The Baby Ladies
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Buoyed
I loved watching Colin Powell on "Meet the Press" this morning. He sounded so logical and like he cut through the bullshit, and that was refreshing. I was especially pleased that he called certain GOP people out for implying that Obama = Muslim, therefore = evil. Bullshit.
Transcript from what I especially liked from Powell's comments:
I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America.
I loved watching Colin Powell on "Meet the Press" this morning. He sounded so logical and like he cut through the bullshit, and that was refreshing. I was especially pleased that he called certain GOP people out for implying that Obama = Muslim, therefore = evil. Bullshit.
Transcript from what I especially liked from Powell's comments:
I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Friday, October 03, 2008
It's Banned Book Week!
Celebrate by reading one.
The most challenged books of the 21st century look heavy on the young readers' stuff: Harry Potter, Judy Blume, The Chocolate War, Maya Angelou, and apparently something called the 'Captain Underpants Series.' Give me a break.
Celebrate by reading one.
The most challenged books of the 21st century look heavy on the young readers' stuff: Harry Potter, Judy Blume, The Chocolate War, Maya Angelou, and apparently something called the 'Captain Underpants Series.' Give me a break.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Pulchritudinous stuff
So much to talk about! First of all, last weekend I flew back to VA to help host our Anne's bridal shower, along with the rest of the bridal party, Kathy and Christie. It seemed to go off wonderfully, and I have lots of pictures to share and a few to post. I just need to get around to downloading them from the camera. We also got to meet Christie's baby, Emmet, and he is nothing short of beautiful. He's perfectly shaped and sweetly mellow and has a splendid little face.
The evening after the bridal shower a few of us had dinner at a local place in downtown Herndon, VA. I commented to my parents afterward that within 10 minutes of driving around Herndon I saw TWO McCain/Palin stickers. It surprised me since I seriously have not noticed ONE of these car stickers since the campaign started. This is probably because I have been nestled in Obama-land in Chicago, and I'm also not super observant, but it actually startled me a little to see two so close together. Yoicks. I'm glad that I have friends in Virginia who will represent, but this is when I wish I still had a VA vote.
I'm also dying watching the GOP spin machine trying to do damage control over the Palin/Couric interviews: it's priceless. I laughed out loud listening to McCain on NPR yesterday morning trying to say that he has consulted Palin over foreign relations issues "many times in the past." Please stop insulting the American people. The truth is that I would respect McCain's side a lot more if he didn't try to lie and spin. Back to the Couric interview, though: I was a little surprised that she didn't come up with any answers for newspapers and magazines she read regularly. I suppose it's a little delicate since you do want to present yourself as balanced, and not biased in any way (which what you read can say that about you), but not coming up with *anything*? Weird.
I'm psyched for the debate tonight.
In other news, I have one student who I see who has high functioning autism. She's earnest and wide-eyed and quite verbal. Last Tuesday, she looked up at me from her worksheet and stated: "You're pulchritudinous!" The only reason I know what that word means is because I got it wrong on the GRE. This is also the same girl who I observed with some other special needs kids. The special ed teacher asked them to name their favorite animals. Other kids named: dog, cat, horse. She named: tapir.
So much to talk about! First of all, last weekend I flew back to VA to help host our Anne's bridal shower, along with the rest of the bridal party, Kathy and Christie. It seemed to go off wonderfully, and I have lots of pictures to share and a few to post. I just need to get around to downloading them from the camera. We also got to meet Christie's baby, Emmet, and he is nothing short of beautiful. He's perfectly shaped and sweetly mellow and has a splendid little face.
The evening after the bridal shower a few of us had dinner at a local place in downtown Herndon, VA. I commented to my parents afterward that within 10 minutes of driving around Herndon I saw TWO McCain/Palin stickers. It surprised me since I seriously have not noticed ONE of these car stickers since the campaign started. This is probably because I have been nestled in Obama-land in Chicago, and I'm also not super observant, but it actually startled me a little to see two so close together. Yoicks. I'm glad that I have friends in Virginia who will represent, but this is when I wish I still had a VA vote.
I'm also dying watching the GOP spin machine trying to do damage control over the Palin/Couric interviews: it's priceless. I laughed out loud listening to McCain on NPR yesterday morning trying to say that he has consulted Palin over foreign relations issues "many times in the past." Please stop insulting the American people. The truth is that I would respect McCain's side a lot more if he didn't try to lie and spin. Back to the Couric interview, though: I was a little surprised that she didn't come up with any answers for newspapers and magazines she read regularly. I suppose it's a little delicate since you do want to present yourself as balanced, and not biased in any way (which what you read can say that about you), but not coming up with *anything*? Weird.
I'm psyched for the debate tonight.
In other news, I have one student who I see who has high functioning autism. She's earnest and wide-eyed and quite verbal. Last Tuesday, she looked up at me from her worksheet and stated: "You're pulchritudinous!" The only reason I know what that word means is because I got it wrong on the GRE. This is also the same girl who I observed with some other special needs kids. The special ed teacher asked them to name their favorite animals. Other kids named: dog, cat, horse. She named: tapir.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Lots of viewing ahead
One particularly awesome wedding present we received (Thanks, CC!) is a contraption that allows viewing of Netflix movies directly to your tv. Last night we hooked it up and watched movies and shows for hours. Seriously, this is an excellent machine as there's a fair selection of stuff available, there's no limit to what you can watch, and the picture is good.
One of the movies we watched was the documentary "Please Vote for Me." It's an hour long documentary about an election for class monitor in a Chinese school room and is is one of the best movies I have seen all year. It's funny, chock full of cute kids, and is relevant to our election year this year as there's tons of mud slinging and maneuvering to obtain votes.
We also watched "Heavy Metal in Baghdad," which was good and sad. I also think it would be an excellent movie to show American teenagers to help them get one snapshot of their peers in Iraq.
In other news, yesterday was very productive besides all of the movie watching. We painted the guest room and it's pretty much finished besides a couple of touch ups. It's a spring green color and I like it very much.
One particularly awesome wedding present we received (Thanks, CC!) is a contraption that allows viewing of Netflix movies directly to your tv. Last night we hooked it up and watched movies and shows for hours. Seriously, this is an excellent machine as there's a fair selection of stuff available, there's no limit to what you can watch, and the picture is good.
One of the movies we watched was the documentary "Please Vote for Me." It's an hour long documentary about an election for class monitor in a Chinese school room and is is one of the best movies I have seen all year. It's funny, chock full of cute kids, and is relevant to our election year this year as there's tons of mud slinging and maneuvering to obtain votes.
We also watched "Heavy Metal in Baghdad," which was good and sad. I also think it would be an excellent movie to show American teenagers to help them get one snapshot of their peers in Iraq.
In other news, yesterday was very productive besides all of the movie watching. We painted the guest room and it's pretty much finished besides a couple of touch ups. It's a spring green color and I like it very much.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Late summer
It's the last week of summer, and I cannot describe to you how fantastic the weather in Chicago is this week. Today we had a fire drill, and I was ready to drop everything and flee work so I could frolic in the streets. Or just lie on the lake front. It's sunny and mid-70s and breezy and it makes one want to weep at the beauty.
Anyway, last night we went to go see one of Todd's friends perform stand up in Berwyn. Where is Berwyn, you might ask? I don't really know myself, but it's just on the edge of Chicago. The standup was in this makeshift stage in the corner of a crowded, somewhat gritty, and wholly charming bar which hosts a weekly open mic. Adam, who is well practiced in stand up, was one of the regulars and it was clear, as he had the right rhythm for the jokes and the deliveries were right on. There were a few other good ones, but for the most part it was a glaringly painful experience. You watch these guys *struggle* up there, telling mind-blowingly terrible jokes, and literally sweating. I mean, I felt for those guys because God knows I wouldn't have the balls to do this, but I also have zero urge to stand there and do bits in front of strangers. One guy, who was up there for the first time, was so nervous that he was having breathing problems. He also told a joke about black people hating to swim. The last guy, who was in his 50s, wore a muscle shirt and a greased pompadour and spat out a string of totally gross, nasty, and mostly bad jokes that made me shudder. Oy.
Beyond that, life's just been busy with work and putting away wedding gifts, and vacuuming cat hair from the floor and carpet.
It's the last week of summer, and I cannot describe to you how fantastic the weather in Chicago is this week. Today we had a fire drill, and I was ready to drop everything and flee work so I could frolic in the streets. Or just lie on the lake front. It's sunny and mid-70s and breezy and it makes one want to weep at the beauty.
