A Traffic Halting Puppy on the Ike

For the past two days, there were traffic and news reports of a black pitbull mix puppy dog running along the Ike (290) in morning traffic. The dog wasn't hit yesterday and people assumed that he was back home or had been picked up by animal control.

Not so! This morning the little guy was back in his four-legged action running along side cars and weaving through the 2 lays of traffic. The worst part is that the Eisenhower is under construction and any reason to slow down on top of the already reduced speed limit can be frustrating for drivers. Thank God drivers on the road were willing to break for the pup.

When the police showed up, the puppy had been running for almost an hour and a half. I still cannot believe that the pup hadn't gotten hurt. Or any drivers for that matter. The pooch evaded police for about a half hour before they got him sandwiched between the concrete barrier and a couple police SUV's. One of the officers put out his hand in greeting and patted his leg. The dog, which has been rightfully named Ike, ran up to him and followed the direction of the officer into the back of one of the SUV's.

The follow-up story on the news this evening had him hooked up to an IV. Poor thing was in rough condition. Check out the link here. Read the story and watch the video!

*ARF ARF*

Chicago Marathon 2010

So...I've never run a marathon. Never ran anything over a 10k. Still, I'm going to attempt (and hopefully complete) the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October. I'll be running as a member of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention charity team.

I've been volunteering with them for the past year and did publicity for their community walk this past October. Still, this marathon is a bit more frightening. It's 26.2 miles. Am I nuts?

AFSP's marathon team is the 1st of its kind in AFSP history. And we're hoping to set an example in our efforts, do some fundraising and give other state chapters inspiration to try this in their community.

Now....which running shoes to get? I need to get in marathon shape!

If anyone out there is running but isn't affiliated with a charity team but wants to...check out our team website!

Cindy the CR-V

I've been thinking of trading in my car for awhile now. But I love my CR-V and really don't know what car would or could possibly take Cindy the CR-V's place. That car has moved me to and from Phoenix. Moved me to Chicago. Taken me to Orlando, Houston, Toronto, Niagara Falls & Buffalo for Spring Break. And has been my outlet when I needed last minute road trips.

But...tomorrow's the day. I test drive a Honda Insight. In my efforts to go "green" when I can, I'm hoping that if I do decide to downsize to a sedan, it will be reliable and green.

More to come.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day to all! I don't understand the people who don't believe in Global Warming or that our landfills could essentially kill the planet. Are you absolutely insane? Or can you just not read?

People need to start realizing that the actions we are taking can and will either kill or maintain the Earth. We've only got one planet to live on...so far...but we seem to take for granted what we have at our fingertips. I hear too many people say, "Well, I won't be around when the Earth dies." Wow, what great humanitarian ideals you have. It shows maturity and care for your kids, nieces, etc.

I tweeted some easy green tips today. That EVERYONE can do:
1. Recycle your plastic bottles/aluminum cans!
2. Turn off the lights if you're not in the room!
3. Don't leave the water running when you're brushing!

Sadly, I got the inspiration to tweet this today, because 3 of my best friends DO these things, and it drives me absolutely insane. I have never and will never tell them to change what they do, but it doesn't mean that it's not any less important. Everyone making small steps can make a huge difference. I watched Oprah this morning and couldn't believe some of the things I heard.

One family left lights on from 6am-11pm, even when they weren't home. The air conditioning was set on 68 with the windows open at the same time. Oh, and the external temp was colder than the A/C setting. This family also had 3 garbage cans of trash but no recycling. Oprah ended up doing her version of a green "Wife Swap" with a family from Oregon, and that eco-friendly Portland mom taught the new family to recycle, turn off lights and don't waste what you don't need at the time (i.e. electricity). All these things are easy to do and can conserve valuable energy.

Another part of the show this morning dealt with the huge aquatic landfills we've made of the oceans. There is plastic and garbage so sever that it can be as much as 90 feet deep. This debris is killing and contaminating our aquatic wildlife.

My parents have raised my brother and I do be aware of the little things we can personally control. My mom has a green thumb, and I remember having mini-compost bins at our house. The upkeep became overwhelming, and it ended up only lasting a couple of years. But I remember my mom saving our veggie and fruit "scraps" to feed the bin to create fertilizer.

