Sunday, December 7, 2008

Oh the irony...

So, I can't sleep. That's really not that much new or really astounding. I frequently can't sleep. At times, well at a lot of times, it is due to the snoring that consumes my home. That's going on tonight, but that is not the reason. In fact, I'm not sure of the reason. I mean, I should be tired. Hell, I am tired. But, I just can't sleep.

We are in Indy this weekend. My mom's family, the people I am referring to when I say "my family", are having a holiday get together. Tomorrow. Well, by now, actually today. They decided to split the difference between Thanksgiving and Christmas and have just one get together. This saddens me for variety of reasons, but what is done is done and I have to deal. My husband, however, is opting to go to the ballgame instead of seeing my family which we now only see one time a year. Me, well, I'm not thrilled with this. However, I'm quietly tucking away the "get out of some family shit I don't want to do with his family" card in my pocket to be played at a later date.

So, here I sit. In a suite, where my snobbish kids have complained about not having their own bedroom and the fact that there is only one bathroom! I'm hoping the light and the noise doesn't wake them as they snooze on the sofa sleeper. I don't think it will as they were both nodding off in their mac and cheese at dinner. I can hear the drunks wandering in and out of the Wild Beaver Saloon, classy name, 9 stories below. And, the men in the room next to me appear to be also drunk and rather belligerent about the best Bloody Mary ever. EVER. Right now, the votes are in favor of some place in the French Quarter. And, I think I heard someone yacking.

The irony in all of this, is that while I sit here, at the foot of the pullout listening to both children snore blissfully, a little over seven years ago, my husband and I spent one night in this very hotel. We'd been to a Pacers game. We'd gone out afterwards to the bar attached to this hotel. We proceeded to get very, very ripped. The bartender refused to serve us anymore without proof that we were NOT driving home. So, my husband went and got a room (there was no way we were driving home!) and showed the bartender the room key and we kept right on drinking until close. I think. I don't really remember. But, what I do know is that, roughly, 41 weeks and 2 days later, my daughter was born. As we were driving down here today, I asked my husband where we were staying and he told me. I said "have we ever stayed there before?" meaning on our trips back home for football. I didn't voice that though and he smirked and said, oh yes, we spent ONE night there. One very productive night. And then, it clicked. Somehow, though, I feel a little dirty! I'm such a dork.

I'm so looking forward to, but also frightened by, tomorrow's family fun. My uncle, my mom's oldest brother, has not been quite ill and I'm scared at what I might see. He is my rock, my father figure since my dad died and I don't know how much I can handle. Holidays always suck for me when it comes to dealing with emotions surrounding my dad and then to have my fave uncle being ill. I just don't know. I don't. It is, however, so good to be going home. While I love Chicago, I miss my family something awful. And, honestly, at times, I miss my old life. I cannot believe how vastly different my life is now than I ever imagined it. When I was young, I dreamt of the big farmhouse with no neighbors and acres of land. A barn full of livestock and a large garden for me to can and freeze from. When I come back to my family, some of that comes flooding back. Can you imagine that? Me, on a farm. I know that for those of you that only know me during my Chicago years that has to be mind boggling. I'll let you in on a secret...I still have a pair of cowboy boots from my 20s. And, I still wear them every now and again.

So, here I am, in a hotel where I conceived my first child a little over seven years ago, listening to her snore and the drunks down at street level, which I was one a little over seven years ago, and worried about my aging family when I'm doing that myself. Yeah, life. What ARE you really going to do about it?

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Long time, no post

Why is it that whenever things start to click for me, I get leveled by something. Tennis was going phenomenally and WHAMMO, I end up with bronchitis and a sinus infection. Add to that a lingering cough that has had me on an asthma inhaler, even though I don't have asthma. I've gone nearly a week now without the inhaler. This is the first time in what seems like FOREVER that I've played tennis twice in one week. It was good. I'm tired and I'm achy, but it was good. I hope to do a couple of weeks at 2x and then ramp back up to 3x or more a week. And, today, like a sign the registration info for the first 5k I signed up for (not that I ran, but signed up for) arrived in the inbox. I ran it with a broken rib, so why in the hell have I not been out there running lately?

It's time for me to get back in the groove of things. I feel so much better when I'm active. However, now, it feels like I'll have to start the C25K at the beginning!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Another hour of tennis...

Tomorrow, I hit the court at noon for a lesson with a new hitting partner. We tried to hook up previously, but she had some unexpected things come up and couldn't make it. We've never met. But, we did play on courts side by side a few weeks ago. I was having my usual lesson, she was playing with someone else. She has since pestered my coach nonstop to hit with me. It's shocking for me to think that someone considers me good enough to play. That's a new thing for me. I've never been someone considered an athlete, so this is all new! I am so glad to start adding hours of tennis back to my week though.

I've been toying with doing a Team in Training event. I've some very personal reasons for this. Since I've opted to make this a public blog, I'll just leave it as personal reasons. Just when I wrote it off, though, a brochure appeared in my mailbox. I don't know if this is some sort of sign or something. I don't. My concern is, largely, that training for such an event will screw up my tennis. That is my first love, really. Though, I feel compelled to do something, to reach out, to try to make a difference. I'm torn on many levels about this. Ugh.

The weather has turned now. There is talk of snow flurries tonight. Most of the leaves have dropped. It is wet and cold and I could swear there was sleet hitting our windows earlier today. I'm still toying with some 5ks this fall, but I've not signed up for any. I need to get on the ball!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Is there such a thing as Tennis Ass?

If so...I have it. My butt is killing me. And, my thighs. My usual routine is Tuesday/Thursday for tennis. And, then I added Zumba on Wednesday. But, I was so friggin' sore from tennis on Tuesday that the mere thought of Zumba made me want to vomit!

Is my coach punishing me for branching out? I don't know! He's decided that I could play a full level higher than what I am playing at and is now determined to make me play up to my full potential. Playing at my full potential apparently means developing a wicked topspin on both fore and backhand. An amazing backhand slice. And being able to muscle the yellow fuzzy beyond even a Williams sister. *snort* Oh goodie. I did get a very legit winners by him on Tuesday, though, so I guess he is right. And judging by the pain I am feeling right now, the aforementioned ass and thighs and assorted upper body parts, well, it was two hours of this week that were definitely harder than the same two hours last week! Tonight, I'm sitting here with throbbing gluts and twitchy thighs sipping a Cab. Hey! I deserve it after an hour of pretending to be a windshield wiper running from one sideline to the other.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my running. I'm not. More 5ks, of course. I don't know if I want to go beyond that or not. I have a motivational factor right now, but I don't want to screw up tennis! That's my first love.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Should've been in Miami...

