Chicana on the Edge

Mentioning the unmentionable since 2004

Ask For What You Want, Part Two: People Pleasing

Are you good at asking for what you want? Some insight into those who struggle with it.

How Chicago Failed Its Most Vulnerable: The Heat Wave of July 1995

31 years ago, a three-day disaster revealed an ongoing one.

Digital Camera

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Christmas 2005, originally uploaded by regrodriguez. I got a digital camera for Christmas and I...

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The Double O’s

2006. How did we get to the downhill side of the Double O's? (That's what I think we should call this decade: the "double oh's.")

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Romance – just when I’d stopped looking

I used to focus a LOT on trying to meet someone. I believed I was a loser for not having a boyfriend and spent years and a lot of money on dating services like Match.com. My search for a partner built slowly during my 30’s, becoming more desperate as I felt myself...

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Our Third Non-Date

Okay, there's this girl you're very attracted to and you want to see what might happen, so you ask her out. She says yes and you decide to meet in her neighborhood for lunch. She tells you which train to take and which exit, but on the day of your date, you forget to...

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Invite Someone Over

A British guy, Mark McGowan, is planning to crawl on his hands and knees for 55 miles with a sign on his back saying, "Could You Love Me?"The 37-year-old performance artist, who said he is also hoping to raise awareness of people left lonely and isolated during the...

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Merry Christmas, Dammit

It's admirable that people want to include the entire planet in their holiday greeting without leaving anyone out, but the phrase "Happy Holidays" is starting to sound euphemistic to me. It almost sounds to me like a fearful phrase, said to appease the anger of those...

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The end

Restaurants are so dramatic. Today as we servers scuttled about preparing to open the restaurant, I saw the head chef making an announcement to the kitchen staff and bussers. I couldn't make out what he was saying (Spanish), but I found out he was saying that...

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Cold and Silence

Friday the stereo system at Nick and Tony's stopped working. I can't say I was always glad to hear the repetitious "Italian" standards, but I liked the Christmas music we had switched to. Now it's just quiet and it feels WRONG for a restaurant to be beautifully...

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Ow

I feel down today. My restaurant closes next week and I'm starting to feel sad. Those who work in the deli at Nick and Tony's aren't going to be placed at other jobs and today they were pissed, sad and upset and so was I, in sympathy. The general manager was also...

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Nick and Tony’s – The Final Days

For anyone who wants to eat at the popular Chicago Italian restaurant before it closes, here is my schedule. Ask for me. I'll be working at Nick and Tony's:Sat 12/17 4:00p - 11:00pMon 12/19, 11:30a - 2:30pTue 12/20, 11:30a - 2:30p & 4:00p - maybe 9:00p?Wed 12/21,...

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Pink Christmas

Nick and Tony's Italian restaurant has been my antidote to the frustrating, not-enough-earnings-to-live-on experience I had at Carson's Ribs. I spent ten months getting my basic training as a server at Carson's and I'm grateful for that, but I really hit my stride at...

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