Now this is something to be happy about!

http://www.happynews.com/

Between all the bad news that's reported daily and our own negativity (not that I ever am) sometimes it can be tough to stay positive . Once in a while, it's just nice to hear about the good things happening across the world. Maybe crazy lady read an article from here.

SOOOOO HAPPY :)

Maybe I'm just cynical, but I always find it strange when people smile for no reason. I'm not talking about someone who's cheerful or friendly. Some people just have pleasant faces and that's wonderful. It's those ooky people who just sit there with a huge, nonstop grin for no apparent reason that creep me out. I got on the train this morning at 7:15 am. At 7:15 in the morning people are sort of stone faced at best, most just looking groggy or grouchy. I am definately one of those groggy people, but I still do my best to give a friendly nod, slight smile or at least turn up the corners of my mouth in effort to make someone feel comfortable. But today, there was quite the little ray of sunshine in our "car." I was thoroughly weirded out by the lady across from me who was beeming with a full on Julia Roberts, toothy smile. It was unatural. What could she possibly be soooo happy about and didn't her face hurt after a while? I mean, we shared the El for a good 20-30 minute ride and her expression never changed. I really tried to do my best to not stare at her, ("keep reading the paper Monique") but I already have the bad habit of people watching and she had me captivated. Maybe she was just happy about life or maybe (since she was looking out the window), it was her first time in Chicago and she was thrilled by the city. There were a few times that I saw her lips move or at least quiver... was she talking to herself? Was she crazy? Was she retarded? I never actually found out, but either way I envy her. She was either too batty to care or she really was just having a kick ass day.

-Mo

I'm not the only one who slid around

At least I know I wasn't over reacting when I was scared to drive last night. I was really pretty surprised at the manners most drivers had, quite unusual for Chicago. Besides the occasional jerkpod pedestrian trying to cross the street as you slid thru the intersection, most people were polite and courteous and understood that things were just going to have to move slowly. I wasn't the only one who slid though. As you've probably read/heard, a Southwest plane slid off the runway and hit a couple of cars out on the nearby street. Unfortunately a little boy in one of the vehicles, was killed. Talk about an unexpected death. It's very sad. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051209/ap_on_re_us/midway_accident

27 Degrees!

It's really sad when you're excited that it's 27 degrees out. Today was much warmer in comparision with yesterday being around 5 degrees. Plus once you factored in the wind it was in the negative digits. Are you kidding me? It hurt, it actually hurt. Once you get downtown, the wind tunnel created by the tall buildings and the lake, feels like it's slapping you in the face. It's impossible to walk into work and look at all decent. First you layer up with a warm sweater (or two) and boots. On freezing days, you even put on cuddle duds. Yeah, cuddle duds. It's a stupid name for these really warm underclothes that are insulating but aren't bulky like long underwear (thanks for the tip mom!) Then, you have to bundle up in a scarf, earmuffs and hat, so you're hair's a mess and your makeup is half way ruined because tears have been streaming down your face from the wind burning your eyes. I don't have too far of a walk from the El to my office (about 4 blocks), but it's days like yesterday that I miss driving to work and parking in a free parking lot right by the front door of my work, like in KC. Poor Corey stood on the El platform last night for over 1/2 an hour waiting for a train that for some unexplained reason was delayed. Once you get to work you roast at your desk, because the cuddle duds have kicked into gear. Being that this is our second winter in Chicago, I remember back in KC a couple of month before we moved, asking Corey if Chicago really was as windy and as cold as people kept saying. I wondered why people kept giving me scarfs, gloves and hats. Corey, "easing my fears" of an unknown city reassured me by telling me that "no, it's not that cold, it's about the same as KC, don't worry." Apparently he was afraid that I wouldn't want to move if I knew the truth. ehhh. Maybe it's not technically colder, but the wind is harsher and you do a lot more walking. Maybe technically Corey was a big fat liar. Maybe it's still worth it to live in this kick ass city.

Happy December

Happy December everyone! Can't believe it's here. I was reading my friend Randy's blog who was talking about how he already has everything he wants as far as a Christmas gifts goes. When asked by mine and Corey's family what I want for Chrisnakah, I feel the same way. While I don't have as many fun electronic toys as Randy does, I don't really feel a want for anything (especially after all the wedding gifts)... well not anything realistic. I mean, I'd love to buy a home, but that's pretty unlikely with Chicao prices and I'd love to get a dog, but that's not happening because we're too busy and it wouldn't be fair to the dog. Plus we've got Corey's dog Ted, staying in KC since our 3 1/2 flights of stairs would be too much for an 11 year old dog or a 25 year old Monique to go up and down several times a day. This of course doesn't stop me from bugging Corey for a puppy. Still, it's pretty cool to not feel like I "need" anything. Plus, we're getting a new couch soon due to the extra work w/shows, hair and photoshoots we're doing and I do want an I-Pod, but ehh it's not a huge deal to me. I think the hardest thing for me this year will be to spend Christmas without my family. A lot has changed this year and it can be a little tough to get used to sometimes. Looks like Corey and I will be creating our traditions this year, which may or may not include reindeer hunting.

