meme

A- Available or single?

No, I’m married.

B- Best Friend?

My husband.

C- Cake or Pie?

If it’s got fruit in it, I’ll pick it.

D- Drink of Choice?

Mai Tai, Gin & tonic, wine – I’m fairly indiscriminate. Yes, I’m a closet lush.

E- Essential Item?

My CAMERA.

F- Favorite Color?

Earthy colors.

G- Gummi Bears or Worms?

Gummi Bears

H- Hometown?

I hate answering this one. I really have two answers – Pretoria, South Africa and Naperville, IL.

I- Indulgence?

Cat naps.

J- January or February?

January. Well, duh – that’s when my birthday is.

K- Kids and names?

No kids yet, unless you count Loki.

L- Life is incomplete without?

Family.

M- Marriage Date?

August 13, 2005

N- Number of Siblings?

Two sisters who are wonderful but live too far away.

O- Oranges or apples?

Um, both. I’m a fruit fanatic.

P- Phobias/Fears?

Spiders. And I don’t want to know that I’m going to die. I’d rather go quickly.

Q- Favorite Quote?

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

John Donne

R- Reason to Smile?

The happy little curtain-climbing monster waiting for me at home!

S- Season?

Spring

T- Tag three people!

Ok, Kai, Lingalls and Elsa, you're up!

U- Unkown Fact About Me?

I think I spilled all THOSE beans earlier this year.

V- Vegetable you hate?

Brussel Sprouts. I just can’t like em, no matter how hard I try.

W- Worst habit?

Eating. No joke, I have no self control.

X- X-Rays you've had?

In 2003, I had a horse riding accident where the horse tripped, fell and landed on my leg while I landed on my elbow/arm. It was a lot of fun. Still got the scars.

I also had x-rays to determine if I had scoliosis when the required check up at my primatry school determined that I had a slight curvature to the spine. But it was so slight that nothing really came of it. All that effort for nothing.

Y- Your favorite food?

You HAVE to be more specific – sweet, sour, ethnic, etc?
Ok, fine, I’ll go with my husband’s grilled chicken.

Z- Zodiac?

Capricorn.

fetch isn't just for dogs

I'm sitting here watching a rerun of CSI and playing a casual game of fetch with Loki. I toss a cat chew toy down the hall and he runs like crazy for it. Eventually he returns to me with it in his mouth, drops it, and waits patiently for me to throw it again.

Yep, cats will play fetch!

congratulations!

Our friends, parents to Mac, welcomed James Austin into the world this morning ! We wish the whole family many congratulations and best wishes... We're thinking of you all!

to get your cat in the holiday mood

all better

Mike took Loki to the vet for the first time today. All 20 stitches got to come out and the vet said the cut is looking very much better. And no longer does he have the scrawny, shaved neck of last week. His fur is growing in again, and he's looking great. Actually, we're convinced that he has grown significantly since we got him. Not sure if this is just familiarity or if he really has grown since last week.

He's also learned how to jump onto our counters now. I'm not sure if I should be proud or cross that he's figured this out. I have, however, noticed an improvement in our tidiness habits, that's certain. The cat is definitely smart. Mike was telling me that Loki even jumped from the island onto his (Mike's) back this afternoon as he was looking for something in the freezer, in an attempt to get into it. Now I would have loved to have seen that!

He went through a crazy biting/hyper phase earlier this week where I felt like my hands were human pin cushions - hurting even the next day. But he seems to have settled down again. Possibly teething or maybe even too much catnip.

letter to paws and purrs

Dear Paws and Purrs,

I thought I'd let you know how Loki's first night with us went.

He has been simply adorable since we got him home. He did NOT want to be in his bathroom - he was out of the carrier in about a second and was all over the bathroom... when we left him alone he started to cry... so we let him out and supervised his exploration the rest of the evening. By the end of the evening he was coming to us and letting us stroke him and pet him and playing with the toys we got for him. He certainly stretched his legs - I hope this won't be too bad for his recovery but he doesn't seem to care. :-) Let me know if you think we should try to restrict the amount of running around he's been doing. (And trust me, he's got springs in his paws)

Anywhoo, we've managed the antibiotics and pain meds just fine, though he doesn't really like it. By the end of the evening he was sitting/laying on my lap/chest/arms/anywhere or the same with my husband, completely pooped out.He had also nibbled at the food we'd put out for him, so that was good. He was insanely curious and nervous of the running water bowl we have for him, but once I dabbled my fingers in the water he seemed to think it was ok and drank from it.

We put him in the bathroom for the night. He only cried for a little bit, until the house fan went on and that seemed to settle him.

My boss called at 5 am (long story - he's in France and was having troubles and forgot it was 5 am) and ended up waking Loki up (so we let him out). He was all ready to play and love us, and tried to jump onto my lap several times while I was on the phone. I crawled back into bed for about twenty minutes before I had to get up, so we left him out and after killing the comforter dead a few times, he settled in and watched us sleep until he went to sleep himself. Oh, and he went several times in his litter box so we think he's feeling quite comfortable already.

I just wanted to tell you again (and I know I'll say this again) - thank you for bringing Loki into our lives. He is adorable and so feisty and curious. He has wriggled his way into our hearts extremely quickly. I have attached a picture I took of him last night (I took about 30!) but only have this one so far.

So all in all, he seems very at home already and relaxed and happy. Purring non-stop.

loki

Meet Loki.

We brought him home from the shelter today after meeting him last week. He's three and a half months old and is just a bundle of energy which is fantastic considering that he is recovering from his neutering surgery and some stitches which had to be put into his neck because his collar from his foster family had dug into his neck badly. We are very excited to have him.

i always knew i was unique!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

sorry flp - i seem to be hard on your heels today... can you tell i'm bored?

Sorry FLP - I seem to be hard on your heels today...

as if this was a stretch!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Northeast Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

ok, now I'm really feeling better

So I had a little relapse while we were away, bringing up the length of sick time to six weeks. I'm thinking bronchitis.

