Chicago Chick

The BIG To Do List - 2007

**** UPDATED JANUARY 12, 2007 ****

So, here it is and earlier than I'd hoped.  Take THAT 2006!  The year always starts out so optimistically but somehow I lose focus along the way.  I'm hoping that won't happen this year, but then again I have the same hopes every year.

But still, I'm a persistent bugger and I just keep plugging away.  It turns out that after looking at my list that the resolutions list is really one big "To Do" list.  It includes stuff like cleaning out the closets and organizing the kitchen which are really tasks and not things that can be called self-improvement.  But, hell I figured a couple of tasks that I want to accomplish this year can't hurt.

January
* Drink 64 oz of water/day
* Sit up straight
* Shoot a roll of black & white film per week this month (updated 1/12/07)
* Print in the darkroom every-other week for 4 hours each this month (updated 1/12/07)
* Go to church every-other Sunday
* Run 3/week & build up to 5 minutes of consecutive running
* Clean out the kids' closet
* Shoot the kid's pics for Valentine's day cards
* Paint backsplash with blackboard paint (this is more of a David to do thing)

February
* Drink 64 oz of water/day
* Sit up straight
* Shoot a 2 rolls of black & white film per week this month (updated 1/12/07)
* Print in the darkroom every-other week for 4 hours each
* Go to church 3 Sundays
* Run 3/week & build up to 10 minutes of consecutive running
* Mail Valentines day cards.

March
* Drink 64 oz of water/day
* Sit up straight
* Shoot a 3 rolls of black & white film per week this month (updated 1/12/07)
* Print in the darkroom every-other week for 4 hours each
* Go to church every Sunday
* Run 3/week & build up to 15 minutes of consecutive running
* St. Paddy's Day 5K (3/17/07)
* Clean out the front hall closet

April
* Drink 64 oz of water/day
* Sit up straight
* Shoot a roll of black & white film per week
* Print in the darkroom every-other week for 4 hours each
* Go to church every Sunday
* Run 3/week & build up to 17 minutes of consecutive running
* Race to Wrigley 5K (4/21/07)

May
* Drink 64 oz of water/day
* Sit up straight
* Shoot a roll of black & white film per week
* Print in the darkroom every-other week for 4 hours each
* Go to church every Sunday
* Run 3/week & build up to 20 minutes of consecutive running
* Sign up for CARA 5K program
* Run a 5K
* Clean out the master closet

June
* Drink 64 oz of water/day
* Sit up straight
* Shoot a roll of black & white film per week
* Print in the darkroom every-other week for 4 hours each
* Go to church every Sunday
* Run 3/week & build up to 22 minutes of consecutive running
* Run a 5K
* Plan Nicholas' birthday party

July
* Drink 64 oz of water/day
* Sit up straight
* Shoot a roll of black & white film per week
* Print in the darkroom every-other week for 4 hours each
* Go to church every Sunday
* Run 3/week & build up to 25 minutes of consecutive running
* Women's Run 5K (Date: TBD)

August
* Drink 64 oz of water/day
* Sit up straight
* Shoot a roll of black & white film per week
* Print in the darkroom every-other week for 4 hours each
* Go to church every Sunday
* Run 3/week & build up to 27 minutes of consecutive running
* Nike Run Hit Wonder (Date: TBD)

September
* Drink 64 oz of water/day
* Sit up straight
* Shoot a roll of black & white film per week
* Print in the darkroom every-other week for 4 hours each
* Go to church every Sunday
* Run 3/week & build up to 30 minutes of consecutive running
* Run a 5K

October
* Drink 64 oz of water/day
* Sit up straight
* Shoot a roll of black & white film per week
* Print in the darkroom every-other week for 4 hours each
* Go to church every Sunday
* Run 3/week & build up to 33 minutes of consecutive running
* Run a 5K
* Plan Alex's birthday party
* Start Christmas stuff (wishlists, cards, etc.)

