If only life were still this simple

This was forwarded to me today and made me giggle.

If only life were still this simple.

A week in the life of the Madrittmasters

This has been yet another busy week. It started off with The Procedure. Corey had to get some work done on his toe. I won't go into complete details, but it involved removing part of his toenail. Gross!

Grosser was the fact that I kept looking at it while the Doctor was working on it. AHHH! It was like a bad car accident. I couldn't help it.


So now he's hobbling around. It's not so much the pain that bothers him, but the bulkiness of the bandage makes it uncomfortable in his shoe. Oh yeah, wiping out on the slick sidewalk didn't help his toe either. That's the doctor's handiwork on the toe, by the way. Oh, Dr. Kim, you're such a kidder.



I dealt with my own frustrations, as well. We went to Rock Island for more ComedySportz shows. Never mind the bad weather driving down. My devastation was the midget Santa at the show location. Midget for most real life Santa's. He was huge for a stuffed Santa Claus. Perfect for my size, which would've been a nice holiday treat, but it was also perfect for looking down my shirt. Santa Claus? Try Santa Perve!

- Mo

Hope Hath No Halflife

My friends Nick, Chris, and Dan asked me to be in a short film they made for a "Hundred Hour Film Project" they participated in. They got a topic (the future) and a surprise element (turning off an alarm) and then had 100 hours to write, film, edit and submit a short film. Here's the final product. I think it's pretty funny.

- Corey

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Hanukkah Corey! And by default to me. :)

For those of you that don't know, tonight is the last night of the holiday. We're going to have a traditional Hanukkah evening. We'll start by going to Corey's Dr. appointment, stopping at some fast food joint... (Subway does kosher meals, right?) and shoving food down our mouth as quickly as we can so we can make it to our writing class at iO.

In fact, that's how the whole holiday has been. Classes, rehearsals, writing, rewriting, shows, workshops and heading out of town for more shows. Tis the season for craziness.

Thanksgiving pics

I don't have a lot of time to blog before we head out of town tomorrow. Here for your viewing pleasure are pictures from Thanksgiving.

These are from Dan's party which is turning into an annual event. We Rocked

Because it's Dan's house, we of course sang Karaoke OnDemand.

Show tunes... such nerds... such gay nerds

Man I miss Minksy's pizza.

There was even a Tom Farnan sighting. (Corey didn't want to let him go.)

Briette and her husband Michael were even there. He didn't quite know what to think of the show tunes marathon.

Yeah, yeah, it's been a while

Sorry for the lack of posts. I know. I'm the first to bitch about it when others don't update their blogs and here I am with my last posting from before Thanksgiving. I'm a jerkpod, I have no excuse. So much to talk about since the Thanksgiving trip back to KC. The vacation was nice, got to spend time with family and friends, attended the big KU-MU game at Arrowhead and even though the Jayhawks lost, we still get to go to a BCS Bowl, so it's all good. There are pictures galore from that weekend which I'm sure Mo will get around to posting eventually.


Since then, it's that busy holiday time. There are holiday improv bookings, both in town with Chicago Comedy Company and out of town with ComedySportz-Quad Cities. In addition, Mo and I have started rehearsing for a show that we'll be putting up in the spring, just the two of us. We're improvising with a coach right now, who is helping direct us in taking the funniest stuff from that process and scripting a show. We'll let you know all about it when the performances start to go down, don't worry. In fact, we don't even have a name yet. "The Corey and Mo Show" sounds too boring, so feel free to make suggestions in the comments section. That'd be great.

In the meantime, I'm very busy with this:











That's right. For the Wii. My band, Stinkfist, is making it's way up the charts. We rock.



- Corey

Weirdo Cab Ride

We are at the airport now, heading home for Thanksgiving. Of course something weird happened, because something weird always happens when we travel (remember "Eww on Clark?").

This morning we had to get to the airport by 5:45am in order to deal with the travel craziness. In order to avoid leaving at 3:30 in the morning, we decided to take a cab. Our friend Vinnie also needed a ride, so we split the fare. The plan was to be picked up at 4:20am, pick him up around 4:30am and be on our way.

