The Power of Pop

I want to send a HUGE thank you out to my friend, Carisa! I went to bed last night, and woke up this morning, in an upset mood. I was just feeling upset about work and things. So on the car ride into work today, Carisa played DJ and cranked up some fun, dancey tunes. And they really did perk up my mood!

It's amazing how music can have such a strong effect on a person's mood.

Thanks, Carisa!

Memorial Weekend

What a busy weekend I had! Richie and I saw the musical Ragtime, on Friday night. What a great show! I recommend checking this out if it comes to your 'hood at any point.
We also worked a bit more on our garden. We transplanted the cilantro to a new pot, so it has plenty of space to grow. We also put in two larger tomato cages for our tomatoes. Those puppies are growing so fast! They've almost doubled in size in just a little over a week.
I planted some oregano, repotted my house plant "Rex", potted a new plant I got from work and then potted a Habenero pepper plant, which Richie and I have since named "Joe".
(That last one is all Richie. Y'all should know that I don't do spicey food. )

We threw a party, went to a party (where a man I just met the night before said I remind him of Maggie Gyllenthal) and watched the season finale of LOST.

I also met up with Carisa and her mama for brunch at Wishbone. Yum! Although, this weekend I also had a late breakfast at Clarke's (off the Belmont Red Line stop) and those are hands down the best pancakes I have ever tasted in my life.

Also, L. Lo got coked up, drank a bunch a booze and popped a curb in her car. She is now back in rehab.


Summer is here!!

Neck and Neck

I think it's time I break up with this boyfriend. Why, you ask? Well, I just can't respect a man with a neckline that plunges deeper than mine. It also makes me think he bats for the other team.

And what is with that necklace?!? This is what happens when people go to rehab. They sober up and lose all sense of fashion.

Or they sober up and go gay.

Richie, you are never allowed to go to rehab. :)

Cloud Cult

Photos from the Cloud Cult show at The Knitting Factory.

Driftwood

The Driftwood Premiere in Los Angeles. What an incredible film!

PopTarts

I ate a PopTart this weekend. A strawberry, unfrosted PopTart. I didn't think people still bought (or even sold) PopTarts anymore, but I have been proven wrong. (I happen to be dating a boy who purchases these pastries. It took me a couple of weeks before I realized he wasn't joking when he said "You want a PopTart?")

These breakfast pastries are in a section of the grocery store that I usually pass over for not only health purposes but financial purposes too. Also, I would feel really silly buying something like a chocolate covered Oreo bar and trying to pass it off as a breakfast item.

Anyway, so I ate a Poptart. And I forgot how dry they are. Which is why I think the frosting does play a role...it keeps things moist. I downed one tall glass of milk for one PopTart.

Also, the strawberry on the inside is more of a paste than a jam or spread. Which again contributes to the dryness and intense desire to drink a gallon of milk.

So I've concluded that this pastry is unhealthy, expensive, and not all that tasty.

And yet...right now, a frosted covered, strawberry PopTart sounds kinda good.

The Bees Knees

The buzz (hee hee) around Washington lately is the North American bee and honey scare. Specifically, the radiation brought about by high cell phone use is having negative effects on the US bee population. The bees are disoriented by the radiation so they aren't pollinating the flowers, they are dying in masses and we're about to enter a honey crisis.

All this being said, I killed a bee in my bedroom on Sunday night. It was loud and I couldn't sleep. And Pua kept darting around my bedroom trying to catch it. You try sleeping with a 4-year-old clawing up the walls and 'meow'ing her attack call.

So, I'm terribly sorry if killed the last bee in Roscoe Village.

Umphree's Magee

Richie and I biked over to the lake today and took a brief stop at The Lincoln Park Zoo. They were having a free concert series in honor of Earth Day. We saw Umphree's Magee play a free show! I've never seen/heard the band before and I'm not a huge fan of jam bands but it was a fun afternoon.

