Summer is coming....& my first american grill

Wednesday was the first warm day in Chi I've seen and by george was it nice. How you can go from snow to a warm balmy evening is beyond me. So Lindsay and Alex (fellow Brit) invited everyone over for an impromptu Grill. It was lush, we had grilled chicken, steak, pork, pasta, pots and home made cookies (made by lovely Heather).

Dusty and his pals all brought the same summer beer - it was actually quite delicious, but man it was strong...absolutely battering stuff.

On the way home, Dust suggested climbing on a giant digger thing, which Suze and I happily did. Everything really is giant. Even the friggin diggers! It was hilarious, but the neighbours did think we were a bit bats.

Really fun night. Loved my first grill.

To invest or not invest....that's the question?

Suze and I decided to have a little shopping bumble yesterday afternoon and on the hit list was a quick trip to Marc's because I'd seen the loveliest little yellow jumper in NYC and I thought I might treat myself. So we rock up to MJ's and we have a whiz around, but it's the new high high end flagship store in Chi (just off Michigan) so jumpers and such were not in their starting line up. I was just about to leave, when Suze said - Danno - this looks like a you dress. Man down I hear you cry. It was the most dreamy dress ever and at $2,700 - you'd expect it to be. So we thought I'd try it on for the crack and what a mistaka to maker....I felt like a princess and it would be the best dress for a movie premier or cousin Stu's wedding!

I so need to win the lottery or find a really rich man soon...

The best bar in the world....with a batting cage!

OK so I've officially found the best bar ever created - It's called Sluggers on Clark (nr Wrigley Field) and is a bar with batting cages for softball and baseball. It is seriously hours of fun. You get your beer, don your helmet and pick the speed of the pitches. I kicked off my heels and stood at the plate ready for the fun to begin.

The Bristol Softball lot would seriously love it....I think we need to organise a team night there - it's not too far to come really. (This pic is of my friend Emily in the batting cage....she was brilliant).

So excited for the season to start!

OH...IO

NCAA is big business in the states...it's all about the college bball and what school you went to and everyone seems to know someone who knows someone who was in class with the dude playing. From watching a bit the other week with some of my new US chums I opted to follow the Ohio Buckeyees; sounded like a fun team, quite liked their team colours (red and white army) and the main player is aces - I thought they were front runners, so going for glory I borrowed a t-shirt, hoody and even a pin (which is a badge) and rocked up to the pub. Needless to say the Ohio kids were nearly as bad a Swindon Town and lost in the last minute. But I did learn a new dance and how to respond when people yelled OH at you (although the first time I failed to respond correctly to 'OH' I did get called a halfy by some steaming fella). OH - IO. Lesson learnt.


On the way home we stopped off at Ian's (which I think might be the Grecian on the Gloc Road) and we had some serious pizza....highlights...Mac & Cheese Pizza and mash potato pizza...sounds wrong and is so wrong it's right!

Lost in translation....

Now coming from England to the US, you'd think there wouldn't be too much that's lost in translation. It's the Queen's English after all and from the movies we all know the usual suspects:

Purse = handbag
Shrimp = prawn
Trunk = boot

Etc. But more and more have been coming out of the wood work recently and if you ever want to confuse an American just throw in the different meanings of pissed (it does get confusing when explaining taking the piss, are you pissed or going for the piss) coupled with a bit of cockney and some Jade Brain expressions and its fun and games galore.

Some new ones I've learnt:
Lox is smoked salmon (that I think has been prayed upon....or something like that)
To Nut someone, is not to head-but them, but to have a happy ending.