Just another day in the Midwest

Buddy's 1 year passing anniversary

2010-12-20T16:16:00.003-06:00

So, haven't been on here for about seven months. A lot of exciting things are happening in life...but this weekend whipped me back into reality. Buddy passed away a year ago this past Saturday.

So. Depressing.

I remember writing that blog last year with tears streaming down my face, but Saturday, I decided to do it up one more notch by watching "Marley & Me" on Sunday afternoon while doing laundry. SUCH a bad idea. What the hell was I thinking?

I have to say that a year went by quicker than expected, but it was as sharp a pain as it was last year. My dad sent the Buddy Smilebox picture compilation to my brother and me, which I watched for five minutes straight with a box of Kleenex by my side. Poor Mister Velveteen ears, I miss you.

Kitchen Tales: Blackberry - Orange Teacake

2010-05-26T22:02:00.014-05:00

So, I bought the Cook Yourself Thinbook about 6 months ago after seeing the series on TV & hearing good feedback from friends, and I must say I am completely surprised and happy with the things I've made out of the cookbook.

As there is with any cookbook, there are favorites among myself and friends. The #1 choice for my new roommate is the teacake recipe. In the book, it is a raspberry - lemon; however, blackberries were on sale when I first made it. So, that's what I used. I did add a bit more sweetness to it by making a lemon glaze. Yes, I realize it's not healthy, but it made the cake shiny and sweet on top.

Here is the result of my second round at the teacake. For the glaze, combine 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon (or more until you reach your desired consistency) of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Stir, stir, stir. I promise you that it doesn't take a lot of liquid to thin out the powdered sugar.

Great Chicago weather...as bikini season starts.

2010-05-26T21:04:00.005-05:00

The weather has changed this past week. No more of this half-ass Spring weather mixed with Winter cold/frosts. It has been above 87, consistently, since Sunday! Summer is here, people. Officially. Unfortunately, it makes me realize I am NOT ready for bikini season. At all.

This is getting out of control. 2 summers ago, I was walking around proud. Not right now. Time for some changes. Hence the weight loss challenge my friends and I are in right now. We've created our own separate blog, The Celery Stick, that you can go to & read up on our journey.

10% of our weight in 12 weeks. Through diet & exercise only. None of this diet fad BS. I'm ready for this. I'm ready to get back to where I was less than 2 years ago, before life, work and love stress hit me. No more excuses as I am the person of my own destiny!

My dad thinks of Buddy today...

2010-05-04T08:56:00.004-05:00

So, our family isn't over our loss of Buddy this past December before Christmas. He sent me an email this morning that Bob, his friend who runs Dirks Fund Golden Rescue in the St. Louis area, has been subtly hinting that my dad should adopt Clifford.

Clifford is a cute golden with an angular face. He has recently gotten over bloat and now has a 13-inch scar on his tummy. My reservation is that when dogs get bloat and survive, they are much more likely to experience it again.

This is my dad's email to Bob and it made me cry (like anything does when I think of Buddy). I love my dad.

My Buddy would have been eight today. His family of humans, canines, and felines still miss him. He was one of God's great blessings in my life. When I walked the neighborhood with my three boys, I felt like the richest man in the world. Some of the angels God sends us walk on all four legs.
-John Ewers

Kitchen Tales: EASY PEAS-IE STIR FRY

2010-05-03T23:19:00.006-05:00

So, I haven't posted quite a few of my foodie rants. Time for catch up.

Watching Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" solidifies that I need to start cooking with more organic foods. Furthermore, I need to use what I've got in the kitchen rather than going directly for processed, packaged items, which I've been doing more and more when I don't feel like cooking. On one of the episodes of FR, Jamie does a cooking class and he teaches people to make an easy stir fry. I make stir fry's all the time and decided to show Jamie what I got.

EASY PEAS-IE STIR FRY
*Rule #1--use what you've got! I had celery, carrots, mushrooms, onion and pea pods in my fridge. So, that's what I used. Nothing fancy. But, use what you have!

Ingredient list:
Veggies &/or meat of choice

1 medium large orange--zested & juice from 1 half

2 Tbsp organic honey
1 inch grated ginger (I get fresh at the store, pop it into the fridge until I need it)
2 cloves grated or finely minced garlic
1-2 Tbsp peanut oil (or veggie oil/EVOO, I just like peanut oil because it adds another layer of flavor)

Soy sauce

Sesame oil (optional)

Let's get started...
Slice veggies
Heat a large skillet or wok over medium high to medium heat
Pour peanut oil (or veggie/EVOO) into skillet, swirl to coat bottom

Add veggies/meat and stir quickly (don't let the veggies stick) for 1 minute

Add orange zest, garlic and ginger (*You may need to add a touch more oil to the pan if there's not enough. If the garlic burns, you'll have to toss out the batch)

Cook veggies with ginger and garlic for 5 minutes until veggies get a more vibrant shade

Add honey, OJ, soy sauce & sesame oil to taste and bring to a simmer

Let simmer for 1 minute until soy sauce infuses with the veggies

Now, I had a half box of whole wheat pasta left in the pantry. I decided to add that to my stir fry instead of rice. Just cook the pasta as normal and have ready to add. After the veggies have been cooked with the soy sauce, add noodles and toss. Add a bit more soy sauce if you think it tastes bland.

This is easy for anyone to make and is great for using up veggies, pasta, rice and other random things in the fridge. I made a big batch and put the majority in the freezer for quick, healthy meal options. It takes less time than ordering take-out and goes a lot further for the money. Slice up the remaining half of the orange. Never let anything go to waste! Sprinkle with sesame seeds if you have them.

Adventures in redecorating

2010-05-03T22:54:00.004-05:00

Since I moved into my current apartment over Memorial weekend 2009, I have HATED the color of my bedroom walls. Well, actually only three of the 4 walls, because the 4th wall is the "accent" color. The remaining 3 walls, though, were an awful brown...a mixture of what I call a poopy-orange. Definitely not my color palate or choice.

But, I didn't try painting my room because I knew that I might want to change my bedding at some point as it was time for an upgrade. Still, almost a year into our 15 month lease, I hadn't found bedding I liked nor did I paint the walls. That was until this past weekend.

My new roommate, Stephanie, moved in on Friday, and our first task Saturday was to get our living room decorated. Which meant we were painting our accent wall in the living room to fit our styles. While Stephanie and I talked about what color to paint the living room, I told her that I hated my room.

I took her back to my room, opened the door and showed her the gloriously tacky color on my wall. She sort of laughed and said it "wasn't that bad." To which I replied, "Yeah, for you! Try staring at the wall with that color on it." I also told her that part of my hold back in painting my bedroom was that I didn't want to paint it to fit my current bedding, because I was looking to get a new set but hadn't found one I really liked enough to buy. (Actually, I found one a few at West Elm but couldn't rectify spending $200+ on just a comforter when I could get a whole set at Target or Carsons.)

So, when we were out running errands at Target before heading to Home Depot to stock up on paints and supplies, we went through the bedding. And voila! I found a set I really liked. Just so happened that this set was the same that Steph had been deciding against the one she ended up buying. I'm learning we share a lot of the same tastes....

With the new comforter in toe, we went to Home Depot. We picked out a slate blue for the living room. And I then turned my attention to getting my paint picked out. I decided to go with Behr paint, because I've heard good things. And it was cheaper than the eco-friendly paint. (Why is all the stuff that is GOOD for the Earth up to 30% more expensive? I know we need to save THAT question for a Coffee Tawlk discussion.)

Roll this around on your tongue...Mushroom Bisque. "A yummy soup?," you might ask. Indeed, it is; however, it is now the color on 3 of my walls. It's a neutral, so the next tenants won't be shocked by a poopy-orange wall. As for my accent wall, I ended up using the same slate blue as we painted in the living room. And while it's a little darker than the seafoam blue in my comforter it goes...but it doesn't match. Ladies, you will understand this concept more than men.

Steph and I painted the living room that Saturday night, but I knew my bedroom would have to wait until Sunday. The bed room was a bit larger project scale after all.

Sunday @ 7:30am, I hop out of bed and start taping off my walls, door frames, window sills, outlets, vents and baseboards. 9:06am rolls around and I finally am finished. I couldn't believe it took me just over an hour and a half to tape off my room. I started to get scared at how large the project was. I still had a few things I needed from Home Depot. So, out I ventured again.

Coming back, I told Steph I was going in for the kill. It was party time. Sure, I had a few hiccups. Like when I thought that it would be a good idea to NOT paint the wall that was already the lighter shade already. I mean, the colors were so similar. Yeah, but when I went to put some touch-up paint on that wall where a crack was showing, it revealed the colors were NOT that close. So, I ended up having to paint that wall, too.

Or how about when I dropped my wet "mistake" cloth on the floor, bent down to pick it up and hit my head on the wall which resulted in THIS:

When I hit my head, all I could do was say an expletive, close my eyes, shake my head and keep going. I didn't look at my hair until after the entire room had been done, and all I could do was laugh. I consider myself to be a great painter, and I haven't had paint in my hair like this EVER. Just minor splish splashes.

The re-decorating was all worth it, because now, I live in THIS room....

I'm quite proud that I did it all by myself. I took ownership of it and got it done around 3pm that afternoon. It was fully dry and aired out by bed time. Going through this, I realized that one reason why I didn't hang out in my room more was because I couldn't stand the color in it. It's amazing how much our environment can influence our moods. But now, I don't think I'll be worrying about that. And yes, I realize I have only 4 1/2 months left in my lease, but I'd much rather do this now, enjoy the rest of my time and know what I will be doing in my new apartment if I move out at the end of August.

A Traffic Halting Puppy on the Ike

2010-04-29T19:15:00.003-05:00

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

2010-04-28T19:51:00.002-05:00

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

2010-04-22T22:58:00.003-05:00

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!

2010-04-22T22:35:00.004-05:00

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

2010-04-13T09:15:00.004-05:00

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

2010-04-12T22:23:00.014-05:00

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

2010-04-12T21:54:00.006-05:00

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

2010-04-12T21:15:00.005-05:00

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

2010-04-11T17:58:00.004-05:00

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

2010-04-11T15:36:00.005-05:00

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!

ERIC CLAPTON CROSSROADS GUITAR FEST

2010-02-21T16:00:00.002-06:00

Earlier this week, I got an email newsletter from JAM Music. They always have awesome performances/concerts that I don't get from Ticketmaster.com.

The first concert it detailed was Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival being held at Toyota Park (in a Chicago 'burb) on June 26th. I knew he was back on tour; however, I had no clue that Guitar Fest was happening, and with SO many awesome performers. With the tickets being only $100, no matter what seat, I thought it was a steal for having the caliber of performers already confirmed.

Tickets were on pre-sale; however, you had to have a code or something. So, I had to wait along with the majority of the ticket buyers for the sale to begin on Saturday at 10am CST. As I waited the 48 hours to buy tickets, I kept getting more and more excited.

My dad had already told me he wanted to go, but we hadn't asked my mom or brother yet. But when my dad asked them, their response was "let's roll!" (Gotta love the Ewers family.)

I grew more and more anxious waiting for tickets because I KNEW this would sell out rather quickly. But I didn't realize exactly how quickly. I got on Ticketmaster.com around 9:50am and clicked refresh every minute until it opened at 10am. I put my request in for the maximum 4 tickets and went to the jump page that shows you how long you have to wait until your available seat confirmation comes up. Usually when I do it, it takes maybe 10 seconds tops but I waited well over 2 minutes. It was CRAZY!

Long story short, we were able to get Section 112, Row 10, Seats 1-4 reserved. I went back right after I got the confirmation to get 2 tickets for a friend who had mentioned giving them to her boyfriend as a gift, but they were already sold out. That was around 10:11am.

CAN'T WAIT UNTIL 6/26!!! We've seen Eric Clapton before (my parents a few times) and it was awesome. I can only imagine what the whole day will be like!

Kitchen Tales: A Valentine's Day Chinese New Year Dinner Party

2010-02-17T18:19:00.004-06:00

So, this past Sunday's/Valentine's Day/Chinese New Year feast was AMAZING! Just a recap, I had quite a few things on my menu: baked mini egg rolls with sweet and sour sauce, sesame chicken, orange chicken, steamed broccoli and almond cookies (at first). I've never been afraid of cooking Asian cuisine; however, cooking it for a group of 6 people (3 of whom I didn't know), I was a tad nervous. But I must say, you get into a groove quickly.

Starting around 3:30pm on Saturday afternoon, I started making any and all the sauces from scratch. Since I've made the eggrolls with sweet & sour sauce before, I wasn't too caught up on it. However, making a homemade orange and sesame chicken sauces was a bit frightening. And as a side note, I must say that corn starch has become a new friend. My extensive knowledge and exposure to corn starch was from Thanksgiving, when my mom would use it for gravy. The sauces used a lot of similar ingredients, rice wine vinegar, sugar, soy, etc. So, it made the process more of an assembly line...which was also helpful in the timing of everything. By the time I was done with the sauces, the apartment smelled like my very own, personal Chinese restaurant.