Anyway, last night we went to go see one of Todd's friends perform stand up in Berwyn. Where is Berwyn, you might ask? I don't really know myself, but it's just on the edge of Chicago. The standup was in this makeshift stage in the corner of a crowded, somewhat gritty, and wholly charming bar which hosts a weekly open mic. Adam, who is well practiced in stand up, was one of the regulars and it was clear, as he had the right rhythm for the jokes and the deliveries were right on. There were a few other good ones, but for the most part it was a glaringly painful experience. You watch these guys *struggle* up there, telling mind-blowingly terrible jokes, and literally sweating. I mean, I felt for those guys because God knows I wouldn't have the balls to do this, but I also have zero urge to stand there and do bits in front of strangers. One guy, who was up there for the first time, was so nervous that he was having breathing problems. He also told a joke about black people hating to swim. The last guy, who was in his 50s, wore a muscle shirt and a greased pompadour and spat out a string of totally gross, nasty, and mostly bad jokes that made me shudder. Oy.
Beyond that, life's just been busy with work and putting away wedding gifts, and vacuuming cat hair from the floor and carpet.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Our awesome wedding photographer, Matt Veldhuis, posted some initial pictures from the wedding on his blog. Check them out!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
La Sagrada FamiliaOne of the Gaudi sites we've visited that is definitely one of the most dramatic. Unfortunately, a lot of the sites we've visited appear to be under some kind of construction. We contemplated going inside, but decided to just take photos outside since there were seriously like a katrillion tourists buzzing around.
Barcelona!
It's the late afternoon/evening here in Barcelona. We have one full day left, and it's gone quickly. Our days have revolved around doing maybe one tourist site a day, then stopping somewhere and getting a snack and a drink, then napping for a few hours (!), then a late dinner. I love Spain, partly because they also love: bread, wine, olive oil, and relaxing. The food is rich enough that my stomach is kind of wrecked this afternoon, but I will suffer through! I think our favorite is the pan amb tomates (don't quote me on the language), which is basically thick sliced fresh bread, amply brushed with olive oil, and then topped with fresh tomato guts. It's yummy, and can accompany every meal. Besides the food, Barcelona is hands down beautiful. Today we did a walking tour throuh the old gothic area/roman area and the lanes and buildings are breathtaking. There's nothing like it Stateside. I love how you peer down a skinny lane and in the background you see a mountain or a building or a church steeple peeking out above, so photogenically.
It's the late afternoon/evening here in Barcelona. We have one full day left, and it's gone quickly. Our days have revolved around doing maybe one tourist site a day, then stopping somewhere and getting a snack and a drink, then napping for a few hours (!), then a late dinner. I love Spain, partly because they also love: bread, wine, olive oil, and relaxing. The food is rich enough that my stomach is kind of wrecked this afternoon, but I will suffer through! I think our favorite is the pan amb tomates (don't quote me on the language), which is basically thick sliced fresh bread, amply brushed with olive oil, and then topped with fresh tomato guts. It's yummy, and can accompany every meal. Besides the food, Barcelona is hands down beautiful. Today we did a walking tour throuh the old gothic area/roman area and the lanes and buildings are breathtaking. There's nothing like it Stateside. I love how you peer down a skinny lane and in the background you see a mountain or a building or a church steeple peeking out above, so photogenically.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Wed!
The wedding went off without a hitch on Saturday and Todd and I are officially married. Hooray! The ceremony itself was in my parents' front yard, and the weather was phenomenal: it was sunny but cool enough to be outside and kind of rare for August. The reception at the Chinese restaurant was full of food and I danced like crazy, not a little because I was so gleeful that 10 months of planning was finished.
Tonight we leave for the honeymoon, and now we can enjoy life as married people.
Thanks to Suzi for the pictures!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Yeah..
The wedding is like five days away. I'm in VA prepping and there is a lot to do. That's why I'd rather write about the movies that I've watched lately.
1. "Persepolis": As good as you'd expect! It synthesized both I and II of the books and the art was wonderful. I probably learned more about recent Iranian history than I had ever known before. Maybe that says more about my own ignorance, though. See it!
2. "My Kid Could Paint That": Also really good! For those who don't know, the story follows the adorable 4-year old moppet who rocked the art world with her paintings that people compared to the likes of Jackson Pollack. The doc originally started out as a look at the world of contemporary art and examining how people qualify art as valuable. But, then it turned into a really interesting whodunnit, since many began to question whether the kid was solely behind those paintings. Incredibly intriguing and I know that I was convinced that she didn't create many of the paintings attributed to her, although the filmmaker never really came down on any side. Oh, and her paintings were selling for tens of thousands.
3. "Manda Bala:" I just watched this documentary about crime and corruption in Brazil. All I know is that after watching it, I was convinced to cancel any imminent trips to Sao Paolo. Kidnappings for ransom occur once a day there, according to the film, and now the rich are *helicoptering* to and from their locations and buying bulletproof cars in order to escape the kidnappers.
4. "SubUrbia": This was on IFC the other day so I sat and watched the entire thing. I didn't like it at all, and I can dig some Richard Linklater, usually. Maybe it's because every single one of the characters was irritating. Maybe it was because it was full of ennui. Maybe because, as I discovered afterward, it was apparently originally a stage play put to screen (I actually commented to Todd while we watched it that it felt like the lines were being delivered as if it were a play), and I didn't expect that.
5. "Lars and the Real Girl": I will admit that I teared up at one point in this movie about a man's relationship with his Real Girl doll. Still, though, I felt like it dragged. I do love me some Ryan Gosling--even when he's kind of puffy and wears an 80s moustache.
The wedding is like five days away. I'm in VA prepping and there is a lot to do. That's why I'd rather write about the movies that I've watched lately.
1. "Persepolis": As good as you'd expect! It synthesized both I and II of the books and the art was wonderful. I probably learned more about recent Iranian history than I had ever known before. Maybe that says more about my own ignorance, though. See it!
2. "My Kid Could Paint That": Also really good! For those who don't know, the story follows the adorable 4-year old moppet who rocked the art world with her paintings that people compared to the likes of Jackson Pollack. The doc originally started out as a look at the world of contemporary art and examining how people qualify art as valuable. But, then it turned into a really interesting whodunnit, since many began to question whether the kid was solely behind those paintings. Incredibly intriguing and I know that I was convinced that she didn't create many of the paintings attributed to her, although the filmmaker never really came down on any side. Oh, and her paintings were selling for tens of thousands.
3. "Manda Bala:" I just watched this documentary about crime and corruption in Brazil. All I know is that after watching it, I was convinced to cancel any imminent trips to Sao Paolo. Kidnappings for ransom occur once a day there, according to the film, and now the rich are *helicoptering* to and from their locations and buying bulletproof cars in order to escape the kidnappers.
4. "SubUrbia": This was on IFC the other day so I sat and watched the entire thing. I didn't like it at all, and I can dig some Richard Linklater, usually. Maybe it's because every single one of the characters was irritating. Maybe it was because it was full of ennui. Maybe because, as I discovered afterward, it was apparently originally a stage play put to screen (I actually commented to Todd while we watched it that it felt like the lines were being delivered as if it were a play), and I didn't expect that.
5. "Lars and the Real Girl": I will admit that I teared up at one point in this movie about a man's relationship with his Real Girl doll. Still, though, I felt like it dragged. I do love me some Ryan Gosling--even when he's kind of puffy and wears an 80s moustache.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Suitably impressed
Last night, Todd's friend, Brian, got married to his new bride, Cary. We attended the wedding which was in the Ravenswood area in Chicago and was held at a store called Architectural Artifacts.
What a beautiful venue. It's a large building with huge ceilings and various open floors and it's filled with various statues, signs, columns. They got married in the courtyard surrounded by enormous stone statues. It was lovely! It was enhanced by the rumble of the el over the ceremony and the dudes hanging out in the stairwell of the neighboring apartment drinking beers and watching the festivities.
Last night, Todd's friend, Brian, got married to his new bride, Cary. We attended the wedding which was in the Ravenswood area in Chicago and was held at a store called Architectural Artifacts.
What a beautiful venue. It's a large building with huge ceilings and various open floors and it's filled with various statues, signs, columns. They got married in the courtyard surrounded by enormous stone statues. It was lovely! It was enhanced by the rumble of the el over the ceremony and the dudes hanging out in the stairwell of the neighboring apartment drinking beers and watching the festivities.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Listless
Blah: I don't want to do anything. I don't really have an excuse since I am mostly off this summer. As the wedding presses ever closer, though, I feel: annoyed. And full of ennui. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to be married, and am excited to get married, but am not excited to plan for the stupid wedding. I have a terribly bad attitude right now, and hopefully a good work out will cleanse me.
But, isn't it funny that I feel listless, and the reason why is because I am surrounded by lists (to do, mental, etc)?
Blah: I don't want to do anything. I don't really have an excuse since I am mostly off this summer. As the wedding presses ever closer, though, I feel: annoyed. And full of ennui. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to be married, and am excited to get married, but am not excited to plan for the stupid wedding. I have a terribly bad attitude right now, and hopefully a good work out will cleanse me.
