yowza!

I haven't written anything in a while, have I? Hmm. I'm trying to think of why that might be ... I was really busy with work for a couple weeks there, but that doesn't usually stop me from documenting my thoughts ... dunno. I guess I've been feeling like I'm in some kind of state of suspended animation or something lately. I haven't been having any deep thoughts, no emotional turmoil, no quirky observations, no rhetorical questions. Just ... existing. Don't get me wrong, I've been perfectly happy with the status quo. It's just not very conducive to blogging.

But here's something. I have been trying to straighten myself out with regards to my diet. Some recent bouts of tummy turmoil ('Turmoil' is a great word, isn't it? I've already used it twice in this entry!!) have clued me in to the fact that I don't exactly eat what I should be eating. Several months ago I decided to cut out all artificial sweeteners (bye-bye Diet Coke), limit my caffeine intake, and drink more water. Now that my bladder has gotten used to the idea, it's been pretty smooth sailing on those seas (I should maybe consider rephrasing that sentence.). But now is the time for a more drastic overhaul of my old eating habits. I need to buy more fresh veggies, more whole foods (bye-bye blue box mac and cheese), and perhaps most importantly, learn to ...*gasp* ... COOK!!! Sadly, this is where the problem lies. It's not that I crave the processed, bad-for-you foods, it's that I am interminably lazy. I don't want to take the time to cook something myself when it's so much easier to throw something in the microwave for a few minutes and be done with it. Even making a salad is exhausting work for me, cutting up all those veggies. I tried once to make one huge salad that I could divide up and eat over a couple days, but then I forgot about it and after the third or fourth day, the whole thing had already gone bad. Utter failure.

However, I was very proud of myself after I went to the grocery store yesterday. I intended to buy some yogurt for my lunches, and perhaps a couple of other things if they struck my fancy. I ended up completely filling my basket, and 90% of it was fresh produce! Go me! I plan to make a trip back to the store in a couple days to get ingredients for some soup I'm going to attempt to make this weekend (a 4-day weekend for me! Whoo!).

... and I have no idea how to end this entry. Perhaps "Here's to healthy eating!" works?

The End.

kitchen-y goodness

Hey there kiddos. (I declare that we can all be kiddos today.)

Fall is here and I could not be happier. Yes, I am one of those weirdos who actually likes the cooler weather and the end of summer. So sue me. But one of the things I like best about fall is all the yummy treats that come into fashion this time of year. Baked goods, apples, pumpkins, etc. (If this is all sounding very deja vu-ish, it's because I mentioned this is my last post, but bear with me here. I am going somewhere.)

The other week I found a recipe online (from Evite, no less) that sounded just too good to be true. Simple instructions, delicious ingredients - many of which most people might already have around the house. In fact, that's kind of the point of the recipe. What was it, you ask? Why, it was Pumpkin Bread Pudding of course! (Meaning bread pudding *with pumpkin*, not *made with pumpkin bread*.) I have never made bread pudding before, and only eaten it probably 3 or 4 times in my life, but this recipe came along at just the right time, because at the exact moment of discovery, I had one rather old, most likely very hard loaf of whole grain bread in my fridge and I was at a loss as to what to do with it. So I see pumpkin bread pudding and think, I can make a dessert out of an old loaf of bread??!! Sold!! Where do I sign up?

The other day, after a mad search for a can of pumpkin puree (I tried my usual grocery store on two separate days, then finally bit the bullet and went to a different one. It must be pumpkin pie season!!), I finally made the recipe and ... YUMMY!!! If I made it again, I would make a couple small changes, but for the most part, it turned out perfect, and now it calls to me from the fridge as soon as I get home from work each day. So I cut myself a piece and have dessert first. So what. Life's short.

If this sounds as good to you as it did to me (and delivered!) here's the recipe:

6 cups bread, crusts removed, cut into 1/2 in. cubes (The recipe called for French bread, but the awesome thing about bread pudding is that you can use whatever you have. I had some Brownberry whole grain bread and it worked great.)
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree (Not pumpkin pie filling. That already has spices mixed in and we will be adding our own spices)
3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup candied/crystallized ginger, finely diced (Here is where I might make a substitution next time. The candied ginger I used kept kind of a crisp texture even after baking, which sort of surprised me when I tasted the pudding. The second day, it was a little less crisp, but if you want to avoid this all together, I'd try adding powdered ginger instead, for the flavor, and perhaps a bit more sugar, though I have no idea how much of either.)

