Whose Voice is That?!

I love it when I am watching an older movie and I hear something familiar in one of the actor's voices. It is like an itch that I can only scratch once I figure out how I know that voice. It happened to me tonight. I was watching Indiscreet, a Carey Grant and Ingrid Bergman film. I had never seen it before, and the two lead actors were the only ones I knew.

While watching this part of the film, the lightbulb went on and I knew where I had heard Alfred's voice. The actor doesn't speak very much, so in the beginning I just had a nagging feeling I knew the voice. Here he gets angry and goes on a bit of a rant. All of a sudden, I heard it. Can you?

"No boy, no note!"

You need to go to 4:32 to hear it. I checked it on imdb and the actor, Cecil Parker, played both the Captain and Alfred. Itch scratched.

Celebrity Stalks at Midnight (really 6-9pm)

Yesterday I went with my friend, Kathryn to see Toy Story 3 at the movie theater in Evanston. The movie was cute and I actually liked it more than the previous two films. I arrived at the theater about 15 minutes late (5 minutes after the show was scheduled to begin) and I think Kathryn thought I was going to have a heart attack, I was so "purple" in the face.

I know I'm not in the best shape in the world, but it was about 90 degrees outside and I had been on a shopping spree in CVS for medical supplies. I had to carry 2 gigantic bags of ice packs, bandaids, tylenol, you name it from downtown Evanston to my office on campus. I had underestimated the distance, it was probably about a mile. It felt like 3. Once I dropped the bags off and spoke to my supervisor (also working on her day off) I had to hustle back downtown to the movie. I had really only given myself 25 minutes for the round trip, but I actually needed closer to 40.

Anyway, we got in and found some decent seats. I laughed quite a bit and I could see why someone might get a bit teary-eyed at the ending. Half a box of popcorn and a diet coke later, Kathryn needed to use the little ladies room. I was probably so dehydrated that my diet coke got absorbed right into me so I waited outside. That's when things got interesting.

Across the lobby (about 20 feet away) sitting on the opposite bench outside the little boy's room, was a girl. She looked about 17. I laughed to myself that I would have to tell Kathryn that the girl looked like Jessica from True Blood. Aside from the hair, which is red on the show, this girl was a dead ringer (pardon the pun). She was talking to a younger girl, but I couldn't keep my eyes off her. It was uncanny. Then I noticed she handed something to the young girl and I could have sworn I heard* her say "we just wrapped".

Oh. My. God! It WAS Jessica. I got up and stood by the ladies' room door, keeping one eye on my vampire, and one on the lookout for Kathryn. Soon, I could bear it no longer and went in the restroom to see if I could hurry things along (I do not intend to cast aspersions on my friend, there was a long line). When I got back into the lobby, Jessica was gone! Less than a minute later, Kathryn emerged and I quickly filled her in on the sighting.

Kathryn was all in. She suggested we try to find her, but I had my doubts. We were excited at the prospect anyhow. As luck would have it, as soon as we stepped out onto the sidewalk, Jessica and a man with a cain used by the visually impaired came out of a little restaurant. My friend and I gawked for a few moments (we did try not to look like we were gawking) and confirmed for ourselves that, despite the light strawberry blond hair, THAT was indeed Jessica.

Jessica's Blog: Fangin'

The couple went their way and we went ours, ready to google to find out her Evanston/Chicago connection. At first it was mysterious. We couldn't find anything about her living in the area or going to school here but we were confident. We ate an excellent dinner at Mt. Everest, an Indian restaurant, then headed home after hitting Barnes & Noble.

As we awaited the Purple Line Train, who should come to the station but Deborah Ann Woll (we did find out her real name). I did my best not to stare, I mostly kept my back to them, but I'm sure I wasn't playing it cool. On the Purple we were in the same car as Deborah (and the guy we now were pretty sure was her boyfriend). When it came time to switch to the Red Line, they went to the second car rather than the first. We cannot confirm that they were trying to evade us, but the second car was not the most convenient choice.

In retrospect, we would have probably been better off acknowledging that we knew who she was, rather than looking like a couple of creeps. Oh well. All I can say is that even though I only had one day off this weekend, it was a pretty awesome one.

* I have often claimed to have super-sonic hearing. I think it is to make up for my poor eyesight.

