Velvet Kick

So I've been on kind of a velvet kick. Previously one to shun this "romantic" material, I've recently gone nuts for it. By "gone nuts", I mean purchased two items: 1) a red velvet hat on clearance at some junk store on State Street and, 2) a black velvet blazer marked down in a Baltimore store. Is it any evidence to velvet's popularity that all these items were marked down? I am gonna choose to say no.

I felt validated about my new personal fasion trend when I saw Ellen's slammin' maroon velvet suit at the Oscars. Turned up white collar? Gold chain? I was digging her outfit even though others were not impressed.

So, go buy your velvet suits and shit today because you'll feel awesome. (I do not know how to end this post?!?)

Brought to you by the velvet and velour pushers of America.

Baltimore & Natty Boh

I've been in Baltimore the past few days, visiting my friend K from my high school days. She is in grad school there and working her butt off. Meeting her colleagues in international public health made me rest assured that there will be some amazing, friendly, smart people working abroad on really important health issues in the near future. For a little international stimulation of your own, check out this BBC news series on the Thai-Burma border where K will be working next year. Go, K!

While I had a wonderful time visiting with K, I also got to try some Baltimore delicacies. Notably, crab cakes and raw oysters at Lexington Market, and the "local" beer nicknamed Natty Boh. I also saw some family - an aunt and uncle and a cousin with her new (adorable!) baby. If I can, I'll post some pics.

Wig Date

I found this note that I wrote to a friend in 2005 when I was cleaning out my email box. This is the kind of stuff I always forget to write in my journal, as I'm usually journaling out my own romantic angst or whatever. I love finding these little tidbits of stories that belong to someone else, but that I have forgotten about. Enjoy!
------------------------
8/23/2005
"I talked to my college friend Liz. Apparently she went on a blind date recently where this guy suggested that they wear wigs when they met. She wore a red bob, he wore a Rod Stewart number. After they met, they switched wigs and wore them to the restaurant. She, however, insisted to take hers off before going in. Hilarious!"

Shortbus Soundtrack

I picked up this soundtrack the other day and upon two listens it gets an "Amazing" rating. It's upbeat and lighthearted, but the songs are interesting and even somewhat unexpected. With iPods and iTunes these days, people complain that the art of ordering songs on an album is lost. In which case, this might be a relic. The order of the songs on this album adds to the enjoyability of the music as a whole, well, album. Not only is the movie excellent, but the soundtrack can definitely stand on its own.

The Road To Happiness Begins With Snow Boots

It's true! And I can post it now without bitterness, since the temperature is finally above freezing in Chicago! That last week or so was made bearable by the purchase of some snow boots. Anyway! Moving on!

I had a wonderful weekend, full of fun and romantic moments, and also some thinking/spiritual stimulation. I saw Dr. Micheal Beckwith speak on Friday, and he had some interesting things to say. Like any religious/spiritual tradition, it is interesting to learn about, and to think about the ins and outs of his theology/philosophy. By Monday night though, the philosophical part of my brain was totally exhausted!

Essentially, Beckwith's message was about positive thinking, and imagining the positive reality you want for yourself. As a spiritual aid, I think that is helpful and interesting. One of the other tenets of this philosophy is that you can let go of the things in your past that are binding you in negative thoughts. That you are not only the sum of your past experiences. However, I think it can be very helpful to draw on past experiences or family or genetic traits that are positive or inspiring. There are some things about my past or my family that I want to carry forward in my life. As I was playfully telling a friend this weekend, "I come from a people that farmed ice." I was referring to my Scandinavian heritage, of course, and I said it to illustrate that my people were tough, and thus, I am tough. Propitiating ancestors is another tradition that shows up in many cultures of spirit which speaks to this idea.

Anyway, there are many spiritual paths to follow...

So Mannequin So Irresistible

I really don't know what that means.
I had to check one of my colleague's emails today, and that was the title of her spam. I thought it was really weird and funny.

Happy Valentine's Day

I went to breakfast with sweet Mr. D today. It was nice. I gifted him one of my beadations, which looked marvelous and regal and very suitable on him. It was a nice moment, and that's more that happens on most Valentine's Days for me. But I left the breakfast table somewhat unsatisfied. When I got home, I questioned myself throughly - What's the matter? Why am I feeling funky? What was I expecting? Is it just the crappy weather and the tedious winter routine or is it something else?