I'm sad that I'm missing the festivities in Miami and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in support of my friend. I hope that she and my friends that went had a great time. And will have a great time tonight!

I did log 5k today, but not all running. I must ease back into this with the foot. I did intervals and it felt good. It was a beautiful day here in Chicago. Kinda weather I love! I do so love fall.

I was also able to clear out some more clutter from this place I call home. We are streamlining and downsizing. We all have way too much shit and there is no need for it! The way things are economically right now, I know there are those that can use our excess a lot more than we can. I took three bags of DD's outgrown clothing to a friend whose sister has several children and not a lot of cash. I had contemplated just calling the Salvation Army, but as I dropped this off to my friend and saw her smile, a deep down inside smile, I knew I'd made the right decision to drive a bit out of my way.

My public service announcement, do not buy TunesPlus2.0 as an alternative to iTunes. It sucks hairy monkey balls. I'm going to use the CD as a coaster for my beer. I've been trying to figure out a way to get the music off of my ipod and onto my new computer. It looks like I might be able to use Rhapsody to do this. Well, since they finally have a 64 bit Vista version! Woo!

Date night tonight. I'm lacking any sort of enthusiasm. I really just like to curl up with a Twilight book. Something tells me that is NOT DH's game plan. eh.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Weirdness


It's been a weird 24 hours. I can't fully express it, but it has me down in the dumps. Most likely, those of you that read this know why, so that's that. I can't dwell on it, but it was heavy on my mind this morning. I did something I should always think to do when I feel shitty. Grab my camera. I dropped the kids off at school and headed to the lake, camera in hand. I sat there, watched the waves roll in, the fishermen fishing, the scattered sailboats bobbing about, the gulls circling, and wondered at the silence. Here I am, in Chicago, and the sound of the waves breaking and the random chirps from the gulls could drown out the sirens, traffic, airplanes, El, and general city chaos. And, I found some relief. I also found a neat lil' nature sanctuary that I can't wait to return to.

So, in this moment of release, relief, and freedom, I decided to resurrect my photography blog in hopes of posting a Chicago photo on a daily basis. And, if I can't post a Chicago photo, to at least post something. Photography is such a release for me.

I also played tennis today. Sweated so profusely that I had salt crystals on my face! I was playing so far beyond how I normally play. I don't know where it came from other than a good distraction to the demons in my head. I played a good full level, maybe more, than what I normally do. My coach even remarked on it. He broke a legit sweat too and said he was hitting at me harder than he ever had. I hope this is not a flash in the pan, but something that I can continue. Again, it was a great source of relief. I'd forgotten what a great joy and sense of release that a good workout really was. And, this was on the heels of Zumba! I did that again last night.

I've gone three solid days with NO plantar fascitis pain. WOO HOO!!! So, with that, back to the running. I've also met to other women that would like to play tennis, so hopefully, I can get some more games going and get back to tennis 4-5 times a week. Slow and steady, though. Don't wanna piss off the foot!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

I've got a new laptop!!! And, I Zumba'd!!!

I don't recall what exact number of laptop this is for me, but since I've moved to Chicago, it is number three. #1 is still working, though it is archaic. #2 died in it's toddler time. Only 18 months. This one, shiny and newborn as of (well, to me) today. Already, I've had issues. Wouldn't boot properly the first time powered up. My cell phone is acting wonky, too. Will only charge with random chargers at random times. The house alarm mocks me at times. My dishwasher used to make random beeping noises at me. My dryer's electrical brain went on hiatus not long after we got it, leaving me dryerless for almost two months. My DH's fish tank barks out alarms when it is only me in the house. The baby monitor spontaneously screeches at me. I'm beginning to think I have bad electronic karma.

Though my joy of the new laptop means little to you, I'm beyond excited. I can FINALLY start processing pictures again. The archaic laptop and Photoshop had a very tumultuous and hateful relationship. It was NOT good. So, in the next few weeks, I hope to update the hell outta my private blog. I also hope to migrate the Tipsy Chef website to a free, Boiler's not paying for it!, blog too.

I'm now back to WW meetings. A good friend that works at our club sweet talked me into going with her. She's a doll. She's taken care of my kids through her department for years now. So, off we went. It is good to be back in control again. I'm so proud of her as she has always bailed just a few weeks in. On Friday, she bought a monthly pass!!!! She's committed. I'm so happy for her!

However, in addition to her talking me into going back to meetings, she talked me into..... ZUMBA! I'd flirted with it, but our club had not offered it. I couldn't see joining the Y, or elsewhere, just for that. Recently, they brought it to our club! So, Wednesday night, I zumba'd. And, holy shit, I'm still sore!!! I played tennis on Tuesday, Zumba Wednesday, tennis Thursday. And come Saturday, I'm still sore? I mean, I consider myself somewhat fit. I can hold my own on the court. You can bounce quarters off of assorted body parts, mostly legs and ass. But, Zumba made me this achy?!?!? Of course, I've never been an aerobics class kinda gal, but hey, this was fun! So, I'm back. I'll go back. It was fun despite the fact that I felt like a schmoe. That the kitchen staff was watching. That I was red faced, sweaty, and uncoordinated. Yeah, it was fun!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Is there really more than one Wenkus in Illinois?

Honestly, is the number really necessary on this license plate? Are people really and truly lining up for Wenkus plates? And, why do I find this so amusing? This is one I had no explanation for the Boiler Brats when they asked why I was laughing so hard.

This one was more self explanatory as even they found blue ponytails sticking out of a bike helmet amusing.

And, I leave you with a scene from the ONE playoff game I got to go to. Stupid Cubs. ~grr~ We had great seats, but it was a bizarre night weatherwise. If you notice, up in the sky, is the DirectTV blimp. That's the closest thing that Wrigley has to a big screen.


Tennis was good today, but I'm sore. We've been working on getting more power into my shots and the delt in my right arm is quivering. As are my thighs. The plantar fascitis has not reared its ugly head today, so if all is good...I'm going to attempt Zumba tomorrow. This. Could. Be. Amusing. From there, it is back to tennis on Thursday, and then possibly a run on Friday. I've three room mom meetings in the next two days. I'm gonna be peeved is this cuts into my ME time!!!