I'll cop to "Harried" but "Pedantic", no way

I know I've complained enough on this blog about things at work, but I'm actually still seething about what happened today.

I got a call from a woman at one of our other offices saying that she had a parent who wanted to apply to our first session (starting on Sunday) for her child. I said that we were not accepting any more applications for Session 1, but Session 2 was still available. I though that would be the end of that.

Should have known better. About 20 minutes later, the parent comes into my office/book and supply storage room. I was alone (usually there is at least one other person in there with me). She said she had been to the other office and been told "no" but "needed to be told 'no' again". So, I told her "no" again. There followed a pregnant pause, in which she evidently expected me to change my answer. I attempted to give her a sympathetic smile and explain that all the "books and supplies have been ordered, the staff is in place, and we quit admitting students over a week ago" another pregnant pause. At this point, I'm sure my smile became a bit strained, "I'm sorry, but we can't accept your child. Session 2 is still open".

She couldn't do Session 2 because her family will be on vacation. I felt VERY sorry for her, but my answer was still "no". After a couple more "no"s followed by more pauses, she finally left. Once again, foolishly, I thought it was over.

About 4 hours later I was checking the emails and one addressed to the director of all our programs was very sweetly written. (This is like going directly to the president of McDonald's when you are refused an Egg McMuffin at 5pm) "I was so excited to see that your program was still accepting applications" , "I was shocked when I was told 'no' the first time", "a young girl, apparently harried, told me unequivocally, 'no'", "she was pedantic, saying that 'the books had been ordered'".

Needless to say, my blood boiled. I could feel my face redden and my heart pound. I did not forward the email to the director (who is a bit out of touch and doesn't like to be bothered), but, rather, to my boss who specifically directs my program. She could decide what to do with the woman's request. Like I said, other than the "harried" and "pedantic" part, the email was quite sweetly written. It praised our program and expressed the sincere wish of both the parent and child to participate. So reasonable in its audacity. Clearly the work of someone used to getting her own way.

Well, not today, sister.

Feeling Better

I think it was Monday or Tuesday when I called my mother after work and she commented that I sounded like I was in a better mood. I think I replied "That's because I'm out of there!" You see, the past few weeks have been a nightmare at work preparing for the students to arrive. We moved our offices and I am in charge of ordering all the supplies the instructors will need. I do that on top of all my other responsibilities of answering phones and emails and processing the paperwork that comes in by the truckload! (I do get lots of help from my great co-workers in the office, but still.)

Last week I was actually at the point where I had so much to do, I didn't do anything. I'm sure that is an exaggeration, but not a gross one. I found myself torn in ten different directions and petrified in my seat no knowing which way to go.

Two of us had to hire Office Assistants this year (a new responsibility) and one of the questions we asked them was: What do you do when you have difficulty completing a project due to time constraints or the amount of work to be done? We are looking for answers like "I make a list", "I prioritize", "I ask for help", etc. But what happens when the list keeps growing, everything is equally important, and everyone else is just a busy as you are?

I will say that I am feeling better this week. I have finally caught up on some of the work and I am now at the point where (in most cases) if it isn't done yet, there isn't much I can do about it. It is a very liberating realization.

Stormy Weather

Well, I dodged a bullet today (not exactly a bullet, but rather thousands of gigantic raindrops) by leaving work about 3 minutes early. Had I not, I would have been stuck in a downpour that began just moments after I reached the train platform. The people on the street were shrieking as their umbrellas blew inside out and they got soaked to the bone. Out of nowhere the wind whipped up to the point where the rain and the water already on the road made the dark cement look like a rough day at the beach, waves and all.

Later, when the wind had died down, I saw one guy who was so wet he was no longer hurrying home. Completely resigned to his fate, he practically meandered to his door.

A couple of the cracks of thunder have already made me jump and I think this is supposed to go on all night. I'm just glad the cats seem to be unaffected.

Before the downpour, when I was walking to the train, it was only raining a little. I could tell things were going to get much worse because it felt like 100% humidity. The air was so thick, I was almost swimming rather than walking. Each breath was more H2O than O.

I don't mind a storm (as long as it doesn't knock out my power). I hope this will cool things off a bit outside.

Oh Sookie

I thought this was hilarious.

I was never a huge Snoop Dogg fan, but I appreciate him more as we both get older. He seems to have a great sense of humor. This little video is witty and a bit crude, but he clearly gets it.