But, isn't it funny that I feel listless, and the reason why is because I am surrounded by lists (to do, mental, etc)?
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Wow!How awesome is this picture? And how awesome is the news that our Hillary (pictured here) won the Alexander Graham Bell Association of the Deaf 2008 Rookie of the Year award???
This picture is from the article that tells all about it in the Australian newspaper Adelaide Now (Hillary works in Adelaide right now).
I knew her when.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Read It!
There's an article about Robin's delicious dumpling restaurant, Kuai, in the Dallas Morning News!
There's an article about Robin's delicious dumpling restaurant, Kuai, in the Dallas Morning News!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Hmmm
My very nice trainer gave me the dubious honor of telling me that I sweat the most of all of her clients during our workouts. Um, thanks? I don't know if I want to be known as the excessive sweat producer, but it's true. Especially with the humid weather now, I am positively soaked every time I leave the gym. Today it kind of looked like I jumped in the shower with all of my clothes. (Don't worry, I just did a little Googling, and it's GOOD to sweat lots, it means that you're more efficient at cooling down!).
I had a killer session this morning, in which a good percentage of it was based on doing a variety push ups while balancing on those horrid mini medicine balls on my hands. I hate those exercises with every thread and shred of my being. I want to die when I do them. Seriously.
At the session's end, my trainer asked me if I had known that I wanted a choose a female or male trainer (female, all the way, for me...it's a comfort thing). Anyway, she said that people often seem to think that female trainers are easier on their clients. In my case this is not true: I often see people (who totally appear to be in poorer fitness shape than me!) traipsing around with their male trainers and they're conversing and *laughing* through out their sessions. In the meantime, I probably spend at least 50% of my sessions praying that it will be over soon. And groaning loudly like a wounded seal. I seriously stop caring about the noises I make.
This is not to say that I don't appreciate my training sessions: they're great. It's just that they force me to do those kind of strength building exercises (e.g. push ups on the devil's medicine balls) that I effing loathe but know that I need.
So, anyway: if you need some excess human sweat, come and find me at the gym.
My very nice trainer gave me the dubious honor of telling me that I sweat the most of all of her clients during our workouts. Um, thanks? I don't know if I want to be known as the excessive sweat producer, but it's true. Especially with the humid weather now, I am positively soaked every time I leave the gym. Today it kind of looked like I jumped in the shower with all of my clothes. (Don't worry, I just did a little Googling, and it's GOOD to sweat lots, it means that you're more efficient at cooling down!).
I had a killer session this morning, in which a good percentage of it was based on doing a variety push ups while balancing on those horrid mini medicine balls on my hands. I hate those exercises with every thread and shred of my being. I want to die when I do them. Seriously.
At the session's end, my trainer asked me if I had known that I wanted a choose a female or male trainer (female, all the way, for me...it's a comfort thing). Anyway, she said that people often seem to think that female trainers are easier on their clients. In my case this is not true: I often see people (who totally appear to be in poorer fitness shape than me!) traipsing around with their male trainers and they're conversing and *laughing* through out their sessions. In the meantime, I probably spend at least 50% of my sessions praying that it will be over soon. And groaning loudly like a wounded seal. I seriously stop caring about the noises I make.
This is not to say that I don't appreciate my training sessions: they're great. It's just that they force me to do those kind of strength building exercises (e.g. push ups on the devil's medicine balls) that I effing loathe but know that I need.
So, anyway: if you need some excess human sweat, come and find me at the gym.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Winery Shower
Ah, thanks be to my favorite ADD for organizing an amazing bridal shower. We went to Potomac Point Winery just south of the beltway for lunch, gifts, and a tasting. It was quite lovely and nice to see some much missed and beloved friends (my DC contingent, if you will...and I will). The traffic down there was something with which to contend, but sweet Suzi offered to drive. Oh, and also Suzi brought this honey goatcheese cheesecake with raspberry sauce which was nothing short of heavenly and kind of made me want to cry myself to sleep with joy. Thanks for Anne for lunch, and thanks to Annie for the tasting, and thanks for Des for making these remarkable blueberry tarts that look like something from the illustrations of the "Alice and Wonderland" book (those illustrations always made me hungry). I gots some nice friends. Also, thanks for my mom for coming and for gifting me the jade that I'm sporting in the photos.
Oh, and also thanks to Suzi for the pictures. :)
Monday, June 16, 2008
Detective
So, we got a second kitty! We went to a no-kill, no-cage shelter on the northside of the city called Felines Inc. I can't recommend the place enough to people looking to adopt kitties. The volunteers are so helpful: you walk in and tell them your situation and what kind of kitty you're looking for, and they think about several cats to introduce you to. The place itself is a large house with 120+ cats wandering freely (and unbelievably, it does NOT smell like kitty litter). We got to meet a few cats and then spend as much time with them as we wanted, among all of the cats. I love that. The other shelter where we got Hef had to be all business: you named off the tab band of that cat you wanted to meet, and the people retrieved them from a cage for you. You don't have time to dawdle and play.
So, we ended up choosing a long-haired kinda scruffy looking guy who we have now named "Detective Helldorfer" after a homicide detective on A&E's the "First 48." Todd loved the guy's name at first blush, so we've kept it in our pockets, waiting for the second cat. We call him "Detective" for short, of course. This cat had me at hello when we met him. He was relaxing amongst the cats when we first walked in. When I knelt beside him, he immediately got up to clamber into my lap. He appeared to be a sincere and true lap cat (Hef likes the lap for short stints, but prefers to snooze beside you with his paw resting upon your thigh). Todd and I both agreed that this guy was the one for us. Plus, he has these kind of big hairy paws that I love.
We brought him home yesterday and kitty has not emerged from under the bed in the guest bed room. No, scratch that: he did sit by the door and cry pathetically in the middle of the night. I woke up, opened the door, and he rushed back under the bed.
I'm being patient and letting him get comfortable at his own pace, but I'm worried that it's going to take weeks to months. The good news is that he's eating and using the litter box. Hef is curious and sometimes sits by the closed door outside new kitty's room, but for the most part carries on his usual routine of napping by the window or on the couch.
So, we got a second kitty! We went to a no-kill, no-cage shelter on the northside of the city called Felines Inc. I can't recommend the place enough to people looking to adopt kitties. The volunteers are so helpful: you walk in and tell them your situation and what kind of kitty you're looking for, and they think about several cats to introduce you to. The place itself is a large house with 120+ cats wandering freely (and unbelievably, it does NOT smell like kitty litter). We got to meet a few cats and then spend as much time with them as we wanted, among all of the cats. I love that. The other shelter where we got Hef had to be all business: you named off the tab band of that cat you wanted to meet, and the people retrieved them from a cage for you. You don't have time to dawdle and play.
So, we ended up choosing a long-haired kinda scruffy looking guy who we have now named "Detective Helldorfer" after a homicide detective on A&E's the "First 48." Todd loved the guy's name at first blush, so we've kept it in our pockets, waiting for the second cat. We call him "Detective" for short, of course. This cat had me at hello when we met him. He was relaxing amongst the cats when we first walked in. When I knelt beside him, he immediately got up to clamber into my lap. He appeared to be a sincere and true lap cat (Hef likes the lap for short stints, but prefers to snooze beside you with his paw resting upon your thigh). Todd and I both agreed that this guy was the one for us. Plus, he has these kind of big hairy paws that I love.
We brought him home yesterday and kitty has not emerged from under the bed in the guest bed room. No, scratch that: he did sit by the door and cry pathetically in the middle of the night. I woke up, opened the door, and he rushed back under the bed.
I'm being patient and letting him get comfortable at his own pace, but I'm worried that it's going to take weeks to months. The good news is that he's eating and using the litter box. Hef is curious and sometimes sits by the closed door outside new kitty's room, but for the most part carries on his usual routine of napping by the window or on the couch.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
05. days left
Tomorrow is the last day of work until next fall and it'll only be a half day. Freedom! Today was "teacher institute day" which means that the kids aren't around, but you have the time to get organized, clean, file, etc. I'm thrilled.
I also want to report that I was really proud of myself during my training session last night as I did for the first time something I wasn't able to before. See, my balance and stability is kind of my weak point. One of the things my trainer always tried to get me to do was to be able to roll with your belly on one of those giant exercise balls. Eventually your shins are resting on the ball, and the rest of your body is in a plank position. From there, you move your hands up from the ground so that they rest on the barbell. The ending result is that you're kind of in push up position, except your legs are straight out. Before, I would always fly off the ball or push the barbell away trying to get balance. After one false start, I did it last night! I was psyched.
Tomorrow is the last day of work until next fall and it'll only be a half day. Freedom! Today was "teacher institute day" which means that the kids aren't around, but you have the time to get organized, clean, file, etc. I'm thrilled.