Issues right off the bat. First, the taxi was late. Of course it was. At least it was raining though, so that helped keep things running smoothly. Ever see the movie, "Men in Black"? I think the whole aliens disguised as humans ie; taxi drivers, is true. This dude was so weird. A) The car smelled like pot. Reassuring. B) He drove ridiculously slow. Really? Isn't a major plus supposed to be that these guys drive like maniacs, cutting in and out of traffic to help you get an edge? C) He rambled on and on about a letter-writing campaign he was heading up, championing the cause of the cabbie. Something about the system, the governor and the rights that were being taken away from the passengers as well as independent drivers. To prove a point on how much he rambled, I will now recreate the exchange in conversation we had... For sake of clarity, we will name the driver Carl.

Carl - "These partitians between the driver and passenger are not safe."

Corey - "Oh really"

Carl - "It's all a part of them taking away the rights of the people."

Mo - "So why was it installed in the first place?"

Carl - "So what?"

Mo - "Why was it..."

Carl - "I can't hear so well."

Mo - "Why was it..."

Carl (to Corey) - "I can't hear so well, what did she say"

(We go back and forth for 3 1/2 minutes before the conversation moves forward. All along we're trying to move on to our own conversation, but am constantly interrupted)

Carl - "Would you like a brief history on the systems they put in place?"

Corey - "Umm, well..."

Carl - "So I've been doing this since before Mayor Daly died. That's how long I've been doing this. And I.... ummm, what was I saying. Sorry, I got hit by a car 18 years ago and sometimes go in and out of rambling, I'll get off track but then once I get back on track boy do I get going!.... blah, blah, blah.... seatbelts..... I'm crazy.... no way to let them know if a passenger is being carjacked or is bleeding....letter writing.... the government....blah, blah."

Mo - "Oh, good! Vinnie's here." (thank God we can focus on something else)

This guy was nuts. We finally got to the airport on time, but not without being lectured on paying in cash and how he's putting together a, yes, you guessed it, letter writing campaign to take away credit card machines, because again it's not our fault, it's the government's.
Yikes! There goes your tip buddy.

See you all in KC soon!

- Mo and Corey

Whirley Ball Strikes Again

Briette is in town again to help me with work so her husband Michael drove in town to spend the weekend with us before they head to KC for Thanksgiving.

To show Michael a great time in our awesome city, we had to play our favorite... Whirley Ball.

Seriously, it's so much fun. I actually made two shots! That's two more than I made last time.

Warning though for those who haven't played yet - Watch your knees. Instead of a wheel, you use a crank to steer the car. If you get bumped and of course you will and you knee is in the way, it hurts... bad. The pain is worth it though.

"Jesus loves Warner more than Kitna"

Hey everyone, check out Corey's latest article for Serious Sports News Network.

It's the FEATURED STORY!


-Mo

Awwww

My Fantasy League

With sports, mainly football being the constant obsession in our home, I'm constantly fighting for the attention of my husband. My competition are eight men. The eight starters in Corey's fantasy football league. And to make it worse, he's in three leagues, so really I'm competing against twenty-four men. Still, if Corey can have his fantasies, then so can I. So here now is my Fantasy Football League, fantasy of a different kind....


Tony Gonzalez: Team - Chiefs
Position in Mo's fantasy League - Captain/Tight End







Hines Ward:Team - Steelers
Mo's fantasy - Tight End

Ronde Barber: Team - Buckaneers

Mo's fantasy Position - In between the two!

(would have enjoyed a Ronde/Tiki Sandwhich, but Tiki no longer plays...sigh)

Matt Leinert : Team - Cardinals/

Position in Mo's fantasy League - that's right, Tight End

Jason Taylor: Team - Dophins

Mo's fantasy - such a nice Tight End

Will Demps : Team - Giant!(s)

Position in Mo's fantasy - Anywhere he wants

Game time!

What is Corey known for?
Among many things 1. being hilarious and 2. being into sports.
Now he's getting a chance to combine the two.

Corey is now a contributing writer to The Most Serious Sports News Network Ever!