I turned on the news this morning and there was some fluff coverage of both Valentine's Day activities and Anti-Valentine's Day activities. One of the Anti activities was a bunch of people who met at a gym, taped pictures of their ex on a punching bag, and then angerly punched the picture. Whoa! Though cathartic for some people, it's not my thing!

At worst, Valentine's Day is stupid and processed. At best, it is ultra-romantic and/or just a reason to show someone in your life that you care. And while the tradition may dictate the sharing of feelings, tonight I decided to treat myself to a Valentine's dinner. I decided that in spite of my funky mood, I would enjoy some time to myself. So I took my time and extra care making steak tacos and opened a bottle of wine. I've been listening to Maxwell and looking at these beautiful red and yellow roses from Mr. D. And I feel confident that, rather than rage at some man in the past that did me wrong, I'd prefer to treat myself to some extra lovin'.

I Earned My F*cking Snow Stripes

I went out earlier today for a little "retail therapy". This therapy consisted of going to Target to buy cleaning supplies and Trader Joes to buy groceries. I know, I know - I really know how to live it up. (Side note: I just got through a rather lean pay period, so when I got my recent paycheck I had to rush out to splurge on extra laundry detergent and pasta sauce, olive tapenade, wine, and about 20 cans of beans in preparation for some future lean time that may occur. Yikes.)

When I went to the store, I had to face the rather intimidating process of shovelling my car out of my alley parking spot. Normally fantastic, parking in the alley becomes a nightmare when it snows as much as it has in Chicago recently. Also, due to the blowing and drifting of snow, the snow was an extra 3 feet taller next to my car. I spent about an hour and half shovelling out the front of my car, and two little pathways along each side of the car so I could get in the car without stepping up to my knees in a snowbank. I also had to shovel part of the alley, so that I would have somewhere to walk with my snow-filled shovel to the place where I dumped my snow. But, how much of the alley does one really want to shovel? Shouldn't that be the job of some dude at Streets and Sanitation?

I regretted these words when I returned from the store. Oh, the sunshine had made me overconfident, and the major streets were as clear as could be. But, pulling back into the alley and trying to back into my parking spot - nightmare! At one point, I got totally stuck and my ultra-practical Dodge sedan did not have the "umph" I needed to get over the car-rut snowbank hump. In a panic, I got out to kick flailingly at the snow behind my tires, and twisted my knee in the process. Ow. I finally got dislodged from the snowbank, but it's a good thing I stocked up on those beans because I don't plan on going anywhere in my car anytime soon. Taxi!

Midwesterns Have Earned Their Snow Stripes

Into day two of an almost blizzard, I can say that it feels good to feel like a Midwesterner again. Years of mild winters and living in a large city have made us go soft. But this winter, we've been hit with at least three big snow storms in Chicago, and it has given us a change to polish our winter skillz.

Functioning in a snow storm is like remembering how to ride a bike. This particular skill set includes: shovelling out the car, driving in the snow, and dressing for activities related to shovelling out the car/parking spot. Also, making a meal out of whatever beans and corn and shit that is in the pantry so you don't have to go out in the snow to get groceries. It's brings us back to our roots, roots that have been too easily forgoten with our Texas-like weather over the past few years.

One Pair Of Pants - One Week Running

It's been several days where I've been able to wear just one pair of pants. Yahoo. I can speak for myself, and for other Chicagoans, when I say that I feel much lighter. It's not just the literal weight of removing all those layers needed to protect from the cold, but it's also a release from the shoulder scrunch, and the mentality of "I just need to get from my job to my apartment as quickly as possible so I can get out of this f*cking cold."

I do feel sleepy though, and thus succumbed to the tendency to lounge all weekend. Luckily, I didn't have to do it alone! (Wink, wink). Cuddling up with my new sweetheart, watching cooking shows on PBS, eating frozen pizza, napping, movies, and some jewelry-making was a relaxing and nourishing way to spend my time. I could handle a few more days of that! Haaaaay!

