Hello! So, it’s not as if there are tons of people reading this anyway, but just in case you are, I’m actually posting an update rather than a meme. Miracle, right?

Hmm, let’s see.

Some Stuff:
– Apartment is a fall down mess. I have no energy to bother cleaning it at this juncture. But I need to very soon.
– Hoping, praying, and working for a major change in my life. Some positive and supportive vibes from you awesome folks would be much appreciated. 🙂
– I’ve discovered the most amazing cookies from Hearts & Flour Bakery. They’re vegan cranberry chocolate chip. I get them every week at the Daley Plaza Farmer’s Market. I pay $2.50 for four or five cookies AND I REGRET NOTHING. They’re sooooo delicious.
– We got a new cat. Well, he’s actually an OLD cat, as he was my cat when I lived in Ohio before Chris and I separated. Yes, Fi is back in my life. He’s living here in Chicago with me, and he’s a LOT more affectionate than I ever remember him being. Adam’s pretty sure he remembers me. I think Adam might be right. I also think Fi is happy to be with me again, but he’s not so happy that he has to share the attention with Helena and Crookshanks! He and Helena get into it all the time. Crookshanks tries to be Fi’s friend, but Fi isn’t having it. I hope they all get along very well soon, and not just when they’re in the kitchen eating treats or joining forces to beg for my dinner.

I am totally pumped to have a black cat in the house again! 🙂

– I’ve been LOVING the weather. Absolutely loving it. Mostly everyone I know hates it. But honestly, give me the choice between this and the blizzard we had in February? I’ll take this IN A HEARTBEAT. I like wearing tank tops and shorts outside and feeling the sun warming my skin. I like sucking down water because it tastes so good and refreshing. I feel like these precious warm days are slip, slip, slipping away.
– Movie score music. I can’t get enough of it. Especially anything by Hans Zimmer. Did I already tell you this? I feel like I have already.
– Lastest song obsession: COURTYARD APOCALYPSE from the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 soundtrack. I can’t get enough of it. It’s so haunting and pretty.
– I straightened my hair last weekend. It’s gotten REALLY long. Just to give you an idea of the shrinkage I deal with, here is a picture of me with the straight hair alongside a picture of me with my wash-and-go curly hair:

Crazy, huh? I just wish it would stay straight for longer than 20 minutes when I actually straighten it. You can see in the photo that the humidity is already getting to it. Friday morning, I had the top of my hair in a curly ponytail, and the back amazingly straight and long. Seven minutes outside, and eight in a crowded non-air conditioned train car took care of that really quickly. I had curls the rest of the day!

Oh well.

– I bought a djembe! I love the sound those drums make and they’re fairly easy to play (or at least fake). I bought it person because I wanted to try it out, hear it. I also knew I wanted a rope-tuned one because they have a better sound. I love my djembe. I’m not sure Adam likes when I get the urge to bang on it at 1am.

Here she is:

My djembe!!

I’ve not named her yet. Usually, everything I own that’s huge to me is called some form of Little Ronica. My car and my computer are both Silver Little Ronica. I know, it’s weird.

Despite what this entry blog may suggest, it seems that all I’ve been doing is working. Working, working, working. I work long days at the office, then I come home and work all evening on freelance projects. I’m usually pretty “meh” about it, but lately it’s been taking its toll. I’m stressed and cranky. I haven’t done yoga in ages. I barely make it onto my bike. It takes me forever to read a book when I used to tear one in days if not hours. I’ve not been eating exceptionally well, and I rarely do anything I really enjoy doing, like taking photos. I feel like the summer’s ending and I’ve barely seen Aidan at all. I want need my life back.

I feel the need for a real vacation. Don’t get me wrong, I love Disney World, but I want to go somewhere I don’t feel obligated to do a thing except lay on the beach, bake in the sun, read books, and get a tan.

I’m a member of Living Social, which is basically a Groupon clone. But they have Living Social Escapes, which are amazingly cheap deals for resorts. I’m talking a seven day trip to a Mexican resort for two (and kids free) costing around $500, with some meals and drinks included. Of course, I’d have to pay to get there, but $500!

I get those deals about once a week or so. And every time I read them I want to book RIGHT NOW. But there are reasons keeping me from clicking that mouse button, the main one being that I don’t have a passport. So, Friday, we were very slow in the morning at work. (I know, right? That could only mean trouble for the evenings and the poor sap who’s stuck coming in over the weekend–this week it was me.) But anyway, I took advantage of the empty racks and headed out to the Secretary of State’s office to finally switch my license from an Ohio one to an Illinois one. It was a relief to finally get that errand done. Plus, these people were very friendly, which I suppose is a rarity when it comes to driver services. Back at my desk, I got the itch to go ahead and apply for my passport. Fortunately, I work in the Loop, and the place to do so (photo included) was a block and a half away from my office. I went on my lunch break. Took me less than 30 minutes, and in 4-6 weeks, I’ll have a real life passport! I’d been meaning to get one for years!

Soon, I’ll be able to leave the United States. FINALLY! Now the question is: Where should I go first?

‘Til next time….