Truth #3

I was trolling around my friends' Facebook pages the other day, and *ping!* Up pops a little blue window that says "So-and -so posted on your wall." Oh, really? "So-and-so" is actually my cyber-pal, The Duck (side note: I use aliases for my friends, just in case...).

Oh, Duck- this is why I asked you what I asked you the other day.

Anyway, The Duck had asked about my opinion of candy corn. DUH. It is one of the four major food groups. And I answered her that one of my favorite fall treats is candy corn mixed with cocktail peanuts (Planter's Cocktail Peanuts only, definitely NEVER dry roasted): "It is like a fluffernutter without the bread," is what I replied. I also told her that I didn't allow myself said treat until the calendar read October 1st.

Truth #3: For being such a proponent of live-in-the-moment-ism and new-adventures-ism, I cling very tightly to certain self-made rituals, which cannot and will not be ignored or altered. It is probably an amateur form of OCD, but when you grow up in the Catholic church (and then find out you have some Jewish lineage, too), your life revolves around ritual whether you like it or not.

For your enjoyment (or, for your information, so you know when to avoid my craziness. Or better yet, so you can indulge your need for observing craziness in motion), I've put together a calendar of rituals I follow throughout the year. This list is by no means complete.

JANUARY 1st: Resolution Run. Usually a local 5K, and in years past, still a bit drunk. Coffee and any residual hangover accompanies me while I mark birthdays, anniversaries, etc. in RED INK on my new wall calendar. I usually think back to my childhood at this time, too, when New Year's Day meant a trip to my grandparents' houses for birthday celebrations for my paternal grandfather (January 2nd) and my maternal grandfather (January 17). I really think it was an excuse for another family get-together, and for my male relatives to watch lots of football games and drink beer. JANUARY 16th: Celebrate Daughter #1's birthday. Birthday celebrations include choice of food at dinnertime, and choice of dessert (cake, pie, cheesecake, etc.).

FEBRUARY28th: Celebrate Daughter #2's birthday. See description of birthday celebration above.

MARCH 17th: St. Patrick's Day. Wear something green; drink hot tea and eat buttered toast with grape jam (NEVER jelly) in honor of my maternal grandmother's birthday.

SPRING BREAK: May begin to purchase and consume Cadbury's Creme Eggs. There is no rule for consuming said eggs purchased by someone else; however, said eggs (regardless of purchasing personnel) must be stored in the freezer, and eaten in the frozen state: crunchy chocolate + solid creme filling = miraculous.

APRIL: Opening Day for MLB- adjust work schedule to facilitate viewing of Chicago Cubs' opener; manufacture feelings of hopefulness that "This is gonna be our year!" with beer and popcorn, at least until 7th inning stretch.

MAY: Usually the weekend after Mother's Day- host "Run & Brunch" event for friends. I didn't host the past two years due to Daughter #1's high school graduation, and then my work schedule. I think its going to make a re-appearance in 2012, though. See, I send out super cute invites to all of my runner friends (male & female), inviting them to participate in a local 5K, then come over for brunch afterwards. The first year it was just women, and we just ran one of my regular routes, not a race. The second year we did a local race. It was so nice to feel the camaraderie runners share and to show off my Martha Stewart-like hostess skills. Like I said, its comin' back in 2012. Memorial Day Weekend- Celebrate birthdays galore (my mother, two red-headed brothers-in-law, and now Bunny Boy); bring outdoor furniture out of winter storage, and sit outside on said furniture as long as the sun is shining (please note: snow may still be present).

JUNE: There isn't anything special about June for me, except that ever since I moved to the Upper Peninsula, I've spent the majority of June wondering when Summer will make an appearance.

JULY 4th: Run in Firecracker 5 Mile race. This was my first ever competitive race. Ever. I was training for my very first marathon, and my father-in-law said that I should get some experience doing races, being with lots of other runners. Also, there was the promise of a parade after the race. (Note to my Hog Capitol peeps: It's no Hog Days parade.) I have run it every year since then, and look forward to it, as for me it marks the start of summer. Independence Day is also my favorite holiday. Cookout or potluck party with friends; fire works viewed from the lake shore. Since living in the U.P., cookouts on July 4th have been day-long affairs for me. It used to be my in-law's home, and now it has been time split between my friend Fast Jessica's house (for food and perhaps a beergarita) and My Favorite Redhead's house (for a fire, beer, s'mores, and fireworks). JULY 20th: Eat Polish food in honor of my paternal grandmother. I have been known to consume the dreadful, frozen, store-bought version of pierogi; I do not recommend them unless it is a true Polack emergency. That, of course, means that you've run out of vodka, and if that's the case? Shame on you.