Fine Pete

Since Pete doesn't want me to be a lazy ass, I will go ahead and post...

We just got back to Chicago from KC at about 1:30am this morning. Being that Corey and I both have to work an 8 hour day, we're dragging. Thanksgiving was overall pretty good. Lots of changes and some sad stuff going on, none that I want to go into as I am trying to stay positive, but it was great seeing family and friends. It was awesome getting to spend time with our nieces who are hilarious and other family friends. Our Comedy City friends all got together Saturday night. I'm always thrilled that so many people come out when we're in town. Not that we're the center of it all or anything, but really, Corey and I are the glue that holds it together... just kidding. It was just nice seeing everyone together. I also got to go to my first Chiefs game. It was Awesome! I had so much fun. It's a good thing I waited so long to go because at least now I can follow the game. It would've pissed me off to not be able to understand it with as much money as we paid for the tickets. Oh well, it was worth it. Pete was officially my hero that day for bringing ponchos.
Now I'm back at work and hating it. Not the job, it's still good... well for an office job. It's just rough coming back from vacation, though after this one part of me is glad to be home. After missing 2 days of work, I had 86 emails. I never had that many as a receptionist. Guess that's what I get for having a real job.

Post- Wedding Party

A couple of weeks ago we threw a post-wedding celebration party, soiree, hoopty, bash. Our friend Greg was gracious enough to let us hang out at his restaurant, Joey's Brickhouse. We had great drinks, food and of course karaokee. It's been proven to me time and time again that improvisors do the best karaokee. We had a blast.


THE BLAZER BOYS!

Crispy Fried

Thanks to some Target gift cards we received as wedding gifts, Corey and I now have "The Sims." Really it's mostly Corey's games, because I don't play that often, but whatever, not the point. The family that we have created are the Jerkpods. Corey and Monique Jerkpod. Well, the other night after having an argument, I went to bed. Corey having insomnia (don't worry Pete, you're not the only one) stayed up and played The Sims. Since he was mad, Corey Jerkpod decided to get real "friendly" with one of the neighbors, Betty Newbie. When he told me about it the next day and I was shocked, "What, Corey cheated on Monique?" Technically they're not married, but still it was the principle. However,Corey Jerkpod found out that cheating never pays off. Turns out that he bought himself a stove, because the food we were making in the microwave wasn't very nourishing. Apparently he wasn't the most skilled cook, because he started a fire. It was actually his second fire, the living room went up in flames the other night after Corey lit the fireplace and then went to sleep. With that one Monique, Corey and the fire department were able to extinguish it. This time he wasn't so lucky. Not only did the kitchen catch on fire, but so did Corey....And then he died. See...that's what you get for cheating on Monique.
I was concerned for Monique Jerkpod who would occasionally go to the urn that rests on the fireplace and cry over her loss. Corey told me not to worry about her, because apparently now Monique and Betty are really "friendly" with each other.

-Mo

Finally, someone gets it!

Life update... Things are still hectic. I've cut back on a ton on how much I do, almost to the point of boredom. I'm not doing many side jobs and haven't been to a rehearsal in about a month or a show in almost as long. My health is still being weird. We still don't know what the abdominal pains are, but they're possibly kidney stones. What a blast! If things haven't cleared up (or cleared out technically) by Tuesday, I have to get more testing done. But this isn't just about me talking about my health issues like an old lady. This is about the awesomeness of pH.

pH is an improv/theater company that I am involved with. Now I've noticed that many groups aren't very understanding about missing rehearsals/shows, even if it's legit. It has been my experience that for some reason the improv and theater community have a tendency to not treat their cast very well. I've been pleasantly surprised though, because pH has been the most understand group I've ever worked with. They actually get that improv (especially free improv) isn't the only or highest priority thing in the world. When I explained why I was missing so many rehearsals and that I wanted to scale back as much as possible for a while, they weren't upset. They were kind and willing to work with me. It just makes me want to do more for them. This is one of the first groups that I've seen do it right. They truly care about their cast and not just box office numbers and money. This (besides the talented group) is what will take them to big places. It's just a refreshing thing to be involved with.

