life

Things I…

6 July 2011 / life

Things I Need To Do

Things I Want To Do

Things I Needed To Do and Handled LIKE A BOSS

Time is going too quickly. I feel like I spend most of my time at work. I’m always cold. It can’t get hot enough for me outside, and I still feel chilled even when it’s 85+ degrees. It’s summer! I’m supposed to be happy, but all I keep thinking about is how quickly summer is slipping away. Before I know it, Aidan will be back in Ohio. Major suckage. And to make matters worse, it’ll be fourth quarter at work. Back to working 12 hour days every day instead of just one or two days a week. Back to increasingly colder and more bitter temps. Back to snow and ice and blizzards. I mean, once the December holidays are over, the rest of winter is freaking pointless and can suck it as far as I’m concerned. And six month winters can really piss off.

OK, to snap out of this, I will post some things I am looking forward to even though I don’t want them to come too quickly.

Things I Am Looking Forward To

That’s enough procrastinating now. I must finish this program sheet. Then it’s already bedtime. Night.

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Break Time! (Pictures, Long)

27 May 2011 / authors, friday 5, happy, life, living in chicago, meme, pictures

I love the Friday nights of a three-day weekend because I still have the entire weekend ahead of me. Three days of freedom. Sweet. 🙂

Life’s been pretty good lately. Those work weeks from hell are now in the past (there are more coming up but not for several weeks–we’ll let Future Ronni deal with that). I’ve discovered new music, met new cool people, and eaten a LOT of sushi! The weather is still acting way too wishy-washy. I wish it would break already. But fortunately, it’s been nice on the weekends and crappy during the work week, which is how I prefer it.

I’ve still been working out. These days, I alternate between yoga, the bike, and The Firm stability ball workout. I also toss in some New York City ballet and Denise Austin power kickboxing from time to time. I’ve also been lifting weights a bit. I’m thinking of getting and starting the 10-Minute Trainer. I work so many hours it’s sometimes hard to get motivated to work out when I get home. But I can spare ten minutes, right?

I’ve had the past two Tuesdays off from work, and they’ve both been amazing. On May 17th, I got up and did a great workout on the bike. Then I met with my Plurk friends Jon and Rho for brunch! We ate at Horizon Cafe, my favorite diner in Chicago. This is what I had:

Jealous, aren’t ya? 🙂 After brunch, we came to our place and hung out, and of course, took pictures!

It was so much fun hanging out with them. I didn’t want them to leave. We play all day every day on Plurk, but it was totally better when I got to talk to them in person.

After Adam and I dropped them off at their hotel, we headed out to Naperville to Anderson’s bookshop so I could meet Sarah Dessen again! I’d met her during the summer of 2009, but I was not going to pass up the chance to meet my favorite author again. I was #31 in line, and when I got to her, she looked at me and said “I totally know you. You always comment on my blog.” She gave me two hugs! Oh my God, y’all. As if my day wasn’t already awesome, right?

Sarah Dessen | Anderson's Bookshop Naperville

Sarah is a great speaker. She’s very entertaining and down-to-earth and honest. I really enjoyed listening to her read from her newest book WHAT HAPPENED TO GOODBYE and having her share life tidbits with us. She’s very relatable and I think that’s what I like best about her. And of course, her books continue to be incredible. She really is an inspiration.

So, it was back to work for four days, then an evening with Jen, eating sushi and hanging out. I took her to her first kirtan, which she enjoyed. There was a kid there who was about 8 years old. He was clapping, singing and dancing, ALL WHILE HULA HOOPING. What! Yeah, that was pretty awesome. It was a great kirtan. I’m VERY much looking forward to Rich Logan’s Acoustikirtan on June 11th!

Jen came over again Sunday and we watched Twilight with RiffTrax. We need to make a date to watch New Moon with RiffTrax as well. Good times.

