I've been living in Chicago for about 2 months now and I feel like I can finally call myself a Chicagoan. I know my way around, I have a home, a job, and am looking into the acting scene. To make sure this blog entry doesn't end up being 300 pages long, I'll try and keep things concise.
The four of us looked at different neighborhoods before moving here and liked a few. While walking through Roscoe Village, we happened upon a small rental property place. We walked in, talked to a nice woman and told her what we were looking for. As luck would have it, she said she had "the perfect place". Indeed, it was perfect, but we wanted to look at a few more just in case. After looking at about 15 different apartments around the north side, we decided that the first place was the best and we seized the opportunity.
We got a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom place that is completely rehabbed to the studs. It's all hardwood flooring, new appliances, marble countertops, central air and heat, a deck of our own, etc. We've since gone through a few hitches here and there, but it's now fully furnished with our stuff and as we would like it. The apartment is in Rogers Park, which is the farthest North and East neighborhood of Chicago before you go into the suburbs. It's one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Chicago, is less claustrophobic than others, and is right on the lake with accessible beaches. We also live a half block from "The El" which makes transportation really simple. Right down the street is also an Irish Pub, Wine Shop, Italian Restaurant, and Bagel/Deli. Needless to say, it was a perfect fit for us and I'm glad it turned out the way it did. The only downside is that it takes awhile to get to downtown, but then again 40-45 minutes isn't that long.
For the first month and a half we all were looking for jobs round the clock. Kelly found one first at a pet grooming place as a receptionist. Ryan then got hired as a personal trainer at Bally. Then I was offered a position at Bakers Square and Whole Foods Market, while Carroll got a job at World Market. I ended up taking the job with Whole Foods instead of Bakers Square because it was easier to get to and has better benefits. It would have been nice to finally be a server, but Whole Foods was too good to pass up. I must also stress how difficult it was to get a job however. Carroll and I must have applied for easily over 200 jobs combined and finally got offers after a month and a half. In the end, I'm grateful to have a job in this tough economic time.
The job itself is actually quite taxing. I'm a cashier and it's a lot harder than I thought it would be. Mostly because it's
a lot numbers and products to memorize and identify. It also makes it more difficult for me because I don't consider myself a "foodie". Therefore I'm learning a lot of fruits and vegetables that I've never even heard of. Then throw in that it's THE leading company for organic foods so the selection is quite eclectic. What's nice is that they pay is great, the company really takes care of its employees, my co-workers are really friendly, and they offer incredible benefits. To top it off, it's on the Fortune 500 top 100 companies to work for... now that's saying something!Besides all that, I'm spending a lot of time watching movies, playing piano, writing music, reading, and slowly trying to get into the acting scene. Originally I was going to just focus on Film/Commercial work in Chicago, but I've recently come to the decision that it would be in my best interests to do any acting that is out there, rather than limit myself. Although I know that film is ultimately where I see myself, the need to act (period) is more important to me at this point. Therefore I'm gonna start auditioning for what I can and just see where it takes me.
Here's to Chicago, Acting, The Oscar Film Season, Christmas Music, and Snow!