The recipe said to make some cinnamon whipped cream to top it with, but ... well ... I am not quite that ambitious, so I bought me some Reddi-Whip. :) Also, you'll need an 11x7 in. baking pan, which I myself had to go out and buy (cheap) because who has that size?? I mean really!?

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the bread cubes in the pan, then pour over the whipping cream and the milk, stirring to combine (make sure all the cubes are soaking in the liquid). Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin, brown sugar, spices, vanilla and salt. Here is where I would make one more suggestion. The recipe says to pour this pumpkin mixture over the bread/cream in the pan and stir to combine, then stir in the ginger - all within the baking pan. However, when I tried this ... well ... that baking pan is mighty small, and it was hard as hell trying to keep the stuff from going over the edges. And why oh why would you need to wait until the end to add the ginger? I added the ginger directly to the pumpkin mixture. And what I will be doing next time is pouring the *bread/cream mixture* into the *bowl*, stirring to combine, then transferring back to the pan to bake. But whatever way you choose, the next step is to bake about 60 minutes, or until set.

Once it's baked and cooled, cut into 6 pieces, top with whipped cream and enjoy!! You'll be so DYING to try it by the time it's done because while it's baking, your house is going to smell absolutely heavenly.

See? Easy as pi - er - pudding. :)

foodie bloggie

I don't generally blog about food, but Nora posted this meme thingie and it made me hungry (having a normal appetite again is a happy thing). So here's mine. I won't have tried NEARLY as many things as Mrs. Greenfish, the foodie, but I think there's a couple that I have tried that she has not. Neener neener. ;)

(Instructions edited to fit my settings and preferences)
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) RED any items that you would never consider eating.
4) GREEN any items you are actively interested in trying.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (Close. I've had Alligator.)
6. Black pudding (The idea makes me want to vomit.)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari (Had it, but I am not a fan.)
12. Pho
13. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
14. Aloo gobi (Not terribly fond of Indian curry.)
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (French cheese)
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (My favorite is rhubarb!!)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes (Don't really like tomatoes, but my parents love 'em so of course I've had the heirloom variety.)
22. Fresh wild berries (Did I ever tell you about the time I ate poison berries ...)
23. Foie gras (I think I tried it??)
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese (Another vomit-inducing thought.)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (Ouch! No thanks.)
27. Dulce de leche (I can't believe I've never had this!)
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut (Yummy. My mom makes the best dish with sauerkraut and smoked sausage. And I have the ingredients at home! Dinner tonight maybe?)
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (Hmm, I've had them separately, but not together. Does that count?)
37. Clotted cream tea (I've had tea served with scones with clotted cream, but never thought to put the cream in the tea. Not sure if this counts either ...)
38. Vodka jelly (I'm gonna go with Nora's assumption that this means Jello shots.)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat (Um, no.)
42. Whole insects (Just no again.)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk (Goat's milk, no. Goat cheese, yes.)
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more (I wish.)
46. Fugu (Too risky. :) )
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal (Once a veeeeery long time ago.)
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst (Lots of curry on this list, huh?)
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain (Yummers.)
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini (Had caviar, but not with blini.)
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (Why, oh why, would anyone want to eat roadkill? I imagine it tasting like burning rubber.)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant (After having to look up what a Michelin Star is, I think this would be a good thing.)
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate (Any kind of chocolate is all right in my book.)
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

So is it lunch time yet??

food flop

So, I discovered this weekend that my friends are not so much into food. I had a little party on Saturday, which was lots of fun (for me, and I would like to think for the other guests as well), however, one aspect of this party was a complete and utter flop. It was SUPPOSED to be a potluck to which everyone would bring a dish that they had never made before, and it was SUPPOSED to start at 7:00, early enough so that people could make it their dinner. However, out of the 15 or so guests, only 2 brought food (3 if you count both halves of a couple), and every single person had eaten before arriving. And even taking into consideration the one-hour cushion of time I usually leave for guests to arrive, only one couple arrived on time. Everyone else was at least 2-3 hours late. Most people brought beer or wine, which was very much appreciated (thanks to anyone who I may not have thanked, and who may be reading this - I'm very excited to partake in the party leftovers, especially a couple bottles of wine that have been calling out my name since Saturday). The party was fun regardless, but I felt like a dope for having spent literally all day cooking, and then not even putting all that food out because nobody was going to eat it. And I am no cook, so this was a huge undertaking for me. My fingers still smell like garlic. I guess people just assumed it was going to be a party like all my others, starting later and being mostly alcohol-centric, even though the invitation stated otherwise. Well, shame on me for trying something different. But really, I'm not complaining. I did have a good time, and like I said, I think everyone else did as well. And they brought all kinds of fun new beer and wine, for which I am extremely grateful. And now I've got great leftovers to last me all week. Conclusion: I love my friends, but I'm never cooking for them again. ;)