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Just as I was about to off myself...

The Colts pulled it out.

Seriously, people, I was just about ready to scale the Hancock and then fling myself off the top and onto some unsuspecting diva leaving Louis Vuitton on her way to American Girl to purchase overpriced doll crap for her princess daughter. Not that my princess daughter doesn't have a shitload of that overprice crap (thanks MIL!) But, I don't carry Louis.

I'm back on the wagon, "for reals", now. Went back to a meeting with a friend from our club. She said she was envious of the success that I've had and wanted to experience that. I think she must be blind 'cause I'm portly now. But, okay. So, I'm buckling down, again. Hopefully, for the last time. I'm tired of the yo-yoing thing. I'm in a good place now, too, so that helps. Promise me, that if I do it this time, you people won't let me turn into a psycho WW know it all, okay?

So, those of you that know me, know that I am also the Tipsy Chef. I'm really thinking about shutting down the website. I don't think it is worth the cash, honestly, as I get nada back. Based on some stuff I've seen others do, I'm thinking about moving it to a blog. Any thoughts on that?

The plantar fascitis is staring to let up some. So, hopefully, I'll be able to get back to the running. I can walk, most of the time now, without too much pain. So, hopefully, this was my flair up and it will subside for sometime. ~crossing fingers~

Given my late night last night watching my beloved Cubs suck butt, I think I shall head to bed in a few.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Stupid girls

Nah, not the Pink song, but something similar. The trixie type straight out of Lincoln Park. I was happy post Cub hard fought victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Widening our lead in the division, cutting our magic number to 4. It was a grand and glorious evening in Wrigleyville. Perfect ballgame weather. So, we went to meet up with some friends at Bernie's. They were fortunate to have scored a table. We had a few beers with them and I headed to the ladies room. I use "ladies" loosely because rarely is there a "lady" in the bathroom of a bar right across from Wrigley Field post Cubs night game. Or any game for that matter.

Score! No line! It's my lucky day. I did notice the two, heavily painted, super low cut top wearing bimbos at the mirror, but whatever. Nothing was gonna ruin my evening! I do my business, flush, and exit the stall. They are still camped out in front of the mirror. Spread out before them made a Sephora look like a second rate purveyor of nothing but Wet and Wild cosmetics. I kinda look at them and look at the sink. I can't get to the sink. They are blocking the w I say "excuse me, please." Nada. Again, slightly louder, I say "excuse me, please." I get the eyeroll. Once more I try and they don't move. So, mentally, I say aw fuck it and move in. I reach for the sink which triggers the hurricane force turbo hand dryer on the wall. Under the hurricane force turbo hand dryer sat the Trixie's beer. Directly under the nozzle. Now, you don't have to be a science major to realize what is going to happen when a concentrated column of high speed air that is about the diameter of, oh say, a beer cup hits a full cup of beer. It sort of resembled Old Faithful. A column of beer shot into the air. In my happy state I didn't quite figure out that I had caused this, or actually, what it was at first. I was thoroughly soaked. Drenched in beer. But, so were the Trixies. And, they were out a beer, so it was worth it. There were, of course, some vulgarities flung at me. At which point, I pointed out if they had been kind and responsible bathroom participants it would never had occured.

And, I went back to our table, thoroughly drenched and slipped on my clean, dry sweatshirt and wiggled out of my jersey and tank top and no longer reeked of beer. They, however, had to spend the rest of the night smelling like a brewery.

Monday, September 15, 2008

There's a giant blue W in my front window!


I got off my fat ass today!!!!

I was feeling horrid after some crappy lunch choices. Left me with next to no points for the night. I hauled the stroller out of the basement storage area, shrieked in girlie horror over the multitude of centipedes milling about in the storage area , and loaded my son into the stroller. We hauled butt down to Wrigley Field in quest of the W flag that flies above Wrigley Field every time the Cubs have a home win. For some reason, my son is obsessed with that Cubs blue W on the white flag. In fact, we had to stay until it was hoisted the last game we went to. Thank God, they won!

So, after hoofing it down there and finding the flag, we went to see the firetruck. The firetruck was behind closed doors and it was starting to cloud up throwing a wrench in my plans to wander around until time to pick up my daughter. So, I hauled ass back home. Stopped at the Quickie Mart to grab something to drink because I was trying to hack up a lung while running with the stroller only to find out that DS had crashed while I was running. ~grr~ Now, I'm all the way back home with a sleeping kid (he needed it...he was up all night. Which means I was too!) So what to do? I'm back home with a sleeping kid that I can't take out of the stroller because he will wake up and instantaneously channel Satan. Only Satan would be a generous soul also sweet, gentle, kind, and caring compared to my child. So, I slugged down my cold drink and decided to head back out. This would be a good time to do some birthday shopping for the sleeping spawn of the Devil.

After a couple of backtracks, I finally found the coveted Woody Jibbitz for his Crocs and was off to pick up DD from school. All told, I logged close to 5 miles today, some of it running!

My knees hurt. My plantar fascitis is very angry with me. But, damn I feel good.

And, I realized I need a bra for my gut.

Monday, September 8, 2008

There's a crayon in my Kate Spade!

umbrella, gum, tampon, grocery receipts, and *the* crayon


What?

Yeah, you heard me...there is a CRAYON in my KATE SPADE! An orange one, to be specific. Crayon that is. The Kate Spade is pink. The crayon orange. Or sort of orange. It is streaked with various other colors from being tossed in the giant box of crayons. The wrapper, dingy and peeling, only half hanging on. And, when I spotted it there, I cried. It's been an emotional week with my daughter starting kindergarten in her cute lil' Catholic school girl jumper. My son, starting preK. Mr. Independent now. I'm so proud, but also so heart broken. They both have their "own" things now. Things I'm not a part of. Even though I'm a room mom for both classes, it is still theirs, not mine. I'm a moon orbiting their planet. A sidebar. Something there. Not the main event, just an accessory. It's what I wished for, but I also dreaded. It's a shift in the dynamic that I knew would happen, but wasn't prepared for.

