I often joke that I work in a frat house; it's just the four guys and me. Conversations range from dumb humor to things that are less than appropriate to baby strollers (they all have young kids). A debate over the hotness of Christina Hendricks ended with the tables being flipped, the guys demanding my celebrity wishlist.
Although there's no doubt that I frequently swoon over an array of actors, musicians and athletes, I scrambled to come up with a top five. I couldn't get past Adam Levine in the moment. I'm sure it's because I was so focused on my work. So I was required to promise that I'd develop a top ten. I've run through who's top of mind, but I'm sure there are some obvious ones that I'm forgetting.
This is not about to become an insightful post. Some days I'm not up for deep-delving thoughts and analysis. Like today. Instead I bring you my top ten, as it stands tonight, in no particular order. Not surprisingly, most of these guys have dark hair. And I want you to understand how difficult it was to not include 90% of professional male tennis players as a line item in my list.
1. Adam Levine
2. Matt Bomer
3. Andrew Garfield
4. Carter Oosterhouse (if you watch HGTV, you should be familiar)
5. Ben Affleck
6. Andy Roddick
7. Darren Criss
8. Ryan Gosling
9. Ryan Reynolds
10. Milo Ventimiglia (see: Gilmore Girls)
Hmm, now I can't stop myself from thinking of more possibilities, but I'm not willing to alter my top ten. Some usual suspects that don't make my list? David Beckham, Brad Pitt (maybe back in the day, not now), Channing Tatum, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio. If you don't have your own top ten, please take a moment to daydream. And feel free to share.
wood & wire \12.04\
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Labels:
beach,
fence,
sand
Although there's no doubt that I frequently swoon over an array of actors, musicians and athletes, I scrambled to come up with a top five. I couldn't get past Adam Levine in the moment. I'm sure it's because I was so focused on my work. So I was required to promise that I'd develop a top ten. I've run through who's top of mind, but I'm sure there are some obvious ones that I'm forgetting.
This is not about to become an insightful post. Some days I'm not up for deep-delving thoughts and analysis. Like today. Instead I bring you my top ten, as it stands tonight, in no particular order. Not surprisingly, most of these guys have dark hair. And I want you to understand how difficult it was to not include 90% of professional male tennis players as a line item in my list.
1. Adam Levine
2. Matt Bomer
3. Andrew Garfield
4. Carter Oosterhouse (if you watch HGTV, you should be familiar)
5. Ben Affleck
6. Andy Roddick
7. Darren Criss
8. Ryan Gosling
9. Ryan Reynolds
10. Milo Ventimiglia (see: Gilmore Girls)
Hmm, now I can't stop myself from thinking of more possibilities, but I'm not willing to alter my top ten. Some usual suspects that don't make my list? David Beckham, Brad Pitt (maybe back in the day, not now), Channing Tatum, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio. If you don't have your own top ten, please take a moment to daydream. And feel free to share.
Despite my appreciation for the 70 degree December day, it's thrown me off-balance. Pair that with the fact that it's Monday and clearly I was incapable of gaining equilibrium. That means I have nothing thoughtful or provoking to share, no stories or adventures of substance. Unless, of course, you're interested in the cilantro-garnished chorizo taco that I ate for lunch. Highlight of the day.
Actually, I take that back. Lunch was usurped on its pedestal by the later realization that a business trip next Tuesday will put me within 1,026 AAdvantage miles of the 30,000 needed for the lowest class "free" ticket to Ecuador. And it just so happens that the timeframe in which I want to go is considered part of the off-peak season (also a necessary caveat to get the flight for 30,000 miles).
Thanks to some site where I was taking surveys for points during my unemployment this summer, I redeemed those points for 500 additional miles. And a little internet digging tonight may have warranted me a promo code that doubles any miles earned through the end of the year. That should be me at no more than 526 miles shy and hopefully the double miles pushes me beyond 30,000.