Harry Potter, and my weekend, and an observation about neither

So can I talk about Harry Potter just a little bit? If you haven't read it yet, and are planning to, I urge you to stop reading right here (and pick up again below where I will be changing subjects), because this post is bound to be full of SPOILERS!!!

So. It's over. It's done. No more Harry Potter books to look forward to, except maybe the rumored encyclopedia that J. K. Rowling may or may not be publishing in the distant future. I am sad about this. But I'm also happy that the story has finally come to its long-awaited conclusion. Having said that, however, I must admit that I was a bit disappointed by the way it ended. Deathly Hallows was a very exciting and intense book - so much so that I actually had to stop reading after one particular chapter ended because things kept happening, one right after the other, and since I knew the next chapter was going to be more intense than the previous, I just needed to take a break! My fragile constitution needed a chance to rest before plugging onward. It seemed as if Harry and crew were constantly averting capture, and constantly in danger of death at the hands of some evil-doer, if not Voldemort himself. This part was great fun. And it seemed to be building towards a crescendo in which there would be the ultimate battle between good and evil. Well, I guess it got there. The battle was fought, people were killed, people showed their true colors, and good triumphed over evil, as we always knew it would. But oddly enough, I felt unfulfilled. The final battle between Harry and Voldemort seemed to be over in the blink of an eye, as if to say, "All right, I just defeated the most evil wizard in existence, saving the world from certain disaster - I think I'll have a nap." I was left, bewildered, wondering, Hey, whatever happened to ... and the list was a long one. I wondered why certain purportedly important characters had so little to do, I wondered what happened to certain people after the war was over, and though it may seem strange, I wondered why more people didn't die. Maybe it's morbid of me, but I would think that a battle of such proportions would have had more casualties. Yes, some of my favorite characters did not make it, but honestly, I felt the good guys got off pretty easy. And the epilogue, though well-written, still left me hanging. But wait, what about ... ?

All in all, though, I did enjoy the book and I'm sad that it's over. Though it wasn't my favorite of the series (that distinction belongs to book 5), it was entertaining and exciting as they all have been. And any Harry Potter book is a worthwhile read in my mind.

END DISCUSSION OF HARRY POTTER!!!!!

Okay, now that that's over, I just wanted to chat about some random things I've been thinking about. There is this guy at work. I don't know him, but I always see him in the cafeteria around lunch time. He's on the taller side, and the first few times I saw him, he seemed pretty average in build, if not a bit on the overweight side. And its funny, but he was always eating lunch with someone who looked like a shorter, stockier version of himself. Weird. But anyway, one day I noticed that he had suddenly lost a lot of weight. It's possible that he wasn't around for a while, because honestly, I don't keep track of those kinds of things. But for quite some time, he resembled a skeleton a bit too closely for comfort. Very very skinny. Then, just as suddenly as he'd lost weight, he seemed to be gaining it back again at an INCREDIBLE rate. Now he is no doubt overweight, and growing in size every time I see him. I don't know what caused this metamorphosis from average, to emaciated, to obese - maybe he has a thyroid problem, or he was sick and now he's healthy again, with a healthy appetite to boot. But it got me thinking. I noticed this change in a complete stranger - so it made me wonder what people thought about me! When I am on Prednisone, my face goes through some very noticeable changes. Even though the shape of my body does not change TOO much (unless I let my new-found appetite get the better of me), the roundness of my face gives the illusion that I am a much more full-figured person. When I started working here is 2005, I wasn't on any medications. I was thin and healthy. Then I had a flare-up and went on the drugs and got puffy, then my dose went down, then up again, then I was off it, then back on again, and now I'm off it (for good?). All this over the course of two years. But it just makes me wonder what the people who don't know about my disorder thought about my changes in appearance. Did they wonder? Like I wondered about the guy I always saw in the cafeteria? Or did they even notice? Hmmm.