AUGUST: Nothing really special about August, either, unless Labor Day weekend falls at the end of the month. In which case...

SEPTEMBER: Labor Day Weekend, aka Hog Days. This marks the end of summer, for sure. It also marks one of the only times I make it to my parents' house during the year. I haven't been to Hog Days in the past two years (including this year) due to scheduling conflicts with work and other family obligations. I miss it so, so much. This is how it goes: usually the high school football team has its home opener on Friday night. Saturday morning there's the Hog Stampede (4 mile road race), followed at 2 pm by the absolutely fabulous Hog Days Parade which includes some of my favorite things: the Highland Bagpipers, The Marching Grey Ghosts of IVCC (community college), the Youth Rhythm Corps out of the Quad Cities, and my brother the fireman passing the fireman's boot along the parade route for donations to charity. Saturday night is Drinking Night. The bars downtown are in an L-shape on the block; if you go out the back door of one bar, and jog to the left, you'll be in the next bar. The alleyway is blocked off by the police, and you're allowed to wander around outside in this massive beer garden/street party atmosphere. Sunday is when you are convinced you are a volleyball champion, and you will WIN your match in the mud volleyball tournament that day. Some years you are correct. Monday is the Fly In Breakfast at the regional airport, served up by the municipal fire department (the one that takes care of the rural areas rather than calls within the city limits). And then just like *that* your summer is over.

OCTOBER 1st: May begin to mix and consume the afore-mentioned candy corn/cocktail peanut snack mix. Doesn't everybody eat this and love it? No?

NOVEMBER: The Night Before Thanksgiving. Two years ago, I spent Thanksgiving Eve with My Favorite Redhead and her husband, one of my Red-Headed-Brothers-in-Law. I taught him how to mix a proper vodka gimlet, and we and everyone else present drank mightily while singing Billy Joel songs pounded out on the piano & organ in the living room. It was a perfect pre-holiday night, the likes of which I will long for yearly in hopes of recreating it again. Thanksgiving Day- Run the Gladstone Turkey Trot 5K. Except for that year we made gimlets at Red's house. Oops.

DECEMBER 6th: Begin day with phone call from mother where she tells me again about how she remembers this day ("We were out cutting down a Christmas tree, and I told your dad to hurry, because it was time to go to the hospital. And it was so cold! And you were in such a hurry to get here!"). May purchase live Christmas tree and begin household Christmas decoration; may begin annual viewings of "Elf." See? It is part of my birthright to be mandated to wait until my birthday before getting a tree. And I love the movie "Elf." It makes me smile and laugh and feel all warm inside every time I watch it. And what girl doesn't want to feel like that on her birthday?

So call me crazy, say I'm OCD, say I'm silly to follow these self-made rituals, to keep on making these observances year after year. Go ahead, it's fine. Really. I don't care. They are my collected experiences turned into memory, and recognized and venerated in such a way that brings me comfort and happiness,no matter what else life throws at me.

See, Duck? You're not alone when you say that the worse it gets out there, the better you perform, and the more you enjoy what you have in the moment.

Renovation Update: The Kitchen Years

Yes, a renovation update, but first a distraction:  how many pieces of chocolate do you think are in this container? This was the "Guess How Many?" prize for my work's Easter (f$31**#) Potluck- an event I both love and loathe.  Guess the amount correctly and you get the bucket o' candy (not really YOU, but someone at the Potluck).  

Below you will see the rough version of my new island as you look out the back door.  That is a prep sink on the near end (no faucet yet), and my collection of cookie cutters on the far end (they still haven't found a home in the new cabinets...).  Under the sink on the right side will be an access door for the plumbing.  On the left side of the island will be two pull-out door/drawers for garbage/recycling and compost (or bins for things like potatoes and rice, which we buy in bulk).  The counter top will again be the fantastic concrete we have on the other bank of cabinets.

In this next pic you can see almost the entire kitchen from the view point of the front room of the house.  The last of the old cabinets were demolished this weekend by Mr. Fix and myself, and then Mr. Fix took them and released the toxicity of cheap old cabinets into the ozone with a burn pile.  OSB and other pressed "wood" products burn fast and hot, I'm told.