Moving on to the chicken, I started marinating it in soy sauce and corn starch. I did fry the chicken but not in an actual flour-based batter in a deep fryer. It was more of a stir fry process. The chicken was not as I would have seen in take-out boxes, but it still looked nice and crunchy and yummy. I split up the chicken into two batches since the marinade for the sesame chicken was a bit different than the orange chicken. But it didn't really affect the overall taste from sharing the same pan. When the chicken was done, I popped it in the oven on a basic warm temperature to start dessert.

After consulting with D about about dessert, we made the executive decision to nix the almond cookies in case of allergies or dislike of almond flavor. Instead, we would make homemade fortune cookies in both traditional and chocolate flavors. I reviewed the recipe online and thought I had everything I needed. Which I did...except eggs. At this point, I didn't have time to run to the store again, and Denise was cleaning the apartment to get ready to meet her friends whom were coming into town.

Hurriedly, I called Chantel to pick up some eggs before coming over, except she had to run to Target and other errands when she got off work at 4pm. Which wouldn't work since she wouldn't be able to make it to the apartment in time for me to make the batter, cook, form and cool the cookies before the party started. So, we decided to do a light angel food cake, with frozen strawberry puree and chocolate sauce. D ended up rushing the final cleaning and getting ready so she could pick up the angel food cake before meeting her friends at the train.

The last thing I had to do was make the mini eggrolls. I encourage you...DO NOT BE AFRAID TO MAKE THEM YOURSELF! I bought wonton wrappers at the store, and they're usually right above the celery, carrots, snap peas, etc. Use pre-cute slaw mix for the base and add your other veggies/proteins of choice. I used the slaw mix, red pepper, scallions and mushrooms. Then you just wrap the veggie mixtures in the wontons, pop in a well heated oven and bake! Voila! While the eggrolls baked off, I just threw some fresh broccoli in the steamer. I set the serving burea and set the table.

Overall, the entire dinner party was a success, and we all had a good time. And minus a slight breakdown over the sesame chicken not tasting the way I wished, everything cooked perfectly with easy clean-up. The guests loved the food. They all commented on the freshness of the taste, which made me feel like I was truly on my way of mastering my most-loved Chinese dishes. It truly is noticeable when the food hasn't sat in a box in the fridge and was then reheated in the microwave. Do I wish I could have tried making the fortune cookies? Yes, but I will have to save that for another time.

The biggest "Oops!" of the night was when I discovered we were out of diswasher fluid tablets and couldn't run the dishwasher full of dirty pots and dishes before the dinner party guests arrived. But hey, if that's the biggest of our problems for the night, it wasn't too bad.

The picture below is for your taste buds' viewing pleasure. Let the drooling begin...

Happy Valentines Day...but I'm celebrating with Chinese New Year

2010-02-14T09:03:00.007-06:00

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE! While this Hallmark holiday makes me cringe, I am glad to see my family and friends having fun with their significant others. I was lucky to have TWO valentines this year....Chippy Do & D. Best friends are the best valentines. This year, I got Hello Kitty mini valentines for everyone a la grade school when you got the box full of pre-made cards and had to leave one on everyone's desk! They've been a big hit so far! <3

Because we have no one to really smoochie-smooch today, D and I are throwing a Chinese New Year themed party for a few friends in OUR celebratory style. Screw V-day. ;-) We will be making homemade Chinese...because I've found I can pretty much cook anything...baked mini eggrolls, sesame chicken and crispy almond cookies. I'm a bit nervous about the cookies, because they have some big shoes to fill. When I lived in Oak Park, Lizzy & I would go to the same Chinese restaurant because it was amazingly delicious every time. You know sometimes food at a restaurant will be perfection, but when you return and order the same exact thing, it tastes like camel spit? Yeah, never here. This place has THE BEST almond cookies. So, while mine may be "ok" for tonight's dinner gathering, I already know they won't live up to the best almond cookie in the world!

Please have a great day, whether or not you like this Hallmark holiday. Find a way to deal with the overly zealous couples and have fun with friends. And if you can, steal a kiss from the person you're pining for!

(Hey, if I can break up with a boyfriend ON Valentines Day (literally on 2/14/07 @ 6pm) but still remain happy, anyone can!)

It's blizzard and earthquake season in Chicagoland

2010-02-10T10:44:00.003-06:00

Only in the Midwest, and around Chicagoland,can the two polarized natural occurrences of a blizzard and earthquake happen simultaneously. Yes, it can happen.

Snow started falling the evening of Monday, January 8th and has been consistent since. We were supposed to get 6-10 inches over night, but I think yesterday got the brunt of the hit. It wasn't as bad as the East coast getting foots upon foots of snow. And while the swirling specks of snow are beautiful, I would never have thought that at around 4am this morning, we would have an earthquake (ranked at a 4.3 I'm told)!

Is it only me or is an earthquake in the midst of a blizzard just odd?

This earthquake is the second I remember happening in the past few years. A couple years ago, I woke up to my bed shaking. I sat up and looked across the room to see my dresser rocking back and forth with some spare change on top of the dresser sliding to the floor. It wasn't a HUGE earthquake, but my IKEA furniture isn't that stable.

My first thought was NOT an earthquake. Why would I think of something so obvious? Instead, I seriously thought there was a demon/devil in my room shaking my bed. I was FREAKED OUT! After a few seconds, the shaking stopped and I laid in bed clutching my blanket to my chest. It wasn't until I woke up and caught the news of the earthquake that I was ok. Otherwise, I would have slept somewhere else!

For this morning's earthquake, I was fast asleep at 4am and didn't fully wake up. But in my dream, I sort of remember thinking something was moving in my bedroom. It was about 50 miles Northwest of Chicago, almost at the WI border. My cousin in WI felt it.

Just goes to show you, our earth is a magical thing/place. Random things happen all the time!

Standardized testing shouldn't determine educational worth!

2010-02-06T21:07:00.004-06:00

As a whole, I think of myself as an intelligent, well-spoken and confident individual. Yet, today, I feel as stupid as I can feel, and it is all because of today's LSAT. After the test, I felt like vomitting.

For those of you unfamiliar with the LSAT, it is the Law School Admissions Test and consists of five sections and a writing sample (which isn't scored...of course, my best area isn't even scored!). There are three types of sections that make up the LSAT--reading comprehension, logical reasioning and, my personal enemy, analytical reasoning. Every LSAT has 2 logical reasoning, 1 reading comprehension and 1 analytical reasioning. BUT...there is one more open section that could be either another reading comprehension or an analytical reasoning.

Just my luck, today I had two analytical reasoning sections. It is truly my worst nightmare as my brain doesn't think in the confines of this section as quickly as the 35 minutes allots.

For the past two years, I've been contemplating, dreaming about and analyzing going back into graduate school. Going back and forth between music, advertising, business and veterinary medicine, I keep returning to law school as it has been a repeated calling of mine. Even my General Manager has stated to me a few times that "(I) should be lawyer."

Five years ago before graduating college, I took the LSAT but decided to move to Phoenix instead of going straight into school. When Phoenix didn't work out the way I wanted, I came home and immediately found a job in Chicago. I put off returning to graduate school, because I wanted to prove that I could make it in the real world, which I did. However, the pride I felt at paying my own bills was stifled by my repeated questioning if "sales" is really my professional calling. Quite frankly, I don't want to be in sales forever. Regardless of my success, it's not something I feel I could sustain for the next forty years and remain happy.

Still, the thought of sitting for the LSAT has really made me nervous due to its end-all decision whether or not law schools see you as a viable and deserving candidate for acceptance.

You see, every law school puts more stress on the LSAT score than it does on everything else a student and/or working professional has accomplished. So, when I realized that I had 2 analytical reasoning sections, I felt screwed from the start. On top of the analytical reasoning, there was a time during section 2 that I could not focus on the questions, which resulted in me spending 5 minutes reading and re-reading one page of questions. And not even attempting to answer them!

This frustration only reaffirms my hatred at the United States educational systems. More indubitably, standardized testing. From high school, my hatred of standardized testing has been a recurring theme of my life. What is that test that we had to take before college? The ACT (the one that scores up to 36)??? Yeah, that I got a 22...twice.

I had a 3.75 GPA in high school and was in English AP, which was the first time any AP class was offered at my high school. Do you think that the ACT concretely and accurately gauged my intelligence and capability? No, it obviously did not.

This fact is proven that in college, I became very active in organizations, residence life, IM's and graduated in honors with a 3.61 GPA.

When I was younger, I was clinically diagnosed with ADD. I was told that I could grow out of many of the prepubescent symptoms with proper dedication, teaching and focus. And I did. Nevertheless, I still could not focus during testing and quiet restrains of classes. I contribute this to be a leading factor at my overall impediments and shortcomings to my performance.

Leading into this LSAT as adult with involvement in two philanthropic organizations (one of which that asked me to be on its board-as the youngest board member), supportive upper management, successful professional experience and my previous collegiate GPA, I still don't feel confident that these components will be enough. Perhaps its the fact that I always think I could have done something better and different.

But I know that I'm better than what that test may be. I know my worth as not only a student but also as a formidable candidate for law school. I just hate that rejection or acceptance can be as impersonal and biased on a single score.

Furthermore, I hate the fact that those that scored well on the LSAT but had a much lower GPA than others will have an easier time of acceptance. Just because they scored well on a test. You can see this if you research some law school's acceptance requirements wherein the LSAT must be 155 or higher, but the GPA minimum could be 3.20!!!

Which is more important? The person or the test? It is my personal believe that a test should not be deeming one adequate.

My friends keep encouraging me to remain positive, and I will. My life isn't defined by this test. My life is defined by me, and me alone. And I choose to not let this LSAT be my end-all decision.

The Comeback of the Dinner Party

2010-02-03T22:37:00.005-06:00

I'm on a mission...and that is to bring back the mid-week dinner party. It used to be prevalent in a time where we, as a society, seemed to have more class and chivalry. Dinner parties were held to introduce friends, catch up on who moved in the house next door or impress the big boss man. But as we have gotten busier and more into our search for total global domination, we've let stress and rudeness dominate our overall interactions with each other.

For as modern/liberal minded I am, I find myself liking a certain classic way of life. And a good meal, cooked at home and enjoyed amongst friends is one of them. I get the whole idea that we are busy and schedules don't allow for much wiggle room, but seriously, people. Eating among friends over a good plate of food is better than any TV show. Life's problems can be forgot, even if for a short time, with a single bite of delicious food.

I'm not talking about picking up take-out and dropping it in one of your nice china serving dishes either. I'm talking about putting in some chopping time--giving it your gusto in the kitchen as you prepare something both yummy and pretty (because after all, food with more color is more enjoyable). Speaking for myself, I find great relief and solitude cooking after work. It is the only time in the day that I can focus on something other than the stressors of work/life and control what I am doing.

As my friends and family are well aware, when I say I love to cook, I mean I LOVE to cook; however, sometimes I get bored of cooking for myself and Denise, my roomie. There are times when I yearn for a group of friends to get together for some wine/cocktails and a stuffing meal. The lucky part? Most of my friends entertain my last minute whims...such as a Mexican Fiesta Dinner Party night thrown together in less than 24 hours...

Monday evening, I had asked a good friend of mine to come over as he had just moved to Chicago and I hadn't seen him since my NYE party. He suggested Wednesday as a good dinner night, and I was game. However, as I decided upon our menu last night, it hit me. "I should make a small dinner party out of this!" I thought to myself. After sending out the "text invitations" last night, I was set for a nice little gathering.

Just five of us, including me & Denise. A manageable menu with a nice go-around of the table. Perfect size for a mid-week dinner party. The best yet...everyone needs to eat dinner! So, it was already killing 2 birds with one stone: 1) Eating & 2) Socializing.

Our menu consisted of jicama salad with red onions, grape tomatoes, corn seasoned with chili powder/cumin/paprika, red peppers and dressed only with lime juice. The main course was a green chili chicken enchilada bake (which is out of the Cook Yourself Thin cookbook & is delicious but HEALTHY!). Stephanie was a doll and brought over some chips and salsa to add to the feast!

Overall verdict...a top night, top night.

People, join forces with me and plan a monthly dinner party. It will relieve stress, prove to be a good way of getting through the week and allow you time with your friends. Bring back some tradition to meal time, and I promise, you won't be disappointed.

***BUDGET TIP***
If money is tight but you want to get people together, make it a potluck! Everyone must bring a dish to be shared. That way, you won't feel the monetary heat at each meal. However, I caution that most people ask to bring dessert...so, don't be afraid to say "First come first serve" on what they bring: appetizer, main dish, side, dessert or cocktails. You can also plan a theme as I did with the Mexican Fiesta. Then, the menu will be cohesive instead of all over the place.

ILLINOIS PRIMARY ELECTION 2010

2010-02-02T10:24:00.006-06:00

Illinois' primary polls opened at 6am this morning and close at 7pm tonight. Get your cute little caboose to that poll, people.

VOTING IS A PRIVILEGE THAT YOU SHOULDN'T OVER LOOK AS SO MANY OTHER COUNTRIES DON'T ALLOW/EXTEND THAT PRIVILEGE TO THEIR COUNTRYMEN!!!!

Grammys, or should I call them "Schammys"

2010-01-31T22:11:00.003-06:00

I turned on the Grammys at exactly 7:02pm CST to see the ending of Lady Gaga's "Pokerface" with the transition into "Speechless/Your Song" with Elton John. I love Gaga but find her live performances to be a bit confusing to me. And while I love the theater and musical expression, I still don't completely understand her.

