I really was going to bed. But I have not felt like the day is though without my daily photos this week. So I found a few lightly aged photo bits for you and me to munch on until the camera gets here (tomorrow!!)
Jordan's face at my wedding. Simply the best.
Jeanine cake from Taste of Heaven in Andersonville. Best. Cake. EVER.
I have seen this floating around the internet today and couldn’t resist giving it a home on Megagood as well.
Here is another lovely film called Sweet Dreams. It is 10 minutes long, but very worth it. It was made by experimental animation student Kirsten Lepore.
Just so we are clear, the Daily Picture of Happiness being suspended until the camera arrives.
This was not a particularly happy day at work. Layoffs happened company wide, and although most of our team was safe, there were some losses. In the midst of this sadness, I am happy to report that my office mates and I are still living together. I would take a picture to show you their awesomeness, but I don’t want to make you jealous. And also I can’t really because of the whole camera thing. Maybe I will draw them tomorrow.
My camera is officially eating itself. I am hoping to get through this week without it burning me, opening up a worm hole, or spinning and puking green vomit. Good will come of this somehow.
Yesterday, I witnessed a freakin cute cat bath. Porpus was spooning Schween and giving her a fierce bathing.
For anyone that is still reading, you are clearly a cat person and realize the severe cuteness of this situation. For those of you preferring a blog about actual human grandchildren, sorry, please hold. The wait time is 3-5 years.
Most of the time, Porpus and Schween would have us believe that they are not good friends at all and will sleep on their respective sides of the bed in disgust of each others lameness. This is all for show. We have repeatedly found them squished together when they think no one is looking. Beneath the futon (”office hours”) is their favorite place for a secret nap. So when I saw the spoon bath, I was sure not to make a move, because any human sighting of this would rip the time-space kittehtinuem and earth would be null. Therefore my happiness photo could not be properly captured, at risk of our very existence. Below is a typical scene instead:
Schween and Porp ignoring each other in public
Schween looking clean from her bath
Ugh my camera is weird.
So today as I was sitting directly in front of my space heater on the living room floor, I noticed how our magazine shelf under the coffee table houses some pretty interesting items. I think they tell an accurate story of those who live here:
The guts of the table
Life is a veritable smorgasbord. We have here several issues of The Economist living with Stuff on my Cat, a squirrel flashcard from Andersonville’s Foursided store, and I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris. I don’t feel the need to further explain this. I will say that it made me very happy to see these guys coexisting under the coffee table.
I am putting myself back in 3rd grade until I can properly spell the following words:
Acquaintance
Convenience
Embarrassing
Maintenance
Calendar
Receivable
Conscious
Deceiving
Conscience
Recommend
With all the spell check help these days, I have become a lazy speller. I know that every time I type those words, a little squiggly red line will appear below them and I will then chose the proper spelling from a CONVENIENT drop down menu. I just did it again. I am wondering why my brain never learns. I have been misspelling them for years. This has to stop. I have made flashcards.
Last night–and very early morning– some friends and I celebrated Amber’s Birthday. 9 degrees didn’t stop us from BYOB dinner and then dive bar dancing. Embarrassingly, my muscles are sore from dancing. This means two things. I am out of shape and I don’t get out much this time of year.
One of the topics at dinner was of course the winter blahs. Everyone has been suffering through a particularly harsh winter. The good news is that we are all caught up on LOST, The Wire, or the guilty pleasure of the Twilight books. But this gets old.
We are turning the corner it seems. Just in the last week, as the light is lingering until almost 5 pm (GASP), we have decided to fight back. Haircuts, new clothes, the gym, and plans outside of the couch have been made. We still may have a solid 4 months until a spring day, but we are somehow simultaneously tired of being dominated by the cold, and are willing to bite back. We really are just animals that are very effected by the seasons. Only hibernation is sadly frowned upon.
I lived in Florida for four years before moving to Chicago. You could wake up in October and think it is May, cause there is really not much difference. There are advantages to a season-less climate, although it feels a bit like cheating. The cycle of the year is not a really cycle at all without seasons.
When spring does arrive in Chicago, the sense of community is stronger than any other time of the year. Much like a city that has been hit by disaster, has fought through together, and emerged stronger and more united. Almost. But the idea is that everyone is giddy city-wide. Like we are congratulating ourselves and our neighbors on making it through. Nothing stops Chicagoans from enjoying the warm months with an ecstatic frenzy. Like those puppies that will gorge themselves to death if you keep unlimited food out. I would like to vote to change New Years day to May 1st. It is much more fitting.
Guess what is growing in Chicago! Stuff that looks like this:
Fresh picked from the corner of Foster and Ashland. Glorious.
I had a haircut this morning at at Sine Qua Non salon with a stylist named Stevie. She was wonderful, and I will be faithful to her. Finally. I am also so happy to have found another Andersonville independently-owned business that I can frequent and be thrilled about.
Next door to the salon is Marguerite Gardens. I would live there if possible. Next time I go I will bring my camera and post the goodness up here. I get all my flowers from this shop, unless I can pick peonies or lilies from my backyard. But it is tragic back there at the moment. I haven’t been in the backyard in months, especially since trash removal is not my thing.
During the spring and summer I always have fresh flowers in the kitchen and entryway. Sadly, I haven’t had flowers since October. This needed to be remedied. In the spirit of crawling out of my winter slump, I stopped into Marguerite and assembled this arrangement for myself. Color like this will not be seen growing outside for another 6 months.
I did this little photoshoot on the back porch, which is still off limits this time of year. Porpus got excited and jumped at the chance to escape. Excuse her squintiness, but she hasn’t seen the sun in months. Porp (aka Norpus) is a Florida kitty and would like nothing more than to roast in a wicker chair in the sun. She’s still out there right now even though it is currently 9 degrees outside. I should check on her.
What is that whirring sound? Oh, that’s just my Maytag Dishwasher and Washing Machine working!! Ahhhh, the scent of clean clothes and sanitized dishes. Nothing made me happier yesterday. I came home to working machines again thanks to Justin and a local repair man and about 300 dollars. Luckily, we do not own this place, so it was basically free. Not that anyone cares about this at all. But then again, do you care about my nasty floor dirt in a closeup photo either?
I am thankful for the 12-yr-old cleaning machines that are chugging away, allowing me to type this instead of hand-washing clothes and dishes. There are so many modern conveniences that have spoiled me rotten. I can’t imagine what I must have done in a past life to get housework done. I either lived in filth, was royalty, or was a cat until dishwashers were invented. Boggles the mind.
Another note of happiness in the photo below: the sun! It is finally angling into the kitchen window in the morning little by little. Which means that winter is on it’s way out…slowly. But my plants are happy, and it is a nice greeting in the morning while I am mixing various sugary things in to my caffeine.
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