Recycling was never a thought in our family--it was natural for us. My dad installed a pop can crusher in our garage right next to our recycling bins. And I remember my brother and I having a jumping war when we would crush the gallon milk jugs before tossing them into recycling. The sound they made as we both crashed our feet into the plastic was s0 loud. Back in the day before pop cans came in convenient sleeves, they came in 6-pack plastic rings. When we had finished a full ring, we would cut the rings because my dad would say we didn't want a seagull to get caught and die.

I just want everyone to care. Which is sometimes too much to ask. My brother says that people will live in the way they want and is most convenient for them. It just sucks we're killing mother nature doing so.

GLEE Auditions

So, Season 2 auditions are being held online via Myspace. I am determined to audition and get back into the world of the performing. It's something missing in my life. It's a void in my soul. I always wonder why I don't feel completely satisfied at work.

Probably because I'm getting bored with the everyday corporate scene...I need a little step touch, jazz hand action in my life....

Spring Break 2010

Every Spring, I try to take a mini vacation with my friends or family. I know that I've been out of college for almost 5 years, but this is one tradition that is needed both for my personal sanity and to fully disconnect from work.

After a very stressful year at work, I knew that Spring couldn't come soon enough. I was going with two of my besties. Like me, Lizzy was looking forward to a much needed break from domestic and corporate life. Liz's past year included some big life changes: a move to Wisconsin, an engagement and a new job. That is a lot of good stress but it can extremely shake up the normalcies of your everyday life. And Bri...well, Bri is a teacher, which basically means she's looking for to Spring Break from day 1 of each school year.

As you may recall from my post last March, Bri & I took a road trip down to Houston to visit my friend and roomie, Denise. We drove for 16 hours each way to have 3 days of vacation. And it was tiring! We decided this year that a road trip would still be the most economical solution, but we were set on finding something closer in distance. During a conference gchat with Lizzy, Bri & me, we decided to take our travels "international" and journeying to Toronto. It was only 9 hours away and was close enough to take a side trip to Niagara Falls--a wonder of the world none of us had seen!

In preparation for our trip, we all put together a food list to take in the car on the way too and from. Bri was packing a cooler wish some drinks, pretzels & grapes.

On my menu? Homemade granola bars. I made a chewy dried fruit & nut bar as well as a crispy almond chocolate bar. (NOTE: The almond chocolate bars were completely and horrifically consumed at the paws of Lizzy...who couldn't keep her grubby hands off of them!) The recipe is out of Cook Yourself Thin & was so easy to make, I probably will never waste money on pre-packed bars again. I also made the blueberry and banana muffins out of the cookbook, too. It was nice to have some easy go-to food for starting our day or snacking. I think that saved us a lot of money, too, as Toronto was more expensive thatn I had imagined.

We hit the road early on Saturday, March 27th and crossed over from Michigan into Canada in the early afternoon. I have never been in Canada before, and I wasn't sure what it was going to be like. Crossing over that bridge was the most amazingly beautiful site. The bridge is quite high, and due to the weather, there were floating ice chunks in the lake. The water was shimmering in the sunny afternoon and the trees were already turning green. Yeah, the beautiful scenery soon was dull when we got about 5 miles past the border. It looked like Oklahoma. It was all tan and flat with no civilization other than farms!

The drive into Toronto on the QEW was a nice entry into the city. We got a pre-sighting of: CN Tower, harbor, China Town and Dundas/Yonge. When we finally arrived at the hotel that evening, we grabbed a late dinner in time for Earth Hour. Toronto had so many things happening, including a free concert in Yonge|Dundas Square. Yonge is like NYC's Time Square. What I loved most about Toronto was the multicultural atmosphere. It's the most diverse city I've been to. The city has a lot of shopping, too, which surprised me. While it wasn't in my budget to ape-wild on my love of everything retail, it was nice to see some cool shops/boutiques. Looking for nightlife on Saturday, we took a cab to Queen West to Rivoli and had some wine/beer with some locals. Not exactly "bumpin'" but it was entertaining.

Sunday, we took a guided bus tour around Toronto and got to see some amazing sites. The most breathtaking....Casa Loma. Back in the time it was being built, it took an estimated $3mil, which is about $300mil today. They ended up losing the castle due to money problems...duh...and the city of Toronto absorbed the property as a local real estate investment.