November
* Drink 64 oz of water/day
* Sit up straight
* Shoot a roll of black & white film per week
* Print in the darkroom every-other week for 4 hours each
* Go to church every Sunday
* Run 3/week & build up to 35 minutes of consecutive running
* Run a 5K

December
* Drink 64 oz of water/day
* Sit up straight
* Shoot a roll of black & white film per week
* Print in the darkroom every-other week for 4 hours each
* Go to church every Sunday
* Run 3/week & build up to 38 minutes of consecutive running
* Run a 5K

Stuff That Needs to Find a Slot
* Find sports program for Nicholas
* Sign Alex up for a play group

Go here for 2008's list.

Having a to-do list for some of use is essental for remembering things. You can get all different kinds of lists online from lists of airlines to a list of the safest cars. Go online and get your list today!

Still Working on It

I've decided to go with a list of new year's resolutions each month.  The usual (e.g., drink 32 oz of water, sit up straight, etc.) will show up, but there are some running goals that I want to include as well as organization and cleaning goals.  I haven't quite completed the list and I haven't even slotting which month they belong to, but that should be happening soon.

My first goal is to get my new year's resolutions organized before the new year.  Normally, this whole thing wouldn't take so long but with kids and people wanting to see the kids (not David and me anymore) and carting them to and fro I've had little time to do this stuff.

For now, I've got an unorganized list - one of those To Do lists that I love so much.  I've also got a list of errands that I need to run because * SURPRISE * we're off to my parents' house for the day because they want to see the kids.  David and I are just the limo service.

But, before I go I just wanted to say Happy New Year.  May 2007 bring you more joy, peace, and prosperity than the past year!

This Isn't Me

I was sitting in the library updating my new iPod shuffle that my boys bought me for Christmas and since the library now has Internet, I was able to do some mindless Googling.  Recently, one of my friends e-mailed me to ask if I had posted on Craigslist and sent me a link to the post.

This is NOT me.  Then again, this isn't me and neither is this or this.  Now, I know that I'm not the only one who has Googled themselves although I may be one of a few who will admit that.  But, I'm a dork (always have been and always will be).

People have the same first and last names all the time, but for some crazy reason I seem to think that my Internet name and persona are unique.  How's that for completely self-absorbed?  That isn't really me either!

Nobody But Me

It's early in the morning, but I've been up for a couple of hours.  For the past 4 months or so I keep getting up at around 2:30ish and I have no idea why.  It's not like I DON'T need the sleep because I do.  I suppose it's just part of who I am; I can't remember ever sleeping through the night.

Being up at the crack a$$ of dawn does have its advantages.  I get to do all my online reading and even get the chance to find some new online reading.  I came across The Twinkies blog and found it to be a really good read.  It was nice to find someone who, like me, loves their children very much but finds parenthood to be a challenge and isn't afraid to speak up about it.

I find that I can relate to her (and her nutty in-laws).  Let's just say that I keep a separate journal because I am too chicken to talk about how I feel about things like my in-laws on the boys' site.  Stacie (the Twinkies' mom) is a lot braver than I am.  Or, maybe it's because I know that my in-laws reaction will be the same as her in-laws and I just don't want to deal with that crap.

I usually post a comment when I visit other people's sites because like I've been told, "If you're going to be somewhere, make sure people know."  And, because I figure if you're going to take the time to post and I'm going to take the time to read, then I should write something.  I digress, but it's EARLY people!

So, when I posted a comment to Stacie's site I got to read other comments and one was posted by Bethany at The Diabetic Princess whose blog I really liked.  Not sure what exactly I liked about it, but it was a good journal.  Maybe it's because I understand to some extent what it's like to live with diabetes.  Having gestational diabetes was a glimpse into a life filled with insulin shots and glucose meters - trust me, it is NOT fun!

So now that I've been up for a couple of hours and my alarm is going to go off in a half hour, I'm tired.  Isn't that the way it goes.  For now it's quiet and I'm by myself.  No babies running around and no husband telling me that I'm making a mess.  Too bad I'm too tired to enjoy it!

Saying Goodbye!

It's finally complete - well, except telling the old hosting service that I will no longer be needing them.  I've finally finished moving all my old entries and mapping the "chgochick.com" domain.  So everything's in one place, except for my old entries from 1996 to July, 2002 which I seemed to have lost when I lost the old domain name I used.

