MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Well it's about time I pushed down my last incredibly depressing post, hey? Things have been super weird lately, I'm not gonna lie. But I think I'm making some headway in the 'turning over a new leaf' area of my life. I've been all kindsa busy with my list lately! I crossed the following five tasks off of my list!

#34 - Nutcracker
First of all, this was truly a red letter moment in my holiday season. I hadn't been doing too well emotionally, but literally within the first ten seconds of this performance, I was in heaven. All I could repeat in my mind was something along the lines of "I'm absolutely ecstatic that life exists so I can see this magical experience!" The set, the costumes, the performers, the story, the gorgeous dancing, and of course the most perfect holiday music. To make things even MORE perfect, there were two girls sitting behind Mandsi and I, seeing the Nutcracker with their grandparents. They were perhaps 5 and 8 or so? At intermission the littlest one exclaimed: "This is best night ever! This is better than Disney World!! You know why? Because I'm with my grandpa!" Totally adorable.

#60 - addresses
This is the final Christmas of my 1001 Days, which means it is the last year I send out home Christmas cards. JUST KIDDING! I'll never stop this insane tradition, but I have a feeling my final tally will increase exponentially every year. I believe this year the total was 47. And every card was different. Nuts. Meanwhile I've been trying to collect addresses...had most of the ones I needed from last Christmas, but I gathered the rest and put them into my journal so I feel comfy finally crossing this task off my list.

#65 - train to Chicago!
Well, the train wasn't AS romantic as I had hoped. It might have been the lack of drink/snack cart in the morning when I was starving and needed caffeine desperately OR perhaps the fact that the train got stuck in train traffic at the end of an exhausting day...but it was still kinda fun! And of course I didn't have to worry about gas or expressway traffic or parking downtown! I'd take it again!

#71 - Salvation Army Bell Ringer
THIS was seriously a crazy ton of fun!!! Like I mentioned, this was my last Christmas of the 1001 Days, so the bell ringing turned out to be a little last minute...especially on the 23rd of December! But wow...what a gleeful experience...GLEEFUL, that's the perfect word to describe it! My shift was from about 5:40 to 8:00, in the "Town Square" center area of Bayshore Mall right by the GINORMOUS Christmas tree. Well it turns out that every 20 minutes there's this crazy light show all over the tree and the surrounding little trees. It's "announced" by that slightly annoying children's choir "Merry ChristMAS! Merry ChristMAS!" song that I actually ended up liking by the end haha! This was followed by a Christmas classic which played during the show...like a song from the Nutcracker, "Sleigh Ride", and the Charlie Brown Christmas theme. Anyway, as if this wasn't festive enough, the people walking by were SO kind and happy!! They told me to stay warm, and one guy even offered to go get me some hot chocolate! The kids were particularly adorable...parents in the background giving them coins or dollars, and then the kids would run up to the kettle with this HUGE smile while stuffing the money in the little slot. It was a little chilly, mostly my toes and fingers were cold, but within the first 20 minute chunk I was getting really into it, and kinda dancing around to the music, shaking the bell all enthusiastically ;) That kept me warmer! You'd be surprised at how cramped your hand gets though from that bell! Towards the end of the two hours, I had to switch hands like every couple minutes haha! I counted an average of about 17 people per 20 minutes, so I probably got about 115 people...perhaps something like $200-250 total? That's impressive!! I believe they've raised something like $1.6million? Anyway, I'm SO going to make this my Christmas tradition because it's totally a blast and makes you feel pretty darn Christmassy!

#13 - Decoupage!
FINALLY! This was my big SUPER secret Christmas project!!! Awhile back, maybe this past summer, I decided I was going to decoupage some kind of cabinet with Hitchcock posters for Mandsi for Christmas! I officially got started in October when I purchased the cabinet from Michael's (thanks to my friend Drew's suggestion!), and won the first batch of posters from eBay. Like ALL of my super secret Christmas projects, I hit a few snags. One of the eBay stores sent me the wrong poster and it took forever to get it all worked out. I also didn't have enough posters, and had to win more last minute. PLUS I had to keep it secret, and make up some stories about "shopping" when, in reality, worked on the project in my parents' dining room! Of course the piece isn't without flaws...for one, there are tons of air bubbles and unfinished edges...but for being a decoupage virgin, I do believe I did a great job! Here's a shot of the front, I wanted to do the door in all Psycho posters as that's Z's fave :)



And a couple other shots:





My mom made her own contribution by making the classic Hitchcock silhouette door knob out of polyclay! Sweetness.

So that's all I've got for now!! I am all crazy stoked about trying to make 2009 a lot better than this year was. Not that this was a horrible year by any means...it was my learning/limbo year...I'd just like some cool things to happen next year. I have faith! I really do :)

how quickly things go south

I was just thinking yesterday how I never have anything interesting to put in these blog posts anymore, except for stupid list updates. I made a comment about how perhaps no news is good news. But in reality, no news is like the most boring thing of all time. I went to one of those Pampered Chef parties this weekend and I literally had jack to tell my friend whom I haven't seen or even talked to in months. Oddly enough, I'm not even bored. I always have 3948203 projects and social events going on and barely find enough time to myself. But meanwhile, I find that many of my friends have really fun things to tell people: kids in school, how it feels to be pregnant, book sales, grad school, new job, new boyfriend, new pet, new home, and various other life successes. My life is at a shocking standstill. And what's worse is that I feel like I'm moving, but just going absolutely nowhere. I'm totally one of those wind-up toys that hit a wall and continue to march in place. So much energy and drive to put into something, but that 'something' doesn't exist.

Problem number one is definitely my job. I keep doing and doing and I feel like I'll never get anywhere. I will always keep trying and have hope, but each day, I'm not going to lie, that hope dies a little. And the big question looms: how much longer do I keep trying?

Problem number two is definitely relationships. Despite the fact that I've told myself and various others countless numbers of times: being single is so much better than being in a shitty relationship...sometimes I catch myself remembering that, even in a shitty relationship, I could at least deceive myself into thinking that I was loved. Being loved by someone [romantically of course] is officially the one thing you really need to feel complete. I think I've learned that now. And worse yet, even feeling fake loved seems to be a better alternative to knowing you've got no one. It's all in the validation. Why do so many people stick with someone who is wrong for them? Because loneliness really blows, that's why. Well, I guess I'm just a strong person. Had I been any weaker, and knowing the lonely alternative, I'm sure I would've just stuck with the whole John situation, even knowing that he didn't really care about me at all. I could always trick myself into thinking he did. I don't know, perhaps it's knowing that he was able to jump right into a "successful" relationship so easily and never got to feel an ounce of loneliness. Then having that comparison up in my face five days a week...wow, it does wonders for my ego and sense of fairness in the world.

In any case, someone needs to throw me a bone here. I'm so sick of the limbo period. I'm sick of not having anything fun and new to enjoy, and yes, I admit it, to tell people about. I'm sick of feeling like my life is a total waste of space. And I'm also sick of feeling sick about all of this. I hate whiny, woe-is-me, pathetic Katie...she's the worst! But at least it's more interesting than lame list updates.

fuzzy time of year

Love me some holidays! I wasn't in such a great mood for the last few weeks and a few people mentioned that it might be due to that limbo period between gorgeous cozy autumn, which ended as quickly as it began, and fuzzy holidays. Totally true. But now that Thanksgiving has officially come and gone, I'm totally in that festive Christmas mood! I've started my annual Christmas card making, made my first gift purchase, Mandsi decorated the apartment, and this afternoon I had my first peppermint mocha. I'm definitely going to try and maintain this good mood for the rest of the year in hopes that it will be a good way to start off a MUCH better new year.

Anyway! Some end of the month updates:

#17 - I don't remember being particularly outlandishly selfish at any time this month...but something selfish-y comes to mind, so I'll just count that.

#29 - The "Harvest" dinner party for 11 last weekend was a huge success! Mandsi and my menu included: spiced nuts, crackers with brie and fig spread, barbecue meatballs, roasted butternut squash and apple soup (which of course fulfills #45 and #50), to-die-for fried ravioli with pumpkin dipping sauce, and pecan bars and pumpkin bread for dessert. We also had beverages aplenty! Gin martinis, spiced wine, and Leinie's Fireside Nut Brown ale to name a few, and I partook in all ;)

#50 - I'm going to try and find a unique recipe that uses cranberries since they're in season now.

#51 - No eating out worked really well this month! As I mentioned, the one dispensation I had was for Monica and Tim's anniversary party at Fox & Hound since I didn't really have a choice. I did turn down several invitations to go out though (one of which I spent the night staring at my silent cell phone and clawing at the walls) so I'm proud ;) This month is another difficult one, however, as I'm giving up all alcohol except wine, and preferably only drinking red. But once again, a couple dispensations as it is the holiday season: a. either while my sis and I are in Chicago or afterwards at Blu/Centanni, I may have to indulge in a fancy martini, b. I'm going to have one holiday cocktail at my parents for Christmas (we make a special batch every year). But other than that, I'll only have wine on occasions like my work holiday party and even the hours leading up to midnight on New Years. Now while wine isn't your nice cheap Miller Lite and this might put a little bit of a dent into my checking account, I'm hoping that'll make me drink less as I have had WAY too much lately. This past weekend alone was enough to kill a small horse.

