Twice

Guess I spoke too soon on cancelling yesterday’s lunchtime run.

D: We running today?

Me (after getting up to check outside… hesitating… checking again… checking online…): Yeah, let’s just do this.

Clearly, after being out late on a school night and just tired in general, I was anything less than motivated. And the fact that we had gone on Monday just made it that much easier to want to cancel (“we’ve already ran once this week! That’s better than what we were doing a few weeks ago over lunch!”).

Once we met up, we were still pretty slow to get excited about anything.

Me: I’m really tired. Mind if we keep it relaxed today?

D: Sure, my hip hurts a little anyway and I went to the game last night. You set the pace. I don’t care at all.

(Source)

Our usual trail path was pretty flooded. It took all of 15 seconds to turn around and alter our route into new territory.

Turns out I like the new path better. It’s wider. Smoother. Less tree limbs to dodge. And just makes me happier. Yes, yesterday it was mentioned that I’m warming up to trail running. But I’ll still prefer my roads. Or something similar.

That slower-paced run we agreed to? Easily the fastest run we’ve done yet. It started out the same, but we stopped talking less than half-way through as to save our breath. Even with the humidity, I felt so much more comfortable with my stride on the smoother surfaces.

Had I not feared becoming a gross mess and not been so constricted with a time limit, I would have suggested another 10 minutes onto the 25 that we did.

Thankfully, I didn’t. Because by the time I was back at my desk with my lunch, it was pouring again.  Close call! But we got our lunch time run in this week! Twice!

I’m really glad about that. Because the boxes of stuff I’ve been moving/unpacking as my “weights” routine are slowly dwindling. And I’m yet to really figure out how my new workout schedule will go.

The new roomie has been warned about my fondness of Jillian Michaels workout dvds. I’m not sure if she realizes that I’m serious. However, she will be walking in on me doing them very soon and will realize it’s not a joke. 

The look on her face leads to me believe she’s envisioning Jane Fonda and leg warmers. Maybe a thighmaster or something.

But that won’t happen tonight. I’ve got another “situation” to see the dentist about.

Seriously guys… if you’re gonna get more than one cavity (oops), keep them to one side. Otherwise they’ll make you come in twice. And give you judging looks for getting a cavity at all- twice. And numb your face twice. Which makes you feel silly and more awkward than normal… twice.

At least this means I get ice cream… twice! Take THAT, Mr. Dentist!

I’ll just be a little more cautious about chewing on my cheek this time. Only have to learn that lesson ONCE.

Weirdness in List Form

Being as how my thoughts are terribly scrambled as I rush around to get myself through the end of the work week, I figured I’d do well with a list today. Because then maybe you won’t notice that there isn’t one thing going on in my head that relates to the other.

1. First off, I feel the need to shout from the rooftops- I found a new place! No need to worry about me being homeless anymore! (Because I know you were freaking out.) I will no longer be living solo, but my new roommate is great. And our place is actually spacious enough to where we won’t kill each other. For at least 6 months. After that, well, there are no promises.

2. With the excitement of finding a place comes the sadness of leaving my current home. It hasn’t completely set in yet. We’re not talking about it now.

3. I missed Modern Family on Wednesday, but made it home for the new show Happy Endings. Has anyone seen it? It’s quickly moving to the top of my list.

4. Peanut butter sandwiches for dinner are one of the easiest things ever to eat in your car during rush hour. Balanced? Probably not. But I was quite content. For the last two nights I did it.

5. Along with that balanced peanut butter sandwich dinner, I’ve been enjoying cookies brought in by the office supply dude (aka Hottie McHotterson) who came by for a visit yesterday. It really is getting sad that the only thing we don’t know about his personal life is if he has a girlfriend or not. I know, I know… I should grow a pair and ask.

5. I’ve talked about my cereal obsession before, but I think we’ve hit another peak. Kashi is on sale at Target. Pair that with Kashi coupons from Target.com? I will not run out for at least 6 months. Pair that with how much fiber is in Kashi? I will not be hungry for the next year.

6. Today I’m off on yet another road trip starting as soon as we close the office at noon. But instead of only a 4.5-hour drive to St. Louis, we’re looking at an 8-hour drive to the middle of the state. Good times.

