Some People Want to Fill the World with Silly Love Songs...

I had the most amazing Valentine's day ever!!!!!!!

Really!

MPC surprised me with a night here along with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries.

I was blown away, totally shocked, honestly.

The view was amazing! It's fun to see the city from a new perspective. It was also great to have a nice little "get away" with my sweetie.

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's day!

Anything and everything a chap can unload...

Kids, the Holidays were exhausting this year. I think it means I'm a real "adult". Why? Because it felt like work. I spent half of my trip home at the hospital with my grandmother. I am happy to report that she is doing better, but still not 100%. We'll see how her doctor appointment goes this week.

The CTA still hates me, I really thought this year we could put our past issues aside and become friends, but at 4am New Years day I was kicked of the "L" for an unexplained "emergency". Then, yesterday, my bus wasn't running for another unexplained "emergency". Maybe I will take up biking or running in 2011. It has to be better than just standing at a platform or bus stop freezing my butt off.

Anyhow, I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!

The Chestnuts are Roasting...

I cannot wait for friday!

Not only is it Christmas Eve, but I will be on my way back to the mitten to celebrate Christmas with my family.

My mom and I have a movie marathon planned...Amtrak better run on time, I would hate for my movie time to be taken up with frozen train ride time.

I know it is only Tuesday, but it has been one long week. Last friday Mon Petit Chou (MPC) left to visit his family. It made for a very long, semi-lonely weekend that involved happy hippos and sappy movies on the day I didn't work.

To top it off I've had to work three days straight at 6:45am which means I have to be up at 4:45am. I am so NOT a morning person. I need my sleep! If the sun isn't up, I shouldn't be either. One more 6:45am day and one "normal" day before I head home for Christmas.

I CAN'T WAIT!

Oh, and I am thinking of cancelling my Facebook account. Why? Because I spend to much time on it. I really HATE the new "see friendship" feature. It shows me everything I don't want to know. I don't want to be able to see all the wall post between people. I really need to not use that feature.

I like ignorance. I am blissful there.

Christmas time is here, Happiness and cheer!

We are only 12 days away from Christmas!

Only 12 days left to enjoy Christmas movies.

Only 12 days left to shop at over crowded malls.

Only 12 days left to send Christmas cards.

Only 12 days left to bake (and eat!) Christmas goodies.

Only 12 days left to enjoy classic Christmas music without guilt such as:









This was yet another "fluff" post. I promise something more substantial in the near future!

Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad!

I am Harry.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day with friends and family!

Life can't get much better than parades, Holiday movies and pecan pie!

Miss you all!

My Thanksgiving gift to you all:

I Am Harry Potter from Daniel Radcliffe

And Marshmallow Salad...

I think I've become an insomniac...


...again.

It had subsided for awhile, but this post is proof that I am definitely a "night owl". I find myself sitting at a kitchen table with a cup of tea, quietly tapping away on my computer.

Old habits die hard I guess!

During my night time contemplation, I have realized that this is the third year in a row I will not be going home for Thanksgiving. At first it didn't really bother me...I really could have made this year work if I had tired hard enough, but as I sit here thinking about it in light of recent events, it makes me really sad to not be going home.

I would love to wake up in my parents house and stumble down the stairs to the living room in footie pajamas and sit on the couch with a cup of coffee, homemade cinnamon roll and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

After a few hours of laziness, I would find a cute sweater to wear and pile into the car with my parents and brother to journey to our grandparents house where I would 1)make awkward conversation with a cousin I never see or 2) make awkward conversation with my odd Aunt and Uncle who think they have tons of funny cheese jokes. Either way, it would be strangely fun and familiar.

Then after the table was set and drink orders taken, I would stuff myself silly eating generous serving of my grandmother's Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and marshmallow salad followed by a sampling of every dessert available (but not pumpkin pie, I don't really like it!)

After finding myself 20lbs heavier and in such a state of food coma I wouldn't be able to function, we would proceed to the next step in Thanksgiving tradition and curl up on the couch with my mom and start watching our Holiday movies starting with "It's a Wonderful Life" while my dad and brother find ways to escape our slightly psychotic movie marathon.

It's weird to find that life has changed into something you never expected.

I just really want marshmallow salad and a movie marathon with my mom!

I use antlers in all of my decorating!