With the time off that I've had and the very long to do list, it seems fitting that one of the only items that I would accomplish is "moving out" of the old hosting service digs.  It was the only computer related thing on my list and it was the only one that didn't involve cleaning or getting my hands wet.  Guess that tells you a lot about where my priorities are.  Sad, isn't it?

So as I make a mad dash to cross off all the things on my to do list before 2006 ends, I want to wish everyone a happy new year.  That being said, I am sure that I will post something again before the end of this year.  I just wanted to make sure that I said it unless I didn't get to another post.  After all, posting is not on my list of things to do.

Wrapping Up 2006

Today is Alexander's 1st birthday and it honestly feels like a year.  It's not because he's a tough kid to take care of because he's not.  He's funny and snuggly and all that good stuff.  It feels like a year has gone by because of all the things that have gone on this year.

I think David and I have decided that Alex will be our last child which puts an end to the "baby-making" era.  Not a huge surprise because we're both so exhausted.  We've survived a year on one income with 2 children under the age of 2 - a feat in and of itself.  I'm ready for this year to be over.  I still haven't decided if I'm going to do an official year in review.  I think I mean NOT to do one, but end up doing one anyway.

I'm already looking forward to 2007, but then again I think I was looking forward to 2007 somewhere around June.  I've been thinking about New Year's resolutions (again, I've been thinking about those sometime around June of this year) and would like a moment in a quiet corner to think about what I want mine and my family's 2007 to look like.

Real Life is Like Highschool

I was catching up on my online reading which includes the Wall Street Journal.  Really, just because I post on the Internet and sound like a complete whinny, self-absorbed ninny does not mean that I am like that in real life.  Ask my friends - really - I'm pretty intelligent.

But, my online reading also includes a bunch of online journals as well as crap like TMZ.  I can't help myself because sometimes you just need some mind candy.  Plus, in a strange way it makes you realize that life could be so much worse especially when you're having a bad day.  In the spirit of mind candy, I stumbled across the site Trainwrecks.Net and like a train wreck or car accident, I couldn't stop reading.

After getting my fill of online reading I realized (actually, I've suspected it all along) that life is like high school.  Or maybe it's that we MAKE life like high school.  Either way - it's the same thing.  In high school there were the group of "popular" kids and the group of "sportos" and the "outcasts".  No matter what group you were in it seemed that wanting to know more about a train wreck type incident was always interesting.

Think about it - why else would we care about Reese Witherspoon's divorce or even know what the heck Dooce's real name was.  And when someone, a celebrity or blogebrity, falls out of grace it's human nature to watch.  You can't be mad at people who make fun of people on the Internet.  If you put yer shit out there, it's fair game.  Sometimes I forget that - it's hard to remember sometimes.

Payback's a B@#$%

When I was little - like Nick's age - I would spend a lot of time at my aunt's house.  She lived in an apartment nearby with 4 other aunts.  Okay, so maybe they weren't my aunts as in my mom's sisters but they were cousins and close friends of my family.

If there is any doubt that Nick does NOT take after me, I think you're mistaken.  Nick is curious and talkative - very much like me.  He likes to rummage through drawers and cabinets - just like I guess I did when I was a child.  I was SO curious and loved to go through drawers that I just couldn't resist going through my aunts' drawers.

I especially loved my Auntie Ely's drawers, or so I'm told.  One time I was going through her drawers and came across her contact lenses.  Back in the 70's the contact lenses were hard lenses and were really, REALLY expensive.  I guess I thought that they were like bubble wrap and I took my little finger and *crack* smashed them.

Even though I was really young (somewhere around 2 or 3), I kinda remember that episode.  I remember my Auntie Ely running in and asking something like "WHAT did you do?"  I also vaguely remember my other aunts chuckling a little.

So fast forward 30 some years and Nick has done something very similar.  David was washing the floor and had a bucket of dirty water he was going to dump out.  Nick must have put my very expensive glasses in the bucket of water so when David dumped the water out into the toilet, my very expensive glasses went into the toilet.