7. My mom informed me their computer was broken and so access to the internet is not looking good.  My heart stopped a little. And I immediately made plans to pack my laptop. Feeling “disconnected” does not sit well with me. Sad but true.

8. Last night was one of the worst nights of sleep I’ve had in a while. Unlike last time the phase happened for no seemingly good reason, I think this time it’s mostly because of all the stress factors in my life: traveling, moving, budgeting, work, etc. The plan was to maybe get up and do The Shred this morning. Instead, I was walking to the gym at 4:45. Because what else was I going to do? 2 miles at 8:28 (seriously, how do I get faster when sleep deprived?) and 15 minutes on the stairs. Believe it or not, I felt much better when the workout was over. Let’s hope this little “cardio high” at least lasts until halfway through my drive. A little wishful thinking never hurt anyone.

9. Mon messaged me yesterday about seeing identical twins in suits walking together down the street. She suggested I take one for myself and she could have the other. And she really jumped the gun with the kid talk:

Mon: Do you realize if we married identicals, there is a chance our kids would look a lot alike? Wouldn’t that be totally outrageously WEIRD? (I should mention here that along with the idea that we marry twins, she’s quite the red head and I also have that recessive gene popping up in both sides of the fam. So yes, there’s a good chance I will give birth to a little carrot top. I’ve braced myself for this.)

Me: Yes, that is very true. But yours would still be way shorter than mine. Woomp woomp.

Mon: Yeah well at least they wouldn’t have freakishly long torsos.

Touche, Mon. Touche…

10. That’s all I’ve got. I’m just really OCD, so I felt the need to end with a nice round number like 10. So yeah. Happy Friday!

My Own Personal Cheering Section

Good morning, kids!I broke out the big mug for coffee this morning. Necessary.

Don’t be confused- this is oatmeal. And yes, I put cereal on top of my oatmeal. Along with coconut and peanut butter. But if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you probably remember that. I don’t deviate from my breakfast staples that often. Unless I get a pancake craving.

It’s all about carbs in the morning around here.

Besides, I eat scrambled eggs for dinner. It’s just my thing.

And no- I still don’t know what I’ll be doing with the sign my friends made for my half marathon last week. Until I do, It’s hanging out at my kitchen table.  Cheering me on as I cook dinner. And eat.

I sort of like it that way.

Anyway, my weekend has been pretty full of “adult things” such as apartment hunting. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen my little whine about how apartment hunting is sooooooo harrrrrddddd.

It’s peak moving season, kids. Peeps are swiping up places right and left. And here I am with my future roommate- completely stumped yet terrified someone else is gonna grab a place that I want as MINE.

It’s a dog eat dog world out there. And I will fight you. Because there is no way I’m going to end up in the basement of some place that 2 guys are currently renting. No offense, boys. The landlord says he’ll clean and repaint, but I really don’t know how much time it’s going to take to get the smell of greasy hair and axe out of the walls. I feel like there’s some staying power with that one.

I think they should probably just burn the whole place down and start over if they’re trying to be efficient.

It was that disgusting.

 I’m off to get things done before we’re at it again. This includes a trip to the gym. Because I may have been lazy and called this my dinner last night:No regrets. Oreo-stuffed cookies are the best idea ever.

Now that I’m thinking about it, I may just start carrying that race sign with me on the apartment hunts. The extra motivation would be much appreciated.

Also wanted to give an extra shout out to all the kids in Boston this weekend- GOOD LUCK and HAPPY RUNNING! 

Have a great Sunday! I’m off- Go Amy, Go!

Glad It’s Wednesday

It’s funny because I usually just poke fun at Tuesdays. They’re so “blah”. Often monotonous. Never actually fun.

However, it’s been a while since there was a really yucky one.

Yesterday was. That is for certain.

The day started by me sleeping past my alarm. Maybe that was a sign early on that I should have just stayed in bed? Noted for next time.

Rarely do I talk about work (and I like it that way), but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- whoever created excel can suck a nut.

My brain was totally fried by the time I talked to Hottie McHotterson, the office supply sales guy. Daaaannnnng.