I'm feeling better now, thank goodness - even the last remnants of coughing are beginning to depart.

We spent a lovely week in Florida at Walt Disney World with the entire (save 2) in-law clan. I took my new camera and had a wonderful time learning new things, like taking pictures of fireworks and spinning teacups. We also got to experience the Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, where the kids (and the adults too) got to dress up and roam the Magic Kingdom riding the various rides and gathering as much candy as possible.

I'm not sure what on earth is going on with my blogroll links on the right there... talk about haywire - it seems like EVERYONE is updating but there's little to none actual activity...

so i'm feeling better...

after two weeks of pure sickness and one week of coughing my lungs up, and now we're off to Florida on Thursday night with the inlaws. So, I figured it was time to cut the extremely long mane... about 11 inches total, gone. This is what is left. Appreciate it while you can - I doubt I will EVER be able to replicate this - I was trying to get the hairstylist to come and style my hair for me everymorning, but somehow it didn't fly.



Hopefully it will be easier to manage than the crazy length I wasn't doing anything with.

i'm sick

Yuck. I've been sick since Wednesday (it started with a sore throat). But yesterday and today were the worst. I have to say, I was a complete bum today and spent pretty much the whole day sleeping and watching tv and sleeping some more.

It.was.wonderful.

I've been so busy lately and work has really been stressing me out, so it was wonderful to kick back and relax and not think about cleaning or doing laundry or doing anything major.

in rememberance

Mary Howarth Thackeray

1918 - 2006

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

- John Donne

anniversary weekend

So Beer Farmer and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary this weekend. We chose to do this by trekking out into the greatest wilds of Illinois for a few days. A whopping hour away from Chicago, our route took us due West. The journey was hard. But we survived to tell the tales of crackling fires, cool breezes, huge birds of prey, tiny little friends, and of course at least one other campsite who refused to realise why we were all there and insisted on playing their heavy metal bands (loudly) late into the night while glued to their laptops, ipods and car stereo systems. It was pretty funny when you stop to think about it.

Despite "those damn teenagers" it was a lovely though short weekend. Pictures can be found here.

I love you, Beer Farmer - here's to many more camping trips!

books

I KNEW as I came to the end of KaiNYC's post I would be tagged!

1. One Book That Changed Your Life: Do I have to pick one? The Mary Stewart romance novels when I was younger - thriller type books with just the right dash of romance and intrigue set in an era I never knew.

2. One Book That You've Read More Than Once: Do I have to list just one? I've read a lot of books twice. Anything ranging from Harry Potter to any of Jane Austen's books to Mary Stewart's books to Phillipa Gregory's books... I could go on and on...

3. One Book You'd Want on a Desert Island: Arthur Ransome's Swallows & Amazons series... it's a childhood read of mine and I loved it so much.

4. One Book That Made You Laugh: There are so many... can you guess what I'm going to say? I can't pick one! I'd have to think about it some more.

5. One Book That Made You Cry: I'm such a sap - I'll confess that Harry Potter has made me cry. The Mermaid's Chair is currently choking me up right now - I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact it deals with marraige and infidelity, and now being married I can identify how it might feel to be cheated on and the impact of this on a relationship.

6. One Book That You Wish Had Been Written: No matter what I say, I am sure there is a book out there for whatever I need. How about one that keeps me focused on the job at hand?!

7. One Book That You Wish Had Never Been Written:The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl. By far one of the worst written stories I have ever come across - disjointed and poorly written, it is one of the few books I have ever had to force myself to keep turning the pages. I actually regret buying it. And I never regret buying books.

8. The Book That You Are Currently Reading: The Mermaid's Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. I gave this book to my mother for her birthday and she's kindly loaned it back to me for my enjoyment.

9. One Book That You've Been Meaning to Read: Witness to AIDS by Edwin Cameron and Nelson Mandela. Mr. Cameron is brother to an old family friend and a prominent public figure in South Africa, and I am intrigued by his story.

KaiNYC - I am sure this is not as inspiring as you would like! I would like to tag fat little pug for this!

new blog

In case you hadn't seen it... I have created a new blog for recording my photographic adventures.

I am seriously in love with my new camera and run a huge risk of emptying our wallets of all hard-earned cash for sweet additions to this semi-new interest. Sorry Beer Farmer!

durban weed

A friend of mine was wanting to know what Durban Poison is. This is for you, Buckets.o.chum!

Durban Poison is a F1 cross of a sativa strain from a secret garden located just outside Durban, South Africa and a potent, early Dutch skunk. Durban Poison grows tall with huge leaves. Long, tight buds have a sweet earthy flavour that has a hint of anise. Durban Poison is famous for its trippy up high!

THC level: Moderate 5-10%

Nirvana Seeds Durban Poison - 10 cannabis seeds per pack!

South African Trivia: weed or cannabis is also known as dagga.

fireflies

Last night, after shooting a wedding in Rockford, we were driving home on I-88. Rachael pointed out the most incredible sight - hundreds of fireflies in the dark fields on either side of us. Just the most amazing thing to witness!

quote of the day

We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories. Some take us forward, they're called dreams.

- Jeremy Irons.

adventures in canoeing

Mike and I went canoeing with a friend of ours, her husband and a bunch of their friends on Sunday - it was her birthday last week. The day started out very dreary and with a lot of rain, but we decided to go ahead anyway -and by the time the fourteen of us (7 canoes) were starting to bob down the Fox river 12 miles from our destination, the sun was shining. Very peaceful and serene. The river is a class one, which is perfect for novice canoers and most times we could touch the bottom with our paddles...

We stopped for lunch after 5 miles where we ran into an employee of Mike's who was also canoing with a bunch of people. What are the odds?! We were a good 60 minutes south of Naperville!!

We started to head downstream again for the last 7 miles... after a while we noticed that a big weather system was in the south - we weren't too sure if it was coming our way or if it was just passing to the south of us... Very quickly it was upon us and we knew we were going to have to seek shelter. My idea of fun is NOT sitting in a metal canoe on water with lightening all around!