It's a website similar to The Onion = funny + news, only about sports. He's staying pretty humble about it. Partially because that's how Corey is and partially because the site is well... a little primitive. Apparently it's a work in progress, the site is a little messy and they update it too often. Still, Corey's work is in there and true to his form it's funny.

Usually they don't cite writers (again much like The Onion), however other times, like today's story, they did include his name. Again, it's a little weird and inconsistent. That means you may not automatically know which one is Corey's story, but hey it could be a fun game to figure it out. Feel free to send him or the blog your guesses on which article he wrote. There's also a place on the site itself where you can comment or ask about the author (hmm... lets get him some notice).

Feel free to link it from your blog and check it out from time to time. Hopefully if the site gets some popularity it can be improved.

If you're choosing to play, "Which One Did Corey Write?" here are some hints. He's written 3 stories so far, one per week. He usually submits his work on Wednesdays. Not on purpose, but his 3 articles so far have all involved baseball. Good luck!

Mo

Amateur

Thanks to my friend Jeff A. for the tip on this video. I don't want to spoil it, so just watch the video to the end. It will all make sense then.

- Corey

My first hockey game

Corey's anniversary gift from me was a 5 game season pass to the Chicago Blackhawks, the local hockey team. The first game was this past Friday. My only goal was to see a fight and blood. I got my wish!

I also learned a few things at my first hockey game...

* The "cheerleaders" are retarded. Not literally, it's just that their job title is misleading. They don't cheer or even encourage the players. They skate on to the ice between periods wearing skimpy outfits and they scoop up ice with a shovel. That's it, that's all they do.




* The Blackhawks have an unusual obsessive love for their organ player Frank. He's great, I get it, but seriously do you need to devote all 17 minutes between periods to Frank?

* 17 minutes between periods... weird number.

Oh yeah, and the Blackhawks beat the Avalanche 5-3, but it was a good, close, exciting game.... well at least that's what I was told. I only sort of knew what was going on and only part of the time. Mostly I was busy rooting for fights.


- Mo

5 Things

No, not the improv game. Ryan tagged me (and/or Mo) to answer this "meme" thingy:

List 5 things
that certain people (who are not deserving of being your friend anyway) may
consider to be "totally lame," but you are, despite the possible stigma, totally
proud of. Own it. Tag 5 others.

Given a week or so to think about it, here's what I got for you.

1. I have only bounced one check in my entire life. And that was due to someone bouncing a check they paid to me. I'm obsessive over bank records and making sure that my checkbook is balanced. To me, online banking is one of the greatest advances of modern technology in the last 30 years. Less checks to keep track of, and ease of balancing accounts at any time...I love it.

2. I remember pro-athlete jersey numbers with savant-like precision. Often even somewhat obscure players from teams I've followed as a kid. KU's Steve Woodberry? #20. The Chiefs Albert Lewis? #29. The Royals Greg Pryor? #8 (edited: dammit. it was #4. my bad). I've been known to use this skill to help me remember phone numbers. My cell phone number is 913-Bill Maas-Troy Aikman-Danny Manning-Warren Moon-George Brett.

3. I love cereal. I love it so much that Monique has to continue shopping while I take my time in the cereal aisle. I take a while because I enjoy all the options, and I there's usually something new to try. Plus, I refuse to ever get the same box of cereal twice in a row. Refuse.

4. I have an uncanny ability to identify actors by their voices. This usually happens when watching TV and a famous or even semi-famouns people are providing the voiceover to a commercial. I'll blurt out the name of the actor, and Monique will freak out 'cause I'm always right.

5. As a kid, I would draw all the time. But not just kid drawings, I would try and copy things. I'd draw product packages and corporate logos, etc. I was really good, and much of my drawings looked like they were traced, but I did them freehand.

So there you go. Now, I tag Pete, Randy, Crescent, Freddie and Keith.

- Corey

Road Trip!

Sorry for the sporadic posting lately. Busy times, y'all, busy times. That's a lousy excuse, I know. "We're all busy, Corey. We make time to come view your little page, the least you could do is write something new." Wow. I didn't realize you were so passionate about it. I'm sorry. Here's some new stuff now. And quit whining, it's kind of off-putting.