Our school had a fire drill this week. The preK class practiced it the day before which resulted in a lot of tears, fears, and general chaos. I offered, the next morning, to come back for the drill and our teacher took me up on it. I figure it something I should do as a room mom and something that I'm blessed to have the ability to do because I don't work. I'm happy to help out in that way. So, I returned to the school. Rang the buzzer. Explained myself. Signed in. Talked to the principal whom was thrilled to see me (he'd assisted with the previous day's practice!) and I headed to my son's classroom. He took one look at me and told me to go home. He didn't need me there. I chewed on the inside of my cheek hoping the pain would keep me from crying and entertained myself with some other children in the class. A few I knew, a few I didn't. We lined up the kids for the drill before the alarm went off (to avoid the noise) and started the march across the street to the gym. I had two wonderful little boys assisting me in finding the gym since I didn't "know" where I was going. My son, well, he wanted nothing to do with me, despite his fear the previous day, of the drill. He was buddied up with another friend whose Mom had asked me to smooch on if necessary. I didn't have the heart to tell her later, neither one of them needed us.

After it was over, I helped usher the kids back across the street and my son stood at the top of the stairs and told me that I could go home now. It was over. And, so I did. Tail between my legs. Bruised Mommy ego weighing heavily upon me. In addition to his disregard for me, my daughter had spotted me during the fire drill as she marched by, hands clasped behind her back. She whispered to me, "I'm fine. I have my friends." I headed home in a funk. Feeling somewhat rejected, sad, and generally useless.

I loaded up the dishwasher. Threw a load in the laundry. Turned on the tv to some sort of garbage. Fired up the laptop to pay bills, catch up on email, do some school stuff. I grabbed my purse and fished around, blindly, for my wallet. My hand came across something small and round and unfamiliar to my fumblings in my purse. I pulled it out. That dingy, stubby, worn orange crayon. And I smiled.

I think, from now on, there will always be a crayon in my Kate Spade. That crayon, to be exact.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

~dancin' like the Caddyshack gopher~

I played tennis sans knee brace today! And, I lived to tell about it. And, AND, so did my knee. Oh, I'm sore. But, I'm not hitting the leftover painkillers from the broken rib '08 debacle, nor am I having to ice or slather myself with Mineral Ice! I feel the need to keep checking over my shoulder for the Four Horsemen, but Hey! It's a step in the right direction. Just last week, I was having to even sleep with it immobilized. Woo hoo!

Yesterday, my son and I walked to the school to pick up my daughter. She early releases on Wednesday and we thought, okay I thought, we could beat the rain. Whelp, I was wrong. It didn't full out rain, but we did get misted on. Ever since the random, torrential downpour during the Cubs game, DS has been a wee bit terrified of the rain. Oh, he'll take a shower, but rain. Egads the rain!!! We made it through though, hauled butt, but made it. And because of a phone call right before our depart from home time, I had to haul ass to the school. So, I did about three miles, in flip flops, at a break neck pace (well, for nursing a bad knee and wearing flip flops!) pushing a stroller containing one 40 pound kid with the other 40 pounder intermittently riding the trailer board. Oh, and we stopped on got groceries!

So, in lieu of that, I think I may try some intervals tomorrow to see how it holds up. I'm not due back on court until Tuesday, so I'll have some recovery time. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Monday, September 1, 2008

Anyone wanna guess this dude is single and happy with his hand?

The Cubs sucked. Plain and simple. S-U-C-K-E-D. That I can deal with. They've done that before. However, we had the worst company ever in the crowd around us. Four young "men" the row below us. Two were Sux fans. And typical Sux fans at that. I had a better time at the White Sox v. Cubs when the real fans came to Wrigley. These were "that" fan. You know the one, the ones that simply go to a game to cheer for the other team. Add to that, they were ripped and dropping the f bomb like mad. With a boatload of kids in the stands. Nice. And then came the cigarettes. There were, at least, six people bitching at them at any given point in time. God forbid it a was a woman as she was called the ol' C U N*ext T*uesday kinda gal. Add to that, the guys behind us not just talking politics, but YELLING politics. And, their points? Well, whatever one they attempted to make in their drunken idiocy, they then countered with their next breath. What a day.

So this is the one of the "dudes" in front of us running his mouth. NON STOP. Non stop. I wanted to punch him. His buddy yelled at a 7 year old for not eating cotton candy. Who does that? Oh yeah, Southside trash. That's who does that. What you can't see here is the impressive jailhouse ink (*snort*) all over his forearms or his stoned out of his mind eyes sporting swollen drunk lids. You can, however, see his stylish black calf socks. (callling Boiler's dad, circa '84 on the riding John Deere mower and the jumbo Radio Shack AM/FM headphones!) And, AND, the hat..."Skin Industries" complete with a lil' trucker mud flap stripper logo on the back. It just doesn't get much classier than that. And, here he is trying not to pass out, uh, I mean take a nap...

Back off ladies. I hate to disappoint but he was wearing a wedding ring. MrB thinks it was a stripper at the local pasty club and, well, I think he is probably right.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Where the hell has summer gone?

I can't believe it is over. Labor Day weekend. Yikes. It seems like it just started. Oh well.

I've been MIA pretty much due to end of summer flurry of activities. Did the Dells. Been to numerous ballgames, though have not see the Flock of Seagulls guy again. Bummer. *snort* We've been busy with back to school activites...ice cream social, meet and greet with the teachers, orientation, etc. It's crazy. And, on Tuesday, my daughter will don her Catholic School girl uniform and start kindergarten. Wednesday, my baby boy starts preK. Ay yi yi.

As for me, I'm back to tennis. My left knee is NOT cooperating and the plantar fascitis in my right foot has flared up again. This has made running completely impossible and tennis very painful. I hope to get back to the miles in the next week or so, assuming the knee goes back to normal.

eh, that's all I gots.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

We've returned from the North...

I'll have pictures to post and such, but I've not been home very long. And, the great North offered very limited to no internet connection! Ay yi yi. We were in the Dells from Sunday to Friday. On Friday, we headed out and ended up in Milwaukee. Totally unplanned. It turned out to be a blast with the Irish Fest in town. Here's my little man getting down at the festival...

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=7NbDYBEP0Z8

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Finally! ROCK STAR HAIR!

I finally got him to cooperate and leave it spiky long enough to get a couple of pictures. He has, for some reason, gotten very self conscious about his rock star hair. Whaddya gonna do?


Friday, August 1, 2008

It's the little things...

