Progress... a little bit

So today I forced myself to paint for 45 minutes. My distaste for this painting is almost a physical thing. Nonetheless, I'll complete it. My thought process during today's session:

- Gotta ground these dudes soon. The fact that they're floating is really starting to bother me.

- Quit fussin' with the details! The two smallest figures are less than 8 inches tall. No way is every tendon gonna be perfect.

- Gotta put another coat of green on the negative space (and the two-tone thing's gonna go). The unevenness of it is distracting me.

- This one's NOT fun.

- One day I should learn how to use a camera. I'm a sucky photographer and if I could avoid making a bad painting look worse when I shoot it, it would probably do my psyche a world of good.

On a completely different subject... I discovered coconut M&Ms today. Yum.

A race, an orphan and the band

Yesterday was a busy day. We started by running the Teb's Troops March on Melanoma 5K on the lakefront. Because of various issues related to the UTI I had earlier in the month, I hadn't run at all in two weeks, so I had no idea how I'd fare. The weather conditions were less than ideal, too. Temps were cool enough (mid 70's) but the sun was bright (nasty, nasty sun-- especially along the lakefront) and the humidity was in the 80% range. They switched the course last minute--- usually it goes south and back, but they changed it to a northern course. And I was wearing an even-numbered bib, which I hate. Sigh. But the first mile felt very, very good and I felt the familiar euphoria set in. Finished it in 9:32, which is tremendous for me (I'm a slower than average runner). Second mile, I was still clockin' along at a 10:18 pace. That's when the bottom dropped out. Legs and back felt fine, but the heat was starting to get to me and my breathing was off. So I slowed. Walked in places. The third mile or so was a disappointing 11:45. Official results aren't in yet, but according to my Garmin, I finished in 32:19. Ahhhh, not my best but given the circumstances, I'll take it. Teresa, however, placed second overall in the women's race. She's lightning fast, but not arrogant or snooty about it. Go Teresa!

After a quick shower, it was off again to see the movie "Orphan." Sitting in front of us was a woman with... what?!... a little boy probably 5 or 6 years old. I'm not sure, but I don't think it's very good parenting to allow your small child to see another small child character graphically bludgeon a nun to death with a hammer-- among other things. Mother of the Year helpfully placed her hands over the kid's eyes and ears to spare him from the horror onscreen, but the kid was loudly wimpering. After a glare from me and a not-subtle comment, they moved further down the aisle. Now the little boy could be further terrified by the next scene of gore and could distract and annoy other appropriately-aged viewers. After about 45 minutes they left the theater, hopefully to see the flick about the talking guinea pigs. This is one of the many reasons why I don't go to the movies very often. People can be so stupid.

Finally, we hit Taste of Lincoln Avenue. Again, more stupid people, this time wall-to-wall drunk Lincoln Park Trixies. After eating some very bad potato pancakes and some very tasty chicken pot stickers, we settled in to watch 7th Heaven. You remember my crushes?! About halfway through the show, Keith took off his shirt. He's very small in stature... very young looking. But his skin's perfect. I was mentally reviewing my artist's anatomy syllabus to identify all of the clearly defined muscles and bones in his torso. But... gosh, he's little. I wasn't sure whether I should be lusting after him or offering him a sippy cup and a teddy bear.

Best goodie bag ever!

Yesterday we picked up our race packet and goodie bag for the Teb's Troops March on Melanoma 5K race we're doing on Sunday. In addition to a gorgeous course and great cause, this race has an impressive goodie bag. Let's look:

FULL size products: Rice Krispie Treats bar, Vaseline Intensive Rescue Healing Hand Cream, Lipton Cup-a-Soup Chicken Noodle (4 packet box), Lipton White Tea To Go (10 packet box), Knorr Pasta Sides Cheesy Cheddar, Lipton Green Tea (18 tea bags), Vaseline Lip Therapy, Carmex, Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter.

Trial Size products: single serving bowl of Kellog's Frosted Flakes, Purse Pack of Q-Tips (30 swabs), Axe Shower Gel, Axe Deodorant, Dove Cool Moisture Shampoo, Dove Go Fresh Conditioner, Degree Deodorant, Caress Body Wash.

Feels like I just made a trip to the grocery store!

As for the race, seeing that I haven't run at all in almost two weeks because of remnants from my bout with a UTI, the jury's out on how well (or poorly) I'll do.

Thursday Night at Wrigley Field

Thursday night we went to Wrigley Field to see Billy Joel and Elton John. Our seats were just to the right of home plate and about halfway up-- would've been amazing for a Cubs game-- but Elton and Billy were mere specks in the outfield. Thank goodness for jumbotron! Still, it would've been worth the $55 a piece just to be at Wrigley Field on a beautiful summer evening. Temps were cool and breezy and I thoroughly enjoyed the twilight air-- seeing just a peek of the lake and the setting sun glimmering off the high rises. Amazing!

