Getting cheeky.

I'm hungry for recognition.

I've been writing for an amazing online women's magazine for almost two months. It's unpaid, it's all on my own time... and it's absolutely incredible. For the first time since graduation... well, really for the first time ever, someone is giving me the opportunity to write in my own voice, in my own style. As a journalism major and as someone with a general passion for writing, I couldn't ask for anything better.

But I needed something more. Not money. Money isn't something that motivates me to do this. I love writing and I love Cheeky, the magazine that has given me this fantastic opportunity. What I needed was recognition. After being exposed to journalism and creative writing in college, I have waited four years to be able to make writing my profession. And somehow, I have achieved this just months after leaving my university. There's something absolutely priceless about seeing my name on the byline of an article, an article that everyone, anywhere can see and read.

The only thing that could make this experience better is being included on the "Meet" the staff page. And as of this evening, that goal has also been achieved. I not only get to do exactly what I've always wanted, but I get to be recognized for it, as me. Not with a syllabus as my guideline, not with a grade attached, but just as a piece of writing with my name at the top, hoping that the public will like something that I am proud to publish.

And, eventually, money wouldn't hurt either.

An apple a day... er, a pancake a day?

I'm hungry for breakfast.

I never used to be a breakfast person. Not only was it my least favorite meal of the day, but I was one of those people who would feel sick if I ate anything too early in the day. This was who I was, that is, until I had the whole grain banana pancakes from Country Kitchen in Highland Park.

I'm well aware that pancakes are naturally a great breakfast food. Chocolate, banana, blueberry, oat, plain, buckwheat. The options are endless. But until you've had these whole grain banana pancakes, you have never tasted a great pancake. They are cooked perfectly with just the right amount of bananas included, and when you top them with syrup, you'll inevitably be part of the clean plate club.

When I got these for the first time, my friend Alexi and I ordered a plate to share in addition to an omelette. Needless to say, the omelette was barely touched and we both not-so-secretly wanted to order a second plate of these delectable breakfast cakes.

Now, I understand that not everyone (including myself) has time to have such a time-intensive breakfast every morning. But since these pancakes, I have now started to eat breakfast on a regular basis. Doctors and nutritionists say that you have to eat breakfast, that you won't be able to function without it. And for the first time in my whole life, I agree with them.

Here are some easy fixes that I love for anyone on-the-go:

Fresh fruit (grapes and apples are the easiest to take with you)
Greek yogurt with cereal (pack the cereal separately so when you get to work you can add it to the yogurt)
Breakfast bars (the best are Fiber One Plus almond and dark chocolate)

If you're not a breakfast person, you clearly just have not really experienced the meal yet with these amazing pancakes.

Hungry for...

CRAVING: Sprinkles Cupcakes

LOCATION: 50 East Walton, Rush and Walton, Gold Coast, Chicago

WHY: Although the cupcake trend has become highly overrated recently, Sprinkles has the best reputation for a reason. Since moving in to the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago, there have been lines out the door at all hours of the day. Everyone is hungry for a cupcake, and being the original cupcake shop that is loved by celebrities created a following for the Chicago location before they even opened their doors.

FAVORITE: Black and white. Traditional, but unbelievably good. Dark chocolate cake with vanilla bean frosting and chocolate shavings.

TIP: Order ahead, skip to the front of the line. The order form on their Web site is super easy and convenient.

Moving forward.

I'm hungry for fall.

I'm well aware that it's still summer, and when I'm knee deep in snow waiting for the bus on Lake Shore Drive, I'll wish summer would return. But for now, I'm ready for sweater weather. I'm ready for the changing leaves, the crisp air and... to move on with my life.

Fall generally symbolizes going back to school. And for the first time in my life, I will not be joining students all over the country as they return to their respective college towns. I will be at my job, not at college, not enjoying a life of little responsibility and great reward. My friends and I always said that the first time we would realize that we actually weren't going back to school, that we were completely finished, is when everyone else left us behind in Chicago the fall after graduation. Well, that time has finally come and the predictions have proven to be true.

