room for improvement

The handyman has been over this week working on projects around the house.  Some projects on the list were recommended by the home inspector, others are changes needed, upgrades wanted.  New appliances installed.  New kitchen, bathroom faucets.  New outdoor lighting fixtures.  Electrical and plumbing work. The house is starting to become home.

oh ah Atomic

Tonight I am going to get lucky.  Going to see a concert at the Horseshoe Casino.  Get to sit down at slot machines too.  How awsome is that?  I dubbed thee mattAtomic at one time for two varied reasons.  Most know it for the chemicals associated with the treatments for Lymphoma I went through.  The little known fact is one of my all time favorite songs happens to be called Atomic, sung by, you guessed it, Blondie!  Now it all makes sense.  Shane, Beth, and I will be taking a trip, grooving to the sounds of the casino, and rocking to the music.  It's a win, win, win situation for me!  How lucky can you get?

once upon a time

Road trip to Milwaukee.  Side trip to Chicago.  Road trip to Battle Creek.  All the miles put on the Jeep.  It was well worth the trips.  Seeing family, spending time together.

staring at the walls

June is almost over.  Yikes.  Another month being unemployed.  Soon things are going to run out.  Every day I search the papers, search online for work.  As much as I like lazing about, I am bored.  I need to do something.  Dare I say I will do anything?  My only requirement, health benefits.  Anything.

window shopping

Another day, another storm.  It seems that every day has included darkened skies, flashes of light, rumbles of thunder, moments of heavy downpours.  Every day also includes brilliant sun, warm temperatures, high humidity.  Summer.  The four cats got packed up and went for a drive this morning while the building inspector went through the house.  I drove past the future homesteads, explaining to the kitties the features of each home.  Then we drove passed other houses for sale.  Then we went through the drive thru at Starbucks, visited Shane at work, sat in the parking lot outside of Target, through two rainstorms until it was time for home.  The cats were glad to get out of their cages.  Then back to the jeep and more looking at houses . . .

gray

The past couple of days have been gloomy, eeyore days in my eyes.  Rainy, cool, overcast, dull.  Been spending the time as usual on the Internet, watching TV, reading, playing with the kitties, preparing for the trip to New York.  Leaving late Friday night on Amtrak, arriving in NYC Saturday evening.  Lots of things planned while there.  That is what motivates through days like this.  The weather seems to be stuck on drab, more rain and clouds in the forecast.

everybody gets one

I have been going for walks through the neighborhood since I began my effort to lose all the weight I have put on since I moved.  I like walking the riverwalk, the Notre Dame campus, and around the house.  The roads around here are hilly, winding, make for a good walk.  With all the flowers blossoming, trees in bloom, it sure is a nice scenic area.  There are plenty of things to look at here.

out for a walk

The days have been warm and sunny.  It sure has been a nice Spring so far.  After lunch today, I decided to go for a walk along the river.  I walked in the area where I take the view from the bridge picture.  The riverwalk is actually very nice and I'm sure I will be snapping more photos there.  As I approached an intersection near by, I noticed a field of crosses, all with shirts on them.  I had to cross the street to see what the display was about.  It was on the property of a family center and it was an installation promoting family togetherness and safety.  It was rather an interesting display.

on a rainy day

Changes in the weather.  After a nice long streak of warm clear days it is going to be cold.  Storms have been rolling through the area since this morning, thunder scaring the cats, raining more and more intensely as the day goes by, more thunder and rain this evening.  The temperature is falling.  Been watching TV, playing on the Internet, looking for a job, watching TV.  Had dinner with friends last night, lunch with Shane today.  More TV watching tonight, along with rain, thunder and cold.

wearing of the green

Lá Fhéile Pádraig* is a yearly holiday celebrated on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick (circa AD 387–461), the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland. It began as a purely Catholic holiday and became an official feast day in the early 1600s. However, it has gradually become more of a secular celebration of Ireland's culture.  Originally the color associated with Saint Patrick was blue. However, over the years the color green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew.  Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. He is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day. Then in the 1798 rebellion in hopes of making a political statement Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March in hopes of catching attention with their unusual fashion gimmick.  Today, Saint Patrick's Day is widely celebrated in America by Irish and non-Irish alike. Many people, regardless of ethnic background, wear green or orange colored clothing and items. So how did I celebrate?  With a Shamrock Shake from McDonald's of course!
*information obtained from wikipedia

detour

The bridge over the river is closed for repairs until December.  That causes traffic to reroute onto the street I travel north/south on.  Of course there is rail work being done today, via a "slow moving train" and the street was closed at the crossing.  Causing another reroute of traffic.  It was a congested travel day through the streets.  I navigated home after lunch with Shane amid all the detours and heavy traffic.

reading

Books, magazines, newspapers, websites, blogs.  I read.  and read.  and read.  Currently I have a backlog of about 20 books stacked.  I have two magazine subscriptions, Entertainment Weekly and D23 (Disney).  I follow several websites and blogs to keep me informed.  I wonder if there is work out there for an avid reader, get paid to do something I enjoy doing.  I'll have to research the Internet on the topic.  Another snow event heading this way, lake effect too.  Let it snow, I've plenty to read.

more of the same

Looking out the window this morning, white.  I had to shovel again.  The wind was whipping the snow around, which wasn't much, just enough.  The storm gave about 8 inches of snow all together.  The lake effect didn't occur, no additional snow fall.  The roads were fine to drive to get the cat from the vet.  She's doing well, already wandering and exploring and napping around the house.  Last night went out to dinner with Shane and Doug to our favorite Tuesday night hangout, Hacienda.  I had a steak fajita salad.  (and a margarita, but don't tell anyone.) I slept through the earthquake this morning.

a tale as old as time

I can hardly contain my excitement.  Bouncing off the walls, jumping up and down.  Singing, listening to the soundtrack.  Just purchased tickets to see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway in Chicago, closing performance Sunday April 4th.  I am beside myself and thrilled, THRILLED.

endorsed

Lunch at Steak and Shake.  Yum.  One of my favorite places to dine.  It all starts way back to 1976.  Sarasota Florida.  The first time I ate at there.  I thought it was one of the neatest places to eat at.  Young and impressionable.  Over the years, dined there whenever I could.  Still enjoy the diner feel, the food, the shakes.  Still dine there whenever possible too.  Thanks Tim and Julia!

slow day

Today the sun is shining and the temperature got up over freezing.  Not by much, but it did!  The mounds of snow are shrinking, the pile on top of the Jeep left behind in the grocery store parking lot.  Job searched, caught up on Biggest Loser and American Idol.  Mushroom beef in the crock, butterscotch torte in the refrigerator.  HGTV is a new addiction, goes well with my mocha.  Been busy today, still seems like I haven't accomplished much though.

curiosity

This is Rocco.  He lives up to the adage.  He has to be where the action is.  He has to know what is going on.  He can be a good cat, crawling up in your lap, wanting some attention; he can be a bad kitty too, chewing up the power cord to the iPhone.  I have been clearing out one of the bedrooms in preparation for having carpet laid and he is right there, supervising, checking everything out, making sure things are done to his liking.  Rocco isn't going to be happy tomorrow when the installation takes place, he's going to have to stay closed up in one of the other bedrooms for the duration.  It'll drive him crazy.