Tuesday, I walked down to Wrigley to see if there were any decent seats for the first ever minor league ballgame to be played in Wrigley Field. I was able to get four decent seats for $10 a piece. A good price when planning on taking small children. Just in case someone gets cranky and you have to bail! This was about noon. My son then spent the next six hours asking me assorted questions such as, what's taking so long? when is daddy gonna be home? can we leave now? is it time yet? and so on and so forth...those that have ever been around kids know the drill!

Finally, Daddy got home and we headed out the ballgame. We arrived with some time to spare so we hit a bar across from Wrigley. Beers for the grown ups, Sprite and lemonade for the munchkins. Those questions above, yeah, well, repeat 'em again! Unfortunately, my husband was having to deal with some work related issues and, basically, disappeared on me. So, out comes Momma's camera!

This is my lil' dude enjoying his Sprite.

This is what happens when I hand the camera to his sister and she says "act crazy!"

And finally, it was time for a couple of pictures with mom...


I say it is the little things because both of my children have talked about the crazy photos and want copies for their picture books (photo albums they carry in their backpacks.) They've talked nonstop of the popcorn and ice cream and going to see the teams play where the Cubs play, but it wasn't the Cubs. And, the cab ride home. While I do not normally toss my children in the back of a cab, we did this time. We left the stands a bit early to try to let the kids run the bases post game. However, there were probably about 8,000 people in line! Egads. There were about 32,000 there which was a record for a single A team. So, no way, were we going to wait with two almost asleep children. Thus the "we'll get something at the stand outside the stadium!" bribe. So, we left. We made our usual stop to see the firetrucks and the kids got to "drive." I had my crappy point and shoot camera with me, so the pics sucked. We thanked the firefighters and DD promised them cookies and homemade banana bread for the chance to sit in the truck. I guess I need to get busy. And, then we headed to pick out our mementos of the game. And, all hell broke loose...a huge bolt of lightning, a massive clap of thunder and the heavens opened up! So, we tossed money at the vendors for overpriced stuff and threw ourselves into a cab. All in all, a great evening!

I tweaked my knee at tennis on Monday and had to beg off on Wednesday. It's no longer swollen, but it still feels squishy. I fear I'm actually going to have to go to a PT at some time. I'm holding out though. I'm also struggling with the fact that my daughter wants to do gymnastics and every single morning when it hurts me to get out of bed, I am reminded of what gymnastics did to my body. Eh, hell, who am I kidding, it isn't just the morning! I've got to figure out what to do about her desire to hurl her bod through the air though.

We had a great night tonight hanging at the pool with some of our friends from school. Pizza party and swimming. Does it get much better than that? Well, of course, the main pool had to be closed for a bit due to the ol' Baby Ruth (ala Caddyshack) but that didn't phase us. We had two other pools to play in. DD was hanging with the older boys (going into 1st grade) and DS was schmoozin' the ladies his age. God help me. We all had to clear out eventually due to lightning in the area. Not a good thing while hangin' at the pool! My kids and my DH are thoroughly wiped out and well, I'm running on fumes. The heat is supposed to hit ChiTown full fledged on Sunday and Monday. We have tickets to the Sunday Cubs game. It could be interesting. Now, only if I have someone's hair to mock...

Monday, July 28, 2008

Scenes from a ballgame...in pictures.

So the Cubs sucked on Saturday. Very frustrating. So, I found something else to amuse myself with. Turns out, almost my entire row and the row behind me were entertained with the same thing. This one dude's hair. At first, I thought of a slightly modified Flock of Seagulls 'do. He didn't really have the vertical aspect of FoS, though. The sides, instead of straight up, were slicked down with copious amounts of, uh, something greasy, shiny, sticky looking. I was trying hard not to get a visual from There's Something About Mary. The top portion was combed completely forward and came to a point in the middle of his forehead. The back was sort of left to it's own devices which resulted in a duck butt flappie thing of sorts sticking straight out of his crown where it was apparently rebuking the efforts to be brushed forward. The pictures aren't great 'cause I took them, slyly, with my cell phone.



My husband compared notes with the family sitting next to us and they came up with a likeness that had me nearly shoot beer outta my nose from laughing so hard...the villain, Syndrome, from The Incredibles.

The kicker, he and his buddies were making fun of this guy's hair...at least this guy had CLEAN hair.

And from the fashion tarded files...do NOT wear socks with the crocs outside of the house.

Some would say, don't wear crocs outside of the house period. But, that's another topic, another day.

Friday, July 25, 2008

A moment of clarity

There is a time, I would like to think, in everyone's life when you realize that things are beyond your control. Life is not what you think it is. No matter how hard you try to reign it in, life simply does not care. In the ebb and flow of life, you find yourself floating a bit. Pondering things. Wondering about your judgement. Thinking about choices you've made. Contemplating the where, the when, the why, the how. And, then there is *that* moment. Something clicks. In the periphery of the here or the now, there is that thing. The thing. The thing that makes you think, wonder, believe. The thing that makes you thank whatever you believe in for what you have.

Today, I had such a moment. One of those brief, fleeting moments when I looked at life and said "what the fuck am I bitching about?" Whatever it is or whomever it is, well, I've got a good life. I do. And, beyond living it the fullest that I can, well, I can't do a damn thing about it. Yesterday, my father would have been 66 years old. And, I ached about that. I wept for him. For the shitty and unfair situation that my kids are facing not knowing him. I am also pissed at the injustice. He's dead, but rapists and murderers live on. Where is the fairness in that? It is utter bullshit. And, then, I took my son to get a haircut. Something so simple. A part of a usual routine. Nothing extraordinary. Just a haircut. Okay, he came home with a, to quote my daughter, "rockstar" haircut, but still...it's just a haircut. Rockstar = high and tight with a bit of stuff to make the edge of his front bangs spike up.

The haircut. I'm standing there watching her take the clippers to my babe and it hits me. Wow. I had a kid. Holy shit...I've had two of 'em! Two, healthy, happy (when they aren't pissed off at me!) kids. And, where did that come from? The stylist whipped out the stick of wax and did my son's spiky bangs and he turned to me and grinned...and everything came to a screeching halt. That moment. Him, with his mini spiky bangs, grinning from ear to ear. Me, standing there holding a handful of hair bows for my daughter, looking at him and trying not to cry. And I felt my dad. I felt him inside of me. Looking at my son with the same wonder that I look at him and my daughter. The awe, the disbelief, the utter amazement. Laughing at his spiky bangs. Crying on the inside at the passing of his toddlerhood. My dad was with me. He was there.