I'm Obsessed With Layers, and With Talking About Them

In Chicago winters, talking about coping strategies for the weather becomes almost as prevalent and obsessive as anorexic girls talking about what they ate one day.

With that in mind, I'll tell you that today I'm wearing longjohn pants, another pair of pants, and a long heavy skirt that pretty much functions as a blanket. I'm also wearing wool socks, tall boots, two sweaters, and an undershirt. This is just to sit inside. When I go outside, I add a down coat, hat, scarf on my face, and doubled-lined mittens. I was actually a little sweaty when I was walking to the train today. Hooray - I've got the layering thing down.

Two-Pants Depression

A few days of the bitter cold was do-able, but I'm over it!

I'm starting to get the two-pants depression. You know, when it's so cold that you have to be wearing two pairs of pants to even consider going outside?

Yesterday I was trying to strategize for layering my clothes, and I finally had to bust out the long johns. The long johns under normal pants is what I consider the "presentable version." This is for work, or for Superbowl parties, or whatever. The "quick trip" version is wearing any regular pair of pants, and then a baggy pair of work out pants over the first pair of pants. I do this to go to the grocery or get the mail.

Lord help us if it gets any colder. When the weather warrants three pairs of pants, well, even a turn in the sauna may not be enough.

More Jams That Light It Up

I recently got an iPod and it is really great. It's made me think about the music in my collection, and those albums that I absolutely "need" to have. I recently ordered a few of these albums and it has been interesting to review how they hold up over time. I went through a huge hip-hop phase when I was younger, and some of the albums I discovered then are still some of my favorite albums of all time. A few of these albums I recently added to my collection (formerly on a dubbed tape):

1. Outkast's Aquemini
2. Latryx's Album
3. Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite*

The first two were definitely on my old top five list in college. Upon a few iPod listens, I have found that Outkast's Aquemini still holds up as 98% excellent. I love the whole album (except I could live without "Skew it on the Bar-B.") When I first obsessed on this album, I was holed up in a trailer in Florida, studying plants of the Florida prairie. I related to the album then because I was in the South, I was lonely, and the thunderstorms were freakin' loud from inside the trailer. But, in the dead of a freezing winter in the Midwest, this album still warms my heart, and nods my head. The beats are great, heavy, but also fun, and it is interesting to revisit it after all of Andre 3000's recent projects. Aquemini still holds up as one of his best.

I have to listen to old Latryx a few more times. Although there are still some songs and beats that I still love, the test of time has made this album seem a bit more preachy over time. The jury's still out...

*Urban Hang Suite is actually a new addition to my collection, but oh!, I wish I had access to it for years.

Letter re: Intoxicated Celebrities

Dear Rich Celebrities:

In light of the plethora of celebrity drunk/ecstasy/cocaine/painkiller car accidents in the past month, I would like to offer up one pleading piece of advice:

Get a f*cking driver.

Seriously, can you sell off one Mercedes? Downsize your mansion by two rooms? Trade in a few designer handbags? I don't care if celebrities party or go to clubs and show their naughty bits or sleep with everyone under the sun. But the intoxicated driving, car accidents, and injuring or killing innocent people on the road had GOT TO STOP.

Thanks.

Cold Weather Strategy for the Geography of Public Places

Huh?! Well, I am thinking about going to grad school, folks...

I've noticed a "game" I play when I get on the CTA on these really cold days. It's called: what's my cold weather strategy? Fear of drafts from the open CTA door trumps my other CTA geography strategies so that my seat selection follows this hierarchy:

1) Try to sit away from the door
2) Try to sit on a seat with a heater vent if I have to sit close to the door
3) Find a single seater
4) Find a double-seater by a window
5) Sit next to the panel next to the door, preferably the one that doesn't open at most of the stops and has a heater.

These cold weather strategies for the geography of public spaces also fall into place in a restaurant, though to a lesser extent. The main objective is to not be seated at a table by the door where you and your food will cool at a rapid, rapid pace when people come in and out of the restaurant. Also undesirable is sitting by a window where draftage can be felt. Brrr! All these little things are what make us able to cope with our winter weather.