I'm not getting my hopes up that a flight will actually be available, because word on the street (internet) is that these lowest-class tickets are hard to get a grasp on. Hopefully, since Ecuador isn't a huge destination for the average American, I'll have a fighting chance.
no swimming, it's winter \12.03\
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Labels:
lake michigan,
rock,
sign,
water
Actually, I take that back. Lunch was usurped on its pedestal by the later realization that a business trip next Tuesday will put me within 1,026 AAdvantage miles of the 30,000 needed for the lowest class "free" ticket to Ecuador. And it just so happens that the timeframe in which I want to go is considered part of the off-peak season (also a necessary caveat to get the flight for 30,000 miles).
Thanks to some site where I was taking surveys for points during my unemployment this summer, I redeemed those points for 500 additional miles. And a little internet digging tonight may have warranted me a promo code that doubles any miles earned through the end of the year. That should be me at no more than 526 miles shy and hopefully the double miles pushes me beyond 30,000.
I'm not getting my hopes up that a flight will actually be available, because word on the street (internet) is that these lowest-class tickets are hard to get a grasp on. Hopefully, since Ecuador isn't a huge destination for the average American, I'll have a fighting chance.
Did you know that only at the equator will roses grow with straight stems? And Ecuador has found a way to make bank on that: American men and a Hallmark holiday. That's right, apparently one third of the United States' Valentine's roses are exported from Ecuador. The things you learn when reading Lonely Planet.
The book also informed me that quinoa has long been a diet staple in the country, particularly the northern highlands. Looks like I won't have trouble find something to eat on the menus there. Although, I'm still a little bit on the fence about braised goat and guinea pig.
Thanks to the sixty degree heatwave moving through the Midwest, today was a perfect opportunity to go have a little photo safari. I didn't wander far from home; in fact, all of the places that I passed, I've been to thousands of times before.
What's interesting is that if I keep my eyes open, I still manage to find something that I didn't notice or didn't exist before. My natural tendency to always be observing and processing seems to help me ferret out new, interesting or unique photo subjects and perspectives.
And despite the warmth, the environment is still dark and dreary - things that don't particularly match my desired aesthetic. Yet if I put in a little more effort and look a bit closer, there always seems to be one redeeming shot.
With my tendency to use micro-level life situations as metaphors for life at large, I started thinking about how even in the dark moments of life there are points of light and inspiration to grab ahold of. You just have to let yourself keep seeking, avoiding the urge to feel like the negative aspects are all-encompassing.
a winter reflection \12.02\
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Labels:
brick,
light,
reflection,
vines,
window
The book also informed me that quinoa has long been a diet staple in the country, particularly the northern highlands. Looks like I won't have trouble find something to eat on the menus there. Although, I'm still a little bit on the fence about braised goat and guinea pig.
Thanks to the sixty degree heatwave moving through the Midwest, today was a perfect opportunity to go have a little photo safari. I didn't wander far from home; in fact, all of the places that I passed, I've been to thousands of times before.
What's interesting is that if I keep my eyes open, I still manage to find something that I didn't notice or didn't exist before. My natural tendency to always be observing and processing seems to help me ferret out new, interesting or unique photo subjects and perspectives.
And despite the warmth, the environment is still dark and dreary - things that don't particularly match my desired aesthetic. Yet if I put in a little more effort and look a bit closer, there always seems to be one redeeming shot.
With my tendency to use micro-level life situations as metaphors for life at large, I started thinking about how even in the dark moments of life there are points of light and inspiration to grab ahold of. You just have to let yourself keep seeking, avoiding the urge to feel like the negative aspects are all-encompassing.
One of my goals after Costa Rica was to find ways to bring myself back to the pura vida state of mind, to not squander all of the clarity and peace that came out of my adventure.
While it was warm out, I tried to spend time by Lake Michigan or lying on the beach. The surf didn't exactly crash there and I could always hear the obnoxious conversations of people sitting practically on top of me. For all of the months leading up to my re-employment, I took long meandering walks. Those were beneficial for my head space, but ended rather abruptly when I stepped back into office life.
I eat mango and pineapple. I wear the leather cuff bracelet that I bought from a Tico artisan. I keep a rock and sea shell from Playa Sámara on my desk.
