all I can do

Hey!

Hey you!

Yeah, you, on the other side of the cube wall!

I have a message for you:
14 oz. of lotion? Is. NOT. the same. as. bathing.


(apparently breathing at work has become an amenity.)

*pop!*

When I was home for Easter, I spent quite a bit of time with my beautiful nieces. One night while we were hanging out at Matt & Amy's, the girls had their first taste of suckers. In honor of the momentous occasion, Matt found the song Lollipop online, which the girls absolutely loved, as evidenced by Chloe's rendition below:

i can watch a sunset

Friday night before last I decided to go run around downtown Chicago for a bit. I've missed non-subzero temperatures, so I've been taking advantage of the decent weather as much as the semi-constant rain will allow. Anyway, I ended up spending a good amount of time sitting by Buckingham Fountain, which I hadn't actually ever seen before when it was warm enough to be running. It was beautiful, and a perfect place to catch up on some journaling and such.





(I'm still learning how to use the settings on my camera, so hopefully the quality of such photos will improve in the near future.)

I've also been trying to take advantage of the nearby state park on a more regular basis now that it's warmer. There are some great secluded spots by the lake that are perfect for some nice afternoon reading with the poochie.






There really wasn't much point to this post. So, um... Thanks for reading anyway?

all out of language

Here’s the deal. I know I haven’t been blogging at all lately. I have a lot of blogs in my head, though, so one day you’re going to come here and there will be a whole bunch of new ones or something. Or maybe I’ll just never get motivated and they’ll all stay in my head. Either way. But consider yourself warned, in case I ever do find my muse.

Things I’ve been reading lately… Not enough? On my last two drives to Kentucky, which were timed fairly close together, I started an audiobook that was actually very good, but that I only made it about two-thirds of the way through. Sometimes, when I’m driving for long stretches, listening to someone’s voice reading a story makes me sleepy and I have turn on noisy, fast music that I can sing really loud to in order to keep myself awake. But anyway, one day I’ll actually finish it, whether via the audiobook or the actual book, which is Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris. She’s a fantastic writer, and I already have another of her books in the backseat of my car that I’ll probably forget to read before it’s due back at the library.

Another book I’ve read fairly recently is The Darkest Child – I forget who the author is. (Dorothy something? I’d look it up, but I kinda just don’t want to.) I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this book, although it’s kind of hard to use a word like “enjoy” for a book that’s so dark and disturbing on so many levels. I read a lot of reviews by people who talked about how much they hated Tangy Mae’s mother, because she was such a horrible person, but I mostly just felt sorry for her, I think. People who would treat their children the way she did in the book have severe mental issues, and it’s mostly a shame that there weren’t people in their part of the world/level of society that could recognize how much help she needed. I thought this book explored very well the truth that love and hate are not necessarily opposites – Tangy Mae, as well as the other children, both very deeply loved and hated their mother, both for good reason. The perspective that the author used to tell the story from Tangy’s eyes was very effective and insightful. As long as you can handle the darker parts of the story, I would recommend this book.

I also recently read Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. But if you want to read my review of that one, you’ll have to check out my goodreads, mostly because I don’t want to type it all out again. I started reading Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, but I’m already beginning to get bored with it, which isn’t a good sign. I’ll let you know if I actually make it through or not. I’ve also read a bit of pointless chicklit, but to avoid Coral’s positively encouraging comments about those, I won’t go into detail.

it's only finger-lengths that I see

Last weekend, I managed to sneak home for a long weekend to meet and hang out with the new nieces. We had a ton of fun!

Playing with Play-Doh (yes, I look completely insane. I know.)

Essie, making monkey faces in the car. One of my favorite pics from the weekend.

Chloe is apparently following in the musical footsteps of the fam

Essie is all about the hat!

Getting some lovin' from Mommy

We had a fantastic time. My only complaint was that the weekend was so short! Even so, I also managed to make a super-quick trip to Knoxville to see Sonya and her new little one:

Sonya & Daniel Isaac

where the deer and the rattlesnake play

I'm off to the homeland, back to the beautiful bluegrass state to meet the most beautiful little girls in the universe. And also a pretty darn cute little newborn boy, too. In my excitement, I'm wishing for copless roads and a wonderful weekend for you all. Cheers!