As the wind picked up and the rain started to fall we all headed for a small cave and in our haste, Mike and I rammed into a rock on the far side of the river (next to some small sandstone cliffs near the cave) and capsized. It was frightening as we'd gotten caught in a current and couldn't turn the canoe... luckily we could stand but the current was incredibly strong and there was a tree root and lots of big rocks that we had to fight our way over. The canoe was completely filled with water and our belongings were beginning to bob away. We lost a paddle too but it was picked up by one of the other canoes.

Trying to hold onto a waterlogged canoe in a strong current is crazy, and Mike was carrying our watercooler which had all our wallets and keys in it (also at least 3 inches of water from the river) and was super heavy after being waterlogged... I don't know how he held onto it! My camera, which I had luckily put back into its case, had also fallen in the river but I had managed to grab onto it when I surfaced.

After trying to walk down to the cave and ending chest deep in water, we ended up managing to push the canoe towards the island in the middle of the river. Thankfully the river became shallower in the middle so we were able to stand and rotate the canoe to empty it of water. We made it to the island where we recovered. I was completely soaked and shaking like crazy... and then headed over to the cave as the rain pelted down and lightening and thunder raged around us. We sat the storm out in a tiny little cave which held six of our canoes very nicely...

My legs & knees are scraped up and are also suffering from sunburn (yes, I forgot to put sunscreen on my legs), and my back and arms are feeling that fantastic ache of hard-worked muscles. I've been gimpy all day. I can't help feeling as though Mike and I had a narrow escape where the outcome could have been a lot worse.

We ended the day on a ridiculously sunny and hot note after continuing for another mile or so downriver to where our cars waited for us. The evening was an opportunity to join our friend to celebrate her birthday with style at Payton's Roundhouse in Aurora and get to meet some more people.

A fun day, all in all. I just might not have full range of motion for a while.

and the thunder rolls...

Views from my office building this morning. The whole effect was of a CGI sky.

pretty.amazing.

Pictures taken by Marianne Dyer.

checking in

I have a lot to post about, but just wanted to reassure everyone (because I know you were all so worried) that I can breathe again - I now have an inhaler and am on medication for preventing asthma attacks. When I exercise I no longer am wheezing. It's amazing.

breathe in. breathe out. ow.

I ache.

Right now, my chest is tight and my upper body hurts. I've spent three plus hours struggling to breathe this evening. This has happened from time to time, but I've noticed that this is happening more and more in the last year or so. I was chalking it up to allergies, but tonight I took Claritin which has antihistamines and there was no response. At about 8:30 pm I called my husband to tell him I was seriously considering going to the emergency room, I was that freaked out. I was lying in bed exhausted but unable to sleep because breathing was too difficult. Right after I called him things began to ease up a bit.

I have always been a bit asthmatic but have never technically been diagnosed with asthma. My mom has always said that she thought I should carry an inhaler with me, but I've always rejected that notion because I've never felt it was serious enough. The last few months though I've begun to re-evaluate. Exercising, particularly when I run, has always left me a bit wheezy (without the itchy/allergic feeling). In 2004 when I went to visit a friend out in Lee, Illinois I was stricken with this wheezy closing of the chest accompanied by a scratchy, itchy throat and intense itchiness around my mouth and chin. I chalked it up to allergies as it was high summer and she lives out in the country. But I can (and have) also simply been sitting on the couch watching television to have it strike out of nowhere. This has been happening more and more to me in the last few months.

I need to take this in hand. It was really scary this evening not knowing if I was going to have to drive myself to the ER, or if even if i was overreacting. The funny thing is, when I went to WebMD, the list of symptoms preceding an attack was as follows:

- Frequent cough, especially at night (Yep)
- Reduced peak flow meter readings
- Losing your breath easily or shortness of breath (Yep)
- Feeling very tired or weak when exercising (Yep)
- Wheezing or coughing after exercise (Yep)
- Feeling tired, easily upset, grouchy or moody (Yep)
- Decreases or changes in lung function as measured on a peak flow meter
- Signs of a cold, or allergies (sneezing, runny nose, cough, nasal congestion, sore throat and headache)
- Trouble sleeping

The symptoms indicated were ones I definitely felt this week since Saturday.

I'd guess it's time to go visit the doc.

capture this weekend and frame it, please

This weekend was perhaps the most satisfying weekend I've had in a while. For starters, the weather was absolutely perfect. When I say absolutely perfect, I mean blue skies and sunshine perfect, I mean get out and run six miles perfect! A friend of mine and I met at 8 am on Saturday and ran four miles. It felt so easy and comfortable. We're aiming for a 5k on June 4th.

Sunday was just fantastic. On Sunday I ran two miles with my dad (I was really, really sore from the previous day) and then weeded my mother's flower beds for her (she's away until a little later this week). It was great to spend some time with my dad. We worked in the garden together and spoke to family overseas on the phone. The garden was very still and quite - except for the oaktrees murmuring overhead. We talked about running - he has run half-marathons and marathons, and it was great to hear about his passion for running. I love hearing him talk about it.

A very satisfying weekend.

a moment of silence...

for the loss of great talent on American Idol.

For the record, Chris Daughtry should NOT have been kicked off tonight.

so I'll try to contain myself now...

So I know I'm getting a little bit repetitious with all the fitness updates etc... I'm trying to not bore you all with the little tedious details of my working out routines, but yesterday was awesome.

For some reason, it was so easy to get home, throw on some exercise clothes, hop on the bike and start pedaling. 27 minutes, and 4.7 miles. Up hills. Invigorating, especially with such a great temperature outside today.

I also figured out how to figure out my heart rate quickly (I plan on purchasing a heart rate monitor at some point, but they're expensive and this is something I can do for now).

My MAX heart rate: 193
My target range: 115-154 beats/min.

To calculate your heart rate: # of beats in 6 sec X 10

Maintain between 20 - 60 minutes (depending on fitness levels)

:yay: for me.

quote of the day

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
- John Wooden, Hall of Fame college basketball coach

weekend preview

The sun is shining, the temperature is perfect... what is in store for me this weekend?

