so he was our stand in for picture purposes)
But track jackets are not the only thing that made today special, we also had our first music workshop. We get our own musical director (MD) and today we met with him for the first time. Next week we have sessions with him instead of stand up sessions. Today we just went over some basic song writing info so we can jump in full swing next week. Stand-up today was great as well and I am starting to feel more comfortable making jokes by myself.
After class it was pouring outside. My mom and I sat in Starbucks for a while and realizing the rain was only getting worse decided to head out anyway. We hiked to the red line L in the pouring rain. Finding the positive in it-- on the walk I got more ideas for stand up bits. We took the red line to Watertower place. The important part of this was eating Wao Bao for dinner. Delicious little bao, how beautiful. We shopped around and I ended up getting one pair of reasonably price high waisted leggings (this is a big deal because leggings are never long enough, or they are see through, or they are overpriced). We also got some cheap flip flops from Forever 21 to wear to trek back home in. After a lot of walking or swimming, I'm not sure which, we made it back to the apartment
M&M
It has rained essentially every day we have been here and it has readily become apparent why so many Chicagoans own knee high rubber rain boots. The street drains here are easily clogged and plain out awful. This has resulted in what can only be called "puddle parkour" for Grace and me on our walks to and from the "L" every day. We employ such things as curb balance beam routines, hugging and swinging around trees, and serpentining from one side of the street to the other in order to navigate our way over and around the often ankle deep puddles on the streets and sidewalks. I am ready for some sunshine soon please. My day was really uneventful otherwise. I took care of the house management things for our existence here like laundry and groceries. It is a glamorous job but someone has to do it! :-)
Ok I am going to go spend time working on my juggling and reading before I go to sleep. Tomorrow night my mother and I are going to a late night show so the post may not be up for a while or I may do two days in one on Wednesday.
Yes And,
Grace
But track jackets are not the only thing that made today special, we also had our first music workshop. We get our own musical director (MD) and today we met with him for the first time. Next week we have sessions with him instead of stand up sessions. Today we just went over some basic song writing info so we can jump in full swing next week. Stand-up today was great as well and I am starting to feel more comfortable making jokes by myself.
After class it was pouring outside. My mom and I sat in Starbucks for a while and realizing the rain was only getting worse decided to head out anyway. We hiked to the red line L in the pouring rain. Finding the positive in it-- on the walk I got more ideas for stand up bits. We took the red line to Watertower place. The important part of this was eating Wao Bao for dinner. Delicious little bao, how beautiful. We shopped around and I ended up getting one pair of reasonably price high waisted leggings (this is a big deal because leggings are never long enough, or they are see through, or they are overpriced). We also got some cheap flip flops from Forever 21 to wear to trek back home in. After a lot of walking or swimming, I'm not sure which, we made it back to the apartment
M&M
It has rained essentially every day we have been here and it has readily become apparent why so many Chicagoans own knee high rubber rain boots. The street drains here are easily clogged and plain out awful. This has resulted in what can only be called "puddle parkour" for Grace and me on our walks to and from the "L" every day. We employ such things as curb balance beam routines, hugging and swinging around trees, and serpentining from one side of the street to the other in order to navigate our way over and around the often ankle deep puddles on the streets and sidewalks. I am ready for some sunshine soon please. My day was really uneventful otherwise. I took care of the house management things for our existence here like laundry and groceries. It is a glamorous job but someone has to do it! :-)
Ok I am going to go spend time working on my juggling and reading before I go to sleep. Tomorrow night my mother and I are going to a late night show so the post may not be up for a while or I may do two days in one on Wednesday.
