Did everyone have a happy Halloween? :) I'm actually not much of a Halloween fan, myself. I only tolerate its existence because it's the gateway holiday to the Thanksgiving/Christmas season. But in general, I find it rather annoying... not only because of the mixed messages we send kids ("Don't ever take candy from strangers... Unless it's Halloween, in which case, you should knock on their doors and demand it!"), but also because the television airwaves are clogged with horror movies and shows about haunted landmarks. I almost watched a show tonight about "the scariest movie moments ever!!!" or something like that... but then I decided it might not be the best thing to watch when Rick is in Minneapolis and I have to sleep alone tonight. (Well, alone save for my over-protective cats, who will, no doubt, curl up on either side of me and keep watch until morning...)
Instead, I opted for a show on the science channel about the myriad of bacteria, fungi and mites that inhabit our bodies on a daily basis. I know what you're thinking -- how could that possibly be LESS scary than those scary movie moments?? Um, yeah... it wasn't. In fact, this show will haunt my dreams tonight. IF, that is, I manage to fall asleep, now that I'm thinking about the millions of mites who are living in my mattress and pillow and waiting for me to tuck myself in so they can feast off my skin cells...
I was slightly worried about Halloween in a condo building, because I wasn't sure what the protocol was... would every kid in the building be running up and down the halls, knocking on every door? I never have any candy, so I wouldn't have answered... but it's not like I have a porch light to extinguish, to signal my non-participation (although according to my mom, this tactic did not work very well for her tonight... :)). And I wasn't looking forward to hearing knocks on my door for hours on end. But the other day, when Rick and I took the elevator (a rare occurrence, actually, because we're only on the third floor... but we happened to be loaded down with grocery bags...), we noticed a sign describing the "voluntary trick-or-treat" they'd organized for the building. Anyone who WANTED to give out candy could get a pumpkin sticker from the front desk and put it on their door -- that way, the kids would know to only knock on doors with pumpkins. I thought that was a great idea -- and quite effective, as I did not have one stray door knock tonight...
Although I have to admit, as I peruse Facebook and read about various friends' forays into their neighborhoods for trick-or-treating, I feel a pang of nostalgia for those plastic, orange, candy-collection receptacle pumpkins... how they would transform -- from an empty, hollow shell, to a seemingly endless pile of sugary variety. Every day would bring a new assortment of sweet treats... and an occasional reject (Black licorice? Yuck... Gum? Boooooring... And don't even TRY to pass off fruit as an acceptable Halloween giveaway...). But now, as an adult, there's really no chance of procuring piles of random candy for free.
Maybe I'll just head over to that cupcake store tomorrow. Right after I scrub off the bacteria, fungi and mites, of course...
Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
A few random odds and ends...
I've been a bit of a blog slacker the last couple weeks... but if you'll notice, I am still going to end this year with more posts than I've had in the last three years. Which I consider a small victory. A strange victory, to be sure... but a victory, nonetheless.
So what's been going on the last few weeks? Well, I've finally decided to reveal to the world that I AM a vampire...
I actually TRIED to fix the glowing eyes in this picture, but apparently there is some kind of incompatibility between iPhone pictures and the photo software on my computer. The light reflecting off my huge pupils is bright enough to use as emergency illumination during a blackout... Anyway -- this was dinner with our friends Doug and Julie a couple weeks ago... and I believe it was the same day Rick decided to try an iPhone for the first time. Consequently, the following pics were all taken with an iPhone...
Have I mentioned that my little brother is about to be a dad??? That's crazy, seeing as I still have memories of us playing "let's jump off the four-foot-high porch while holding a blanket to see if it'll act as a parachute..." (I mean, c'mon, that was a fun game... and no one ever broke an ankle, so it's all good...) We went to a baby shower for Eric and Rachel last weekend:
Little bitty Yankee shirt...
Little bitty Rutgers socks and onesie... Yep, this kid is already a sports fan. :)
I think Eric really liked this little light-up seahorse toy... and since he's still afraid of the dark, that'll come in handy...
Last weekend we also had the chance to finally try Cite, which is a restaurant on top of Faisal's building. I've been wanting to try this place for a while, mainly because I miss the awesome city views I had at my last condo -- and Cite is on the 70th floor, surrounded by a circle of floor-to-ceiling windows. I could've gone up there to stare out the windows all night, and I would've been content...
I love this picture, because the lights inside the restaurant were reflecting off the glass, and they kind of make it look like aliens are landing in Chicago...