I scare children. Apparently.

Since yesterday evening was such a nice evening to be outside, I took my *project* outside with me for awhile and sat in the yard and let the poochie play for a bit. The two most adorable neighbor kids in the world live next to me, and for awhile they were in their back yard as well, with another kid from somewhere on the block. Betwixt the random screams of "Look, BIRD POOP!" and the sound of young children sliding off the roof of their little playhouse, I suddenly heard the neighbor girl, the eldest of the three, explaining to their friend as they all peeped through the fence: "That's little Cheetoh! It's just a little puppy. Here, Cheetoh! Come here!" Chico sniffed their fingers for about two seconds before sauntering away in his aloof little way. They stared through the chain-link fence for about two more seconds, then went back to sliding off the roof.

These kids are both fascinated with and terrified by me, although I can't really figure out why for either. Any time I'm outside and they're somewhere nearby, they grin shyly at me until I make eye contact with them and smile - then they run away and hide behind something. The next second they think I'm not looking, they creep back up and stare at me, watching very intently whatever I'm doing, whether it be working in the flower beds or mowing or reading a book in the sun. Or crocheting, apparently. Part of this I'm sure has to do with their age - I would guess the boy to be about 3-4ish, the girl maybe 5-6. Sometimes the girl, in her little blond pigtails, manages to offer up a quick wave before getting embarrassed. Last night was the first time I've really seen them since the brutal winter, so maybe sometime soon I'll be able to draw them out of their shells a little without scaring them (or their parents, of whom I've met only their mom, once, for a 5-minute conversation).

Any ideas how to pull this off?

(You know, other than dressing up in a dinosaur suit and singing children's songs.)
(Although I'm pretty sure that would REALLY scare their parents.)
(And me.)

wait for me, it won't be long

They're coming home, TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's all.



...I'll see you at home.

oh, deerie me

My friend, Chef Ryan, is now AWARD-WINNING Chef Ryan. You can check out the deets here. There's even a picture of him and everything! (#5) And if you are ever ever ever in the area, you should visit the restaurant where he's head chef. Because his food is AWESOME. And you will eat until you almost die from eating.

Congrats, my friend.

there's just one thing that's getting in the way

I know, I know, I disappeared again. I won't regale you with stories of computer issues and crazy work schedules, because I'm sure no one really cares about all that anyway. I'm here now.

So I'm pretty sure most of you who read this already know about what's going on with my family, but I'll say it anyway... My brother and his wife are right now in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, getting ready to bring my two new beautiful nieces home!! Here's one pic - if you want to see more, you can go to their blog (or my facebook):

I'm working on a craft project for the girls, but I won't post it here until it's done and the gift has been given. Although I have to give mad props to Andrea for sending me on the right path to find the pattern, which is pretty much just awesome. Since I've spent a lot of time crocheting like mad, I haven't had much time to read lately. For some reason it's taking me forever to get through Jesse Stuart's Taps for Private Tussie, probably b/c I don't pic up the book very often with everything else going on. I'm also reading Voyage of the Dawn Treader on the side, but I'm sure you can imagine how that's going as well. I mostly picked it up b/c it was something easy to throw in my purse on my way to the dentist's office to get my root canal. Yes, boys and girls, while the last month has been relatively uneventful for me personally, the eventful things have been not so much on the fun side of things.

Overall, I'm mostly thrilled that we got out of the crazy cold month of January. Friday night was actually pretty warm, so I decided at the last minute to go run around downtown for a bit. I bought some adorable fleece sweatshirts for the girls at the Disney store, had a bird poop in my eye, got hit on by a homeless guy, and crocheted for 2+ hours on the train. It was a pretty productive trip.

Okay, that's all for now. Maybe I'll be better and post again soonish?! Here's hoping.

then later on, on the drive home

You know what's not a great way to start the week? (yes, I'm behind in my blogging again)
Spilling coffee on your sweater, first thing in the morning.
You know what's an even worse way to start the week?
Poking yourself in the boob for 5 minutes with a tide-to-go stick.