But it’s cool. He’s left long rambling messages with no point for me before. So hopefully this makes us even. 

The training front is going just as I expected. Pretty much nonexistent. I’ve been relaxing on the heavy cardio. Pretending that to be happy doing random strength. Trying not to freak out about that 13-mile run thing coming up…

Speaking of, I don’t know about you guys, but when it comes to the week before a race, I watch the weather like a hawk. 80 degrees?? I don’t remember what that feels like. The temps in my apartment never even go over 72…

So that’s pretty neat.

Tomorrow I’m going back into the gym as my last “cardio” before taking two rest days leading up to Sunday (and they’re actually on the schedule!).

By the way, thanks for the music help for my playlist. Eminem seemed to be a common suggestion. May have to raid my cd collection from 1999 on that one. As a 14-year-old middle-class girl with no kids of her own and living in the middle of Missouri on a farm with her happily-married parents, I totally thought I could relate to Eminem. Um… totally.

You know you did, too.

Since I disappeared yesterday, what else have I been up to?  Hmmm….

Well, I made a shopping trip to the mall for various reasons (always fun- blah!). As I perused one area of a department store (clearly thinking hard), a sales girl asked, “oh hi there, how are you? Finding everything ok?”

Why yes, yes I am, just looking… thanks.

3 minutes later?

“Oh hi there, how are you? Finding everything ok?” Said like she didn’t even realize she had JUST talked to me.

Yeah…. still am… uh… thanks.

By the fourth time she did it, I was less than polite. By the sixth time (I couldn’t make this up if I tried), I just looked at her like she was an idiot.

Or maybe it was me- was I having one of those weird life experiences or a twilight zone moment where the scene was being played over and over again in a loop? I breathed a sigh of relief after exiting and knowing I would not be stuck forever in Macy’s for the rest of my life. The sales weren’t even very good that day.

I’m also now on an official apartment search. I mentioned a week or so ago about the ridiculous raise in rent my apartment complex has decided to throw down on all their loyal and upstanding tenants.

No worries- I’m ok with it now. Sure, no one likes moving, and I’m sad to move away from some good friends, but am looking forward to finally getting my butt into the middle of it all in Chicago. Right now, I’m still chillaxing on the outer rim, so finally making my way in will be exciting! Vince is a little skeptical of how the search is going so far. I tell him to be patient.

And so we’re clear- that’s marinara sauce on roasted veggies. Not ketchup. I actually don’t like ketchup.

Yeah- that makes me weird.

Add it to the list.

Happy Hump Day!

Bad Table Manners

Thanks for the input everyone- I’m gonna make attempt #2 at steel cut oats this weekend when I have time to possibly fail and try again.  My mornings are super structured.  And I don’t enjoy deviating from the system.  It doesn’t work.  It ends up with me driving like a bat out of hell and possibly being late for work.  Especially if I’m trying something new and am unsure of the outcome.  I’m usually a microwave gal when it comes to my oatmeal (I still use the old fashioned- not a fan of the instant really…), and if I can’t let it go to go blow dry my hair for a little few minutes and put on the first “layer” of makeup, I’m already off the entire morning!  And that just makes me nervous.  OCD much?   

The second thing I tried from my lovely winnings was the Yogi Detox tea.  I had it after work- after making sure to check that it was caffeine free.  I used to be able to chug iced tea like it was my job- an hour before bed.  And still get a good night’s sleep.  Now?  Nope… If I have that afternoon cup of coffee, it’s only half-filled and before 3:00.  Almost positive my grandma and I now have that in common.  Sweet.

Back to the tea:It was… interesting.  I think the dandelion in it threw me.  Not sure if I like it.  But I’ll try it again.  I’m also concerned about the “detox” part- healthy kidney and liver function?  As long as I don’t lock myself in the bathroom for half the day tomorrow, I guess it’ll be all good.  Like I said, not crazy about it (or you could say- it’s not my cup of tea- hahahaha) but I’m giving it another shot tomorrow.