What makes this even funnier to me is that one of the students applying to our program (he was in 5th or 6th grade) sent in a writing sample stating that Snoop Dogg should be our next president. Among his many arguments: Snoop probably knows more about law than most people, as he has been in court on many occasions. Needless to say, the kid was in.

Happy Father's Day!

When, like me, you couldn't ask for a better father, it becomes difficult to think of a way of expressing your gratitude. I usually resort to cards with quips about being "wrapped around my finger" etc.

Neither of us is a fan of the long greeting card message, we are much more comfortable giving and receiving something brief and/or humorous. This year was no exception. There was a cute card, a small gift, and a phone call to commemorate the day.

So, to the man who:

sat patiently while I cried in anticipation of the kickback from a rifle during target practice (it never really hurt that bad),

would drop everything and drive the 8 hours round trip from Erie to State College to pick me up for a weekend on short notice,

took his first international trip, outside the U.S. and Canada, to Greece and then DROVE in that crazy country to visit me,

Hauled a love seat from St. Cloud to Chicago in the middle of a December snowstorm then fretted that I may fall out of my 9th story window in my first apartment in the Windy City,

Thank you! and Happy Father's Day!

Time for a Group Hug

My mom told me last weekend that she heard John Stamos will be joining the cast of "Glee" next season. He will be playing the role of Emma Pilsbury's dentist boyfriend. My immediate response was "well, he was the lead singer or Jesse and the Rippers." I also mentioned his his famous (or infamous) collaboration with The Beach Boys.

Watch Full House 2x06 - Beach Boy Bingo in Drama | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

This is the only video I could find of this particular episode, so if you are interested, you'll need to go to the end to see the Beach Boys.

Mom was a bit surprised that I knew all of this, but I told her she could ask just about any girl my age and she would know about Jesse and the Rippers and the Beach Boys episode.

What I didn't realize, is that the first time the Beach Boys appeared on "Full House" it was just the second season. I was getting confused and thought it was when the Tanners went to Hawaii and got lost on a deserted island only to find that the sounds they took for the drums of cannibals, was actually a luau at their resort. Apparently, the Beach Boys were not even in that two part episode.

Anyway, I think "Glee" is the perfect place for John Stamos. He was the bee's knees on "Full House" but missed the boat by joining the cast of "ER" at a time when nobody even knew it was still on. He is still very good looking and can give Will Scheuster a run for his money with Emma. I'll be on team dentist when it comes to the next season of "Glee".

Humanist as Human does

In the last few years, I have begun to think of myself as a Humanist. This is due largely to Kurt Vonnegut. His outlook on life often makes so much sense to me and things that he wrote in "Mother Night" and "Slaughterhouse Five" ring true to this day. When I read that he was a Humanist, I thought maybe I was one as well.

Humanist: an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.

More and more I have come to realize that I don't like humans enough to be a Humanist. For example, on the train today I actually felt loathing for a person, sitting two seats behind me, chomping on her gum. It was loud enough to hear over the rattle of the train, the conversations of my fellow passengers, and the music leaking out from the headphones of someone sitting nearby. I didn't even see her face until I got up to leave the train and yet, I hated her. I guess I believe in her "potential value", if she would just chew with her mouth closed!

Is it possible to be a selective Humanist? I love my friends and family, I certainly believe in human potential and the necessity to aid my fellow (wo)man, but when faced with the masses, I cringe. I need personal space and abhor a crowd.

I think I was always like this. It may even stem from the Sha Na Na concert my parents took me to for We Love Erie Days back in the 80's. That was the first time I ever saw a punk, and the first time I was ever confronted with a phalanx of large womens' rear ends. Ironically (or perhaps not) in this situation it was the punks who were kind and the women who would crowd out a little girl at her first concert

I guess I really just have to respect a true Humanist; a person who genuinely likes people and wants to spend time in their presence. Give me a good book or a good pet any day of the week over the huddled masses. I'll stay in while the Cub's fans roam the streets; I'll keep to the right in the hope of avoiding a collision and I'll quietly seethe to the arhythmic mastications of the gum chewer two rows back.

Really?!

You may not know this, but I get regular emails from the President of the United States. Just recently, he asked me what I thought about the potential for this crisis in the Gulf of Mexico to lead to change in our energy policy and the creation of new jobs in America. Personally, I think that would be just great.