While we're on the subject of ways to start the week, some of the McDonald's up here (albeit not the convenient, on-the-way-to-work one) have "free latte Mondays" or something like that, where they give free 8 oz lattes on Monday to encourage people to try their new McCafé line. I've had the mocha before, which ain't no Starbucks, but isn't too bad for cheapish espresso. So on Monday I decided I was going to go for the free latte, and actually get a true latte this time for something different. Following is my review of the experience.

First of all, I didn't really think about how small an 8 oz cup would be. I felt like I was drinking espresso from a sippy cup. Which, other than reminding me of a Charlie Waffles song, was not too impressive. But how did it actually taste, you ask? My first impression: This is what it would taste like to drink Lucky Charms.

In a nutshell? If you like to drink coffee-tinted sugary children's cereal out of a baby bottle, you should definitely try it.

(I actually did like it, it was just... different.....)

Hello, my name is _____, and I'm a teaholic.

I think I might have a slight drinking problem.

For some reason I have been craving unbelievable amounts of liquid this week. Maybe it's because I can't chew gum until I figure out why pieces of my teeth keep falling out? I don't know. But it's reached the point of the ridiculous.

I got tired of spending way too much money buying drinks at work, so when I was at Walgreen’s a really cool store the other night, I bought 2 gallon jugs of Arizona green tea. I took one to work with me the next day. Thursday. By the time I left work last night (Friday!), it was empty. Somehow, in two work days, I managed to drink an entire gallon of tea. And even more shameful? That's not counting the 32 oz. of diet crap from Taco Bell, also consumed during work hours.

If anybody needs me, I'll probably be in the LGR.

how ugly are thy branches

My Christmas tree is anorexic.




(Yes, my tree is still up. Whoever can guess what that little box is lying under the tree behind the slutty dog bed gets a prize. I don't know what, but I'm sure I'll think of something appropriate when(if!) the time comes.)

(The dog bed is slutty because its clothes are coming off. I've enrolled it in a 3-step program. Also known as "the washing machine.")

However, I'm mostly just happy my Christmas tree still has all its pieces and whatnot. I bought the thing at wally world my first Christmas in my first apartment. I think. If not then, definitely at the town house. But I'm pretty sure it resided at the mansion, in front of the window that our dear friend "rapist cop" parked next to. Anyhoo, I got it for about $15, the thought process being, This is my first apartment, so it deserves some cheap little tree, I'll get a better one next year once this one falls apart. But, strangely enough, this one has managed to hold itself together through 5 whole Christmases. It still has all its little branches, although I have yet to get a decent tree skirt for it. It really is kinda skimpy and pitiful these days, but I have learned that if you put enough lights on it, any tree can look half-okay. And totally not ghetto at all. (Mostly.) Anyway, when I finally take it down sometime this weekend (or next week... or something... gotta keep a little bit of the War Creek in me alive!), the smart thing to do would be to just get rid of it. Then, next year I'll have to get a new one.

But I won't. I've kinda grown attached to the pitiful little thing. It's been with me through all 4 residences, this one twice, since I've been "on my own." Maybe next year I'll just buy a few new ornaments and let it go at that.

But I really need to get a tree skirt. Nobody likes to be naked in the middle of winter in Chicago.

you can catch me

In the last year, I have turned into quite the slacker-blogger. Maybe when I actually take the time to sit down and write a few New Year's Resolutions, changing that will be one of them. Knowing my penchant for all things procrastination, however, the resolution-writing seems unlikely. But I am determined to do better with the blogging, though. I amaze myself every time I get upset when one of my favorite bloggers hasn't updated for a bit, when it's usually been a month since I have bothered to do the same. Really, I'm not quite so hypocritical about the rest of life.

In the meantime, I just got back on Sunday from a fabulous two weeks in Kentucky.



I got to see my family and some of my wonderful friends, whom I miss with my soul. We also got some discouraging news about the adoption (read more about that here, if you wish). We would all appreciate your prayers.