Some of the award winners weren't exactly who I would have thought deserving of the Grammy, but it is not my job to decide. To be nominated in the category alone makes them worthy, I guess...

What I have most been disappointed with is the quality of performances. Specifically focusing on Taylor Swift. While I believe her to be wise beyond her years as a lyricist, I find her vocal quality as low as you can imagine. Still, she has dominated the music scene this year winning numerous awards. Should I not feel duped when this happens? To award a singer for her inability to remain on key while performing live?

Seriously? Do you think the Grammy Committee was contemplating a polite course of action for asking for the Grammy back? Because if I were them, I would be embarrassed.

I understand the purpose of the Grammys is to celebrate ALL music forms; however, I feel as though it's an excuse for horrible performances.

People complain about performances and have no merit to their critique. These people base it off of what they've seen/heard by the judges on "American Idol," but let me be clear. I wouldn't take advice or direction of critiquing musical capabilities by people who use the word "pitchy." I do understand music and have been surrounded by it since birth and studied it. Which probably isn't a good thing when you want to just sit back and enjoy a performance.

Still, I think there needs to be some responsibility put on "performers" when it comes to tonality, rhythm and creativity.

Now, let's end on a positive note of the evening. I enjoyed Pink's aerial expression and choreography. The fact she dipped herself into a pool a la "Flash Dance" was AWESOME! Also, Beyonce in her military "Don't Mess With Me or You'll Go Home a Hen vs. Rooster" get-up was sweet. When she broke out into "You Oughta Know," I thought I had died. I had heard she performed this song while on tour, but it was awesome to have it on the Grammys. I was surprised how much I enjoyed David Foster, Andrea Bocelli & Mary J Blige's performance. It really did move me. The ice and fire of the two genres/sounds was great.

Most surprising fact about tonight's performers...Bon Jovi had never performed before tonight! What? You're telling me that during all the Grammys of the hair band years, Bon Jovi NEVER performed? Well, I was shocked. It was a great touch to allow the public to vote on which song Bon Jovi performed. Of course I voted. When my friend, Jennifer, told me it was open voting. I hopped on www.cbs.com/grammys to vote. When I saw "Living On a Prayer" was one of the 3 songs, I knew it would win. Even still, I voted for "Always." Can't beat a rock ballad.

Each year, the Grammys puts together a year in review of all the musicians and executives who had passed. I was a bit upset that Ellie Greenwich didn't get any further respect than her name at the end. A lot of well-known music has her influence.

When Les Paul's RIP came up, I thought of my dad. And when they paid a tribute playing a Gibson Les Paul electric, I remembered my dad. From when I was younger, I remember my dad jamming out in the basement with his Les Paul.

***BREAKING NEWS: Taylor Swift just won for album of the year.***

On that note, I need to go. I seriously cannot believe that. I like the girl but come on...that's some BS.

Missing Buddy the Wonder Dog

2010-01-28T19:57:00.008-06:00

One of my last posts back in December was right before Christmas. It candidly detailed the struggles my family was having in choosing whether or not to operate on Buddy's, our family Golden, front left leg. It was an amputation surgery due to stage 1 bone cancer. And even after University of Illinois' Veterinarian Department reported Buddy as a good candidate for amputation surgery, our family all had reservations about it. The UofI reports coupled with the stories from friends' experience with dogs having only 3 legs, the decision was made to go through with the surgery. Even though my dad, mom, brother and I all were scared that the morning we took Buddy into the vet would be the last we would see him "healthy," none of us said anything to the others about our fears.

I wish we had.

Buddy died the Saturday, basically a week, before Christmas.

Buddy came out of the surgery as well as expected for a 107 lb dog to. He was groggy, uncomfortable, scared and crying. But he seemed to be as any other dog before him that had this type of surgery. Aunt Doctor Becky (ADB) asked us to stay away from the vet clinic that Friday of his surgery, because she wanted to keep his blood pressure/heart rate as steady and low as possible. However, she did say we could come that next morning to see him.

Saturday morning hit, and my dad was anxious to get us all over to see Buddy. We rushed to get our warm clothes on and got to the vet around 8:30am. Buddy was lying in his recovery pin with only three legs. It was definitely a shock to see him, but I have to say that I was expecting a horrible wound that would have been bleeding profusely. Instead, there was a clean, white gauze bandage wrapped all around his front shoulder and just a hint of stitches where the top of the surgical cut was.

Buddy laid on the floor with a morphine drip to ease his pain. Doped up or not, he knew we were there and started whimpering when he saw us. ADB suggested that we speak calmly to him and make sure to give him pets and kisses. Each of us took turns, Dad-Mom-Me-Rob-Me-Dad-Mom-Me-Rob-Dad-Me-Mom-Dad-Rob-Dad to cover Buddy in as much love and positivity as we could to help him start his healing process. Earlier, Buddy had been able to get help onto his 3 legs and out to go potty with the assistance of ADB and one of the vet techs. ADB tried to help Buddy onto his legs to show us how he was progressing, but Buddy struggled in pain and confusion. My mom sucked in a quick gasp of air. I looked over to see her sea green eyes start filling with tears of fear.

I've never told my family, but when I saw Buddy struggle that morning, my heart sunk with pessimism that we would lose him instead of see him recover. Still, I prayed and prayed that our Golden Angel, Buddy, would be ok.

Saturday evening at about 10:15pm, Buddy passed away. His red cell count had dropped by 24% within an hour, but ADB couldn't find any severe bleeding when they went back in to try and save him. Truth be told, we believe Buddy's pain was too severe for him to handle, his heart couldn't take it, his fear was inconsolable and the anesthesia made him sick.

Amputation may be right in a black and white sense in that it takes away cancer. But it truly can be seen as a selfish decision. We do it to keep the dog with us instead of really thinking about the quality of life that dog would have. We didn't stop to think whether or not Buddy would really want that. He was like a little boy who never really understood the big and scary things around him. We did the surgery to make us feel as though we had done everything to keep him with us.

I haven't written about Buddy's passing because I still cry every time I think about the end result of that surgery. I cry at remembering the look on my dad's face when he rushed into my room screaming for me to move my car so that he could get to the vet. Not being able to understand him, I asked "What?" and watched him break down in sobs. I cry at the fact that ADB called my dad that Saturday afternoon crying and urging him to get back to the vet office as quickly as possible because Buddy was leaving us. I cry at never being able to forget the sobs coming from my dad on the car ride to the vet as he cried "I've killed my dog...I've killed my dog."

I cry that our best friend didn't get to see that Christmas and run with his brothers in the snow just one last time. Or the fact that Buddy was probably so confused why we would have done that to him. Or the fact that our once perfect Golden passed with one of his legs missing. Or the fact that I'll never be able to come home to visit my family and see him waiting with a toy in his mouth and his Golden plumed tail wagging in greeting.

I wouldn't wish bone cancer on any pet. It is the worst cancer to have to decide treatment for. All the treatments suck balls. We had 3 options:
1. Manage the pain through medicine, which only lets the cancer grow, causing extreme pain and suffering.
2. Cancer/Tumor Removal surgery, which removes the "infected" area but leaves only a minute chance of Buddy living past three years without it coming back.
3. Amputation

There's no right choice. Every choice has to come from the respective family. Our family's initial reaction was to not do the amputation. But we were hopeful and chose the option that would have ridden his body of all the cancer to ensure it never came back.

If you ever have to make this choice, I cannot stress enough the most important step-make sure you are completely comfortable with your vet and staff. Without a doubt, we are incredibly and immensely blessed with the staff at Northgate Pet Clinic in Decatur, IL. This clinic is truly THE BEST in that town (Sorry everyone else, but the truth is cruel).

Northgate treated Buddy like their own, and ADB was part of Buddy's extended family...don't forget that Winston is Buddy's uncle (even though he's younger) and ADB is Winston's mom. During those seven hours when we fought to keep Buddy alive, Northgate attempted everything short of trying to reverse time to save him. I don't know of any other clinic that would have had the dedication and quick thinking to do some of the things the staff did. They wanted him to stay as much as we did, because he was one of their favorites (Sorry all the other pet parents, don't be jealous. No puppy can be like the Buddy dog).

I did learn one lesson out of this loss-I will never choose amputation.

Our family didn't have the Christmas spirit after losing Buddy. We all cried for a week, off and on. My mom missed her daily snuggle fest with Buddy--something that started when Buddy was a wee babe. Buddy would find time in every afternoon to cuddle up with Mommy for nap time, just like a four year old would. The grieving got easier and our family was inundated with food, cards, memorials, José (for margaritas of course!) and loving stories. It really showed how many people were touched by Buddy.

Kaiser, Buddy's German shepherd brother, was and still is in mourning over the loss of his best friend. He wouldn't eat for a week straight, and he had tear marks down both sides of his eyes/nose. Kaiser didn't move from the front door for three days straight in hopes his friend would be walking up the sidewalk to reunite with him. Still, now a month later, Kaiser isn't 100% back to his normal self. Well, that is if we could even call Kaiser normal. However, he is starting to eat and start playing with Cody.

Any person who thinks dogs don't feel or build relationships is on crack and should never EVER have a pet...other than a fish or a bird.

Since Christmas, I hadn't really cried about Buddy. Until this past Monday, and I have cried each night since...including as we speak. Most of my family and friends know that I believe in the Power above, and as a result, I pray. Whether it's in the morning as I prepare for the day ahead, during the day when work sucks, gasping through a workout when I feel like I'm about to pass out or at night in a traditional manner, I find time to reflect and pray. Each time I get to praying about Buddy, I BREAK DOWN! It's crazy.

Last night, I told God to make sure that if he was going to take Buddy from us to make sure he's getting long walks and not too many cookies because my mom and dad had worked so hard to get him down to a "respectable" Golden weight. I think I told Him, "We don't want him fat again, now do we?" Haha! Seriously? Have I lost my mind???

I don't think my family will ever get over Buddy. We were so lucky that we were his family. Absolutely no other dog had Buddy's personality. I mean, what other dog have you heard played practical jokes on his family and four-legged siblings? For instance, when Mom and Dad put him on his diet, Buddy would have to eat his gross diet food alone in the laundry room so he wouldn't steal Kaiser or Cody's food. One day, Buddy planned his rebellion. He ate his dinner, which only took three seconds as he swallowed instead of chewed his food, and started running toward the front door barking. That caused Kaiser and Cody to follow suit. Well, Buddy only got six feet before turning around and heading to the other two food bowls. When K & C returned to finish eating, Buddy stood over the last bite of Kaiser's food chewing eagerly at the stolen morsels. He was genius, cunning and hilarious. What else is there to say?

He will always be our supersized Golden boy with the most perfect Golden tale and incurable stink foot disease (thank you Dad). He'll always be the best cuddle bunny and friend who ate anything if it smelled slightly edible. Buddy will always be the most perfect puppy with velveteen ears the softest I've ever felt. And we'll love and miss him until we see him again...

Weather Watch on Monday, January 25, 2010

2010-01-28T19:52:00.003-06:00

Today, a Monday, started as off as any normal Meridith Monday does. Absent-minded and rushed. I couldn't get myself out of bed, because the air in my room was so cold. So cold, in fact, that I imagined my life as a winter hermit, who lived in a heat tent underneath her own comforter. After coming to my senses and barreling out of bed, I was able to get ready and pack a breakfast in under 45 minutes, but I was still running fifteen minutes late.

As I rush out the door and take my first few steps outside, I stop dead in my tracks and see what's happening in front of me. There's a slight sprinkling of snow commencing its fall from the clouds above, and the air is as cold and icy as a deceived lover as it wraps around me like an airtight seal.

"Great," I think as I look down at my black pumps with no stockings to cover the bare skin of my feet, "my piddies are going to freeze today!"

Continuing my walk to the car, the wind pushes me just slightly off my balance. The rush of cold air seeps through my coat, beats its way through the barrier of my cotton sweater and silk top, and rests icily on top of my skin. As the goose bumps blush their way onto my skin, I stop to look at nothing, purse my lips and acknowledge the fact I stupidly chose to wear my "early winter/late fall" coat, which is light weight, due to the fact that the past few days warranted a lighter coat. However, I didn't bother to check Monday's forecast to dress appropriately.

"Seriously, Meridith, could you have paid anymore LESS attention to today's weather forecast?" I rhetorically ask my knowing self.

Being that I didn't want to be any later than I already was, I jumped in the car and made my way into the office. Traffic started off the bat as my CR-V made its way onto I-90 West. But getting further along, it broke up right before Rosemont. I love living in Chicago now, and I waited almost four years to do so; however, the fact it can take up to 75 minutes to drive only 20 miles into work baffles me.

Even though I woke up late and was running way behind schedule, I got to work at 8:42am-just twelve minutes past my desired time. Hurriedly, I grab my work bag and breakfast. I stepped out into the briskly chilly air and felt the wave of cool air rise up my legs and past my non-stocking'd, pump wearing feet. Shuffling across the black top of the parking lot, my feet felt like icicles and I wondered if I could make it to Target and back before our 10:00 a.m. conference call. "Deal with it, you dumbass," was all I could think to myself as I walked to the sales office door. I unlocked my way in, turned on the lights and stepped into my cubicle. Our office always runs cold, and today was exponentially more painful given my attire for the day-there was no way to gain my heat back and stay warm.

