Saturday, November 29, 2008

In a while, crocodile!

In just over 4 hours I'm headed to the airport, bound for Denmark.

Between visiting with friends (both Danish & American), photographing a wedding, and finishing all the final school papers and projects due within 4-24 hours upon my return on Dec 8th, I will likely be even more blog-absent than I have been these past weeks. (Yeah, sorry about that absent-part. I'm finding it quite difficult to balance work + school + blogging, so blogging loses most of the time. Soon I'll have a month off school with only work & Christmas to occupy my time. More then, I promise!)

Now it's off to shower, pack, finish a paper, start another, make sure I didn't forget anything, go to the airport...All on NO SLEEP. (I worked an overnight shift last night, from 10:30pm-7am this morning. I bless the Lord and whoever invented sugar-free Red Bull!)

Friday, November 28, 2008

My new mantra


I'm determined for this poster to become my mantra in these next two weeks.
I'm a little stressed at the moment. Pray for me.
(Poster here. Seen here.)

Friday, November 21, 2008

Happiness is...

NOT paying $33 in parking fees like I paid today.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

I HEART Museum Stores

You can always find some of the coolest & quirkiest things in museum stores. A few from MOMA in NYC.

Magnetic Fridge Frames...........................................Moo o o Piggy Bank



Clote Velcro Key Holder........................................Campfire Votive Holder

Monday, November 17, 2008

One last fall walk

Hugo, my beloved Nikon D80, came home last week. (Hurray!) NOT repaired. (Boo!) To make a long story short, Hugo was made at a Nikon factory outside of the US, and therefor considered to be a "Grey Market" product, which Nikon USA won't repair. (And yes, I'm very annoyed by this, but I'm not going to allow my blood pressure to be raised any longer on this issue. Moving on.)

Fall in Chicago is soon to be past, most of the leaves have fallen from the trees, and when I return from Denmark after being gone for almost two weeks, winter will be upon us. So after a morning of studying last Friday I decided to take a walk down to my local diner for some pancakes for lunch (theirs are amazing) and then explore an old looking building I frequently pass, often wondering what it was. (Turns out it's the clubhouse for a golf course nearby.) I came back a little dirty after traipsing through the mud caused by the morning rain but energized from being outside in the brisk fall air. (And yes, I was productive most (much...some) of the rest of the day.

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PS. Got our first snow last night! It didn't stick to anything, but I enjoyed catching the fat snowflakes nonetheless.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

When friends move away (or when I move away, but who's keeping track)

...it means you have to show off your winter gear purchases via webcam/Skype instead.


Thoughts on a Saturday Night: Radiant Heat

Just got back from work a little bit ago. Although a 7am start time is early on a Saturday morning (especially when you've been up until almost 1am Skype-ing with friends), I still prefer the morning shift where I'm done and home again by late afternoon. Now that my study session has been canceled, I have the evening ahead of me. (I should still be studying.)

I came home from work to a chilly apartment. Chicago apartment living means I only partially control the heat in my place; I can turn the radiator on, but the boiler down in the basement has to have been activated in order to send the hot water to me three floors up. I've been told there are 5 or 6 temperature gauges around the building, which tell the boiler when it's cold enough outside to allow tenants to turn on the radiators. I realize I'm from Southern California and all but shouldn't 41F outside be considered cold enough to activate the heat? Apparently not cause I've been sitting here under a blanket as my feet turned to ice cubes.

And then I heard the noise. It sounded like rocks tumbling in a pipe. Over and over, rattling away, letting me know my feet won't be ice cubes for long. Cause apparently that's the noise radiators make. (Just checked the temperature, it's 39F. Forty degrees must be the magic number.)

Friday, November 14, 2008

Oh. My. Goodness.

Gulp. These look...I can't even decide which adjectives to use to describe these Peanut Butter Caramel Bars.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Smoochies

This reminds me of my girl Audrey if she spoke French and was maybe a year or two older.

Oh, I can't wait to see her and hold her and smother her with kisses in just a couple weeks!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Costume Idea

For all you men out there, remember this costume idea for next year.

(Image borrowed from THIS post)

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Happy Birthday, Molls!


Wishing you sugar and spice,
and everything nice.


Good food, good clothes,
good wine, good times
in gay ol' Pair-ee!
(Even if you are without me.)

Happy 31st, dear friend!

Friday, November 07, 2008

A Gasping Squirrel & Tape

This morning while sitting in my comfy chair working away on my computer, there was a squirrel in a tree right outside my living room window. He was gasping. Or choking. Or something that sounded like gasping/choking. I felt bad for the little guy. Is that a normal sound for squirrels?

Just got back from a fairly uneventful evening at work. Well, except for an interesting interaction with a student who, I later found out, "CAN'T STAND THAT B!T@H!" (In case it's unclear, that beotch is me.) Apparently it all started last weekend over a piece of tape. I say 'apparently' because I had no clue that "tape-gate " as I've come to call it, ever happened. Funny, these kids, funny.


Thursday, November 06, 2008

On Signature Sign Offs

Some people have a signature sign off for their correspondence and for them it absolutely works and sounds cool, chic, effortless and meaningful. One friend of mine signs things, "Fondly, XXX" and another "Much Love, XXX." For years I've mostly used "Best, Kelly" as my sign off, but it's never felt like my signature sign off. I'm still on the hunt.

Today I came across a blog where someone signed off their post with "Love Wins, Ryan."

I LOVE this! Can I steal it? Or does that defeat the purpose of the signature sign off? It's just such a hopeful way to say goodbye. What do you write? Do you have a signature sign off?

Monday, November 03, 2008

Hugo is at the hospital & A trip to Lake Geneva, WI

He's supposed to return by November 24, following any necessary treatment he may need to get for his poor vision and inability to focus properly. I am hopeful that when he returns, he'll be all better and ready to go on many a winter walk with me, spying all sorts of things that will look especially nice in black & white. Let's say a prayer or three for Hugo's successful return (and by successful I mean that #*%$ Nikon will repair whatever the heck is wrong with it and get it back to me by that date because I fly out of the country a few days later and Hugo MUST be with me). Amen.

Before sending Hugo to the doctor Liz & I took a drive up north to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin this last Saturday where we enjoyed the fall colors, met her parents for lunch and secretly snapped a few shots of Liz & her brother, Mike, as a present for their father's birthday.
A walk around the town.
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A Starbucks stop revived us after our walk and before our little photoshoot. (I recommend their new Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate.)
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Liz's brother was having none of my suggestion that Liz throw leaves in the air.
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Or any of the "Jazz Hands!" suggestion.
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I always take a couple headless shots, 'cause I think it's interesting to see what you get with just body language.
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