Crookshanks turned ten last weekend! Can you believe he is ten? And look how handsome he is:

I took this past Tuesday off because I ~~wanted~~ needed a break, and also because my s00j was in town! She was performing with two other tremendously talented women named Bekah Kelso and Ginger Doss at the Life Force Arts Center. The three of them together is known as The Traveling Fates and you guys, they are amazing. Their harmony is so tight you can bounce a dime off of it. I enjoyed every single song they sang. I could tell they were having a great time and enjoying singing together and singing for us. I ended buying both of Ginger’s CDs and the one Bekah had available, and I’ve been listening to them non-stop. I even made a “Traveling Fates” playlist in my iTunes at work, and will need to do so on my iPod. If you go to the Traveling Fates site (linked above), you can download a free compilation of some really great songs. DO IT.

But first, look at my pictures. 🙂

s00j Ginger Bekah

s00j, me, and Bekah. Watch out now!

Seriously, it was a great show, performed in a great space, and attended by great people. It was a very good night.

Oh, and I have to share the picture of the meal I had before the show.

Mixed Grill. I couldn’t decide on which kabob to get, so I got this one which was a sampler of sorts. Super yummy.

And just randomly… The lilacs are finally starting to bloom! YAY lilacs!

Oh so today, I went to The Disney Store. The one in Block 37, on the corner of State and Washington, smells amazing when you walk inside. Today, I found out that they’re actually offering the scent, called IMAGINATION, for purchase. I got the home fragrance and the body lotion. So, not only can my apartment smell like Disney, but I CAN TOO.

You’re so jealous. Admit it. Hee hee. Just kidding. It does smell really good, though. Woodsy and fresh.

Randomly, my upstairs neighbor is blasting O.P.P. What.

That’s all for now. I will leave you with a quick Friday Five, then Imma be out.

FRIDAY FIVE: In The Mood (4)

What puts you in a creative mood?
Reading a really good book. Looking at pins on Pinterest. Good music. Movie scores.

What puts you in a silly mood?
I’m almost always in a silly mood. Also, playing with Aidan. And watching funny stuff on TV.

What puts you in a contemplative mood?
Vivid dreams. Feeling unsettled or unsatisfied or discontent.

What puts you in a competitive mood?
Not much these days.

If you’d call yourself a talkative person, what puts you in a quiet mood? If you’d call yourself a quiet person, what puts you in a talkative mood?
I’m probably in the middle. Bringing up a subject I am passionate about, like Aidan, books, writing, yoga will make me talk a lot and loudly, too. I get quiet when I am upset, puzzled, or tired.

And that’s all, folks. PEACE!

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Thank God It’s Friday Night and I Just Got Paid!

6 May 2011 / friday 5, life, meme

Quick(ish) update here for all two of my readers. Plus a meme. YAY memes.

– I’ve been working a lot. Tomorrow promises to be a super long day, and it’s going to be a very long three weeks coming up.
– I can’t believe it’s freakin’ May. Fewer 29 days until Aidan is here for the summer! I can’t wait!
– It’s still pretty cold here, but it’s slowly, slowly warming up. And the trees are budding and there are flowers out and about.
– I have officially become addicted to sushi. I crave it 2-3 times a week. This is not good for the wallet. At least it’s good FOR me. It’s soo good. Mmm, sushi.
– Had an AMAZING yoga practice tonight. Yoga For Japan. All the proceeds benefit the tsunami/earthquake victims in Japan. There was a great asana practice and an outstanding kirtan led by Rich Logan, one of my favorite teachers. I don’t get to attend his classes anymore because they’re always during my work day. I needed it so badly. I just feel at home there.
– I purchased an exercise bike. I mentioned it in past entries, but here are a few more details. I had my heart set on a treadmill, but when I went into Sears to look at treadmills in person and saw how MASSIVE they were, I thought “not even close.” I really like the bike! I also got an iFit card and I’ve been working my way through the workouts. Haven’t really lost any weight yet, but I feel good. I ended up getting the ProForm XP 185 U Upright Cycle. It’s the perfect size, and I can roll it out to watch TV while I am using it. I tend to watch America’s Next Top Model or Make it or Break It. Nothing like skinny girls to motivate me. Most of the time, I listen to Ricky Luna‘s Electro Bomba, which is really fast and makes me pedal way faster than the workout tells me to. I am often staring at the little target with a “SLOWER” message on it. Oh well.
– I am having trouble managing diet and exercise. The exercise part has been easy. I’m not doing P90X or anything crazy like that, but I’m moving enough for now. The diet part is hard. I never eat enough. I just don’t get THAT hungry! And honestly, I am eating more and more these days because I’m hungry a lot more, it STILL doesn’t seem to be enough. But I have to listen to my body, and not to Sparkpeople on this one. It is nice to know that I don’t have to be so restrictive with my eating, but it’s hard to eat enough to meet the goals needed for me to stay healthy. Cause I’m just not hungry enough to eat that much food! I love food. I really do. But I guess I don’t eat enough of it? I dunno. Food issues. We go way back. *sigh*
– I got a new camera, but I haven’t had time to really go out and take pictures of all the new life blooming in the neighborhood. I hope to get to do that this weekend.