I felt a strength, a presence, a reassuring hand. A 'punkin, it'll be alright' and I so needed to hear that. As I dozed on and off with a nap today, Dad floated in and out for me. I can't describe the comfort and the happiness that I felt.

What more can a Daddy's girl ask for?

And now, the "award" winning photo...

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

I love tennis

Even when I don't feel like crawling onto court, I still love tennis. Today, I was running on very few hours of sleep with a wicked headache and after warming up, I was thrilled to be out there. I lost a bit on my sabbatical, but I'm slowly getting my groove back. Seems as if after some time off, my serve has improved dramatically. And, I really did hit some legit winners. Ones that my pro really and truly could not get to. Woo hoo! I missed the sign up for league play this session, so I guess I need to drum up some other partners. Buggers.

Got my critiques back on my photos and one got Photo of the Week! *patting self on back* I'm really proud of this one as I truly do not like taking photos of humans. I expect to get winners when I stay in my comfort zone, so this one means a lot to me. Of course, I think my subject matter may have had a little bit to do with it since it was one of my kids. Not that I'm prejudiced or anything!

Tomorrow is looking like a pool day. I may try to run in the morning if I can snag a couple of spots at the club daycare. And, we have tickets to the Cubs tomorrow night. We only have two, so it will be a date night of sorts.

Thoughts and prayers to my friend, Mini, who went through her first round of chemo today. Those that believe send up a prayer for her, please. Those that don't, some happy, healing thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Monday, July 21, 2008

ugh

So, after a couple of weeks off while my tennis coach was working at another club, I hit the court again today. I can tell, already, that getting out of bed tomorrow could be a major undertaking. My knees are throbbing. The shoulder in my right arm is creaking and groaning like an old screen door with rusty hinges. My plantar fascitis has reared it's ugly head. I'm fairly confident that I smell. However, I'm quite happy right now. Stupid exercise and the resulting endorphins.

Life in da' hood has been good. I'm taking another photography class. This time, I have to deal with humans though. I'm not sure how I feel about that. ~grr~ However, I do have a captive audience in my children. Getting my son to not ham it up is impossible though. The All Star break is over THANK GOD and my boys of summer are back to playing ball. It's a weird, weird feeling around here with them solidly in first at the halfway point and looking so good. I keep wondering what the temperature is in hell!

My daughter tried on her uniform last night. *sob* Her little plaid jumper and plaid pants. Yeah, nice, eh? Plaid pants. Thank God she is tiny 'cause there are few females that look good in plaid pants. The next few weeks will be filled with collecting the appropriate knee socks, tights, shoes. I can't believe I have a kindergartner. And, my son starts preschool. That's right everyone...it is no longer baby fat. It is officially just fat now. It's mine and I have to own it. Stupid fat. After the tennis and running sabbatical, I guess I shall get back to the grindstone.

Can I just say that the juice in the hot dog package really grosses me out?

Monday, July 14, 2008

I suck at blogging

Yeah, it's true. I guess I find it hard to believe that anyone out there really gives a rat's ass as to what is going on in my life. Yet, it is kinda fun to peer into the lives of others. Sorta like driving around the neighborhood and gawking at those that don't shut their blinds or pull their curtains.

The holiday came and went with little fanfare, which is good. Well, the usual shootings, death, and general mayhem that accompanies the 4th of July in Chicago. We, fortunately, avoided that. We did enjoy an evening out on the town that weekend where we went to Harry Caray's and watched the Cubs game. It was low key and nice and quite possibly the best Cosmo I've ever had in my life. Just the faintest of pinks, not sweet, and very smooth.

After the long weekend, began the onslaught of company. It's not unusual for us to have a lot of visitors in the summer. Oddly, no one wants to come visit in the winter. Hm. Wonder why? But, anyway, we stacked up three in a row...bam, bam, bam! In fact, the last arrives tomorrow and stays through the end of the week. It's all the more reason for me to get out of the house and hit the pavement. Well, save for it is supposed to be in the 90s. Methinks, I will be making an appointment for the kids at the gym daycare and running in air conditioned luxury.

I've not run much here of late as my usual pain in the ass knee has been being a pain in the ass. I'm not sure what is going on. Honestly, I've taken a few weeks off of tennis and I think that has impacted it. Let it get a bit loose. That's just my opinion after having dealt with chronic knee issues for the past 26 years. Damn, that makes me sound old.

I just have to relate the a fantastic day I had this past weekend. It was really one of those moments. The whole entire day, actually. A very dear family member was in town for the Cubs game. A good friend that I met through Weight Watchers used our extra ticket. DH went to the game also. And I was sitting in the stands just smiling. So much so that my cousin asked if I were ripped after one beer! No, no, I'm not. I'm just happy. Family, friends, and a beautiful day at the ballpark. What more could one ask for? Even the swamp ass from walking through the humidity to get to the ballpark was not a deterrent! Though I'm not sure that the beer vendor enjoyed the soggy bills. eh.

From there we met up with some of our friends from the kids' school, did a rooftop party, went back to a friend's house, and wound up the evening with a trio of great 80s cover bands at a local street fair. Family, friends, fun. I could not have asked for more out of one singular day in Chicago. Urban life is so weird and it has taken me a lot to get used to, but there was not a moment of that day that I would have traded. Sometimes, just sometimes, I really do think I like it here! Actually, more than not anymore.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

How can I do nothing and be so tired?

It could, perhaps, have to do with a late night ballgame with Duck and her boyfriend at a Cubs game where there was mucho beer and a Chicago dog or two involved. Forgive me Father, for I have sinned...I put ketchup on my dog. And, yes, that is a transgression worthy of a few Hail Marys here in the 'hood. I claim ignorance though!

I had a blast with Duck and her man. We had great seats, though no foul balls despite her BF's preparedness with his 17 year old glove! ;-) It was a beautiful night at Wrigley. I made friends with the usher sitting next to me and Duck and I dished about all sorts of random, fun things! Sorta like a Girl's Night Out all wrapped up in a pretty package of a perfect summer night at the ballpark and tied with a beautiful ivy bow. Poor Duck's boy though. I felt for the guy! Two gabby girls talking about all sorts of stuff that he could not give two shits about. However, he was a great and amazing sport and I've heard from a lil' birdie that he had fun, too. Good fun.