I also want to report that I was really proud of myself during my training session last night as I did for the first time something I wasn't able to before. See, my balance and stability is kind of my weak point. One of the things my trainer always tried to get me to do was to be able to roll with your belly on one of those giant exercise balls. Eventually your shins are resting on the ball, and the rest of your body is in a plank position. From there, you move your hands up from the ground so that they rest on the barbell. The ending result is that you're kind of in push up position, except your legs are straight out. Before, I would always fly off the ball or push the barbell away trying to get balance. After one false start, I did it last night! I was psyched.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
You've got to check out these wedding shots that were taken right as the earthquake hit in China. Amazing stuff.
(via metafilter)
(via metafilter)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Did I tell you? Probably not...
-My new gym finally, finally opened and everyone was biting at the bit to get into it because it's been crowded yesterday when it opened and today. Luckily they have a four story garage (I parked on the fourth floor today and it offers a pretty amazing view of the skyline). It's shiny, new, and I love the personal tvs. Today I watched "Cash Cab" on the treadmill.
I also had my intro session with my new trainer. I needed to schedule my training sessions, and had to approach a trainer to do it, so I eyeballed them while they milled around the first day. I totally chose mine based on her down-to-earth appearance and she appeared to have the smallest ratio of hair product: hair. I think I chose correctly. She's super nice and has a gentle, non-judgmental manner, which I love because I need that kind of nurturing when it comes to strength building. So we did the measurements etc tonight and she figured out where my starting levels are. Bottom line: my arms are weak, people! And my balance could be better, too. And I intend to lose some inches. So, I'm going to have my next session with her on Thursday and I expect it to hurt a little.
-We painted one of our bathrooms. It's a nice light blue-gray and I love it. I did the roller and Todd did the edges and the prep and clean up. His part was much tougher, but we both get to enjoy the pay off.
- We tried to take HF/Hef to the vet last Saturday. Key word: TRIED. Dude was NOT going to be coaxed into his carrier. We tried about three times and it was chaotic and kitty was stressed. Todd ended up getting his forearms scratched to hell and then Hef just ran away and hid under the bed. Vet for another time. We read up a little and I guess the key is to desensitize him: leave it out, leave the door open, even put his food into there. Anyone else got any good ideas for me?
-16 more days left to school (I'm not counting the last day since the kids are like there an hour and everyone gets let out early).
-My new gym finally, finally opened and everyone was biting at the bit to get into it because it's been crowded yesterday when it opened and today. Luckily they have a four story garage (I parked on the fourth floor today and it offers a pretty amazing view of the skyline). It's shiny, new, and I love the personal tvs. Today I watched "Cash Cab" on the treadmill.
I also had my intro session with my new trainer. I needed to schedule my training sessions, and had to approach a trainer to do it, so I eyeballed them while they milled around the first day. I totally chose mine based on her down-to-earth appearance and she appeared to have the smallest ratio of hair product: hair. I think I chose correctly. She's super nice and has a gentle, non-judgmental manner, which I love because I need that kind of nurturing when it comes to strength building. So we did the measurements etc tonight and she figured out where my starting levels are. Bottom line: my arms are weak, people! And my balance could be better, too. And I intend to lose some inches. So, I'm going to have my next session with her on Thursday and I expect it to hurt a little.
-We painted one of our bathrooms. It's a nice light blue-gray and I love it. I did the roller and Todd did the edges and the prep and clean up. His part was much tougher, but we both get to enjoy the pay off.
- We tried to take HF/Hef to the vet last Saturday. Key word: TRIED. Dude was NOT going to be coaxed into his carrier. We tried about three times and it was chaotic and kitty was stressed. Todd ended up getting his forearms scratched to hell and then Hef just ran away and hid under the bed. Vet for another time. We read up a little and I guess the key is to desensitize him: leave it out, leave the door open, even put his food into there. Anyone else got any good ideas for me?
-16 more days left to school (I'm not counting the last day since the kids are like there an hour and everyone gets let out early).
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Super Fat Japanese MonkeyThe tourists overfeed them.
You can read about it here.
I love it.
(via neatorama)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Shiny New Gym
So, this gym has been in the works close by to Todd's and my place for at least a year now. I think it was last summer that they had their skimpily dressed employees handing out promotional flyers in the main, very crappy intersection by which it resides. In fact, we got a flyer a couple of weeks ago and I finally called today since the deal was about to expire. On the phone I was told that I HAD to come in, and with some reluctance (I wanted to go home after work, dammit!), I faced the bad traffic and went by. The place is opening in a couple of weeks and I got a tour today before they nailed me down with the contract.
Dudes, it's NICE. It has tons of equipment, and each cardio machine has its own personal television. That's high living for me. It has a pool, a resistance pool, and a jacuzzi. It's got a steam room and a sauna. It's got a room for spinning classes, one for yoga and pilates classes, and another for other aerobic classes. It has a rock climbing wall and a basketball court, which isn't my thing, but it still kind of fancy. I paid one bulk rate for the year at a promotional rate, but it's worth it since it worked out to $35 per month, which is dirt cheap in the world of gyms in Chicago.
Since it was their last day of their promotion, their theme was "Hawaiian luau" and I was kind of embarrassed for them. Everyone was dressed a la Miami Vice circa 1985 and they were "spinning records" really loudly and dancing outside the building...which is right across the street from a Target parking lot.
The dude who took me around was a nice enough guy, but kind of a caricature of himself. He was super friendly and to every person we passed he called out something like "How's it going, Big Guy!" or "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" All I could think about was how Todd would say that he'd bet that this guy would like "bro-ing it up" and watching some "Entourage." I ended up signing up for some personal training sessions (not with him--he was too enthusiastic for me) mainly because the rate was pretty good and I can take advantage of them with the summer coming up. Each salesperson bamboozled people into signing up for them, though, because immediately after signing you up, they take your fat percentage and calculate your BMI! I kind of resented that, but whatever. I'm a little scared of personal training since I'm so goddamn weak, but that's exactly why I need to face my fears. Ugh.
So, this gym has been in the works close by to Todd's and my place for at least a year now. I think it was last summer that they had their skimpily dressed employees handing out promotional flyers in the main, very crappy intersection by which it resides. In fact, we got a flyer a couple of weeks ago and I finally called today since the deal was about to expire. On the phone I was told that I HAD to come in, and with some reluctance (I wanted to go home after work, dammit!), I faced the bad traffic and went by. The place is opening in a couple of weeks and I got a tour today before they nailed me down with the contract.
Dudes, it's NICE. It has tons of equipment, and each cardio machine has its own personal television. That's high living for me. It has a pool, a resistance pool, and a jacuzzi. It's got a steam room and a sauna. It's got a room for spinning classes, one for yoga and pilates classes, and another for other aerobic classes. It has a rock climbing wall and a basketball court, which isn't my thing, but it still kind of fancy. I paid one bulk rate for the year at a promotional rate, but it's worth it since it worked out to $35 per month, which is dirt cheap in the world of gyms in Chicago.
Since it was their last day of their promotion, their theme was "Hawaiian luau" and I was kind of embarrassed for them. Everyone was dressed a la Miami Vice circa 1985 and they were "spinning records" really loudly and dancing outside the building...which is right across the street from a Target parking lot.
The dude who took me around was a nice enough guy, but kind of a caricature of himself. He was super friendly and to every person we passed he called out something like "How's it going, Big Guy!" or "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" All I could think about was how Todd would say that he'd bet that this guy would like "bro-ing it up" and watching some "Entourage." I ended up signing up for some personal training sessions (not with him--he was too enthusiastic for me) mainly because the rate was pretty good and I can take advantage of them with the summer coming up. Each salesperson bamboozled people into signing up for them, though, because immediately after signing you up, they take your fat percentage and calculate your BMI! I kind of resented that, but whatever. I'm a little scared of personal training since I'm so goddamn weak, but that's exactly why I need to face my fears. Ugh.
Todd's 30th
So this past Saturday was Todd's birthday...he's finally 30! He still looks way young, but maybe now people won't think he's 18 anymore. Regardless, it was my duty as the Future Wife to plan the shindig, and in my usual state, I left it till two weeks beforehand. We did some scrambling, but managed to get the private room at my favorite old neighborhood bar, Spyners, in Lincoln Square. We used to go there to watch/do karaoke and soak in the comfortable, slightly grizzled atmosphere. It's an earthy kinda place. Anyway, I knew that they had a back room and when I called I was told that: a.) the room was open that night, and b), we could have it.