Note to self: Watch the news in the morning for weather updates!

Contemplation of a rhinoplasty...

2010-01-24T19:11:00.008-06:00

Are you perturbed about the thought of plastic surgery? Or the fact that many people (especially in L.A.) look nothing like they were supposed to? Yeah, I am, too...except for the fact I've been contemplating a rhinoplasty, aka nose job, for the past 8 years and totally understand why people go under the knife to correct their insecurities.

Granted, Heidi Montag's recent nip/tuck/plump/pull procedures were a tad much (as there were TEN of them), but I don't agree with people passing an arbitrary judgement that everyone should be happy with what God gave us and learn to deal with it. Well, not all of us were born with some of our current appearances...so, does that mean some of us are ok to go under the knife to get it back???

***WARNING: TMI in the following posting. Abort now if you don't like to hear a girl talk about gross things...***

For those of you still with us, this blog will detail why I've considered plastic surgery and why I feel that no one has the right to tell you if you should/shouldn't feel badly about going under the knife.

My story begins when I was eight or nine years old. As a young kid, I was an athletic, rambunctious tom boy having a hard time learning to grow into my quirkiness when all the other "pretty" girls were so different looking than me. This is the place where my nose was altered for the rest of my life, which has caused me physical and beauty-related problems. Furthermore, I have broken my nose twice and truly know how it feels to wonder what I would look like if it hadn't happened.

Aaaaactually, the first time my nose broke was because of my BITCH of a next door neighbor's purposeful maliciousness. Before a softball game, Mandy (bitch neighbor) agreed to help me warm up. She was three years older than me and thought she was hot shit. As we threw back and forth, Mandy kept throwing harder and harder. Because I knew she was doing this on purpose to watch me flinch or to ask her to ease up, I kept acting as though I didn't notice. When my mom and dad came to get me from the front yard, I threw Mandy's softball back to her. I told her I'd see her later and thanked her for warming up with me. Then I hear her semi-yell...

"Hey Meridith..."

As I was turn around, I felt the softball *SMACK* right into my face. I hadn't even got completely turned around. So, I KNOW she had thrown the ball while she called my name. I staggered backward clutching my nose and looked up to see Mandy smirking at me. She snottily said, "Ooops! Catch!" and started smiling. Knowing that she had done this on purpose for her own amusement, I started crying my eyes out. My parents were getting into the car, which was in the garage, when Mandy threw the ball at my face and didn't know what had happened until they heard me whaling in pain. I remember the heat of my body surging to my face, the metal taste in my mouth and blood running through my fingers and down my red jersey.

As my family and friends know, I snort when I laugh/cry. Even though I have a better control on it now, back when I was a kid...I couldn't stop it. There I stood, hyperventilating and snorting blood back into my throat. It felt as though I were choking and suffocating.

My dad, my hero, rushed out of the garage and asked what had happened. Turning my face back toward the softball's line of flight, I took my shaking pointer finger and indicated with bloody certainty that Mandy, who was sauntering up her stairs as if nothing had happened, had done this. From the lovely, malevolent attitude of her mom and brother just like her, I still, to this day, have no doubt this was for her own enjoyment and entertainment.

Sadly, this wasn't my first adventure to the ER, because I was quite "graceful" as a youngster. I had been in three times before for stupid, idiotic occurrences. Like dancing in the freezer aisle at the grocery store and ramming my head into freezer case door handles, or twirling in the living room and tripping on the carpet and landing my eye on the corner of the TV, or playing on top of our playhouse and falling off onto a cinder block lying next to our deck. (True definition of a klutz.)

Still, this broken nose was the first time I had truly broken something.

The nurse and doctor told my parents that the bridge of my nose was broken right under the bridge between my eyes. I distinctly remember the click, and resulting rush of pain, as they set it back in place. After taking an x-ray to ensure it was aligned, they inserted some tight gauze roll up each nostril. I had to breath through my mouth that night and couldn't do anything physical for about 3-4 weeks. Being the fact it was right before summer, I was PISSED. There went softball, hide & seek, kick the can, basketball and swimming. And for that following month, I tried to avoid Mandy as best as I could. However, because our neighborhood consisted of only 3 blocks and had only ten kids at the time, it was difficult to avoid her.

The result of my break left me with an elevated, and quite distinct, hump on my nose that looked like a "camel's back." I was in my formidable years and already extremely self conscious of my face.

Four years passed before the second nose break. It was during a basketball game. Oh basketball-it was a love/hate relationship. I LOVED the game and was actually pretty good. I started playing when I was in 5th grade and found I had good instincts for the game. I still was klutzy, though, and tended to get a lot of bruises during games.

Our team's point guard and I would always end up smacking our heads or tripping each other...didn't matter if it was during practice or a game. It was bad, and quite painful. Clarification on this, I should say that I was the one responsible for this, due to my klutzy nature, and Becky was the innocent bystander in the wrong place at the wrong time...every time. To this day, my mom talks about Becky and basketball saying, "Didn't matter where on the court they were, Meridith and Becky had a magnet that led them to disastrous collisions. Oh, and the SOUND when they ran into each other...!!!" *insert cringe face here*

So, during a basketball game, I went up for a rebound and was literally butted out of bounds, which caused me to lose my balance and trip over my feet. My balance was lost and I couldn't find it quick enough. My face met the "padded" wall with a terrifying CRUNCH, and I instantaneously felt my nose crack. Another trip to the ER.

From my second nose break, the hump got bigger and resulted in a soft spot on the ride side of my nose. Any time the weather gets worse, it gets softer and causes horrible sinus problems and congestion. I have suffered from migraines since I was 12, and I find that my nose only escalated the level of intensity. Even worse, I haven't been able to breathe out of both nostrils at one time since I was 8 or 9. Imagine that...l-o-v-e-l-y.

During my freshmen year at Millikin, my parents urged me to talk to my ENTA doctor about my nose to see how bad the damage was from his perspective and to ask for a plastic surgeon referral. After an x-ray, the doctor told me that there was a deviated septum but it wasn't the worst he had seen. Well, YEAH! It hadn't been crunched into a million cartilage bits. But it definitely was causing some airway constriction and added "height" to my once pretty curvature of my nose.

But my decision to NOT get a rhinoplasty came when my ENTA doctor told me the surgery could alter my vocal range and tone. Because I was a vocal music education major and was performing in opera scenes, I opted to deal with my large schnoz. However, that didn't stop me from feeling extremely sensitive and conscious about my nose. To me, it is my worst feature. From it, I have a hard time looking into peoples' eyes for an extended period because I don't want them looking at me back. I don't want them to look long and hard and see the huge bump on my nose that shouldn't be there.

I've learned to deal with it, and it's almost as though my broken nose stories are my battle stories. Looking in the mirror every day, I think about my nose every day. And I would opt into rhinoplasty if I could afford it.

If people can afford corrective/plastic surgery and choose it is right for them, more power to them. I just wish people would be more tolerant and stop peremptorily judging people they do not know.

(Except, I did judge Heidi Montag because I thought she looked prettier before. Bad, I know. Eat my own words!)

***FOOT NOTE: The debate is still out whether or not I broke my nose for a 3rd time while in my junior year at Millikin. I tripped and fell into my friend's buttock area. My nose clicked a bit and started bleeding, but I didn't go to the doctor. My dad thinks it was broken, but I think ti wasn't. ***

Bar Keeper's Friend helped save my skillet

2009-12-16T17:48:00.006-06:00

Over Halloween this past October, my roommate had an accident that involved my small skillet, yummy sausages and a hot burner. Needless to say, it scorched my pot and the burn marks wouldn't come out.

I was a little verklempt on how to get the burn marks off without having to get a new pot. Initially, my mom gave me an all green cleaner, because she had used it on a lot of her uncleanable items. After unsuccessfully scrubbing my skillet 'til my fingers bled, my mom recommended Bar Keeper's Friend. My roommate and I were talking about it and she got a bottle of it. Amazeballs! The skillet is (almost) scorch free.

So, in ode to this little wonder, I'm doing my own endorsement commercial via my blog. Don't freak out, it's only a :10 commercial rather than a :30 or :60 spot...geesh....

Camera pans to a young woman scrubbing in the sink. She rinses the pot and sees a sparkling, shiny Wolfgang Puck (love the product placement?) skillet.

The woman smiles and lookes into the camera while holding a bottle of BKF.

"Thanks Bar Keeper's Friend! You saved my skillet...and wallet...from having to be replaced!" *insert wink and cheesy smile here*

Buddy the Wonder Dog

2009-12-15T21:28:00.001-06:00

Seven years ago on Father's Day, our family surprised my dad with a golden retriever puppy. Years earlier, Bandit, my dog, had passed after surgery to remove a fatty tumor from his rib/stomach area. When Bandit died, it came as a complete shock to our vet as well as us. Bandit had come out of surgery happy, eating, drinking, going potty, jumping and playing like he normally did. An hour after the vet tech had taken him out, she came back to the recovery room and found him on the ground without a pulse. We later were told there seemed to be bone marrow that had made its way into Bandit's blood stream and stopped his heart...something that can happen without vets knowing until it's too late.

Being that Bandit was my dog, I was completely ballistic; however, my dad took the loss hard as well. You see, with my brother off to college, Bandit was the other "man in the house." My brother's dog, Abby, was not the right personality fit for my dad; he couldn't bond with her like he did with Bandit. Abby was not a cookie that you could readily enjoy with milk!

Father's Day, a day to celebrate your father, should show your thankfulness in all he does for you and family. So, my mom's idea was to get him the perfect gift-one to make him happy.

That's when we heard about Sievers Retrievers in Meppen, Illinois. A local Decaturan had gotten a black lab from them and loved their pooch. My mom found their website and showed me the litter that appeared to be around Father's Day. The Goldens were beautiful, but they definitely were larger than a normal standard.

My dad always said that his next dog would be a Golden because "Bandit's personality matched a Golden's unconditional love and eternal happiness." SIDE NOTE: Bandit, the thief of our hearts, was a pound puppy of a golden/GSD/collie mix, and was the best dog ever.

Our family had only adopted our animals from the county shelter, and my dad was becoming active in the county animal shelter board as a volunteer and later its President. So, we wondered if there would be any push back from my dad. When Father's Day approached, my mom broke the news that we didn't have a present physically there. Of course my dad didn't show any disappointment and stated he didn't need anything. That's when we told him about the puppy. He got so excited and was like a little kid waiting for the appointment to meet the Siever family. The time came to make the trip...

Meppen is about 3 hours from our house, and we passed a lot of fruit stands that I wanted to visit (ORGANIC PEACHES!!!); however, our mission was clear--To see if the Golden we were visiting could be a part of the Ewers family. We finally arrived to Roger & Michelle Siever's home and drove up the gravel dirt driveway. My mom, dad and I got out of the car to see Roger walking through the dust cloud holding a pouting Golden puppy who looked like he had just been woken up from a nap.

This Golden puppy looked up at us with his brown eyes, black shiny nose and arms crossed...and we fell in love. He had a ridge of hair that ran from between his eyes straight down his nose. His coat was blondy-blonde. Beautiful, soft. And he had ears as soft as velvet.

We asked Roger why no one had wanted this puppy, but he couldn't give us a straight answer. Was it because the ridge of hair was seen as a "fault" by breeding standards? Was it the fact that he already weighed 11+ pounds at eight weeks old? Or, indeed, was it that Roger was hoping to could keep this blonde puppy because he had fallen in love with him too??? If you ask me, I think guess 3 is the answer why he was the last pup standing.

Roger took us into their house to meet Michelle and their children. Roger said to us, "The dogs aren't allowed in our house (as he carried Buddy inside with us). They have their own house and huge acres of land to run on." Michelle was a sweet lady who started feeding the puppy cheese and said "This little one absolutely LOVES cheese. We'll give you a slice on the ride home if he gets antsy. Food always calms puppies down. A lil treat!" She fed the pup a little piece of cheese, which made him smile and wiggle with joy.

We took the puppy home that day, and my dad named him Buddy. We drove home, with my dad in the back seat holding Buddy. An hour into the drive home, we stopped to let Buddy potty. Buddy ran to the grass. In an excitedly cheery tone, my mom said "Good boy, Buddy!" Hearing my mom so happy made Buddy's eyes light up, and he ran right over to her, doing his puppy pride dance around her feet. Seriously adorable! Back in the car for the other 2 hours, and my dad gave Buddy some of the cheese Michelle had given them. A half hour after that, Buddy barfed up cheese, water and puppy food ALL OVER my dad. Needless to say, it was both hilarious and stinky!

The past 7 years have been happy, loving and joyful. Buddy has been a saving grace to my dad when he felt there was no one at home to talk to, his job pissed him off and my dad needed a calming presence. Work would stress my dad, and he would come home cussing. Intuitively, Buddy would realize "Hey, Dad's freaking out AND HIS FACE IS TURNING RED!!!" So, every time Buddy hears my dad using certain words (SHIT, DAMMIT!) he runs up jumping up and down as if to say "Call the heck down or you'll have a heart attack, Dad!"