What can I say about the music? These are songs I grew up with. I remember feeling oh so badass senior year at Bishop Carroll HS when we sang aloud the lyrics to "Only the Good Die Young" in the cafeteria at a Friday night dance. One of the first things I drew in college was a graphite rendering of the cover of the "Glass Houses" album (yep, vinyl in those days). And Elton John-- who didn't watch Princess Diana's funeral and shed a tear during "Candle In the Wind"?

They performed for over 3 hours. And I only spent 18 minutes of that time waiting in line for the ladies' room. The only bad part of the evening was navigating through the crowd as everyone headed toward the Red Line after the show... it got a little claustrophobic.

And, yes, I was one of those idiots who actually paid $40 for a t-shirt that I'll hardly ever wear. Everything's a shopping opportunity.

Piano Men

I'm very excited. Tonight we go to Wrigley Field to see Billy Joel and Elton John in concert. I just read on Wikipedia that in 1970 Billy Joel tried to commit suicide by drinking furniture polish. Brilliant musician? Definitely. Smart man? Not so much...

New Glasses

Yesterday my new glasses arrived. Unlike most people, I really like wearing glasses. Sure, they're annoying when it's rainy and they fog up, or when I'm running, but for the most part, I view them as 1) a fashion accessory and 2) another shopping opportunity. Faced with a deliciously wide selection this time around (Kenneth Cole trunk show at the optical place downstairs in our building at work!!), I was completely unable to choose just one. So I got two. And that was a concession. What do you think? I personally like the black and white ones best-- the other ones are purple metallic but the color doesn't show up well in the photo. Excuse the grim face... I'm not usually that serious, but it was early morning and I hadn't had my Diet Pepsi yet. But, hey, my hair looks kinda cute and that certainly doesn't happen every day.

All's Fair in Love and Stamp Shopping

I haven't bought a greeting card in over 5 years. One of my favorite and most rewarding hobbies is making hand-made cards, using mostly rubber stamps. This morning I was perusing the website of one of my favorite local stores, Stamp On In (www.stamponin.net-- Chicagoans, you should go there) in Lincoln Park, when I saw a set of stamps that I HAD to have. So I immediately send the link to Dean, who agreed that the stamps were indeed beyond wonderful.

Moments later, we decided to take a cab there at lunchtime. The store is owned by a guy named Terry and his partner, Rick. Rick teaches most of the classes and designs a lot of their display cards. He's immensely talented and I'm, quite frankly, in complete awe of him. This man ROCKS. Seriously. Once we got to the store (only a $12 cab ride!) I focused my attention on finding "the" set, while Dean lingered at the front of the store, looking at this and that. Suddenly, there it was. #99109 Patterned Pets, by Inkadinkado. They had ONE set left. A generous, kind person would defer to her friend. I am not that generous or kind. I snatched it in my hot little hands and called it MINE! I feel sort of bad about it, but I'll get over it. Fear not, though. Dean did not suffer-- she found plenty of other tidbits to purchase. We had a nice time, and must've told Rick about a million gazillion times how creative and talented he is. Stamp groupies!!!

A strange coincidence

So, today was a slow day at work. Veronica was standing by my desk and we were chatting. Veronica knows more about celebrities than anyone I know, so the conversation often turns in that direction. We were discussing the King of Pop's upcoming funeral when my phone rang. The display eerily read Mr. Jackson. Michael? From the grave? No. Melvin. From the Help Desk.

Sick Days

I've been home from work for the past two days with a urinary tract infection. Here's what I've learned:

1. There are so many random things on television. Yesterday I watched about 2 straight hours of a game show on Discovery called "Cash Cab." Strangely addicting.
2. Cipro is a strong antibiotic. I haven't eaten a full meal in over two days. Maybe I'll win the most weight lost in one week at Weight Watchers tomorrow. Lookin' for a silver lining here.
3. I still cry like a baby when I'm sick. I still think I will get every side effect of every medication. I abuse Webmd.com.
4. I truly miss the social aspects of work. Today's Knitting Day and I'm missing it. Our resident superstar Aidan has been attending knitting lately and we all bask in his glory. Poor Aidan usually spends a portion of his lunchtime guiding the rest of us through our knitting woes. I come to knitting on the short bus. I dare not work on the crucial part of my sweater at home without Aidan to rescue me if (when) I need it.
5. Certain music can make you feel better. Today I've listened to the following tunes on my iPod:
Cellophane by 7th Heaven - crushes do not die when you are ill
Amanda by Boston - nostalgic!
Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis. Song played during Blackhawks goals this year. This one's guaranteed to induce happiness.
Trapped in Your Lies by Godhead. Their best song ever.
Sweet Child 'O Mine by Guns 'N Roses. The nostalgia thing again.
Chicken Huntin' by Insane Clown Posse. Very un-PC lyrics, but catchy. Thanks, Mason, for introducing me and Bock to this one.
Get On Your Boots by U2. Everything's better with Bono.
6. I think the cats resent me being home. They will not let me nap. I'm so tired I'm delirious.