Yes And,
Grace
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Day 7: Out and About
Hey friends! Today was another great day so lets hop right in. This morning my parents and I headed down to the loop right away. We ate breakfast at the Corner Cafe and then headed to the Art Institute. A few days ago my mom decided to become a member because it will pay for itself. With a membership you and a guest get in and so can any of your kids under 18. So this morning we took some time to saunter through the galleries. I went to the modern art wing because a lot of modern art is super cool and the rest is super weird. The weird stuff is always my favorite. My favorite thing I saw today was a video of baby chicks in different mini rooms with music playing in the background. Art doesn't always make sense and I like that. My mother and I also spent some time in the members only lounge. I felt classier than ever and got free tea, so it was worth it. At noon there was a classic wing gallery tour that my family decided to go on. It was very interesting and took a fun look into historical art. After the art museum we headed back to the apartment and my dad took off back to Cedar Falls. My mother and I headed to Woodfield Mall out in Schaumburg. If heaven is a giant mall, this mall would be it. It is huge and has great clean stores with an excellent variety. I love that place so much. I made a good haul getting two rompers (rompers almost never fit me so this itself was a win), more of my favorite T-shirts from H&M (shirts that were not in the one downtown), some accessories from Charming Charlies, and juggling balls (I shall learn to juggle yet). We then headed to Five Guys for dinner. In all our Art Institute glory we skipped lunch without even noticing so a big old burger was just what I needed. After that we drove back into the city. Tonight we spent some time cleaning up the apartment and resting our feet. I still have some work to get done yet after I finish up tonights blog.
M&M
Not much to add. I really loved the tour at the Art Institute today. It was fascinating to learn some of the history and stories behind some of the art there. I have always wanted to learn more about art and this certainly was a step toward that. I plan to go do some more of the tours/lectures while here to fill my time and hopefully increase my knowledge and appreciation of art. Other than that, it is good to be resting our feet tonight. Perhaps it is a sad reflection on how sedentary my life usually is that my feet have screamed at me this week. I am glad to get in all the walking we have been doing and hope I can keep it up when I get back home. I have easily tripled or quadrupled the amount of daily walking I usually do according to my tracker on my phone. Hopefully there will be some payout with a few firmer muscles as a result! Mary
Thats all for now guys! Hope everyone has a great week this coming week!
Yes And,
Grace
M&M
Not much to add. I really loved the tour at the Art Institute today. It was fascinating to learn some of the history and stories behind some of the art there. I have always wanted to learn more about art and this certainly was a step toward that. I plan to go do some more of the tours/lectures while here to fill my time and hopefully increase my knowledge and appreciation of art. Other than that, it is good to be resting our feet tonight. Perhaps it is a sad reflection on how sedentary my life usually is that my feet have screamed at me this week. I am glad to get in all the walking we have been doing and hope I can keep it up when I get back home. I have easily tripled or quadrupled the amount of daily walking I usually do according to my tracker on my phone. Hopefully there will be some payout with a few firmer muscles as a result! Mary
Thats all for now guys! Hope everyone has a great week this coming week!
Yes And,
Grace
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Day 6: Live From Chicago
Hey Friends! Today was quite the long but great day so lets dig in. Because I don't have class on the weekends I had all of today to explore with my mom and dad. We started the morning getting donuts at Glazed and Infused which I found to be delicious as I consider myself to be a donut connoisseur. Next we headed down to the loop to go to the Chicago Museum of Broadcasting Communications. Not my dads favorite, but I found it to be very interesting. I also wanted us to focus this trip on doing stuff that isn't always cliche Chicago tourist things. This museum definitely feel under that category. After what was a longer walk then expected we ate some lunch at Portillos. We each had a Chicago dog and loved the meal. It was cheap and great which are two things we enjoy here in the Gubbrud household. Later on, we headed to Grant Park to check out the Chicago Blues Festival. The event was free and we were able to hang out and listen to some blues which was quite fun. We also sat on the lakeshore for a while which was super beautiful. We also spent some time in the Art Institute and are planning on returning tomorrow. Next up was dinner. Tonight we went to my favorite restaurant of all time, Quartino. This place is real authentic Italian cuisine with an atmosphere to match. We had fondue as an appetizer, which is the first thing that started my love affair with this place a few years back. I had potato gnocchi with pesto, my dad had steak, and my mother had soup and salad. We then decided to get a banana foster style dessert which was so dreamy (plus it had a mint leaf on top so it was technically a salad and salads are healthy). I kid you not this place is my favorite place in the whole world and if you find yourself in Chicago you have to go try the fondue. After dinner, we headed up to the Park West neighborhood to catch a film. It was a documentary on Saturday Night Live called Live From New York. I heard about it a few months ago and was crushed when I saw it was only going to be realized at certain theaters (none in Iowa). Lucky for me it just so happened to playing in Chicago while we where here. This specific screening included a talkback with the director of the film afterwards. The documentary focused on the history of SNL as well as how it has reflected and influenced the american story. It was a remarkable film and took a deeper view on it, making it much more interesting then expected. We then headed back to the apartment.