Buddy now has 2 adopted (shelter) brothers, Kaiser and Cody. Kaiser was adopted from the animal shelter on a cold, rainy February day. An animal control agent called my dad when a long-haired German Shepherd was relinquished by its owners. My parents had been looking for a possible companion for Buddy since Abby (my brother's dog) had passed. My mom really wanted a shepherd, because she had been around them through her childhood and believes them to be one of the best dogs ever! When they saw Kaiser, his self esteem beaten down and shivering from fear, they knew he needed a loving home. Ours would be perfect. Cody was another owner surrender who came in when he was about 3-4 years old. Apparently, his "destructive" behavior was too much for his family to handle. I mean, Cody's torn some things up but not too terrible. We found out he was a Flat Coat Retriver, a breed I'd never heard of. They're basically a black Golden! SUPER CUTE & FLUFFY!!! Buddy loves his brothers...and they love him. They can't do anything without the others.

My dad and "The Boys" (along with our cat Figaro...who wants/thinks he's a dog) form a pack. The Boys look out for my parents, especially Dad, and offer a heartwarming comfort.

Back in college, I took one of my creative writing courses and told my dad I wanted to start writing children's books with Buddy as the main character. The series being called "Buddy the Wonder Dog." Buddy seemed to escape every bout of sickness or injury...like when he would eat HANDFULS of mulch without it tearing up his stomach or eating the chocolate chip cookies left on the counter without puking. That was until recently....

A week or two before Thanksgiving, Buddy was taken in for a hard mass on his shoulder. You should know our vet, who we lovingly call Aunt Doctor Becky (ADB), has a Siever's Golden after she saw us with Buddy. Her dog, Winston, is Buddy's uncle!!! ADB took x-rays and couldn't find anything--so she and my parents thought it might have been a sprained shoulder. When it didn't get better, my parents took Buddy back in for a biopsy. That's when ADB discovered that our Golden boy, Buddy, has Stage 1 bone cancer. Today, he went to have additional tests run at the University of Illinois' Veterinary Medicine building. We are blessed to have one of the top 3 vet schools within an hour drive. Because of the tumor already growing deep into the bone and tissue, the recommendation was to have the leg amputated. My parents think the surgery will be tomorrow or Thursday, but it was a hard decision for my dad to make. ADB is an alumi of UofI Vet, and my parents have asked her to do the surgery as we trust her more than anyone with Buddy.

There's so much of the "unknown" for this choice. What will his quality of life be like? Will he be able to play, run, walk, swim and enjoy his life as he would have before? Will Buddy fully recover? Will he forever be in pain that he hides and can't tell us about? Or will he be a part of that small percentage of dogs that wake up from the surgery and cry in agony as they see their missing limb for the first time? In that small percentage, will he be one of the dogs that recoil from human touch because he is so self conscious and upset? What will his doggie self esteem be?

Will Buddy feel as though we did this to him on purpose and feel as though we don't love him? Will Kaiser and Cody accept him back after surgery?

Buddy is pure joy. All he wants is: food, pets, hugs, cuddles, Bite-n-Fight play, walks, swimming in the pool and sleepy time. Doesn't seem like so much compared to what I want...a magical cure for him that leaves him in-tact and out of pain.

I love Buddy the Wonder Dog. I can't wait to get home for Christmas and snuggle up with him and pet his velvet ears. His first Christmas in 7 years that he won't be able to play in the snow....wonder if mom will let us build a snowman INSIDE for him! Hmmm....

Winter and the Holiday Season...puts me in the spirit!

2009-12-14T22:26:00.001-06:00

This winter marks my fourth in the city. And still it never ceases to amaze me. The weather goes up and down, round and round, all within a matter of days. Last year's winter was one of the worse I've ever seen in my life, and I started this winter thinking about that fact and caught myself cringing.

The Windy City definitely becomes crazy...where people look like night ninjas as they wrap themselves from head to toe to protect themselves and defeat their foe, Weather. As the day begins and ends, you see Chicagoans bustling up to the bus and el stops with nothing but their eye balls showing. You remember in "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation," where Audrey's eyelashes/eyes get frozen as the Griswold family hunts for the perfect Christmas tree? Yeah, that actually happened last winter. Your eyes froze open and your eyelashes were mini icicles of tears. Pedestrians protect their feet with humongous, furry boots to keep any snow from touching their socked feet. The shelves at Walgreens and CVS are out of stock for hand warmers. Everyone is on MISSION: HYPOTHERMIA HATERS.

But boy do the electric and gas companies love Chicago weather...where they literally reap rewards far greater than you could imagine. Sky rocketing bills each month to protect against the cold. Being that I had steam heat for the past 3 winters, paying the gas bill this year will be interesting, especially since I have 2 fully exposed walls and no insulation in the building.

I shouldn't complain as my friends in Minne-Paul get weather far worse and extensive than Chicago; however, Chicago winter sucks.

But there are the positives. The first snow fall looks like shredded coconut making a humongous cake for us all to devour with pleasure. The pure white that first morning makes you want to throw on a snow suit, make snow angels, build a snow man and sip hot cocoa. Our family dogs, which we've termed "The Boys," run around the yard flicking mini puffs of snow up with their noses and trying to eat all the falling flakes. If I could take the entire winter off to watch The Boys play all day in the snow, I would. Seeing them happy and carefree turns me jealous to the overworked, hyper-stressed individual that I appear to be today.

Winter should bring back your childlike outlook on life. How quickly things change and to enjoy the beauty and magic that this season brings.

As a tribute to the child we've all lost, I want to tell a story that I still remember to this day and doubt I will every forget. Three winters ago, I was home in Decatur for the holiday. My dad and I needed to do some final Christmas shopping for my mom and grandma. We ended up running to the mall before it closed. As we parked our SUV in the lot and got out, we fell in step behind a younger dad and his daughter. The little girl appeared to be about five or six and wore a pink puffy jacket with a white faux fur collar. She had a tassle pink polka dot scarf and mittens that matched her jacket.

The snow was falling that night and looked beautiful against the almost set sun. The little girl looked up at her dad with an awestruck smile and asked, "You know what Daddy?" Her dad looked down at her with a patient and loving smile and asked "What?" She looked back up toward the sky and raised one of her cute, little, gloved hands and answered, "The snow looks like sugar falling down from heaven." With that, her dad swooped her up in a hug and propped her on his hip.

I looked at my dad with a huge smile and whispered that that was the cutest thing I've ever heard. He said, "You know, Cissy, kids have the purest outlook on life and make you see things in a way you never would have." While I've never had a maternal instinct in my life, that was one of the very few moments I've wanted children...just to experience those cute little quips that kids have. I know I used to look at life so pure, verses jaded.

My Christmas spirit is bounding uphill each day as we get closer to the 25th. Our family has been through a lot this year, and I have many blessings and things to be thankful for. Next steps are to await the sheet music to our Christmas Service at church and go caroling drunk off of Irish hot chocolate. Now THAT's the way to get in the holiday spirit.

September in Phoenix & Fall in Chicago

2009-10-11T21:45:00.000-05:00

Friends couldn't understand and always wondered why I didn't really connect with Phoenix when I moved there...and it's easy. There were a few things I didn't like, and I apologize for those who might be offended at this list:

1. Driving with the Phoenix drivers in the early morning--There were many an accidents that could have come "this" close from those who weren't going the speed limit, not looking before changing lanes, etc. Furthermore, DON'T get on the freeway if you're not going to go the speedlimit, not turn on your headlights in the pitch black of 6am and change lanes without looking to see if someone else is there.

2. Lack of grass--When I first flew over Phoenix, I saw green all over the place. I sat there descending and thinking that my parents were lying about Phoenix people not having grass and yards. Well, once I landed I realized they were right, but only partly. Some people DO have grass yards, while others take green painted rocks and dump tons of them to create a "green" yard. Very odd....

3. Lack of real seasons. Or should I say distinctive seasons. I went in for my first interview with UoP in September, while it was 95 degrees out that day. I was in a long sleeve white collared shirt and a black suit jacket and pants. However, I didn't feel uncomfortably warm. Hello1 NO HUMIDITY! But as it got to be Fall and then Winter, I was wondering what I would see. Other than the slight frost on the windows when I drove into work every morning, I didn't really notice anything other than the weather holding strong at a daily high of 75-80. I missed the fall turnover and the winter solstice...full of frost, ice and snow in all its glory!

So, I left...well, and I was in love with (before the move) an awesome guy who had cheated on me, which I found out right before Christmas. Don't do long distances...it's stupid and pointless. Anyway, I wasn't connecting with my surroundings, was heart broken, had a grandmother going in for a surgery and missed my family like mad. After Christmas, I packed my stuff and made the long drive back to Illinois.

I hadn't been back to Phoenix for over three years when I went this September to see my cousin. Three years! I still have a best friend out there along with my cousin. And I miss them both. When the plane was landing, I starting thinking of everything that happened before my move back home to Illinois, and I started tearing up. I had flown over the New Mexico mountains, saw the hills and mountains of Phoenix and realized everything I really liked about it.

The raw environmental beauty that I didn't get in Illinois.

I landed, called my cousin and awaited her at Door 7 on the North side of Sky Harbor. The airport always amazed me because it was so clean and fresh looking from the street. O'Hare and Midway always looked dingy in comparison after I flew into Phoenix.

Forgot to tell you why I went back to Phoenix in the first place--other than the fact I wanted to get away from work and have a couple days where I didn't worry about work or keep prospecting/researching companies through dinner. MY COUSIN WAS PREGNANT! It was the first pregnancy among my dad and aunt's section of our family. She had just bought her first home about five months earlier, had a rough go around with her long term boyfriend and was in the best pregnancy zen I could ever imagine.

Katie, my cousin, had no morning sickness, only gained 23 pounds and looked only six months pregnant when the baby was born! How lucky! Every other uncomfortable pregnant woman's jealous dream! Since she told me she was pregnant, I joked about how I hoped it was a boy when she wanted a girl--Oliver Liam Grundman LeGreco was born on 9/23/09, A BOY. I also planned my trip a couple weeks before Oli G. was due because I am not good with babies, which Katie joked she hoped the baby would come when I was there. Then my dad, aunt and grandma said the same thing; they all felt it would be good "experience" for the member of the family who didn't want kids or to be around them to actually see the power and miracle of birth.

Well, as soon as Katie's driving us out of the airport, she said to me. "I've got a surrrrprrriiiiise for you!"

"You're getting induced," I answered.

She looked at me, shocked, and asked if I had talked to Grannie the night before, which I had not. I did, however, have a dream earlier that week that she had an early induction due to the fact the baby was so large. The baby's dad, Casey, is a GIANT! Well, not clinically a giant, but socially speaking. Casey's 7'9. And my mind was like "Dang, that's a tall dude!"

So, my trip to Phoenix in September was helping prep the rest of the baby needs, go shopping, and just relax. The weather was beautiful and topped out at 101. For a summer in Chicago that the average temp in July was 69, this change in weather was much needed. I also got to see my best friend, Ash (it's a boy, not a girl), for lunch, where I got to meet his long-term girlfriend and future fiance. I hadn't seen him in two years since he came to Chicago for a long weekend.

Katie was induced Tuesday night and Oliver was born on Wednesday afternoon. However, even though I had extended my stay from leaving 7am Tuesday morning to leave at 1pm on Wednesday, I missed him being born. But I did leave feeling excited and hopeful that I might have a child someday, too. Yes, I now want A, one, uno, ein bebe!

When I got back to Chicago, work picked up. (Work is also another reason for my lack of blogging--big product launch, lots of new business efforts, etc.) Then it was October 1st. The weather turned quite quickly. One weekend it was about 75 and the next week was low 60's and then high 50's.

And then, I woke up to the morning temperature of 42. Granted it was at 7:30am; however, the high was 52. GOOD-NESS! It is freezing. Plus my roommate didn't want to turn on the heat. I run cold naturally, and it was/is getting a bit too much to deal with. So, this weekend while she was gone for some family reasons, I turned on the heat. AAAaaahhh....nice to be warm rather than freezing when I go to bed.

However, when I was walking around Lincoln Park yesterday and then driving on 55 South today to meet my dad, I realized how beautiful fall is. Look at the leaves and the sky, even though it might be slightly cloudy. It's almost like the clouds are preparing for the earth to take a long nap. The leaves left on the ground are a bright colored quilt stitched by nature. Protecting it when the snow, rain and ice come. I really love the seasons, and I can't wait for winter to come. Everywhere in Chicago, people are prepping. The boots are on, scarves are nestled under our chins and the jackets/coats are out of storage. I can't wait for the Festival of Lights.

To ring in Fall's spirit, my friends and I had a Fall inspired dinner, with a menu that consisted of pumpkin and squash courses. There's a certain feeling you get from winter veggies. The warmth, color, smell and feeling is amazing and heart warming.

While I was left feeling in love with Phoenix, my cousin, the new baby, my best friend and the heat...I realize why I truly am a Midwest girl. You know...I was emailing my friend Kris last week and he said to me that people on the west coast will never compare the kindness in people in the Midwest. He said when you can't drive or even walk into a doctor's office without encountering rudeness, "Houston, we have a problem."

