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Decorating Sense

We interrupt this blog for a test of the dorkilicious dorkity dork system.

This is only a test.

Teehee

One of the chores I hate the most is putting away my Christmas decorations. For one thing, it’s work, which sucks, but another thing, I’m packing away all my pretty things for another many months. See, I have a little secret.

I cannot decorate worth a damn.

No. Seriously. I really suck at it. Adam did most of the decorating that’s in our apartment. He did most of the painting, he hangs the art, he deals with the furniture. My contributions? Calendars and dolls, and my little corner with the desk. The only time I do halfway OK with decorating? Christmas. And that doesn’t get to stay up all year. It doesn’t matter that I play on Pinterest all the time, or that I am addicted to watching HGTV. I still have no decorating sense. Or class.

Just last night, I was watching a show on HGTV with my friend Jen. These rich people in Texas or somewhere–their entire first floor flooded while they were on vacation, so they called in this designer. Their tastes were definitely above mine. The leopard print carpet on the stairs? I totally would slide down that on my butt. The big horse statue/sculpture thingy? I’d climb on it and take a picture. I told Jen that if/when I ever became super, duper rich, my house would NOT look like that ’cause it’s just like me. I’d hope I wouldn’t be obvious “new money,” but that old, rich, dark stuff is not my favorite.


so not my style
[via]

Another thing I don’t get is people’s obsession with “outdated” this and that. I couldn’t care less if my appliances are stainless steel or not. If they’re functional (and the stove is gas), then I’m good to go. Granite countertops? Not necessary. I mean, yes, all that stuff is really pretty and it would be nice to have, but it’s not a deal breaker for me if I don’t have it. (And I don’t.)

When I watch those shows and I watch how picky people get over things, I kinda want to giggle. Adam and I have a pretty big apartment by Chicago’s standards, especially for what we’re paying. But it’s not *gigantic* or anything. It was hard for me to downsize, and we still struggle with storage space. I once lived in a 2300 square foot house, then I lived in a 450 square foot two bedroom apartment alone before moving here. I’m also a pack rat. Poor Adam. The sheer amount of STUFF that came with me overwhelmed him greatly. Poor guy. But we got it under control (sort of).

We don’t plan on moving for a while, but if we did, here are my must haves:

two bedrooms
two bathrooms
bathtub
air conditioning (this is more for Adam’s sake than my sake)
dishwasher
gas stove
storage
cat friendly
close to public transporation

Here are my “nice-to-haves”:

hardwood flooring
walk-in closets
basement
laundry
porch or stoop
close to downtown

And this list is my “it’d be cool if it was there but if not, I’ll be fine, and I’m certainly not going to pursue it” stuff:

stainless steel appliances
granite countertops
master bedroom that has its own bathroom
Jacuzzi soaking tub in that master bathroom
courtyard

So there you have it. I’d like to think I’m easy to please when it comes to living spaces, but I don’t know. I haven’t actually seriously looked for a place to live since 2006. And moving’s such a pain in the butt that I’m OK not looking for now. It’s when I watch endless House Hunters and House Hunters International marathons that I get like this, you know. Will I stop watching them? NOPE. THANK YOU.


this is more like it
[via]

And that was a random insight into my dorkiness. It really wasn’t a test. I just didn’t want you to panic.

You’re welcome.

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[Insert Clever Title Here]

I hadn’t planned on blogging today, but I’m sitting here and decided why the heck not? What else is there to do?

Oh yeah. CLEAN THE LIVING ROOM. Again. Because Adam and I clearly cannot keep this place clean for more than a couple weeks at a time. BUT. I will leave that until Sunday because Sunday is already going to be a super duper cleantastic day. Aidan will be here IN FOUR DAYS and his room is still a fall down mess. Sunday is do or die, man.

This is what I’ve been up to since Monday.

Two yoga classes. Tuesday’s class was more challenging because I hadn’t eaten anything before class (I woke up 12 minutes before class was to start! Good thing I live very close to my studio), and also because she had us do this pose I HATE, when you’re in plank but you pull your leg in toward your elbow and basically just hold it. Until I get stronger, I will hate that pose. Hate. Ironically, doing that pose will make me stronger. So guess what I get to do when I am done posting this?

Because quite frankly, I used to not be a big fan of Chaturanga Dandasana (think about being stuck halfway in a pushup) or Trikonasana (triangle) but I like them now because I am stronger. Although I almost changed my mind about triangle on Tuesday. Mia (my teacher) kept coming over and adjusting me, so I thought that I’d been doing it wrong. But then she said that she was picking on me; that I looked great but she wanted to push me to the next level. 😀

Finished my bathroom makeover. I actually didn’t realize I was making over the bathroom, but I did. New shower curtain liner, new hooks (instead of those annoying rings), new rug, and new trash can. It looks pretty spiffy in there!

More Christmas shopping. Yup. Amazon.com, Big Lots, Anderson’s Bookshop, Disney Store, and Meijer, I salute you for your fine selections. AND I got to visit my favorite hippie shop as well. Lots of new incense to try! Oh, and I finally got a plush tree skirt. I’d been wanting one for years, but they’re always too expensive. NOT IF YOU GO TO BIG LOTS. I got one for $10. I mean, it might fall apart after a couple years, but still. I have a plush tree skirt!!

Read two new books. One was called Giving Up the V. The book was OK and everything (the first chapter rocked my socks off, for realz, yo), but I could not get past the HUGE continuity errors in one of the chapters. The errors were within pages of each other, so it was a big miss. I know books go out with typos all the time–there’s just too much to catch and not enough time to catch it all. But these errors were BAD.