This is how I had dinner:Laptop closed.  I spend too many meals at the coffee table with the ‘top open and distracting me.  I need to have meals like this more often.  When they talk about it in articles and such about no distractions when you’re eating- they’re not kidding.  They say it for a reason!  This is such a bad habit of mine when it comes to meals…   Do you have any that you’ve fixed or are aware of?  Honestly, I’ve probably got a few more that I don’t even realize I’m doing.  Like being the crazy taster while cooking… it just happens!  

But at least this is an improvement- I’m almost always sitting to eat.  I used to be really bad about quite the opposite.  My roommates would often find me with my hand in a cereal box in the middle of the pantry- just staring at what I should eat next (after consuming  my weight in puffed and carbalicious snacks). 

Speaking of eating at the coffee table- I know that’s a bad one, too.  But there’s not much I can do about that one.  I don’t have a dining table… yet.  This weekend I’m taking another trip (I took one forever ago but couldn’t commit to anything- story of my life) to go furniture shopping!  Now that I’ve received my refund check, I’m able to go and secure myself a couch (yes, a grownup one) and a table.  Or at least one of the two- depending on what I can find.  Yep, stimulating the economy one counter-height bar stool at a time.  You’re welcome, Obama.  I too am very happy about this decision!

I think my comfort in doing this is I’ve decided to extend my lease another year.  Yep, that’s right.  This will officially be my first year since I moved to college that I will NOT be moving.  And I couldn’t be more excited!  Moving is just awful.  I won’t lie- it’s kept me from stock piling crap.  And I’ve become pretty efficient about the whole moving process.  But this time, I get to stay!  My furniture that has been with me every single year is thanking me for one less trip of wear and tear.  And no one likes to move in the middle of summer.  No  one…

To wrap it up, I thought I’d give you a summary of my fitness activities for the last couple of days.  Oh wait… there really weren’t any.    Still off the leg.  It’s getting better.  I don’t wince when I take a first step like I did Sunday and Monday.  I’m hoping that a lot of that had to do with stiff muscles.  I’m trying to be patient and not get upset.  At least this time around I know all the risks of continuing to work out and am off of it.  Last December?  Not so much.  Here’s to being optimistic!  And until I’m back up and running (literally), I’ll be working solely on those arms and abs again…

I miss you, Jillian… can’t wait until you kick my ass up and down my living room again…

Have a good one!

That Doesn’t Happen Everyday…

Ahhhh… the weekend.  I think back on it fondly as I start the beginning of another week from hell where we are short-staffed.  Lance had been sick, delaying my random-middle-0f-the-week-day-off-to-move-and-random-errands-and-keep-my-sanity that I had requested.  So what happened?  Lance came back on Thursday.  The stars aligned.  I got Friday off.  So I had a nice little three-day weekend.  Which will be followed by another three-day weekend.  And then again by my mini-vacay/Annie’s wedding in St. Louis.  This is how summer should be. 

It wasn’t all play and no work, though.  Friday I cleaned out the apartment of any remaining stuff I had over there.  Obviously, I really must have missed it being as how I didn’t make it back over to Palatine until then to pick it up.  Saturday I almost knocked myself out from inhaling clorox from all the cleaning of the Palatine apartment.  All the hard work is almost over… whew!  BUT, I did work on my tan…er… burn on Friday.  After I was done moving stuff, I figured I might as well swing by the trail and take a stroll in the lovely 90-degree weather.  Since I was in the area…  Once I got away from the part of the trail that runs along the two main roads, I got rid of my shirt.  Little did I realize the morning sun would mark the lines of my sports bra so definitively.  So then I  just HAD to go to the pool as to blend it a little bit… didn’t help much.  Maybe a bit.  Guess I’ll have to hit the pool again soon.  Life can be so hard.  People at work wondered where I was (I did accomplish alot, btw).  Jaime told them I took the day off to mourn the loss of Michael Jackson and that I was highly sedated because of the emotional trauma it had caused.  Apparently one of the agents almost believed her.  Wanna be startin’ something… got to be startin’ something…