On another topic, I had a very busy, but very lovely weekend. It was a three-day weekend for me, so I took advantage of the Friday off work by finishing up Harry Potter, and going to the grocery store for ingredients to the various things I was cooking for the weekend gatherings. Saturday afternoon I went to a barbecue at K and C's, which was really fun. I just love hanging out with their kids!! :) And I made a tomato artichoke dip that seemed to please, so I was happy about that. I had to leave early, though, for an appointment with some other friends to watch some old episodes of "Lost" and eat homemade Mexican food. I attempted a new recipe for Mexican Corn Casserole, which might have been good, but I think it was a bit undercooked. The baking is done in two sessions, and I had to do one at home earlier in the day, and the second one once we got to my friends' house. I think if I'd been able to do them back to back, it would have turned out better. Oh well. Live and learn. THEN, the next day I went out to the burbs for a pool party and barbecue, which was a jolly good time. It was great to just be outside all day in the gorgeous weather, and have a fun time with some great people. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, but was EXHAUSTED come Sunday night.

Okay, anyway, that's all I have the energy to write about today. Laters!

a very yummy thing

Dude! I was at my parents' house for dinner last night and Mommers (Mommers? Really?) made this really good thing for dessert. If you like pineapple, peanuts, coconut and vanilla ice cream, you'll love it, I swear! You take slices of fresh pineapple, and glaze them with 2 tbsp brown sugar mixed with 1 tbsp lime juice, and then grill it! Put some oil on the griling surface, and over medium-high heat, cook it for approx. 8 minutes, flipping over half-way through (just FYI, you'll probably need less than 8 minutes - keep an eye on it), until it is brown on the edges. Then you put a slice or two in a dessert dish, sprinkle it with crushed peanuts and toasted coconut (Ha! I totally burned the coconut the first time I tried to toast it. BE CAREFUL!!), top with a scoop of ice cream, and voila!!

SO YUMMY!!

Disclaimer: This recipe is FROM MEMORY, so if you burn down your house while following these directions, I cannot be held responsible. Happy grilling! :)

Week in Review numma 3

Hey kids! So here's what went down this week. Last Saturday my roomie and I were throwing a party, so Friday after work I basically started getting ready for that. Well, truthfully, I was kind of pooped from the crazy week I had had, so "getting ready for the party" pretty much consisted of doing my laundry and going to bed early. So that meant that Saturday morning/afternoon was filled with cleaning, shopping, and making general preparations for this shindig. I got my bedroom spotless, and then started on the rest of the place, swept, rolled up the rug (learned my lesson after the last party!), rearranged furniture, etc. I had the task of going to the grocery store for snackies and whatnot, while roomie went to the liquor store and cleaned the bathroom. That is, he cleaned OUR bathroom, and then went to the liquor store. He didn't clean the bathroom AT the liquor store, as much as they might have appreciated that (he does an excellent job). :) Anyhoo, the party was a blast. Several people who I rarely see showed up, and one friend from high school who I hadn't seen in about 5 years! That was super exciting! A work friend showed up later in the evening with his dog, and it just made me miss having a dog so much! And she (the dog, Kawie) was such a sweetie too. Got along with everyone and just made herself right at home! So much so that the next day I realized I had dog hair all over my couch AND my bed. Not that I minded at all. :) Love the doggies. I can't think of too many wild and/or crazy stories from the night, but that's because I once again felt like it flew by and I didn't get to talk to anyone! It seemed like I got a few really good conversations with a few (really good) people, but I know for a fact that some people came and went and all I got to say to them was hello and goodbye. Such is the fate of the hostess I guess. Oh, and eewww. I looked at my camera the next morning and I look ridiculous in every picture I'm in. Yeah, no one will be seeing those. :) All in all it was a good night. I think the final people count was about 37, which is pretty damn good in my opinion! Sunday was a day spent recovering. I slept for a lot of it, watched some TV I think (oh yeah! Desperate Housewives finale!!), and helped the roomie clean up the major garbage, but the rest of the cleaning we left for a time when we'd have more energy ... and motivation.