-Mo

Too Soon?

Last night Corey and I went to a couple of Halloween parties. We personally didn't end up dressing up, though I did wear orange in the spirit of the holiday. Unfortunatly the night didn't end up being a blast as we had hoped. I was in a weird mood, partially because of there was a chick at the first party that, to put it mildly, I really don't enjoy being around. At least at that party we had fun people watching. The second one was a huge loft party. There was a $10 cover for all the drinks you can handle and there were at least 300 people there. I'd probably safe to say the 90% of the partiers there were improvisor. The problem is that when it's that big of a party,it's hard to actually party. We spent a majority of the night just looking for cups and the kegs and the other part trying to squeeze through the crowd and not lose each other. It was just too hard to really talk to people. Maybe it makes me a geek for not enjoying it, but it was just too much. After an hour and a half or so, we went home, with our 2 beers cost us $5 each.

Best costume of the night? Well, I don't know if it's the best, but the one that stood out to me the most were two people (at the first party) who wore grey long underwear with black lines all the way down them. One person had a plane that had "crashed" into her and the other a plane on a wire headed towards him. They were the Twin Towers.... ooohh, yeah...I don't know. Too soon? I can't tell. On one hand, it was creative and a little awesome. On the other, it was wrong and a little offensive.

Please let it be November

I have had a great year filled with many wonderful moments. The biggest, obviously, being that Corey and I got married. But there's also been time spent with family and friends, getting on an IO team, fun shows, parties, my promotion and the list goes on and on. I'm mentioning these things so that I can remember the bright side. For the sake of staying positive, I will also end this post on a high note... The lower end of this year has been the month of October. One of the main reasons being all the sickness. You've all been patient with me as what seems like post after post I talk about how I (or Corey and I) are still sick. Well, finally last Thursday I got over it. I left work early, went home and pretty much slept for 13 hours straight. I woke up the next day, renewed, refreshed and thrilled to be back in the game. This weekend was awesome (more on that later) I actually had energy and got a ton done. However, it is October and October is apparently the month that is determined to be bad to me. Monday night, I spent the evening until about 11:30pm in the emergency room. Long story short, they thought it was appendicitis, then possibly some sort of ovarian or other "ladies" issue. Luckily I wasn't in a ton of pain and actually felt better than I had most of the month, but there were just some weird symptoms going on. Anyways, as they are hooking me up to fluids, all I could do is throw my hands in the air. Of course I would spend the evening in the hospital, of course it would be my appendix, this is the kind of month I'm having. If I had a puppy, it would've been hit by a car, too. I also learned how much I use humor as a defense mechanism. As they were hooking me up to an IV and tears were streaming down my face out of frustration, I was still making Corey and the doctors laugh..."just because you call it an 'appy' doesn't make it happy, doc." Turns out it wasn't an appy. I was discharged with no answers. The doctor reminded me that they aren't God and don't always know why we have pain. They don't think it's anything serious or obviously they wouldn't have let me leave the ER. I just have to do some follow ups with my regular Dr. to find out why I still have this weird pain in my abdomen. Unless, of course, it gets worse. Sigh... If only it were November. Stupid, jerkpod October.

On the upside to this month, we had our post-wedding celebration in Chicago this weekend. Since we weren't able to bring everyone back to KC for the big day, we threw a party here. Lots of drinking, dancing and karaokeeing (sp?) was done till 3am. It was a blast and again such an amazing memory to see all our friends supporting us. I'll try to post pictures of it later.

First Day

Today is officially my first day on the new job. I should be really happy. I get to wear jeans, I have a lot more independence and freedom in this job, I'm busier, more challenged, and my new boss is going to be gone this first week and a half, not to mention half of the rest of the year. Then why aren't you happy, Monique? You may ask. Well, because I can't get rid of this God-forsaken sickness. I've been sick with some sort of sinus infection for 3 weeks now. I finally thought I was over it the last half of last week, but then out of the blue, I woke up yesterday with a sore throat and head congested. This later turned into body aches and a fever. Why am I falling apart? I never get sick, so apparently I'm making up for years worth of healthiness. This sucks so much balls. My head feels like it's going to explode. What's worst is that I will likely have to miss my rehearsal tonight since I can barely see straight, let alone jump up and down for warm-ups or have energy for scene work. I know though that my team is going to be annoyed that if I don't make it, because that's what those Jerkpods (along with the President of Jerkpods, our coach) do, since they don't like me. I shouldn't feel guilty about staying home if I'm legitimately sick. I only decided to come to work since it's my first day in this position and at least now I don't have to answer phones and greet guests like I did at the reception desk. Now I can just sit in my cube, by myself and not talk to anyone else. Another plus of this job! For some reason, every since I started working here a year and a half ago, I've had health issues. I never did before, maybe it's just Murphy's Law. Once I got insurance, my back goes out, I have sleep issues, I get this F-ing sinus infection that won't go away! I'm just waiting to break a bone or get stitches, might as well top it off right.