The tour allowed us to see some sites in Toronto and helped us plan what we wanted to do the next day, which was our last there before venturing to Niagara. We saw Parliament, City Hall, CN Tower & the harbor on the tour.

Starting off our final day in Toronto, we went to the harbor because the weather was nice and sunny. The private airport is on a small island close to the harbor. Kind of weird to see a hanger on a small island. I kept thinking it was going to sink into the water. But it didn't. Toronto's Police Dock is in the center of the harbor walk. It is close enough to patrol the lake and be close to the private hanger.



But what happens if the police need help? Don't you worry about that! The police have their own protector...the biggest male swan I have EVER seen!




After the dock, we walked into Lawrence Market and grabbed a quick lunch before taking a walk up to see the MTV building. We also wanted to go out that way because our waiter at lunch said he has seen Cameron Diaz & Justin Timberlake in the area. Yeah, we didn't. But it was still nice to think they might be there.

Other mention-worthy happenings were at China Town and Village Idiot Pub. Amazing, fresh and authentic Chinese food and a wonderful bar with amazing "house" beer. We had our last night in Toronto at the Village Idiot. I would definitely go back!

We left Toronto in the morning on Tuesday and took our second leg of our Spring Break. Niagara Falls or BUST! It was the perfect time of year to go to the falls. There weren't too many tourists and the air was crisp and fresh. It was beautiful and peaceful. I can't believe my parents never took my brother and me for a family weekend.








What we weren't expecting was for Niagara to take less than 2 hours. There really isn't too much to do there unless you want to shop or gamble. We had made arrangements at a hotel in Buffalo since it was only 45 minutes away. Back on the road we were. The cross over back into New York and the U.S. was a welomed site. IT was in the line at the border check that we finally turned our cell phones back on. If you haven't been able to shut off your phone on a vacation and completely disconnect, I sincerely recommend you do. After checking into the hote, we grabbed lunch at Gabriel's Gate and had an amazing burger...if you're in the area, go there! Our Front Des Rep at the hotel recommended it and we were not disappointed.


Note to self, if you are done at Niagara Falls around noon, just drive home. After lunch in Buffalo, we laid around in the hotel taking naps for about 4 hours. L-A-M-E! But we were short on cash & hadn't planned anything to do there. Around 7pm we did venture around Allen Street Neighborhood and grabbed a couple of drinks at a local pub. It was kind of scary. Probably wouldn't go back there.

We left Wednesday morning at 5:45am to drive back to Chicago and got into the city around 2pm. With a wonderfully adventurous trip under our belts. It was time to get ready to go back to reality. We unloaded my car, did some laundry, ate some lunch and went to bed.

Yet...my journey wasn't over. The next night, I flew out to Phoenix for Easter with Katie and baby Oliver. Travel blog to be continued.

Kitchen Tales: Meridith's New Signature Sandwich

There couldn't possibly be more delicious selections than what goes between two slices of bread. I'm talking about an American classic--the sandwich. Creations are ENDLESS. And while I like to go all out when I cook or entertain my friends, sometimes, you have to just stick to your guns and make it a sandwich.

When Brianne was in town a couple months ago, we had a lazy Saturday afternoon and decided to stay in for lunch. I knew we'd have sandwiches because I didn't have much else, but it wasn't until I went all gourmet on that sandwich that I got excited about it.

I present to you....Meridith's New Signature Sandwich.




Please wipe the drool off your face. Salivating will not help. To make this sandwich, you will need:

Ingredients:

Whole wheat & grain organic bread

Mayo mixture (see below)

Sliced chipotle turkey

Sliced pepper jack

Bacon, lettuce, sliced tomato & avocado

For the mayo mixture:
In a food processor combine lite mayo (I use Miracle Whip b/c I'm from the MIDWEST! WOOT!), 1 clove garlic & fresh dill. Pulse & blend until chopped, combined and smooth.

How to make...
Toast bread under broiler
Spread mayo mixture on 1 side
Top bread w/ turkey & pepper jack (*toast the meat & cheese under broiler for 1-2 mins if you want the cheese to melt)
Add turkey bacon, lettuce, sliced tomato & avocado


COOK'S TIP: Being that turkey bacon has proven to not be any better for you than regular bacon, you might as well just use regular bacon. God knows it tastes better. Just make sure it's a decent kind & tear off the fatty parts. Turkey bacon was all I had in the fridge that day.