So Monday after work, that's what I did. I came straight home, changed my clothes, put on some music and got down to business. I cleaned all of the table/counter surfaces, mopped the floor and picked up what was left of the garbage, and put furniture back in order (including the rug which was spared the inevitable spillage). It took me just over an hour and afterwards I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. Cleaning does that to me. :) And even though the roomie didn't say anything to me about the spectacular cleaning job I had done, when he walked in the door (I was in my bedroom), I heard him say to himself "Fantastic!" so that was good enough for me. Tuesday night was Ladies Night, which is always a good time. 6 of us ladies went out to Opera, an Asian fusion (?) restaurant on Wabash and it was EXCELLENT! I recommend it. But if you can, try to go on a Tuesday and ask about the special deal (which won't be around forever!!). You'll be glad you did. :) My meal consisted of Maine lobster spring rolls (very good), Beef with Asparagus (really really good despite the lack of descriptive details), and a Mandarin Orange dessert which, against my better judgment, I finished because it was so tasty! And I had more than half of my entree left to take home and have for dinner later in the week. Yay! Wednesday night I went out to my parents' to have dinner with my little bro!! He's in town for a while from Seattle and wanted to take the family out to dinner. We went to a Japanese hibachi/sushi place that was pretty good. My brother was the only one who ordered sushi, but everyone tried a little, including my Dad! I was so proud of him!! And I think my Mom enjoyed the sushi very much because she kept eating it after my brother and everyone else had had their fill! The rest of us ordered hibachi stuff - garlic shrimp for Dad, calamari for Mom, and scallops for me (one of my new favorite things, I think), and it was all very good. Okay, just a side note here - I feel like Nora!!!! Blogging about food!!! :) So anyway, it was cool to hang with the baby brother, even though he left without saying goodbye! I think he was going out to meet some friends. Hopefully I'll get to see him again before he leaves for home. I think he's going up to Detroit this weekend, but maybe next week. Oh, and that night Mom and I watched the Lost finale! So exciting!!! All kinds of new information, and plenty of cliffhangers - exactly what you want in a season finale. Thursday was delightfully relaxing. All I had to do when I got home from work was pack for this weekend (going to Indiana for a friend's birthday), and go to the drug store. So that's all I did!! Woo hoo! It was great having no obligations for once! Well, once in a long while anyway. I do go through spells where I have absolutely NOTHING to do for days or weeks at a time, but lately that has not been the case. I'm a busy little bee. :) At least work wasn't too bad this week. It was pretty hectic early on, but had calmed down drastically by about Thursday, which was nice. Next week is gonna suck, though, because it's the end of the month and I'm always swamped. Plus one of my coworkers is moving to another department and next week is her last week here, so she will need to be basically teaching me everything she knows about the programs I'm taking over for her. She's shown me a bunch of stuff already, but this will be our last chance to get everything handed over. Blagh. Not that she won't be still in the building and reachable in case of a massive meltdown (which isn't completely out of the realm of possibility), but still. It's a lot for me to take on, still being the newest person in the department.

So that was my wek. Heh, I typed "wek" and I'm keeping it like that 'cause I like it. :P I REBEL AGAINST THE SPELL CHECKER!!!! Wait, does blogger even have a spell checker? Oh look at that, it does. Obviously, I don't use it very often (or EVER). I pride myself on my most excellent spelling abilities, and my obsessive proofreading (and since I said that, everything will now be spelled wrong and people will laugh at me). My grammar sucks, and I may occasionally use the wrong words in the wrong places, but at least I spell them right! Right?

Ok, bye.

Week in review

I don't usually just write about the everyday things that happen to me, like what I had for breakfast, or which bars I went to last Friday, but I think I may start a weekly thing where I just sorta give highlights of what's been happening lately. Yes, I think I will do that. And this will be the first one.

So, I feel like I have been extremely busy lately and haven't had much time to just chill, but I'm probably not really any busier than any other week. Anyhoo, last weekend was pretty cool. Friday was Cinco de Mayo, so some friends and I went to a little Mexican restaurant on Ashland for some good food and tasty margaritas. Though the wait was excruciating, they sent their waiting patrons to the bar across the street, where they could get drinks if they so chose, or in our case, bowl after bowl of chips and salsa. The food at the restaurant was pretty good, but if I go there again I will be getting what Jillybean had, which was plantain enchiladas with mole sauce. Yummy! Saturday I ran a bunch of errands in the morning, including hoofing it over to the Metro to get my tickets for the Secret Machines show tomorrow (yay!!). Jillybean was having a jewelry show over at her place for a friend of ours who makes really cool jewelry, so I headed over there and hung out for a while. I ended up buying a very cool necklace made of pyrite and a pair of Russian serpentine earrings which I can't wait to wear. So pretty! Afterwards, I met up with Nora for an eating extravaganza!! After a bit of trouble getting over there (D and K beat us even though they left considerably later!), we made it to the restaurant Sweets and Savories on Fullerton. All in all, I had a good impression of this place. It was very small, but classy and comfortable. And even though some might be a little taken aback by the extremely friendly and chatty staff, I liked it a lot. Nora and D went there specifically for this one dish that I won't get into the details of (you can read all about it on Nora's livejournal), but I do believe we were all very satisfied with the food. I know I was. However, given the rather pricy nature of the place, I decided it was in my best interest to call it a night after that, and give my wallet a little rest. :) Some people, including my roommate, were planning on heading over to the Musicbox around midnight for some 3-D porn, but as intriguing as this was, I decided not to partake, and I'm sorta glad I did, because I heard the next day that 3-D porn tends to lose it's excitement factor after about a half hour. *mental note* :)