#68 - Fox & Hound as I ate an absolute TON that night

#87 - Can't say that I really discovered anything new, but I did put a Ladytron album on my Christmas list and I haven't really listened to them before??

And that's that! I can't say that life has been particularly exciting lately, but I guess no news is good news. At least for now.

one year later

Let me begin by wishing Monica and Tim a happy one year anniversary! They definitely experienced all that a first year of marriage could offer and perhaps more downs than ups, but I am so proud of how far they've come! Reading Monica's blog this past year has taught me that marriage is everything BUT easy, but also that it is something worth fighting for! I know that they will always remember this first year and it will positively affect their years to come.

Speaking OF time, sixish months ago, Monica and I were BOTH in the thick of our lowpoints in life. Tim had lost his job and past relationship woes were resurfacing...and I wasn't doing so hot recovering from my breakup and, thus, making bad decisions in life. So we made an unofficial pact that since things were so Rainbows and Sunshine six months PRIOR to that point (Monica and Tim were getting married and I was happy with John), things just HAD to get better six months into the future! Ebbs and Flows, you know?

So here we are entering into the homestretch of that new six month mark and some promising changes are indeed on the horizon. For example, I am definitely hoping for a promising future at my job. For the past few months, I've gone CSS/HTML crazy and taught myself SO much!! A couple weeks ago I created my first CSS-based official landing page for one of our clients. I had to use their branding standards though, and also wasn't able to set the whole thing up myself. However, last week, I created a landing page for another client...and with this one, I was able to use all of my own design AND set the entire thing up myself! Huge step!! This is a great direction I'm heading toward, creatively and professionally speaking. I do really hope the Powers that Be AT my job are able to allow me to officially go this route. And I hope this unfolds fairly soon. In any case, I'm officially crossing #1 off of my list! It was one of the more daunting tasks, so this is pretty awesome. And now that I know SO much more about web design, my own personal portfolio site will be that much easier to create.

In other task news, I've made three recipes (#45) for Nov: balsamic pork chops with garlic mashed cauliflower and drunken apples, crab cake sandwiches, and dill crab and asparagus pasta. And I got my hair cut for fall (#54) last week. Many more tasks to be completed soon including catering a dinner party, a train ride down to Chicago, The Nutcracker, being a bell ringer for the Salvation Army, and hopefully some ice skating!

Things aren't all that bad...I was just talking to my sis last night about how I wish I could be happy for longer than a fleeting moment. I'm not depressed by any means, but I don't know. Maybe just restless. I'm growing tired of the limbo state of my life and wish that something could settle itself. So I'm hoping for the career part to work out for now, and then perhaps the rest will fall into place.

fall's not over yet!

I FINALLY posted over at the photoblog! AND added a whole mess of pix to flickr. YAY!

Ok that's it.

No, NOT it!! I forgot to make a huge deal about the fact that I have ONE YEAR LEFT on my list!!! So here is the current tally...not awful, but the ones I have left are redonkulously painful...mostly creative projects that take an insane amount of time. In any case, tally:


In Progress with Nearby Completion Date: 11
In Progress until List End Date: 18
In Progress, but will finish up before that: 3
COMPLETED: 47!
Remaining: 22 :( (but that's down by 15 since my halfway mark in June!!)


So in essence, I will be over the halfway mark with roughly 61 tasks completed in a few months. And if you include the tasks I do monthly and have to continue until the end, that's 79. Like I said, not awful. But I need to kick some list ass and soon or else!

time to throw your papers all over!!!

It's officially the last HOUR that we'll all be in our work building!! We are moving to swank 3rd ward and leaving this sick black lung infested building forever!!! AND I no longer will have to, after four years, load and put away the dishes for the fifth floor!!! All good things :)

It's also Oct 30th so I'll recap some list related whatnot:

#5/10 - I took some fall photos the other day so when I grab some time I'll put up them up on my photoblog, which has been a ghost town lately!

#17 - Was I selfish at all this month?? Hmm I bought a heck ton of clothes for myself...and I whined a whole lot about a recent raise review situation that was brought to our attention. I guess I'll count those.

#25 - I sure DID carve a pumpkin!! Again, perhaps a pic or two on the phblog lates...

#26 - My beloved "sleepover" will drop on Saturday at Nicole's crib! I know you're jealous of our shenanigans of Roseanne Halloween eps, pumpkin beer and seeds, and other debauchery that may or may not include a pillow fight and ExtenZe drinks??

#50 - I think I'm going to rock the squash this Nov

#51 - Soooo I totally cheated 3.5 times on sweet bakery this month :( I had to taste my pumpkin muffin stuffing for the work luncheon, but ate a little more than I needed to...I also had a DELICIOUS peanut butter cookie Jeremy coworker's GF made...then I ate a muffin at our B&B in Galena because I didn't want to be rude...and then today I indulged in a H'ween cupcake that Shannon brought. AGAIN I didn't want to be rude!!! So I have to do something in Nov that's really hard. I think it's going to be no going out to eat again :\ EXCEPT for things already planning like Monica & Tim's anniversary party and grabbing some din before the Aussie Floyd concert. But other than that, I gotta stick to it this next month!!! CHEATER.

#69 - speaking of things not working out so well, I'm not going to be able to make my blood donation quota at this rate. But I gotta have a doc appt before I donate again, so it won't be until end of Dec. And then I think I'll donate plasma or whatever the one is where you can donate more frequently than 8 weeks...to try and catch up?

#87 - New band/artist! Oh man LOOOOTS. So a couple days ago I found my AT&T rebate "credit card" they sent me after I bought my new phone. Wellllll it expires 11/08 GOOOO! So I went itune CRAZY and bought like $43 worth of music with it!! All electronic/dance/techno/house music with which I'm suddenly insanely obsessed: Justice, The Presets, Cut Copy, and MSTRKRFT. Check 'em out today!

#95 - I'll save Lolita for after Christmas and read my second to last book, the famous Twilight, instead.

#99 - This may officially happen now that we're going to be in the new building!! Although our new hours start at 9:00 instead of 8:30 so I don't really have to get up that early. I'm gonna try though!

I'm super sad October, my fave month, is over :( It treated my well though...here's to an even better November!

nothing

I wish I had more to discuss here than just a few recipes, but no dice. I think all my creative juices have been zapped by the energy I've been putting into my job lately...the good news is that I'm really getting the hang of this web design thing. And I think I can admit that I no longer HATE it as previously mentioned here. It can get frustrating but 'hate' is a strong word haha!

#45 - Recipes

1. Blackberry Turkey Sandwich
I recreated the same sandwich from Fat Abbey/Cafe Hollander: thick cut roasted turkey, blackberry jam, hot giardiniera, and muenster cheese on french bread...all toasted and melty! Highly recommend. I also recommend said blackberry jam and peanut butter on Kashi waffles. YES.

2. Hot 'n Spicy Corn Dip
THANKS MONICA for this wonderful recipe!! The only differences are: I used a can of sweet corn and white shoepeg corn instead of a bag of frozen, and I used chive cream cheese instead of regular. Definitely worth a try at any soiree. I ate it around 9pm heavily under the influence of Tanqueray...on a random weeknight?

3. Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Alright so I kinda already made this recipe last fall, but I think I'm a better cook one year later, so I wanted to try it again (and still count it as new? yeah) Here are the ingredients:
• ground turkey browned with nutmeg/cumin/S&P...set aside
In the same deep skillet/pot with a pat of butter:
• sautee 4 cloves garlic and a whole chopped white onion
• add chopped red bell pepper and tomato
• once soft, add a couple cups of chicken broth, bring to boil
• add a can of black beans, can of sweet corn, can of green chillies, can of Thick & Zesty tomato sauce, AND a can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling!!)
• add ground turkey back to the mixture
• also add various spices to taste (more nutmeg, cumin, all spice, cayenne/red pepper flake...as well as a few splashes of Worcester sauce and a half cup of brown sugar
• add anything else you see fit. Need it spicier? Hot sauce. Need it sweeter? more brown sugar.
• let simmer for as long as you can handle your growling stomach

I actually had to divvy up this chili into two pots toward the end because there was so much! So definitely start out with your biggest pot.

Yay for food!

never too late for the first of the month post

And not only is the month practically half over, but it's all WARM and stuff! My last post was all "summer's over wah wah" and it's going to be a balmy 77 today! And what better to celebrate the warmup than to have a cold, CLASSIC. But I'm already on the mend, I think this was my shortest cold ever, thanks immune system!