1. Clean the house
   
2. Bike Ride (several times of course)
3. Play with my new toy - introducing MacMiniMe!
4. Hang out with friends
5. Pick up my car from the car hospital.
   
6. Relax.

Sounds like the perfect weekend all round to me. This week was quite hard at work. There was one day where everything that could go wrong did. But I have accomplished a lot and feel very happy with how I've handled it. I never knew one could enjoy one's job like this. However...

Only 90 minutes until freedom!

another get fit update

Went for another 20 minute bike ride (it was beautiful outside) when I got home. I'm certainly not hurting nearly as much as I was. Yay. I also did some strength/core work for 15 minutes and mini-stepped for 20 minutes in front of American Idol.

operation get fit update

Today I went on a 20 minute bike ride. I am really sore from my bike ride yesterday, but its a beautiful day and I wanted to reward myself for cleaning the house today.

operation get fit update

Ok, so I didn't run the number of miles I wanted to. I got lazy and couldn't get myself up before work the rest of the week. However, I just got back from cycling - I have to clock the actual distance but I went hard core for thirty minutes (I'm guessing based on biking with Mike, who has a odometer on his bike, I was going about 10-12 mph on a fairly heavy gear). My estimate is probably about three or four miles.
My blood is pounding and I feel so energetic now... love love love it. The temp is perfect today, and now I'm sitting on my deck enjoying the breeze and the peaceful sunset and a tall glass of ice cold water. There's a thrush sitting in the tree below my deck just warbling away. He's so loud I could hear him as I came inside the house after my ride.
I also ran into our neighbors Elsa, Steve and the "boys" as I was puffing up our hill... I'm sure my face was beet-red... the number one nasty reason that working out sucks - to get home it's uphill both ways up our street! As I told them, I almost didn't want to stop because I wasn't sure if I could start up again. That's how unfit I am.
I seriously need to get some balance back into my life. My new job has really wiped me out to the point of not wanting to move from the couch when I get home from work. My husband has been really patient with me, but I'm getting frustrated with myself because I want to be more active. Plus I haven't seen any of my friends in a really long time. Also not good!
I had a really good day today though. My mom's work had a Trivia Bee fundraiser which I've helped with in the past, either being on a team or being a table monitor. This year I was a table monitor. I can't believe the hard work that goes into it, and its always so much fun. Really a worthwhile cause.
It's getting a little chilly so I'm calling it quits for tonight and going inside.

quote of the day

The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in. - Morrie Schwartz

operation get fit

So I did it. I got up this morning an hour earlier, put on my running shoes and went for a run. It was gloriously…painful.

The sun was shining, the air was brisk and hardly anyone was about. I only went one mile, and my time was double my mile-time last year, so I have a lot of lost ground to cover (no pun intended). BUT I am so proud of myself. I got up before work and ran, ran the whole way. It was painful on the lungs but it certainly got the blood moving, and I feel quite invigorated this morning.

Operation Get Fit is under way.

My goal: run three miles this week.

this is my life, rated

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	8.1
Mind:	6.7
Body:	6.1
Spirit:	7
Friends/Family:	6.8
Love:	9.1
Finance:	7.8
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

find your spot

My friend Kai did this, and I thought it looked like fun, so here it is, my top fifteen from findyourspot.com:

1. Cincinnati, Ohio
2. Olympia, Washington
3. Tacoma, Washington
4. Hickory, North Carolina
5. Asheville, North Carolina
6. Norfolk, Virginia
7. Bloomington, Indiana
8. Carlisle, Pennsylvania
9. Seattle, Washington
10. Kent, Washington
11. Lynchburg, Virginia
12. Roanoke, Virginia
13. Bellingham, Washington
14. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
15. Springfield, Missouri

I was a little surprised at a couple of them, but I know the southern states and Washington are beautiful. And I just wanted to warn Little House & Monk: Hey, get ready, we're packing our bags. Apparently we're moving!

i married such a handyman, part ii

I have Ben Lee playing, the lights are low, Mike is out at work, and I've just finished cleaning the house. I feel I should have glass of wine in my hand. Ordinary day, really, but Mike is still on his home improvement kick. He finished installing a can light over our sink today. There was so much dust and crap all over the place, but I think in the end it will be so worthwhile. The builders did not offer an option for this and the end result was that the corner that the sink is in was really dark. How many times in the beginning did I think I'd cleaned something and then once it was dry realised I had missed a spot?? We've had a desk lamp on the window sill above the sink to compensate, but this is just really sharp. So excited.

I've been super busy doing some contractual graphic design for my old job the last couple of weeks. This was something I was doing as part of my job while I still worked there, and when I left they asked me to continue with the quarterly newsletter and any other graphic design they might require. I finished a brochure a week ago and the newsletter on Thursday, and I've sent the two invoices to them, so hopefully I'll be getting those checks pretty soon. I like doing this stuff on the side. Really want to keep it up and develop it more into a side business.

On a completely irrelevant note, tomorrow I plan on going for a two mile run. It really is time that I started getting myself back in shape. it's been difficult to keep it up while the weather hasn't been so nice, and also just being so exhausted with my new job hasn't helped.

firsts, lasts, nexts

tagged by kai

FIRSTS:

1. First kiss: My husband.
2. First love: My husband.
3. First heartbreak: Not counting high school crushes, my husband - we broke up while we were dating in college. Nasty.
4. First car: Chrysler Sundance
5. First pet: Nestor, the family cat. Sootica, my cat, was my first pet, who was mine.
6. First word: not sure. I think it had something to do with Nestor, our family cat.
7. First concert: Dr. Alban, the Nigerian dentist-turned-rapper. Hello Africa, tell me how you're doing? Don't ask.
8. First sexual partner: My husband.
9. First alcoholic beverage: Wine.
10. First time you stayed out all night: I think it was the theatre club lock-in during sophomore. Does that count?
11. First best friend: Michaela
12. First job: Horse Riding camp counselor
13. First school: Does play school count? Michaela's mother Penny ran a play school.
12. First movie you watched in a theater: Not sure. We didn't really go see a lot of movies - it was a huge treat. The first one I think I remember seeing was Little Mermaid.
13. First thing you really saved up money for: I believe it was for horse riding clothes.
14. First run in with the Law: Speeding ticket in a construction zone - with a sign that said "When No Workers Present". Um, there were no workers present, and I still had to go to court and pay $300 in fines plus my lawyer's fees.
15. First date: My prom date. Uh, yeah, he took me to see Fiddler on the Roof at Waubonsie Valley High School, and promptly asked me if I wanted to date him. This was the night before prom. Um, no thanks. Talk about awkward.