This week has felt like a whirlwind. Nothing too exciting happened on Monday, aside from watching the finale of "What About Brian" which was filled with drama! Can't wait for next season (if there is one)!! Tuesday, I went to work an hour early because I had a doctor's appointment later in the day and instead of using up sick time I wanted to try and make up as many hours as I could. Surprisingly enough, it is much easier for me to get up earlier for work than it is to stay later - traffic starts to suck coming back into the city if you leave any later than 4, and despite my best efforts, I think I am becoming a morning person!!!! Ack!! (I feel like Cathy when I say Ack.) So, I asked my Mom to come to the doctor with me (though, in retrospect I didn't need her there at all), and the appointment ended up going really well. We were there to discuss prescription options, and I had pretty much made a decision before I went in, and was happy to hear that my doctor had basically come to the same decision. Made things easy. Perhaps I will discuss in more detail in another entry. Anyhoo, the rest of the afternoon/evening was for me and my Mom. We went to lunch at the Grand Luxe Cafe (very good) and then went shopping for a while along Michigan Ave. We looked in Crate and Barrel for what seemed like hours (that place is frickin 'uge!), then went to Borders where I couldn't leave without buying 3 books, and then made a short stop at Watertower where we were very disappointed in the housewares section of Marshall Field's (soon to be Macy's - boo hoo!!). After that, we were pooped so we went to *$'s to set for a spell, then went our separate ways. I think I got home and crashed on the couch, then just went to bed. It was an exhausting day. Wednesday I went in to work early again, and then went out to the 'rent's for my usual Wednesday visit. Dad and I popped over to Pier One to get some pillows for the new wicker furniture the parents just got for the sun room (apparently my Dad didn't trust himself enough to go alone - heaven forbid he buy the WRONG PILLOWS!!!), while Mom made a delicious spaghetti dinner. Then Mom and I watched "Lost" (so exciting!! another hatch!!) and I hit the road back home. I think by this time, the early (and busy) days were finally catching up to me because I was exhausted and decided before I even got home that I was going to go in at the normal time on Thursday. I totally needed that extra hour of sleep. Then on Thursday I was hoping to have a relaxing evening at home, but that didn't really end up happening. I told a coworker that I'd help her out after work by following her and her carpooling friend to a mechanic to drop off her car and then drive the two of them home (they live near me). This was kind of a pain because the weather was nasty and traffic was nasty, and after dropping them off I realized I had to go to the drug store, and I didn't end up getting home until after 6, only to have to go back to the drug store again at 6:30. Blaarrrgh. But then I watched some "Curb Your Enthusiasm" I got from Netflix and I thought, "Well, at least I'm not Larry David."

So now we've reached today. Aren't you happy you made it this far??!! :) Today I came in at the normal time but I'm planning on staying an hour later because I am staying out in the burbs for a while tonight. A coworker is having a bachelorette party nearby work tonight at 8, and it seemed like a pain to go all the way back home after work only to come all the way back out here again at 8. So I decided to stay here until 5, then head over to the mall to get some things I need (still need a Mother's Day gift!!), grab some dinner (possibly with another coworker friend who is also going to the bachelorette party), then head over to the bar where people are meeting. Should work out I think. Tomorrow I have a bunch of errands and chores to do in the morning, then there is Kristi's baby's birthday party (Yay for 2 year old's!!), then the Secret Machines show at midnight - which I still have to coordinate the meeting-up plans for. And then, of course, is Mother's Day on Sunday. I'm going out to the burbs again (man, my car gets a lot of miles put on it!!) to see the Mama, and my grandma and great aunt will be there as well for a little barbecue. That should be nice. But once again, I don't think I'll have ANY time for myself to relax this weekend. Oh well. Maybe next weekend - wait, no that won't work. Maybe the one after - nope, not that one either ...