Movin' on up

"You can't have your cake and eat it too" Ok, so I know what this means, but where does it come from? I just don't understand the concept. If you have cake, of course you're going to eat it. Why wouldn't you.
I'm not trying to be cute here, I really want to konw.


Anyways, I've got 2 more days left of this hellish job and just one more weekend until freedom. On Monday I start my new job in my new position. It's still not total freedom, but I can already tell just from this week of training a little that I'm really going to like it. My boss is very nice, patient and not a female with raging emotional issues. Not that my old boss is bad, she just crosses the line of personal and professional too often. I hear however (from the girl that's training me) that I'll have shit to deal with from the 17 Regional Managers I'll be working with. Looking forward to fun adventures (and probably some whining) later with this new department.


-Mo

Jeff teabags ice cream

Spent the weekend with friends in Rock Island. Our friend Pete went home to visit family, so it's always a good excuse to meet him down there and hang out. Since we couldn't get off work early, we had to leave Chicago from downtown during rush hour on a Friday. Real smart. It took us about 12 hours to make the usual 3 hour trip. Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration, but we were still in stop and go traffic for what felt like forever. Then again, I slept through the first hour or so of the trip, so it wasn't so bad on me.

Once in Rock Island, we had a blast as usual. Saturday during the day,after yummy soup and ice cream from Mama Comptons, we went to West Music store to find sheet music for an audition I have tonight. I'll let you know how it goes later. Anyways, while at West's I picked up a saxaphone for the first time in probably 5 years. It's a lot like riding a bike... a bike that's broken and out of tune. I was horrible, sigh. Oh well. We got to play a show on Saturday night at the Comedy Sportz. Jeff (the owner) brought in a live band to play for the show. Overall, I think the show was really good, Corey was definately on. Either way, it was a ton of fun as usual. We spent the rest of the time drinking and laughing.
Looking forward to the next trip guys!

-Mo

STOP! READ THIS FIRST!

OK, here's the deal. Monique and I just posted a bunch of pictures from our honeymoon in Vegas. They kind of tell a story, and we feel are best viewed in the order that we posted them. However, Blogger puts newer posts above older ones. So, to see these postings in the order intended, you should scroll down 4 posts to the one titled "Honeymoon Pictures!". If you get to "Corporate Suck Ass", you've gone too far. Try and scroll real fast, so as to not see things out of order. Then again, you could just scroll down right now, completely ignoring these instructions. I bet you're the kind of person who reads the last few pages of a mystery novel right off the bat, too. The kind of person who gives away the endings to movies, as well, right? Well fine! Be that way!

- Corey

The Fremont Street Experience

The last night of the honeymoon, we hung out with our good friends Tom and Bridget. They live and work in Las Vegas, and know the cool spots to hang. They took us to "old Vegas" to get to experience Fremont Street. It's awesome. If you've never been, you should. They're all about giving you a good time, and any enticement to get people away from the Strip, they have it. The four of us had a blast, got good and drunk, and learned a new blackjack game, Blackjack Switch. Here's what that night looked like:

Montage Day - part 2

More from Montage Day!

Montage Day

On our third day in Vegas, Monique and I had what we like to refer to as "Montage Day". To fully experience these pictures as they were intended, you should pretend that you're watching a movie. It stars Monique and Corey as a couple of co-workers that always seem to butt heads. They're on a business trip in Las Vegas, and due to circumstances beyond their control, woulnd't you know it, the hotel is all booked up and these two must end up sharing a room. Well maybe it's the moonlight or maybe it's the wine, but wouldn't you know it, they fall in love. And here's the day they spend discovering all the fun to be had in Las Vegas. It's best viewed with upbeat, fun montage music. May we suggest you play something like "Daydream Believer" by the Monkees or "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves or "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.

More from the wax museum

Honeymoon Pictures!

No, not those. Pictures from our trip to Vegas, after the wedding. There are some limitations to the Blogger picture posting, so it'll get broken up into a few volumes.

Volume #1 - Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum - It's always been a dream of Monique's to see one of these. Luckily for her, there's one located at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas. Some of the figures were amazingly life-like! Here's a selection of our favorites....