Its going to be the one year anniversary of our kitchen renovation soon; it seems waaaayyy longer than that! Our last bits to get done are: 1) faucet and counter top for the island; 2) install light fixture above the island; 3) crown molding on tall bank of cabinets; 4) tile back splash.  

It is this last item we're waffling on a bit.  Our original thought was "white ceramic subway tiles."  Then I fell IN LOVE with some white glass subway tiles.  Swanky, right? And just plain beautiful.  Now, we're wondering if our first choice was better? More economical, for sure, but what about longevity? Will the glass make our kitchen look dated in 10 years?

And then there's the whole other saga of the bar stool I absolutely fell in love with from DWR .  Oh, the industrial beauties would be so super perfect for our space! Take a look for yourself here .  Yes, in the yellow. No, I can't afford them.  No, not even if they're on sale.  *sigh*

Other news?  Less than three weeks out from my Spring marathon .  I'm so ready for this one.  My training has been solid and I feel strong.  This week, though, I'll be in Chicago- Yay, Chicago!- for a conference on summer learning.  I know, the excitement never ends.  But this is a conference I've attended in the past, and it is fabulous and useful and not at all a chore to attend.  Plus, the Cubs are in town, so if I can't be found at one of my afternoon sessions, and return the next morning at breakfast whistling "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," well...

Have a great week! (PS- the correct number was 527.)

The Home Stretch

WOW! So not only are we down to the last five designers on Project Runway , but we are counting down the games until my beloved Cubbies win their division title and make it one step closer to a (hold your breath and cross your fingers) World Series! Cue that cheesy song...

And now let's strut back to the runway. Interesting challenge, I think. Some people might think it was boring, and may have asked, "What's so hard about designing an outfit for these college grads?" Well, from the judges' comments Wednesday night, there were some designers who just did not get it! Let's dish:

The Losers: We'll start with Leanne and her dreary teacher's dress. I agree with the judges that it looked better with OUT the jacket. I don't understand why on Earth Leanne decided to go with- and the girl agreed with- a dress. Everyone knows that elementary teachers need to be five thousand places at once (metaphorically speaking), and that sheath just doesn't cut it. A smart, chic outfit with knit on top and trousers on the bottom would have been much better, even if is a cliche to dress teachers in dowdy double knit. Let's move on to...Suede. Ms. Fix thinks that Suede has questionable taste. Ms. Fix says that Suede would have to totally answer to Ms. Fix if he designed that 1989 jacket and Forever 21 dress for her daughter! Ms. Fix doesn't like Suede too much this week. And now the big loser, Joe. Nina Garcia was so right: he hit every cliche. But boy, did I wish I had that reach-through television again when stupid Kenley started laughing. She is just so annoyingly wrong wrong wrong.

The Winners: While we're on the subject of Kenley...I hated it. Obviously a cop-out for her, as she just made something for herself and decided for her client it was perfect. It was well made, though, and a great style for the grad's line of work. Next up is Korto: I loved the jacket. I liked the dress. I hated how short the dress was. The girl didn't have the legs to pull off something that short, and those closed round-toe pumps made her legs look even schlumpier. Our big winner- second week in a row!- is our Sagittarius friend, Jerrel. It was absolutely spot on. I'm so glad he didn't mess with the girl's hair (other than to get rid of that skunk stripe), since it totally played into her personality. The outfit was divine- great classic pencil skirt, shiny and feminine blouse (with a bit of sex kitten peek-a-boo fabric on top), and then that knit cardigan that screamed "I watched Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and loved it!"
Behold the winning design (below).



My predictions for the Final Three designers (who, at this point in the real world, have already shown at New York's Fashion Week) are Jerrel, Korto, and Leanne. Are we wagering bets???

Other news? Well, today was National Native American Day, so I didn't have to work...but I did anyway. I'm pretty bad at the whole "time off" thing. What else? Dunno. I'm supposed to go clean up a local ski hill that has for the past dozen years or so been used as a garbage dump (illegally, of course). My mother-in-law spearheaded the clean-up campaign, so I kinda feel obligated, but we'll see. I may have other things to do besides help the environment.

Scheduled to do a 16 mile run on Sunday, and let me tell you, it'll be S-L-O-W. I'm battling this hellacious head cold right now and can't seem to go three minutes without needing to grab a Vicks-infused Kleenex. The Devil is still out of town, so my runs have been solo. Only six more weeks until the "Sweetest Sponsored Race This Fall!" I may find time to post again this weekend, should anything amazing happen. Have a great weekend!