Look around you. See the nature. Experience the preparation for the next four or five months. Be happy. And while I'm not inspired enough by Phoenix to move back, I WILL be going over for Christmas to see Oli G for the first time. I already have his present--a onesie that says "Mommy's Poop Master."

New Moon Trailer = Me likey

2009-06-01T22:19:00.001-05:00

Denise and I haven't gotten our new cable box from Comcast yet (which is my fault), and we missed the MTV movie awards last night. We kept checking all types of media outlets for our very own peek at the New Moon trailer.

As we were giving up and going to head off to bed, I took just one more peek at www.perezhilton.com. And there on the home page was the trailer.

The permalink was like a blinking Christmas light telling us "Click me. You know you wanna see hot Robert Pattinson & Taylor Lautner." I opened the link and Denise sat next to me as we watched the clip for the first time.

Three more viewings later, we were both excited with goosey bumps on our arms. I CAN'T WAIT! Seriously, there's something so juvenile about this movie...and the Twilight saga in general...but I cannot help myself! It's like I am a tween again. SAVE ME FROM THE MADNESS.

Enjoy

Official Review of an amazing product...Shoes Under

2009-06-01T21:56:00.001-05:00

As you can see in my previous post, I am known for my footware. And while most people would tell me to halt my addiction and save my money, I now have a whole new reason to continue my pursuit of orthopedic merriment...

THE SHOES UNDER

We've all seen this product advertised on TV. This product seemed as obvious as "green means go;" however, no one had really put this out as a consumer product. So, as my move-in day came to an end and I was stuck unpacking all my clothes, bags, purses and belts, the four boxes of shoes I had sitting in the middle of my room almost appeared to be a feat to difficult too overcome.

While on a quick dinner break, I ran up to Walgreens to grab some basic fridge fillers and ended up walking by the "As Seen on TV" aisle. On the end sat Shoes Under, promising me a place for all of my shoes to fit...under my bed whilst taking no extra room in my closet. I thought, "What the hay. If they don't work, I can take them back." For $9.99 per Shoes Under, I thought this would be the cheapest and most appropriate solution.

I bought two Shoes Under to start, thinking this would fit all my shoes. Each Shoes Under fits up to 12 pairs of shoes. I opened my first moving box full of my shoes and began the process of unpacking.

The first Shoes Under was filled quicker than I expected, but I was a bit frustrated at the fact that some of my taller heels had to be split between two separate sections, which led to me losing a whole space for another pair of shoes. And then I got to thinking, "How would a man's shoe even FIT in here?" Not like most men are rushing out to get their very own Shoes Under, but I just thought this product is definitely leaving out a whole demographic...gay men. I would totally give this to my GBF for the holidays or his birthday.

With the first Shoes Under filled and filed under my bed, I started getting creative with my shoe boxes, and started making SHOES JENGA by stacking all the individual boxes before sorting them in the Shoes Under:

In the end, I had to go get an extra Shoes Under since my shoe collection was extensive as a stamp collector. Overall, this product is amazing. I have a platform bed and have never been able to really keep anything under it...until now. My Shoes Under's will probably double.

I thank you, Shoes Under creator, for giving me a product that frees up space in my closet, provides an obvious solution and a way to keep my shoes addiction/spending from my mother. GO GET YOURSELF A SHOES UNDER!

Shoes: Addiction or Random Accumulation?

2009-05-12T22:10:00.000-05:00

As I am packing for my move over Memorial Day weekend, I was afraid to even begin to tackle my closet. It seems overwhelming and scary. However, I was a brave girl and decided to take the easiest objects to pack first. Those objects were the shoe boxes stuffed in the back of my closet.

In college, I really started to develop a love-hate relationship with shoes. I loved to have them but hated that I wasted money on them. So as my college career went on, I started graduating into a regular aficionado of the stilleto.

And for the past 4 years of my working career, I have accumulated a lot of shoes. The packing tonight rendered 4 boxes of shoes, which doesn't include boots. I got rid of 4 pairs that were just worn to the stitches and 2 pairs that I hardly wore and will donate. Still, it's an insane amount of shoes!!!

I know I am not the only girl with this problem. And I admitted a long time ago that I am addicted to shopping. While I have calmed down my addiction, my closet is still a realization that I have been a bad, bad girl.

Lesson Learned

2009-05-12T19:38:00.000-05:00

Today was a day filled with an important lesson...

Making PB & chocolate no-bake cookies for your co-workers should be done the morning OF instead of the night BEFORE the day you want to take them into the office. Next time, I will measure everything out the evening before, wake up early to make them and let them set while getting ready.

Currently, there are only 10 left. We'll see about the morning.

Mommy's Day, celebration of birth

2009-05-08T21:50:00.000-05:00

My friends who know me and how I feel about children know that I probably won't be a mother any time soon...if at all. As many of my friends/family tell me, it is hypocritical to despise small children/babies considering I used to be one. Blah blah blah...you can't tell me that parents don't wish they could give their kids away every now and then, especially when they're acting like a-holes.

What I do appreciate is my family, especially my mom for birthing me from her loins. I came back home tonight to spend this weekend with my family. My mom, dad and I were sitting around watching "Baby's Mama" and comically reliving the birth of my older brother and me.

First thing to know about my older brother is that he was almost a month LATE. He wouldn't come out. Lazy bastard was stubborn as a mule from his zygote stage. But when he decided to grace the family with his presence, he was out in 45 minutes. My brother was born on June 11, 1981, and my mom's birthday is December 11th. So, there is some number connection in the cosmos with them. My brother was the CUTEST baby I have ever seen. He was like a rolly-polly teddy bear baby.

I, on the other hand, was NOT the cute baby. I came out kinda weird lookin' (and some would argue that the stage is not over yet). I was 2 days early, because I believe to be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late and if you're late, don't show up. My mom was telling me tonight that she didn't really feel any pain when her water broke and she felt fine until she got into the hospital. But, like my brother, mine was a quick birth--1 hour baby! I was born on April 15, 1983...and my dad is CFO/CPA. Take THAT for karma! But my dad, speaking as a CPA, believes I am the best tax break he & my mom ever got, and I don't disagree.

Growing up, my brother and I had BLEACH blond hairs. Yeah, have no idea how that happened. Look at my picture...I have dark dark brown hairs. My brother looks like my mom's dad, may he rest in peace. While I look like my dad, even though I don't see it and still feel like the milkman's baby.

Many arguments, broken bones, sports teams, traveling and school later, my brother and I are adults. My parents are empty nesters...until I come home with Will and Grace, and then it's game on. Spending time with my family while I'm home is relaxing and needed. Work and Chicago can really distract me from being appreciative and contemplative of the blessings I have been given and have worked for in my life.

My mom has had her times...there were times I didn't know if I could look at her without wanting to tear her face off. But in the end...in the reality of it all...I respect her and thank her for my life.

Mother's are a force to be reckoned with. Their power, strength and intelligence is insurmountable. I would challenge any man/father to do half of what their wife/mother has done for them and their children without being asked or told. It is an internal, natural ebb and flow. And while I cannot see myself with children, I hope that if the blessing comes along that I can learn from my own mother and my friends who are mothers for guidance.

Current Twitter status that I wanted to share

2009-05-08T21:42:00.001-05:00

Every time Ace of Bass comes on the radio, I turn into an awkward 12 year old again...

Moving To-Do List

2009-05-08T11:01:00.001-05:00

With my move coming up in two weeks, I am preparing a to-do list of things that are vital to my happiness in my new apartment:

1. Buy the following items in bulk: peanut butter, bananas, cheese, wine & toothpaste

2. Carefully pack my important items, which include: Dane Cook tickets, Nuevo Vallarta tequila shot necklace & Pres. Obama memorabilia

3. Sell window AC unit, as I have finally graduated up to central air

4. Patch holes in bathroom wall that are result of NOT measuring properly before hanging

5. Give roomie the tour of the apartment she hasn't seen & hope she approves

Rain turns Chicago into London?

2009-05-06T20:29:00.000-05:00

You know, the only time I was in London was back in the Summer 2004 while on an immersion trip with my university. Our class took British Airways, and whilst on our airplane waiting to take off, the BA pilots went on strike. True story...I was ON the plane. But alas, I am getting off track.

I suffer from migraines, and have been affected by this since I was 12 years old. My headaches also stem from barometric pressure, which is basically when the storms are coming. Well, the past 10 days have been fun. At one point, it rained off/on for 6 days in Chicago. It was NUTS!

At one point, I saw a yuppy mom with her little toddler-both wearing their wellies. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was completely cute; however, we're not in London. It made me think-"I mine as well just get some fish and chips and buy a ridiculous poncho." I'm hoping this rainy season turns into the beautiful Spring weather I love so dearly.

Plus, my hairs look awful with the wet and humid weather...so, now my hair gets to look like poo for the next 4 months with the humidity! HOORAY!

Even more pride

2009-04-07T16:31:00.001-05:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040702200.html?hpid=topnews

Things progress day to day, but today is a good day...

Finally proud!

2009-04-07T11:55:00.000-05:00

Someday, I hope to attend my best gay friends' weddings in the state of Illinois and know that their rights will be forever available as it would be for me. Looks like America is taking the right step!!!

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE53648V20090407

Please don't post comments saying how I'm wrong and people are going to hell...I leave judgement up to My Creator and no one else. Thank you and be accepting.

Deep in the heart of Texas!

2009-04-04T11:39:00.000-05:00

How would one know that Spring has officially sprung unless one takes a Spring Break mini getaway? One can't!!! So, in order to honor the commencement from Winter to Spring, Brianne and I took a roadtrip to visit our friend, Denise, who had moved to Texas about a year ago.

The road trip began on a Friday night from Hoopeston, Illinois (home of the Cornjerkers) and ended in Pearland, Texas (a suburb right outside of Houston). Gotta love a 15 hour road trip that takes you through such exciting cities such as Dix, Illinois, Arkadelphia, Arkansas and Cotton Plant, Arkansas. I mean, seriously people.

I really enjoyed my time there. We had a very calm trip full of shopping, going out, recooping from our hangovers, going to bed at 5am, visiting Chocolate Bar, going costume shopping, seeing "I Love You Man," and GRILLING OUT IN MARCH!!!

The thing I find most annoying when taking road trips is the differing driving styles between states. It seems that Arkansasians don't like a turn signal, but they LOVE driving slowly in the left hand lane. Texans seem to like hugging the lines while driving their over-compensatingly large trucks. And we know what big cars compensate for...short....legs.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there. I think my favorite moment in Texas was Chocolate Bar. I want to marry the man who thinks it's a good idea for me to start my own sweet treat shop filled will chocolatey goodness. Cakes, tortes, everything dipped in chocolate! *HEAVEN* I wanted to just roll around in everything...and now I sound like a dog.

With Denise wanting to move back to Illinois, prefererably Chicago, this might be my only visit out there!

Where has 2 months gone?

2009-04-04T11:22:00.001-05:00

So, I haven't been blogging since February 25th. I cannot believe I have neglected my blog outlet for 2 months. This fact is just outrageous. Simply outrageous. The past 2 months have been highly dedicated to work and my newfound love...

THE TWILIGHT SAGA!

Oh...my...god. I cannot tell you how much I loved these books. I think in total the 4books have about 2,000 pages, which I read over 9 days (a feat that my friends called fanatical and crazy). I read Twilight in one sitting on a rainy Sunday after the Forest Park St. Paddy's Parade. It was a good tired/hungover book. The other books took 2 1/2 or 3 days to get through. This accounted to late nights...

The saga was a nice escape from the serious story lines I had been reading. Over Christmas, I saw the movie with a friend who had read the first 2 books. She told me that the movie was lacking compared to the book. Still, I didn't motivated to buy the book.

Then, my friend said she had the 4 books at her office and needed to bring them home. "I'll read them if you bring them home," I told her. That week, I had Twilight and New Moon on the coffee table. Again, I just wasn't in the mood to start reading. But once that first book was over, I couldn't stop thinking about starting the sequel.

It is official, and I am a Twilight fanatic. November 20, 2009 cannot come soon enough. New Moon is supposed to have a bigger budget, which I think will lend to better effects and story line. Hopefully, it will encompass more of the book than the first movie. And while I think Edward Cullen is dreamy, I'm team Jacob. Tall, dark and handsome.

P.S. Robert Pattinson is an amazing musician...and me love him long time.

Song on my mind...

2009-02-25T22:44:00.001-06:00

You know, there are songs throughout time that will never leave your soul. And I think this is one of them. "C'est Ci Bon" sung by Eartha Kitt is the most amazing recording. This petite woman has the voice of the world in her.

I wish I would have been able to see her perform live before her passing in January 2009. She was still performing and interviewing through her fight with colon cancer, and she still had that cheerful and gracious attitude.

I hope that I can sing this live someday...while I can sing in 5 languages, French is not one of them. I can attempt, but it would sound like poo. I'm going to have to get my mom to help me with the phonetics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK2Li67ln68

Stimulate something please

2009-02-12T19:44:00.001-06:00

With the passing and editing of the stimulus package, I just think to myself that SOMETHING's gotta stimulate...and I know a lot of my friends need some stimulating, too.

