The ultimate delurk

My friendship with Lakeline got me into the world of blogging and I have been reading blogs for more than a year now.  I rarely commented, and was just content reading about the going ons in others lives.  Like I said in my first post, I have been thinking about starting my own blog for quite awhile, but I had never taken the step to create it.  I think this was mostly because I was afraid.  Afraid I would not know what to write about, afraid people would not care, afraid people would not read it.  Well thanks to the month of blogging I got one started.  It is actually not as hard as I thought, although my goal is to make my posts more thought-out and insightful following the general trend I am trying to take my life these days.  I will admit that without the commitment of the month of blogging I don’t know if I would have stuck with it or have gotten so into it.  Granted after November is over I may not post everyday, but it is definitely something I want to keep doing. 

Totally Different Topic

M is having surgery on her arm tomorrow … drop by and give her some thoughts of quick recovery.

Lakeline’s father broke his back in earlier this week is having surgery tomorrow … drop by and give her some love and support.

Babysitting in Nordstroms

So last Friday Lakeline had a haircut appointment and needed someone to watch her precious daughter…. Well M and I decided to take a LOOOOONG lunch and take on the task of watching Dorrie for a few hours.  Dorrie was GREAT!  She just looked around while we shopped a little.. then fell asleep on M’s lap in the shoe department.  I have babysat quite a bit in my life, but this experience in a public place was quite different.  For one Dorrie is so cute and got quite a few comments.  And then there was the comment that she was not M or my baby…. Also just the logistics.  – The two of us maneuvering around with Dorrie and the diaper bag (and no stroller – cause I have heard that Dorrie hates the stroller with a passion) was quite comical – It took both of us.   Props to all you moms out there – YOU ROCK!   All in all this was a great experience cause not only did we get to hang out with Dorrie…. but also with her mom after the awesome hair cut!  I would gladly take a few hours off of work in the office for another one of these days!

To be a better person

A conversation I had today was a wake up call to me that if I don’t start making some changes in my life I am going to end up in a place I do not want to be.  This is going to be pretty rough for me, but I am going to commit myself to making these changes.  I need to, because I want to, because I need to.

Handmade Products Anyone?

If you live in Chicago (or are planning to be here this weekend) and you like handmade items, you HAVE to check out the DIY Trunk Show on Saturday.  It is a great collection of artists whose goods range from cards to soap to jewelry to pottery to clothing to… almost anything you could imagine.  I went two years ago when I first found out about it and it was awesome.  I was unable to go last year because I was out of town, but I plan to drag my husband and maybe some other friends along on Saturday.

On the same page or not even in the same book?

Sometimes my husband and I can have essentially the exact same thoughts, ideas, or actions.  It is actually kinda freaky sometimes.  I will come home from work and we will be talking about something that is going on in our life and we will have done an Internet search on the same thing…. or have the same idea about how to do something.  Granted, some of it makes sense, as we do live together and spend a good majority of our time together… but sometimes it is just really odd. 

And then there are the times when we are thinking or understanding two totally different things.  These times can be very frustrating and trying for both of us.  We both have the belief that the other person is smart enough to figure out what we are talking about, and don’t always put as much as we should into effectively communicating our thoughts.   These are great learning experiences as we can work to better understand how and what the other person is thinking.  And it gives us an opportunity to work through our differences so that at least we are both in the same chapter.

Angry World

Why is the world so angry and ready to thrust this anger on other people or blame other people, things, or events for their anger.  We are all guilty of feelings of unnecessary anger.  That time when you yell at the other driver for no reason, or you let your frustration with something escalate to ugly anger directed at someone else.  Also, as soon as some directs anger towards you it is very hard to be the bigger person and not retaliate with anger (or to even let it go).  I witnessed this on the train on my way home from work.  If you are leaving a station that has an open ticket window and you choose (or are forced) to buy your ticket on the train from the conductor instead there is an additional $2 charge.  There was a guy on the train tonight who, had not had enough time to buy his ticket at the station because he had come into Union Station on another train that was late.  He then expected that he would not have to pay the extra $2, but the conductor informed him that it was the rules and he had to pay.  There were a few words exchanged between them during the transactions… and then BOTH of them continued to talk about to other people… the conductor as he moved on his way and the guy to the poor guy next to him.  These were anger driven and filled conversations.  Unfortunately, there is not a magic button that can be pushed to make everyone less angry.  Also, today was an example of something that could have been a lot worse… the guy could have refused to pay the extra money, and then the conductor would have HAD to do something about it (when in reality, he probably could just let the extra $2 go). 

On an opposite note, last week I was actually surprised at the kind attitude and words from a girl working at a coffee shop.  It is too bad that good attitudes like that is not the norm.

Just a little laugh

Today was pretty blah… not a lot good or bad happened.  I really do not like having those days, I feel all out of sorts.  For instance today, after about 10:00 AM, I was not comfortable in the outfit that I had on.  The outfit that had to last me until I got home around 7:00.  So that just created additional tension and blah feelings.  It was a typical ‘Monday’ at work – I know it was Tuesday, but since I was out yesterday all my Monday meetings were today.  I also had a very hard time focusing on one thing.  I would start something then without really getting anywhere, I would start a second, and then sometimes a third.  All this while, I would be going back and forth between the others.  It was very distracting and quite frustrating.

 

Then this afternoon, I fell out of my chair.  Now to be totally honest, this is not the first time this has happened.  My co-worker rounded the corner at just the right time to see me fall (He got a good laugh).  I actually think that little clumsy act helped to brighten my day.  It made me laugh and then I guess things were so dreary.  Nothing else really changed with the day, so that must have been it.  It is amazing how a little laughter can make things better.

Paint Job

So I was still on vacation today, but somehow I ended up doing more painting…. It still needs some touching up, but it is pretty close to being finished!

Chef Efrain

I have this friend, Efrain, who I have known for about 8 years now.  Efrain’s passion is food – more specifically entertaining by cooking.  He has another job that is not cooking, but still makes time to do what he loves.  He recently moved to San Francisco and found this great group:  The Ghetto Gourmet.

From their about page:

“The Ghetto Gourmet began as an original underground dining experience in a basement apartment in Oakland, California. The Townsend brothers, Joe the chef and Jeremy the poet, cultivated a loyal following literally from the ground up. Every Monday night, 15-30 strangers gathered on their living room floor for a chance to make new friends and enjoy deliciously creative cuisine.

What started out as an experiment has turned into a movement. Influenced by traditional salons, paladars and a growing communal dining trend, The Ghetto Gourmet now works with a community of entertainers and culinary professionals to offer a wide range of private dinner parties and supperclub events. The Ghetto Gourmet is proud and grateful to be a product of the vibrant East Bay underground community, and we welcome your involvement. Any chefs, performers, hosts or volunteers interested in participating are encouraged to check out our Ghet Involved page.”

They were also recently highlighted in the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-underground8nov08,1,3426618.story?coll=la-headlines-food (that guy serving up the quesadillas is Efrain). 

They are also planning to do a special dinner in Chicago – check out the site if you are interested.  I am looking forward to it!

red berries

I have been drawn by the contrast of all the red berries I have been seeing lately.