It was great and I can't recommend this place enough for your private parties. First of all, the back room is enormous and was NO COST (way bigger than the regular bar and way nicer as well since it's brand new--you even have your own new bathrooms to use). Also, Maureen, the owner, catered the party and let me just tell you that it was dirt cheap. She put out a spread of nice salads, dips, cheeses, crackers, spaghetti and meatballs, italian sausage, pasta alfredo with shrimp, italian beef sandwiches, and shepherds pie along with german chocolate cake for dessert. It worked out to about $3.12 per person and it was GOOD. If our wedding were small enough, you're potentially talking about the cheapest wedding reception ever.
Enough about the food, though...More about the party.
Todd, Steve, and Kiley played a short set, which was awesome, and a fun spectrum of people showed up. Afterward, people wandered into the main area and partook in the karaoke with the rest of the bar. We didn't end up leaving until 1:30, which is like staying out till 6 in the morn at this point in my life. Todd had been sick that weekend, but he rallied and seemed to have a good time. Also, people brought him a lot of nice beer as gifts, so that sweetened the party for him.
So, fun times! Todd resides in the same decade as me! Call Maureen at Spyners if you have a private party to plan!
So this past Saturday was Todd's birthday...he's finally 30! He still looks way young, but maybe now people won't think he's 18 anymore. Regardless, it was my duty as the Future Wife to plan the shindig, and in my usual state, I left it till two weeks beforehand. We did some scrambling, but managed to get the private room at my favorite old neighborhood bar, Spyners, in Lincoln Square. We used to go there to watch/do karaoke and soak in the comfortable, slightly grizzled atmosphere. It's an earthy kinda place. Anyway, I knew that they had a back room and when I called I was told that: a.) the room was open that night, and b), we could have it.
It was great and I can't recommend this place enough for your private parties. First of all, the back room is enormous and was NO COST (way bigger than the regular bar and way nicer as well since it's brand new--you even have your own new bathrooms to use). Also, Maureen, the owner, catered the party and let me just tell you that it was dirt cheap. She put out a spread of nice salads, dips, cheeses, crackers, spaghetti and meatballs, italian sausage, pasta alfredo with shrimp, italian beef sandwiches, and shepherds pie along with german chocolate cake for dessert. It worked out to about $3.12 per person and it was GOOD. If our wedding were small enough, you're potentially talking about the cheapest wedding reception ever.
Enough about the food, though...More about the party.
Todd, Steve, and Kiley played a short set, which was awesome, and a fun spectrum of people showed up. Afterward, people wandered into the main area and partook in the karaoke with the rest of the bar. We didn't end up leaving until 1:30, which is like staying out till 6 in the morn at this point in my life. Todd had been sick that weekend, but he rallied and seemed to have a good time. Also, people brought him a lot of nice beer as gifts, so that sweetened the party for him.
So, fun times! Todd resides in the same decade as me! Call Maureen at Spyners if you have a private party to plan!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
37 Days
Two teachers came up and told me that there are 37 days left to the school year, and then another teacher told me that there are 7 weeks left. People aren't stoked for the summer in the least, are they? I think what makes it so tough--besides overall teacher exhaustion--is that the weather is so glowingly amazing outside all of the sudden. It makes people all the more itchy to be free. I know that I'm excited.
In cat news, we're still loving it. Todd has taken to calling him "Heff" and "El Jefe" (sp?), and we both call him "Kitty" by default, but it doesn't seem to confuse him too much. Bottom line is that he's totally dying for you to love him, so he'll come running when you sneeze. I hosted book club the other night and he immediately snuggled up between Lauren and Becky on the couch. His idiosyncracies are coming out as well. He likes to lay beside you and fall asleep while having at least one paw pressed against you, which is particularly endearing. At one point yesterday he nestled up on the cushion behind me on the couch and all of the sudden I felt a paw on my face, which he was happy to leave there for as long as possible. I kissed it and Todd reminded me that that's the same paw he uses to push his kitty litter around after he poops. Last night Todd commented that someone must have been sad to give this guy up along the way, and I agree but their loss is our gain. People, I love my cat.
Two teachers came up and told me that there are 37 days left to the school year, and then another teacher told me that there are 7 weeks left. People aren't stoked for the summer in the least, are they? I think what makes it so tough--besides overall teacher exhaustion--is that the weather is so glowingly amazing outside all of the sudden. It makes people all the more itchy to be free. I know that I'm excited.
In cat news, we're still loving it. Todd has taken to calling him "Heff" and "El Jefe" (sp?), and we both call him "Kitty" by default, but it doesn't seem to confuse him too much. Bottom line is that he's totally dying for you to love him, so he'll come running when you sneeze. I hosted book club the other night and he immediately snuggled up between Lauren and Becky on the couch. His idiosyncracies are coming out as well. He likes to lay beside you and fall asleep while having at least one paw pressed against you, which is particularly endearing. At one point yesterday he nestled up on the cushion behind me on the couch and all of the sudden I felt a paw on my face, which he was happy to leave there for as long as possible. I kissed it and Todd reminded me that that's the same paw he uses to push his kitty litter around after he poops. Last night Todd commented that someone must have been sad to give this guy up along the way, and I agree but their loss is our gain. People, I love my cat.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
We haz a Kitty
Finally, after years of waiting a kitty is mine/ours! Todd and I went over to the Anti-Cruelty society armed with tab numbers of favored cats that I carefully scribed after looking at the web site. We met one young kitty who was super, super active and we could barely keep him from escaping the bench where we sat. One of the cats was out since he wanted to be an only cat, and we definitely want another cat down the road. So we decided to meet this black and white guy with cow markings. I had listed him at the bottom of my list since he was 4, and we were originally looking for a young kitty. But, he was so, so awesome. He was large and lazy and lay in our arms and accepted brushing with no squirming. It was love and he was ours. It was also a good sign that the lady who worked there confessed that he was one of her favorites.
So we had already chosen names for our future cats, and we knew that we wanted to name our first cat after this Yale football player from the late 19th century named William Walter "Pudge" Heffelfinger. We had first heard his name on Antiques Roadshow and it had stuck. Todd and I debated what to call him for short, since the entire name is a bit ungainly and it was decided that we would give it some time to figure out what was the best fit. "Pudge" seems like the obvious choice, but that ain't it, and we're going with H.F. (initials for the last name). It seems to fit him, and it also has a Coen brothers/old-fashioned feel to it, which I like.
Within an hour of taking him home, he crawled into Todd's lap. He also likes lying between us and accepting a crazy amount of petting. I am stoked that we found the lazy, affectionate lap cat that I have sought in this world.
Finally, after years of waiting a kitty is mine/ours! Todd and I went over to the Anti-Cruelty society armed with tab numbers of favored cats that I carefully scribed after looking at the web site. We met one young kitty who was super, super active and we could barely keep him from escaping the bench where we sat. One of the cats was out since he wanted to be an only cat, and we definitely want another cat down the road. So we decided to meet this black and white guy with cow markings. I had listed him at the bottom of my list since he was 4, and we were originally looking for a young kitty. But, he was so, so awesome. He was large and lazy and lay in our arms and accepted brushing with no squirming. It was love and he was ours. It was also a good sign that the lady who worked there confessed that he was one of her favorites.
So we had already chosen names for our future cats, and we knew that we wanted to name our first cat after this Yale football player from the late 19th century named William Walter "Pudge" Heffelfinger. We had first heard his name on Antiques Roadshow and it had stuck. Todd and I debated what to call him for short, since the entire name is a bit ungainly and it was decided that we would give it some time to figure out what was the best fit. "Pudge" seems like the obvious choice, but that ain't it, and we're going with H.F. (initials for the last name). It seems to fit him, and it also has a Coen brothers/old-fashioned feel to it, which I like.
Within an hour of taking him home, he crawled into Todd's lap. He also likes lying between us and accepting a crazy amount of petting. I am stoked that we found the lazy, affectionate lap cat that I have sought in this world.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
This doesn't quite do it justice......but we tried Pinkberry while in NYC (tart! refreshing!) and Clarence chose green tea Pinkberry with chestnuts as a topping. I saw them and thought first that he ordered green olives, and then thought they might be little sausages. Either would have been a funny option.
New York!Grace, Clarence, and Jonathan were gracious and super fun hosts, and planned visits to interesting bars, lunch at Ukrainian diners, dinner at Korean restaurants, plays by Columbia playwrights, crepes, and walks through the neighborhoods by Columbia and Barnard as well as the Lower East Side. We also took the subway from Grace's place to Clarence's place and I made the mistake of drinking a lot of coffee and water that day so Grace and Todd were gracious enough to let me get off the train and out of the subway and find a bathroom (at that point I was considering peeing in the pants). Thanks to Grace, Claro, and J for opening their homes and their weekends to us.
Bits and Pieces
Gah! Has it really been almost a month since I've last posted? Yeah, it has. What's happened in the last month? Well:
- went to NY to visit Grace, Clarence and Jonathan
- spring break for a whirlwind 3-day wedding planning extravaganza in metropolitan DC (most of the stuff got done!)