Ohio! Monique and I, along with the lovely and talented Sarah R. and Freddie S. took a roadtrip for the CCC to do a show in Mansfield, Ohio on Tuesday. We actually drove to Mansfield Monday night, got up and did the show on Tuesday afternoon, and then drove straight back to Chicago.

Mo, Sarah and Freddie picked me up Monday after work in Evanston in our sweet rental PT Cruiser to head out of town. We promptly drove 2 blocks and then stopped to eat dinner. After some decent Bar Louie grub, we then hit the road in earnest. Traffic in Chicago being what it is, it took a little while to get out of town. Either due to construction or us just not paying attention, we missed one of our turn-offs (which is not a turn-on, zing!) and it took us a little while to get back on track. On the plus side, we all saw much more of the south side of Chicago than any of us had previously.

Directions rectified, we were off and running. For what seemed like forever. Across Indiana, into Ohio, with stops for bathrooms, gas, food, etc. all in all a 5.5 hr drive turned into something like 9. Exhausted, we crashed hard at the lovely Mansfield Fairfield Inn. The good news is, according to Mo, they had the best continental breakfast ever! And she's a huge fan of continental breakfasts. A nice older lady was running things, making sure everything was stocked, cleaned, coffee was made, and griping about the new toaster which isn't as good as the old toaster even though it's brand new. She even made me a waffle. And not some stupid toaster Eggo frozen crap. Made from batter on a waffle iron. Nice.

The show was at THE Ohio State University - Mansfield campus. A quaint little satellite campus for the main institution located about an hour away. They hold a monthly Tuesday afternoon event where they host some deal in their Student Union, give the students free pizza and pop from12-1 and they get a turnout of like 200. Also, the show was great. We all had moments where we shined, and best of all the crowd loved it. I even knocked down the faux brick wall backdrop they had set up on the stage for us. Because everything is funnier in front of pretend bricks. It was an accident, but we played it off nicely and everyone enjoyed a few laughs. No harm done.

The trip back was pretty smooth. There were many road jokes, lots of fun stories, too much junk food and fast food and some sweet iPod magic to keep us entertained. Freddie's 80's slow jam mix was tremendous on so many levels. And as much as being in the car is just uncomfortable for that long of a period of time, this was all in all a really fun road trip. It was a great group to travel with, and we have decided to stake our claim as the official CCC Touring Company. We'll see if that sticks.

-Corey

I don't want to workout

This is how I feel about running.

Running sucks. I absolutely hate it. In fact, I don't actually run, I do intervals. Run, then walk, then jog, then run a bit, then walk trying to catch my breath, then run....But I always feel great after. My anniversary gift from Corey was the Nano+iPod (See previous blog entry to find out details of what it is). After 2 months of consistently jogging almost everyday, I've hit a wall. I just can't seem to motivate myself like I did the first few months that I was working for myself.

My birthday present from Corey was a big shopping spree for workout clothes. No, my husband isn't hinting that I need to lose weight. He knows I want this stuff. Plus it was a very unselfish gift since he HATES shopping and we actually had a good time picking out all my clothes.

So sigh now I don't have any excuses to skip working out. I have a pair of good quality shoes, cute comfortable clothes, the latest technology to track my progress. Lance Armstrong and other famous athletes even come on to my iPod to congratulate me when I beat my record for minutes per mile pace. I have no excuse. Sigh if only Corey could wrap motivation in birthday paper.

- Mo

My big Television Debut

For those of you that missed it, tonight was my big television debut on "Madness in the White City" on the "Nat Geo channel." Yes, that's their abbrievated term, not mine.

Though I saw plenty of my work, the brothel scene I was in was unfortunately cut for whatever reasons. I did get a quick little screen shot as an extra in the beginning. They talked about the smoke and smog of the city and how women walked around with handkerchief over their mouths, then quick shot of me.

This is the mysterious end shot of the serial killer... ooohh eerie.

This is the reenactment of me in the documentary. I'm on TV and I have to cover my face.
Of course.

