Loving/Not Loving

Loving

My iPod. I've fallen in love with it all over again. I'm reacquainting myself with REM, Depeche Mode & Cowboy Mouth. REM = My heart. Nightswimming is one of my fave songs.

Wine. Garnacha from Spain to be exact. Luscious, juicy & fruity.

New restaurants here in Chicago. We all know I love a good meal. I love to dine. In the past weeks I have had spectacular escolar with peppers, delightful bahn mi, a fantastic mole and really tasty Neopolitan pizza. There are just so many great little restaurants to explore.

The new boy. Not much more to say, except I don't love him obviously, but we're having fun. Enough said.

Chicago Cares. Oh my, I never expected to love my time with these kids so much. I really enjoy our time together each Saturday morning.

Work. What? Yes. Work has been challenging, but I'm learning some great new things and get some much valued experience under my belt. It's nice to be respected by my peers and superiors.

My Sigg bottle. Now that I don't live in the desert of Phoenix, it's been hard to drink as much water as I should. My shiny red bottle on my desk helps remind me.

Not Loving

Cat Litter. Is there a cat little fairy that can come scoop the poop everyday?

And while the litter fairy is here, can she also take out the trash? I don't know why it's such a chore, but I hate.taking.out.the.trash!

People's Gas, my gas company. I'm on the "equalizer" plan where my bills are averaged out for the year and I'm on automatic payment. Why then did I get a bill for $351 this week? What the heck? Of course, customer service was closed by the time I called tonight.

Packing. The thought of packing and moving again is daunting. This will be the fourth move in two years for me. Fortunately, this time I should be staying put for a while. At least three years is the goal.

Facebook. I'm kinda over it. Really don't like the new format. Blech.

Disorganization. I'm feeling the need to organize my office better. Part of it has to do with moving and wanting to have a clean, fresh start in my new office.

Rude people on public transportation. Lately, I've encountered a fair share of loud talkers, people who take up a seat with their bags or folks who won't give up a seat to an elderly person or pregnant lady. Sheesh.

Please Welcome...

Samantha Shea
Born Saturday, March 21 at 1:03 p.m.
9 lbs, 12 oz
19 1/2 inches long


Three sisters: Ashli, 16; Delaney, 18 months and new sister, Samantha

Rambling On

I've not spent enough time on my blog lately, but I'm so very thankful for all of your comments. I've been swamped with work, house guests, a little travel thrown in and general busy-ness.

Some of what's been going on:

The house is still in contract negotiations. It looks like everything is coming together and that the contact part should be finalized on Monday or Tuesday. We entered into escrow earlier this week. I'm excited.

It looks like my landlord will let me out of my lease 2 weeks early, which isn't much, but it will save me half a month's rent. Enough to buy the new couch for the guest room I want.

I won a contest at work and have $850 in VISA gift cards. I'm definitely using that towards new condo stuff.

My Benevolent Blogger Project is moving along nicely and taking up much more of my time than my original commitment which I'm happy about. I'm thinking it's about 20 hours a month. I've also joined the Junior Board of Chicago Cares and committed to being a Project Service Manager for the Serve-a-thon in June.

I had a super third date with a new boy last night. He's just great and that's about all I have to say about that.

Check out Jon Stewart's interview with Jim Cramer. I highly recommend that you watch the entire interview.

I've lost another five pounds for a total of 19 pounds since January 1. I'm pretty happy with that. New jeans are in the future. I need to get back to the gym. When I was sick, I couldn't go and now I've just slacked. It's been a month...the excuses have to stop.

I don't have any travel planned for a bit. I'll be in Arizona for Easter and then I head to NYC for a weekend for work. In between, Brian will be visiting for a long weekend. I'm dreading the though of how hot it will be in Phoenix.

Work is going really well, more responsibilities and more time, but I'm so lucky to work for such a great company through these economic times. This coming week is going to be a crazy one.

I need to do laundry this weekend.