- moved most of my worldly possessions into Todd's place, so now it has become *our* place. Moving sucks so very much, but we're getting settled in here and it's getting less chaotic every day with boxes all around.
Oh, and last night we went to see Explosions in the Sky play at the Congress Theater, which is only a couple of blocks away now. It was my first time at the Congress, and I was expecting it to be kind of gross, but I liked it. It has enormous and decaying, but grand--you should see the ceiling. Plus, the main floor is sloped, so wherever you stand, you can totally see the band. It was my second time seeing them, but I really like seeing EITS live: their music sweeps you up and the increased loudness makes it amazing.
The crowd is mostly people who stand/sway quietly taking in the music, but there were some noticeably loud, noticeably drunken people. There were two girls there who looked like they had returned from Spring Break CANCUN! just yesterday: they kept on shrieking over the music and one kept on bellowing "YEAH: Motherfucker!" Todd heard the same girl yell "I'm going to see my sorority BITCHES later!" EITS is instrumental and therefore not what I would classify as a partyitup-music kind of band so I'm puzzled how those people ended up there. I don't begrudge their good time, but they were annoying, so we ended up moving across the floor to escape them. Then we stood next to two loud drunk dudes, one of whom yelled "Freebird!" at one point. Again, so weird.
Gah! Has it really been almost a month since I've last posted? Yeah, it has. What's happened in the last month? Well:
- went to NY to visit Grace, Clarence and Jonathan
- spring break for a whirlwind 3-day wedding planning extravaganza in metropolitan DC (most of the stuff got done!)
- moved most of my worldly possessions into Todd's place, so now it has become *our* place. Moving sucks so very much, but we're getting settled in here and it's getting less chaotic every day with boxes all around.
Oh, and last night we went to see Explosions in the Sky play at the Congress Theater, which is only a couple of blocks away now. It was my first time at the Congress, and I was expecting it to be kind of gross, but I liked it. It has enormous and decaying, but grand--you should see the ceiling. Plus, the main floor is sloped, so wherever you stand, you can totally see the band. It was my second time seeing them, but I really like seeing EITS live: their music sweeps you up and the increased loudness makes it amazing.
The crowd is mostly people who stand/sway quietly taking in the music, but there were some noticeably loud, noticeably drunken people. There were two girls there who looked like they had returned from Spring Break CANCUN! just yesterday: they kept on shrieking over the music and one kept on bellowing "YEAH: Motherfucker!" Todd heard the same girl yell "I'm going to see my sorority BITCHES later!" EITS is instrumental and therefore not what I would classify as a partyitup-music kind of band so I'm puzzled how those people ended up there. I don't begrudge their good time, but they were annoying, so we ended up moving across the floor to escape them. Then we stood next to two loud drunk dudes, one of whom yelled "Freebird!" at one point. Again, so weird.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
March?
Can you believe it's March already? Not a whole lot to report, except that at the end of this month I have to grapple with the moving process...so that's fun. Although I'll be moving in with Todd and besides having an excellent person with whom to live, the future place also hosts a washer/dryer and heating and air conditioning. The steam heat I currently have, while economical, is a little spotty at times.
It's also like the season for meetings and reports for me. I've been taking work home regularly for the first time in a long time. If I didn't fool around during work hours all the time, I could probably avoid this, but I almost prefer having that fooling around time and then just sucking it up and writing reports in front of "Project Runway" (the finale is playing right now: my favorite tv night of the year).
One of my little Early Intervention guys is turning three this Saturday, so today was my last session with him. We had fun since at the end of the hour, his mom organized a wee early party for us complete with brownies. The little guy consumed five of them within a seven minute period. Dizzamn. It was nice to get to know that family, though, and I'll miss them. The little guy's seven year old sister called home so she could tell me good-bye. I just finished the 6-month progress report for my other tiny one. It's cool to see the progress that one's made in the past six months. When I started seeing Little Guy #2, he wasn't even requesting "more." The last session, I saw him bring a toy vehicle to his mom and pronounce "Mom, car!" He's also started saying "Shut up" like he's getting paid for it. Nice!
Man, I'm tired. I'm going to bed soon.
Can you believe it's March already? Not a whole lot to report, except that at the end of this month I have to grapple with the moving process...so that's fun. Although I'll be moving in with Todd and besides having an excellent person with whom to live, the future place also hosts a washer/dryer and heating and air conditioning. The steam heat I currently have, while economical, is a little spotty at times.
It's also like the season for meetings and reports for me. I've been taking work home regularly for the first time in a long time. If I didn't fool around during work hours all the time, I could probably avoid this, but I almost prefer having that fooling around time and then just sucking it up and writing reports in front of "Project Runway" (the finale is playing right now: my favorite tv night of the year).
One of my little Early Intervention guys is turning three this Saturday, so today was my last session with him. We had fun since at the end of the hour, his mom organized a wee early party for us complete with brownies. The little guy consumed five of them within a seven minute period. Dizzamn. It was nice to get to know that family, though, and I'll miss them. The little guy's seven year old sister called home so she could tell me good-bye. I just finished the 6-month progress report for my other tiny one. It's cool to see the progress that one's made in the past six months. When I started seeing Little Guy #2, he wasn't even requesting "more." The last session, I saw him bring a toy vehicle to his mom and pronounce "Mom, car!" He's also started saying "Shut up" like he's getting paid for it. Nice!
Man, I'm tired. I'm going to bed soon.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Day Off!
We had a day off today in honor of Lincoln's Birthday. Happy Birthday, Lincoln! Our school system is the only one I know of that has today off and I am not complaining. Next Monday is off too, because of President's Day. woohoo!
The good news is that I was 75% productive today. I got lots of good and healthy groceries, I mailed off some seriously errantly late thank you notes, and I went to Target and finally got a little digital voice recorder so I can record clients and students when I want to go back and listen. I also got some more toys to use with my little guys. I had been eyeing this one set of alphabet blocks: each block (each letter) is made of clear plastic and contains an appropriate object representing said letter. For instance, the umbrella has a sweet little umbrella and little beads that you shake around the represent rain. Anyway, I finally got them today. I'm thinking that these will be a hit, because they're so interesting and so good for language stimulation. I wish you could see the little zebra for "z." I'm constantly on the look out for good toys: the problem with working with 2-year olds is that they have the attention spans of...2-year olds.
Crappy weather again today. I'm over it.
We had a day off today in honor of Lincoln's Birthday. Happy Birthday, Lincoln! Our school system is the only one I know of that has today off and I am not complaining. Next Monday is off too, because of President's Day. woohoo!
The good news is that I was 75% productive today. I got lots of good and healthy groceries, I mailed off some seriously errantly late thank you notes, and I went to Target and finally got a little digital voice recorder so I can record clients and students when I want to go back and listen. I also got some more toys to use with my little guys. I had been eyeing this one set of alphabet blocks: each block (each letter) is made of clear plastic and contains an appropriate object representing said letter. For instance, the umbrella has a sweet little umbrella and little beads that you shake around the represent rain. Anyway, I finally got them today. I'm thinking that these will be a hit, because they're so interesting and so good for language stimulation. I wish you could see the little zebra for "z." I'm constantly on the look out for good toys: the problem with working with 2-year olds is that they have the attention spans of...2-year olds.
Crappy weather again today. I'm over it.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Party Timez
This past weekend was lots of fun. We got to see Katja and Tom and their precious little bebe on Friday night. We also happened to go and see Pinebender, one of my favorite local bands, play at this place, Ronnys, which may be one of the grodiest bars I've been in. I love dive bars too, so this says a lot.
Saturday we went out to Fogo de Chao with Todd's parents and his brother and sister-in-law, and I have never been to one of these Brazilian meat-fests before. People, it was clazy. There were something like 16 kinds of meat ready to be plied onto one's plate, and I couldn't keep up. I managed to try about five different kinds, but next time I go to this place I'm going to not eat anything else in preparation. I'm not going to skip the excellent salad bar there, even though I know that's how they save money on their customers.
Afterward was our engagement party, put together by Kiley/Steve and Rob/Eileen. They chose the upstairs bar at this cool Mexican restaurant in Logan Square called El Cid. It was the perfect place since there was room to spread out, the staff was great, and it was just loud enough that you could talk to people. Friends came and mingled and Kiley and Steve provided personalized pinatas and a beautiful cake while Eileen and Rob provided decorations. I had a great time, and couldn't have asked for anything more perfect.
On another note, it snowed MORE over the weekend. And today it was 42 degrees so there are seriously moats of melted snow one needs to wade through. I got some super precious pink plaid galoshes this weekend, and I was glad for them since any other shoes are hopeless in this slush.