I guess that's it for now... hopefully I can be a better blogger throughout the month of November (which is sneaking up on me at a frighteningly swift velocity...). Have a good weekend, everyone!
So what's been going on the last few weeks? Well, I've finally decided to reveal to the world that I AM a vampire...
Have I mentioned that my little brother is about to be a dad??? That's crazy, seeing as I still have memories of us playing "let's jump off the four-foot-high porch while holding a blanket to see if it'll act as a parachute..." (I mean, c'mon, that was a fun game... and no one ever broke an ankle, so it's all good...) We went to a baby shower for Eric and Rachel last weekend:
Last weekend we also had the chance to finally try Cite, which is a restaurant on top of Faisal's building. I've been wanting to try this place for a while, mainly because I miss the awesome city views I had at my last condo -- and Cite is on the 70th floor, surrounded by a circle of floor-to-ceiling windows. I could've gone up there to stare out the windows all night, and I would've been content...
I guess that's it for now... hopefully I can be a better blogger throughout the month of November (which is sneaking up on me at a frighteningly swift velocity...). Have a good weekend, everyone!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
My dad is MacGyver...
Mom and dad are in town for the next couple weeks... which is great, because that means we get to eat out a lot, and mom will probably bake pies. Oh, and it's just nice to see them, too. ;)
It also means that there are extra people around to help with various errands and tasks -- and when dad is in town, I especially like to think about anything that might need to be fixed... because I am convinced that my dad can fix anything.
Take my vacuum cleaner, for instance. I was cleaning the house a few days ago, and pulled out the vacuum cleaner to take care of the floors, but realized there was a problem -- the handle was stuck in an upright position. My vacuum is designed so that the handle is supposed to easily pivot backwards with very little effort -- but no matter how hard I tried (and I didn't try TOO hard, because I didn't want to break it), the handle wouldn't budge. It seemed to be stuck on something, but my own cursory examination of the vacuum revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Not that I'm a vacuum expert... I doubt that I would recognize anything "out of the ordinary" on my vacuum cleaner... unless it suddenly sprouted arms and legs or a raccoon jumped out of the hose...
My first thought was, "I bet dad could figure this out." It seemed like one of those puzzles that an engineer would consider a challenge -- I pictured my vacuum cleaner lying in pieces on the floor... a deconstructed project with a simple solution.
So, when mom and dad dropped by my condo yesterday afternoon, I pointed out my badly-in-need-of-a-good-vacuuming carpet and the unfortunately useless cleaner sitting in the corner. Dad immediately went to work, attempting to figure out why the handle was stuck, searching for the cause of the malady, removing various parts of the vacuum, wondering why there was a raccoon in the hose... (Okay, still no raccoon in the hose... but that would explain so much...) My mom and I were able to tear him away from the vacuum cleaner long enough to eat lunch at the deli down the street, where he did a quick search on his phone for a solution to the stuck handle problem.
By the time we got back to the condo, he was armed with information and ready to tackle the fix. Within five minutes, he'd used his Swiss Army knife to dislodge the handle... and, in lieu of WD-40 (although I offered olive oil and Pam spray), a tube of Chapstick proved a serviceable remedy to keep the mechanism sliding freely. A Swiss Army knife and Chapstick. All you need to fix a plethora of problems...
Like I said, my dad can fix anything. :)
It also means that there are extra people around to help with various errands and tasks -- and when dad is in town, I especially like to think about anything that might need to be fixed... because I am convinced that my dad can fix anything.
Take my vacuum cleaner, for instance. I was cleaning the house a few days ago, and pulled out the vacuum cleaner to take care of the floors, but realized there was a problem -- the handle was stuck in an upright position. My vacuum is designed so that the handle is supposed to easily pivot backwards with very little effort -- but no matter how hard I tried (and I didn't try TOO hard, because I didn't want to break it), the handle wouldn't budge. It seemed to be stuck on something, but my own cursory examination of the vacuum revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Not that I'm a vacuum expert... I doubt that I would recognize anything "out of the ordinary" on my vacuum cleaner... unless it suddenly sprouted arms and legs or a raccoon jumped out of the hose...
My first thought was, "I bet dad could figure this out." It seemed like one of those puzzles that an engineer would consider a challenge -- I pictured my vacuum cleaner lying in pieces on the floor... a deconstructed project with a simple solution.