ENJOY! And let me know how you like it.

Kitchen Tales: Wild Mushroom & Pea Risotto

So, I'm a mini-chef. I admit it. My friends know it (and love it). Growing up with a mother & grandmother who could cook, I sort of was born with it in my blood.

My family has their favorite dish of mine. Top family favorites: PB & chocolate chip cookies, Mediterranean Frittata & Fall Salad.

But the favorites might change after I cook this Wild Mushroom & Pea Risotto for my family and friends. Jennifer "Bacon" Blakeman got to try a bit of my leftovers this past Friday when she was in town for the 2nd Annual Chicago Snuggie Pub Crawl. When I told her she didn't have to tell me she liked it if she didn't, she turned to me, silent, with the spoon in her mouth. "It's delicious." She said. And I knew we had a winner!!!

Courtesy inspired by Emeril Lagasse.


I did add some differences in wine, which I truly believed made the best difference. I'm not telling you what kind I used; however, if you are nice, you can ask. This recipe really would be delicious with many other veggies, including asparagus.

I ended up making a huge batch but froze the majority of it. I took a couple servings out of the freezer last Tuesday. It defrosted and heated back up perfectly. You could add a teaspoon of water/cream, but don't do so until you are sure you need it.

Since you couldn't enjoy the deliciousness with me, here are pictures for your viewing pleasure:

BEFORE



AFTER

RIP Dixie Carter

Like many of my friends, I watched "Designing Women" with my mom. I loved the show because my mom did, even though I didn't understand a lot of the adult humor. As I got older and watched re-runs, I ended up loving the show and would stay up during college to watch it on the 11pm time slot.

My favorite character? Julia Sugarbaker, obviously. Probably because she was the center of the best parts of the show. The character had a feisty attitude and was blatantly honest. Come to think of it...Julia Sugarbaker reminded me a lot of my mom.

Honestly, I couldn't see anyone other than Dixie Carter in this role and doubt anyone else could have done the party the justice it deserved.

Dixie Carter's most infamous clip? Defending her sister, played by Delta Burke, to the '86 Reigning Miss Georgia World. And in honor of this brilliant actress. I present the YouTube link for your enjoying pleasure.

Click here

RIP Dixie Carter.

Hustle Up the Hancock 2.0

Well, being that I've had a blogging break for 2 months, I believe it's time to jumpstart this catch-up by discussing the Hustle Up the Hancock 2010 Climb.

Last year, my friends and I signed up for the Hustle as individual climbers, because we weren't sure we could get enough people for a team to make the cost do-able on our limited budgets. Being that I had never done anything like this before, my adventurous and challenging nature kicked in. The climb was amazing. I had never seen so many people up and ready so early in the morning before in my life! To make things better? My friend, Angel, ended up placing in the top 20 for the half climb (and in the top 10 for the half climb women results). My one complaint and overall shock was how stuffy and dry the air was in the stairwells. Even though our Hustle e-newsletter and tips warned about the air, it did counteract some of the training we all had done, because we weren't expecting it to be that bad.




So, this year, we were all in! And we were well aware of what to expect. I happened to recruit another friend to make our team 4 strong. The full climb was completely registered by the time our team went online to register, which meant we were stuck with the half climb. That ended up being perfectly OK as all of our schedules didn't lead to the best training.

Last year, my training consisted of Stair Master (at least) 5 times a week...sometimes training once in the morning and again after work. Yet, this year, I completely flacked. Elizabeth and Bri had a lot of stuff as well...gotta love work projects!!! Angel was the only teammate who consistently trained as well as she did last year, and she finished just like she did last year. She brings a tear to my eye...my little winner.

After we all reached the top and had eaten our banana, we were waiting waiting in line to take the elevator back down when it hit me. The worst allergy attack! I was sneezing non-stop, and I thought I was about to get a bloody nose. Liz reminded me that this happened last year, even though I had forgotten.

Our reward for the climb...a big cup of hot chocolate and brunch at Uncommon Ground. Definitely much needed after climbing a gazillion steps at 7:30am!



I'm definitely excited to do the climb again next year. We're going to keep going until we're all either married or move out of the city! It's always great to get to do things like this that are both athletic, challenging and with your friends. Note to self: Take an allergy pill before you go next time!