We really took advantage of this weekend's beautiful weather. Saturday we took a 5 mile walk around the city (detouring through Graceland Cemetary) and then today riding our bikes around. Yay for summer!!

Happy Hour

Friday night we ditched the movie and opted for happy hour(s) instead. Thank GOD for girlfriends!!!

Brace Yourself

I have an appt today with the dentist to discuss straightening out my bottom teeth. I am gathering info on clear braces vs. invisilign. Right now I am leaning towards invisilign. I'll keep you posted on what I decide.

And who watched LOST last night?! That was an AWESOME episode!!

It's About Time

My car is fixed! 18 months after the initial vandalism, I finally got around to getting the radio re-installed. My car looks normal again! It's weird!! :)

Cubs vs. Padres

Richie and I went to the Cubs game tonight. They beat the Padres by a lot. What a fun game!
I couldn't help but snap a photo of Richie's seat...he left piles of peanut shells, the remains of a hot dog and half a beer.
I'm not afraid to eat the shells! :)

Go Cubbies!

Best Money I've Ever Spent

I must say, the best money I have ever spent was definitely for my eye surgery. I was thinking about that today. For the rest of my life I will have 20/20 vision. My laptop (which honestly was only a fraction of what the eye surgery cost) might last 3-4 years and then I will need to purchase a new one. My car will also fall apart. As will any furniture I buy.

My eyes on the other hand will be perfect for years and years to come.

I start softball next week and I remember last summer playing with my glasses on. The sun would blind me and it made it so hard to catch the softball! This summer, though, I will be able to wear sunglasses! YEAH!!!

Now that that major purchase is behind me I have another decision in front of me. Do I or do I not get braces on my bottom teeth? hmmm.....

Puppy!

This looks likes something I would have done to Floppy!! Haha!

I want a puppy now!! (and this puppy just

wants his dignity back)

Friday the 13th

I guess the bad luck for this Friday the 13th falls on relationships. One of my girlfriends just broke up with her boyfriend. One of my girlfriends just announced she's getting a divorce. And another of my girlfriends is have major problems in her relationship.

Man, it must be a full moon too! Why is everyone breaking up?

With Karate I'll Kick Your Ass

Hell Yeah.

4/11

There are exactly 4 months until I turn 30. Sigh.

It's snowing outside today. It took 90 minutes to commute into work. We're supposed to get 1-3 inches. Michelle's text message this morning sumed it up nicely, "I hate snow!"

Also, Grandma Nordaker isn't doing so well. I spoke with my mom yesterday and they think she has about a week left before she passes. She is in hospice care now. So please say a prayer for Uncle Craig, Aunt Jane and the rest of my family. Thanks. :)

Take Another Little Piece of My Heart

Friday night, Michi, Sarah, Paddy and I met up at Piece for some food, drink and tunes. We tried the white pizza for the first time and it's my new favorite! The Golden Arm beer ain't that shabby either.

Beagles!

I love beagles. They are my favorite puppies of all time. And I think every Beagle should be named Floppy.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I got my new cell phone today. I realized over the weekend that I've had the same phone for 4, almost 5, years! I've been eligible for an upgrade for 3 years! Ha so I got the Motorola V3xx - which is an upgraded Razor. It's slim and pretty. Now I just need to figure out how to work the damn thing.

Last night, Richie and I (along with our friends Bob and Rebecca) watched the season finale of Battlestar Galactic. It was a great episode! The bummer side is that they're not airing new episodes until 2008! What the frak!

I haven't been blogging much lately for a few reasons:
1. I'm busy at work and don't have time to blog
2. I'm tired of carrying my camera everywhere, so I don't have as many photos
3. This new version of blogger doesn't like uploading photos anyway
4. I'm sort of enjoying my privacy

I will keep trying to post every now and then; it just won't be on a daily basis like I have done in the past. But I have links to great blogs on the right side of this page - so if you're trying to kill time, check out Angie's and Heather's blogs. Both are wonderful!

The weather is warm and the flowers are blooming in my backyard. I love springtime.