--------------------------------------------------------

LASTS:

1. Last kiss: My husband.
2. Last person you hugged: Co-worker who is leaving the company next week.
3. Last person you spoke to: My husband.
4. Last alcoholic beverage: Rum and coke at the party for said co-worker's farewell party.
5. Last sexual partner: My husband.
6. Last movie: Corpse Bride
7. Last person you thought of: My paternal grandmother
8. Last school you went to: College of DuPage
9. Last person you said " I love you" to: My husband
10. Last run in with the Law: Car accident last April - I was rear-ended. Twice.
11. Last fight you were in: I think it was probably an argument with...my husband.
12. Last bar/club/concert/party you went to: McNally's, an Irish bar in St. Charles.
13. Last person you e-mailed: Client I do some graphic design for.
14. Last thing you ate: Wendy's Combo #1 (shhh, I'm supposed to be on South Beach Diet Phase 1)
15. Last thing you saved up money for: Furniture for our house. Specifically it was our couch.

-------------------------------------------------------

NEXT

1. Next person you want to kiss: My husband
2. Next movie you want to see: V for Vendetta
3. Next person you want to go out with: My husband
4. Next car you want to have: Ford Escape Hybrid, good choice, Karen!
5. Next time you're going out: Friday night (tomorrow)
6. Next time you're going to move: In 5 years or so hopefully into a single family home.
7. Next thing you are going to save money for: Mac Mini.
8. Next time that you will drink alcohol: No clue. Perhaps Sunday when we have dinner with my parents.
9. Next person you are going to call: Probably my parents. If not then either my sister or grandmother, both of whom are in England.
10. Next place you'll take vacation: London
11. Next thing you are going to do after filling this survey out: Watch the Office and go to sleep.
12. Next thing you are going to eat: Laughing Cow cheese (the best invention E-VAH!)
13. Next time you plan to be drunk: Not sure. Don't get drunk a whole lot anymore.
14. Next thing you are going to do outside: Run a mile. Tomorrow. I swear.
15. Next person you'd like to see fill this out: Fat Little Pug.

i married such a handyman...

I worked really late on Friday night, not getting home until 10 pm. When I walked in the door, my husband was nowhere to be found. I eventually found him in our walk-in closet. This is what I found:

He is amazing. He built our dining room table, installed the kitchen light and patched the ceiling and now he's completely reorganized our closet. I am so lucky.

on the heels of a "lame lazy blogger"...

You Are 44% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side.Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

from fat little pug

American Idol

So I'm sitting here at home, putting my sister's birthday present together to send to her next week. And I'm watching American Idol, Stevie Wonder version.

It's great. I know I'm a dork, but I have been really sucked into it. This is the first season I've watched all the way, and I definitely have my favourites.

In no particular order, I think the following have the most potential:

Elliot, Mandisa, Katharine, Taylor and last but in no way least, Chris Daughtry.

Stevie Wonder is really hard to sing, and it seems to me that these five have really been able to be the most consistent and show the most natural talent the whole way through. While the others have all had the talent to make it to the show, these few have really impressed me.

I can't believe I'm sitting here critiquing the talents of American Idol wannabes.

Anyway, life has begun to settle down now. The job is becoming a little more comfortable, and I'm doing some side graphic design work. Mike and I went to Oregon, IL for the weekend, with my parents, to a weekend home that some family friends own. It was great just to kick back even for a few short hours and just get away from it all.

It's been such a busy two years, and I feel like I am only just now starting to focus on the things I used to do before we got engaged. I suddenly have been missing my horse riding so much. I rode a horse called Rocky for two years and we did well together. In particular I miss my teacher so much - she came to the wedding and it meant to much to me that she and her husband came all the way from their new home to celebrate with us. I should go visit her soon.

Sigh.

wow.

I never thought that blogging would be so hard! I suppose now that I'm feeling more busy and fulfilled at work it's harder for me to come home and find the time to really ponder. Right now I am just cramming all the information I can into my head, feeding on the experience as much as I can. It's so completely different to where I was before - hey, I was blogging at work I was feeling so stagnant. Now I can barely check my email.

I've been at my new job for two weeks and two days now. I have just hit that period of not feeling completely wiped out by the time I get home during the first weeks of a new job. Now my head is only hurting a little and I'm only slightly tired. The decision to take this job was a good one, I knew that, but there's always that trepidation of leaving one's comfort zone. Now that I've left it, I am definitely creating a new one, and I feel very happy about my decision.

Lots of changes in the past couple of weeks, that's for sure.

to the four corners of the earth...

Well, at least the far edges of the Northern hemisphere.

I haven't blogged in a long time. There have been many changes in the last few weeks, very large ones, and things have been kinda crazy. I started a new job this last week, which is very challenging and very stressful while I absorb all the nuances and basics behind this very new industry that I'm in. But the best part is that I finally, for the first time in my life, feel that I have a real job where I'm responsible for things and am an integral part of a team and company. I feel that my brain is beginning to slowly start to move again, rather creakingly but very comforting to me to feel that I am being challenged to use my brain instead of sitting still and stagnating.

