my other blog

okay, it's time to open the gate to my other blog. i've been documenting my training and triathlon related info on that blog so as not to get all muddled with my other types of entries on this one. even though "i so don't need a blog," i apparently need two. go figure. i really just think that the training one is specific enough to warrant its own space. i try to update the other blog to keep track of how the training is going in general, even when it's sucking (which, believe it or not, is sucky to write about). i've not shared it for a bit because i've not been sure how much i would put on it, and i was kind of afraid of looking like a dope with my low training volumes, etc.

i'm also adding a link to it in the margin. i have a link to my myspace page on my other blog, so i'm adding one here as well.

why...

...do people clip their fingernails at work. that characteristic nail-clipping noise is coming from the next cube section over. i can understand clipping a snagged or broken nail just to clean it up, but i can tell this is the whole set. gross. just gross.

on a more pleasant note, my birthday is going surprisingly well. i typically don't like it, and was expecting this one to be particularly ugh, but it's actually alright. i got lots of goodies (read: junk food) from my coworkers: 2 cakes, 3 bags of chips, 3 jars of salsa, 1 tub of chip dip, big box o' munchkins, a dozen bagels, 2 things of cream cheese, bag of pretzels, bag of goldfish, jar of caramel sauce (for one of the cakes), box of fancy pastries, and plate of cookies, oh and a box of chocolates. i also got a really pretty flower delivery: countless pink mini-roses with babies breath in a cute pink vase. well done. smells wonderful, too. i cant decide if i should leave it here or bring it home.

if only i were brave enough

i saw this on uncrate this morning and just loved it. $5 for a pack of 25 "you are a douche" cards to hand out to people who are rude or whatever. it's just so subtle and insulting. i can just imagine the look on some jerk's face if he were handed one of these. talk about priceless. then take that priceless x 25. i just think i'm too nice to actually have the guts to give one out.

rant

so, work has been going pretty well. i've been working with my boss on a rather high profile subcommittee (read: everybody is waaaay higher ranking than me). i don't have a lot of responsibility on the committee, but i do go to all the meetings and diligently do what is required and asked of me. anyway...

as part of this committee, my boss and i have been having meetings with various "key" individuals in the central office (senior and executive vice presidents, the president himself, etc etc). these meetings have been very cool for me since these are important folks i might not have met otherwise.

we had a meeting today with a fairly highly ranking individual (executive vice president of something or another). throughout the meeting, i took my notes and listened to (and completely understood - this becomes important later) his comments/ideas/theories/suggestions/etc. as he talked. at the end of the meeting, as my boss and i thanked him and left, this gentleman made a comment, in a joking manner, insinuating that i probably didn't understand what he had said and would shortly be asking my boss to explain it to me.

now, i'm not one to take quick offense in most situations, and i certainly am not one to be hyper vigilant and sensitive to or out looking for potentially sexist/ age-ist/ whatever-ist comments like some people do. that being said, while the comment was presented in a joking manner, i found it fairly rude and i got the definite impression that he was assuming that i was not able to "keep up" with the discussion at hand. false.

was it because i'm a girl, because i'm young? i liked this guy until he said that, now he just seems ignorant and chauvinistic. what a crappy way to start the week. so that was my rant. grrr. does this mean i really am smarter than i look? i'm not sure how i feel about that...

clocky

too clever. this little alarm clock will take off across the room if you hit the snooze button! no more re-snoozing, which i have been guilty of a bit lately. it's a little pricey ($50), but it was too cute of an idea to not share (found on better living through design.) also availale in shag.

greendimes.com

what a nice idea. even though you could probably stop a lot of your junk mail through your own efforts (and for less that the amount this site wants to imagine it would cost you), greendimes.com seems to offer a nice service. for $36/year they will reduce your junk mail, protect your identity (by reducing the number of credit card offers that come your way), and plant a tree each month. seems like a decent deal to me. might be a nice gift idea, too.

beautiful

this necklace is just beautiful. it's from tiffany & co. but isn't outrageous ($150). it's very much my style and would look stunning on me if i do say so myself! add it to the list of other items i post here that i lust after... (found it on outblush)

cool blue hue for you

this is super cool. you hook the little clylindrical device on your faucet and it lights up the stream of water whenever the water is turned on. i would install one on my kitchen faucet, but i think it's too space-agey for my kitchen. maybe a good gift idea for mom? hehe. found it on uncrate.

wall art

i found some wall art i really like from kenneth wingard (via dress your nest). this would be great in either my bedroom or in my living room. i'm thinking the living room is a bit more desperate for decoration once the christmas tree comes down. plus, this won't break the bank too badly.

snow day... well not for me

i love the midwest. in 2 days, it went from 60 degree weather to 6 inches of snow. gotta love that. i was so tempted to call in to work today, especially as each and every newscast was advising people (which includes me) to stay off the roads and not go into work if at all possible. but, i'm at work. i got to spend 15 minutes scraping/pushing/heaving snow off my car. what i wouldn't give for a garage... the office is pretty dead. i'm surprised that there are even this many people here. hopefully the snow lets up around noon like they said, so that the afternoon commute isn't too bad. we shall see...

i love good luck

i'm so excited, but not after some serious frustration.