In other news, my various updates:

#1 - oh man have I been given one fantastic opportunity!! All I'll mention is that it does involve building websites. All last week I slaved to the bone day and night working on a 'test' project and I think that considering I have barely any web experience, I've done pretty well! It's a little buggy and I think I might have gone about it in the wrong way, but that's why I do definitely need some professional training whether it be a class or what have you. I've done a decent job of teaching myself what I can, but I do so much better when I have structure around me. For example, thought I could go about teaching myself photography? Well I know enough to get by, but I would fair so much better if I was in a real class. In any case, I think I might go ahead and cross this one off as soon as I'm done with the project!! I earned it!

#17 - Hmmm selfish. I wrote a letter...which wasn't so much selfish and more focused on self. Self centered? I don't know...reading lots of Dalai Lama lately, I truly and honestly wanted to move along a more positive path and I guess I felt as though that warranted a letter. Has the letter changed things? Partly yes and partly #1 happened and I was incredibly touched by that...whether or not that situation was aided by my letter is debatable and something I'll never know, but it was a positive event and it made me feel great! As for the 'partly no,' I still feel the distance. It isn't cold anymore, but I wish I was just like the rest of my group. The sad thing that I have to admit to myself is that I never will be. Anyway, sorry to be so vague here, but I just didn't want to go into it TOO much.

#57 - While I mentioned Six Flags in my Ode to Summer of '08, I have yet to wax poetic. I can't believe I went back after TEN YEARS. I admit, I was honestly pretty afraid of how my body would handle a roller coaster after all this time, but it was bloody brilliant!!! I'm really stoked that I still love the thrill and it doesn't terrify me. Ok it terrified me a little. Going up that first hill of Raging Bull for the very first time? I mean if someone was standing halfway up and asked me if I wanted to continue...that it would be perfectly ok to stop the ride? I think I might have taken him up on it! But since I had no choice, I hit the top and took the plunge and it was GLORIOUS!!! Ahhh thank you Kohls! See you next year!!

#50 - Atypical veggie = leeks (see below)

#45 - Pumpkin Muffin Stuffing
Alright so I cheated. This recipe called for the sweetest of sweet bakery and yet I gave up sweet bakery for October. But I fulfilled my Sept recipes and then some, so I made this one on like Sept 29 and finished eating it Sept 30...blah.

Anyway, here's the recipe for the most awesome stuffing of all time (aka I'm never having regular stuffing again):

2 leeks - rinsed, cut lengthwise into half-moons and chopped
(yeah I cheated again and had my atypical veggie for Oct in Sept, BUT I had leeks in my soup later in the week!)
2 ribs of celery - chopped
1 gala apple - peeled, cored and chopped
3 pumpkin muffins (I have the unadulterated pleasure of purchasing these delectable treats at my local Picknsave Metro Market...I hope you can find them somewhere??)
sausage (I had to use links that I cut into pieces, but I suggest getting the regular, non-encased stuff)
1 cup of chicken broth
poultry seasoning (I actually used pinches of thyme, sage, rosemary, marjoram, and All Spice...or nutmeg...from my Wheel O' Spices)

Brown the sausage and set aside on a paper towel to drain. To the same pan, add the leeks, apples, and celery along with some S&P and stir for a few minutes until soft. Crumble in the muffins and add seasoning/spices. Add the broth, a little at a time...you don't have to add the full cup, it depends on how moist you like your stuffing (that's what she said?). Then add back in the sausage and you're good to go! Super super easy especially for a day like T'Gives where you've got 948230423 other recipes to worry about!

Fall is officially upon us!

This morning I wore my glovens for the first time this season! It was a crisp 44 degrees this morning and yesterday I noticed leaves falling, as well as a significant change in color on the tops of the trees outside my living room window. We can't fight it anymore, summer is over. When I got home after work, the heat was on...also the first time this season. And last night I had to finally shut all of the windows.

And with that said, I don't do this too often, but I'm going to whip up a Favorite (and not so favorite?) Things Tally from this past summer, the summer to end all summers. Well, ok, hopefully my "best summer ever" doesn't end here in 2008, but it definitely was one for the books!

APRIL
April isn't so much summer at ALL, but I'd say with the breakup at the very end of March, April 1st was the first day of the rest of my life, summer, whatever.

-Teenage hijinx at Gameworks (aka "Steve & Barry's") with Monica, Tim, and Steve
-Mandsi getting the KOHL'S JOB just as we're leaving in Floyd to go check out, er PURCHASE, Bloodball my new car!!
-The Fateful Night I met up with Bekky at Houlihan's to have dinner and began the 2.5 month whirlwind that was my Something'Ship with Jeremy the Beautiful Disaster
-Grand Music for a Grand Space at St. John's Cathedral with Z during a thunderstorm followed by a night at Blu
-The discovery my ex was dating someone five years my junior and 12 years his...not to mention he was crushin' on her whilst we dated!

MAY
-Walking around the city with Jeremy while he shows me Third Ward buildings he's worked on
-Getting the InterMet!!!
-At Random followed by a swirly and cheap time at the Bottle
-Volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House, cooking up some awesome Mexican food, and chatting with coworkers about my breakup
-Frigid Cubbies Game at Wrigley! (and using Steve's parking spot!)
-Nights at Trinity and Scooter's with Jeremy and Z
-The Art Museum followed by Marne's graduation party
-IRONMAN followed by Bee's and the unfortunate meeting of Ken (aka Jaxon/Jakom/Douchebag)
-David Cook winning American Idol ;)
-Random Red Robin beers?
-Jeremy's private guitar concert ;)
-Painting at the rents, listening to The Brew!
-The Saloon with Z and Nicole (learning about how John couldn't tell me he went with Nicole to the strip club while he and I were dating??)
-Scampering around in a rainstorm with Jeremy and Z
-"Katie Day" (aka Memorial Day) spent with Jeremy (Mykonos, walk around lakefront, people watch on the grass, parade, etc...lovely)
-RIVERSPLASH!! LOTS of Miller Lite, Falafel, King Solomon, and Footloose?
-Edgar's Calypso, crazy cold front, and Clovie at the rents

JUNE
-Bill's rendition of "Build Me Up Buttercup" on my voicemail at 4am?
-The Sex & the City Movie party at the Palladium in the Majestic...cosmos and apps a plenty!
-The Annual Bead & Button Show with mom :)
-Watching Once with Z
-Managing to make it out to Brookfield Fridays alive in the t'storm of all t'storms...one of the best nights with Jeremy though: relaxing and cozy :)
-Getting my new sleek phone!
-Jeremy and I swinging in Cathedral Square park followed by chilling on the couch at Mocha
-Lunches at Borders with Jeremy
-Making dinner for Jeremy in the tiniest of tiny kitchens
-Tumbleweed and The Happening with Jeremy: the last good night
-Chelsea's wedding shower followed by my hosting of her Bachelorette party because the boat was CANCELED due to the NON storm followed by interesting fellows at Trinity
-Bekky and Todd's second son Josh is born!! Visit them in the hospital :)
-The Jazz Estate and Vitucci's with Jeremy, Marrlo, and Z
-Marrlo's apartment to play Wii
-Monica's birthday at Finn McCool's where we got SWINDLED!!!
-Show of Shows in Rockford, IL (the beer tent!!! Alpine Inn?? Machine Shed!)
-Blue flowers and the end of Jeremy
-Shannon's birthday drinks at Bad Genie
-CKYP Summerfest is actually really fun??!
-The ginormous rainbow outside the window of Qdoba
-Looooong walk with Mandsi around lakefront (rugby!!)
-Night of Tomfoolery: dinner at Osteria, drinks at the Knick, Trinity, and Cuddy's questionmark??? RUBY DEE!!!!
-McGinn's with Drew discussing our pathetic love lives ;)

JULY
-Best BUTTERWORKS ever! Also known as "The Year of John Thompson"
-HC Fireworks! Also known as "I Can't Believe It's Not Butterworks"
-The loooong talk with Z at Bucks regarding Jeremy and The Lost Email which tumbled into what will forever be known as....
-TOUR DE CHANCE: A poor time at Summerfest (aside from the awesomeness that was the Zombies) leads to boredom, which leads to the mutual decision to drive to Houlihan's (BIG MISTAKE), Bee's (regroup), T'Bell (great idea), and Genie (WORST idea). The cherry on top of the Tour de Chance Evening of Shame was the txt: "have your cake and choke on it too". Fun!

*Tour De Chance ushered in the second half of the summer, however, and it was all uphill from there!