My younger friends from the University of Illinois are all back down at school. I got a call from one of them at 11 a.m. last Tuesday and I answered quietly because I was at work. She asked me if she woke me up. No, I no longer have the luxury of sleeping well into the morning. But enjoy your time left in college.

It's not that I wish I had more time in college. I guess I'm finally realizing how much fun I actually had while I was there. It's one of those experiences that really gets its full meaning once it's no longer an option. It is true what they say, that four years passes you by before you know it.

But for my life now, I hope that I can move forward as slowly as possible, no rush, no fast forwarding. The fall will come, and although I want the weather, I'm not sure I'm ready for the next season in my life. But it is inevitable, and so is change. So college, I love you, but it is finally time to move on.

So, I am hungry for fall. But I can deal with the heat a little bit longer if that means I can postpone growing up for just a few more weeks.

If he can do it, we can do it.

I'm hungry for fame.

Actually, both my friend Alyssa and I are hungry for it. Not really fame, I guess, but we want to have great success. We want the sort of success that Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook has, or the type of success that the girls who created the shopping site Gilt have achieved. And we want to get that success by making a Web site.

We're going to make a Web site about living in Chicago in your 20s. We're in our 20s. We live in Chicago. Perfection, you might say? We agree. We're young, hungry and short on cash, and we know that there are plenty of youngsters in our same position. We want our site to be the go-to reference for twenty somethings. We want them to know that they're not alone. And we want to have fun. All great things.

And fame? That would certainly be nice. Money? That would be even better, considering we both have very little. But the main goal of this project isn't to make money or become the next Web site guru. It really is meant for us to have fun and see the city. We want to make sure that we make our experience being young and living in Chicago the best that it can be, and that our own lack of motivation doesn't interfere. What could be a more perfect way to ensure that we see as much of the city as we can than knowing we have the responsibility to report on it to the public?

So, to all the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world, thank you for setting the standard for creativity on the Internet... but we're coming for ya.

Hungry for...

CRAVING: Fox and Obel

LOCATION: Illinois and McClurg in Streeterville, Chicago

WHY: The closest thing that Chicago has to Harrod's from London. This single location store and restaurant is any foodie's paradise. The gourmet grocery store includes fresh fish and seafood, a wall of imported olive oils and spices, a bakery and fresh, foreign cheeses. There is also a cafe in the back with delicious, fresh made sandwiches, salads and gourmet entrees that are all perfect for lunch.

FAVORITE: Homemade cinnamon rolls and the entire line of Frontera Grill restaurant products. The store is far too big and amazing to choose just one.

SPLURGE: A bar with buckets of imported chocolates, candies and coffee is right in the center of the store, luring in customers mid-way through their shopping experience. The dark chocolate is the best.

www.fox-obel.com

Chicago, I love you.

I'm hungry for more of the city.

This is an obviously biased opinion, but I truly believe that this is the most beautiful city in the country. Riding the bus to work every morning gives me a surprisingly fantastic view of the majority of the Loop and Streeterville, a few of the best areas and neighborhoods that exist here. The streets are clean, the population is diverse and the sites to see are endless. And the food. Chicago is at no shortage for unbelievable cuisine. My personal favorite? The Cajun, New Orleans dishes at Heaven on Seven that I miss oh so much when I'm stuck up North in the suburbs. And shopping? Michigan Avenue is the obvious choice, but for locals, there is no better area than the Gold Coast at Rush and Walton. Having the plan to go just window shopping is immediately abandoned once you get a taste of this area.

I could keep going forever. Chicago offers me an endless amount to dream about and experience, and in just a few short weeks I will get to be in the city permanently when I move into my very first condo in the Gold Coast. Exciting? Yes. Scary? Even more so. Who would have thought that moving half an hour South could be so intimidating and... well, permanent. But I'm willing to overcome the fear and anticipation, hopefully just in time to enjoy being young and in the city.