Hey Oh!

Nothing new to report. Just trucking along in life, staying busy with work and our writing class.

Updates on our Erie Pennsylvania trip: The plane was over 2 hours late, plus we had to drive from Cleveland to where we landed to Erie 2 hours away in pouring rain. We barely got to the show on time, but once we were there it went great. Oh yeah and then we had to get up the next morning at 4:45am in order to drive 2 hours back to Cleveland to catch a 8:30am flight so I could make it back to the city in time for a wedding styling job. Talk about exhausted.

I got a call from a representative at Nuts on Clark. She was appalled by the dude with his hand in the popcorn bin. Almost more appalled then we were. It was awesome. She went on and on about how it wasn't acceptable, how that's not a part of the training program, how she was so glad we called and she was so sorry. She got a detailed description of the employee to take action and is sending us a gift certificate for the store. We will of course not be redeeming it at the Midway airport location.

Speaking of Midway airport, I got a birthday card from Southwest airlines. But just a card. No coupon, no gift certificate, nothing. What a waste of paper. Umm, thanks. I'm so glad you care. Let me put it on my mantel next to Grandma's card. Geez. At least send me a drink ticket.

-Mo

Gross on Clark....or Nuts on Blech....or Ick on Yuck...or....

Hey friends, I'm blogging from the airport. Yay wireless connection on the new laptop! So anyway, Mo and I are heading to Erie, PA to do a show with Chicago Comedy Company. Very exciting, I know. So we get to Midway Airport and are heading towards our gate when I saw the "Nuts on Clark" store. If you're not familiar, "Nuts on Clark" is a famous store in Chicago that makes various snacks, particularly nuts and popcorn treats. The original location is on Clark Street just a couple blocks from Wrigley Field. Background! Exposition!

So, I see the Midway branch of "Nuts on Clark" and think to myself, "Let's dig into that fat per diem and get a bag of freshly made caramel corn/cheese popcorn mix!" So we go into the shop, and as I'm deciding on what size bag of corn to purchase, one of the guys working there reaches his bare hand into the big popcorn bin to grab a quick snack. OK, kinda gross, not entirely sanitary, but it gets worse. He feeds that popcorn into his craw, fingers to lips,over and over, then he does it. He goes in. For more. Ew. Yeah, all of a sudden I'm not so hungry for your nasty saliva covered popcorn. Should the employees be able to have some samples from time to time? Sure! Use a glove, or scoop some out into a container and eat from there. Don't stick your grubby germ hands right back into the bin, Johnny Disgusting.

I tried to be polite. After watching this dude's display, I said something to the effect of not wanting to pay the airport prices and started to leave. Monique wasn't so discreet. "Yeah, and not after that guy just shoved his hands in his mouth and then back into the popcorn!", she says just slightly too loudly. Awesome. We're going to call "Nuts on Clark". Maybe we can get some free popcorn out of the deal. Will someone have manhandled that apology corn? Probably, but at least I didn't see it happen.

- Corey

Air date!

"Madness in the White City", the National Geographic that I had the privilege of being a part of finally has an air date.

Mark your calendars, because on Sept. 24th during a prime time slot, you can see what should be a great documentary. Keep an eye out for me in the brothel scene and potentially just passing by in various market scenes. I'm not sure how much of me made it in, I missed the screening. I do know that all my hair and makeup styling will be there!

You can check out the time listings on their website - National Geographic Channel
I've also been told that in the next week there should be a show log up on National Geographic channel's website that also briefly talks about the show, so keep an eye out.




















- Monique

7-Elev-Zen

There's a new 7-Eleven store opening up right by the Davis stop on the Purple Line. This is my stop for work, and I walk by and see the progress they've been making every day. They're very close to being able to open, but so far there hasn't been a date set. Apparently they're taking a pretty zen approach to the store's actual start date and have posted this sign in the window:

If you can't make out the words, it reads "Opening Soon! Please come back then."

- Corey

In with the new

Though we are no longer newlyweds, we did get a lot of new stuff lately.