-28 Day Detox: good stuff!
-Teaching myself Dreamweaver
-AT&T road side assistance and "Roadrunner" to the rescue!
-Annual Point Beach Camping Trip with just the Nelson/Lau ladies this time! (gourmet meals over a campfire, pix to try and win the photo contest...whoops, never sent those in...crazy t'storm and the tortured baby, bags on the beach, most PERFECT sand turtle ever, bourbon & decaf, and a Neil Gaiman bedtime story)
-BASTILLE DAYS! Chill outside Taylor's and walk around fest with Z, capped off with a tour of Steve's apartment ;)
-A surprisingly fun CK Picnic? Won $5 Alterra card as well as many grass stains as I "slid into last place" in the footrace. (also a stab at 'closure' with John in the car that didn't work out so well)
-ALL THINGS DARK KNIGHT!!!!!!! (went 4x!...The first time being particularly awesome as Z and I arrived four hours early and had fun waiting over martinis in the bar and over nachos in line...Jim and Joe?!!)
-Not having meningitis!
-Hanging at Nicole's new apartment: Saw II, George Lopez, King of Queen's, Sex & the City, and CHEATERS!!! ExtenZe Sodas!!!
-Church and Mykonos with Drew
-CUBE•B•GONE!!!!
-Fun at the laundromat?
-Txts from Bob :)
-IOWA ROADTRIP with Z!!!!! (YeCoCo "which is YELLOW now!!" at the I-80 truckstop, the gloriousness that is Sugar Shack malts, ducks and rabblerousers, pool thugs, filet and crab stuffed shrimp and wine that tastes like Heath Ledger at the Big Steer, Jay and Steve in the Lounge, Prairie Meadows Casino and "when in Rome" Bud Lights and Point Beach??, court jester dog, tour de SKYWALK and the cozy Marriott, BALLOOOOONS "The Big Idea", the nightmarish Liars Club and 515 Live ecstasy fest, road trip snick snacks and a BIG SODA from the I-80 truckstop, and "What's He Gonna Do?" and Dark Knight quotes galore!!
-The Miller Park Massacre :)

AUGUST
-ROOFTOP CUBS GAME!!!!...chilling outside Ellen's drinking beer, playing bags, and eating Chicago's most ginormous pizza
-Z consoling me after The Metro Market Umbrella Fiasco, which ushered me into another new, and better, stage of The Breakup
-I'views :)
-STATEFAIR...mmmmHeathBaby at the Saz's tent
-Joshua wins SYTYCD!!!
-My Jamo shot (purchased by my boss) induced toast at Kristen's Last Day party at Kenadee's followed by dinner at Bayou with Nicole and Z and fun music, but weird peeps at Mark's bar...T'BELL!
-Surf's Up and I'm Not There Night :)
-Josh and Tina's son Zachary's baptism and the BEST FOOD EVER (hushpuppies!!) at the following party
-All things Flickr and photography
-Meeting up with Katie at Metro Market before she leaves for Hahhvahd.
-Free drinks at Karma...Joey from Iowa at Buckley's
-dinner at the Sheridan House for mom's bday
-DOCO WEDDING DEBAUCHERY!!!! (breakfast at the Pancake House, Girl Talk, coziest retro hotel EVER, Kalin/Karlin/Baby Heath bartender at the Rehearsal dinner, Room 114: Party Headquarters, vomming from 75% of the room, Cabin #3 spa time, The Wedding, Trolley shenanigans!!!, CUSTER JUMP ON IT, Mikey vs Jake, THE LIFT, a blanket...some wood chips...and the stars: crossing off #18 because everyone and their mom discovered us, and last but certainly not least: ALL THINGS HUMAN GIANT.
-HARLEY FEST!!!
-Random last minute tooling around Jazz in the Park, followed by the Genie...F/Phish sigh
-Margarita Paradise for Josh's birthday followed by Human Giant and CHECKBOOK fun at J&T's house, FOLLOWED by more Genie after close!
-Annual Drive In Party
-Trinity with Nicole and Z: Steve the drummer, and the unfortunate meeting of Wayne and Derrick (tastes like Smarties, smells like Romance, and acts like a total D'bag)

SEPTEMBER
-Mandsi got KOHLS PROMOTION!!!...Firefly to celebrate!
-First PSL of the season!
-Office Space!
-Shannon's Wedding and everything that was the entire summer leading up to this moment going better than I could've ever expected :)
-following Shannon's wedding: JUMP ON IT dancing in our apartment, shots of Vodka, two seconds in Genie, back to apartment to get into our PJs, late night deliciousness at Mykonos
-Pure hilarity at my Tazinos photo shoot!!! (and dinner with Kim at The Perk)
-Sake Tumi, Blu, and Genie
-LESTIVITIES FINALLY HAPPENS!
-Zim's where the Bears lose, the Packers won, but the Brewers lose hooray!!
-The Cubbies and Astros at Miller Park that we did NOT go to...Big Z's No Hitter!!!
-Going to the lakefront to watch the moonrise :)
-Angela's bday at Hotel Metro where we saw Cindy Crawford and found out about divorce, followed by Taylor's with Joe and Josh and shots all around!
-Walking to the new CK building only takes 23 minutes!
-Ale House with the fam, CUBBIES CLINCH!!
-Bella Cafe with Drew :)
-Nate and Mandsi's first date at Blu!! :D
-Walking six miles around the lakefront and messing up my foot, cuz that happens.
-Zim's to watch the Cubs lose, SEE Cubs outside the Pfister, D'Lee and Jim Edmonds "following us" to Taylors...BRONX BOYS!
-Shopping Spree at Bayshore ;) ($280 worth of clothes for $126!)
-Buying Aussie Pink Floyd tix at the Mac Store

And what better way to cap off the fabulous Summer of 2008????
-KOHLS DAY AT SIX FLAGS and the gloriousness that is Raging Bull! "Cuz that happens."

Plus, smattered throughout:
-Various drinks, often time free, at Buckley's after a night out
-Many many coffees at Metro Market on the weekends
-Monday nights at Bucks!!! (the $2 Bucks card mmm Vivannos)
-Too much Facebook?
-Lots of Cup and Bread Duty
-The Ninja Report
-Inappropriate txts with Bill
-All things Steve the apt manager
-Summer shows like AI, Top Chef, Flipping Out, SYTYCD, The Paper, the Hills, P'Run, and MadMen
-Kiss FM and so much new music: Portishead, MMJ, Girl Talk, Coldplay, all things THE FAINT, "Knowitall" "Rest My Chemistry" "Outta Heart" "Fearless" "Oh Well" & "Dear Valentine" on repeat. And Ray :)
-Great books like Mere Christianity, Of Human Bondage, and The Art of Happiness
-and finally "Where does that end..." because honestly? where does it?!

WOW I did it! And I'm impressed if anyone aside from Z is still reading ;) I look forward to rereading this post at the beginning of next summer and imagining how different it will be, well different and similar I'm sure!

even MORE eatery

Could I BE writing any more blog posts this month???

For my last Sept recipe, I made THIS! Thanks Zeetlebug it was yumtastic!!

I also have to mention the best spaghetti sauce ever!! I've always been sort of whatevs about red sauce. I hated spaghetti, or any Italian food, as a child (bizarre right?)...and to this day, I'll usually order something more exotic like a vodka tomato cream sauce or simple garlic infused olive oil type sauce if I'm at an Italian joint...never a plain, run of the mill, basic spaghetti sauce. But I now create a red sauce myself that I would eat above all other options if I had the choice!

1 small eggplant
1 zucchini
1 tomato (a really beefy one from the farmer's market would be great!)
a boatload of cremini mushrooms (like 10+)
half white onion
4+ garlic cloves
...all chopped

After sauteeing all these guys for several minutes (onion/garlic...then other veggies, but the mushrooms last!), I add a can of Contadida thick & zesty tom sauce (because why should I do all the work?) plus a couple TBs of tom paste. Then spices...anything you've got like dried oregano and/or basil, red pepper flakes, pepper. PLUS, and here's the trickery, a tsp or so of chicken stock granules AND a tsp or so of sugar! Now let that all stew together-covered-stirring every so often, for 10-20 mins. DEEEEELISH! If I had some, I would've added chopped fresh basil leaves to the sauce once it was done. Maybe next time!

To accompany this fine meal, I made this concoction that Z developed the other day. Mashed Cauliflower that tastes WAY better than mashed potatoes...well, at least in my opinion. The fact that it's better for you may have something to do with it. Just steam a heck load of frozen cauliflower in a half inch of chicken stock for awhile (until fork tender)...throw the drained veggies into a blender with some pressed garlic and a tiny bit of sour cream (I actually used a TB of this garlic dip my mom gave me)...blend away until the consistency of mashed tatos and you're done. No need to add salt as there is plenty in the stock, but add pepper or any other spice that suits your fancy. I swear, you gotta try...they are freaking GOOD!!


So that's my food rant for now. I think it's because I've been nothing but HUNGRY these days. I may or may not have mentioned the layer of fat my body wants to put on for the oncoming winter.

Meanwhile I'd like to touch base on the fact that, lately, when I go to bed at night, I cannot fall asleep for the life of me because I think about 234983204 projects and really cool ideas I want to do. I feel as though I need to hire a team...like I'd come up with projects, and then delegate tasks to them. There are not enough hours in the day! Especially when it's suddenly tv season again :\ In any case, today I'm going to write down everything I've thought of and try to come up with a game plan to get them accomplished.

more food!