What Makes It Okay That Its Monday?

Cubs win! Cubs win! Cubs win! HOLY COW!!! And not only that, but they did it in style! First, Carlos Zambrano comes back and pitches a no-hitter (the first for a Cubs pitcher in 36 years), on Sunday, and then today Ted Lilly made it as far as the 7th inning with his own no-hit bid; although Lilly finally gave up a run, the Cubbies still prevailed over Houston 6-1.

All I know is that I feel like singin' that dang song really loudly..."Go Cubs, goooo! Go Cubs, goooo! Hey Chicago, whaddya say? The Cubs are gonna win today!" Woo hoo! Harry Caray is smiling down on the Windy City Northsiders!

And how was your weekend? Mine was C-O-L-D! Ugh, do I hate the cold weather. See us fire signs (see previous post) don't take kindly to the water or cold- snuffs out our "fire," don'tcha know.

So this week at work, I started my after school program for the kiddies. It serves kids in grades 1-6, and this year (so far) I have 55 little darlings from 3:00-5:00 pm, four days per week. Have you ever tried to fit 55 kids in a regular sized classroom? Let me save you some trouble: you can't do it. At least, not if you want them to be able to work on homework, or an art project, or math drills...So this week will be one of trying out different methods of classroom management. It may involve splitting the kids up into smaller groups, moving around to different areas of the building, who knows? But I'll figure out a way to "make it work!" as Master Guru Gunn says. That is, after all, what I get paid the Big Bucks for! Ha!

What else? Well, Katie finally got her flight and our rental car for our trip to the East Coast ( the Cape Cod Marathon ). If you're in the Boston area on the 27th of October and feel like having lunch with a very nice stranger, let me know and I'll hook you up with Katie- on a platonic level, because she's got this boyfriend named Paolo.

Enough drivel- I'll post again on Thursday, after the fabulousness that is PR happens. Have a great week!

Lookie What I Got!

Last Friday morning, after a terrific martini-soaked Thursday night with the girls, I detoxed at the YMCA with The Doctah. We decided to treat ourselves to a little retail therapy, too (it was the start of the weekend, after all). We ended up stopping into a new boutique in town, "Gigi's Boutique." I had heard about the place from running friends ( I had no idea that this place even existed, which is strange- usually I can smell great clothes miles and miles away), and their reviews didn't disappoint me. What you see in the photo above is my booty for the day: a cute knit tunic (left) from Free People , and an irridescent jacket with 3/4 sleeves and a bit of swing styling from BB Dakota . There was more, but all good fashionistas know that you can't show your excitement too plainly, especially on the first visit!

So that was my excitement for the start of the weekend, and the rest of the weekend was capped off by the fantasticness of the Chicago Cubs sweeping the South Side White Sox in inter league play. I annoyed the crap out of my entire family by singing, loudly and badly, Steve Goodman's "Go Cubs Go!"

Now that you can't get that song out of your head, go ahead and enjoy the rest of your work week!

A Good Start to the Week

Oy, back to the grind. Spring Break ended with the alarm going off this morning, at least for Mr. Fix and the lovely Daughters #1 and #2. I however, had to work the entire week. Yesterday was my only day off for the week, and I did...

...a whole lotta nothin'. I watched the Cubs game- put out your "W" flags! (for "win"...not THAT W!)- and napped in the sunny spot on the couch with my electric blanket. The most difficult thing I cooked yesterday (stop laughing!) is coffee, and even that was just an afternoon reheat in the microwave. I watched the happy people in Chicago, some of them sunning themselves sans shirts in the Bleachers, and thought about how nice it would be to join them. Yes, I'm a Cubs fan.

Growing up, I never really held allegiance to any one team. Our family lived a good hour's drive from either set of grandparents, and I remember that your favorite baseball team was chosen for you depending on the set of grandparents you were visiting. Maternal grandparents = Chicago White Sox and Paternal grandparents = Chicago Cubs.

Once I moved to Chicago for school, my loyalty was quickly determined by 1) proximity to the ballpark, 2) a complete dislike for the American League's designated hitter rule, and 3) how cute Mark Grace was at first base.

So, NO, I didn't get my Spring cleaning done. The most exciting thing I did the past week or so was to attend a concert with Mr. Fix. We went to see John Prine in Sheboygan, WI where we had a fantastic dinner at a little place called Margaux right across from the theater.

Are you a fellow Cubs fan? Click here for a story that aired on Katie's favorite, NPR, last week. Enjoy!