I couldn't help myself - I had to e-mail my aunt and let her know that Nick has just gotten back at me for what I did to her contact lenses when I was a kid.  Unbelievably, I didn't get upset because what would be the point?  I told Nick that he shouldn't do things like that again and sighed because this means that I will have to spend some hefty bucks to replace them.

If this is a sign of things to come, it's going to be quite a ride because I am sure that I did a lot of not so wonderful things as a child.  I am positive that I tested the patience of those who love me on a daily basis and I know that I continue to do so.  * sigh *  It's true when they say "Payback's a b#@$%!"

Ambitious Undertaking

The old service that I used to host my blog sent me an invoice for next year.  Granted it was only $44.00 for the entire 2007 but it's the principle of the thing!  Most of the time the site would either be unavailable (my webpage wouldn't be visible) or I couldn't use my FTP program to load files.  How is it possible that Smart FTP won't work on a site?

So, I've spent the last couple of hours moving all my entries so that I can close my account with the old hosting provider.  Normally, I would just convert all my entries by creating a text file and then load them, but for some strange reason it seemed to be too much.  So, I ended up loading all the dates, titles, categories, etc. programmatically and then went in and MANUALLY cut and pasted the entries.

Now I ask you, what crazy person would do that?  I mean, my work ALWAYS includes some sort of data conversion work but for some reason I took the crazy person way out and decided to cut and paste manually.  I'm hangning my head in shame.  But, on the upside - the entries have been converted!

Because It's MILLER Time!

'Kay, maybe not Miller time because I don't care for beer, but I am taking a moment to myself.  I printed the last of the kid pictures for Christmas presents and put them in the frames after the frames that I order on line did not appear.  Let's just say that I would be extremely surprised if this company will still be in business next year.

Ah well, if your customer service sucks then I just KNOW I won't be buying from you again.  And, I am pretty sure that I am not the only one who did not get their order on time.  Sorry - I digress.

I was able to catch up on my on line reading and realized that my cousin tagged me for a 5X5, so here goes:

5 Items in my freezer
Chicken Nuggets
Absolute Vodka
Tater Tots - their mine not the kids'
Ice Cubes
Frozen Pizza

5 Items in the closet
Pair of David's Shoes
Pumps
Mules
Running Shoes
Cute Ankle and Other Misc Boots

5 Items in the car
Garage door opener
Chapstick
Headband
Napkins
and, uh shoes

5 Items in my luggage
I stopped carrying luggage when I stopped traveling.

5 People I tag
Michelle (Nubbly)
Amy (Eat Misery)
Any takers?  I can't tag my cousins who have a blog because they've already been tagged!

Tuesday and I'm STILL Tired

I'm STILL tired!  I know it can't just be from Alex's party.  I think it's the combination of the gloomy weather, planning the party, getting ready for Christmas - all I've got is checks to write, and the everyday stuff.

Today I came home from work and haven't stopped running around until now.  The moment I walked into the house, I picked up the trail of toys littered on the floor.  Then, I heated up my dinner while I picked up some more toys.  I'm glad to say that it took me exactly 90 seconds to pick up the little toys and straighten up the living room.  A feat that would have taken much longer if the boys (David included) were at home.  When they did get home, I fed Alex and Nick and gave Nick a bath.  I love Mr. Bubble!

I think David went to do some Christmas shopping which leaves me wondering what he could have bought me.  This is the same man the first year we were dating that pulled me into the nearby mall at 4:30 on Christmas Eve and grabbed me frantically saying, "What do you want for Christmas?"

I know that I've told that story at least a million times - especially during the Christmas shopping season.  But I can't help it!  It's so funny and it pretty much sums up his shopping M.O.  It's not that he's thoughtless, but that I think he's like almost every average guy who just plain forgets what day it is.  Nevermind that on the television and in the papers they're advertising Christmas starting right after Halloween.  Apparently, the marketing guys have nothing on my husband.

This year I decided not to badger him about what I'm getting for Christmas.  I'd like to think that I've grown up a little.  Honestly it's probably because I'm just waaaay too tired!