Ok, so I missed my post yesterday to celebrate the re-release of "Beauty and the Beast" but I do have an awesome link for you guys! Check it out and do some decorating of your own! (I am going to run out of paper with all the coloring I plan on doing!)

Now I need to run out and buy the DVD before it goes back in the vault! I missed it last time so this time is a must!


In other happy news, only 25 days until Halloween!!!!!!!!!

Monday Update

I'm thinking I will start updating once a week on Mondays.

We like Mondays, right?

The start of the work week, the end of the weekend...

Ok, we don't like Mondays.

Very bad idea, forget I said anything.

But I *do* need to update more.

I hope everyone had a fantastically patriotic 4th of July filled with grilled food, drinks and fireworks. I managed to escape the city for a few hours and head to Plainfield, IL where we drove on part of old Route 66 and nearly got lost in a cornfield. It was amusing, especially when some shouting and scolding was done in Spanish. Not at me, but at the navigator. Can anyone tell me why I didn't take Spanish classes in High School and/or college?

After several hours of food, sun and pool I found it extremely difficult to head back to work today. Unfortunately, my place of employment doesn't feel the need to observe in anyway, shape or form National Holidays. Weird, right?

One day I will have a real job.

One where customers wearing black rhinestone tank tops with blue velor pants don't come in and call a $400 purse tacky. (I wanted to hand her a mirror and tell her to take a look at herself. It was the pot calling the kettle black!!!!)

Happy summer, I hope you all enjoy the warm weather! (My friend Jerry does too!)

Earth Day 2010

Happy Earth day!

Did you know today marks the 40th anniversary of Earth day? Cool, right? In celebration of Earth day I have a few quotes to share:

And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything. ~William Shakespeare

Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money. ~Cree Indian Proverb

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~Native American Proverb

Today, I hope you take a moment to enjoy our planet!

Le Vendredi Saint

Happy Holiday weekend!

I will be traveling home to MI tomorrow and I find myself really confused about this trip.

I am excited to see my parents and brother and friends, but have no desire to see other members of my family or deal with the questions I know will be waiting for me when I get home.

"Are you seeing anybody?"

"How's the job search?"

"What do you do in Chicago?" (seems weird, but I will be asked that)

It seems easier to love my family when they are far away.

Does anybody else feel like that or is it just me?

Be Italian...

Happy New Year!!!!!

I am so happy 2009 has passed. It was a bad year. It started out really crappy. I have a feeling that this year is going to be great. Really great!!!!

To celebrate the new year I went to see "Nine". It was good. Very pretty, great music, and a very talented cast.I actually like Daniel Day Lewis in the film. Usually he just annoys me. The only thing was when the film ended I felt something was missing. What? I don't know, but something. I wish I could see the stage show to compare.



There is a "secret" engagement in my family. That's right, a cousin YOUNGER than myself is going to get married. Golly, what is wrong with my family.

Remember this movie? I just got it from Netflix. C'est très amusante!

And a what in the pear tree?

Christmas has come and gone again and I am back in Chicago.

This year was very interesting. At my dad's family party my cousin, who I never, NEVER speak to decided I was her new best friend. Which was cool. But I know she was drunk. Then I was accused of being drunk because I had been a little tipsy last year. I had one glass of wine and two glasses of water. The whole family forgot to include me in the grand kids/grandparents picture. And finally to top the evening off, my grandmother called me a street walker.


You can't beat family fun like that.

Luckily the next day was better.

I am hoping next year that I can be in another country.

Holiday Rant

All day I am subjected to Christmas songs. Which is fine, it is that time of year after all. My only complaint is the song selections. I really dislike some "Christmas classics". For example:

"Little Drummer Boy" Gosh, I find this song so repetitive and boring. It makes me want to bang my head against a wall.

"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause" Why is mommy kissing a fatty? Does she have a fatty fetish?

It doesn't matter who sings these songs, I just can't stand them. Then, of course, there are those "artist" who thought doing a Christmas Album was a good idea. Believe me. It wasn't. Let the Christmas songs be sung by the pros, such as Bing Crosby.

Then of course there are songs, like this one, that I consider classic that we never hear:


*I am so embarrassed, I just realized (24 hours later) that I wrote "I Say Mommy kissing Santa Clause" instead of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause". Well, I guess better late than never!

Two Computers, Twenty Pencils and a Bottle of Whiskey...