I was raised in Decatur and Forsyth, Illinois. Most people have never heard of Decatur, even though there are over 80,000 people in the "city" and is a HQ for a Fortune 500 company that is the largest manufacturer of soy & corn products--ADM. Decatur also has a office for Catterpillar. A plant where production could turn from farm machinery to military tanks within minutes! (if the country every needed it) Lastly, Tate & Lyle has is HQ'd in Decatur. T&L has a plant, Staley, that produces products from renewable food sources. So, class, what's the business trend we are seeing here???

IT'S BLUE COLLAR. Agriculture & manufacturing. Which means what? This city cannot afford job losses in this economy.

While ADM had an upward trend compared to the downward forecasted revenue reports, Caterpillar has decided to reduce departments/locations across the globe. Thousands of workers are being laid off, and Caterpillar chose Decatur as a location to shut down some areas in order to save money.

Jobs lost in a blue collar town where other jobs are not plentiful to begin with?

It's devistating. I have friends that have friends and family at Cat. If hundreds of people are losing these jobs, but they don't have anywhere to go, these workers' families are put into a horrible position and reality. This reminds me of what happened when I was growing up...

Bridgestone Firestone had a huge plant in Decatur, and it had been open for over 50 years and had about 1,500 employees alone in this ONE plant. The plant closure happened around the time when Bridgestone had its tire recall that ultimately had them losing MILLIONS upon MILLIONS of dollars. Decatur was really never the same. There were tons of workers unemployed, families without income and no other jobs for these workers. ADM and Staley were immediate go-to's for a lot of people.

I grew up in the Midwest (obviously) surrounded by corn and soy fields. And if you grew up in this area and have experienced winds, rains and tornadoes, you would probably know and believe that these natural things could lead to a lot of good jobs, fuel/food sources, etc. We need to reinvent the wheel and model for "what is normal" in living, purchasing, and producing.

We need to believe that the money put into it now is an investment on what could come out of it. We need to be a leader in the world when it comes to using our brains and our own resources to live off of. Not someone else's stuff. We need to stop being greedy and lazy and thinking that everything will just come to us on its own and fix itself.

Please, let this economy stimulate...

Why population control is needed sometimes...

2009-02-07T20:36:00.000-06:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29038814/

If you cannot take care of your children without support from family, friends, church or the government, then maybe you shouldn't have anymore...just an idea. Ok, let me rephrase that--your MAIN income shouldn't be from family, friends, church or government. Everyone gets help from time to time!

Nadya Suleman really pisses me off, and I can't really explain it as well as the video of her initial interview. It is obvious to me that she is effed up in the head. Alternative lifestyles are awesome! And I am all about invitro and artificial insemination for couples who want to have a family and can afford it. However, I am not about a woman having children to make herself feel fulfilled. With 7 children, if you don't feel fulfilled already, there is something else wrong and you need to seek help.

And with that last statement, I find it odd that her Master's Degree will be in counseling...THERE'S YER SIGN honey!

Ok, enough of this or I could be typing all night. And my fever still hasn't gone away from my flu and this topic would put me over the top.

Keep the dream alive...

2009-02-06T16:23:00.000-06:00

Through the barfing of my flu yesterday, I got some amazing news...

My best friend, Jennifer, just happened to go online to Ticketmaster to double check there wasn't a presale for NKOTB tickets for the concert on 4/5/09. And BOOM! There was the presale. WOOT!

NKOTB on 4/5/09 in Champaign, IL @ Assembly Hall....section A20.

Cannot wait for another night like THIS...

Bong It Baby…Doug Strickland’s Letter to Michael Phelps

2009-02-04T19:55:00.000-06:00

Public Defender’s Office
Richland County, South Carolina

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Mr. Phelps-

Phew. Wow man, I bet your mom is PISSED at you. Trouble again in the public eye—tsk tsk, you naughty bird. For once, I’m glad I’m not you. Still, you’re lucky it was only marijuana and not something dirty like meth. Just look at what happened to Sarah Palin’s daughter’s future mother-in-law when everyone found out she was selling meth to 12 year olds. Talk about a downward spiral for one’s moral fiber.

Rest assured, everyone will forget the bong picture just as quickly as they forgot about the DUI thing. Give it a month, and it’ll be old news. Well, now people are talking about the DUI again since the bong picture spread everywhere like my ex-wife’s legs at the annual golf charity event. But that’s a whole other conversation. Or “convo” as you kids call it. But seriously, this is no biggie.

I bet you’ve heard what’s been going around Richland County about you possibly facing criminal charges, but I want you to know a little secret. In the 21 years I’ve been working in the Public Defender’s Office in Richland County, I can’t remember a single person being charged with drug possession. Yeah, 21 years, buddy. So don’t sweat this too much. And that idiot sheriff, Leon Lott, is a joke. Don’t tell him I told you this, but he came on when Miami Vice was on-air. It’s like he secretly wanted to be wearing the white linen suit and bright t-shirts, and thought it would be fun to be sheriff. Haha! What a dim-witted idiot.

Subsequently, I propose a plan of attack for you just in the slightest case your sweet ass ends up in lock-up here. First, I would definitely make a donation somewhere. I dunno, maybe an animal shelter or something? Chicks really love guys who like animals. And you could take your dog on a tour of shelter stops or something. Next, I would write a public letter just letting the youth know the importance of staying away from drugs, how you regret your bad decisions and tell your experience with them. Maybe leave out the experience part, because there’s nothing better than getting wasted with your buddies and smoking the gonja while eating nachos and Oreos. Damn I miss my college frat parties!

But seriously though. Usually, the other druggies caught in the past paid a $500 fine or were put away for 30 days tops. If by some strange twist of fate, Miami Vice Sheriff Lott and his funky suit put you in the slammer, I’ll personally make sure you’re taken care of. I have those strings since I'm the head of the Public Defender's Office. But you gotta play it cool homie.

Ok, I gotta peace out. My secretary is coming with me to take a deposition...if you know what I mean. Yeah BUUUUDDY! Hit me up on my cell if you’re worried.

Keep the bong dream alive-

Doug Strickland
Head of the Richland County Public Defender’s Office

P.S. I’m not sure if you can do this, but I’m sending my Michael Phelps calendar. My best friend got it for me for Christmas but I was waiting to meet you someday and make it a collector’s item. Now, I think I’ll just hang it up in my office next to my phone. Do you think you can sign it for me? Thanks, bra.

The Bean Vandals

2009-02-03T20:40:00.001-06:00

I stand corrected...the second person's name is quite legible. Given premature information on the radio.

The Eternally Infamous Peter S. (or is the S really a 5?)

2009-02-03T15:04:00.000-06:00

Today, Chicago was hit with the disheartening news that their amazing and semi-virginal “Cloud Gate” has been maimed. The majority of the population will know Cloud Gate as “The Bean” in Millennium Park. And here is a brief history of The Bean and how it came about.

The Bean was constructed about 4 years ago by British artist Anish Kapoor after he won a design contest held by the city in search of a local piece of art. Anish made The Bean out of 168 stainless steel plates that reflect sides of the Chicago skyline. No offense to NYC, but Chicago’s skyline is amazing and stretches over 20 miles (believe me, because I walked 20 miles of it for the AFSP Overnight Event in 2006). And I’ve been to NYC to see the skyline. So, I find myself able to make such a statement.

The last two stages of the construction included an intense buffing of the steel plates as well as polishing which left Cloud Gate the shiniest philly the Midwest had ever seen. Interestingly enough, The Bean was constructed based on private donations only without any public finance. Which is probably a good thing considering the final bill for this art was estimated at $23 million, shockingly escalated compared to the initial estimate of only $6 million. HOLY CRICKEY!

While driving to work this morning and listening to WGN Radio for traffic updates, I heard the funniest piece of reporting and commentary between John Williams and whoever he was talking to about the story. For this story, we’ll call him Sean Connery. And here is my attempt to recreate (with a twist of Meridith in there):

JW: So, Sean, what’s this about the Bean being vandalized last night?

SC: Yeah, John, it’s a sad story of th…

JW: (interrupting) Wouldn’t you think it would be too cold for someone to be doing that. Ha!

SC: Yeah, it was cold but don’t think it took them that long. Cloud Gate, or as most of you may know it as The Bean, has been vandalized. Peter S decided he wanted to go down in history as the first person to etch-a-sketch his name into the shiny silvery belly of The Bean. Well, I guess it could be Peter 5 but I think it’s probably an “s” to symbolize the initial of his last name. Maybe he’s a mathematician! *giggle*

JW: Oh wow, could you imagine the police searching the Cook County database with all people named Peter S? Could take YEARS to find that guy. *chuckles at his stupid attempt at humor*

SC: *confused silence*

JW: (going into recovery mode) Well, how big is the name? I mean can you see it? I wonder if they will try to buff it out or something. The Bean is so SHINY! It just is tragic that this happened. But I mean it’s been four years. So, I guess it was clean that long.

SC: You’ve got a point there, John. The Bean has been so loved by the city and all who come through Chicago that I think it demanded respect until last night. I don’t know exactly about getting the name buffed out but yeah…you can definitely see it. Looks like Peter used a pencil or a pen or a nail or something sharp.

JW: Yeah, it’d have to be sharp to get etched into that steel. Well, how big is it?

SC: It was small compared to the entire size of The Bean being so big. But I’d say it’s a pretty decent size…you know…about 3 inches. (pause)

JW: (pauses because they’re both thinking the same perverted joke that’s not allowed by radio regulations)

JW: Yeah, that’s a pretty big scratch. Big enough to see.

And THAT’s where I had to laugh out loud and change the channel back to B96. I heard an update on The Bean on WGN Radio while driving to and from appointments. Looks like Peter S. (or possibly Peter 5 as the WGN Radio reporter so observantly found) was with another person who also scratched his/her name into The Bean. However, due to the illegible nature of the name, it cannot be read. Hence, that person matters none whatsoever to this story or forever in history. Sorry! Should have learned to write. Then you’d be as popular as Peter 5…I mean Peter S!! Damn it! I’m already forgetting his name.

DECAPITATION OF THE PENGUIN

2009-02-02T21:58:00.000-06:00

Groundhog Day was sad realizing that we’ve got 6 more weeks of this awful winter weather. Chicago winter brings the dryest air into my apartment. Furthermore, the dry air makes my cats’ fur all staticy and shocking. There are times, with the lights off, my sheets will literally give off enough electrical static I can see sparks in my sheets...and that happens to be the most action those sheets have seen all season. I've gotten used to the fact that a lot of vintage apartments still use steam heat. That's fine, because steam heat is the warmest heat I've ever felt. But it is no help for the air.

The past few weeks I debated whether or not to just buy a humidifier for my living room to help put some moisture back into the air. Each time I passed the shopping aisles, I saw a gazillion humidifiers all promising to cure me of the horrible static cling that causes me to check my behind every time I wear a skirt and tights. StaticGuard has one loyal customer in me. For the past 2 months, I bet I've probably kept them in business. Still, I kept putting a humidifier on the back of the "needed purchases list"…that is until I went to the store and saw the PERFECT one to fit my personality. Case in point:

This cute little humidifier was small enough not to take up too much space in my living room and has been the static-be-gone promise of any working humidifier. Plus, I don't want to grow out of my college attitude and still have a ridiculously childish piece of machinery in my apartment. The one problem of this miraculous machine? My cat keeps decapitating it. No joke. The first three mornings of using the penguin, I woke up to find my penguin decapitated by my cat, Will’s, own doing. He attacked the helpless machine in the middle of the night when he knew I couldn't save my beloved machine from it's brutal death. Sunday morning, he even took off the body of it. Will is a bit of a bully and quite strong. So, the poor plastic penguin had no steaming chance.

But two can play that game. I decided to put Will in his place by taping the head to the body to the base with black electrical tape. This morning I awoke to a fully intact penguin humidifier. This seemed to piss off Will, as he preceded to stand in front of the penguin staring at it. I truly believe he was waiting for his evil stare to scare the penguin to tipping off his own head. Then, he moved to the other side of the ottoman, where he stalked the machine.

That’s when Grace, his twin sister, got into the action. She laid on the window sill staring at the steam making it’s beautiful cloud-like billow out of its whale-esque blowhole at the top of its plastic head.

Sometimes I truly wished they would chill out and let me breath my newly humidified air in peace.

Weekend Reflection

2009-02-02T21:50:00.000-06:00

The past couple days, I’ve experinced a few things that were enjoyable, refreshing and depressing all mixed into one.

Yesterday was a national holiday—Super Bowl Sunday. Instead of preparing a massive amount of gut-wadding food, I spent my afternoon going to see Spamalot with one of my best friends. I was a virgin to the show, but my friend had actually seen it in London while on family vaca a couple years ago. It was freakin’ hilarious! There were a couple of Blago quips and a reference to Beyonce’s “Put a ring on it.” And it was good to get out and see a production—especially since I miss performing myself! After the show was over, we grabbed a quick dinner and rushed home so I could see the game…or most of it.

Some of you might have noticed on Super Bowl Sunday for the past few years, Animal Planet has staged its own “Puppy Bowl.” http://animal.discovery.com/tv/puppy-bowl/puppy-bowl.html Unlike what seems like most American families, mine didn’t focus too much attention on football. However, we had a very animal friendly house. So the puppy bowl is freaking awesome to me! I’d much rather watch puppies running around and being cute any day. Still, I found the puppy bowl a true distraction from the actual game. I lived in Phoenix after college and was rooting for the Cardinals! Here I was trying to really focus on the game, and I kept flipping back to the freaking puppy bowl and worrying the stupid poodle pup was going to get run over by the cocker spaniel.