In the meantime, I also regularly get ads on my facebook page to "Fire Debbie Wasserman Schultz" for just $25 I can have a hand in getting rid of "one of the leading liberals in the House" Someone out there also thinks I may be interested in the Creation Museum.

I can't figure out what it is about my profile that would lead the fine folks at facebook to target these ads to me. I am listed as "very liberal", two of my favorite artists are Elton John and Rufus Wainwright, one of my favorite movies is "To Wong Foo" and I am a single female living in Chicago on Barack Obama's email listserve. Okay, maybe they don't know about the listserve.

This leads me to believe that either A) the facebook ad targeting is just sloppy, or B) facebook ad people are just as liberal as I am and are deliberately targeting people who will clearly not respond favorably to Tea Party/Creationist ads. I kind of hope it is the latter.

So, while I will continue to respond to Obama and sign petitions that I agree with, I will also continue to ignore/ridicule the facebook ads warning me about "Obamacare" and those nasty Progressives taking over this country. I see it as my civic duty.

True Blood

The new season of HBO's series, True Blood, has finally begun. I love this show so much I'm not sure if I can adequately express it. I will try nonetheless. For those of you who are uninitiated, I will introduce you to some of the denizens of Bon Temps.

Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress at Merlotte's. She has an affinity for short shorts, tanning, and her Vampire boyfriend, Bill. Sookie is also telepathic.

Jason Stackhouse is Sookie's, dumb as a box of rocks, brother. He is a ladies' man and easily led and has no apparent super-powers that don't involve sex.

Bill Compton is Sookie's fanged boyfriend. He died just AFTER the Civil War and has a bathtub I would die for.

Jessica is a new Vampire created by Bill. She started out annoying but is now one of the most endearing and refreshing of the characters.

Hoyt is Jessica's boyfriend. They are going through a rough patch since Jessica just drained her first human and cheated on

him all in the same night. Hoyt's super power is being super adorable.

Tara is Sookie's best friend (at least that is what everyone keeps insisting) but she spent most of last season under the power of a Maenad and is really pissed at Sookie for reading her

boyfriend's mind and getting him killed. Tara's super power is her amazing ability to ignore her own intelligence in favor of making terrible decisions. Last seen trying to kill herself by ODing in her cousin's bathroom.

Lafayette is Tara's cousin and works with Sookie at Merlotte's. He is just awesome and is generally the voice of reason in this show. He is selling Vampire blood, or "V", for Vampires and is about to get himself into a whole lot of trouble. At least he isn't still chained up in the basement of the Vampire bar "Fangtasia".

There are plenty more characters, but these are the ones that seem to be of immediate interest.

What makes this show amazing (aside from the characters) is its camp. I have often heard the acting referred to as "bad", but I disagree. I believe everyone involved is well aware that the absurdity of the story requires the actors to play along. The series of books on which the show is based are ridiculous in the extreme. They are so bad that they are almost good. The show hasn't followed the books too closely since the first season, but I am hesitating to read the third book until this season is over.

All I can say is that I am really looking forward to my summer of Vampires.

Wet Chicago

This evening brought a nearly torrential downpour to Evanston and my walk from work to the train. We have just moved to our Summer offices on campus, so my trek to and from the train always gets a bit longer at this time of year.

Chicago may be called the Windy City, but I think it should be the city of 1,000,000 puddles. There seems to be absolutely no drainage. Maybe I never walked enough in any of the other places I have lived, but I swear I have never seen anything like this.

My walk is nearly a straight shot along a residential sidewalk and, though I did my best to avoid the deepest puddles, my pants were wet up to my knees and I felt a distinct pruning of my toes after my shoes were soaked through. In order to have made it home without soaking myself, I would have had to have been a world-class gymnast.

Home at last!

It was a nice, relaxing trip to Minnesota. I did a little shopping (didn't really buy anything), went for a leisurely kayak ride, and spent most of my time playing with the puppy, Rosie. She is sweet as can be, loves to nap and play, and is keeping Mom and Dad busy and entertained.

For a more complete run-down of the weekend, you can visit my mom's blog: How to Spoil a Chessie

Things went awry on the way back to Chicago. We got caught in some pretty nasty traffic only a few miles from the airport, complete with road work, an accident (cars still in the road), and crazy road-workers in fluorescent jumpsuits running around in the middle of the highway.