That night I headed into the city by metra to meet up with the girls from work.  I took the metra to Irving Park and then jumped on the bus all the way down to Ashland.  Kind of almost sat  on someone’s lap when I got on the bus.  I happened to be one of the last people to sit and the bus started to move.  Oopsie… I’m in some guy’s lap.  I guess it could have been worse.  Anyways, all current and recently former ladies try to get together once every couple of months for a BYOB dinner and drinks at a bar after.  I decided to skip the bar part, being as how I had the day of cleaning still ahead of me, but was super excited for dinner at Machu Picchu.  I’ve never had Peruvian cuisine.  I ended up being the first one there (the way the metra/bus schedules had worked out).  But I didn’t mind.  The waiter asked if I wanted to uncork the bottle I brought as soon as I sat down.  Yes please!  We won’t get into the long week of shit I had dealt with (work/personal- it couldn’t have been much worse).  Girls slowly started wandering in.  We were one of just a few tables that were occupied.  Cute place.  The cliche landscape mural really set it off- I kinda liked it in it’s slightly crass way.  I ordered the Ceviche de Pescado.  Oops.  Next time, I’ll be more knowledgeable on asking how exactly it’s prepared.  I didn’t realize “ceviche” meant cooked by a form of marinating and served chilled.  I now know better.  Ooohhhh boy I know better…  At least the sweet potatoes were yummy.   We all swapped some of our food- I enjoyed everyone else’s.  I don’t think badly of them for my ignorance in how the dish is prepared.  I’m just disappointed I didn’t pick a winner…  I never thought I could go wrong with tilapia.

At one point, us mighty fine girls asked our waiter to take a picture of us.  Of course he suggested we take our picture in front of the classy mural of Machu Picchu they had.  A very vocal group of men from the table next to us started shouting “U-S-A!  U-S-A!” as we filed past.  It seems they were not from around here…  It also seems they had no problems taking pictures of us with their own cameras as the waiter was taking pictures with ours.  Wow.  Embaressing.  Can’t say that’s ever happened to me before… if anything, people are generally a little more subtle than that.

So Cathryn offered to take me to the Metra station instead of me having to ride the bus back to it.  I wouldn’t have minded, but I liked the idea of riding in her BMW with the convertible top better.  So we made it out of the restaurant with a decent amount of time to spare.  She was not completely sure of where it was, but had a general idea.  “Is that it?” as she pointed upward towards an upcoming overpass.  “Uh yeah, that’s it.  And that’s the train.  That I should be on…”  Too late.  As we pulled into the parking area for me to rush up the steps, the train pulled away.  Insert curse word of choice here.  Cathryn asked me when the next one would come.  In another hour.  Insert another colorful word.  She wouldn’t let me stay and just wait it out alone.  But that’s ok- I had no problem with her suggestion of finding a nearby bar to grab a drink and wait it out at.  She mentioned one place, but we couldn’t find it.  So we ended up at Celtic Crown.  A place we had visited before in January for our friend Joe’s birthday.  Again, it wasn’t that crowded.  But we didn’t care.  We just sat and talked through our drinks.  We like to talk about boys because we have discovered many strong similarities in our situations.  It passed the time quickly.  Cathryn hinted that I could stay at her place if I wanted to and it wouldn’t be a big deal.  She had gotten that look in her eye.  The look that would only cause trouble as we kept drinking.  We had both said earlier that Saturday had to be a productive one, so I stood firm.  Even though I wonder where the night would have lead us… ha ha.  Probably into another morning of slap-happy exhausted stares out from off of her balcony as we watched the sun rise again.  Debauchery at it’s finest.

I made that 11:43 train, damnit!  Got there in plenty of time.  Talked to some drunk girl from Crystal Lake.  She’s from a small town, too.  Her town’s claim to fame is when Tim McGraw was spotted in a Wal-Mart there.  Comical.  And random…  When I got home, I raided my pantry.  They asked if I wanted to box up my plate.  I respectfully declined.  I was already dreaming of the peanut butter toast I could have when I got home.  And it was good.  Oh man do I love peanut butter…

There’s a second part to this one.  Wait for it… 

Things I Learned From Moving

I am finally able to sleep in my new place.  I had the keys since last week, but it wasn’t until Sunday that I was able to spend my first night there.  Annie was an amazing friend and snagged her in-laws’ 15-passenger van to help me.  The two of us girls were able to get all the big furniture moved.  I was a little apprehensive, but Annie was positive we could do it.  When she saw the narrow three flights of stairs we had to go up, she became the apprehensive one, but four hours of sweating and using every little bit of energy we had, we got it done. 