(No M&M today because Mary says she has nothing to add)
That is all for today. It has been a lot of walking (over 10 miles) and my feet are sore. So it is time to call it a night.
Yes And,
Grace
(No M&M today because Mary says she has nothing to add)
That is all for today. It has been a lot of walking (over 10 miles) and my feet are sore. So it is time to call it a night.
Yes And,
Grace
Friday, June 12, 2015
Day 5: Titles Are Hard
Hey Friends! Today was really fun so lets just get into it. We started off our morning with Starbucks (shocker, I know). This morning instead of improv we had a special workshop on physical comedy/ clowning. It was way more fun than I expected. We did some exercises to make us more self aware of our natural body movements and we also learned how to juggle! I am not a juggling pro yet but I can never start a project without finishing it so juggling balls are on my shopping list now. In sketch we focused on blackouts. Blackouts are very short scenes that are just a set up and then a punch line. It was super fun as well. Stand up was super laid back today which was a nice change of pace and a good opportunity to mesh as a group more. I know I mention it everyday but I completely love my class, our teachers, and what we are learning.
After class we spent some time hanging around old town. We ate dinner at a Mexican place called Adobe which was delicious-- I've never met a Mexican food I didn't like. Then tonight we went to a show at The Second City called Date Me. It was super cool and unique. Based on a real social experiment in which 38 fake dating profiles were created on OkCupid to see how people would react it combined a documentary style of reporting information alongside sketch, improv, and of course some humor. It was set up in such a way that made it very unique to anything else I've seen. The tables were filled with activities to do as well (such as make a dating profile for yourself and make an online name to go by). After that we trekked back to the apartment.
M&M
Grant and I spent our morning on an architectural tour via riverboat today. Nice tour despite not nice weather. We then ate at Eataly - a large Italian space filled with 9 Italian eateries and various Italian stores and groceries. We toured the Driehaus museum and then Grant headed to the Cubs game which I decided to sit out because of the cold damp weather. Grace handled the details of the rest of the day but I will say that I really enjoyed the show we saw at Second City's Up Comedy Club tonight - a combination sketch, improv, and social experiment show. Very good, funny, and even a bit tender. We had some fun/funny/drunk table mates which added to the fun. I think Grace may have gotten a date if she hadn't been with her parents! That is all from me. Mary
Thats it for today folks!
Yes And,
Grace
After class we spent some time hanging around old town. We ate dinner at a Mexican place called Adobe which was delicious-- I've never met a Mexican food I didn't like. Then tonight we went to a show at The Second City called Date Me. It was super cool and unique. Based on a real social experiment in which 38 fake dating profiles were created on OkCupid to see how people would react it combined a documentary style of reporting information alongside sketch, improv, and of course some humor. It was set up in such a way that made it very unique to anything else I've seen. The tables were filled with activities to do as well (such as make a dating profile for yourself and make an online name to go by). After that we trekked back to the apartment.