The other idea that I concocted was keeping the things that inspired me in Costa Rica visually alive in my life here. I spent days sifting through my photos, trying to choose a cohesive group of those with the strongest impact on my state of mind. The idea was to enlarge them and create wall art above my bed. Many months and even more distractions later, I finally got around to it.
Even as I type this, I keeping glancing over and scenes from my trip flash through my mind. I can't help but smile a little. Of course, my second thought is that I need to go back and take my photos all over again, now that I have a quality camera. But regardless of more pixels or better aperature control, these photos will always be meaningful to me in a deeper way.
picture in picture \12.01\
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Labels:
apartment,
art,
costa rica,
photos
While it was warm out, I tried to spend time by Lake Michigan or lying on the beach. The surf didn't exactly crash there and I could always hear the obnoxious conversations of people sitting practically on top of me. For all of the months leading up to my re-employment, I took long meandering walks. Those were beneficial for my head space, but ended rather abruptly when I stepped back into office life.
I eat mango and pineapple. I wear the leather cuff bracelet that I bought from a Tico artisan. I keep a rock and sea shell from Playa Sámara on my desk.
I eat mango and pineapple. I wear the leather cuff bracelet that I bought from a Tico artisan. I keep a rock and sea shell from Playa Sámara on my desk.
The other idea that I concocted was keeping the things that inspired me in Costa Rica visually alive in my life here. I spent days sifting through my photos, trying to choose a cohesive group of those with the strongest impact on my state of mind. The idea was to enlarge them and create wall art above my bed. Many months and even more distractions later, I finally got around to it.
Even as I type this, I keeping glancing over and scenes from my trip flash through my mind. I can't help but smile a little. Of course, my second thought is that I need to go back and take my photos all over again, now that I have a quality camera. But regardless of more pixels or better aperature control, these photos will always be meaningful to me in a deeper way.
Two mornings with 3:30am wake-up calls in the same makes for a tired girl. The end of the month, with the end of the year approaching, was in imperfect alignment with my desire to do nothing but pass out for a nice winter's nap. So my friends for the day were coffee and music.
And at some point today, I managed to realize that tomorrow is December. I have no idea what I did in November or how it disappeared so quickly. Honestly, I always thought my parents were being melodramatic when I was younger and they'd say something about how quickly time passes. That was back in the day when the distance to Christmas break always seemed interminable.
The arrival of December also means that I'm down to one month remaining in this blog-a-day mission that I set in the waning days of 2011. I've been thinking about how I want to proceed when the calendar flips to 2013. Although there's no definitive course, the daily photo and writing requirements are taxing at times. I can virtually guarantee that this blog won't continue to be daily. Perhaps instead of trying to force inspiration daily, I'll post when inspiration (visual or rhetoric) strikes.
I would say that I shouldn't worry about it too much, because I have time. But I've already covered that. Time flies.
necessary stimulants \11.30\
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Labels:
coffee,
music,
office,
work
And at some point today, I managed to realize that tomorrow is December. I have no idea what I did in November or how it disappeared so quickly. Honestly, I always thought my parents were being melodramatic when I was younger and they'd say something about how quickly time passes. That was back in the day when the distance to Christmas break always seemed interminable.
The arrival of December also means that I'm down to one month remaining in this blog-a-day mission that I set in the waning days of 2011. I've been thinking about how I want to proceed when the calendar flips to 2013. Although there's no definitive course, the daily photo and writing requirements are taxing at times. I can virtually guarantee that this blog won't continue to be daily. Perhaps instead of trying to force inspiration daily, I'll post when inspiration (visual or rhetoric) strikes.
I would say that I shouldn't worry about it too much, because I have time. But I've already covered that. Time flies.
I am happy to report that my streak remains alive. While walking home from work tonight, I was sidelined by a directionally-challanged tourist who apparently thought I looked like I knew the answers. And I did. Of course, I was also harangued by a woman who was looking for my reaction to the assertion that she could show me the female image of God.
With one final New York evening to indulge in, and considering that I completely squandered the first one in my exhausted state, I figured that I might as well set out into the land of tourists. New York does the holiday season so much bigger than Chicago. The holiday lights displays actually rival Times Square in their brightness. I would hate to see how much those energy bills hike up during the next month.