I hope I do not move next year.  But if I do, this is what I know:

1. Elbow pads are not a bad idea.  Yeah, I’ll feel like an eight-year-old, but they’re made for a reason.  Usually little kids need them to ride a bike or something, but after Sunday, Annie and I look like we had gotten into a fight in the stairwell.  I have bruises up and down both arms, on the hips and the knees.   Where I don’t have bruises from being slammed into a textured wall, I have scrapes and scratches.  I am really glad Annie’s wedding isn’t for another two and a half weeks.  She has time to heal.

2. Keep a boy on standby.  I am pretty sure the idea of female empowerment was keeping us both going, but we didn’t have much of a choice.  I’m aware we moved on Father’s Day, so many were busy, but it would have been smart to have someone on speed dial just in case we really needed it.  We had an issue when we got the futon stuck in the stairwell.  Narrow hallways were causing a problem when we tried to turn a corner.  It stayed there for about an hour until we could figure it out.  Would have saved us some time if we had a little more muscle in the mix.  I promised Annie I would never make her move a futon again.  Also, I hope to never own a futon again after this year.  My guy friends always question it’s reliability when they sit on it.  With good reason.  It sucks.

3. I have too much crap.  If I move again, I will be downsizing.  Even Annie commented on how many things I have acquired over the years.  Not to worry- goodwill is getting a visit.  I can’t believe I still had a couple tops from freshman year… of high school.  No one wants to see that.  And I know it’s a one-bedroom, which is smaller than what I’m used to, but damn- I had no problem at all filling up the apartment.  Granted, I got rid of an entertainment center and replaced it with a media table (so that’s downsizing in some aspect), there’s still a lot I don’t need.

4. Always look for an ice maker.  I didn’t have one last year.  It was an amazing pain in the ass.  I have one this year.  I actually forgot to look, but was quite delighted when I opened the freezer door and there it was.  The first morning, I was even more delighted to see it overflowing after I had turned it on.  I immediately turned it off, but now I have an excess of ice to enjoy instead of having to crack ice trays every morning and getting bitchy when someone takes all the ice.

5. More importantly, I know I will sound like a brat, but I will NEVER live in a place that does not have a washer/dryer in the unit.  My new place only has stackables, but I assure you this is way better than dragging your laundry down a couple flights of stairs to a gross room with two of the four machines broken.  It was awesome to start throwing your laundry in and then realizing that you’re throwing it into a pool of water in the bottom of the washing machine.  Nasty.  And then having to use a laundry card, which the washer or dryer would constantly steal money from.  Being overcharged per load pissed me off enough- getting charged twice and then having to run a load through two cycles of the dryer or washer (because the soap didn’t all come out) was infuriating.  Screw that.  No more!

6. One of the funniest things I have seen in a long time is Annie driving that van.  She looks pretty cute and young as-is, but to see her barely peeking over the steering wheel of this monstrous van was awesome.  I thought I had gotten all the laughing out of my system when she first pulled up.  Nope- I laughed (hard) every single time I saw her up until when we dropped the van off.  I am mad at myself for not taking a picture.  Probably wouldn’t be able to point her out in that big van anyways…

7. Don’t drink during moving weekend.  We went to Gatsby’s on Friday night and did not return home until 5:30 in the morning on Saturday.  So Saturday was not nearly as productive as it should have been.  Which made Sunday a little more hectic.  Damn long islands…  things just always seem to escalate so quickly!

8. I should have moved into a one-bedroom a long time ago.  I can be loud when I want.  I can be quiet when I want.  I can pee with the bathroom door open.  I can walk around naked if I choose to.  I did all of those things in the first 12 hours of moving.  I don’t waste time.

Lookit! I did it all by myself!