#90 - Well I finally watched the moonrise! I didn't actually get to see it come up from the lake horizon, but it was pretty close. I originally had "watch the moonrise 4x" on my list and changed it for fear that I'd barely get to do it once! So I think I'll try it again within the next year, hopefully when I have a tripod and can take some pix. In any case, this particular time was extra cozy! Mandsi walked with me down to the hill that overlooks the lakefront and we indulged in some lovely boy talk as the large orange waning gibbous hung low amongst wisps of clouds in the dark sky. ;)

#45 - Two new recipes for Sept!

1. Chicken Curry and Rice mmmmmmm
Oh man was this a recipe and a half! SO delicious!! Here's my best translation:

First, prepare a couple servings of jasmine rice per package directions and keep warm to the side. Then, in a hot dry skillet, brown a medium sized palmful of curry powder...this brings out the flavor and spiciness! After a couple minutes, constantly stirring so it doesn't burn, add a tsp of paprika, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes. Then add a half of an onion, a couple garlic cloves, and a red bell pepper...all chopped. Cover to steam and stir every minute or so until veggies are soft. Cut two chicken breasts into bite sized pieces (season with salt and pepper) and add to the veggie mixture. Then add a TB of tomato paste or ketchup, 2/3 cup of plain yogurt, and 3/4 cup of coconut milk (I used like 2/3 of a can). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped green onions (and salt if necessary). YUM!!! It's even better the next day, per usual! It made my whole apartment smell like curry of course, but this was NOT a bad thing!!! Unless someone in your living quarters doesn't like Indian or Thai food of course. Then I guess you're out of luck ;)

2. Butternut Squash Chicken Bake with Rice

This was sort of a cheating recipe, but I just took my leftover V8 butternut squash soup (like a third of the box), to which I had added a quarter of an onion and a couple garlic cloves...and added barely a quarter of a cup of water, a half cup of uncooked jasmine rice, and a cubed small sweet potato (for seasonings I added some red pepper flakes, a little brown sugar, and some nutmeg). I seasoned a chicken breast with paprika, steak seasoning, and cumin and seared both sides on a hot pan with olive oil for a couple minutes each side (until slightly browned). I put the breast in a small greased baking dish and topped it with the soup mixture. Baked in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 40 minutes. I added a little bit of mozzarella to it when it was done. GLORIOUS.

So just one more to go which I'm sure I can squeeze in next week.

By the by, I will fully admit that knowing I only have a smidge over a year left to complete all 101 things, and have barely touched any of my creative projects, keeps me up at night :\

stuffing my face...and ears?

First off, a couple more recipes to add to this month's Big Seven (#45):

1. Veggie Mexican Casserole
Preheat oven to 350. Saute onions, garlic, sliced mushrooms, cubed eggplant, diced bell pepper and jalapeno until soft. Add a small can of mild green chilies, a small can of sweet corn, and a half packet of taco seasoning and let that simmer for a few minutes. Line the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish with 1/4 inch slices of firmed polenta (#50), top with the veggie mixture, then top that with a can of black and garbanzo beans, and finally top that with a Mexican cheese blend. Bake for 20 minutes and once out of the oven, top with sliced black olives, green onions, and sour cream. ENJOY!!! It's even better the next day, and like three times as good the day after that! It lasted me all week and I had like three servings at each meal...WHOOPS!

2. Spinach Artichoke Dip Pizza
Bake a Boboli crust (I recommend the whole wheat kind!!) per the instructions. Combine a good sized package of spinach dip from the deli (or make your own...two cups perhaps?) along with a can of chopped artichoke hearts as well as a half cup or so of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or prepackaged shredded Italian blend). Heat up four slices of bacon and some shredded chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken from the deli, but you can shred a couple poached chicken breasts as well). When the crust is done, let cool a bit, and then top with the spinach artichoke dip, the shredded chicken and crumbled bacon, and some green onions. Voila! Quite a spectacular appetizer for a party, especially when coupled with my recipe for BLT pizza!

#51 - Fried Food
Two things. I went to a sushi restaurant on Friday and could NOT partake in the deliciousness that is tempura and thus simply drooled over my sister's Spider Roll while I [thoroughly enjoyed] my Philly Roll. Additionally, yesterday I went to this sports bar to watch the Bears game and while they typically have a bunch of menu options, sammiches and the like, on "Game Day" they have a bit of a stunted menu that features 95% fried food! So I had a choice between some sliders or pizza. I chose the sliders and they arrived atop a mountain of greasy golden French fries that I had to stare at longingly while I consumed my mini burgers. It was torture, but I made it through ;)

#68 - Speaking of eating a lot, jeez I've been eating a lot! I blame this early cold snap. My body is completely freaking out that I need to build up a thick layer of fat for the oncoming winter...especially if it's a winter like last year! So I've been stuffing myself with sweet bakery and one too many helpings of the dinners I make. I think I've gotta slow down a bit!!

#87 - On a completely different note, on Friday I received one of many emails about upcoming concerts and such and there was this article about a band called Elbow. They compared the music to Coldplay and Radiohead, but I don't really think this is the case. I purchased their latest album on iTunes for $7.99 (sweet freaking deal!) and I'm loving them!! I'm not exactly sure who to compare them to, but they're definitely British and moody. Sometimes they sound like Morrissey/The Smiths...sometimes Peter Gabriel...sometimes Blur...sometimes even My Morning Jacket. Try them today!! ;)

it's getting better every day

Tonight I will finally indulge in a pumpkin spice latte as I heard through the proverbial grapevine that they are definitely officially available! Currently it is 62 degrees outside and I am loving the part where I wore a jacket to work this morning. Unfortunately a small part of my brain is screaming about how winter feels like it just ended, so that's too bad :\ Shut up brain!

Speaking of PSLs, Z just pointed out to me THIS FUN FACT:



In other words, when you google image "pumpkin spice latte", my blog banner is the sixth photo to come up?! That's devotion my friends.

Meanwhile, I made two of seven recipes for the month of Sept:

1. Enchilada Pizza (I made tomatillo salsa again to use for the sauce, and topped a wheat Boboli with black beans, a four cheese Mexican blend, guac, and green onions. If I wasn't poor I would've made some tasty shredded chicken to put on it as well.)

2. Squash and Sweet Potato Tortellini, which I will partake once again in about 20 minutes!

sweeeeet action!

Do you remember?!

I cannot believe it's already September. Thank all that is holy, because the summer should really be over soon. The weather has been ideal, especially after the winter we had, but the shenanigans have been plentiful and I need a break! I will say that this summer will go down as one of my favorite summers since Summer '98: post high school graduation, not a care in the world, also lots of shenanigans. It will also go down as one of the most tumultuous summers...full of soaring highs and devastating lows. I don't think I've ever in my life felt such an intense roller coaster of emotions over this length of time (five months straight). I look forward to what I can only hope is a much more calm autumn because at this rate, highs are great and all, but the higher you are, the harder you fall. And speaking of falling hard, I still have one more emotionally exhausting event to get through before the summer ends: my coworker's wedding, which my ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend will be attending. While I'm super excited for my coworker/friend, I cannot even describe how much I'm dreading this evening. It'll be one of the hardest things that I've ever endured. I can only hope that it'll be like running a marathon: takes a lot out of you, but makes you stronger and, um, more interesting? So on that note, wish me luck? ;)

In any case, I have a few updates, so here they are:

#5 - I'm picking away at the Q&A photo interview I mentioned awhile back. Who knew it'd be so difficult?!

#17 - I indulged in a pretty selfish decision the night of my friends Chelsea and Nick's wedding?

#18 - And on that note, I'm cheating a bit crossing this one off, but I don't think I'll get any closer to this task than I did that evening! That's all I'll say ;)

#34 - Nutcracker tickets have been purchased for Sat, Dec 13th!

#45 - I failed miserably at recipes in August. One...that's it. Pathetic. So September's going to be seven total. I wish food didn't cost so much :\

#50 - My atypical item this month will be polenta which isn't produce really, but I've always wanted to cook with it.

#51 - Guilty pleasure will be an oldie but goodie: No fried food.

#54 - I finally got my haircut last week after almost five months!

#68 - I ate like a crazy person the weekend of Chelsea and Nick's wedding: Like five helpings of taco salad at my parents Thursday night; ginormous greasy breakfast at the Pancake House Friday morning; way too much fried fish, fatty chowder soup, and piles of french fries at the rehearsal dinner; another huge greasy breakfast the wedding morning; and MORE fries and gooey Reuben the day after. I felt like I had been starving myself for weeks and I totally just let loose!

#87 - Band/artist of the month happened right at the end when a coworker recommended Love As Laughter...good stuff!

That's all I got! In really awesome news, it's about that time of year when Bucks rolls out the Pumpkin Spice Latte!!! You better believe I'll blog about it too ;)

"I hate web design"

This is what I just googled to make myself feel better after scrolling through pages and pages of forums related to the web design problems I'm having. This has been going on since 7:45 this morning, as well as like 2.5 hours last night, and several hours on Sunday night. I've spent 99.9% of my time troubleshooting and .1% on the actual design part.

