The year I didn't blog. • Choosing Figs (2024)

This was the year that I quit. I quit everything. I quit guitar lessons. I quit salsa dancing. I quit my softball team. I quit relationships. I quit blogging.

I guess that quit might be too a strong word. Stopped might be better. I stopped going. I stopped caring. I stopped showing up. I didn’t purposely leave any of those things. I didn’t yell, “I QUIT!” and storm off in a huff. There were no calculated decisions. No pros and cons lists.

I just didn’t have the energy to keep going. With anything. And so, I stopped.

I spent most of the year trying to claw myself out of a bad situation. But the more I tried the more I got pushed back down. And then everything felt even worse. And so, I stopped trying at that too.

Sorry if I’m vague here but it’s something I can’t talk about online. I promise I’m OK. I’m just not happy.

I never stopped blogging. Blogging has always been one of the things that’s made me happiest. But, for a time, this year, I rarely wrote anything. In all, I wrote 21 posts this year. 22, I suppose, if you count this one. Five of those were in January. The next five spread from February through July. There were four months where I didn’t write a thing. Part of it was that it was hard to write when I knew I couldn’t write the truth, what I was really feeling. And that cloud over my head was a cloud over my writing. And then I just lost any energy to write anything at all.

I’m back, though, kind of, sort of, with a renewed energy and a different focus. I’m taking different steps this time. Stepping towards what I really need instead of temporary fixes. It sucks more in the meantime but I’m hoping that, eventually, things will work out.

Sorry, vague. Whatever.

Anyways, since I was absent here, here is the year that I didn’t blog…

I marched at the women’s march.

Chicago Women’s March

I ate. A lot.

Bacon stuffed pancakes at Over Easy in Lincoln Square.

Beignets at Big Jones brunch.

Ham, pickles, and pimento cheese at Big Jones brunch.

Spoonbread at Big Jones brunch.

Chaurice and peach butter crepes at Big Jones brunch.

Birthday lobster roll at Luke’s Lobster.

Budlong hot chicken.

Liver dumpling soup at Chicago Brauhaus.

Pork Schnitzel at Chicago Brauhaus.

Coconut Chicken and waffles at Golden Nugget Pancake House.

Dimo’s Pizza.

co*cktail at Bad Apple in Lincoln Square.

The Fig is In Burger at Bad Apple in Lincoln Square.

Fish and Chips at Elephant and Castle.

Johnny cakes at Gather in Lincoln Square.

Sausages at Gene’s Rooftop in Lincoln Square.

Rahm Schnitzel at Himmel’s in Lincoln Square.

Hot Doug’s Taco in a Bag.

Sausage at Jerry’s Sandwich Shop.

Shrimp skewers at Latinicity.

Shrimp and grits at Luella’s.

Strawberry milkshake at Margie’s.

Cheeky Nando’s.

Waffle and bacon at Golden Nugget.

Blueberry pancakes at Kanela Breakfast Club.

Pie for here and pie to go at Bang Bang Pie.

Brisket and sausage at Smoke Daddy BBQ.

Tacos at Big Star.

And had a lot of doughnuts.

NATIONAL DOUGHNUT DAY

Red Velvet doughnut at The Grind in Lincoln Square.

Paczki Day

Infused doughnut at a Yelp networking event.

Speaking of eating a lot, my friend Nick came to visit for a weekend. And we ate. A lot.

Fish fry at Parson’s Chicken and Fish.

Fried amish chicken at Parson’s Chicken and Fish.

Hush puppies and cheese curd fritters at Parson’s Chicken and Fish.

Monsieur Coconut co*cktail at Parson’s Chicken & FIsh.

Best Intentions Fancy co*cktailBar in Chicago.

Moscow Mule in a soup can at Best Intentions.

Wondermint Malted at Best Intentions.

Bang Bang Pie.

Emporium Barcade in Logan Square.

Beer cheese pretzel and bacon fat popcorn at Revolution Brewing Brewpub.

Beer flight at Revolution Brewing Brewpub.

co*cktail at Furious Spoon in Logan Square.

Ramen at Furious Spoon in Logan Square.

Chilaquiles at Cafe Selmaire in Lincoln Square.

Guacamole at Big Star.

Taco de Zanahorias at Big Star.

Double chocolate doughnut from Stan’s.

Hot Doug’s Pizza at Piece Chicago.

Beer at Piece Chicago.

iO improv in Chicago.

I went to some festivals.

And, yup, ate some stuff there.

And I went to Ribfest

Where I watched other people eat in the ribs eating contest.

Ribfest Chicago Ribmania Ribs Eating Contest

I celebrated Fourth of July in Chicago for the first time in almost 10 years.

Fourth of July in Chicago.

I played some skeeball.

The one thing I didn’t quit.

Skeeball league.

I went to the Field Museum to see the tattoo exhibit.

The Field Museum in Chicago

Tattoo exhibit at The Field Museum in Chicago

Sue the dinosaur at The Field Museum in Chicago

Non alcoholic beverage plants at The Field Museum in Chicago

Figs at The Field Museum in Chicago

And the Smart Museum to see…concrete…

Concrete at the Smart Museum in Chicago

Smart Museum in Chicago

Concrete vagin* at the Smart Museum in Chicago

And I briefly dated a guy who took me to see concrete.

My mom fractured both of her shoulders.

I had to take care of her and her crazy dog for a week.

And I did a bunch of other random things…

Hillary Clinton going away karaoke party.

Idea potluck.

Me and some trophy.

Me and Alyssa at a salsa mixer.

Take your dog to work day.

Aladdin.

Bel Canto the Opera screening.

Chicago Voices concert.

Hubbard Street Space.

Jesus Christ Superstar.

Rough Night screening.

Israel Travel Massive

Toronto Travel Massive

Florida Travel Massive

And, in case you missed it, here are some of the things I actually did blog about this year:

I made New Year’s resolutions that I certainly failed at.

I organized my recipe collection.

I wrote about why I need a husband. (Mostly to have someone to make me pancakes and do the dishes.)

I turned 36.

I saw Hamilton. (And, sorry, wasn’t as obsessed with it as you probably are.)

I got a fig tattoo.

I took in all the cats. OK, like three.

I took a DNA test.

I got rid of my fig tree and got a new shower curtain and a new duvet.

And I organized my apartment based on the KonMari method. Including my clothes and my papers.

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