Oscar highlights

Go John Stewart for asking Marketa Irglova to come back on stage after being beaten to the mic by the orchestra. How cool is he?! It's not like Marketa is some famous person that a lot of people know and pander too. To stop the show to ask her to give her speech was very respectful. John Stewart is a badass.

Red Carpet wise: Jennifer Garner looked amazing! I loved her hair and how she handled herself when a drunken Gary Busey groped her while she was getting interviewed by Ryan Seacrest. With those two things combined, it's amazing she didn't puke. But I have to say that with all the black and kinda boring dresses on the carpet, I will go out of a limb and say that I dig Marion Cotillard fish dress! She is beautiful and the dress was interesting. I'm sure the girls at Go Fug will disagree with me. Oh and that chick from Grey's Anatomy and Anne Hathaway looked pretty fierce too.

winter beach

Since it was a smoldering 38 degrees out, we decided to check out the beach (Lake Michigan). Imagine a frozen ocean. Very odd.

Girl crush

Last night Tim, Lee, Olivia, and I went to Schubas to see Annie Clark, AKA St. Vincent perform. She was great, as usual. The interesting thing about her shows is that no two shows are the same. The first time we saw her open for The National, it was just her on stage with her guitar and an array of special effect sound making gadgets. That time, her songs were simpler but with a harder sound. This time, she was backed by a band, which gave her songs a fuller more flushed out sound. Either way, I love it. And it's always nice to turn a friend into a fan. Olivia, I'll burn you the CD.

After the show we journeyed to the Chicago Brauhaus for some German bier and huge pretzels. Prost!

pet peeves

I'm listening to NPR, they're having an interesting discussion on pet peeves in the work place. A caller explained in a great way why people (including myself) get so annoyed when others talk on their cell phones in public. It's because when you can only hear one side of the conversation your brain is constantly trying to fill in the gaps. This made sense to me because I've noticed that when someone is speaking a different language on their cells, it doesn't bother me as much. Probably because I can't follow the conversation anyway.

Some other sources of annoyance:
-people who park in two parking spots
-people smacking their gum
-slurping
-people bringing their cell phone conversations into the a public bathroom! (what?!)
-people taking too long to merge on the highway because they are trying to pass everyone in line...SO true!

Couple of my own:
-People who call their large dogs "puppies" and don't care when they jump on you.
-crying babies in movie theaters... and the parent refuses to leave.
-People at work who start sentences in the following ways: "You're gonna kill me...", "Not like you need more work but...", "It will only take 2 seconds..."

2 for 1

Still sick, but I now I have help. Thanks to Jewel for the 2 for 1 on Nyquil and Dayquil.

Last night I had dinner with Mary and Kathie, two friends from work. We ate at the delicious Fuegos in downtown Arlington Heights. I always enjoy spending time with these ladies. They are both in their 50's and have children who have had children. They are also both in successful longterm marriages. I love hearing their stories about when they were my age and all the experiences that have lead them up til now. Kathie is a breast cancer survivor, so her and I like to trade medical stories.

On the drive home, I listened to the live broadcast of the Wilco show at the Riv. During "Company in my Mind" Tweedy censored 'shit' out of the lyrics...haha. And aparantly the band gave free hot chocolate and coffee to the people waiting in line before the show. That's nice because last night was ungodly cold :)

Last night I didn't get much sleep because of my cold. I woke feeling tired and crusty and almost called in sick. Instead I'm just going in late. I don't think I'll be able to go out tonight, which sucks because it was gonna be a lot of fun.

I hate being sick.

:)

Castro Resigns

Lee sent me a text today at 6:45 am to tell me that Fidel Castro has stepped down. So I got on CNN to find out more details. He has indeed resigned which brings up many questions. Will this be the end of a dictatorship in Cuba? Will they try to reform into a democracy? Will his brother take over officially and run things exactly the same? Will I ever be able to travel to Cuba??

The next step will be a crucial one for the people of Cuba, who under Castro's lead have become oppressed. This will also no doubt be a topic of conversation for our presidential candidates.

so over it

I think I'm getting sick. I've got post nasal drip and my throat kinda hurts. I just sneezed 10 times in a row. I'm official OVER the winter, and I hate snow and ice and 7 degree weather with a windchill of -7. And nearly busting my bum on the ice mounds outside. I'm done done done.

Trips

I'm excited because I've got some fun trips coming up. It's been a while since I've been anywhere and it's nice to have something to look forward too. This August, I will be going to New York City with my family. We'll be seeing where my mom and dad grew up which should be a lot of fun. We'll be staying in a hotel in the city, which is something I've never done. (that rhymed) I can't wait to see the amazing skyline and the craziness of the city. It's like Chicago on steroids. I also want to check out artsy areas like Soho and Brooklyn. I'll have to ask my friends in NY where to go.