I just found a new movie to love. "The Girl in the Cafe" follows the shy, awkward, funny love story of Gena (Kelly MacDonald) and Lawrence (Bill Nighy). They meet in a cafe and spend their first mini holiday at the G8 summit. It is a very intriguing film that looks at how one person can have a major influence in political decisions. There are a few factual mistakes, but the film is so good I really didn't care. Here is a music video someone made on youtube:

I encourage to check out the whole movie which can also be found on youtube.

Oh! I found my Christmas dress!

Small Problem

The internet in my apartment isn't working.

So I am forced out to cafes and restaurants with free wifi.

Not entirely a bad thing, but expensive, and it forces me to socialize.

I feel like the universe is trying to reverse my hermit like tendencies.

Oh, and just because it makes me happy:

Marching in Time

Today is my mom's Birthday. Happy Birthday mom!!!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Tonight I have to work, hopefully it will be calm and quiet. I really prefer to work when it isn't too busy, because when it is busy the crazies tend to come out. Seriously, the crazy people show up from nowhere. I am beginning to think that a psychology degree should be required for all retail employees. That way they can know how to deal with the nuts that are out to shop.

Oh, and the happy news, I will be in MI this weekend! Hurrah! for three day weekends!

I tromped through the pumpkin patch.

I have decided that I will take an old fashioned approach to Halloween this year.

Have you ever seen "Meet Me in St. Louis"? Well that is what I want. The huge fire in the street, throwing flour in people's faces and dressing up as horrible ghost.

Feel free to join me in Chicago if it sounds like fun to you.

But we will have to be careful. I don't how well my neighbors would like our little game. Maybe I should warn them? Or invite them to my place to watch the movie so they know what to expect?

The Spirit of 1776

Happy 4th of July!

I realized earlier today that is this the first 4th of July I have spent away from my family. Usually we don't do much, go the the parade, grill, hang around the pool and the past couple of years my mom and I have gone to a Public Library book sale in Hanover. One thing that never seems to change is that we have Strawberry Pretzel Dessert. Well, I maybe away from my family but I refuse to let go of the dessert so I am sharing my recipe with you. It is one of my family's "Pennsylvania Recipes". Our family friend, Faith, is from Pennsylvania so every time she shares a recipe that involves pretzels we call it a PA recipe.

What you will need:
10oz of Pretzels, crushed
1 stick of butter, melted
3 tblspn of sugar
8 oz of cream cheese
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
2+ cups cool whip
1 cup mini marshmallows
6 oz of strawberry jello
2 cups of boiling water
1 quart crushed strawberries

Pre-heat oven to 375 Degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together the pretzels, butter and sugar in a 9 x 10 dish, spread evenly in the bottom lightly pressing in to the dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool.

In a medium bowl mix together cream cheese, powder sugar and 2 cups of cool whip. Once smooth add marshmallows. Spread on cooled crust.

Mix together two cups of boiling water and the 6 oz of jello. Let set until thick, but not solid. Add the crushed berries. Pour on top of the cream cheese mixture. Let set.

Once set frost with remaining cool whip.

Enjoy!

Cinco, ummm, Seises de Mayo

Dear friends,

Cinco de mayo is my new favorite holiday. Mainly because it involves lots of Tequila. And Mexican food.

I had my first two "Chicagoan" moments yesterday. The first was when I was getting on the "L" and I ran into someone from work and the second was when I was walking back to my place from the "L" and I ran into another person from work who apparently lives around the corner from me. Chicago feels smaller and smaller each day!

Never Brought to Mind

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! I wish I could say I did, but I didn't. In fact, Christmas was pretty crappy. The big family Christmas at my parents house went well, but the Christmas at my Mom's parents house was a little rough. I ended up fighting with my mom. So much fun! I want to spend every Christmas in a fight!

Then I spent a few days very depressed about living at home and having no job. Then I began to think about New Years and what a loser I will feel like for another year in a row because I have no plans.

Plus, my cousin called and has the flu so I still can't go visit her and the baby. The child is going to be 5 by the time we actually meet.

Ok, you can all see it, I am a little negative. They say suicide rate goes up this time of year and now I know why. It is a terribly depressing time of the year. I am beginning to hate holidays.

Toi I am taking the title of Debbie Downer from you!!!!

In good news, I am watching the Doctor Who Christmas special!!!!