Sadly enough, the month of December was just crazy enough that I didn't get the chance to do a lot of reading. I don't even remember what I've read lately... pitiful. I do remember reading Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella... I personally didn't find it quite as good as Undomestic Goddess, but it was still some good chicklit. Over Thanksgiving, I read Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution by T.J. English. Even though family holiday times made the reading a bit slow, I still really enjoyed this book. And now I've become slightly obsessed with Cuban history. Seriously, so fascinating. I'm currently reading The Meaning of Night: A Confession by Michael Cox, but it's been slow reading for this one, too. I'm having a hard time getting my mind into books lately, for some reason. I also read a couple short Evanovich books - she never ceases to amuse. Um... I think that's it. I'm hoping that now that the Christmas craziness has passed, I'll have more time and mental energy to devour some new good books again.

Okay, it's late, and this post has rambled on enough. Have a great weekend, everybody.

I have nothing important to say

Again, it's been awhile. Not much has happened.

The overview:

• Grandma's for Thanksgiving.
• Sick on Thanksgiving.
• Nearly died shopping on the day after Thanksgiving.
• (Not really, but I almost wanted to for a minute there)
• Finally got remote garage door opener, which will hopefully eliminate the locking-myself-out-of-the-house problem. Also, the waking-up-to-find-the-garage-door-open-to-the-world problem.
• Working drains!
• First big snowstorm of the year - almost died on the way to church practice.
• Locked keys in the car on the way to breakfast with the ladies.
• Swing Choir.
• Put up the Christmas tree.
• Dropped a floor lamp on my face, busted my lip.
• Second big snowstorm of the year, almost ran out of gas.

Um, that's about it.

I know, I know, you wish you were me, what with my exciting life and all.

sun is in the sky

I voted today.

I think I was more excited about voting today than I ever have been. Maybe I'm just getting old, but somehow my ability to vote and make myself heard means more to me now than it ever has. I'm sure part of this has to do with the intense speculation and talk that have surrounded this election, but I'm also just as sure that the intense apathy that I've seen in J. has affected me just as much. I'm tired of hearing, "My vote isn't going to count anyway, because there is no way the person I want to vote for will win in this state, so why do it?" Never mind that people do actually pay attention to the margins by which a candidate wins, no matter that people have given their lives for your ability to walk into that booth, no matter that we will not allow you to complain at the lunch table or anywhere else when we're around about the future leader if you don't vote, it's not important, because it "doesn't count." I don't care who you vote for, vote for Mickey Mouse if you want, but vote. Because even if you vote for Mickey Mouse, you're making a statement about your belief that there wasn't anyone else on the ballot you felt was worth your vote, and that in and of itself means something.

This annoys me. I guess I have too much of RC1 in me… But when I walked into the Village Hall this morning, when I put my ballot into the box, I felt proud to be an American. And very, very thankful for the ability to vote for the candidate(s) of my choice. And I will proudly wear my sticker :)

That being said, voting in my village is an interesting experience. I must say I greatly enjoyed not having to wait in line for an hour and a half as I had to in some of my Lexington locations. Rather, there were 5 booths set up, and 3 of them were open the entire time I was in there. Which brings me to another point… I have been surprised at the lack of technology involved in the vote in this fair state. There are no voting machines, nothing of that sort. You're handed a paper ballet, a black marker, and pointed to a booth where you fill in the little bubble next to your chosen candidate. I felt like I was taking the ACT all over again. The other thing that bothered me just a tad was the lack of identification I was asked for. I walked up to the table, the lady asked my name, I told her what it was and how to spell it, I signed my name on the line in the book, and that was it. I realize I live in a small community where the majority of people know each other and their family histories, but I didn't know this woman from Eve, and I doubt she knew who I was either. Really, you don't even want to see my license? Anyone could have come in here and signed my name in some similar version to my actual signature, and could have taken my vote?! Interesting.

I voted today. :)

very very merry

Lately at work, I have been on the receiving end of jokes more than usual, and not for no good reason. At least that's what J. & M. think. J. calls me klutzy, and M. just laughs. A lot. At my expense.