The other bits of news is that my middle sister has jetted off to the U.K. indefinitely. We do have family there, and England has always been a family trip for us, so for her to live there and expand her experience there beyond the familial obligations is fantastic. Beer Farmer and I will be following her in the fall to get to see my grandmother who was unable to come to our wedding last year, and the rest of my dad's family. This is the first time that Beer Farmer will have been to England (no, Heathrow for a few hours does not count), let alone with me, so I am extremely excited as this will be pushing the usual experiences in England for me also.

This year is going to be so interesting for me. In fact, it's started out rather well. Lets hope it continues this way.

is it time to eat?

the pizza is here and I'm starving. c'mon, let the person of honor eat, for crying out loud!!

(i'm so rude. i just want my pizza!)

countdown

T minus seven hours till I walk out of here for good.

red in the morning...

One benefit to having to leave for work at the crack of dawn are the winter sunrises.

This morning I witnessed an incredible palette of magentas, oranges and yellows quietly streaking across the early morning sky. It was almost as if Someone had taken a paintbrush and laid a multilayered color wash with watercolors.

health q&a

Q. I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A. Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it...Don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q. Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A. You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What do cows eat? Hay, grass and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q. Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A. No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine. That means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of barley, hops and grain. Bottoms up!

Q. How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A. Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q. What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A. Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q. Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. And how could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q. Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A. Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q. Is chocolate bad for me?
A. Are you crazy? HELLO. Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q. Is swimming good for your figure?
A. If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q. Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A. Hey! "Round" is a shape!

reflection

Sometimes you have to let go to see if there was anything worth holding on to.

vent

"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.”

just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

I love to get out there and get the blood moving.

In theory.

In reality it's much harder to do - I talk myself out of exercise all the time. The fact is that I'm conflicted. Despite my lazy attitude, I am addicted to how I felt last year. Laugh as you may, in 2005 I joined Good Samaritan's Bridal Bootcamp. We met three times a week for twelve weeks and let me tell you, it was the best feeling ever. I did the session three times before my wedding in August 2004 and I dropped tens of inches and 20 lbs. I am their greatest advocate!

Now I'm seeking to regain that without having to make the trek out to Good Sam. With my new job directly north of me instead of to the east (which made Good Sam on my way home) it's just not going to work. Plus the cost has increased by more than 30% which is good for them and not so much for me.

So when I actually do get myself going, it's usually on my own. The group exercise at bootcamp showed me that I really do get results when I'm being motivated (yelled at), but I just can't seem to carry that over when I'm on my own. It's not so much the physical challenge - I really enjoy pushing myself to my limit. The mental challenge is more difficult. As my cousin aptly said, it feels somewhat pointless. I find my mind wanders and I'm not engaged with the activity that my body is doing. So physical exercise is a mental exercise for me. Now that I own an iPod I will attempt to keep my mind focused through music and rhythm. A focused distraction technique, if you will.

I have been doing Pilates at home right now, during the cold(er) months, and I have occasionally hit the trail with a friend. In fact, Rachael and I just ran four miles together on the Prairie Preserve last week. Of course, I couldn't move the next day. And she told me I run fast - which I find to be a joke because I felt I was holding her back.

I will run the Shamrock Shuffle this year. It's one of my cultivations and my dad, Rachael and I will be attempting it together. For my dad, it will be a breeze - after all he has run countless marathons in his life and he has run for as long as I can remember. I can't speak for Rachael. But I know that it will give me the same sense of satisfaction that I felt when I completed the Elvis is Alive 5k in 2003. If nothing else, I can just repeat Dory's line over and over to keep myself going: just keep swimming, just keep swimming.

soundtrack of my life

Cannot Be Trusted's recents posts have had me reflecting on my own music tastes lately. I'm pretty eclectic in my tastes - I love songs, melodies and words that stir my heart and awaken my emotions. Rock, pop, classic tunes, and yes, country and (gasp) classical music including opera - music from various ages all make the cut for me.

In amongst all this wierd taste there's a group of music that I hold particularly close to my heart, and that is the music which reawakens the memories from times gone by in my history, that triggers the memories in the same way that smell can. These songs or tunes need not be the best in the world, or the most awe-inspiring - they may even be the songs of a past era that are now scorned or ridiculed. No matter what they are, however, there is something about these songs which cause my whole being to go back to a particular memory, recapturing the sense of a place or an emotion.

1. One of my earliest memories are of my dad playing the Beatles or Don Williams in his white Beetle. Songs like I've Got A Winner In You, or It Must Be Love just triggers the rides in the Beetle to school or driving somewhere with my dad and my middle sister.
2. When I was a little older (in the eighties), Mango Groove became popular in South Africa - anytime I pop in a Mango Groove CD or it pops up on my iPod it takes me straight back to primary school.
3. Another artist which takes me back is Johnny Clegg and his song Great Heart of Africa. This was a song from the soundtrack of the movie Jock of the Bushveld, a well known South African tale about the relationship between a dog and his owner.
4. ABBA brings back winter nights lying in front of the fire, reading a book or doing some other little play-project we had concoted, the smells of an african fire to which there is no comparison.
5. Queen - their Greatest Hits I was the first tape I got for Christmas, right after Freddie Mecury died.
6. Once I hit high school, I found Roxette (Joyride, Fading Like A Flower and How Do You Do) and Bon Jovi (Bad Medicine), the groups I associate the most with that short period in my life. Also the soundtrack from Dirty Dancing.
7. Moving to the States. Hearing Bryan Adams brings back feelings of homesickness and the complete state of los that I felt in those first few months. The complete disconnect that I experienced emotionally is rampant for me in this music. Wierd, huh? Yes, you can make fun of me for that.
8. High school in the States was definitely a broader mix including Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise, Ace of Base (The Sign), Blues Traveler (Run Around), and Dave Matthews Band (Satellite).
9. College years can be summoned back with Ella Fitzgerald or the opera Elixir of Love by Donizetti.
10. My relationship with my husband - definitely too hard to pin down to a few. He made me four tapes during the first year of our relationship, the first song on the first tape being Chicago (You're the Inspiration). We used this for our first dance at our wedding
11. We broke up for three months after two years and with the sort of humor that my husband has, he compiled a break-up CD for my birthday. I can hardly bear to listen to this CD as it brings back the emotions of that period all too well. I know he is very proud of this collection he put together - and he should be, it's a great collection. It just makes me sad. The songs on it include Adam Sandler's Somebody Kill Me Please from the The Wedding Singer (way to open with a sucker punch!) and some Chicago songs about breaking up that hit me to the core. It does end on a hopeful note, however.
12. Summer 2000 - On a family trip in Namibia, my uncle was held at gunpoint before he was saved by strangers driving by. The song playing on my CD player at the time was I Think God Can Explain by Splendor.
13. Summer 2001 - Mike and I took a road trip out to the Four Corners area together after graduation. We listened to Dave Matthews Band's Lillywhite Sessions, which ultimately became Busted.
14. Just before my sister's graduation we sat around the kitchen table and watched her belt out Toby Keith's I Wanna Talk About Me.
15. Our friends' weddings - Fat Little Pug and ForeverTick's wedding dance was Ben Folds' The Luckiest, Monk and Lingall's dance was If You Could See What I See by Geoff Moore and the Distance.