Firsts

A little light on content around here lately, huh? I've written a few posts that I decided weren't really appropriate. I received the catharsis of writing them, so I won't be posting them.

Here's a fun meme from Michelle at Bleeding Espresso. Play with me?


1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
I didn't go to prom.

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
Nope.

3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
Beer. Probably a Coors pony.

4. What was your FIRST job?
The log flume operator at a local (now defunct) amusement park. I made a whopping $3.15 an hour!

5. What was your FIRST car?
A white 1985 Ford Thunderbird. I got it for my 15th birthday (the driving age in LA) in 1988.

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
Laura.

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
My boss as I had a 7 a.m. conference call with him.

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Ms. Frier.

9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
Florida, when I was two to Disneyland. I think...maybe there was an earlier one?

10. Who was your FIRST best friend & do you still talk?
Gail Friscotty, she lived down the street from me and I'm fairly certain that's not how you spell her name. I never spoke to her after I moved in kindergarten.

11. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
I have no recollection, but I'm going to guess it was with Robin Johnson in the first or second grade.

12. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
My boss.

13. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
I was the flower girl in my dad's cousin's wedding when I was three. The groom's mother made my dress and I wore a big yellow hat.

14. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
Made the bed.

15. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
The first I went to by myself was Milli Vanilli.

16. FIRST tattoo?
Yes, a fleur de lis on my shoulder for my 30th birthday.

17. FIRST piercing?
In fifth grade, my ears.

18. FIRST foreign country you visited?
England.

19. FIRST movie you remember seeing?
Bambi.

20. When was your FIRST detention?
I don't think I ever had detention.

21. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
New York.

22. Who was your FIRST roommate?
Darren.

23. If you had one wish. What would it be?
To have all of my grandparents again.

24. What is something you would learn if you had the chance?
To fly a plane.

25. Who do you think will be the next person to post this?
You!

Morning view in CT

Dreaming & Scheming

Now, of course, all I can think about is packing and moving in June. Well, at least it's closer and can distract me from thinking about this.

I'm going to need a new kitchen table and a pull out sofa/futon/daybed thingy for my guest room which will primarily be my office.

My desk looks like this:


It's the Expedit Desk from IKEA in brown black. It's not a great photo. It has four rows of four cubes each with the desk jutting out. I also have a black filing cabinet that is in no way attractive, but it's functional. I'm going to have to break down and get a credenza of some sort. I'm thinking two of these should do the trick.

Then there are two Billy bookcases. Also considering this for coffee table/storage.

So, for the sleeping/lounging part of my guestroom/office, I really like this:


It's the Lubi Daybed from CB2, the new offshoot of Crate & Barrel. What do you think? And I really like it with the blue walls or even green walls, think the same green that's in the throw and rug when you click "room views". I think it'll be nice with the rust of the bed and the brown black of the furniture. It's a very bright room, so it can handle some bold colors.

Eek, can't wait to start buying stuff. I'm going to visit CB2 this weekend and make sure it's comfy and then watch out to see when the have any kind of promotions. I'm also hoping to hit Home Depot for some paint swatches. I'm thinking orange in the kitchen and blue in my bedroom. For the living room, probably brown or khaki of some sort since my couch and chair are a Merlot velvet. Any suggestions? Maybe a gold or mustardy color?

Guess What I Bought Today?

A HOUSE!!!

Holy crappe that was fast. I made an offer at 6 last night and between 6 and 9 tonight we had three rounds of counteroffers and an acceptance. I got a great deal and it's a super cute condo. It's in Albany Park. It's a little gritty part of town, which is what I wanted honestly. The zipcode is considered the third most diverse zipcode in the country. I think that's super cool!

It's small, but very functional. It's got a great kitchen and a balcony!!! It's two blocks from the el, which is great too! I won't have to do one single thing to it to move in. I'll paint of course, and I don't love the bathroom vanity or mirror, but that's no big deal. Closing the end of May. Anyone want to come help me pack and move in June? Your visit includes a free guestroom stay and all the beer your can drink.