crazy cat lady

Maddie has recovered from her illness. Who knows what she had, but she finally is going to the bathroom where she should be and is not meowing as much as she was. It must be the three-a-day feedings the vet recommended. I swear the cat must have paid the vet off to say that so that she could get more wet food each day.

Alessandra saw "Grey Gardens" last night. This was not the one with Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, but the documentary the HBO film was based off of. Despite not having seen it, the premise of the film is the life of Jackie Onassis' aunt and cousin, who after a life in the spotlight, retire to a luxurious estate in the Hampton's. There, they live in isolation with just one another and about ten cats. When Alli got to this point in her story, I was stopped her. What is with crazy ladies and their cats?!?!?! I swear there are so many movies where a villain, eccentric or absolutely crazy character has a cat: Holly Golightly's Cat, Lucifer in Cinderella, Mr. Jinx in Meet the Parents, and the list goes on. You get a crazy person in a movie, you get a cat. Why can't they get a dog one of these days?!

Favorite Website: People of Walmart

Mike and I just got back from South Bend. I cannot believe it is only an hour and a half away. For some reason, I thought it was always a bit further. However, we made it there in record time despite the negative temperatures and the blowing snow. We DID bring Tommy, which was an adventure in itself since he had never stayed at a hotel before. The Comfort Suites were actually very accommodating. Heck, he got a Milk-Bone when we checked in- where was my chocolate?!

Anyways, we took Caroline out to dinner and got to see her dorm. Caroline- I lovvveeeddd it. She has a quad with three other girls at Saint Mary's. All the beds were lofted and they had all these clothes, DVDs, posters and girly stuff cluttering the room. I totally remember my "College" and the "types of shots" posters in mine and Amy's dorm. Hysterical that anyone can live in that small of an area with that many people just feet away.

Well, when I got home I got the "people at walmart" email that always makes me laugh so I figured I would go to the actual website all the photos come from. I have found my new favorite website , but it must be admitted that I think that some of these people could have been photographed in South Bend. Check it out @ http://www.peopleofwalmart.com. Love it!!

Favorite Forward: Homework

A first grade girl handed in the drawing below for a homework assignment.


Great forward I got from Kim and Sarah...

After it was graded and the child brought it home, she returned to school the next day with the following note:

Dear Ms. Davis,

I want to be very clear on my child's illustration. It is NOT of me on a dance pole on a stage in a strip joint. I work at Home Depot and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the recent snowstorm. This drawing is of me selling a shovel.

Mrs. Harrington

Favorite TV Show: i'm with coco

So I watched the last Conan O'Brien episode today and I still cannot believe that Jay Leno is just going to come back on the air in his old late night spot. Doesn't he know how much his reputation has been ruined? Obviously not or his chin is too large to see it. I can't wait to see where Conan ends up. Hopefully he goes to Fox and NBC will once again be able to see another hour of television be lost to the other channels. Remember when everything you watched was on NBC? Seinfeld, Friends, Cheers, The Cosby Show...now I think the only thing I watch on the channel is The Office and they sold the syndicate rights to FOX so I am more likely to tune in with them than watch the new shows. We'll see who gets the last laugh.

freshman

So Mike and I went to a small party last night and I started talking to this girl about when Mike and I first met...and it took me a moment to realize just how LONG AGO my senior year of high school was! I cannot believe that when I was seventeen I first came to Chicago and knew that this was where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life, let alone then after college. That seems like such a grown up decision for the immature teenager I was at that point. I am shocked that parents don't decide that one for you! Anyways, this started me thinking of freshman year, being eighteen and loving living in an eight by ten bedroom with Amy and Julie Pitter (Julia was this piece of clothe on our blinds that we just could not get off and therefore named...yea, I was that immature.) We would go out each night on the weekend and on the weekdays would have no problem running to the ATM to take out our parent's stipend for us to spend at the local Hamilton's. Posters were the decor in the dorm and going out meant staying out until the bar closed. There was never any second thoughts of taking out that fabulous shirt you just put in the dirty laundry hamper and spraying it with Febreeze so that you could wear it that night...because let's face it, that obviously cleaned it. All the boys had long hair and would grow out their "facial hair". (mike-you could only grow a goatee i think for the first 3 yrs we dated!) Workouts were unheard of, white jeans were a must, easy kraft mac and cheese was a staple and to meet a new friend, all you had to do was go across the hall.

I loved college... yes, I am glad I am done with it as I am now gaining the respect and utilizing all the lessons learned throughout those four years, but nothing can take away those carefree days!

One of Mike and my first dates @ Joe's on Weed Street. I thought a mullet haircut was hot.

Next door neighbor Annie & I making a sneak attack on Diana and Amy in the showers.

We loved glitter and white eyeshadow...

Who knew we'd live together seven years later...for Alli and me, our fifth year together. aww xoxo

Saira rocking some sweeeet sunglasses!

Favorite Gym: Equinox

My grandma won a three month membership to Equinox at my Blondes vs. Brunettes' Alzheimers powderpuff game during the halftime raffle. Since the cold and ice, along with my continued love have chocolate, have made it pertinent for me to workout inside, I decided to finally take advantage of the membership. Saira and I went in on Monday and I fell in love immediately. For those of you not near an equinox, it is a very high end gym in Chicago and many other large cities in the U.S. Instead of just towels to wipe your face, you have eucalyptus soaked towels, and instead of soap, you have Kiehl's products. It's enough to make anyone want to pay the $110+ membership a month....just not enough for me to actually do it! Therefore, I am excited for the next three months and then will have to take out a loan if I ever want to continue my life of luxury.

