ronni

Up All Night, Sleep All Day (YEAH!)

/ books, ronni

It really doesn’t take much for me to get into night owl mode. Here I am, at nearly 4am, wide awake and trying to decide what to do other than toss and turn. I even wrote in my paper journal HELLO. I didn’t quite finish the entry yet, but I will once I’m done here.

I do know that tomorrow (I guess that is actually today!), I need to make a grocery list, straighten up the living space (heehee, I said “space”), and possibly hit the library. I finished the books I took out last week, and I have a hold to pick up. Out of the five books I read, COPPER SUN by Sharon M. Draper is the one that absolutely blew me away. And guess what? I get to meet her next month at the same breakfast that I get to meet Meg Cabot. Squeee! So, I plan to hit the library and take out EVERY BOOK by Sharon M. Draper and DEVOUR them (and I am not returning Copper Sun just yet; I am reluctant to let that one go now). I also read Rumors, Lost Summer, How To Be Bad, and Bloom. There’s nothing like being all comfy and curled up with a good book.

I’m going to attempt to sleep now. In the middle of the night like normal people. You know, I always felt like I’d adjust better on the other side of the world. Except I’d probably flip flop over there too, and STILL be up all night.

Ah well. Here ends this entry of nonsense and blather. Good night. Er… morning.

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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Workin’ It Out

/ body and soul, life, ronni

Today was the first time I turned on the Wii Fit in 56 days. And I know this because the Wii Fit makes sure to let me know exactly how it’s been since I’ve used the thing.

The first thing I did was the body test, and I was very happy to find that I’d lost 2.2 pounds, and that my Wii Fit age is 25. I apparently have very good balance, also.

I wonder if working out with We Cheer before popping in the Wii Fit helped. I played that before Wii Fit, and We Cheer is HARD. I’m having a hard time beating the one-star easy levels in the championship! I am not sure if it’s me or if it’s a lag in the system. I know for SURE there is a disconnect between the board and the Wii Fit when I do the advanced step aerobics. I also know that I was never a cheerleader, so it’s probably me. Well, whatever. I beat all my high scores tonight, and I worked out for a total of 90 minutes.

Yesterday, our enormous pile of laundry roared at Adam and told him to do something about it OR ELSE. So he lugged it all to the 24 Hour Coin laundry place on Elston and decided to do the laundry drop off service. It really was a LARGE amount of laundry. A few pieces were from BEFORE I moved here last year. Anyway, he dropped it off yesterday afternoon, and today, went to pick it up. It was all folded or on hangers, and wrapped in nice bags, and all fresh and clean and fluffy and soft and pressed and it smelled so yummy. It’s incredible. So now, for the first time since I’ve lived in Chicago, we are caught up on laundry! YAY. I said that when I am working, we’re going to do that ALL the time. It certainly beats dealing with the cruddy laundry room in the courtyard. Ick.

We’ve been cleaning. That’s the thing about becoming an HGTV addict. Yes, I have become ADDICTED to HGTV. I’m saying things like “eating space.” Just kidding. Sort of. Anyway, our place was getting seriously cluttered. But now, all of the rooms are clean except the guest room, which is a HOT mess. THAT room will be a team project, so one day soon Adam and I will tackle it together. There is no way I can do that room by myself. I want it to look more like a bedroom and less like a tornado moved in and set up a homestead. Adam actually put our place on Rate My Space. He says we’re getting bad reviews. HA. Well, our tastes aren’t exactly in line with theirs anyway, and we have too much stuff to ever be able to make this place as clutter-free and full of clean lines like they like. Our place has PERSONALITY. Yes, that’s it. Personality. ;) And it’s clean. YAY clean.

All right, then. I’m thirsty and hungry. Also in need of bathing. I should go take care of those shortly. ‘Til next time. :)

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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Back To Life, Back To Reality (Picture)

/ books, living in chicago, pictures, ronni

Coming back to Chicago and to temperatures that didn’t get above 0 degrees Fahrenheit was quite a shock to the system. One day, the HIGH was -16 or something ridiculous like that. Hello, is this MINNESOTA? Ugh. I HATE winter, I HATE the cold, I HATE the snow, and I cannot wait for the temperatures to warm up. Unfortunately, Chicago likes to hold on to the cold as long as possible, so I know it won’t be tank top weather until mid-June at the earliest. Depressing.