M&M
Grant and I spent our morning on an architectural tour via riverboat today. Nice tour despite not nice weather. We then ate at Eataly - a large Italian space filled with 9 Italian eateries and various Italian stores and groceries. We toured the Driehaus museum and then Grant headed to the Cubs game which I decided to sit out because of the cold damp weather. Grace handled the details of the rest of the day but I will say that I really enjoyed the show we saw at Second City's Up Comedy Club tonight - a combination sketch, improv, and social experiment show. Very good, funny, and even a bit tender. We had some fun/funny/drunk table mates which added to the fun. I think Grace may have gotten a date if she hadn't been with her parents! That is all from me. Mary
Thats it for today folks!
Yes And,
Grace
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Day 4: Marys Day
Hey Guys! It has been another great day here in Chicago. To start my parents and I went to a great place by Second City for breakfast. I do not do breakfast well so I sat for a while until heading over to Starbucks for iced tea. Class today was fun as always. In improv we learned some new variations on games I have played before and it was super fun. Today in sketch we wrote sketches based on current headlines which was a fun exercise. During stand up we worked on characters. I'm so thankful to come and partake in this each summer. The kids always talk about all the fun improv/sketch things they take part in during the school year. It makes me jealous because I wish Cedar Falls had more outlets for these types of activities. One more year and then I can be here doing stuff like this all the time (while I'm not going to college or working a weird job to pay for these things).
After class my parents and I headed to Wrigleyville to eat and see a Cubs game. We walked to what was a favorite place for my mom and I last year (Flacos Tacos) only to find out it was closed. Luckily a pizza joint that is on my food list, Dimos, was right across the street. Dimos is full of wacky pizza flavors. I had a slice of chicken and waffle pizza which was odd, yet perfect in every way. Afterwards, we headed to the Cubs game. It was around 65 degrees outside with high winds (windy city am I right?). I wore shorts to class today and you could say the game was a rather cold experience for me. I am not a sports fan (shocker) but still managed to amuse myself between looking at the skyline and people watching. The rain started sprinkling and we headed back to the apartment.
M&M My day started with a ripped contact - bummer. My vanity lead me to try the day with only one lens - poor decision. I am going to suck it up and have to be bespectacled the remainder of the trip as I failed to bring extra contacts along. Grant and I headed to the Chicago Art Institute which we love and go to every time we are in Chicago. We spent some time there as well as exploring various places nearby. We stumbled into a fabulous old building called the Fine Arts Building and started nosing around. The architecture was fabulous and the building housed many many interesting studios - voice and piano lessons, dance studios, art and photography studios, and even a corsetiere. Grant and I wandered into a glass paperweight gallery and the woman working there gladly showed us around and gave us a great background in the art. She even unhoused some of their pieces and had us hold them. Perhaps she was hoping we would break them and have to buy them as one we held was valued at $3500. We also took in a display of photography on Dandyism at Columbia College called "Dandy Lion." Then we returned to Old Town for some cold drinks at the Ale House across from Second City. It is a well known bar and Grant had wanted to see it after it was frequently mentioned in a documentary on Roger Ebert. It used to be a favorite of many local journalists. Then we picked up Grace and headed to Wrigley. In addition to my bad decision regarding my vision, I was woefully unprepared for the cool weather tonight. Hoping to use better judgment tomorrow!
Marys moments was a little long but it was an exciting day for her so I'll let her have this one (I love my mother its ok). That is all, much love to everyone (even Mary).
Yes And,
Grace
After class my parents and I headed to Wrigleyville to eat and see a Cubs game. We walked to what was a favorite place for my mom and I last year (Flacos Tacos) only to find out it was closed. Luckily a pizza joint that is on my food list, Dimos, was right across the street. Dimos is full of wacky pizza flavors. I had a slice of chicken and waffle pizza which was odd, yet perfect in every way. Afterwards, we headed to the Cubs game. It was around 65 degrees outside with high winds (windy city am I right?). I wore shorts to class today and you could say the game was a rather cold experience for me. I am not a sports fan (shocker) but still managed to amuse myself between looking at the skyline and people watching. The rain started sprinkling and we headed back to the apartment.