This past weekend was lots of fun. We got to see Katja and Tom and their precious little bebe on Friday night. We also happened to go and see Pinebender, one of my favorite local bands, play at this place, Ronnys, which may be one of the grodiest bars I've been in. I love dive bars too, so this says a lot.
Saturday we went out to Fogo de Chao with Todd's parents and his brother and sister-in-law, and I have never been to one of these Brazilian meat-fests before. People, it was clazy. There were something like 16 kinds of meat ready to be plied onto one's plate, and I couldn't keep up. I managed to try about five different kinds, but next time I go to this place I'm going to not eat anything else in preparation. I'm not going to skip the excellent salad bar there, even though I know that's how they save money on their customers.
Afterward was our engagement party, put together by Kiley/Steve and Rob/Eileen. They chose the upstairs bar at this cool Mexican restaurant in Logan Square called El Cid. It was the perfect place since there was room to spread out, the staff was great, and it was just loud enough that you could talk to people. Friends came and mingled and Kiley and Steve provided personalized pinatas and a beautiful cake while Eileen and Rob provided decorations. I had a great time, and couldn't have asked for anything more perfect.
On another note, it snowed MORE over the weekend. And today it was 42 degrees so there are seriously moats of melted snow one needs to wade through. I got some super precious pink plaid galoshes this weekend, and I was glad for them since any other shoes are hopeless in this slush.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Hoorah!
Done with this hellish day, y'all.
The Meeting from Hell was as long as expected, but all of my prep paid off and it went relatively well. Two of the people who attended commented afterward that my presentation was solid, and I felt that way too. By the end of the third meeting today, thought, I could barely sit up straight.
But, after school I managed to get a hair cut, drive home (and find a good parking place!) in the deepening snow, drop off a rent check, do early voting two minutes before the end of the last day, and get my book for book club. It's funny how one becomes more productive when one's plate suddenly cleans up.
On another note, I have a new favorite kid I work with. He's three and has a head of bright red hair and has the Irish-est of Irish names. I love holding his hand and walking in the hall to my speech room because he moves like a mile an hour: it's almost like we move backward, we're so slow. He's mellow and I think naturally quiet, although his language is getting pretty awesome at this point. Anyway, his absolute favorite activity is to play animal sounds bingo, where we spread out all of these animal pictures and then listen to a CD of animal sounds. We've done it enough now, that he beats me to my over the top loud animal imitations (you haven't lived till you've heard this kid say "gobblegobbleGOBBLE"). Last week he melted my cold dead heart when he pointed to the picture of a chick and said: "So soft?" It killed. This week he expanded it to: "Baby chick so soft?" Talk about a Cute Overload living experience.
Also: I'm watching "Muriel's Wedding" again, and what an odd, strange movie, but it draws me in every time.
Lastly: it's supposed to snow between 7-12 inches tonight. Jealous?
Done with this hellish day, y'all.
The Meeting from Hell was as long as expected, but all of my prep paid off and it went relatively well. Two of the people who attended commented afterward that my presentation was solid, and I felt that way too. By the end of the third meeting today, thought, I could barely sit up straight.
But, after school I managed to get a hair cut, drive home (and find a good parking place!) in the deepening snow, drop off a rent check, do early voting two minutes before the end of the last day, and get my book for book club. It's funny how one becomes more productive when one's plate suddenly cleans up.
On another note, I have a new favorite kid I work with. He's three and has a head of bright red hair and has the Irish-est of Irish names. I love holding his hand and walking in the hall to my speech room because he moves like a mile an hour: it's almost like we move backward, we're so slow. He's mellow and I think naturally quiet, although his language is getting pretty awesome at this point. Anyway, his absolute favorite activity is to play animal sounds bingo, where we spread out all of these animal pictures and then listen to a CD of animal sounds. We've done it enough now, that he beats me to my over the top loud animal imitations (you haven't lived till you've heard this kid say "gobblegobbleGOBBLE"). Last week he melted my cold dead heart when he pointed to the picture of a chick and said: "So soft?" It killed. This week he expanded it to: "Baby chick so soft?" Talk about a Cute Overload living experience.
Also: I'm watching "Muriel's Wedding" again, and what an odd, strange movie, but it draws me in every time.
Lastly: it's supposed to snow between 7-12 inches tonight. Jealous?
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
When it rains...
I'm halfway through my week o' crap. For some reason, everything has culminated into this week. I have several large meetings at work (which all require lots of paperwork) including the Meeting From Hell (which is tomorrow), report cards were due, and I had to do this massive training for Early Intervention. EI is my side job that is fun but the credentialing process is a gargantuan pain in the ass.
Let's talk about the EI training first: it's usually three days in person, but they did start online modules (this year!) so you can do those and then attend a one-day mandatory meeting. The one-day mandatory meeting? Doesn't occur for another few months, so it had to be today. I'm grateful since going for ONE day is waaaay better than going for three, but I'll complain still. See, I was initially told that the online training would be like an hour and a half or two. Wrong. It ended up being 26 different modules that ranged from 15 minutes to 45 minutes each. It took me about a week to get done. Oy. The in-person training today was definitely relatively painless, though, and it was nice to get some questions answered and to meet some other providers.
[Another observation: Early Intervention people tend to have little terms for the kids, which I love. Usually it's stuff like: "little guy," or "kiddo," or "little one." Today I heard a new one that I adore the most. The trainer referred to the kids she sees as "cookies."]
The training today was at a far-away suburb, and because of the terrible weather last night, the roads were covered with fresh salt. I drove on three different highways and by the time I was nearing my destination, my windshield was absolutely frosted with salt and I was helpless since my windshield wiper fluid was frozen solid. Every time I tried it, my wipers would spread the salt around, kind of like frosting a cake. It was getting kind of scary, so much so that I ended up pulling into a little side street so I could wipe stuff down (yay for Clorox wipes!). But, as I pulled into the side street my tires lost traction on the accumulated snow and my civic did a complete 180. It was extremely frightening, but luckily, no one was behind me and no one was coming. I just took a deep breath, righted the car, and got the car into some random parking lot.
My level of bitterness at that point for having to haul ass to the way out suburbs and risk life and limb for a training I didn't want to attend? High.
So, yeah, the training ended up being okay and I got home safely (although I did get a random scattershot pebble/rock hit my car causing the tiniest of cracks).
Now I have to prep for Meeting from Hell tomorrow. The good news is that I am slated to present first, and I will get it over with. In fact, I feel almost ecstatic that it will soon be done with and I no longer have to dread this damn thing! And after that, two more meetings, and lots of kids to make up.
I foresee being dead to the world tomorrow evening.
I'm halfway through my week o' crap. For some reason, everything has culminated into this week. I have several large meetings at work (which all require lots of paperwork) including the Meeting From Hell (which is tomorrow), report cards were due, and I had to do this massive training for Early Intervention. EI is my side job that is fun but the credentialing process is a gargantuan pain in the ass.
Let's talk about the EI training first: it's usually three days in person, but they did start online modules (this year!) so you can do those and then attend a one-day mandatory meeting. The one-day mandatory meeting? Doesn't occur for another few months, so it had to be today. I'm grateful since going for ONE day is waaaay better than going for three, but I'll complain still. See, I was initially told that the online training would be like an hour and a half or two. Wrong. It ended up being 26 different modules that ranged from 15 minutes to 45 minutes each. It took me about a week to get done. Oy. The in-person training today was definitely relatively painless, though, and it was nice to get some questions answered and to meet some other providers.
[Another observation: Early Intervention people tend to have little terms for the kids, which I love. Usually it's stuff like: "little guy," or "kiddo," or "little one." Today I heard a new one that I adore the most. The trainer referred to the kids she sees as "cookies."]
The training today was at a far-away suburb, and because of the terrible weather last night, the roads were covered with fresh salt. I drove on three different highways and by the time I was nearing my destination, my windshield was absolutely frosted with salt and I was helpless since my windshield wiper fluid was frozen solid. Every time I tried it, my wipers would spread the salt around, kind of like frosting a cake. It was getting kind of scary, so much so that I ended up pulling into a little side street so I could wipe stuff down (yay for Clorox wipes!). But, as I pulled into the side street my tires lost traction on the accumulated snow and my civic did a complete 180. It was extremely frightening, but luckily, no one was behind me and no one was coming. I just took a deep breath, righted the car, and got the car into some random parking lot.
My level of bitterness at that point for having to haul ass to the way out suburbs and risk life and limb for a training I didn't want to attend? High.
So, yeah, the training ended up being okay and I got home safely (although I did get a random scattershot pebble/rock hit my car causing the tiniest of cracks).
Now I have to prep for Meeting from Hell tomorrow. The good news is that I am slated to present first, and I will get it over with. In fact, I feel almost ecstatic that it will soon be done with and I no longer have to dread this damn thing! And after that, two more meetings, and lots of kids to make up.