Now that I am out of the holiday haze and the kicking off my year in Disneyland phase, I’m settling into “real life” phase. Not all that willingly, mind you. I’m back to job hunting; sending out resumes like they’re going out of style and hearing nothing, learning of yet ANOTHER friend losing his or her job (I know more people out of work than with jobs now), freezing to death, mounting piles of laundry and wondering how I’m going to get my car out so I can DO laundry at a decent laundry place and not the icky laundry room in the courtyard, the looming emissions test and IL registration and city sticker acquisition for my car, cleaning the apartment, the possibility that the furnace is dysfunctional in the apartment (it’s rarely a comfortable room temperature; it’s usually blowing out acrid heat or blowing out semi lukewarm air), hoping what I have saved is enough to pay my bills until I have a steady income again, praying I don’t owe on taxes this year (a refund would be VERY helpful), and taking care of our cats plus Jonathon’s cats, who are still with us for the time being. I got to learn again what it’s like to have a cat choose me. Charlie barely gives Adam the time of day, but she always wants to follow me around and cuddle with me, and she purrs and purrs and purrs when I pet her. The last cat to choose me like that was Little Lucy.

It sounds a lot worse than it really is–you know how I start freaking out and worrying in the middle of the night (as evidenced by the time stamp of this post)–but I do think I am worrying about some valid things, right?

On the flip side, I’ve been lucky enough to catch up with a lot of OLD friends on Facebook. People from junior high who I NEVER thought I’d hear from again. Some of us have been posting old, embarrassing pictures which is too funny. Who needs classmates.com when you have Facebook?

Speaking of embarrassing pictures:

Liek OMG
I was about 21 here, and I LOVED the movie Clueless. I wish I still had those shoes and socks. Knee socks are very helpful in -16 weather.

I’ve been reading like crazy. I’m back to keeping my book list on Google Docs. I fell off board with it last year in the middle of the move and reading a lot of OLD OLD books that I’d read when I was younger. But I’m back on it again. I’ve already read 11 new books this year, and I started my 12th 90 minutes ago. I’m a book addict. I’m also a House Hunters (and other assorted HGTV shows) addict. I’d better get my fix in now, though, because Adam and I are trying to figure out how to cut costs, and cable is on the short list of things to go. I’ve lived without cable plenty of times, so I know I’ll be OK, even though I know that Oxygen shows ANTM marathons every Sunday now. I just hope Adam will be OK.

Next month, I get to meet Meg Cabot! Adam was invited to Anderson’s 7th Annual Children’s Literature Breakfast (I got to attend #5 in 2007 and LOVED it), and he got me a ticket so I could see Meg! I’m so excited, and I don’t care HOW long the line is, I’m going to try to talk to her and get a picture with her. MEG CABOT, you guys! Oh yes. The author fangirl in me is alive and well. She is SUCH an inspiration. I ♥ her. :) And maybe one day, they’ll be inviting ME to speak at one of their breakfasts.

That’s all for now. I can’t sleep, so I guess I’ll go and try to read some more. Or I’ll take a Tylenol PM (if I can find the things) and hope for the best . ‘Til next time…

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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Closer To Myself

/ christmas, life, ronni

Last week, I was in some sort of unshakeable funk that I really couldn’t explain. I just felt blah, angry, irritable, and all sorts of icky things. Even getting my new Enya CD couldn’t cheer me up, much. I felt like I did before, too tired to try to be happy. And I didn’t like it.

Saturday, I started feeling more normal, and today, I almost completely like myself. It’s nice to go to work smiling in the morning. It’s nice to be able to say “good morning” and mean it to the people around me. It’s nice to feel hopeful and optimistic again. I supposed I’d better enjoy it now, because once I’m back out in the job market, I know those two feelings will be very rare.

I think my change in attitude had to do with my getting LOTS and LOTS of sleep last night. Even Adam said “It’s to early to go to b- Zzzzzzz.”

Still working a lot. Stayed late today, and worked 6 days last week. I also had some project work for Loyola which I did yesterday, so I essentially worked 7 days. I don’t mind, though. I like the work and the money is nice.

Saturday, I did some Christmas shopping at Target and online. Today, I looked at stuff for Adam online and then figured that I could TOTALLY save on shipping costs because the same things were probably in the stores for the same deals. And I was right, they were. And I didn’t have to wait for them. So now I’m almost all done with Adam. I feel like I should get a few more things for little Aidan. Haven’t started for some people, but I have ideas already. And there are a couple of people who I’m just kinda confounded about. But it’ll come together, it always does.

I’m really excited about this Christmas because it’ll be my and Adam’s first Christmas as a married couple. :) Well, he’s Jewish, and I’m such a Christmas-head that it’s hard to remember that some of all the time. Fortunately, he’s very indulgent and he lets me be all Christmas-goofylike anyway. :)

Christmas time really is my favorite of the year. There is just something about seeing all the pretty decorations, the windows, hearing the music, and giving to people I love most, and seeing them and eating with them and spending time with them. YAY Christmastime.

And on that note OWE EMM GEEE CAN YOU FREAKING BELIEVE THAT THANKSGIVING IS FREAKING NEXT WEEK? Even though the temperatures are in the 30s here and I’m seeing flurries and even dustings of snow on my car, I still can’t believe it.

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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