M&M My day started with a ripped contact - bummer. My vanity lead me to try the day with only one lens - poor decision. I am going to suck it up and have to be bespectacled the remainder of the trip as I failed to bring extra contacts along. Grant and I headed to the Chicago Art Institute which we love and go to every time we are in Chicago. We spent some time there as well as exploring various places nearby. We stumbled into a fabulous old building called the Fine Arts Building and started nosing around. The architecture was fabulous and the building housed many many interesting studios - voice and piano lessons, dance studios, art and photography studios, and even a corsetiere. Grant and I wandered into a glass paperweight gallery and the woman working there gladly showed us around and gave us a great background in the art. She even unhoused some of their pieces and had us hold them. Perhaps she was hoping we would break them and have to buy them as one we held was valued at $3500. We also took in a display of photography on Dandyism at Columbia College called "Dandy Lion." Then we returned to Old Town for some cold drinks at the Ale House across from Second City. It is a well known bar and Grant had wanted to see it after it was frequently mentioned in a documentary on Roger Ebert. It used to be a favorite of many local journalists. Then we picked up Grace and headed to Wrigley. In addition to my bad decision regarding my vision, I was woefully unprepared for the cool weather tonight. Hoping to use better judgment tomorrow!
Marys moments was a little long but it was an exciting day for her so I'll let her have this one (I love my mother its ok). That is all, much love to everyone (even Mary).
Yes And,
Grace
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Day 3: Short and Sweet
Hey Guys! Its late at night and I am about to get what I'm sure will be a great nights sleep on an air mattress (not). So I shall keep this short and sweet. Today at camp we one of the touring companies performed. Everyone at camp (8 year olds included) watched the show, meaning it was censored a lot and a bunch of things were cut from the full show for both time and appropriate-ness. Also my sketch teacher talked us through how people get hired to perform at Second City which was super cool and interesting. Besides that we did a bunch of things which I am too tired to geek out on right now.
After class my mom and I headed down to a little shopping area by iO (iO is another large improv place in Chicago best known for long form). We ate dinner at a Whole Foods Cafeteria which is so beautiful and made me feel like my life was really put together. And then we caught the free eight o clock show at iO. We saw three teams do a harold (long form improv structure). One of my favorite teams, Virgin Daiquiris, performed and my teacher from last year is with them now. This was super awesome because I love love love them and wow fangirl moment. Carl and the Passions, a very well known team was also there. If you have heard of Tj Jagodowski he is on that team (the guy in the sonic commercials, brilliant improviser). By the time the show was done my dad had arrived in Chicago. He is staying with us until Sunday so the next few days we will be doing super touristy stuff with him.
(No M&M today because Mary is sleeping)
That is it for today, I am very tired and have no idea what I wrote so if it is awful, just run with it. Sorry to all the grammar people for whatever is wrong in this.
Yes And,
Grace
After class my mom and I headed down to a little shopping area by iO (iO is another large improv place in Chicago best known for long form). We ate dinner at a Whole Foods Cafeteria which is so beautiful and made me feel like my life was really put together. And then we caught the free eight o clock show at iO. We saw three teams do a harold (long form improv structure). One of my favorite teams, Virgin Daiquiris, performed and my teacher from last year is with them now. This was super awesome because I love love love them and wow fangirl moment. Carl and the Passions, a very well known team was also there. If you have heard of Tj Jagodowski he is on that team (the guy in the sonic commercials, brilliant improviser). By the time the show was done my dad had arrived in Chicago. He is staying with us until Sunday so the next few days we will be doing super touristy stuff with him.
(No M&M today because Mary is sleeping)
That is it for today, I am very tired and have no idea what I wrote so if it is awful, just run with it. Sorry to all the grammar people for whatever is wrong in this.
Yes And,
Grace
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