i've been wanting to see this play, argonautika, downtown through lookingglass theatre. i finally decided last night that i wanted to go this coming saturday afternoon, since the matinee is two-for-one tickets ($24 a ticket, rather than $48 and up for other weekend shows). i went online and, of course, sold out. so i called the box office. yes, they had 2 tickets, but they were obstructed view (cannot see the gangplank - unacceptable) and across the aisle from each other (not much for a date).

so i decided to check other saturday shows later in the run (only goes through dec 23rd). almost all sold out, one show had corner balcony tickets available (far from ideal), but i was about ready to take anything at this point. i checked some other shows and when i found nothing, went back to that date to buy the ucky balcony tix. not available. aaaaaaargh. so i was very bummed.

i called the box office back to see what they had, and she told me that two tickets were available for this saturday. i said, "right, the obstructed view ones." nooooo. two front row tickets near the center aisle had opened up right then... for this saturday. i snatched those up as quickly as i could rattle off my debit card number. whooohoo! i get to see this play - i was seriously afraid it wasn't going to work out. what great luck to call at just the right moment. i can't wait to see it.

reviews: variety.com, the reader, chicago sun-times, metromix, theatermania.com, timeout.com, chicagocritic.com,

adoring this sofa

okay, so i scrolled down on bltd (getting tired of typing it all out), and saw this couch from cb2. i love it, love it, love it. the lines are great, it's different but not too out there. the price is pretty darn good, too. if only i could justify $800 for a couch i don't need. i hope they carry this one a while (read: until i'm ready to buy a couch). i love the high arms and high back. definitely would need to give it a good sit, though, to check the comfort factor. looks like it would be fine, though, especially with a bunch of bright throw pillows. this would go perfectly with my current living room color scheme.

how i'd love a fireplace

this is really cool, if not a bit too expensive for me at the moment. i love fireplaces, but living in an apartment, or even condo, i don't have much choice in the matter. my previous two apartments had fireplaces but my current abode does not. even when i did have a fireplace, the cleaning, storing and buying firewood, and other un-fun aspects of the ordeal made me hesitate to have a fire, despite how much i love the ambiance and aesthetic they bring. this beauty runs on ethanol (organic, clean burning, etc) and doesn't require a chimney, gas line, or anything. you just mount it on the wall and fill up the reservoir and voila, fireplace in any room you want. there are empty spots on the walls in both my living room and bedroom if anybody has an extra $1260 (x2) burning a hole in their pocket. spotted on better living through design (quickly turning into my fave site if that isn't too obvious).

willydilly

also spotted on better living through design, this lamp is just lovely. i really like the lines and that it is simple, but not particularly predictable or boring. it's got a unique touch. also, it doesn't break the bank. you can get it for only $145 here. not too shabby.

sun in a jar

saw this on better living through design today and thought it was such a cute idea. solar panels store sunlight so you can enjoy it later on. i love how warm it looks.

preordered!

'tis the season already. the company choir practices in a room adjacent to my cubicle, so despite me feeling like it is waaaay too early to be singing Christmas carols, i get to hear them 2-3 times per week (groan). some may enjoy it but i do not. it does offer me a nice segway into this find, though:

for those of us with excellent taste in tunes (we know who we are), i highly recommend this cd box set of Christmas music from sufjan stevens (go hope). 5 discs for $19, plus all sorts of other cute and fun goodies - i challenge you to beat that. go ahead. try.

you can even go to the record label's website (asthmatickitty.com) and listen to any of 5 discs streaming (requires quicktime). i am doing that as i type and i'm totally sold. it is a mixture of classical carols/songs and original tunes, and i love it so far (and im only on disc 1). perfect to pop in while putzing around the house during that time of year (or whenever, i suppose).

i'm trying to decide if i should buy his michigan and illinois cds (only $10 each!) as well and maybe a t-shirt ($12 and made from american apparel tshirts, so they are sweatshop free and super fashionable), or if those go on my christmas list (hint, hint!). anyway, definitely check this out. oh, bonus, shipping is only $2. yeah. sold.

cute idea

yeah, this is a clever idea, but $250?! i might mod up something like this to have in the kitchen to get stuff off the high shelves above the cabinets etc. i think i could probably do it for under $25. definitely cute, though. for sale at urbanpeel if you want to fork over the big bucks. found this on better living through design.

this is very cool. it's modern and unique but has a definite warmth about it. the post mentions changing the angles of corrugation in the cardboard to create the designs. i would love to learn how to do this, wonder how hard it would be. i'm guessing pretty tricky, but might be worth the effort since i'm guessing this thing isn't cheap. via inhabitat.

more diy cuteness

also from poppy, cute idea for using those cute brightly colored maple leaves (perhaps too late in the season, but creative nonetheless). full instructions with pictures here. not sure if mine would turn out as nice as these, but might be fun to try.

fridge = lite brite

saw this on poppy (one of those aforementioned design sites) this afternoon. the instructions are highly detailed and very complex (you click through them by clicking the numbered images at the top of the page), but the end result is very fun. i don't think i would be able to justify painting my fridge to accomplish this end, but i'm thinking it could be adjusted to any magnetic surface. going to have to check out other portions of the website this is at. diy funness all the way!