Is It Worth It?

Today was Alex's 1st birthday party.  We got home a few hours ago and I opened presents, wrote down who gave Alex what, and played with the boys for a little while.  I also fed both of them while David played the Sherpa and ran up and down the stairs emptying out the car.

I am EXHAUSTED.  What was nearly 2 months of planning (not all at once) was wrapped up in a day.  I don't think I ate any of the party food and I spent the day with a museum full of screaming kids.  Sometimes I wonder if all the effort is worth it.  I mean why stress out over a child's birthday party?  The kid isn't going to remember it anyway, right?

But even if they aren't going to remember it, I certainly will.  And of course there will be pictures that the boys can look at.  In the end I think that 1st birthday parties are for the grown ups.  The guest of honor always gets to demolish a piece of cake; the parents - usually the mother - end up exhausted and have to clean up the mess; and the grandparents get to see the kids and shower them with presents and hugs.

So I'm exhausted and ready for my busy work week to begin.  But the question still remains: Is the fuss worth it?  Take a look at the smiling faces below and tell me What do you think?  I know the answer without even batting an eye!

Alex and Nick in the Tub - 12/16/2006

When Things Don't Go Quite as Planned

I just finished writing this long post and my Internet service must have blipped because I couldn't upload it and then could not recover it.  Let's just say that I won't even try to recreate it.  It had something to do with not writing in a long time and fighting with the ISP customer service.

Hmmm - I wonder if they knew I was cursing them on the Internet and caused the blip?  Paranoid much?  The entry had to do with not being done with Christmas shopping and how usually I'm pretty good with being on time.  

In the end, I guess I wanted to say that I missed writing.  But the funny thing was that it took me 2 days to get over my addiction to the Internet.  It was nice to know that it wasn't available so I didn't always check my mulitple e-mail accounts.

Grand Plans

This past week was the longest week ever!  It's amazing how 5 weekdays can seem to take forever to get through one week and then sometimes fly by.  Usually, it's the vacation weeks that fly by.

Last week was so bad that when I opened my eyes this morning, I had to stop and think about what day it was.  Thankfully it's Saturday!  I have such grand plans for today - not sure what David has in mind and maybe I should ask him.

Today, I was going to make some Christmas cookies for David.  Then, I was going to swing by the darkroom and get a crash review course on the set up.  After that, I was planning on stopping by the grocery store for supplies for Alex's cupcakes.

I had planned on making Alex's 1st birthday cake - something elaborate and clever - but after a dry run, it didn't look like it was going to turn out so well.  So, Alex is going to have cupcakes for his 1st birthday which is not a bad thing.  Nick had cupcakes on his 1st birthday and I don't think that scarred him.  On the contrary, we've made it a tradition that the kids get a cupcake on their actual birth date.

I have to put together some gift bags for Alex's 1st birthday party.  Immediate family was invited, so sorry cousins that you didn't get an invitation.  Besides, I'm thinking that being around a bunch of howling kids will be more fun when they all get older and I can sit with some of you and drink a tasty adult beverage without having to change a diaper or say "NO TOUCH!"  You know what I mean.

So, goody bags - I ordered some personal soda from Jones Soda my all time favorite soda.  The soda bottles (actually, I say POP), have a picture of Alex on them and are really cute!  Pictures to follow later.  Then I have to make a tasty treat to include in the goody bag.  It sounds like a lot, but it isn't really.  I love making cookies and putting together the little goody bags.

In my list to take to the grocery store will include a bottle of some tasty adult beverage component.  After all, David drank the last of a very large bottle of Malibu rum (kinda reminds me of my college days).

Dirty Little Secret

I have a secret.  Actually, it isn't such a secret.  I love Christmas - but that isn't my secret.  My secret is that I have a really hard time waiting for Christmas to open my Christmas presents.

When I was little, I would stay up until midnight on Christmas eve and when the clock hit 12:00 I would wake my parents up and drag them downstairs to open presents.  I should say that my siblings and I would wake my parents up and drag them downstairs.  I was a good kid and didn't move the clock forward or anything so it REALLY was Christmas when we opened presents.