I got a kick-butt deal on the new camera. I got the Canon EOS Rebel T3. It’s fantastic. Ever since my Disney trip in January, I wanted a new camera. My Canon EOS Rebel XT is six years old and is starting to act a bit buggy. I was ready for an upgrade. You do NOT want your main camera to poop out on you while you’re at Disney World, right? Anyway, I started researching and looking and saving. I was thinking of the Canon EOS Rebel XS. Then I was thinking of the T2i. But here is the cool part. See, for my job, I proofread Sears circulars. (I signed an NDA, so I can’t leak deals to anyone, so don’t even ask.) When I saw that the T3 would be on sale for 549.99 on May 1st, and also bundled with a lens for $649.98, I thought to myself “Hey, that’s sounds good. Let me check out some reviews.” The reviews were/are great! And as eager as I was to have a new camera, I knew that if i waited and was patient, I wouldn’t regret it. THEN, a couple weeks after I first read that ad, I was given a Friends and Family coupon for Sears that took place ON MAY 1st. 10% off electronics. THIS WAS JUST TOO PERFECT. Eerily perfect.

Went to Sears, of course the one we went to didn’t have the thing in stock. But the Blue Crew person called another Sears and confirmed they had it. I paid, and Adam and I headed over where I did the merchandise pickup. Easy peasy! After all was said and done, I ended up paying $649.91, including the camera with 18-55mm lens, a 70-300mm zoom lens, the memory stick, and all taxes. HOW OFTEN DO YOU END UP PAYING LESS THAN THE ADVERTISED PRICE for anything??? I was very happy with that. AND the best part is that it’s completely paid for. It’s nice not using credit cards.

May and June are going to be super busy for us. I have appointments scheduled, people coming into town, places to go, things to do. And I have to work on top of this. Schawk is going to be super busy the next several weeks, and Loyola work will be starting to ramp up soon as well. I’m going to be so tired, but I’m going to be saving, saving, saving.

Speaking of tired, I’m about run out of steam with this entry. Here is a quick Friday 5. Then I’m off.

Friday 5: New

Who in your life has most recently had a baby?
The most recently and closest to us would be Cassidy. Except little Lola is going to be one next month. ALREADY!

Who in your life has most recently purchased a car?
I’m going to go with Matt, Chris’s partner. Although this was several weeks if not months ago.

Who in your life has most recently lost a fair amount of weight?
Unfortunately, not me. My friend Amy has, though.

Who in your life has most recently gotten a terrific haircut?
Adam gets haircuts the most often.

Who in your life has most recently begun a new job?
I’m going to go with ME. I mean, it happened in October of 2010, but still.

Is time really going faster, or am I just perceiving it that way?

Anyway, I’m off to bed. I don’t get enough sleep anymore. There just aren’t enough hours in the day to work AND play. *BIG YAWN* Please forgive any typos. I proofread all day. Too tired to do it now.

