Sip of Hope

It was Grace's last day in Chicago with us, so she chose our destination. She found Sip of Hope, a coffee shop that gives 100% of its proceeds to mental health education. More specifically, it focuses on suicide prevention.

Inside, their slogan "It's ok not to be ok" was in large letters on the wall. It's on the stickers and silicone bracelets that were free, as well as on t-shirts available for purchase. They had walls with inspirational words, and walls with information about health. So it feels true to the cause.

I got a tea and a croissant. We sat outside to enjoy our treats. Yesterday at dinner, Grace and Meredith started a real life boomerang trend. Christina didn't have the boomerang app and didn't want to open Instagram, so they repeated their movements as they cheers'ed on camera. So now, it's a thing for our group.

@jmeprcn

It’s ok not to be okay ##sipofhope ##logansquare ##chicago ##mentalhealthcare @findingxgrace

♬ OK Not To Be OK - Marshmello & Demi Lovato

After they finished their coffees and I finished my tea, we walked on Kedzie Blvd. There's a strip of grass in the middle of the road, so a skinny park, if you will. We found a rope swing and all took a turn. Holding the rope with only one hand proved difficult but was a fun challenge.

@jmeprcn

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it ##ferrisbueller ##wreckingball ##ropeswing

♬ Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus

We made our way to Logan Square Park. There were people filming, so we steered clear of their field of vision. There were also two guys practicing their skateboard skills. One was more daring and could land jumps. The other only went half way up the ramp and did an ollie.

We sat on the grass for a bit. My picnic blanket is the best. I took a little nap and after, we made a Princess Diaries TikTok.

@jmeprcn

📍Logan Square Park ##chicago ##princessdiaries ##genovia @softblueshimmer @findingxgrace

♬ original sound - CocoDevile

Across the street, there was a store with handmade goods from Chicago artists. It reminded me of David's Apothecary. Speaking of Schitt's Creek, Meredith and I have been dancing "A Little Bit Alexis" wherever we go. That will be a fun video when it's done.

We left for the airport as soon as Christina came home from school. It was my third drive to O'Hare airport. We're definitely making use of the car. Singing CandiPop songs in the car always makes the drive go faster when I'm with my friends. I think if we set up cameras and mics, we could produce a fun episode of Carpool Karaoke.

I think a lot about cool videos and posts I could make. I've always been historian when it comes to memories. I like the snapshot. My memory-documentation has evolved into videos on TikTok and Reels.

I know I have a lot of interesting moments in my life. I'm still thinking of ways to make fictional stories super interesting with one central plot. Like these blog posts, I can recount the details of a story, but I want to do well to develop the heart of the story.

TV Time:

While in Chicago, I binged seasons 1 and 2 of Flacked on Amazon Prime. It's a drama that centers around a PR firm in the UK. Needless to say, British slang was part of my everyday speech the first two weeks in Chicago as I watched the show. It was intense with drama. I'd like a season 3, but I'd be okay without one.

I'm also watching Katy Keene on HBO Max. I'm surprised I didn't watch this show sooner. The Riverdale TV universe is a dark adaptation to the comics. Riverdale got ridiculous when they made a cult around a Griffins and Gargoyles (a D&D knockoff) and I stopped watching. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina had too much satan-worship to hold my interest past season 1.

Katy Keene is about a fashion designer in New York. It mixes in Josie (lead singer of Pussycats, now solo), serving as the Riverdale crossover, as she tries to launch a music career. Pepper, is the gossip girl who is always serving up a con. Best of all, there is Jorge, a broadway performer and drag queen. 

Jorge opens up the door for musical numbers on Katy Keene. Broadway stars like Andre De Shields, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Bernadette Peters have made appearances. Plus, Josie sings, and from time to time, we get to hear Lucy Hale's talents.

What I don't like about Katy Keene is the character of Katy. I'm not surprised at all this show got cancelled after one season. It's quirky and fun, but at the core, Katy is not someone you root for. She's too consumed with her boy drama. She passes off the opportunity of a lifetime to design a royal wedding dress, which could have launched her career. In an apprenticeship interview, she shares drama about her ex boyfriend to her potential boss, after already sharing so much with her actual boss. Like, girl. You need to get your shit together. 

The plot lines in Riverdale are dumb, but Betty and Veronica know how to get shit done. They gave that strength to Josie, Pepper and Jorge, but not to Katy. Was that a choice because the writers thought it would be more approachable to young girls? It'd be okay if there were actual consequences to poor judgement, but although Katy messes, up things always work out in the end.

This is the same reason I like Emily in Paris, but I don't like Emily. Katy Keene reminds me of that and of the Carrie Diaries. Carrie Diaries deserved two more seasons in my opinion. That way they could introduce Miranda and Charlotte and then show the young foursome.