winter weapon

This weekend was a reminder why it's good to emerge from my pseudo-hermitage every now and again...primarily: SUN!, Make Believe/Singer show at Subterranean, dancing at AV-aerie, Mom and Brian in town, brunch at Tweet, Lincoln Park Conservatory (Orchid Room!), giraffes with watercolor spots and a pygmy hippo at the zoo, karaoke at Sidekicks, fondue and Oscars party. It was hard to go back to work today. Oh, weak days...

Until the ground thaws for real, though: we have to stick together, Chicago.

outward from 60625

need to go to.

01. new york...sister, robbie b., some cool cats, some good meals.
02. london...amanda, cleo, sister, robbie b., people wearing tailored pants.
03. hawaii...hidden waterfalls, hot lava.
04. arizona...sister, bro-in-law, niece and nephew, a new mini-reid! (niece?? nephew??)
05. pittsburgh...college homies, community gardens, brunch at zephyr...yes OK!
06. los angeles...i hear your siren song. can i get into one of your schools in say, two years? let me know.
07. new zealand...now i'm just adding stuff.
08. sweden...6-ft.-tall cousins.
09. tibet...roof of the world.

this must be the place

Went to Michigan this weekend to see the fam. Plainwell was deep in snow.



V. Day decor.



Friendship bracelet making.



Being back in the childhood home is so unlike any other thing.



Dad got a new pedometer, joined a walking community, and has been logging 10,000 steps a day. Mom continues her hobby of making these amazing rugs from fabric scraps, a technique called locker hooking. Brian is, as ever, doing his musical tributes, featuring artists like this and this.



He played me "Please Don't Go Girl" before I headed back to Chicago.

the idea millionaire

Idea for making conversations in blizzard-ed out Chicago a little more interesting:

Replace the word "snow" with the name of a popular snack food.
Replace the word "winter" with the name of a video game.
Replace the word "cold" with a color, any color.
Replace the word "work" with a store in the mall.

Ex. 1:

"I'm so bummed about trudging through all the Flamin' Hot Cheetos."
"Yeah. This Halo is harsh. I'm so sick of being sienna."
"I know. I almost didn't come into Build-a-Bear Workshop. This blows."

Ex. 2:

"Tomorrow we're gonna get 4 inches of pizza rolls!"
"Seriously? Every Guitar Hero makes me want to move to Cabo San Lucas."
"I'm just glad I wore layers so I wouldn't be totally cyan at Sunglass Hut."

This exercise could be improved upon with the addition of even more (and more awesome) word replacements. Anything to break up the daily script. I'd also like a day of substituting words for "Barack Obama," "Hillary Clinton," and "John McCain." Huckabee can keep his name though, because it's kind of funny.

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On a non-seasonal note, I'm obsessed with mercy.

The Lucky Dragons song, that is. (Though, you know, the concept of mercy also has its merits.)

meowmeowmeowmeow

i've been inventing you. and i continue inventing you.

a wide landscape of snows

Winter now. Winter forever. This morning was milder, though—sunny, even—and when I walked to Harvestime to get groceries, I imagined the serotonin and melatonin balancing themselves out in my brain, creating good vibes and feelings of I-can-do-anythingness. If you're ever feeling empowered and on top o' the world, chances are you should stop and say thanks to the sun.

Mornings That Make You Feel Like You Can Do Anything should also include (but are not limited to) the following stuff: coffee, newly cleaned apartment, records, blended fruit beverage (Mary is right: the word "smoothie" is gross), books...in this case, the first few stories of The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Sherman Alexie knows all the words he needs to tell a story. No more, no less.

Oh, by the way, this is my first blog post of all time!