Because that really is the point of living in the city, right? To be carefree and young. Yes, unfortunately work and responsibility will sneak in every so often, but the endless opportunities to just have fun and experience new things will be so unbelievably overwhelming. It's the first stress factor since graduation that I'm excited to embrace: not knowing what to do first.

Every time I come downtown to visit, or whenever I commute for work, I always ride over the river and acknowledge how gorgeous the view is, but I never truly get to soak it in and appreciate it. Come September 4, I plan to do just that. To wander, to eat, to (window) shop, to just actually be here for the first time in my 22 years as a Chicagoan.

http://www.heavenonseven.com/

The dreaded commute.

I'm hungry for a different commute.

No, not a shorter commute. That would imply that my hunger is only to escape the hour and a half it takes me to reach home from my office in the city. I need a completely different commute. One that avoids gum popping, loud, cell phone conversations and end-of-the-day sweating. I believe that most Americans endure some sort of commute on a daily basis, despite the length of time it takes. And during these commutes, etiquette should be involved.

For example, no, Mr. Loud Music from iPad, I'm not interested to hear the sweet, endearing blasts of Queen during my morning commute, especially when I'm stuck sitting directly behind you on the train. The train. A place with no escape and sometimes, with irritating delays that are only made worse by selfish commuters. It is quite clear that in the afternoon, the last thing anyone riding the train wants or needs is a reason to be even more crabby than they already are. Enter Mr. Sweaty Forehead Man. Wiping your sweaty face, after sprinting who knows how many blocks to catch the express train, is not appropriate in a confined space while sitting next to strangers. There will be another train. That train will allow your shirt to remain dry and prevent it from grazing against my shoulder.

You'd think that the train would be the worst of the day's commute. Until you get to the bus. The bus. The place where Mrs. I Talk to Everyone and No One Cares commutes every morning. And in the afternoon, it would be beneficial to all of us commuters if you would have your bus pass or money ready and waiting so as not to further delay the bus route. Miss Pays in All Quarters might have a lighter change purse, but you make me want to use whatever energy I have left from the day to push you off the bus.

After these few short weeks of commuting from the suburbs to the city, I can officially say that I'm hungry for a change. And if you ever catch me loudly yapping on my phone heading North on the Metra? I give you full permission to remind me just how irritating I probably am.

Hungry for... what?

I find myself in my cubicle. It's finally nicely decorated and organized, just six weeks into this adventure that everyone likes to refer to as freedom. My freedom came faster than I expected. I graduated, got a job and found an apartment all within three months of leaving school. Yes, I am definitely one of the lucky ones. But am I hungry for this freedom? I thought that I was. I was definitely hungry for it while clicking through job listings. The hunger for freedom was there when my evenings at home consisted of the Food Network and late night cereal binges. And I'm pretty sure it was there when I volunteered to clean the backyard due to sheer and utter boredom. I could not be full of freedom fast enough.

But now, sitting at my desk with not quite four, but three walls hiding my frizzy hair and exhausted appearance, I'm just hungry for the Caesar salad from Bandera. The creamy, delicious dish topped with the best cornbread croutons Chicago has to offer, was sitting in a kitchen just two blocks from my office. Sitting there, waiting for me... for $13. And where did my hunger eventually lead me? To a $5 sandwich and tap water from Subway.

No matter what freedom we have, the freedom to decide between a practical sandwich or an excessively expensive salad, we can't help but want the latter. What do you do once you achieve your first taste of freedom? My life is settled. It's not perfect, but it's definitely better than I ever expected. And yet, I'm still hungry. Yes, obviously for better lunch options, but also for something more. Not just for money, but for meaning. No matter what we as young people achieve, we have always been taught that there is something more out there for us to get our hands on. We can always do better. We can always be better. So when is that freedom really achieved?

When I get the salad from Bandera. Maybe my stomach will stop growling. And then maybe

the rest of the world, too.