So, when mom and dad dropped by my condo yesterday afternoon, I pointed out my badly-in-need-of-a-good-vacuuming carpet and the unfortunately useless cleaner sitting in the corner. Dad immediately went to work, attempting to figure out why the handle was stuck, searching for the cause of the malady, removing various parts of the vacuum, wondering why there was a raccoon in the hose... (Okay, still no raccoon in the hose... but that would explain so much...) My mom and I were able to tear him away from the vacuum cleaner long enough to eat lunch at the deli down the street, where he did a quick search on his phone for a solution to the stuck handle problem.
By the time we got back to the condo, he was armed with information and ready to tackle the fix. Within five minutes, he'd used his Swiss Army knife to dislodge the handle... and, in lieu of WD-40 (although I offered olive oil and Pam spray), a tube of Chapstick proved a serviceable remedy to keep the mechanism sliding freely. A Swiss Army knife and Chapstick. All you need to fix a plethora of problems...
Like I said, my dad can fix anything. :)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
I'll have to start adding an extra mile to my daily workout...
When you move into a new place, there are certain criteria to use to help you determine if you've found a decent location. Is the neighborhood relatively safe? Is it convenient to work or school? Is there a grocery store nearby? A drugstore? A Starbucks? A Caribou? Are there plenty of restaurants around?
We've been fortunate enough with our location to answer yes to all of these, but this morning, I added a new question to the list: Is there a cupcake store literally thirty paces outside your building door???
YES!! (Well, there WILL be in about five days...)
Ever since we moved into this place, I've been staring wistfully at the empty retail space in the building across the street, wishing someone would rent out part of it for a grocery store. There's a ton of empty space over there, and plenty of room for something cool like a Whole Foods. And while I don't mind walking the seven or eight blocks to the Jewel Osco down the street, I'd love something more "specialized" close by for days when I realize I just need that ONE thing that I forgot to get, and hey! I can just run right downstairs and pick it up! (I guess I got sort of spoiled those few weeks we lived in our temporary apartment with the Whole Foods right in the building... that may be the only thing I really miss about that tiny little box of an apartment... :))
Well, still no Whole Foods... but this morning I noticed a UPS truck parked outside in front of one of the smaller empty retail spaces. I spied like a voyeur... er, rather, nonchalantly glanced at the storefront, and realized there was a woman sweeping inside. She helped the UPS guy carry about six large boxes into the building, and that's when I finally realized that SOME kind of store was about to open in that space.
And then it finally dawned on me that the big banner hanging in the window of the store WASN'T just an advertisement for a cupcake boutique about a mile away across the river (which is what I've been assuming for the last month)... it was also the announcement of that cupcake store's NEW location, which happens to be right outside my front door! (Cue excited happy cupcake dance...)
So now I'm quite sure we made a great choice when we purchased this condo -- a Starbucks cappuccino AND a cupcake within a five minute walk of my abode? I think that's about as good a location as any. :)
We've been fortunate enough with our location to answer yes to all of these, but this morning, I added a new question to the list: Is there a cupcake store literally thirty paces outside your building door???
YES!! (Well, there WILL be in about five days...)
Ever since we moved into this place, I've been staring wistfully at the empty retail space in the building across the street, wishing someone would rent out part of it for a grocery store. There's a ton of empty space over there, and plenty of room for something cool like a Whole Foods. And while I don't mind walking the seven or eight blocks to the Jewel Osco down the street, I'd love something more "specialized" close by for days when I realize I just need that ONE thing that I forgot to get, and hey! I can just run right downstairs and pick it up! (I guess I got sort of spoiled those few weeks we lived in our temporary apartment with the Whole Foods right in the building... that may be the only thing I really miss about that tiny little box of an apartment... :))
Well, still no Whole Foods... but this morning I noticed a UPS truck parked outside in front of one of the smaller empty retail spaces. I spied like a voyeur... er, rather, nonchalantly glanced at the storefront, and realized there was a woman sweeping inside. She helped the UPS guy carry about six large boxes into the building, and that's when I finally realized that SOME kind of store was about to open in that space.
And then it finally dawned on me that the big banner hanging in the window of the store WASN'T just an advertisement for a cupcake boutique about a mile away across the river (which is what I've been assuming for the last month)... it was also the announcement of that cupcake store's NEW location, which happens to be right outside my front door! (Cue excited happy cupcake dance...)
So now I'm quite sure we made a great choice when we purchased this condo -- a Starbucks cappuccino AND a cupcake within a five minute walk of my abode? I think that's about as good a location as any. :)
Sunday, October 09, 2011
The 'burbs...