In my current breakdown, I found this guy's blurb to be the most comforting:

I hate web design. I really, truly, sincerely do....For those not in the know, this is a basic breakdown of what is involved in web design:

1. Put a single object/word/picture on the page.
2. Waste an hour trying to figure out why Browser ‘X’ doesn’t like that.
3. Try to fix it.
4. Have something else stuff up
5. Fix that
6. Repeat the whole process with the next element you’re trying to put on the page.

Ain't it the truth. Last night I figured out how to place the navigation bar I made like a month and a half ago over the background, and then how to change the length of this dotted line I wanted underneath the nav bar. And yeah that took me two hours. Oh but wait. I'm an idiot, and CSS backgrounds stay fixed, while the stuff you put over them are "fluid". So basically if I change the size of my browser the nav bar will move around while the background stays still. I mean duh, right? But apparently I'm an idiot. I have to figure out how to fix the nav bar now. But even if I do that? It's like, I'm literally like one millimeter off the ground and have all of Mt. Everest above me. I don't even LIKE web design!! Using the aforementioned percentages, it's 99.9% technical and .1% design. I didn't go to school to become some coding programming geek (absolutely NO offense to the coding programming geeks out there...without you, this bitch fest you are currently reading wouldn't exist!).

In any case, I can't tell you how many times I've given up, and then got back on the bike, only to give up, back on bike, give up, you get the picture. I think about just grabbing one of the 934803412908 free CSS templates out there. But then what's the point of having someone else's design showcase my own? Then I want someone to make MY design FOR me. But then I think about the Big Scary Future that is my career and how print design will cease to exist and how I better know how to do this because only web design jobs will remain. The horror. Not to mention this LIST. Number Freaking ONE on this list is to learn how to build a website, jeez.

So I guess I'll keep scratching and stabbing at this behemoth. Guh. Worse comes to worst, I could try just doing the whole thing in Flash as I think that'd be easier. My design is seriously SO simplistic...nothing complicated at all. Although, simplistic isn't always easy. Like check out the smashing Mr. Nate Smith's portfolio site I found today! VERY similar to how I want mine, right down to the rounded-tablet-with-dropshadow. Simple, clean, beautiful...and I bet it is crazy complicated Flash. Ok maybe not CRAZY complicated, but I don't know. Maybe I'll give 'er a whirl. Try some things out in Flash and see if I can replicate it. Too bad Nate and I can't stumble into one another in a dark bar where I whisper dirty promises into his ear in exchange for his web design skills. But no...Milwaukee can contain only so many talented people in one week or the world will implode.

you'll never know how great a kiss can feel...

Updates a plenty, especially in the creative world!

#7 - TBA artistic project = Zeetles!®

#22 - Three puffs for the Wisconsin State Fair,
the most glorious place on earth!!!



I could seriously take amusement-park-at-dusk photos for a lifetime. And what a perfect night with beautiful clouds and an amazing sunset! Next year I seriously have to spend more time doing this. This year I even turned down the Bunny Building in order to make the most of the dying light. THAT is dedication. I did snap this one right outside the building though...DIES!!!


[and this just in! my bun pickie got pickied on Cute Overload!!!]

#45 & #50 - I way cheated on this first recipe of the month, but whatevs. I made Garlic Shrimp Caesar Wraps, but totally picked up pre-marinated garlic jumbo shrimp from the seafood counter, as well as Caesar dressing from the salad bar. Hey! It's summer and I'm busy ;) But I used arugula as the leafy greens so that's taken care of too.

#91 - I learned from my pal Josh that Stein's has bonsai trees!! He and his wife had one in their living room and apparently it only cost like $20 or so? Sweet ACTION!! Maybe I'll go next weekend or something!

And finally, without further ado, my new baby...

#5 - TBA artistic project = My new photoblog, focusnapop! is officially up and running! The inspiration behind starting the blog is all over there, so I won't bore you with those details here. I really hope to keep it up though! Such fun!!

just because I'm losing, doesn't mean I've lost

ed. note: added #95

August. It's a new month. You know that old saying: If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all? That's what this post is going to be.

Updates because I have to:

#22 - State Fair is happening Thursday, so I'll get to cross off that bad boy.

#45 - Recipes (two more):
1. While I didn't come up with them or cook them entirely on my own, I'll combine the following delicious meals we made at camp this year:
-Bourbon Chicken, Blue Cheese Burgers, and Pear Gorgonzola and Prosciutto on French Bread drizzled with a Balsamic Syrup
2. Fried Plantains (#50)

#50 - My atypical produce this month can be arugula, why not?

#95 - I finished Of Human Bondage, which most definitely made my top five books. I honestly didn't want it to end, it's such a great story! I told Mandsi that it was like an old friend who I'll really miss...

#66 - Iowa!
Mandsi and I reunited with the cornfields and rolling hills (there are hills!) and it was a blast. Road trip hilarity, best patty melt and corned beef hash ever, YeCoCo, not crashing into a plane, "leave them ducks alone boys", Sugar Shack malts, pool and hot tub sans thugs, steak and crab stuffed shrimp with wine that tasted like Heath Ledger, Steve and Jay shenanigans, Prairie Meadows Casino and "when in Rome" Bud Light, hangovers at the Farmer's Market, tooling around the Skywalk for hours and chillin in the Marriott, "what's he gonna do", $4 big beers and an abundance of hot air balloons including The Big Idea, an ecstasy rave in the streets of downtown, scuzziness of Des Moines night life, waiting an hour for food at Drake Diner, and a big soda and snick snacks at the I-80 truckstop....as well as many many more amusing memories and moments.

Ah, well reliving that trip cheered me up a touch. Good times. Well the summer is nearing an end and I'm relieved. I look forward to brighter times ahead...despite the fact that daylight is waning? Hm.

This is absolutely amazing....

Quoted from Astronomy Picture of the Day:

"What are these humans doing? Dancing. Many humans on Earth exhibit periods of happiness, and one method of displaying happiness is dancing. Happiness and dancing transcend political boundaries and occur in practically every human society. Above, Matt Harding traveled through many nations on Earth, started dancing, and filmed the result. The video is perhaps a dramatic example that humans from all over planet Earth feel a common bond as part of a single species. Happiness is frequently contagious -- few people are able to watch the above video without smiling."

I love the music...

looking sideways?

Things aren't necessarily looking up or down, so I'll just say they're looking sideways for now. The beginning of 28 Day Detox was like the first few days after a breakup when you feel, not quite right, but like you're on a high for all the emotion and adrenaline...or like the hangover in the morning when you're running on fumes and something about it makes you giddy. Well in both scenarios, time catches up with you and you end up feeling exhausted and shitty.

I'm totally coming to terms with the fact that I need some healing time. I put a lot of stuff on the backburner and it's all coming out now in forms of weeping and depression and anger and frustration. In the first 10 days, I tried to deal with healing on my own without really opening up about it too much. Mostly because everyone has heard quite enough about the Trials and Tribs of Katie. But yesterday I discovered that I really do need a support system in order to truly hash everything out. Only this time, I'm trying to use that support system as a way to bounce around ideas and emotions, rather than purely venting my anguish. I think it worked well because I did feel better today.

It's hard not to let the unfairnesses of life drag you down. It's hard not to dwell on that sort of thing and let it consume you until you can't breathe and you wonder if you'll ever feel normal again. But as cliche as it sounds, time heals all wounds and while I'm waiting, I've got lots of stuff to preoccupy my mind...in a HEALTHY way, as opposed to a way to postpone the inevitable explosion of ugly wrath that's bubbling under the surface! As I've said to many a person this week, my only hope is that I'll get to look back one day, with someone new and so much better for me, and say: "why the hell did I spend so much emotional energy on that OTHER situation??!" Until then!

Well, enough of that wah wah blabber, let's get our update on, sheesh!

#12 - While I continue to miss the 26 Things photography project, a different sort of photo project entitled "Q&A" is up and has no end due date, so I think I'll take a stab at that!

#45 - The two recipes I've made this month are a. apple caramel pound cake ice cream deliciousness for the 4th of July, and b. "Miss Leslie's Divine Ham Salad" or whatever it's called, from a Rachael Ray cookbook (#46).

#68 - I ate a heck of a lot at camp this past weekend and that was glorious!! But I think I worked it all off setting up/taking down camp, building camp fires, making a sand turtle and baby, and playing bags on the beach...

#80 - I am NOT rocking the budget...I don't think I have since last fall or something insane. Gotta get back there...

#83 - I've been slacking on savings too. Now that I no longer get money back from $$ I loaned out, and I have a new car payment every month, the savings train has come to a stop...except for the dollar a day, of course...but $30/mo is NOT really saving.

#87 - A coworker suggested I listen to Albert Hammond, Jr., from the Strokes, now solo. I really love! I listened to the album like six times over the last week!

#95 - I picked up Of Human Bondage to fulfill the second of the three classics.

And that's all I got! I honestly have a ton to look forward to in the coming months, so I'm hoping for my sideways glance to start heading upward way soon. Please please!

Starting Over......