I like to think of myself as completely self-sufficient when it comes to all the grown-up stuff.  Such as the whole moving process.  So far, I’m the only person who’s been to my place.  I want to do as much as possible before I let anyone come over to see it.  This will be slightly affected by the fact that I will eventually need help moving the big stuff.  I’m not small, but one girl moving an entire bed and futon is impossible.  I know my limits (as stubborn as I may be).

So I bought a media table the other day on my lunch break at Target.  I really wanted to invest in some nicer stuff (Bed Bath and Beyond had one that I really need in my life), but I have alot of expenses in this move, I’m still slightly poor being as how I’m a year out of college, and what’s the point of buying nicer stuff when, in all reality, I’ll probably just be banging it up when I move again.  Maybe I won’t move next year, but being as how I’ve moved every year for the last six years of my life, I’m making pretty strong assumptions. 

But Target has some decent collections and I found one that has my name written all over it.  Only problem is the damn thing comes in a box.  In a million pieces.  I had originally mentioned it to my roommate about possibly having her help me drag it up to my new place, but I decided not to revisit that idea.  I decided to do it myself!  So I took a carload of stuff over, and saved the best for last.  I opened the box and started transporting.  God knows I couldn’t lift the whole box myself.  I think I strained my back when I thought I could carry what was left in the box (the fourth trip up the stairs).  Another trip may have been better- I got a little overeager.

Then, I spread out all the pieces all over my living room.  It’s good that I didn’t already have more furniture moved- I took up alot of space.  The manual was long.  That sucked.  And, there was a screw missing (thanks Target).  So if it falls apart some night when I’m watching tv, I’m complaining.  But I did it!  It took forever.  I think about an hour and a half, which equals three Black Eyed Peas songs on the radio (two of the same, and then their new one- I’m sure you’ve heard them).  Trust me, I counted.  I don’t mind them, but it’s obnoxious how overplayed they are. 

The only problem is the drawer in the middle is a little off.  I don’t know how to fix it because I am positive I put on the tracks correctly.  I was tired by the time I was done, so I decided it would be best to revisit at a later time.  I think if I had started messing with it then, I would have lost my patience.  It’s one thing I don’t have alot of.  I’m honestly surprised I made it through the manual without losing it.  Thank goodness for the Black Eyed Peas (Insert sarcastic tone here). 

I also decided to deal with hanging the accent curtains I am doing at a later time.  My place is a little quirky and I am covering a door to a fire exit (apparently there’s some fire safety code I was unaware of)and a door the water heater is behind.  I broke out all the stuff to do it, but when I realized how necessary using a tape measure would be, I stopped.  Maybe tonight.  Baby steps…

All the moving, building and laundry I did last night really took it out of me last night.  5:30 this morning came way too quickly.  It’s possible I’m always in a rush at that time of the morning, but this morning felt twice as bad.  So much so that I was driving to work and had a sudden realization that I forgot to flush the toilet.  So gross.  I’m aware.  But I am absolutely positive that I didn’t.  Why don’t you flush right after you go, you may ask.  I don’t know.  But I went to the bathroom and jumped in the shower (I still wiped- don’t worry, I’m not a complete degenerate).  Usually I flush right after I get out of the shower.  I have no idea why my routine works out this way, it just does.  Anyways, I forgot.  And it was an epiphany that really stressed me out on the way to work.  It’s a good thing we have two bathrooms.  Mine is actually the public one (hers is connected to her bedroom), but she hardly ever finds reason to go into mine.  I think it’s safe.  I’ll do it when I get home.  Hopefully she doesn’t have anyone over today.  With my luck, she will.

I got onto Google Chat this morning and told my friend that.  It’s kind of funny, so I thought I’d share.  It’s not like I just left my curling iron on.  I left the toilet sitting there… used.  She laughed.  And then she topped me.  She had to call maintenance to unclog her toilet last night.  Not the first time she’s done it.  I told her that her fiber intake was getting out of control.  She said that she is yet to meet a toilet that she can’t clog.  I think that’s fantastically hilarious.  She might as well have the plumber on speed dial.  Ewwwww….

Mid-June Update!

So much is happening… but it still seems like all work, no play!  Well…. almost.