When I checked in, the kiosk warned me that my flight was delayed but the ticket still said 5pm departure. I decided to check at the gate. When I got to the gate, they were announcing a gate change. I got myself to the new gate, in a totally different terminal, and the flight was delayed. A two hour delay turned into two and a half hours.

On a happier note, True Blood Starts tonight. I'll watch the second showing. Expect a bit of blogging about this show, I can't get enough of it.

Arrivin' on a Jet Plane

It is kind of chilly here in Minnesota. I don't think I packed any pants. Don't worry, I won't be running around with no bottoms on, I mean I didn't pack any long pants. I was expecting humid weather so I only brought shorts.

The flight in was completely uneventful but packed. I got to O'Hare Airport via the Kiss-N-Fly bus in Evanston. Again, uneventful. The only bump in that road was a woman (clearly from out of the country) with a little girl. I'm not one to push and shove my way through people so even though they were walking at a snail's pace, I patiently walked behind. When an opportunity to pass them came along, I took it. She had apparently stopped to talk to her husband who was somewhere behind me. I walked briskly (for me, probably normal pace for anyone else) toward the escalator. To my surprise, the woman was back, this time jogging with her child. Jogging right in front of me as I reached the escalator! She and her child got on, then stood, stock-still, to ride it all the way down. Now, I ask you, was that completely necessary?

Check-in was a breeze, since I didn't check any bags and I got through security in a matter of a few minutes. There was one unfortunate couple (in the line I didn't choose) who apparently didn't have the right kind of identification and they were holding up their line. It may be the first time in my life that I haven't chosen the worst line in which to stand!

Even though I was right on schedule, I have a thing about just going straight to my gate when I get to an airport. There were a few people who seemed to want to hinder this goal, but nothing egregious.

My flight took off on time, arrived on time, my mom was there to pick me up right away, and we got home by 11:15.

Offering

I decided to follow through with my planned course of action. I bought a nice six pack of Bell's and took it up to the neighbor's apartment. I will confess, I almost hoped they wouldn't be there so I could just leave it at the door. I think that is just me being weird. I don't know why, but I have always been a self-conscious gift giver. Like, why would they NOT want the beer?

Nicole (I still think that is her name) was there, but had just hopped out of the shower so it took a minute to open the door. I just said thank you and told her to have a nice weekend. She seemed to appreciate the thought. It is a strange thing meeting people for the first time. Living in Chicago, I often feel like everybody already has all their friends. I have been lucky to have Kathryn and Jeremy and, through them, to have met Cisley and Alice. Also, I would say that I am friends with a couple of girls from work. Everybody just seems to live so far away.

To make a long story short, I feel like I'm back at Penn State. There are some nice girls living down the hall but I'm not quite sure how to make them my friends. I know it is silly, but that is just the way it goes.

Maybe I should have Vogued after all.

Baby Blanket

I have already made one baby blanket. It was a cute yellow one for my cousin's baby, Kayden. I was really happy with the final product. When I found out a co-worker, Jody, was expecting, I knew I had to make another. Above are the colors I picked out. Jody doesn't know the sex so I went with primary colors with a bit of a Caribbean feel.

Hopefully it will look something like this (Baby not included). I think I need to pick up a white to round things out but I'm excited for the final product.

PBR me, "Glee"

I stayed an hour late at work today to try and catch up on some work that will never get caught up. It was raining and pretty crummy outside so all I wanted to do was get home and watch "Glee". When I got off the train I picked up a sub and headed home. At my back door I tried to find my keys. They were nowhere to be found. It was just perfect.

My friend, Kathryn, has a spare set but to get to her place would take a good hour and a half round trip. The situation seemed hopeless.

Luckily, I heard my neighbors two stories up talking on the fire escape. I had never formally met them (and I wasn't even sure if we had informally met) all they were were voices without faces. A little self-consciously I made my way upstairs. One girl (not a neighbor) was sitting outside and when I explained the situation she yelled "Nicole!" and my actual neighbor appeared. It turned out that Nicole and her husband, Timothy (I think) had the number of the apartment management company so I could call.