This is like dipping a hook into a jar of more hooks - you pull out another, and then that one hooks onto another, and then another... I'll stop here. But I find it fascinating that my life can be remembered through song. It's like smell - a certain note, a certain chord or line brings back memories instantly. Every now and then I’ll be driving somewhere listening to the radio, and I’ll hear a song on the TV which will bring up a long-forgotten memory.

All hail the power of song!

the weekend is almost over

Very sad. What's even sadder is that of my goals this weekend, I have only really accomplished two - cleaning the study and cleaning the house. Painting is still on hiatus and the running was sort of dificult yesterday because of the snow, but today I did some Pilates instead.

Now I'm off to my parents' house in an hour or so to spend the evening with my father, whose birthday was on Friday.

goals

goals for this weekend:

• run four miles.
  
• clean the house.
  
• organize the study.
  
• get started on a painting i've been thinking about.

not terribly exciting, but hey, it's life work, right?

quote of the day

Action may not always bring happiness;

but there is no happiness without action.

Benjamin Disraeli

bleck.

There is nothing like turning in your resignation to find out how people truly feel about you - and to find out what you're going to miss the most in a company or job.

into the frey

I just have to post my 2 cents about the whole James Frey debacle. The whole idea of being upset because a book is not accurate when it is a memoir is ridiculous.

Repeat after me: Memoir. Memory. Memoir. Memory.

A memory is not accurate, no matter how much you want to believe that it is. When you throw drugs into the mix, how on earth can you expect one's memory to be accurate? Who remembers things clearly when one is clean and sober? I personally do not remember every little detail of what happened to me yesterday and I'm clean and sober. If I were to recount my Sunday experience, it would certainly deviate from the truth even while I believe that what I am writing is one hundred percent accurate. And has anyone remembered the matter of point of view? Everyone has their own perception of life and events and not one person's account out of thirty people who experienced the same event would be the same.

What Frey has done is taken his experience - his overwhelming triumphant, positive emergence from a black hole of drug-induced state of being - and interpreted it so that others might find hope in their own situations.

Yes, I am reading A Million Little Pieces, not because of the scandal that broke right as I received it, and not because I believe it to be fiction or non fiction. I am reading this book because I have heard that the writing in it is excellent. That's enough for me.

who says friday 13th is unlucky?

Well, the 13th is turning into a lucky date for me.

I got married on the 13th.

And today I received a job offer! Whoo-hoo! I am going to accept it once we've talked counter-offer. Bonus - it takes off 20 miles or so off of my current commute and I won't have to fork out mucho money for the IPASS system anymore. I wasn't really looking, but I guess it was meant to be. After that huge rant I had the other day, I suppose it's ironic that I am feeling sad and apprehensive about leaving my current job. It's been such a learning experience and they do take care of their employees but I truly feel that they are not using me to my fullest and somewhat ignoring me. I suppose in a way I've hit the glass ceiling in the company. This new job will be more challenging and more structured, and definitely a step closer to finding more direction. And I won't have to be the front desk person anymore.

Not sure when my last day will be - this still needs to be negotiated with my new company.

does walgreens fill this?

courtesy of chicken

disclaimer:

my life is going pretty well right now

- i just thought this was hilarious

existence

I was just checking on my site hits. I am particularly interested in where people are when they stumble on my blog. And in conjunction with something I saw on a myspace blog about why people blog - my thoughts formulated into this:

People blog for all sorts of reasons. Fundamentally, they are looking for some sort of attention, a "hey, I'm here" kind of cry. The fact that I have people in places like Alaska, England and Japan, who read my blog is astounding to me. There are people out there who know that I exist. They don't necessarily know me, but they have somehow acknowledged my existence.

Makes me feel a little less insignificant in this huge world of ours.

great start

I hate those days when I roll over, hit the snooze button, and then oversleep because I've forgotten to reset my phone alarm. It doesn't help that it is a dark, wet and rainy day outside. Luckily these days happen about once in a very blue moon, and this week is my late week at work, so I can get to work later and not be in trouble.

It's no fun driving to work five minutes after one wakes up.

kittenwars: bring it on!

So I have ten minutes or so left at work and I decided I should just add this website to my links.

May I introduce:

KITTENWARS

also known as cuteness.overload.com.

meme

Courtesy of zuzu's petals.

What were you doing ten years ago?
Ten years ago, in 1996, I was in high school and eagerly anticipating my transition to college. I was eyebrow-deep in theatre and I think at the time we were probably working on Singin' in the Rain and how to destroy the school's stage with real-life rain.

What were you doing one year ago?
Gearing up for the last few months before our wedding. We were visiting our townhome alot and having a lot of fun making decisions on new items and color-schemes for our new house. We work well together as a decorating team. And adjusting to new changes at work.