Today we spent nearly five hours at the pool. My kids are self sufficient at the pool, so I get to perch on a lounge chair and chit chat with my girls. Or, I lounge on the side using a nice bucket snagged from an unsuspecting child to cool my gams whilst chatting. But, I'm pooped. I lounge around for five hours and I'm tired? What is up with that? It must be the heat. I fear I'm turning into my grandmother with the "it must be the heat." And, well, not getting my hair wet at the pool. Not that I was *that* woman, paddling around, chin in the air, with a horrid pained look on her face due to the neck strain of keeping perfectly coiffed hair above water! No, I was not that woman. However, if I show up in a plastic rain hood, someone shoot me! For without a doubt, if I pull out a plastic, folded up rain hood from my Queen Elizabeth style purse, then yes, I have become my grandmother!!! Not that she isn't a good woman, she is. I just have no desire to be Victorian.

My husband reports in that the sunlight in Alaska is weird. And, that's about all he has to say about that! I told him that it could be worse. He could be there when it is dark nearly 24 hours. And, to that he concurred. He's hoping to get out in the next day or so and actually get to do some sightseeing. I hope that he can! It's a shame to go all that way and not get to have some fun.

Later gators.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go!!! Hey Chicago...

...whadda ya say?

THE CUBS ARE GONNA WIN TODAY!

Or so I hope.

Yesterday's recap of life with Boiler...

We met up with a bunch of guys before the game. We walk up and the first thing out of one of their mouths (I've never met any of them) was if DH would be willing to take a job in Alaska for awhile. Huh?

I, of course, felt horribly out of place as several of them were trying to pick up women. eh. One was actually quite nice and told DH while I was in the bathroom, that I seemed like a very sweet and polite and person (apparently, the first impression I put out there is horribly awry!) and he was afraid to drop the f'bomb or the c word in front of me.

At which point, my husband exploded into hysterical laughter. Told the guy to fear not as I could out curse a sailor.

The ballgame itself was just DH, me, and two other guys. The other four had tickets elsewhere. It was a very close ballgame and those guys LEFT in the middle of the 7th to go to a freakin' bar! The Cubby Bear. Stupid suburbanites. Then, the two with us left with the ballgame tied in the 8th to meet up with them. Again, stupid suburbanites. The Cubs won with a walk off homer in the 9th.

I called a guy out for cutting in line at the beer stand. Just tapped him on the shoulder and said "hey, the line's back there." He told me to go to hell, there were three lines. I said I didn't think so. He told me to fuck off. I said "you don't have to be such a dick." He then started threatening me. Don't you ever fucking touch my shoulder again you stupid fucking bitch. Dumb cunt. I could kick your ass. I should kick your ass for touching my shoulder you dumb fucking bitch. I ignored all this, but the girl behind the counter (I see her many, many times a month and I always tip,) says "sister, I got your back and we could take that dick to the cleaners!"

Ah, the joys when the southsiders come to town.

We met up with the guys at the Cubby Bear. It was wall to wall, solid, people. Hotter than hell. Ripe with festering sweaty pits and stale beer. It was then, that I discovered I was no longer in my 20s. Occasionally, I have to be reminded of this. Brought home even more so just a scant 20' inside the door when some jackass made a grab for my tit. I rolled my eyes and moved on. DH, however, was not quite so nonchalant about it and got up in the guy's face. Do not EVER touch my wife. I think the guy was fucked up beyond all recognition because he just stood there with this stupid, blank look on his face and didn't say a word. I told Chuck to forget it and move on. Which, we did. THREE of this guys friends followed us, not really starting anything, but just all sorry and how we needed to let it go. Which angered Chuck. You friend tries to grab my wife's tit and I AM SUPPOSED TO LET IT GO?!? At which point, the last of the guy's goes...oh, I didn't see that. I just saw you get in his face. Oh dude, I'm sorry. He's an asshole.

We finally get to the bar, which is slam packed with people. We get our beers and I turn to see a Marine standing immediately behind me. I grabbed him by the shirt and propelled him into our space, knowing he would get served next. And, it shut out the bitchy girl basically climbing up my back to get to the bar. He professed undying love to me and should I ever dump my husband, to find him. Though, I forget now where he was stationed. **snort** Bitchy girl called me something vulgar. Uh, whatever, when you serve your country, I'll propel you to the front of the line, too. Oh, and you're just pissed 'cause hot bod, cutie patootie Marine in the hubba hubba uniform likes me better! So there! (of course, I think he was ripped!)

We finally got out of that hell hole after more talk of DH going to Alaska, my being grossed out by married men macking on 21 year olds and returned to the sanity of our 'hood. Where we were seated, at dinner, next to Sox fans. ugh. However, they turned out to be quite pleasant. And, actually the ones at the game seated near us, turned and shook our hands over the victory, others congratulated us.

It was, all in all, a good day 'cause the Cubs won, but definitely an interesting study in humanity.

Yesterday, Cubs 4, Sox 3.

Two outs to finish them up today.

Late night update, the Cubs spanked the Sox 11-7, after a glorious 4th inning.

GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS! HEY CHICAGO...

Friday, June 20, 2008

I hurt.

Taking time off from the exercise routine is NOT good for me. That, I have, unequivocally, determined. I managed to get in about 80 minutes of tennis last night and it is a pure godsend that I can walk this morning. Well, that and no way in hell was I not *not* going to be able to get up and out of bed...we have tickets to the Cubs v. White Sox. It's a World Series type atmosphere around here with the Sox visiting the Northside. I came home from dropping the kids off at camp and there were already lines outside the bars. Our seats aren't spectacular, but I got them at face value and we will be in the stadium.

Still no news on the laptop. Sigh. I do hope she recovers.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Please pray for my laptop.

It started acting up yesterday. The screensaver froze and it went downhill from there. It is currently down in the dungeon with my IT geek husband trying to be backed up and resurrected. I'm sad and lonely and afraid all my pictures will go buh-bye. Harumpf. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm reminded of the Sex and the City "you don't back up?" scene. Buggers

Yesterday was a good day for the clan. We spent the morning at the park with a bunch of friends. I ended up looking like a science experiment after all the static I generated going down the plastic slides. My hair was sticking straight up and out. And, seriously, plastic slides? What the hell? I hate them. I survived the metal ones. They are a helluva lot faster and more fun. I even survived plummeting down a greased metal slide, rocketing off the end of it, and landing on the asphalt littered with teeny tiny pieces of cinder from the incinerator. I feel like my kids are wrapped in bubble wrap the way the world is now. So, BRING BACK THE METAL SLIDES!