And since NBC dedicates an entire two hours of prime time to its lighting, I figured perhaps the tree in Rockefeller Plaza was worth trudging through the tourists and baby strollers. It was big. And bright. And claustrophobic. I won’t complain though, it was a pretty impressive display of lights. Plus, I parked myself a bench with a decadent hot chocolate from Magnolia Bakery and soaked in the people watching experience.
The weather forecast is taunting me with tales of temperatures in the 50s upon my return to Chicago. I hope it’s everything they’re promising and more. But who really trusts weather forecasts in the Midwest.
rockin' around rockefeller plaza \11.29\
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Labels:
christmas,
lights,
nyc,
tourist
I am happy to report that my streak remains alive. While walking home from work tonight, I was sidelined by a directionally-challanged tourist who apparently thought I looked like I knew the answers. And I did. Of course, I was also harangued by a woman who was looking for my reaction to the assertion that she could show me the female image of God.
With one final New York evening to indulge in, and considering that I completely squandered the first one in my exhausted state, I figured that I might as well set out into the land of tourists. New York does the holiday season so much bigger than Chicago. The holiday lights displays actually rival Times Square in their brightness. I would hate to see how much those energy bills hike up during the next month.
And since NBC dedicates an entire two hours of prime time to its lighting, I figured perhaps the tree in Rockefeller Plaza was worth trudging through the tourists and baby strollers. It was big. And bright. And claustrophobic. I won’t complain though, it was a pretty impressive display of lights. Plus, I parked myself a bench with a decadent hot chocolate from Magnolia Bakery and soaked in the people watching experience.
The weather forecast is taunting me with tales of temperatures in the 50s upon my return to Chicago. I hope it’s everything they’re promising and more. But who really trusts weather forecasts in the Midwest.
Life in the New York office is such an interesting change of pace. The conversations are different, the amount of stock in the kitchen is different, the male to female ratio is clearly on the other end of the scale.
Of the many productive things accomplished today, we determined that there needed to be office parlance for a "hard stop" that has a small range. So, for instance, having to finish a meeting between 4:00 and 4:15. You really can't go past 4:15, but in an ideal world you'd escape at 4:00. This shall now be known as a semi-malleable stop. Pass it on.
This morning as I was grabbing some Cold Brew coffee out of the fridge (a little upgrade from my daily Starbucks Via), I was forewarned that there was a shortage of milk. Due to the Cold Brew's high concentration, you'd better be immune to caffeine if you're going to drink it straight. I opened the fridge to reveal four varieties of milk, including one non-dairy. First world problems at their best.
My commute to the New York office is also a different experience. Since it's only a mile from my lodging, I hoof it instead of taking the subway. They say cardiovascular activity is good for you. It also gives me an opportunity to witness, and occasionally join, a real-life game of frogger at every crosswalk. No one looks at walk signals, they may as well remove them.
All of that considered, I'm still coming back for you, Chicago. It's just nice to have an opportunity to shake things up every once in awhile.
big, red and festive \11.28\
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Labels:
christmas,
lights,
nyc
Of the many productive things accomplished today, we determined that there needed to be office parlance for a "hard stop" that has a small range. So, for instance, having to finish a meeting between 4:00 and 4:15. You really can't go past 4:15, but in an ideal world you'd escape at 4:00. This shall now be known as a semi-malleable stop. Pass it on.
This morning as I was grabbing some Cold Brew coffee out of the fridge (a little upgrade from my daily Starbucks Via), I was forewarned that there was a shortage of milk. Due to the Cold Brew's high concentration, you'd better be immune to caffeine if you're going to drink it straight. I opened the fridge to reveal four varieties of milk, including one non-dairy. First world problems at their best.
My commute to the New York office is also a different experience. Since it's only a mile from my lodging, I hoof it instead of taking the subway. They say cardiovascular activity is good for you. It also gives me an opportunity to witness, and occasionally join, a real-life game of frogger at every crosswalk. No one looks at walk signals, they may as well remove them.
All of that considered, I'm still coming back for you, Chicago. It's just nice to have an opportunity to shake things up every once in awhile.