Five snacks you enjoy

• Laughing Cow cheese wedges
• Fruit (Apples and oranges in particular)
• Soft chewy ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies
• Chocolate
• Nachos and salsa

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics

• I Wanna Talk About Me - Toby Keith
• Somebody to love - Queen
• You're the Inspiration - Chicago
• That's When I Love You - Phil Vassar
• Alcohol (and many other songs) - Brad Paisley

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire

• Travel
• Buy a house and decorate it
• Pay off my parents' mortgage
• Get my sisters something that they really want/need
• Save

Five bad habits

• Chocolate
• Staying up past my bedtime
• I'm quick to react
• Leaving dishes to be done "till later"
• Lack of communication with people/family in my life

Five things you like doing

• Reading
• Writing
• Painting
• Napping
• Riding horses

Five things you would never wear or buy again

• Short shorts (think Daisy Dukes)
• Tanks with shelf bras
• Culottes
• Anything with clingy material that shows every flaw
• Capris (have you seen how those look on me?)

Five favorite toys

• Ipod
• Mac with all my design programs on it
• Canon Rebel SLR
• Mike's digital camera
• Tivo (does Tivo count? we just got it and I love it!)

one year older and a breath of fresh air

I am officially a year older now, well past my early twenties and just leaving my mid-twenties! Thirty isn't so far away anymore. Eeek!

I wanted some fresh air and exercise so Mike and I went for a walk in the afternoon in the Springbrook Prairie Preserve, in an area we'd not been to before near the new dog park. We ended up walking briskly for an hour on the new trail in wonderfully warm temperatures and soft golden winter light. I love the feeling of fresh crisp air opening up my lungs and the blood in my veins going from sluggish to flowing. The feeling of being out in the open, in nature, is fantastic even if it is a small piece of land hugged by 75th and 87th/83rd and divided by Book Road. Here in suburban Chicagoland living it is easy to forget the majesty and pure beauty of nature, something I try to recall occasionally by simply looking up and appreciating the beauty of an Illinois sky.

I hope during the next year I can spend returning a little more to nature than I have in the past few years.

slow

time

is



c r a w l i n g



today.

speech festival

See the Kitten On the Wall

See the kitten on the wall,

Sporting with the leaves that fall.

Withered leaves - one - two - three

From the lofty elder tree.

Though the calm and frosty air,

Of this morning bright and fair.

Eddying round and round they sink,

Softly, slowly; one might think.

From the motions that are made,

Every little leaf conveyed

Sylph or Faery hither tending,

To this lower world descending.

Each invisible and mute,

In his wavering parachute.

But the Kitten, how she starts,

Crouches, stretches, paws, and darts!

First at one, and then its fellow,

Just as light and just as yellow.

There are many now - now one,

Now they stop and there are none.

What intenseness of desire,

In her upward eye of fire!

With a tiger-leap half-way,

Now she meets the coming prey.

Lets it go as fast, and then;

Has it in her power again.

Now she works with three or four,

Like an Indian conjurer;

Quick as he in feats of art,

Far beyond in joy of heart.

Where her antics played in the eye,

Of a thousand standers-by,

Clapping hands with shout and stare,

What would little Tabby care

For the plaudits of the crowd?

William Wordsworth

* * *

We had the opportunity to participate in Speech Festival every year while I was in Primary School. You would pick out a poem of a certain length, learn it by heart, and recite it for a panel of adjudicators. They weren't judges, they were adjudicators. I can remember learning that word when receiving my marks for my first ever recitation. You could receive Gold, Silver or Bronze, and with a variety of plus-marks added on. You didn't even have to recite poetry. There were other parts of the competition which I never did.

Waiting for the classroom door to open for your own recital to begin was almost worse than the actual experience. I think it worked up my nerves - usually ending up by gabbling my lines to myself while I waited with an ever-increasing feeling of inevibility. One year I couldn't pluck up the courage to look at the adjudicators lined up in front of me so I stared at the corner of the room. I learned my lesson - that mistake cost me a Gold. There was also the fear of having the same poem as someone else. Even back then, I wanted to make sure I would pick something "different." I would gaze longly at lighter-hearted Roald Dahl poems or the more dramatic fire-and-brimstone styles, but always rejected them because they were too long. I would get a little jealous when one of my school-fellows would step up and start to recite one of Dahl's versions of fairytales. But there were always a few of the same poems being recited and I don't recall anyone ever repeating the ones I had picked. But among the poems I recited, this was one of them which I will never forget. I can still recite the first few lines. Yet another way I am still linked to my ever-receding childhood in South Africa.

cultivations 2006

I like fat little pug's idea of cultivations rather than resolutions. Every year I would come up with something that would inevitably fail within a few weeks or months. 2004 was different. At the beginning of the year - I decided to try to change my lifestyle and become more fit and healthy. Not necessarily to lose weight, though that would be a bonus. I had achieved some success with joining an exercise class for two sessions in 2004 but I felt I wasn't quite there so my idea in February 2005 was to try a diet change - not a diet, per se, but to change what I ate permanently. By August 2005, with the help of my exercise class and the South Beach Diet, I was feeling the best I ever had - I could run a mile in just over seven minutes and I had lost inches.

Now, with the motivation of the wedding behind me, I am struggling to maintain this "lifestyle change" I had so set my heart on. Therefore, my main cultivation is to run an 8k with my dad (and to step less on the scale). My goal is the Shamrock Shuffle in early April.

My other cultivations:

1. Cultivate my friendships with the people in my life.
2. Paint more, even if it is a 4"x4" color wash on the weekends.
3. Stay in contact with my family as they spread out over the globe.

Great idea, Pug. Hope it works out for all those with resolutions or cultivations this year.

Happy New Year!

So I'm a little late--but better late than never. I would like to wish all my friends and family a wonderful and happy 2006!

This past year has been one of many changes for me. I got married, built a new house, made new friends, and maintained old ones. It's been a wonderful year, personally. And none of it would have been the same without any of my wonderful friends and family. My husband has been the center of this last year for me and I look forward to celebrating our one year anniversary this year.