In April I might be going to Seattle with my friend Olivia. She has friends there, and I've always wanted to visit the city. Hopefully our financial situations will allow us to go :)

Next year, my mom is planning an Alaskan cruise for the family! This is something she's been wanting to do for a long time, so I'm excited that we are now seriously considering it.

Other trips I'd like to take soon:
-Portland
-San Fransisco
-Boston
-Vancouver
-Montreal

-Rome, Paris, Germany, Greece, Tokyo, Africa

My brother-the model

Doesn't this model look like Anthony?
Not a bad thing to look like an American Apparel model.
I hope he reads this!

The Economist

Once again it is 9pm on Thursday night and I find myself thinking "huh?". What a crazy episode of Lost tonight. True to Lost form, I'm left with more questions that need answers. The last couple minutes kind of blew my mind, but I won't spoil it for a certain someone who had a real v-day instead of watching TV ;)

And what was up with that rocket? And why did the "rescuers" have that photo of Penny and Desmond if they weren't sent by Penny?

Sorry Carisa for shushing you out of the room ;) This is serious business here.


By the way, nothing goes better with Lost than some Presecco and Dominos pizza.

In keeping with the Radiohead theme, I found this interview today on NPR's site. Thom Yorke playing DJ and sharing some of his favorite music. I was excited about this not only because who better to get new music from than Thom Yorke, but I don't think I've ever heard him speak before today. He sounds strangely...normal. He's one person that if I ever met him, I'd be completely starstruck. I'd have no idea what to say. I'd have a tremendous fear of sounding stupid.

Major News!

Radiohead is coming to Chicago sometime this year! They have already announced the first part of their tour (which does not include Chicago). Looks like they will be in North America, then Europe, then back in North America. Tickets will probably be around $60. YES!

UPDATE: I have narrowed it down to mid-late July or early August. :)

Zillow

Came across this website again last night and had so much fun looking at how much condos/houses around Chicago cost. The only thing is that it solidified my feelings that I'd never be able to afford to buy a place on my own while living in Chicago.

I even found my parent's house, complete with aerial shot and stats, including when it was bought (by my parents) and how much they paid back in 1985. :)

Flickr

One of my favorite things to do- stand in front of an object with Tim (both of us with cameras). Take a picture, then compare our compositions. I'm being sarcastic here because his images are ALWAYS a million times more interesting than mine.

http://www.flickr.com/zehnder

working from home

Not like I need to point this out, but there's nothing better than working in your pajamas. I woke up around 7:15 am, had a nice long overdue phone call with my mom, and took my time taking a morning shower and eating breakfast. All this before I'd normally make it to work. It's enough to make me feel like a morning person. Which anyone who knows me will say...that's absurd.

All Things Considered

And now for some cross-blogging. Ever wonder what some of your favorite radio personalities look like? Here's Michele Norris (ME-shell) from All Things Considered on NPR.

Persepolis

Saw a beautiful movie today called Persepolis. The animation was simple-black and white, hand drawn, clean lines. The images from scene to scene were funny, clever, sad, and sometimes disturbing. The movie follows a young Iranian woman through her eventful life. I can't believe Ratatouille beat this movie at the Golden Globes. Although I guess it's kind of like comparing apples and oranges.

Slightly Unbalanced

Yesterday Tim and I were on a mission to replace his moshpit-destroyed glasses. We headed downtown with a few places in mind, but luckily he found a great deal at the first place we stopped. We then had 2 and a half hours to kill before returning to pick up the glasses. We wandered a bit then eventually stopped at the Chicago Cultural Center. We were surprised to find that there was a hidden art exhibit of installations, and performance art about depression. Doesn't sound like fun, but the pieces were all interesting, thought provoking, and well... creepy.

And here are pictures from a clay exhibit also at the Center.

Another one bites the dust

Mitt Romney, out of the race. Could Huckabee pick up his conservative votes?
The right side could get very interesting...

Ads I love

I came across these amazing Adidas ads a while back and thought they were some of the best commercials I've never seen on tv. They feature a bunch of athletes, that I've never heard of, describing tough situations they've overcome. The drawings that accompany the ads are brilliant.

Let's go sledding!

If there's anything good about all this snow, it's sledding! Of course I've never sledded before but I really want too. I saw online that there's sledding at Soldier Stadium. Who's in?

NYC!

Just got word from my mom that they're planning a week long trip to New York! The dates they scheduled actually work well with my work schedule. I'm exciting to go back to NY and have more time there to fully enjoy it. This will be the first time I'll stay over night there.

nicely put

“I think it’s good to have a likeable president. But if I remember right, many people said they wanted to have a beer with George W. Bush. Maybe they should’ve left it at that – have a beer, don’t vote him in as our president.” -Hillary Clinton

After getting off to a late start, Tim and I finally got out the door and headed to Millenium Park. My new goal is to have fun in the snow and to enjoy being outdoors in the winter. Luckily it was about 35 degrees out and not frigid. We walked by the ice skaters and agreed that ice skating was one of the scariest things we've ever done and decided not to give it a second chance. We headed over to the ice sculptures by the "bean", which was cool. We stomped through the snow piles and I made another snow angel :)



Neither Tim nor I are football fans (at all, except for the Gators), so naturally we forgot tonight was the Super Bowl. We have it on now just to say we watched at least 5 minutes of it. I didn't even know who was playing until a couple days ago!