This past weekend, I officially wandered waaaaay too far off the beaten path (#17 and then some...), but last night I decided many things:

1. to start a 28 day detox from the treachery that has been my mental state recently
2. to be more positive, less self indulgent, and healthier in body, mind, and spirit
3. to get going on some freaking tasks already!

And in the last 24 hours I've already accomplished two things!

#95 - I finished Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis: LOVE! If you aren't hardcore Christian, but are open to hearing about it from a more logical standpoint, this book is for you. It was very inspirational and honest about the human condition: where we come from, who we are, where we're going...that sort of thing. I wouldn't mind reading it a second time just to more fully absorb everything Jack had to say!

#1 - Ohhhh Dreamweaver. So today I decided to follow this ginormous epic tutorial on how to build a website with cascading style sheets (CSS), as opposed to your 'old school' tables. It was CRAZY complicated, but after a few hours, I really got the hang of it! Below is the ungodly ugly site they made me build using the worst design elements imaginable, but hey, I don't care! I'm super proud I was actually able to do it all!



YAY! Super stoked!! Again, not something I'd put in a portfolio if you paid me a million dollars, but hopefully one day I can figure out how to combine my swank design skills with my new CSS knowledge. In the meantime, apparently I'll be able to practice as we'll be rockin' the CSS here at work as soon as John comes back from training in Florida. And who's the first to be trained? Yours truly. Wish me luck!

And going back to my opening sentiments, I will say the following: Sometimes wandering off the beaten path actually brings you closer to the right one. See, occasionally you take the wrong path...a selfish path full of jagged rocks and deep potholes (vampires?) that hurt you, as well as the other people walking with you. Suddenly you find yourself making some INSANE decision to completely walk off the path altogether! AND you drag those people in with you! So then you're in this dark thicket of God knows what...there are thorns and Rodents of Unusual Size, cesspools, and maybe even quicksand that could trap you there indefinitely. But look here, what's this? You might see a clearing up ahead, or hear voices (real ones, not ghosts). Turns out, it's the path you were supposed to be on the whole time! The "good path"! So basically you took a short cut. It might not have been the best decision because you probably didn't make it out of the deep woods unscathed: scraps and gashes galore. But you made it, and with a much clearer head on your shoulders.

That was me this weekend for sure! So I'm rebooting, debugging, defragging, running scan disk, all that stuff to try and be a better person for myself, as well as for those around me, whether I know them now, or know them in the future.

"Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around."
[Vanilla Sky]

more heart-wrenching dance...

I'm pretty much posting this for Nicole :)



But I'll post this too, because it's very true :(

Almost over

I'm hoping to make it out of these final hours of June unscathed. It has been a DOOZIE of a month. In the last week, I've earned my insomnia patch and I think even my panic attack patch. Nothing major, but I've had a couple instances of those old familiar feelings of trembling, nausea, and sense of impending doom. Not fun really. I think something's going around though, because I know a lot of people dealing with various ugly life issues, my own being the furthest from the worst. Things could ALWAYS be worse...and I have to be way thankful that they aren't right now. In the meantime though, I GOTTA make some changes...

So to conclude June,

#17 - Just under the wire, I got a txt today from someone telling me that I'm selfish, so I can knock that one off the list! Yippee. No, but I did spend $200 on clothes last Monday night to cheer myself up. Fun?

#45 - Recipes...

2 - Spicy Sweet Crab Salad (#46) in tortillas (mixed with mango, radishes, celery, onions and cilantro; dressed with this hot sauce/lime juice/vinegar/sugar/mayo situation...seems odd, but incredibly tasty!)

3 - Rhubarb (#50) Coffee Cake (made for Shannon's birthday last week...I've baked from scratch like twice in my life and these turned out really good considering!)

4 - Mango Pine Nut Salad (mango and OJ puree over greens with cannellini beans and pine nuts...I was a little drunk when I threw this together, but I think I remember that it was really good?)

Now, for July, I'm thinking about something to give up...we'll see...and my atypical produce item is plantains, THANKS Guy Fieri ;)

#49 - This past weekend Mandsi and I went to the World's Lamest Farmers Market (aka East Town Farmer's Market...jeez guys, kick it up a notch?)

#68 - A couple weekends ago, I had a fatty egg/bacon/cheese bagel sammich for breakfast, like five lbs of chocolate sweet treats at a concert intermission, BeefaRoo for dinner, and then the following morning, a Machine Shed breakfast of ginormous waffle with bacon BAKED IN, topped with eggs and maple syrup, and a side of cheesy hashbrown casserole the consistency of risotto....FAAAAT.

Sooooo this post is basically me complaining about my life stress, yet discussing all the good food I ate all month. Way to go Katie. At the end of the day, things aren't so bad. I've just gotta be way more careful. Remember the girl who was sick of being good all the time? Well, she's in some trubs and I'm not letting her out any more. I need to add a lot more to my karma bucket.....

wordclouds drifting by...

On Pop Candy today, I discovered this little gem of a site: Wordle! where you can type in some text and finagle a cute little "word cloud". Now while the site is pretty fun, being a graphic designer, I find myself a little constricted by its randomness. So I busted out my own typography skills this afternoon and created my own cloud:



The significance of this little set of lyrics comes out of my thoughts from yesterday whilst listening to this Fiona Apple tune...its uncanny relation to a certain ex bf. The words couldn't be more true.

Glass half...full?

496 days remain. Earlier this week, I should've celebrated my official halfway mark in this crazy project, but I was probably too busy doing one of the items on the list. Undoubtedly the Ninja Report (#89), which is officially complete!! For reasons I won't mention here, I had to put it into overdrive this week. Let's hope my work pays off SOON!

In any case, here's an update of where I'm at with this list:

Completed: 38
In Progress with Nearby Completion Date: 11
In Progress until List End Date: 15
Remaining: 37

YEEHAW! I've completed more than I have left!! Thank GOD or I think I'd be pretty screwed! And I can turn that 38 into a 49 real soon if I get crackin' on all of these open ended tasks. Plus I've got all those summer-y ones that I could complete this year too.

Meanwhile, we're about halfway through the year here as well. I'm kinda hoping things pick back up from here on out. Not that the year has been awful by any means, but I sense some leaf turning on the horizon and I hope it brings good things for everyone who is in their particular mess at the moment (of which there are quite a few, I've noticed!) So let's all take this time to regroup and kick ass in the next six months. SIX MONTHS!

PS I'm also hoping that the next 500.5 days are FAR different from the last 500.5. Again, not that they were awful, but the TWO breakups and various job trubs weren't really a blast. Then again, I went on some rad trips, won a mac, and did some neat creative stuff, so who am I to complain? Glass half full!

SYTYC...make my heart explode with complete awe?

The answer is a definitive YES.
The following is the reason why So You Think You Can Dance is THEEE greatest reality television show to ever exist:



Dies.

I feel lucky to have lived to see something like this.

Changing of the moods

It's yet another Rainy Days Thursdays always gettin' me down. At least it isn't 39 outside! I'm just not at my best this week. I find myself walking through this mucky daze, waiting for things to pick up. Maybe it's just the weather, but I was walking back to work at lunch like, get out of this mood, seriously!

#87 - Last night SYTYCD featured an adorable young male dancer by the name of Cooper Zamorano who danced to this gorgeous song...lyrics not on the internet, anywhere. Until this morning of course, as everyone else watching last night was enamored too. "In Your Eyes" by Craig Lyons: An artist who has been featured in dancers' auditions three times now! In fact, Cooper's performance is already up on Craig Lyons' myspace. So at this point, the guy's made in the shade, thank you SYTYCD! His music is way beautiful too. And although mellow and moody, it's just what I needed to lift my spirits. Some of the dissonance in his melodies reminds me of Seal. It's weird, but true. [addition ed. note: very Robbie Williams too]

What's funny is that I was at Barnes last night and I must've listened to a dozen newish albums that have come out, but just couldn't bring myself to buy any of them. Maybe due to sticker shock, perhaps because there are like 398420342 albums due out this summer. I do really like the new ones from Death Cab, REM, and The Futureheads and wouldn't mind owning them (and actually PAYING for them). I purchased the new Portishead through itunes, but "acquired" the new Weezer album here at work. I'm still on the fence about Aimee Mann's new album. And then My Morning Jacket and Coldplay come out in like two seconds...very excited about those two. Anyway, I digress. I'm sure I'll slink back into my cesspool of whatnot soon enough, but for now, here's to the joy that new artists, new albums, and the new season of SYTYCD brings me.

Busting out all over

It's finally June! So there are definitely some sort of official summer month feelings happening, especially now that it's finally warm. But it's never a dull moment in Wisconsin because while today the high is 80, Wednesday the high will be a crisp 58. Yeesh.

I will admit that I'm a little stressed out over here. Thoughts and feelings in regards to all KINDS of things are swirling ever more, and I wonder if and when my brain will calm down. And in other news, I actually caught myself wishing for my old life today. Something I never thought I'd do! It was brief, but it was just a general wistfulness for "Simpler Times". I quickly snapped out of it, however, when I remembered that those times were NOT simpler. I was stuck in a pretty complicated situation. And speaking of...you'll never believe the main article that popped up when I logged onto Yahoo this morning...