Night, everyone!

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April Showers and Stuff

3 April 2011 / body and soul, life, Uncategorized

Actually, the weather was AWESOME today! It is currently 72F outside. That rules. Of course, this isn’t sticking around or anything, but it looks like it’s going to not drop below 50 (except at night) for the rest of the week. Could Spring ACTUALLY be coming? Maybe the trees will actually start budding sometime soon. Last year I took pictures of tree blossoms on April 13th. So, ten days. My eyes are aching to see flowers that aren’t in a vase or a floral shop. And I can’t wait for the lilacs to blossom and smell up the neighborhood. I’ve still got about a month and a half before those guys come along, though.

I had a busy weekend. Worked for 9.5 hours yesterday, came home, did 30 minutes on the bike, and ordered sushi for dinner. I’m afraid I crave nigiri sushi way too often. It’s expensive. But it’s so good. I always eat eight pieces, and I always get the same pieces: ebi, maguru, saki, and nama saki. Every once in a while I’ll try to throw in something I hadn’t had before, but most of the time, I just want the tried and true. It’s so good, and with a sushi restaurant right around the corner, it’s hard to say no. Especially after working a long Saturday.

Today, I actually cleaned my closet and the laundry baskets, went to yoga (for the first time in months–and boy did it feel amazing!), and proceeded to spend the rest of the day being lazy. Reading, watching Adam play Donkey Kong Country Returns, and trying to take it easy. We’re in for a rough couple of weeks at work, and I’m trying to get as prepared as I can. I know that tomorrow is going to be long, and possibly Tuesday, and Wednesday or Thursday for sure. And of course, Friday always sucks. But I am not going in this Saturday. Nope. I have a dental appointment.

Hmm, maybe work would be more enjoyable.

I’ve really got to start taking back some parts of my life. Like yoga, for instance. I think it’ll be easier once the weather breaks for good. Cause in the winter, once I’m home, the last thing I want to do is go back out in the cold to get to class. Also, I’ve just activated my Groupon, so I have four more classes I have to take. And I am so glad I went today, because they cleaned out the mats and if I’d have waited too long, mine could have been donated. See, it wasn’t the mat so much that I was worried about. It was the $70 Yogitoes towel rolled up with it I’d have been upset about losing. But it’s home with me now, so it’s all good. At any rate, my body missed yoga. So did my spirit. I need it and I can’t let life get in the way of it again.

*yawn*

Oh well. Time for bed. The weekend goes even faster when half of it has been taken away.

Good night.

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General Life Update

13 February 2011 / aidan, body and soul, books, life, Uncategorized, weekend, work, yoga

You know what makes me sad? How QUICKLY weekends fly by. At least I got the full two days this time around, though. Last weekend, I worked on Saturday from 10am-5pm. It’s hard enough to work on a Saturday, but to do it for seven hours made it even harder. I’m really glad I get overtime, and it was kind of nice to be in the proofreader’s area by myself. I could sing all I wanted without worrying about anyone hearing me and subsequently running from the building with bleeding ears. Friday, I worked from 9am-930pm. My brain was officially fried by the time I got home that night.

I won the book Slice of Cherry (and other cool stuff) from Dia Reeves. And I held off on reading it forever, partially because I knew it would be out there and I wanted to be in the right frame of mind to read it. Partially because I knew I’d enjoy it and sometimes I like to make myself really wait until I dive into something I know I’ll like. Cause the anticipation can be as much fun as the actual activity, right?

I started reading it today, and I’m almost done. Folks, this is not a small book. It’s 500 pages. And I have 52 pages left. I will finish it tonight. I am enjoying it highly. HIGHLY. Dia is an ace author, and I love her snarkiness. She is seriously talented. And kinda twisted. In a good way. Add her to my list of authors who inspire me muchly.