They were really very nice to me. They offered me a PBR tallboy and we sat around waiting for the Super to show up. A little before 8, another neighbor made his way upstairs insisting that we watch Lady Gaga's "Alejandro" video (which we did) then we all bonded over our mutual love of men in fishnets and high heels and "Glee".

To my delight, they invited me in to watch the season finale. We shouted at the TV and at 8:30 the Super unlocked my door. I watched the last half hour alone, almost wishing I were still imposing on my entertaining upstairs neighbors.

On a scale from 1-10 "Nine" gets a Zero

This was painful. I had actually been looking forward to this film. I do enjoy a musical. But there is no excuse for "Nine". It was rated PG-13 for smoking and sexuality but I would be amazed if anyone under the age of 13 could even stay awake long enough to get through the opening number. Scratch that, I can't imagine ANYONE staying awake for this thing.

I really thought there was going to be a revival of the Hollywood movie musical with "Chicago", "Moulin Rouge", and even "Hairspray". Boy, was I wrong. I found "Across the Universe" to be so cringe-inducing I didn't even finish watching. With "Nine" I gritted my teeth to make it the whole way through for this blog. I decided it was so bad that I had to watch it to warn anyone else away.

Such a shame. I mean, Dame Judy Dench, Daniel Day Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren and Marion Cotillard all came together to make this tripe. If that isn't a group of Oscar winners/Screen Legends, I don't know what is.

The film started out dull and just got duller. The musical numbers were bland and the singing was execrable. The only bright spot through the whole thing was Cotillard (looking very much like Audrey Hepburn) but one performance does not a movie make. I find this to be a case of false advertising. The trailer made it appear quick and snappy, the final product was plodding and humorless.

Aside from the music part of this musical, I think I had a problem with the story itself. It is an age-old musical trick to make a movie about "putting on a show" think "Summer Stock", "White Christmas", "Singin In the Rain", and about a million others. In this case, not a single person was even remotely happy. There was no sense of joining together to make it work. In fact, it was just the opposite. This film was about making a film that never got made.

In the process of not making his film, Maestro Guido Contini (Daniel Day Lewis) systematically alienates his mistress, his wife, a female reporter and just about everyone else in his life. His treatment of these women is baffling. He alternately claims to love then abandons both his mistress and his wife, he goes to the room of the reporter (who he appears to find ridiculous) then leaves her, and he tries to get his leading lady to agree to be in a film with no script where she will play many women in love with one man (she turns him down). With every disappointment he curls up in the fetal position on a work table in his costume designer's studio. Pathetic.

If you've read this far I think it is safe to say you have spent as much time with this film as anyone should ever have to. Please avoid at all costs.

I'll call you "Cat"

I mentioned yesterday that I went on a little shopping trip with my friend, Kathryn. On that trip, I bought the 3rd Stieg Larsson book The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, a birthday/father's day gift, a cat toy and (drumroll please).....

TA-DA! A vacuum cleaner!

It may not sound that exciting, but I have been trying to get one for a couple of months now. It is a long story involving Target not carrying the one I thought I wanted and me not wanting to have one delivered to my apartment because of address issues and delivery time etc.

I have been living in my apartment for about a year and a half and cleaning the floors consisted of sweeping, dust mopping, then swiffer wet-jetting. This was all well and good for my kitchen, but it left something to be desired for my living room.

It is the place where my cats, Turtle and Owl, and I spend most of our waking time and I have a terrific gold and red shag rug in there. Don't judge.

Needless to say, that rug was in desperate need of a vacuuming. To the left is the result. (In my defense, this is my living room and bedroom and it primarily consists of cat hair which is notoriously difficult to clean up.) You may not be able to clearly see it, but that white line is next to the word MAX. If I'm not mistaken, I think I went over the Max on my first go-round. Gross. Don't judge.

I feel that I have been properly punished. I got the vacuum cleaner (I'm calling it "Cat") at the Best Buy on North Avenue. I had to deal with a crazy anti-sales girl and make the choice between the Dirt Devil and a Eureka. Both were compact, the Eureka was the first one I saw but the anti-sales girl told me that the canister was difficult to remove. I tried it and it worked fine. The Eureka was also purple and sparkly and had a picture of a cat and puppy. In the end, it was $10 more than the Dirt Devil and the only advantage was being 2 lbs lighter. I steeled my heart against the puppy and kitten and chose the Dirt Devil. I then hauled it more than 2 blocks to the Red Line station, down the stairs, onto a train, off the train, down some more stairs, another block to my apartment, up the stairs and into the living room. It was probably a good 3/4 of a mile. My biceps are still aching.

