refrigerator snafu

so, i bring home a bounty of produce yesterday morning, right?

about an hour or so after, i notice that my refrigerator just does not feel cold enough. this is the refrigerator of arctic blastedness. i mean, there's a trouble spot in this fridge that i've learned to avoid--a spot wherein things will freeze if they get anywhere near it. this is my 3rd fridge in this apartment so i wasn't about to complain. the others never got cold enough and i lost food, so while some items get ruined if they freeze, it's the lesser of the two evils.

anyway, yesterday there was visible condensation on condiment jars and cartons. my goods were sweating inside the fridge. so not good. i turned up the temperature to 9--the coldest level.

after a couple of hours the situation seemed to right itself.

not so fast there, happy ending girl.

i come home tonight to a refrigerator with several frozen items (though, not all), including a good bit of my produce. i'm doing everything i can to salvage it, but some of those beautiful fruits and vegetables may not come back.

rise & shine

You Are Eggs

Traditional and totally grown up, you truly believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You don't skimp on nutrition or quality. You're likely to take the time to make yourself a decent meal each morning. You're a great cook, even if you aren't a showy one. You can make a feast out of simple ingredients. The food you eat may be basic, but you prefer to think of it as classic.

What Kind of Breakfast Are You?

What's On My Mind These Days?

Who to vote for in the primary Baltimore Mayoral Election on September 11th, that's what.

Other than that, the weightloss effort marches on. Steady as she goes. I'm now about 4 pounds lighter than I was when I capped on the loss goal two years ago. That's about a total of a 12-pound loss (maybe a little more. I only know from when I started officially weighing myself this go 'round) in the last two months. My goal for the coming week is to lose 2 pounds. I'm working out harder and lifting more, so my appetite has increased. I'm hoping to sate it with all the beautiful, affordable produce I bought this morning.

Had an oddly politically-themed dream the other night. I was the omniscient observer at a Hillary Clinton rally. Nothing but screaming blondes shouting her name and I distinctly remember being afraid that she'd get elected.

Many know I've been a registered 'R' for the last 7 or so years, but if I had to vote today, I'd give the nod to Obama. I guess dating Mr. Close Encounters opened me up to black men in every arena (tongue firmly in cheek).

speaking of black men, I am suddenly finding Terrence Howard to be incredibly attractive.

raising the game

as of tonight, i will be doing a strengthening and sculpting program in the evenings on tuesdays and thursdays. i'm trying not to overwhelm myself, but the way i figure it is that the last thing i can let my body do is get complacent, accustomed to the routines i've adopted.

i'm thinking that next week i might do another mini detox just to shock my system.

more on the writing out of desires. to be explicit about it, i want to reach my goal weight more than i want to be successful at work (and i want that very much) and more than i want to be in a dating relationship (i want that more on some days than others--sometimes not at all).

Write it!

Today I took some time to write down the things I want. I have found that the physical act of writing out my desires, articulating them to myself, helps me understand what it is that I'm actually hoping for. Nothing magical or weird in it. Just telling myself what I need to know in order to move forward.

Sidebar: Could the weather be any more gorgeous than it is right now? What a generous lack of humidity!

Key to the City

for two days this little gem to the left bought me countless rides on the CTA and the "L" as I traversed the downtown area and surrounding outliers in search of the perfect Chicago hot dog, the best authentic deep dish pizza, and overpriced (and delicious) cocktails at the top of "Big John" (the Hancock building). I saw "the Chi" from land (mini tour bus), Lake Michigan (boat tour), public transportation (see photo), and from above (sky scrapers galore). thanks to Sarah's and Amy's collective willingness and ability to read a map, by God, we covered some major ground in that town.

It is such a tremendously friendly place! I've never cared much for the thought of the midwest (it, as a region, just does not interest me), but Chicago is bringing a lot to the table. I'd go back for another visit and hit up some jazz spots or something (we just couldn't fit that in with everything else!). On Saturday, we took in a Second City matinee (the company where most SNL players and other famous comedians get their start). Hilarious!

The best thing from this time? One of our tours took us very near (it was not on the main drag of our tour, but a street or so over) where the St. Valentine's Day Massacre (Al Capone) took place. It was the one thing I really wanted to hear about! To commemorate, Sarah bought me a shot glass with reduxes of headlines about the gangster. I talked myself out of buying a flask with scarface's likeness on it. What on earth would I have actually done with that? If I'd had money to burn, I might have been able to justify it, but it seemed better to enjoy the idea but leave the actual souvenir at the store.

Your Psyche is Yellow

You have a ton of energy - both physical and mental endurance. You are rational and logical, and you can help almost anyone think clearly. Optimistic and bright, you also have a secret side that's a little darker. When you are too yellow: You will do anything to get your way, and no one will be the wiser When you don't have enough yellow: you lack confidence, drive, and humor

What Color Is Your Psyche?

happiness is finding your chocolate brown beret

it was at Sarah's house, in the second bedroom where I always sleep. it's probably been there for months. had i not been helping her organize her gift bags and boxes, i wouldn't have seen it. more specifically, had i not missed when i attempted to toss one box
on top of another (which meant having to bend down to pick up said box), i wouldn't have found it tucked into a corner between some other stuff.

this happens to me a lot. some beloved item slips into a crevice or mysteriously disappears. i make my peace with it, with its loss, and in the midst of some mindless task, i find it there waiting. i especially have good fortune with cherished hats.

in celebration of its return to me, i wore it for a good five minutes. even in this heat.

have i said too much? there's nothing more i can think of to say to you. . .

latte quiz

What Your Latte Says About You

You don't treat yourself very often. You find that indulging doesn't jibe with your very disciplined life. You can be quite silly at times, but you know when to buckle down and be serious. Intense and energetic, you aren't completely happy unless you are bouncing off the walls. You're totally addicted to caffeine... but you like to pretend like you aren't! You are responsible, mature, and truly an adult. You're occasionally playful, but you find it hard to be carefree. You are dramatic and intense, but you are never moody.

What Does Your Latte Say About You?

i guess you've figured out by now that i've run out of things to say

blog world,

if you're still there, i can only say this for myself. i hope to be leading an interesting life again soon. until then, here's my offering: i'm doing well with the weightloss effort. this week's goal is 3 pounds.

take me out to the ball game . . .

the shadow in the mist could have been anyone . . .

. . . but i saw you coming back to me

Sarah's Birthday

Off to celebrate!