I am so eager for spring, especially the part of spring where the rain and grey and 50F days stop and the sun shines and the trees are blossoming and flowers are everywhere. I am so eager for that. In Chicago, I’m typically wearing my pea coat all through April and most of May. The weather usually doesn’t get warm enough for short sleeves (at least for me–I run cold) until early or mid June.

The temperature when I left work Thursday morning was -5F. Right now? It’s 43F. Hard to believe that what I thought was so cold just a couple months ago seems like a HEATWAVE now. The sun’s been out, and the snow’s been melting like crazy. The Bobcats have been everywhere cleaning up the slushy stuff from the streets. Maybe I’ll be able to actually cross the bridge without walking in the street tomorrow morning!

For some reason, ever since I updated WordPress, some of my Flickr pictures are not showing up on my posts. I don’t know if this is a Flickr thing or a WP thing, but I do know that it is annoying me. (update: Someone else posted the same thing on the Flickr Help forums. It’s a Flickr thing.)

In other random news, I’ve been relaxer-free for almost two years now. That’s the longest I’ve gone without a relaxer since I was 12 years old. I’ve straightened my hair a couple times since then (blow out and flat iron), mostly to see the length, but also to make it so I can smash it under a hat in this cold weather. Funnily enough, I’ll see a picture of me with the straight, long hair and feel prettier, although there are times I’ll look at a picture with my curls and think HOLY CRAP, MY HAIR IS COOL! I guess I’m still not done transitioning.

Still adjusting to life as a (often more than) full-time office worker again. I miss midday yoga so badly. A couple weeks ago, I tried a restorative candlelight class and absolutely loved it. I haven’t been back though because it’s Sunday nights from 7:30-9pm. Usually around that time, I’m bathing and reading and winding down for the night. Seems like a good time to do the yoga right? Except it would be better if I didn’t have to go out to do it. We’ll see how it is in the summer, though. I think it’ll be much easier for me to deal with the late evening classes. My body misses yoga. Very much. I feel like I need to take a vigorous class just to get my chakras all back in balance. Then a restorative class to recover!

One thing I need for sure (in addition to yoga) is a massage. I have vouchers for THREE of them. I think I will schedule one for this week. 6:30p.m. Wednesday. The place is a hop, skip, and jump away from my office. I can leave work and go straight to an hour of bliss.

And then Thursday, I am taking 1/2 day off work because Aidan’s flying in! 😀 Did I mention that he texts now? Today, he got ahold of his dad’s phone and we texted back and forth. It was so cute. Can you imagine any of us texting at age 8? Technology is crazy. Aidan’s never known a world without cell phones. Or iPods. Or CDs. Or computers, DVD Players, cable TV.

Gah, I cannot wait to see him!!!

I’m seriously considering buying a new DSLR. I am looking at the Canon Rebel XS. I don’t need any of the super, duper fancy $2000 ones. It’s just that my current one was acting buggy when we were at Disney, and there are some dust particles in it that I have to Photoshop out of every picture that has blue sky in the background. I don’t want to go out on me when I am taking pictures of something important. Also, the difference between my Canon pix and the point and shoot pix are off the charts. I would miss not having a DSLR. I’ve had my XT for nearly four years now. It’s gone with me on many, many trips. It has served me well.

My book to buy list is a mile long. And I was toying with the idea of buying a The North Face coat. Maybe next winter, though. I have also had it in the back of my mind to get Amazon Prime again, but I can’t bring myself to spend the money just yet. I haven’t shopped much at all since Disney World, to be honest. Groceries is where the bulk of my expenditure has been going, and even that’s notout of control. Oh yea, I did need a new tire right before that big blizzard hit. But as far as leisure spending? Not so much lately. I feel awfully disciplined. And also goal-minded. That camera isn’t going to buy itself, you know?

I should get to bed. As usual, those last precious hours every Sunday night speed by. Time for a long work week ahead–but I possibly have a massage to look forward to Wednesday evening, and I DEFINITELY have Aidan to look forward to this weekend. Not to mention temperatures that are not sucktastically cold!

So, with that said… good night all! 🙂

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