From there we had lunch at a fave pub and strolled about the 'hood. I logged a couple of miles on the ol' tootsies. Woo! And, I have a tennis date tomorrow. It's been forever, it feels, since whacking the fuzz off of some lil' yellow balls. I miss it! Our summer schedule will have all the bugs worked out of it next week and I can get back to the norm. On the upside, Mt. Laundry has taken a serious hit this past week and I can actually see the bottom of two of the bins in the laundry room. WOOO HOOOO! However, I did blow the no shopping thingie. How could I pass up a great sale at nice boutique? Yeah, I couldn't.

Booooooo hissssssssssss as my doc told me that the stupid rib was probably gonna hurt forever whenever it rains. Grrrr. That would explain why it has been hurting like mad here of late with all the rain in the Midwest. Eh, at least between it and my knees, I'll know when to duck and cover from storms and when to bust out the rainboots. Nothing quite like being your own walking, talking, breathing Weather Channel. At least you will never catch me standing outside in a slicker, clinging desperately to a street sign ala Jim Cantore! He's an odd one. Anyway, she did say what is probably causing me pain right now is the connective tissues still repairing and healing and that should lessen as time goes on. Getting old sucks. The rebound time is awful.

Whelp, that is about all time I can stand plunking away at my very slow, old laptop!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Where did today go?

I swear, I can't catch up to save my soul. Laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc. And, the new area rugs shed like crazy, so they need to be vacuumed almost daily until they stop shedding. Everyday I empty the ol' Dyson and it looks like it vomitted up a small puppy. Speaking of vomit, I was greeted with "someone puked in the pool!" when I picked up my daughter from camp. And, it got even better...someone puked in the pool while she was in it! Ah, the joys of summer camp.

**tossing a now needs to be sanitized swimsuit onto the mountain of laundry**

I've put us on a no more new clothes moratorium. Seriously, how much clothing do four people really need? Not as much as we have! I foresee a huge Goodwill donation coming up. This happens periodically around here.

No exercise today, unless you count the marathon vacuuming of the above mentioned rugs and the toddler sized tumbleweeds they generate. And, the umpteen trips up and down the stairs to put away the volumes of laundry. My dream home would have laundry on all floors containing bedrooms.

But, I digress. I did talk to someone about boot camp. I dunno. I really don't get much out of personal trainer sessions. Or, at least, I never have. I'm working on setting up some tennis this week, but I fear the courts are booked up. My coach is back next week! Yahoooooo! And, there is another league starting at the end of the month that I'm comtemplating. The broken rib is still hurting. I actually have a doctor's appointment this week and I'm going to ask her about that. Seems to me, it should be better. eh.

I'm off to the ever present laundry. I'm also contemplating turning the garden hose on the naked neighbor children running through my landscaped front beds.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Buh bye stinky head!

I planted our deck planters this morning and then took a shower. Oh glorious shower! However, after having about 8" of my hair cut off, I used way TOOOOOOO much shampoo. Holy bubbles, Batman! I must remember to not go so long between straightening sessions because it was super easy to do this morning. Super easy.

We did pack up and head to the pool. It wasn't too crowded and we figured out the lay of the land. My little one is peeved 'cause he can't do the slides. My daughter was in heaven though. Up the stairs, down the slides all day. And, the diving board. Ay yi yi! She is a natural at this, it appears. Now, I guess I need to look into diving lessons.

Date night for us tonight. I think we are going to hit one of the local summer street fairs. Summer street fairs usually equal 80s cover bands. Woo hoo! And, beer of course. Lots of people watching, too. Should be a fun evening!

Friday, June 13, 2008

less than 24 hours to go...

...until I can wash this hair of mine. Yea! I'm contemplating washing it a bit early so we can go to the pool tomorrow. It is supposed to be sunny and 82 and why shell out the moola for the pool passes if you aren't going to use them, right?

I went to register for the Bastille Day race and it was sold out. BOO. I really, really wanted the shirt. See, I've become a race shirt junkie. And, it was a Nike DriFit shirt. I really missed the boat on that one! There are a couple of other evening races sprinkled about the summer that I need to check out. Now, if only I could recall where I put that info. Somewhere in my last fit of organization, I organized it so well that I can no longer locate it. Buggers.

My tennis coach is off this week and next, so hopefully I can arrange some matches for next week. I may *gasp* cheat on him with another coach. I can't stay inactive for too long. And, I can only fall off the Wii Balance Board so many times before the fun runs out of that.

Now, where is that bloody laundry fairy?

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Boiler's a runner.

Or so one of my friend's here in Chicago called me. And, she actually didn't call me Boiler, but whatever.

Never, ever in my life did I think that I would be called a runner. I lived by the mantra that I only ran if being chased by someone trying to kill me. And, then truthfully, it would probably be less painful to just quit running and let my chaser off me.

Somewhere, months ago, I got sucked in and talked into doing a 5k. And, then someone else (ahem, Lisa) convinced me to run a race much earlier than my first planned 5k. And what do you know? I was only planning on running half of it and I finished the whole thing! And, then, I was hooked. A week later, I fell down our hardwood stairs and broke my rib. Four weeks from my original first planned 5k. That's the first thing I asked the doc...can I still run the Wrigley race? She said no, but I did anyway. And, it's been all downhill since then.

My races so far...

St. Paddy's Day 5k - 3/16 43:55

Race to Wrigley - 4/13 36:36

Wrigley Early Start 5k - 4/19 35:15

Today, I'm deciding what else to run this summer. I don't do heat. So, this could be difficult. I'm also currently unable to sweat due to my hair straightening. Yeah, go ahead. Point and laugh at the greasy haired, stinky girl. I do know that I will do the Susan G. Komen here in Chicago in September. And, I have plans to head to Miami to run their SGK with a group of Weight Watchers friends in support of another WW friend, Mini, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

I've not been running recently, so I better get my rear in gear once I'm allowed to sweat again. (Saturday afternoon.)

That's me at the Wrigley race. And, no, those are NOT giant ass hoop earrings. They are the wires for my earphones. And the look on my face reflects the "oh fuck, it's a photographer" running through my mind.