Visited the library. Checked out ten books. Think I can have them all read by December 7? I’ve already finished two and I’ve already dug into the third.

I’m really glad I look young. (I knew I’d be happy about that someday!) When I visit the teen space at the library, I don’t get a lot of crazy looks because I like YA novels. I still hate that the books are locked down at this particular library but they get the newest ones the fastest and they have the biggest selection in the city, I believe.

Attended the 90 Second Newbury Film Festival. This would have been easier to sit through if the person behind me had washed sometime in the past week. Strong sense of smell + a stranger’s B.O. = very unhappy Ronni.

Got my coat! It’s 80% down and so pretty! YAY!

Saw my friend Jen. I have a few friends named Jen. This particular Jen, I hadn’t seen in probably a year if not more. It’s a shame. We all live in this city, but busy schedules and traffic and long commutes make it hard for my friends and me to get together. Sad.

Officially broke out the Christmas music! Oh yeah, baby! And it was Adam’s idea! Considering he views Christmas with a *very* cynical eye (which kinda breaks my heart b/c Christmas is my favorite, man), I was really shocked. We listened to it in the car on the way to hit the ‘burbs for shopping today. I was happy. I don’t think he was.

Wondered why the fresh hell my neighbor wants to blast music with a lot of fast, angry sounding guitars at 9:00am. I understand it’s his “getting ready” music, but does it have to play over my head when I’m trying to sleep in? At least it only plays for 15 minutes or so. I should probably be getting out of bed then anyway, regardless of if I stayed up til 2am or later (which I most likely did).

Wondered what to do about my cat’s halitosis. I already got a solution to his stinky fur, and that was dump baking soda on him while he was sleeping and rub it in (pretending to pet him). So his body doesn’t stink, but his breath is kickin’. And seeing as he washes his body with that breath, it’s a matter of time before he stinks again. And I can always tell when he’s bathing because I can smell it.

He’s such a handsome bugger, too. He doesn’t look like he should stink so much, does he?

Crookshanks Photo Shoot

Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you?
Smelly cat, smelly cat, it’s not your fault.

Started putting together my own yoga practice. I know right? What, you thought I was doing that all along? Pshaw. I should have been doing it all along–but I always liked guided practices with a teacher and sage and adjustments. Or a DVD at the very least. Heck, even a YouTube video–something to help a sister out. But now I finally feel comfortable enough to put together my own practice! And Suzanne Sterling’s music (along with some other lovely musicians) will help me do so. Now If I could just get the cat to stop sitting under me when I’m in Adho Mukha Svanasana (that’s downward facing dog for you non yoginis)….

So there you have it. A quick recap. It looks like I haven’t done all that much, but IT FEELS LIKE IT.

This weekend, well, you already know one of the things that needs to get done.

Clean Aidan’s room. God help us all.

Clean the living room. Cause, as I said, Adam and I can’t keep it straight for anything. And I want it to look nice. At least for a few hours. Or minutes. Whatever.

Christmas shopping. We’re celebrating “Thanksmas” with Adam’s family next Friday. Thanksmas is a combination of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Adam’s mom does that when we can ALL be there for Thanksgiving, which isn’t often (plus Aidan will be with us–a first–and my first time having/seeing Aidan on Thanksgiving in five years) and we need to finish shopping for them STAT. Got most of it done today, will finish up tomorrow. YAY shopping. Maybe I’ll try to finish all my shopping tomorrow. And anything extra I get for people? That’ll just be extras/stocking stuffers. Yay.
I know what you’re thinking. Stop that laughing!

My iProcrastinate also tells me that I need to make my Christmas 2011 playlist (I listened to my 2010 playlist today), use two of my Groupons, and submit a time sheet by Sunday. Let’s see how many of those things get done. :p

Have a good weekend!

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A Glimpse Into My Life (Pictures)

Snyder’s Honey BBQ chips
Snyder's Honey BBQ Chips
I can’t get these chips in Chicago,
but Snyder is nice enough to allow people to order them online.
I ordered a case of 72 bags.

Cursive Writing
Aidan Writes Cursive
Aidan is learning cursive.
As a Zaner-Bloser certified handwriting instructor,
this does my heart good.

Super Mario Aidan
Aidan as Mario
Aidan is obsessed with Super Mario.
This costume suits him well.

My Desk
My Desk
Not gonna lie, most of the time I chill out on the couch with my laptop,
but this week, I decided to work at my desk.
It’s nice to change it up every once in a while.

Spectra Vondergeist
Spectra
Spectra is one of the newer Monster High dolls.
She is the daughter of ghosts.
I love her style.

Frankie Stein
Frankie Stein
Frankie Stein is my favorite Monster High doll.
I have every one ever made of her so far.

Incense
Incense
I burn incense constantly.
My favorite is Nag Champa.

Life is good.

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April Showers and Stuff

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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Good Things About Winter

This is hard for me to do, because anyone who has read this blog for any amount of time knows that I *HATE* winter. HATE. There is a nice spot reserved for me to the left because I hate winter so much. I hope the left is warm and sunny.

To help me through these last few weeks of winter, I decided to try to devise a list of ten good things about winter.

1. The neighbors in the back don’t go outside to smoke and talk every 20 minutes all through the night, therefore keeping me up and making me cranky and tired.
2. The neighbors next door don’t leave their dog outside to bark for hours every evening.
3. No mosquitoes, flies, or other assorted icky/annoying flying things.
4. Smaller likelihood of thunderstorms.
5. Aidan’s birthday and Christmas.
6. …

So wow. I could only think of five. Well, that’s something, right? 😮

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