Men prefer being solo over a bad marriage: study

Sigh. But hey, I mean who DOESN'T prefer being solo over a bad marriage?? I certainly would! But the article says "Men are 10 times more scared of marrying the wrong person than of never getting married at all" which is pretty sad. Now no offense to my men out there, but in all honesty, women are generally the more understanding, supportive, and flexible gender (I understand that few bad apples have spoiled the bunch though). My point here is that when it comes to marriage, we're all over here really willing to make it work. We try very hard because it's genetically programmed into us. So I think what men are REALLY afraid of isn't marrying the wrong person, but rather having to work hard at something. Now of course I'm speaking from a personal standpoint having been hurt when the "love of my life" decided I wasn't really worth the work. And I also know that some women pull some wicked stunts like cheating and just generally throwing in the towel when it comes to making the marriage work. So yep, I admit all that. But let's just put the exceptions aside for a second.

The article goes on to say "It's so important to these men to get it right. My best advice to single women after bachelors is to be patient. If you're in a hurry to get married you'll be frustrated." Amen. You don't have to tell US twice. But I don't think it's our fault we're frustrated. Like I previously mentioned, we're a patient gender! How else do you think we put up with our men's occasional BS? I remember so much about my relationship with John that I had to be *patient about whether it was his general crazy antics or his job woes or his ex frustrations or even his daughter and everything that goes along with that...very very patient. And I guess asking for a marriage in return is asking for too much, I don't know. But nothing in life is foolproof. Yeah you want to try to get things right, especially if you've already been divorced once. But almost everything in life requires a bit of faith. Faith that you are making good choices from your college degree to your career path to the person you love to the way you raise your kids. I think these men must have just lost their sense of faith. Although perhaps it's simply the fact that they confuse faith and fate. I have faith in my choices, but I know that it requires hard work on my part in order to make them the right choices. If you throw yourself completely into the arms of fate, taking absolutely no responsibility for your choice, well then yeah, you might get stuck with a lemon for a marriage.

At the end of the day, if these men are perfectly happy being bachelors for the rest of their days, than so be it. No skin off my back. Until you drag me down with you! I just hope that they're honest with themselves and thus honest with the women they date before it's too late. Don't make future plans, play domestic family life, and act as though marriage is the path you're heading down if these things scare you. To conclude, the article actually ended on quite an amusing note. Turns out that researching this info scared the author straight: "I found I was looking at men 10 years older than me and it was like looking into the future. If I didn't change, nothing would." And now he's living with his girlfriend and they're talking marriage. If only it were that easy!

***

Ok sorry about the little June Blog detour there! The reason I think I was dwelling a bit on my old life is because I saw the Sex & the City movie last night. It definitely made over $50million for a reason. Women everywhere are trying to find love and perhaps those who already have like to remind themselves of how lucky they are! Those of us still looking, however, are more frustrated than not and it gets old. And perhaps that's why Yahoo put up that article! Just to torment us even more!!

Alright enough, let's get to the updates.

#1/#2 - One of my current stresses is starting up my personal portfolio website. Web design is rough work. It's like being a chemist. Would you know how to go about making that soda you're currently drinking from absolute scratch? Do you even WANT to know? At the end of the day, I'm just hoping that, like math in high school, the logic and programming will be sort of fun in a sick way. In any case, it's underway. Here's to hoping the roadblocks will be few and far between.

#45/#50 - In my last recipe for the month I used watercress, thank you very much. I made this smoked salmon watercress avocado salad with a lemon vinaigrette.

#50 - This month's atypical produce item will be rhubarb! My boss sent out an email that she grew a great crop this year and she's bringing some into work tomorrow. Not sure what I'll make, but I'm intrigued!

#51 - Soda's back in the game (I drank a sip at 12:01am on June 1st!) and out is snacking after dinner.

And done!

Iron deficiency and thunderstorms

It's the Tuesday after Memorial Day weekend, and no one is going to get to work for a few hours, I imagine. So it's perfect time for updating. I got to cross another two things off my list this weekend (three total coupled with last weekend). With T-minus 20 days until I reach my official half way point in this allotted 1001 days, I hope I'm reaching a sort of half way point in the 101 tasks...

#27 - Artistic endeavors
I visited our art museum last weekend for the first time in probably seven years or so. Not too much has changed, except they no longer have my favorite, a concept by Felix Gonzalez-Torres: just a stack of paper with "Veteran's Day Sale" typed on each sheet. The trickery is that you can take one! Felix is long gone, but his studio would indefinitely replenish the stack of paper. Indefinitely must have reached definitely, however, because it's no longer there. Gonzalez-Torres wasn't a huge fan of the whole "no touching" part of an art museum, so all around the world he set up similar situations in the corners of art museums. I have at least five of his works: three sheets of poster sized paper and two pieces of candy. The irony of all this is that I actually got a "talking to" from one of the museum guards for blowing on some sculpture. Too funny!

#69 - Let's talk blood.
Ok, so despite the fact that I claim to know about the proper ways to eat, I was not aware that you need to ingest foods with vitamin C in the same meal that you ingest foods with iron that doesn't come from meat. In other words, while I took a break from meat last month, I also took a break from iron as I didn't really pair oranges with my beans, nuts, and other non animal iron rich foods. So that's great! I loaded up on water, refrained from all alcohol, and I get to the blood center only to find that I'm just two notches below the healthy iron count. So I was rejected yet again, but I've decided to count my two rejections as an official blood donation due to the inconvenience factor. I'll probably try to go back in the next month to squeeze in my official spring donation as I'm still behind from winter. Jeez.

#70 - Will you take my marrow instead?
Going into the donation, I really did have a feeling I'd be rejected again, so had most of my marbles on registering my bone marrow. I mean in that I'd get to experience the "feel good" moment after completing the paperwork and mouth swabs and all that stuff. But no. The tech I dealt with was a real piece of work and after digging into me about my iron deficiency like it was my fault (ok I guess it was sort of), he just didn't exude any kind of gratitude in regards to My Big Moment of offering up the chance to save a life some time down the line. HOWEVER! This sort of taught me a lesson! At the end of the day, it's not about the donor (blood OR marrow)...it's about the person who needs it. I shouldn't really HAVE to feel good about doing any of this stuff. I should just feel lucky that I currently don't need anyone else's blood or bone marrow to survive. So yeah, a bit of a wake up call there. And I've decided that because donating blood, for me, is like the most inconvenient frustrating thing ever, it is the truest form of altruism as I really get nothing out of the experience. Which is precisely why I should keep at it.

#88 - Singing in the rain
Completely switching tracks here, over the weekend we had one of the longest thunderstorms I can remember in recent years. I'd say it lasted from around 9pm to 4am or so, and relatively strong throughout. In any case, the aforementioned boy that has recently entered into my life came over to the apartment that evening and when the rain really started up, he, my sis and I ran outside and really rocked the cliché: jumping in puddles, quoting various rain themed movie moments, the whole bit. It was quite a time! The most hilarious part being the anti-romance of freezing our asses off and then trying to dry all our clothes, particularly J who hadn't really packed extra.

#17 - Be selfish (Memorial Day)
And speaking of the man-friend, yesterday I totally had myself a Katie Day. After several weekends of either having specific plans set, or offering my helpful services to someone, or church and Eucharistic minister duty, etc etc, I took advantage of the opportunity that I had absolutely no responsibility to anyone on this day. So I stayed up VERY late with J the night before, and slept in without a care in the world the following morning. Then I just spent the entire day with him...something I had been very much looking forward to doing at some point. I think a good litmus for the possibility of a future relationship with someone is the spend-the-day-together test. In any case, he passed with flying colors. We grabbed lunch over at the Greek place, walked around Veteran's park, sat on the grass by the lakefront people watching, and even took in the Memorial Day parade. Something that was particularly nice as Memorial Day '08 became more than just a day off this year. It was a solid day and felt nice to just go and do whatever I wanted to do.

So with that said, budding relationship questionmark?? Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves (Right Katie? Right??) The phrase "It's Complicated" comes to mind. And it is. There is a huge grab bag of Pro's when it comes to this particular person. Qualities that I would very much appreciate in a mate. Meanwhile, however, there are a few Con's, and it isn't the con part I'm worried about, but rather the Deal-Breaker variety that are scattered throughout. The bright side, however, is that most of the deal-breakers are fixable and temporary. It's in his hands to take care of them though, not mine, and that's something that will just have to be for awhile. In the meantime, while I find that it's a little to late to keep him at an arm's length, I'm still able to keep our worlds separate. The best we can do is stay honest about it all and keep communication open (one of the reasons for the real late night on Sunday). I consider myself a pretty responsible person, but my responsibility has lead to missing out on what could've been some interesting moments in life. So I know that closing in on 30 is forcing me to take a more Life's Too Short attitude. I'm gonna run with it. I just am. Even if things end in disaster, it can't be any worse than the crap life throws at you even when you ARE responsible!