Joy

My mother sent me this lovely picture of the Mississippi River from their back yard. While it is very pretty, all it did was remind me of "The Joy of Painting" with Bob Ross.

When we lived in Wesleyville, we didn't have cable. On weekend mornings when I didn't have an activity to do, I would sometimes sit on the couch and tune into PBS for a little Bob Ross fix. I'm pretty sure Mom and Dad never understood this, but I know I'm not alone. The painter's voice was so soothing and his paintings so tranquil, it was like a dream to watch. He'd make "happy clouds" and "give a lonely tree a friend" using colors that didn't make any sense until he was done.

I ran into Bob Ross fans when I lived in Greece. My friends and I had one particular bar we really liked, Yasoo, and when we would stay late and be the only ones left, the owners would turn on "The Joy of Painting". The first time it happened, I couldn't believe it! I hadn't seen the show in years. They were just as surprised that I knew who he was. We sat in awe watching him paint a wooded lake, shouted our protests when he painted a large black line right through the middle of it all, then nodded in approval when that line turned into an evergreen tree to complete the work.

This is how I picture that photo with Bob Ross

But wait! what's he doing? Noooooo!

I guess we will just have to trust that it comes out all right in the end!

Pedis, Mexican, and North Ave

Last week I was bragging to some of my co-workers that I actually had plans for this weekend. We were going to do a Girls' night out at the Kit Kat Lounge. On Friday, I found out we had to reschedule to some time in July!

The only thing worse than not having plans over a weekend is having plans and then having them cancelled.

Luckily, Kathryn swooped in with a Girls' afternoon out. We got pedicures, I went for dark nails while she chose a very Summery pink. Then we went down the street for Mexican food (it may have been the least spicy Mexican that I have ever had, which is okay with me). Finally, we then went down to North Avenue to shop. I am now totally beat, but it was a good time.

I Love Cream Puffs!

Yesterday we had a little morning get-together in our office conference room. To be honest, we don't really have time for this sort of thing, so I usually resent it at this time of year.

Something changed all that. A cream puff. Not just any cream puff, but a Beard Papa cream puff. It was so light and airy, but crispy outside and filled with a strawberry cream filling. So good. I could have eaten a dozen.

Apparently the franchise (which started in Japan) has just recently made it to Chicago and is now nestled somewhere between the Red and Blue Line trains in the Loop. Really, these things were SO good. I know not many of you live here, but if you ever come across one of these bakeries, I urge you to go inside.

Check out the website, it is adorable. Especially the history of the shop.

The Young Victoria

I had really been looking forward to getting this movie from Netflix. I realized that I knew very little about Queen Victoria and the Victorian Era. Most of what I know comes from the second half of her more than 63 year reign, when she was a widow and the ruler of an empire.

This film, as the title indicates, is about her just before she becomes Queen and the first 4 years of her reign. It was fascinating to see that she began to reign only 1 month after her 18th birthday. Her uncle, the king, held out just long enough for her to come of age to avoid having to hand over control of Great Britain to her mother (and her mother's controlling advisor).

I do love a period piece, and this was no exception. Rent it, if you feel the same way, and you won't be disappointed.

What A Day!

As much as I enjoyed having a nice, long, 3 day weekend, nothing is worse than going in to work with not two, but three days to catch up on! I didn't get a single thing done until 5:30, and I'm supposed to leave at 5.

Because of this, my post today will be about where I'd rather be...

Holding hands and looking for a dummy!

Actually, there are a lot of places I'd rather be, but Presque Isle is definitely on that list.

Oh, the days of sitting in a cement block building, telling time military style, grinding out a living and just being "the keystone of Lifeguard Operations"* Life was good. I didn't have to let anyone into the office that I didn't want (unless they had more seniority), my radio policy was a paragon and, after the first year, not a day went by that I didn't laugh my ass off!

Sure, there were times when things got rough. Not every day was a great day but, in the nearly 3 years since I worked there, I have never regretted that I stayed so long. I hope this is one of the great summers at P.I. and that everyone stays safe.

*This was an actual phrase on one of my year-end evaluations. Thanks, boys!