Favorite Animals: Maddie

Maddie and I had an eventful day! Since Thursday, she has been naughty and going to the bathroom outside of her litter so I had to take her in to see what was going on with her. Too bad she emptied her bladder on the way to the vet in Saira's car and they couldn't get a sample!! So although she did come away with a prescription, they couldn't tell what was wrong. Therefore, they have me giving her a prescription, limiting her space in the house, monitoring her liquid intake and (the best) putting another litter in the house! As if one in a Chicago apartment is not enough. They also told me she may have a UTI, kidney stones, an infected uterus or behavioral issues. The one thing they did know was how much my bill was! Here's hoping that in the next couple days she recovers though!

Not-Favorite Movie: Avatar in 3D-My new enemy

Alessandra, Mike and I went to go see Avatar yesterday to see what all the hysteria has been about. Mike has been dying to see it for the past few weeks, but I kept on pushing it off because I typically do not like Sci-Fi films. However, when it won best picture at the Golden Globes I decided it was time to stop being stubborn and just go see it!

The film is very good and focuses mainly on the usual topics of war versus peace and good versus evil, but then puts in a splash of sex and the aliens, who in the film are called the Na'Vi. One thing I did bring away from the movie was that the music was perfect for the film. It reminded me of how in the Lion King you were just humming along to the African tribal songs that Elton John wrote. However with this film, every time a good song came on it was abruptly cut short by insane action and pure raucous.

Needless to say, this ol' girl did NOT fair well with her 3D glasses. When I put them on, I felt nauseous so I kept taking them on and off and on again. After a little over two hours (the movie is something like 3 hours long), I started feeling even worse so I leaned over to Mike and said that he needed to come with me into the hallway because, sure enough, I fainted! I have not done that since my dad was in the hospital and sure hope not to do it again anytime soon. Alessandra followed us out soon after to take me home, although by that time I had recuperated despite being a bit shaken and still having a bit of a headache.

So, to summarize: Go see the movie and if you see it in 3D either keep your glasses on or keep them off...AND if you do see it, tell Mike, Alli and I how it ends since we missed that last 15 minutes!

If you are ever feeling a little stressed, this little guy will help put a smile on your face:

Favorite Moments: Roommates

Last night I realized how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends. I already knew this of course, but hanging out with my three roommates and our two best boys was such a good time. Saira made a stew and some french fries from Trader Joe's, Alessandra made lavender cupcakes, I made the salad, Craig brought his "Menage a Trois" bottle (he, like me, loves to buy wine if it has a clever name or funny picture) and Michael brought the hand grenades, his sweet tea and tried to outshine Alessandra with his fresh bakery cookies and cupcakes.

If you have not had them yet, you NEED to get the Trader Joe sweet potato fries. They were the best I have ever had and I do not even like sweet potato fries that much. They are warm and moist in the middle with a crunchy outer layering and just the perfect amount of salt. I think that young kids would even gobble these up as they are almossssttt just as good as McDonald's fries.

Anyways, after our delicious meal we enjoyed each other's company and just hung out. Sarah told us about her recent trip to Cali to visit her friends and family. Also, Tommy was present so of course we had fun dressing him up. After Sunday's night with Saira's coat on pretending he was Joe Namath, he switched over to the Janet Reno look. Don't worry mom and dad- these are my less expensive glasses.

Favorite News Article: Haiti

So it has been almost 48 hours since the earthquake hit Haiti. It is absolutely insane to think that just minutes before it hit people were living their routine life. The worst part is that the nation is already so poor. My favorite, if you don't already know, is the BBC website. They have the most moving photos and always provide more information to the right side of the page so that you can learn anything you want regarding the subject matter.

Here are some of them I share today:

Pictures

Favorite Moments: Laughing

Always a favorite: Ray laughing while being competitive at the Zigich family Christmas. Mike and I think this is one of the funniest things we have ever seen and I have to admit, I could probably watch this about twenty times without tiring!

Favorite Sports: Pistons/Bulls Games

It is official. The Pistons are not what they used to be. Not even Rip Hamilton and his trademark mask can save them.

Tonight I went to a work event where one of the men gave us Section 122, Row 2 seats. Row 2= half court line about four rows from the floor and about ten feet from some of the greatest players in Detroit (and Chicago) basketball including Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Lindsey Hunter and Ben Wallace. Detroit was massacred, but if you look closely (and fast!) you can see me right behind the announcers in the following link. This was definitely my new favorite way to watch a basketball game. The court did not even seem big when you were right next to it! 

Anyways, I need to go to bed so I will leave on one note that everyone in Detroit can agree on, other than Kwame Kilpatrick is a horrible human being, and that is that Chauncey Billups and McDyes for Allen Iverson was the worst trade Dumars could have done for the Pistons.

Numero Uno

I started this blog today because I was inspired by a few of my friends over the past several months. Although not meant to necessarily tell you about my day to day activities, I hope it will bring you closer to my world and what goes on both internally and externally in my life!

Right now is a very momentous time for me. I am working in downtown Chicago for a financial firm and graduated almost three years ago (I am so old...) from Loyola University in 2007. My life in college was a whirlwind of activity that altogether, I know I am privileged to have experienced. The people I have met and the times I spent with them have taught me more than I sometimes ever wished to have known. However, the more I learn, the stronger I become, and the more I am able to appreciate my life.

I want to make my blog about "my favorites" both new and old. Please add comments if you wish and definitely add to my stories! I want this not to just be my blog, but others.

I hope we have fun catching up over the next few months or years and that you can appreciate and relate to my stories!

Til Next Time,

Laura