In memory...

In memory Jim Caruthers (1949-2007)

Thanksgiving weekend, I lost the most important person in my life. He was my rock and best friend. Most importantly, he was my Daddy. The weeks before he died, I considered myself the happiest person alive. Everything was going for me... I had a great job, I was engaged to a great guy, and I had the perfect family. That illusion of perfection left the moment I received the call from my mom telling me that daddy had a heart attack and didn't make it. I am no longer naive to how cruel and unpredictable life can be. Things will never be the same and that really pisses me off.

But, I should focus on the positive. Some people are not lucky enough to have a special friendship with their dad. We had 28 really great years together as best friends through thick and thin... for that I am lucky and thankful. He was the most honorable and loving man I have ever known and he will be missed dearly.

Fall Update...

I know it has been forever since I have blogged... I have just been going with the flow of life lately.

The summer was spent going between Chicago and DC to visit my honey who was clerking for the courts in our nation's capital. It was a nice chance to explore the DC area and to reconnect with my 1st cousin once removed, her husband, and her son since Jamie was staying with them, rent-free.

In fact, it opened the door of communication so much that her neice (my second cousin) came to live with us this month to do a medical rotation here in Chicago. I am a bit of a hypochondriac, so having her here has been so great (for me). Let me just tell you, she is going to make an awesome doctor. Not only is she super smart, but she is also so much fun. Her little brother came last week to visit my college and he is a super cool guy, too. He is going to be an amazing artist one day... and hopefully, he will be moving to Chicago soon to attend art school.

I'll tell you, it has been so nice to reconnect with family. After losing my only first cousin, it has been kind of lonely knowing that I am all alone on this side of the family. Hearing about how my second cousins all get together at the holidays makes me a little jealous. Our holidays are a little depressing. It is me and the old folks at the holidays, so it doesn't get to rowdy, especially since my brother spends the holidays away (a whole other story I don't want to get into).

It is going to be kind of sad to see my cousin leave at the end of the week. Our next houseguest will be a co-worker/friend who is living with us until the end of October when she moves back to the east coast. Having her stay with us will be great. It is sad knowing that she is not going to be around anymore, so I am going to appreciate having a little extra time to spend with her before she leaves. After my cousin's death, she was one of the few people who was there for me when I needed it most. Letting her stay with us is the least I could do for someone who did so much to help me through that painful time. Plus, the kitties LOVE her (she kept them all summer when I was in DC).

We are not expecting anymore guests after October which I am not too happy about... I was hoping to have Thanksgiving guests, but I think that has fizzled. This year's Thanksgiving is (was) going to be awesome because I have a Christmas tree that I was planning on decorating the day after Thanksgiving with my guest(s). If this guest(s) would consider changing their mind, it would be the best thing ever. I would even help pay for the flight (you know who you are)... no pressure.

Anyway, we are settled back in the windy city (for now), slowly getting back to our routine. Now, if I could only kick this cold. Much like Katie, I catch every cold that comes within 5 feet of me... I guess that is a sign that I need to take better care of myself.

Anyway, Happy Fall!

Whew!

What a weekend... I usually don't talk about work, but I feel like I should.

Friday was Manifest. It is the all day art festival that our College organizes to showcase graduating student work. In conjunction with the event we had our Graduate Commencement Party... it was not as sucessful as it has been in past years. I suspect it is because we usually have it one week before Manifest but this year we tried having it on the same day. All of our students were busy with their departments so no one showed up... I mean almost no one showed up. Probably 30-40 people showed up total ALL night. At one point it was just staff standing around talking about how we all wanted to cry at how bad the attendance turned out. But, then, the Dance Movement Therapy girls arrived and made it seem sort of okay because they had a good time. Thus, the night was not a complete bust.

The next morning we had to report to Commencement at 8:15/8:30. I worked that alllllll day. That was a whole other story of unneccesary stress, but I won't get into that now.

After the 2 ceremonies, I walked straight to my next event, a gala with Dionne Warwick. Yep, you heard it... I was invited by the Dean to go to a private dinner event with Miss Dionne. I was one of around 100 people (mostly trustees and donors) in the company of this amazing woman. I dined on a perfectly cooked filet mignon, drank a few glasses of wine and listened to the Black Ensemble Theater sing Dionne's songs. Let me just tell you, they were A-MAZING! They ended the evening with "That's what friends are for" and I sat next to my good friend Gemini and sang along and swayed. It was a night I will remember forever.