I foresee being dead to the world tomorrow evening.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Sick as a dog
I've been sick all weekend, and--MAN--does it annoy me that I never get sick during the weekdays and I'm taken out for the count on my weekends. It was weird: I was feeling great Friday evening, but as the evening wore on my throat got raw and my body temperature went up. I spent the entire weekend sleeping and napping, and am spending this holiday (Happy MLK Day!) in my pajamas and sleeping off the rest of this sickness. Today I can finally swallow without immense pain, so I think I'll be back in the saddle tomorrow (just in time to get back to work: hooray!).
This has been the sickest I've been in a long time, so it's definitely a little strange. I've actually had to cancel plans and appointments because of it, which rarely happens.
Back to the couch.
I've been sick all weekend, and--MAN--does it annoy me that I never get sick during the weekdays and I'm taken out for the count on my weekends. It was weird: I was feeling great Friday evening, but as the evening wore on my throat got raw and my body temperature went up. I spent the entire weekend sleeping and napping, and am spending this holiday (Happy MLK Day!) in my pajamas and sleeping off the rest of this sickness. Today I can finally swallow without immense pain, so I think I'll be back in the saddle tomorrow (just in time to get back to work: hooray!).
This has been the sickest I've been in a long time, so it's definitely a little strange. I've actually had to cancel plans and appointments because of it, which rarely happens.
Back to the couch.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Did I tell you about last weekend?
Hillary was visiting from Australia and we had a NU-reunion-ilicious weekend and hit up lots of spots. It was super fun to see her and all of the NU ladeeeez so much.
I also watched two very good movies:
1. The Lives of Others: Todd and I watched the DVD, and it was grrreat.
2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: I went with the NU girls since the book was a book club selection (one of the books I skipped, though), and the movie features speech therapy. It was beautifully filmed and I bawled at the end. Luckily Lauren came prepared with Kleenex.
I heartily recommend both movies.
Hillary was visiting from Australia and we had a NU-reunion-ilicious weekend and hit up lots of spots. It was super fun to see her and all of the NU ladeeeez so much.
I also watched two very good movies:
1. The Lives of Others: Todd and I watched the DVD, and it was grrreat.
2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: I went with the NU girls since the book was a book club selection (one of the books I skipped, though), and the movie features speech therapy. It was beautifully filmed and I bawled at the end. Luckily Lauren came prepared with Kleenex.
I heartily recommend both movies.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Holy Crap.
I am one lazy bastard. It's been over a month since I've last posted. I don't really have a good excuse, except that I was on break from work (which was like the two fastest weeks in the history of time), and visited home and got to catch up with the entire family. I slept, ate lots of delicious food, watched an entire bus load of movies, shopped, and caught up with friends when I could. Todd joined me in DC before New Years, and we rang in the big event at Matt's place again in the company of Anne and Nate, Suzi and Tom, and Annie and Ben and all of the other guests.
This was the first week back at work, and it's been slowly, slowly getting my act together. Right now I'm knee-deep in lists: I need to submit my certification forms for being a SLP (which involved a wild goose chase of signatures), resubmit a form to get my official IL license, take some free online course to re-up my Early Intervention temporary credential and plan a wedding. Dude.
Interestingly enough, I was filling out one of the above mentioned forms today and as I was filling in dates, I realized that this marks my one year anniversary at my job: one year exactly. Time sure does fly, people.
Oh yes: and I'm also attempting to get into fighting shape and am back on South Beach Diet. I finished the first of the initial hard two weeks. I erred a couple of times, but for the most part I'm pretty proud of myself, and even within these past two weeks, I can feel my general appetite shrinking. What do I love most about SBD? The amount of avocado one gets to eat. And that it doesn't keep me from drinking coffee. And sugar-free fudgsicles. I'm down three pounds after this first week, which even though is 99% water weight, is motivating like crazy. Last night at book club, which is like my most favoritest snacking time of the month, I managed to stay away from BOTH the red wine and the delicious dips and basil rolls that Sarah made. Trick of the trade: sit far away from the snacks and eat a big dinner beforehand.
I am one lazy bastard. It's been over a month since I've last posted. I don't really have a good excuse, except that I was on break from work (which was like the two fastest weeks in the history of time), and visited home and got to catch up with the entire family. I slept, ate lots of delicious food, watched an entire bus load of movies, shopped, and caught up with friends when I could. Todd joined me in DC before New Years, and we rang in the big event at Matt's place again in the company of Anne and Nate, Suzi and Tom, and Annie and Ben and all of the other guests.
This was the first week back at work, and it's been slowly, slowly getting my act together. Right now I'm knee-deep in lists: I need to submit my certification forms for being a SLP (which involved a wild goose chase of signatures), resubmit a form to get my official IL license, take some free online course to re-up my Early Intervention temporary credential and plan a wedding. Dude.
Interestingly enough, I was filling out one of the above mentioned forms today and as I was filling in dates, I realized that this marks my one year anniversary at my job: one year exactly. Time sure does fly, people.
Oh yes: and I'm also attempting to get into fighting shape and am back on South Beach Diet. I finished the first of the initial hard two weeks. I erred a couple of times, but for the most part I'm pretty proud of myself, and even within these past two weeks, I can feel my general appetite shrinking. What do I love most about SBD? The amount of avocado one gets to eat. And that it doesn't keep me from drinking coffee. And sugar-free fudgsicles. I'm down three pounds after this first week, which even though is 99% water weight, is motivating like crazy. Last night at book club, which is like my most favoritest snacking time of the month, I managed to stay away from BOTH the red wine and the delicious dips and basil rolls that Sarah made. Trick of the trade: sit far away from the snacks and eat a big dinner beforehand.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Missing in action
Yes, I have been a quiet bastard on the blog here of late. It was a mixture of things: work was extraordinarily busy for some reason and trying to get my mind wrapped on where to begin on planning a wedding pretty much took me out of commission. I have never wanted a fancy and extravagant wedding, but balancing this with also wanting to include more than three people on the guest list has proven to be a challenge for me. Because I didn't realize it before, but having a wedding is crazy expensive. I know, I must be like one of the few people on this planet, excluding your neighborhood toddlers, who didn't realize the extent of the cost. Now mama knows.
So, the past few weeks of planning has involved a mammoth amount of wheel spinning. We've explored so many venues and combinations of venues and each time there was *something* that didn't slip into the best place. We've looked at places from both of our respective parts of the country. We've crunched numbers. And I would usually come out feeling exhausted and stymied.
But, on Friday we were out at Beat Kitchen, sharing a Thai chicken pizza before seeing This Will Destroy You (who were great, by the way, even though they were like eleven). And this one place that we like to go popped up as a possibility for the reception. And we both got super excited about it because it would be: fun, casual, slightly (okay, very) kitschy, have room to fit everyone, have good food, and be a hell of a lot cheaper than most places that we've looked at. Why hadn't we thought of it before? A phone call was made and we're penciled in for now and I am extremely relieved and thrilled at the prospect of getting this settled into place.
In other news, it's like three weeks till winter break for me and Hallelujah! I'm still enjoying my job, but for some reason, this onslaught of referrals and meetings has popped up and I can't go to the bathroom without someone stopping me in the hall to tell me about a student they want me to observe.
Yes, I have been a quiet bastard on the blog here of late. It was a mixture of things: work was extraordinarily busy for some reason and trying to get my mind wrapped on where to begin on planning a wedding pretty much took me out of commission. I have never wanted a fancy and extravagant wedding, but balancing this with also wanting to include more than three people on the guest list has proven to be a challenge for me. Because I didn't realize it before, but having a wedding is crazy expensive. I know, I must be like one of the few people on this planet, excluding your neighborhood toddlers, who didn't realize the extent of the cost. Now mama knows.
So, the past few weeks of planning has involved a mammoth amount of wheel spinning. We've explored so many venues and combinations of venues and each time there was *something* that didn't slip into the best place. We've looked at places from both of our respective parts of the country. We've crunched numbers. And I would usually come out feeling exhausted and stymied.
But, on Friday we were out at Beat Kitchen, sharing a Thai chicken pizza before seeing This Will Destroy You (who were great, by the way, even though they were like eleven). And this one place that we like to go popped up as a possibility for the reception. And we both got super excited about it because it would be: fun, casual, slightly (okay, very) kitschy, have room to fit everyone, have good food, and be a hell of a lot cheaper than most places that we've looked at. Why hadn't we thought of it before? A phone call was made and we're penciled in for now and I am extremely relieved and thrilled at the prospect of getting this settled into place.
In other news, it's like three weeks till winter break for me and Hallelujah! I'm still enjoying my job, but for some reason, this onslaught of referrals and meetings has popped up and I can't go to the bathroom without someone stopping me in the hall to tell me about a student they want me to observe.
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