My parents were really good sports and I think that they probably pretended to be sleeping when chaos ensued.  Ma would make coffee and usually Da, who had just come home from work, would be sitting on the couch in his pajamas watching us and smiling.  Funny how it seemed like life was so much more fun and simple when we were younger and had less money.

But, to this day I have a hard time waiting for Christmas to come to open my presents.  I'm older now and it's harder because I am the one that wraps the presents in my house.  I'm also the one who buys the presents so I end up buying my own and slapping David's or one of the kid's names on the From side of the tag.  Yeah I know it's sad, but true.

This year, the boys bought me a new iPod Shuffle for Christmas.  It's even engraved, but the stupid elf (that would be me) who wrote the nice Apple people put 2005 on the inscription instead of 2006.

So, it's like more than 2 weeks away from Christmas and already I've put new running songs on the thing and am getting ready to use it for my run this morning.  The sad thing is that after I use it or load it with songs, I put it back in it's package and even put the sticker seal on it.  It's a good thing I didn't actually WRAP it yet!

Cut Off

t’s a long story, but our Internet service has been temporarily shut down.  Until then, I will be writing entries and then later loading them.  It’s funny because even though I don’t have access to the Internet via our ISP, I can get to my e-mail from my Blackberry.  Sometimes I think that this all just feeds my sickness.  I’m an addict, but in this day and age who isn’t.

I mean, think about it.  How many e-mail addresses do you have – there’s always one at work and then there’s usually a personal one.  If you’re like me, you have yet another e-mail address because it’s the one that you use when you have to sign up for something online – you know, the spam e-mail.  Then I have one for the kids and another because my spam one inadvertently got sent out to one of my friends and even though I tell her not to use that address, she does.

Even our phone numbers have gotten complicated.  David has a cell phone number; I have a cell phone number; and we have a Vonage phone number.  We don’t have a land line, so I guess that makes it a bit easier.  But, when we sign up for cable or Internet service or gas and electric, it’s a toss up as to which phone number we used.  And then, for the grocery store cards (e.g., Jewel and Dominicks) we have them linked to our old phone number when we lived in an apartment.

It didn’t make sense to change the numbers on those.  Then, there are the store “bonus” cards like the Barnes and Noble card.  That is also hooked to an old phone number.  In all, any account can be tied to one of 5 phone numbers.  Sometimes there is a 6th phone number that is used for “once in a blue moon” online purchases.  That phone number would be (312) 555-1212, also known as the information phone number.

Funny, I thought computers and the Internet were supposed to make life easier.  In the end, it makes life much more complicated.  People can reach you almost anywhere and work can be done from almost any location.  I often get the “Did you get my voicemail/e-mail?” on the weekends.  If we can be reachable from almost anywhere at any time, how does this make my life easier?  It certainly doesn’t make my life more convenient!

Snow Day!!!

At about 6:00 this morning, my client called me on my cell phone with the best news I've had in a long time.  "The office is closed, the snow trucks are skidding out on the expressways, and it's just not worth trying to come into work"  Booyah (I never use that - my nephew was in town for Thanksgiving and maybe he's rubbed off on me) - it's a snow day!

I cannot tell you the last time I had a snow day.  I think it was probably in college when we were hit with over a foot of snow in a matter of hours.  Classes were canceled and there was a huge snowball fight in the quad.  There were people using cafeteria trays as sleds - it was a fun time.

As an adult I think you get more excited about snow days.  Maybe because it makes you remember being a school-aged kids.  But, everywhere I seemed to go today people were enjoying the snow.  David and I took Alexander and Nicholas to get some boots.  Granted, Alex doesn't walk quite yet but he has David's aversion to cold.  Plus David wanted to take the boys on a sled ride.  He's off at Target (with at least a zillion other people who have the same idea) to get a plastic sled.

The snow hasn't stopped coming down all together yet, but it's still nice.  I love how it makes everything so quiet; like the world is wrapped in cotton.  You can't hear the tires of cars squeal and when you drive you hear the crunching of snow.  It's cool.  I love winter!