So, back to Dionne. She has not aged a bit. Plus, she is super petit. She arrived in a stretch limo with her entourage of about 6... including her song-writing partner (I think) and her sister (I think). I was there that night to technically work. So, I was stationed at the door to greet the dinner guests. After my 45 minute committment, I was supposed to just enjoy myself.

Today I am sooo tired. So, I will relax all day.

It's Official...

After 7 years, Jamie and I decided to officially get engaged.

Here are some photos for you...

With flash...


Without flash...


Insurance photo...

Pad Thai

Here is a dinner I made not too long ago...

Pad Thai with Chicken and lots of veggies
Shu Mai (chicken dumplings)
Egg Roll


This meal was possible thanks to Trader Joe's.

It's Official...

Looks like I will be spending most of my summer here... Jamie accepted the summer associate position at the Department of Veteran Affairs in Washington, D.C. I am so proud of him!

And still... more snow.

On my way to work...


Although it is not slick, I still find myself walking like I am constipated. Earlier in the season I slipped on a patch of ice in front of about 20 people who had just emerged from the red line station... some found it amusing enough to laugh out loud at my pain. The worst part is that I ruined my favorite BCBGMaxAzria slacks...

Enough is enough. Spring? Are you there?

Did I speak to soon?

These are photos of Michigan Avenue and Grant Park that were taken late this afternoon from the Dean's office. It looks like fog, but it's not. It is snow...

Goodbye, Loft

I recently upgraded from a super cool loft (glorified studio) to a 2-bedroom (guests welcome). It is super cool and very Chicago. We had exposed brick and really tall ceilings. But, it was nearly impossible to keep warm. At least I can say I have lived in a loft, now.

The building's alley is what was historically known as Hell's Half Acre. A hundred or so years ago, it was the most dangerous alley in Chicago. Whores, pimps and theives would rob and sometimes murder anyone who walked down it. Even police officers would not go into the neighborhood. Today, Printer's Row is one of the safest beats in the City. It is also one of the coolest neighborhoods. My building used to be a papermaking company. You could still see nails in the wall where they used to hang paper.

I moved a whole 2 blocks. Now, I live on Satan's alley, historically, the 2nd most dangerous alley. Today, it is just a typical alley... I get kind of creeped out thinking about how many people lost their lives in my neighborhood.

Here are photos from my loft... (I tried to put the pictures in different places on the page, but I gave up... actually, I just didn't feel like dealing with it. So, they are a bit jumbled... oh well, you get the point.









Goodbye great view of the Sear's Tower! Goodbye Neighbors! Goodbye brick!

Snow Days

Today it got up to 40 degrees... Soon, the snow will be a distant memory. Here are some photos of our last snow. They were taken on our walk to the grocery store. You can tell it had been there a while because 1) it is dirty and 2) the sidewalks are clear.

This is me sitting on a pile that was about 3 feet high.






This is Jamie sitting on the same pile. He really did not want to have his picture made. I think it was because he felt silly sitting on a big nasty pile of snow. Oh well, it was fun for me.


Here is snow man on the patio of a townhouse.


Here is when it was all happening. I was picking up takeout from my favorite local restaurant. Seriously, worst walk home, EVER. At least I had the wind to blow me half way there. Oh, and I had to walk to work in it the next day because it takes the second coming for my work to even consider closing.


I really enjoy the snow, especially when it happens on the weekend and I can go play in it and not just gaze at it through the window at work. Oh well, summer is on its way. And summer brings great weather, long days, and the Cubs.

Gotta love the city!

Today, I heard someone yelling at the top of their lungs. Of course, I am so jaded it took a good 15 minutes for me to acknowledge it. Out of my window, I see a shirtless, coatless man walking up and down the street, in front of cars, running people off of the sidewalk, screaming "uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis!" over and over. Okay, first problem- shirtless & coatless in the middle of a Chicago winter. Second, he was walking in front of cars and hitting them as they drove by. The delimma, should I call the police? (I often refer to myself as the neighborhood watch). Let's just say, I get good use out of my binoculars.

I decided to wait on calling the police. But I started to get nervous when our neighborhood homeless guy who sits outside of the convenience store started acting alarmed by this apparently insane individual. Within minutes there were 5 cop cars and 2 paddy wagons in front of my building. THe officers tried to talk to the guy, but he started getting aggressive. They took him down... It was like watching Cops live.

Immediately, my nosiness took over and I ran down 8 flights of stairs as fast as I could so I could stand in the safety of my lobby to see what was happening. By the time I arrived on the first floor the action was over. All that remained was the man screaming from the back of the police car. So, I returned upstairs; the action was over.

That was my afternoon.