Thursday, November 20, 2008

Kinda ranty.

I have small bone to pick with Top Chef. WHY, oh why would you eliminate a person who stepped out of their comfort zone to make something that they've never tried before over a person who took the safe route and made something they make every day at their restaurant, and still could not make it well?

Ok, ostrich egg anything sounds gross to me, and sure, it was probably terrible judging by the reactions of the judges when they took a bite, but Padma SPIT OUT the lemon meringue dessert thingy!!! C'mon now! I don't know her name and am too lazy to look it up, but she is obviously terrible. Wasn't she in the bottom last week as well? Is she going to be the next Lisa, skating by all season and making it into the final three?

She is older and should be wiser and more experienced. I have seen nothing spectacular or dynamic about her and she obviously doesn't know how to cook so get her off of my TV already!

Ok, that's all. Other than that, I still love the bloody show.

Since my last post I have bought two dresses, a 5-piece suitcase set, all of the toiletries I need for my trip, and all I have left to do is pack, buy cat food, and get to sleep early tonight (which is always my intention, but rarely pans out as planned).

In other news, my boyfriend bought a new 42" TV to play his video games on, which should be waiting for us when we get back from Florida (well, the Monday after anyway). This means I will be able to have control over the smaller TV, which is hooked up to the DVR/cable and the Wii, so I can play hours upon hours of Animal Crossing. Small victories. ;)

Technically both televisions are his, but I'm poor and he's not, so...you know. Besides, my next substantial purchase will hopefully be a Mac. One of the huge desktop ones. Sometimes size matters. It will probably have to wait until after the holidays and maybe after Valentine's Day, but it WILL happen.

Off to get some lunch now since I was running late and didn't have time to make one. Florida tomorrow!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

A good day to shop.

So Jon is off to Greenbuild in Boston and I am alone in the apartment for the next 3 nights. Luckily, I have a ton to do before my trip to Florida on Friday.

Tonight - Shop for dress to wear to wedding (which also has to work for my office Christmas party because I don't want to have to buy another and I can't wear the same one as last year now, can I)?

Tomorrow - Shop for luggage. When I moved to Chicago, I threw out my trusty suitcase (which was a hand-me-down from a friend anyway, so it was in shabby, not so chic, shape) that had traveled with me in the past, so I need to find one or all I will be bringing with me to Florida is what I can carry in my arms.

Thursday - Pack and hopefully get to bed early. Buy cat food and make sure Tia has everything she needs for the week. Jon is nervous about leaving her home alone, but seriously, I think she prefers when the humans are away.

At some point, I'd like to fit in a little Animal Crossing before I go away, since I just got it last night. There will also be many phone conversations with the boyfriend, hopefully, since I am a sap and will miss him a ton. So there ya go, blog post and to-do list all in one! I can multi-task!

Lunch time = OVA! Back to work...

Saturday, November 15, 2008

One of those curling up on the couch sick days.

I've been a bit under the weather since Tuesday, but at least it's Saturday and I don't have anywhere I absolutely have to be. Don't get me wrong, there are places I would much rather be than lying on the world's most uncomfortable futon with a box of tissues and my cat, but I also need to get better. I have no choice but to rest and get healthy because on Friday, I'll be flying off to Florida!

Jon's brother Dave is getting married in what is sure to be a beautiful, gorgeous, over-the-top affair in Orlando. I can't wait. I've been to exactly two weddings (that I can remember - I don't count when I was a flower girl at two years old) and they have both been for relatively young, very religious couples, so they were rather subdued and quiet gatherings. No dancing, no meals, no drinks other than coffee and lemonade. I have a feeling this will be quite different! I'm sure I will take a million photos, so I will have to share a few of my favorites when I get back.

I'm also extremely excited to just get out of Chicago. I moved here last July and haven't left since, except to visit family in Iowa over Christmas last year. I'm spending Thanksgiving with Jon's family in Orlando, and my mom is coming up from Boca to visit for a day. Jon's friend (he is mine as well, I suppose but I met him through Jon so I still feel the need to say Jon's friend...is that weird? Do you do that too? Please share!) Dan is coming over from Tampa to see us too, which is so nice of him. I feel honored that my mother and her new hubby are willing to travel to see me and that Jon's family is willing to host me for yet another holiday week.

Anyway, I have this habit of getting sick right before I travel, so I am trying to get rid of whatever I have before I leave. I was sick for 2 weeks last time I was in London, sick for the majority of the cruise I took last year, sick last Christmas in Iowa, and a number of times when I went on vacation as a child. I vaguely remember being really sick when we moved from Iowa to Florida as well. Three days spent in a car loaded up with my favorite possessions, travel games, my mom and my brother, coughing and sleeping it off. It probably made the somewhat traumatic transition easier to handle, if I'm honest. If I wasn't so out of it, I'm sure I would have worried the whole time about leaving friends and family. I mean, I'd never even been to Florida before, and this was where I was now going to grow up? Weird.

So, it's been 11 days now since the election and it still doesn't seem real. I was lucky enough to get to go to the rally at Grant Park and be among the thousands of people that Obama spoke to immediately after winning the most important election of my lifetime. It was a wonderful experience. I meant to write about it sooner, but how do you write about something you can't describe in words? I can only describe it in smiles and tears. I cried many many happy ones that night and for days after. Whenever I would watch a news program and hear the phrase "President-elect Obama" my eyes would well up. I've never known what it feels like to vote for someone and have that someone win. I was 0-2 until this year, so it was a pleasant surprise. Don't get me wrong, my happiness is not simply an "I won" kind of feeling, but a general optimism that I know a lot of people around the world share with me now. Here are a few of my favorite photos from that night:

I can't say what he will change, but I look forward to seeing it play out. There is, I'm afraid, too much for one man to fix in four years, but with a little hope and a lot of good will, you never know what you're capable of. The difference between going it alone and having the world with you is like night and day. Let's all hope the night is over and the day is long.

As usual, I have so much more I could say, but I will leave it at that for now. I have some medicine to take and some blankets to curl up in.

A new beginning.

Guess what? Everyone uses Blogger apparently, so I'm giving up on my Wordpress and moving my ass over here. Check out my old posts (what few of them there are) here if you're interested, but I'm going to make an effort to post in this one spot from now on. And post more frequently. And post in a more organized way. Yep. I may even start tonight.