Most expensive new thing: My new laptop! It's technically my work computer, but is already coming in handy for working on assignments for the writing class we're taking at iO. It's not only convenient, it's a really cool style and comes with Windows Vista. Surprisingly the new Microsoft addition is great. It's really easy to use and again, most importantly - cool.

Most comfy new thing: Though our anniversary was Tuesday, we had class that night so we celebrated on Monday. It was very low key. The best part of the day was that we bought a new mattress! Neither of us have ever owned a brand new mattress. Really right now a pile of hay would be better than the craptastic bed we have now. I'm really proud of my haggling skills. We got a great deal! It's being delivered this morning.

Most sporty new thing: It's a toss up. Corey's gift from me was a 5 game pack to the Chicago hockey team, The Blackhawks. He has great seats and there's basically a game a month until March, so it's nicely spread out. I've never been to a game and can't wait to see the fights. The other sporty gift... my anniversary present, new running shoes, picked specifically for my foot and running style. Corey also gave me the Nike + iPod which is an awesome sensor that goes in your shoe. It hooks up to your iPod and can track how long and far you run, as well as calories burned, various exercise goals and you can even go online and compare with..."others or set up races between friends to help motivate you.

Originally Corey actually got me Heely's, the tennis shoes with wheels built into the heel that you often see kids wearing. In the end I realized it wasn't the most practical gift and that's why I got the running shoes and Nike + iPod. I'd wanted the Heely's forever, so it was a very sweet gift. They were slightly too big, so we went to exchange them. While at the store I figured I should try them out. Whoa! Those suckers are ridiculous. I usually have decent balance, but I couldn't get the hang of it. I also created quite the spectacle. Kids and adults alike were starting to gather watching me make hilarious faces and sounds as I almost fell on my ass. It would've been embarrassing if it weren't so awesome. We were really regretting that we didn't have the camera (with built in video recorder) with us.

Still, I must give something to the people. So, here for your viewing pleasure is me making a fool out of myself in another situation - playing Wii Bowling with Anna last month. For the record, this is not the right way to do it. Corey found my style so hilarious, he had to secretly record it.I made this much of a fool of myself if not more with the Heely's.

Happy Anniversary

Dear Mo,

Thanks for the best two years of my life. I can't wait for the rest.

Love,
Corey

Whoa! If only my morning coffee was this sexy...

(from ThatOtherBlog)

House of Randomness

I don't have many ideas about what to write, but it's time for a new post, so here are some random thoughts.

- I hate it when I'm watching what I eat, being really good about exercise and then blow it. Yesterday, I worked out, ate very light and healthy all day, even when eating a rushed dinner - had a low fat Subway sandwich. I rode my bike to and from class. I felt great about myself, until I lost all control and ate three, pieces of Little Ceasars $5 pizza at 9:30pm and a bunch of candy. Three pieces of pizza?! Oh the guilt.

- I'm excited to see the broadway musical Wicked this weekend with our cousin Sarah who's in town shopping for her Bat Mitzvah dress. I'm not excited that I can't go to the Bat Mitzvah, because of work. A.) I'd love a chance to go home. B.) It'd be nice to see family. C.) I've never been to a Bat Mitzvah.

- Also excited about our two year wedding anniversary. Two years? Whoa time flew by.

- Mmmm hard boiled eggs

- I have learned that I hate the television show, "The View." Hate, hate, hate it. I'd rather clean toilets than watch that crap.

- Started our writing class at iO last night. It's taught by Michael McCarthy, who has written for SNL, Second City Mainstage, The Drew Carey Show, Bill Maher, radio and many other places. So far, so good. It's going to take a lot of discipline to succeed in his class, but I feel confident that it's going to help us both become better writers. Unlike many classes around town, I really feel like we're going to get our money's worth and this isn't just another excuse to rake in money from eager improvisers hoping for their big break.

- Illy coffee is delicious.

- Instant Message I just got from Corey, "Hey, does Corey like pizza 3 days in a row? Well, the answer is yes. Tomorrow is building tenant appreciation day with free pizza from Giordano's in the lobby at lunch. Ha!"

And now some ridic pics of the Madrid sisters

Turns out we like the camera a little too much.