Annie’s Birthday was Sunday.  We celebrated the good ol’ Amy way with an unnecessarily extravagant cookie cake after her dance recitals!  Good thing I was able to hit the trail a few times this weekend and get quite the workout after moving a few carloads of things.  God knows I gained about five pounds by just baking the silly thing.  Who’s idea was it to make a double layered cookie cake anyways?  Geez…

The roomie and I saw The Hangover last week at a $5 showing in Lake Zurich.  It was easily one of the best movies I had seen  in theaters in a long time.  I am now recruiting people to be a member of my currently one-girl wolfpack…  ha ha.

Best Movie Ever!

Back to work… back to work.  My boss is gone this week on a cruise (“I’m on a boat!”).  That leaves Jaime and I to hold down the office and take care of all the agents while he is gone.  Stressful…  Next week I have a random day off in the middle of the week.  I’m calling it my mental health day as to recover from his being gone and prepare for Jaime’s vacation the week after.

It’s also nice to have that day off because I have now begun the process of moving… again.  Yes, I  picked up my keys today and now am officially a member of both the Village of Palatine and Arlington Heights.  I feel like a baller because I have two places right now.  ‘Holla.

Yet I do not feel like a baller because I realized that the process of moving and all the expenses that go along with it may cancel out any hope I had of traveling to Philidelphia/Boston/New England with Laura to see my friend Jessi.  Laura had a fantastic vacation in Hawaii, so she may also be canceling out the idea.  Damn.

I did, however, rediscover my love of browsing craigslist.  The roomie and I quickly got rid of the ugly (but extremely comfy) couch we acquired when we first moved in.  I also scored a glass coffee table that I had been eyeing at Ikea.  It was on clearance at Ikea for $70.  I got it for $30.  Loves it…

Someone at work came down with the swine flu.  They’re better now (it’s just the flu, people!), but it did turn into an HR disaster within the company and building management.  Apparently there was no protocol for swine flu (like there really needed to be one in the first place) and this caused disorder for two days.  Again, another reason why work has been quite stressful.

I’m in preparation for Miss Annie’s big wedding that is less than a month away.  I’m quite anxious to see what the bill will be for the work I’m getting done on the bridesmaid dress.  All the girls in the wedding have whatever style of dress they liked (in sailor blue, of course) and have been given the freedom to do what they like with it.  I’m keeping mine pretty simple- but I had some overall “shrinking”of the dress to get done.  I cringed at every little “snip” the seamstress made because I know from past experience (I’m currently in the process of transforming into Katherine Heigl’s character in 27 Dresses) what this costs.  Yikes!  At least I’ll be stylin’!

I’m Moving!

So Palatine has been fantastic.  I have  to say I have loved almost every minute of being here (I’m saying almost because I am sure there has to be at least one or two minutes that were not so great that I don’t happen to recall at the moment- could be all the jaeger bombs from last night making my memory a bit fuzzy).  Anyhoo- the roommate’s packing up and planning to  head somewhere back in the general Missouri area.  And the one-bedrooms at the place we are currently at are obnoxiously priced.  Seriously.  I refuse to pay $900 a month for rent right now.  I wouldn’t be able to if I tried.  And here?  I mean, the complex is nice, but it’s not THAT nice.  So I spent yesterday morning/afternoon apartment hunting.  And I did something a little impulsive- I put a non-refundable hold on the fourth one I saw (ok, it was $25- not a big deal, don’t freak out, mom) on a place just over the border into Arlington Heights.  Literally.  If I feel like reminiscing, I can walk a block west and be in Palatine again.  But I looked at one after the other (even after I put the hold down), and I kept saying, “nope, I still love the one I signed for”.  I’ll discuss the apartment later- it’s a cute place that I am really looking forward to decorating.  And there are some quirky trade-offs I did to get that particular one.  I try to avoid the first floor if at all possible.  So I did get one with a random emergency exit door (My first order of business is covering it with a room divider and using a curtain as an accent along that wall).  But, for anyone who asks, I’m reppin’ Arlington Heights now.  Or at least I will be in a few weeks.  Holla’!  And, as you can see on the metra map, I am that much closer to moving into the city.  Even if it’s just a weeeee bit…  Baby steps, people!  Next stop- Mount Prospect?