I just realized it's been more than a week since I posted anything... you guys must've thought I'd fallen off the face of the earth. (Strange that none of you emailed me to ask if I needed help reentering the earth's atmosphere... I mean, if someone falls off the face of the earth, you have to assume they're in orbit somewhere, maybe hanging onto a random piece of space junk, and will, eventually, plummet back to terra firma just like that satellite a few weeks back...) Actually, I don't know WHERE I've been... I guess I have been at a loss for words...
But today, I have a few PICTURES, so I can keep the words to a minimum. :) Rick and I drove out to Naperville this afternoon to check out the autumn color -- we don't have many trees here in our immediate area. Although the trees in the Office Depot parking lot are looking quite pretty:
I think we're still around a week away from the peak color-viewing time (although some trees are already BARE at this point), but it was nice to get out into the suburbs and see some foliage and look at all the nice houses (there are some BIG houses in Naperville...).
One of the "already bare" trees... made even more barren-looking by the usage of black and white photography... :)
Oh yeeeaah, THAT'S what suburban neighborhoods look like... I'd almost forgotten. :)
This was my favorite -- it was in the middle of a cemetery, and I kinda wanted to go inside and get some pictures of the tree alongside some of the headstones... but I didn't want to be disrespectful to anyone who might've been at the cemetery for a reason. So I settled for a shot of the tree next to a lamppost...
And can someone please tell me -- WHAT is "brain respiration"??? (This was a yoga studio, so I'm guessing it's some kind of silly term someone made up to allude to the indescribable existential oneness of spirit, mind, and body that can only be achieved by harnessing the power of the brain through sun salutations and a perfect warrior pose...)
Okay, that's all I've got for now... I suppose I should go allow my brain to breathe for a while...
But today, I have a few PICTURES, so I can keep the words to a minimum. :) Rick and I drove out to Naperville this afternoon to check out the autumn color -- we don't have many trees here in our immediate area. Although the trees in the Office Depot parking lot are looking quite pretty:
I think we're still around a week away from the peak color-viewing time (although some trees are already BARE at this point), but it was nice to get out into the suburbs and see some foliage and look at all the nice houses (there are some BIG houses in Naperville...).
Okay, that's all I've got for now... I suppose I should go allow my brain to breathe for a while...
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Changing of the seasons...
Happy October, everyone. I'm happy to say, that even with the chilly weather we've had lately, I managed to wait until October 1st to turn my heat on. Okay, to clarify -- I waited until it was October 1st in Asia (thanks, Faisal :)). In reality, I broke down yesterday morning and finally flipped the switch on the heater, because when I ventured out to the kitchen to make breakfast, I realized my hands and feet felt like ice... It was either accept the fact that summer is really, truly over and turn on the heat, or spend the entire day huddled under a blanket. The heat won, and I am now willing to accept the arrival of autumn. This year, by the way, is sort of flying by at an alarmingly fast pace. Wasn't it just Christmas? Have we really been here in Chicago for almost an entire year??
Sometimes, I forget that this used to be the view from my condo:
Ah, amazing downtown view, how I miss you. And yet I love this condo about a million times more than our rental, so I can deal with the loss. :) Besides, the view here isn't HORRIBLE. Just last night, in fact, as I was making dinner, I looked out the windows and suddenly realized the setting sun was casting an amazing orange-pink light on the buildings, and I ran to get my camera (which was flashing with a low battery indicator, but I managed to snap a few photos before it died).
Unfortunately, in the time it took me to finish chopping whatever vegetable I was chopping, wash my hands, and grab the camera, the light changed -- it was much more impressive when I first noticed it. But at least it made me realize that I should probably keep my camera handy around here, just like I used to at the old place.
Besides, with the way time is flying by, apparently Christmas will be here in about two minutes, and I'm sure I'll have pictures to take of snow and lights and trees. I should start making my shopping list...
Sometimes, I forget that this used to be the view from my condo:
Ah, amazing downtown view, how I miss you. And yet I love this condo about a million times more than our rental, so I can deal with the loss. :) Besides, the view here isn't HORRIBLE. Just last night, in fact, as I was making dinner, I looked out the windows and suddenly realized the setting sun was casting an amazing orange-pink light on the buildings, and I ran to get my camera (which was flashing with a low battery indicator, but I managed to snap a few photos before it died).
Besides, with the way time is flying by, apparently Christmas will be here in about two minutes, and I'm sure I'll have pictures to take of snow and lights and trees. I should start making my shopping list...
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