On our way to New York. We had to get up at 3:45am. The slap happiness was strong that day.

The next morning we were still feeling silly.
If you're paying attention you'll notice Brie only has makeup on one eye.

According to her, this (below) is her "Victoria Secrets" pose.
Umm, sure. This is mine too. Agents, please take notice.
"I'm Monique. I am sober!"
Who knows?
Got me some Molly time in.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

As you know, I went to New York for the makeup job. Lots of fun, yeah, yeah, yeah. However, the best part of the trip was just hanging out with Briette. I had a really good time with the lovely couple, Michael and Brie - shown here.



















At times, I may have had too much fun. This is me after a few beers. Somehow I ended up on two skate boards, (kids don't try this at home), the helmet for safety and Michael's 40 pound military shield thingy. At least I think that's the technical term.




















Then I got to hold his rifle! That can't be smart. Don't worry, he made sure to empty out the
chamber. Weird that he wouldn't trust his tipsy sister-in-law on two skateboards with a loaded gun.



















Next, Michael showed off the camo gear he made by hand. If you look real hard, you might be able to find me.

It's good for the fields....














And for the urban terrain.

Maybe she's born with it...

As part of their 35th year anniversary, I was hired by Maybelline for a couple of promo events. I am really lucky to have hit the jackpot with this job.

The promotional tour started on Wednesday where models were placed all across the city and handed out gift certificates to women who had Maybeline mascara in their purses and mascara to those that didn't. I wasn't on that day, but apparently a bunch of friends of mine got freebies.

On Thursday, starting at 5am downtown, I did the hair and makeup for three models, then went back home to nap. At 10am, I was picked up by a car service and driven to the Sears Headquarters in the suburbs. There, the models once again handed out mascara and gift certificates but this time there was a giant mascara mascot, a "Mascarot" if you will, running around directing people to me and to our raffle. I spent 3 hours doing mascara demonstration on women and giving them tricks of the trade.

On Friday, I spent 1/2 a day at Navy Pier as part of the "Who Wants To Be a Soap Opera Star" tour, where Maybelline was a sponsor. In the sweltering heat, I did mini makeovers on women passing by. It was nuts! Our tent was by far the most popular.













Not only did I have fun, it paid really well and I was given a crapload of makeup. I'm so spoiled!

Everything went so well that I'm going to New York on Thursday to do the same Mascara promo at the Maybelline headquarters! Plus, they're hiring Briette too and we're getting more free makeup!

I love my job!

Whirlyball!

Mo's best friend Anna was in town for a quick stop in Chicago on her way to seeing family in Michigan so we rounded up some friends and played us some Whirlyball last night! This picture is not us. I found it online, but it's a pretty good indication of what we looked like. If you've never played, Whirlyball is sort of a combination of lacrosse, hockey and Jai-Alai played while riding an electrically powered mini bumper car. The Whirlyball bumper cars are quicker and more maneuverable than traditional bumper cars, too. You play in a basketball court-sized area in a 5 on 5 game, half of you in red cars and half in yellow. In one hand you have a Jai-Alai style plastic scoop and in the other hand a steering crank. The ball being tossed around is a wiffle ball. At each end the court there are vertically hung backboards with a 15 inch hole in the center. The goal is to get the ball through the hole. Behind the hole is a net mesh swing gate equipped with a buzzer & or lights to notify the referee when a score is made. And it's much harder than it looks.

We played 3 games lasting 20 minutes each, and it was a blast. We mixed the teams up each match, and the final game was the men vs. the women. The guys won handily, 3-0 with our third goal a thing of beauty. Garrett grabbed the loose ball at one end of the court and started the fast break. Garrett passed to Dan, Dan lofted a nice pass to Christian, Christian zipped the ball to me, and I "put the biscuit in the basket". If I do say so myself, it was poetry. John Wooden would have been proud.

After Whirlyball we grabbed some dinner and it was a really fun night with good friends. I can't wait to go back.

Big thanks to everyone who played last night: Mo, Anna, Annie, Emily, Garrett, Dan, Kristine and Christian.

- Corey