I should have kept watching the Puppy Bowl, because my team lost. Yup, the cardinals lost it! At half time I was calling my friends back in Pahonix and heard them all at the bar drinking and hoping the 2nd half would be their redemption. And oh did redemption come with Fitzgerald’s TD with a little less than three minutes left in the game. While I was jumping around screaming at the top of my lungs and taking other phone calls from friends, I slowly realized that if the Cardinals could have scored in thirty seconds then the Steelers definitely had the time with their two plus minutes. Welp, we all know what happened.

Then, getting the company email letting everyone know who won the Super Bowl pool was awesome. I was on the top 4 winners for the losing team. But I still think I got a gift certificate for the jelly of the month club or something. If only I hadn't given up carbs...what am I going to do with 12 of the nation's best jellies and jams?

NKOTB updates

2009-01-31T22:51:00.000-06:00

As previously mentioned in my first NKOTB related post, a cruise is happening in May. Unfortunately, financial status and the economy falling down the crapper forced me to make some observations before purchasing the tickets (please see below).

First, let's analyze the NKOTB cruise pricing:
1. Cheapest per person room rate: about $700-$750

2. Roundtrip airfair from ORD or MDW to Miami: about $350-$450

3. Alcohol on trip: Unable to estimate at this time

4. Gratuities for alcohol: Based on the value of #3

5. Stupid memoriabilia purchases: Based on the consumption of #3

Estimated total: Too much than I was willing to spend!!!!

Observations and reasons why NOT to buy tickets:
1. Pay for new laptop
2. Pay for car insurance
3. Pay for May trip with Annie to visit Lindsay in South Carolina
4. Road trip in March with Brianne to visit Denise in Houston
5. Credit card bills
6. Put money in savings for my house (to be purchased before 30)
7. Tickets to see Spamalot with Chip & tickets to Chicago for Brianne's birthday

And as I sat angry and depressed at not being able to afford this NKOTB cruise which was expected to change my life...I found out some devistating news--NKOTB planned additional tour dates that didn't come close to the Chicagoland area.

But my dreams were put back together again on Wednesday as my best friend, Brianne, discovered a brand new stop in Champaign, IL for NKOTB on Sunday, April 5, 2009. WHAT? Our dreams have been realized...ever since this evening...

...we have been DYING to go see them again in concert. If we can't do it by air or sea, by damn, we'll do it by car.

Problems that happened today on our quest to the April 5th show:

a. LiveNation (being the sponsor of this date) had tickets available today. Ticketmaster had tickets available on Saturday, February 7th. Hhhmm....???

As a resolution to this problem, I called my friend, Jennifer, who works at LiveNation in L.A. She didn't pick up. DAMN! So, I sent her a text begging her to help us so we wouldn't end up ticketless. She called back...2 1/2 hours later. That's when the other problem happened...

b. The April 5th concert isn't showing as verified on their company intranet site of shows. WHAT??????

As a resolution to this, Jennifer called her coworker for me but told me to follow Ticketmaster as they work with the LiveNation ticketing and promotion teams to update the most accurate information.

c. Waiting for Saturday, February 7th.

As a resolution we have created the proactive steps below.

Our next moves are to:

Patiently wait another 7 days to purchase tickets
Observe all 3 websites (LivenNation, Ticketmaster & the UofI Assembly Hall site) for info
Figure out the stage configuration to effectively purchase the proper section
Make signs for this show (as we were lame and had NO signs last time)
Find matching slap bracelets and bedazzle a group fanny pack
Get an early-90's perm 2 weeks before the concert to allow the necessary adjustment
Choreograph an insanely unique dance to our favorite songs
Write love letters and send via the fan mail address...oh wait, 26 year olds don't do that?

"Taken" must be the best thriller in 2009!

2009-01-31T22:28:00.000-06:00

Got back from seeing Taken with my buddy, Elizabeth. It's now 10:29pm CST and I am not in the mood to go out after seeing this movie! Seriously...TMI, but...I'm still pitting. This movie was like a good cardio workout for the better part of 60 minutes of the movie. Instead of doing stairs or running, I'm going to buy this movie, watch it on repeat and hope the popcorn and chocolate don't add any extra weight.

Liam Neeson is sexy, and I don't care if he's my dad's age (or close to it). He kicked some major apples in the movie and proved himself to be quite the action hero. Move over Matt Damon and your Bourne trilogy...and entre vouz Mr. Neeson.

I hope that this movie does well in the box office because Lizzy & her cousin hadn't even seen previews for it before we went tonight. On the other hand, I had seen the trailer as well as Neeson's interview on The View. It mixes a real global issue of human trafficing, mixes in the thriller aspect and international drama. PERFECTO!

I will never say "good luck" the same way again...if you see the movie, you'll understand. I would recommend this for a theater visit, not just a Netflix rental.

Travel itinerary includes a departure from Ronald Reagan International Airport

2009-01-26T18:18:00.001-06:00

Just got back into Chicagoland after a 6-day tour around part of the U.S. A business trip began the trip with a flight into Baltimore airport on Wednesday morning via Southwest. In no sense of the phrase would I consider myself a travel snob. I absolutely love flying Southwest out of Midway. And quite honestly, I feel sorry for Midway airport. It’s the red headed stepchild of airports in Chicago…it’s in a weird area, people like the largeness that is O’Hare…anyway, I’m getting sidetracked.

As I was leaving our business meeting on Friday, I flew out of D.C. to arrive in my final destination of the weekend, the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Can I just say that being a HUGE supporter of our 44th President, Barack Obama? I was excited to be in the airport and get some inaugural goodies for friends, family and myself. I’ve never been to D.C. (A fact that my mother regrets. D.C. never being a family vaca destination). My driver circled a forest and went over hills, pulling toward the D.C. city limits. The picture of the city overwhelmed me. The Potomac River ran next to us as a guide leading to the grandeur of the city—Arlington National Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial and finally, Washington Monument nestled next to the memorial.

And so ended my scenic tour of D.C. Yes, that was all. I had enough time after my last meeting to get the ride to the airport, check-in, grab a pretzel and head over to my gate. However, along the way, I meandered next to the trinket shops to get the previously mentioned purchases regarding the inauguration. All in all, I didn’t do too badly. Only $125, and that included:
Bobble head Pres. Obama, an Obama bar, magnet and mints for my apartment sitter and her mother, a t-shirt for my friend I was visiting in Minne and a mug for her mother (who LOVES Pres. Obama), postcards and magnets for my friends in TX, a magnet for my British friend who wishes she could have voted, Obama mints for my brother, a magnet & pin for my mom & dad, and an inauguration t-shirt for myself. I don’t have buyer’s remorse at all. I sort of wished I had gotten more.

When my mom and I were talking whilst I sat waiting for our boarding time and looking at my President Obama menagerie, I told my Mom that my next travel destination WILL be D.C. I need to visit my nation’s capital. How could I, as someone who feels they are traveled and worldy not have visited D.C.??? I’m insane. However, I was lucky enough to be in the area to feel some of the excitement and see the smiles and amazement that was the election and inauguration of our 44th President. GOBAMA.

NKOTB 4EVER!

2009-01-13T20:43:00.000-06:00

So, as many young girls....and by young girls, I mean the mid 20's to mid 30's...may have seen today, New Kids on the Block is heading to the high seas for a 3-day cruise!
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20251844,00.html

This news may make most men gag or laugh, but I can assure you that this cruise is going to be amazing. It will be full of NKOTB live entertainment, serving up some good times by the pool, old chicks screaming and throwing their training bras at the stage. Moreso, men, you can have the house to yourself while your girl's away! But that doesn't mean strippers are allowed across the threshold.

I recall last Spring when NKOTB started making appearances on various shows, such as Good Morning America...rumors spread quickly about a reunion tour! However, no confirmation was made. Thousands of woman went onto NKOTB.com and signed up for the e-newsletter in hopes we would hear the glorious confirmation that they would be getting back together. And then the blessed day came...

Words cannot express the excitement my friends and I felt when we got the e-newsletter teasing us to go online and check the upcoming news from the guys! We scampered to our laptops and typed N-K-O-T-B-.-C-O-M into Internet Explorer. *insert angels singing here* Our hotties were reuniting for a tour with about 15 city stops. Chicago happened to be one, but tickets were only up for presale to AmEx card members. Being that none of us had an AmEx card, we reverted to a total tweenager move. "Mom, can I charge tickets to your credit card? I promise we'll pay you back by the end of the month so you don't get charged intrest."

Thankfully, my friend's mom allowed us to use her card. And we got some amazing seats before the damn concert sold out in like 40 minutes!

Then, it was prep time. Jennifer fished out her NKOTB t-shirt circa 1993. AND she was still able to wear it. That thing had to have been a nightgown on her. We found old pictures, diary entries, slap bracelets, etc. Memorabilia that we just couldn't part with. I think subconsciously we knew this day would come.

*Dirty Dancing? Dont' mind if I do!

The time between purchasing the tickets and the date of the concert was filled with their new CD, burning CD's of their old music, loading our iPod's with everything NKOTB we could. I swear I must have stalked their website looking at all the videos that they posted.

Chicago was the 3rd loudest concert on the tour. I'd like to think that my hoarse voice at the end of the evening made a difference. And I can tell you I was partially deaf that evening. There was nothing better than experiencing the concert with my 2 best friends! It was good to be little again. Thank you Bacon for getting the tickets!

I am fully prepared to get made fun of by my other friends who are not NKOTB lovers. I did it before and I'll do it again. It's all for the love of the music, right? I can rest easy knowing I'm not the only one hoping to plan their entire vacation in May around this opportunity! Or maybe I am?

Since this announcement happened today, the website has been down and no further information has been posted. I feel like I'm going all CNN on this breaking news. Ok, no more talking or thinking about this. It's getting a little too consuming and ridunkulous.

Subconscious fantasy as I'm trying to wean myself off of thinking about the cruise: I hope to get all Gilligan's Island on this cruise...mmmmm...stranded w/ NKOTB on a dessert island....with their sculpted bodies & me in my bikini! GROSS...note to self, go to the gym.

Ode to the Chicagoan driver in snow

2009-01-09T21:14:00.000-06:00

Auf wiedersehen to the first full work week in January 2009. I thank you for going by quickly and (for the most part) painlessly. Last night, as my friend and I were done working on our fitness, we were walking in the frigid cold back to our cars. Realizing I had 1 full day left in the week, I thought "Damn am I lucky this week flew by. Friday's going to be a cinch!"

And then I got home and turned on the news...and saw the weather forecast...of 3-6 inches...with fog...and ice...and of course, idiot drivers of Illinois. Now don't jump off the handle! I'm one of those idiot drivers of Illinois. However, I take pride in the fact that I know when to slow down the choo choo when the weather is shiteous outside.

Did you know that today's snowfall marks the 21st measurable snowfall Chicagoland has seen this winter? JUST this winter...it's amazing. What further amazes me is our inability to not drive like idiots in this. You would think after all these years, we'd learn.

There's always that person in the SUV or truck. You know the one. Thinking because they have 4WD they can plow along, going 50 while everyone is at 25 or 30, spitting the nasty slush on your car and breaking too late/too close to the car in front of them.

And so begins my first blog, Ode to the Chicagoan driver in snow:

*Ode to you Mr. Infiniti FX 35, license plate number G11 9933*

I think it's hot how your SUV can plow through the slush and the falling snow as you continue to rush upon the traffic ahead of you. Your total disregard of the other cars break lights is a huge turn-on. Do you see the break lights ahead lit up like a Christmas tree? Yeah, that means they're A) breaking or B) stopped.

I realize that Mr. Lexus in front of me got into the left lane as you were approaching us, but please know Mr. Lexus had plenty of room to get in front of you without making you have to slam on your breaks. As I, too, got into the left lane behind you, the distance between us became greater and greater as you refused to slow down or reduce your speed. Or perhaps, you just weren't paying attention to everyone else around being at a much more reasonable speed.

As Mr. Lexus mad his way back into the middle lane, I thought it quite chivalrous, Mr. Infiniti FX 35, how you sped up along side him to flip him the bird. I appreciate the fact that you stopped your car (in the middle of traffic with us having the green light) along side Mr. Lexus to continue yelling at him through your passenger window and his. I wonder if he heard you.

Furthermore, I found it quite endearing when, as we finally approached the red light and stopped to wait our turn for the next green, you put your car into park, got out of your car, went up to Mr. Lexus' drivers window, demanded he roll down his window, yelled at him, calling him a bizzy & kitty cat (insert the profanities with those clues) and told him to get out of the car if he had something to say to you.

How lucky your wife must be. To see you get that angered over road rage that you would actually uproot yourself from your car in this kind of weather! Such a strong man...

Do you NOT see that there is traffic behind you? Or that there's snow? Or that the green light might be coming? And I'll be damned if I miss another green light because you're trying to prove how big of a man you are as you curse Mr. Lexus out through the 3 inch crack he created as he rolled down his window.