Is all this ridicule warranted? You be the judge. In the last week, I have:

• Dropped my little stress-reliever-thingey over the half-wall into M.'s cube, maybe somewhere around 8-10 times? Or some such.
• At home before work one morning, I dropped the lid to my coffee cup, and my attempt to catch said lid (without falling) caused me to slosh hot coffee on my khakis, my sock, and my dog. (Fear not, it wasn't hot enough to burn him!)
• The other day, I was leaning over the half-wall again, with a cup of ice (and a bit of water) that I was getting ready to go fill up, and apparently I was holding mostly onto the lid, which collapsed, causing the cup to drop to the floor (with me holding just the lid). Of course, this spilled ice and water all over the floor in M.'s cube. (Which, of course, he appreciated very much.)
• Another day this week, after filling up my car before work, I went inside to grab some mini-muffins for breakfast. After my typically over-priced purchase, I walked back out to my car and tried to unlock it. I couldn't figure out why the key wouldn't fit into the door, until after about 10 seconds I realized it wasn't my car! I sheepishly started walking toward my own car, only to spot a guy who had just come out of the store giggling at me. (It should also be noted that other than the fact the car I tried to break into was the same color as my car, and was a 4-door, NOTHING about it was like my car. Which only makes it that much more embarrassing that it took me that long to figure it out.)
• I have a little bag (intended for some sort of first aid something-or-other) that is the perfect size in which to keep my at-work change and random dollar bills for quick trips to the cafeteria for snacks. The other day I had taken it with me downstairs at lunchtime, and had put it in the back pocket of my jeans (happy Friday!). Later that afternoon, I went to use the LGR, and in the process managed to very nearly drop the bag into the toilet. In fact, it bounced off the edge of the seat onto the tile behind.

These are just the stories I actually remember from the last week... I'm sure there are a couple others. (I'm sure I tripped several times over nothing at all and run into a wall at least once, per the usual.)

So you tell me, are M. &. J. justified in their snickerings at my lack of grace? (Or, better yet, should I just stop telling them when I do stupid stuff?!)

my fingertips are holding on...

Just in case you were really worried, I do get out occasionally:




This is Lake Michigan, just a tad north of Navy Pier. You probably can't see it very well, but my favorite part of this picture is the guy playing with his dog in the water. They were fun to watch :) This is the day I got lost trying to find my way to Lincoln Park Zoo, but I still managed to watch a great UK game.

A few books I've read lately:
Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. Very cute story, good chicklit.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Odd book, but it kept me interested.

In the Woods by Tana French. Not as good as The Likeness, and annoying lack of story resolution, but I love the way she writes. Good except for the annoying part.

Damsel Under Stress by Shanna Swendson. Probably not my favorite of the series, but still good chicklit. Light, fun, easy to read.

Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him by Patricia Marx. Funny, quick, easy read. Slightly disturbing, but is a perfect example of how we tend to rationalize things away.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. SUCH a good book! I loved it. I'd recommend it to just about anyone.

Last, but the opposite of the least, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Quite possibly the best novel I've read all year. It keeps you guessing the whole way through, is incredibly well-written, and to steal someone else's review, is "a book for book lovers." If you don't typically like books, this may not be the book for you, but for the rest of us it's fantastic. I'll leave you with the response to a question during an interview with the author, which has become one of my new favorite quotes:

"I know there are people who don't read fiction at all, and I find it hard to understand how they can bear to be in the same head all the time."

and not a drop to drink.

This is a picture of my kitchen sink, taken not long after I came home from work today:



Don't know how well you can see it, but there is about 2" of water in each side of the sink.

Um, I hadn't run water since this morning, when I rinsed out my coffee pot. The darker muck on the right side of the sink would be the coffee, after having been watered down all day.

Mind you, I don't even have a plug that fits in either side of my sink. I won't show you a photo of the dishes that are not-so-patiently waiting to be washed in my non-draining sink.

Time to call the landlord, eh?

(again.)

you've only got yourself to blame

1) Nice, big lunch of chinese food, thanks to ethnic-food-hating boss being out
2) Slightly warm in here, thanks to over-compensation for the cold outside
3) Not so good sleep lately, thanks to scratchy pooch
4) Not so much caffeine, thanks to not caring enough to make coffee this morning
= I canNOT for the life of me stay awake this afternoon.

I'm blaming my boss's absence for my lack of productivity :)