Snow Angels

Last night Olivia, Carisa, and I went to Mike's house for a good old fashioned house party. Complete with chips and guac, nuts, drinks, booty music, Beastie Boys sing-a-long, and Cranium! I made a list of things I've never done in the snow (this being my 2nd winter, ever). Quite a few things were on the list, but I can now cross off snow angels.

And meanwhile, across town at the Hot Water Music show...RIP Tim's glasses.

:/

Political Logos

I feel very unobservant right now. I've seen Obama's logo here and there for a while now, but I just noticed yesterday that the rising sun and water form a big "O". How did I not see that before? I used to think the logo was...kind of lame...but know that I see the "O", I like it more ;)

I also noticed Hilary's logo the other day just says "Hilary", not "Clinton". I bet that's a play to make her seem more personable. I've heard a lot of people say she's unlikable, but come to think of it, they've been men. :/ I'm still trying to see what is so unlikable about her. She seems smart as hell, she's well spoken, and she didn't leave her husband when he so publicly cheated on her...not sure I could have done that.

Get Lost

Lost starts back up tomorrow and I can't wait! Watched the recap tonight with the hillarious captions (at least one writer is getting paid), so I'm ready to go! Even if it's only 8 episodes, bring it on.

Lip My Stocking

Funny website my friend shared with me today:
http://www.engrish.com/

A little FL in CHI

Tonight Lee and I went to the Chicago Bulls game. We sat with all the other "windy city gators" and cheered for Noah. Thanks for the great Christmas present Lee, I had a great time! Too bad the 50 mph snow gusts almost knocked us over on the way to the car.

My blog title

Via Chicago, by Wilco


I dreamed about killing you again last night
And it felt alright to me
Dying on the banks of Embarcadero skies
I sat and watched you bleed
Buried you alive in a fireworks display
Raining down on me
You cold, hot blood ran away from me
To the sea

I painted my name on the back of a leaf
And I watched it float away
The hope I had in a notebook full of white, dry pages
Was all I tried to save
But the wind blew me back via Chicago
In the middle of the night
And all without fight
At the crush of veils and starlight

I know I'll make it back
One of these days and turn on your TV
To watch a man with a face like mine
Being chased down a busy street
When he gets caught, I wont get up
And I wont go to sleep
I'm coming home, I'm coming home
Via Chicago

Where the cups are cracked and hooked
Above the sink
They make me think
Crumbling ladder tears don't fall
They shine down your shoulders
And crawling is screw faster lash
I blow it with kisses
I rest my head on a pillowy star
And a cracked door moon
That says I havent gone too far

I'm coming home
I'm coming home
Via Chicago

Searching for a home
Searching for a home
Searching for a home
Via Chicago

I'm coming home
I'm coming home

Cody's

Just got back from the corner bar, Cody's. Carisa's friend Billy played a short set of covers. He's has a great voice... He sounds a bit like Jeff Buckley. He started the set with Radiohead's "Thinking about You"...one of my all time favorite songs.

http://chicago.metromix.com/bars-and-clubs/neighborhood_bar/codys-public-house-lakeview/136912/content

While we were there, we started planning our Valentine's Day party. :)

I've been watching a lot of LA Ink lately, so of course I've been thinking about a tattoo of my own. I fould this beautiful picture of these canaries sitting together on a branch. To me it represented family or friends. I would get it big across my back, between my shoulder blades. This of course will never happen because 1.) I'm not supposed to get a tattoo and 2.) I only trust the girls from LA Ink to tattoo me...and they are expensive :)

Tim had to make his own version...he felt bad for the brown bird on the end.

a quiet ride home

A great weekend

This weekend was our annual conference at the Hyatt downtown. Got to stay in a beautiful hotel for free and got all my meals paid for. Not bad :) On Saturday night the conference ended with a social at the Field Museum. After getting some food and drink, Tim and I wondered the museum on our own. Most of the people from the party stayed in the main area, so we kind of had the museum to ourselves, which was nice. It had kind of an erie feeling to it. I'm so used to going to museums on the weekends when they are packed with parents, kids and strollers. We also found it amuing that we were drinking beer at the Field...something that is not usually allowed. You can tell from the pictures that we got a little carried away with it.
My good friend Adam was also in town on Saturday night and I got to briefly hang out with him. Wish I could have had more time...I really miss my friends back in Florida.

Once

One of the best scenes from a fantasic movie.