Chicago Chick

Rock the Red Pump

I'm a sucker for a specific kind of shoe: pointy-toed, 3 to 4 inch heeled shoes.  If there's an embellishment on it or it's a striking color, I'm totally sold.  Case in point, this particular shoe:

Every time I wear this shoe, I get a lot of comments- always positive, but always a reference to Dorothy's ruby slippers in the Wizard of Oz.  Oddly enough, I only wear them at work and when I click the heels together I go nowhere which makes me believe that home = work.  Sad.

Then, there are the ridiculously high, but even cuter shoes that I got from the boys (2 of them under 10 yrs of age and 1 over the age of 50) for Valentine's day.  Granted, I bought them after I found out that the older one was going to buy me gloves for Valentine's day and then gave them to him to wrap up for me, but they are still an awesome gift nonetheless.

I never need an excuse to wear red shoes, but this year I have found that wearing my red shoes can bring more than just admiring comments.  This year and every year since 2009, the folks at Rock the Red Pump are asking women to wear red pumps on March 10, 2011.  The goal is to bring awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls.   So, if you have 'em wear 'em on March 10, 2011. 

 

How Many Days to Form a Habit?

If you Google how long it takes to form a habit, you'll usually get a lot of articles about how it takes 21 days.  But, other research has shown that it can take on average 66 days - it depends on what the behavior is.  And, it depends from person to person.  Some articles say 90 days.  I looked this fact up on the Internet because I wondered how long it would take for exercise to become a habit - like brushing my teeth.

I'm currently on day 10 of exercising and eating right and this time around I am surprised how interested I still am.  I think it's because I get on the scale every morning and the freaking number doesn't change that much.  I'm frustrated and I'm keep thinking that things will get better tomorrow.  I am sure it has something to do with muscle mass and all that nonsense, but I'm frustrated and it's my frustration that is keeping me on track.  I wonder how long it takes for someone to give up if they don't see results?

Such a Sap!

Last night, I was watching Dancing With the Stars.  I always watch it and remember when it first came on waaaaay back in 2005.  I remember thinking that the show was schmaltzy and it really wasn't going to last, but as I watched it I realized that it was just good clean fun.  Okay, so maybe the ladies' outfits can be a little skimpy at times but as a reality show it's really good.  I mean, where else can you watch someone with 2 left feet work really hard throughout the season and win it (Kelly Monaco).

And, where else can you watch someone like Donny Osmond, who I've always loved (yeah, more schmaltz), win?  Seriously, I was actually teary eyed with happiness watching him get so excited and pull his family onto the dance floor.  Gah, I'm such a sap!

Remembering in My Own Way

There is no way that I could let September 11th pass without mentioning the events of September 11, 2001.  I remember very clearly what I was doing that day, where I was, and how I was feeling.  I remember watching Good Morning America.  One minute they're playing their theme song, which was "Good Things Are Happening," and the next minute there are gasps of disbelief.

At the time I was in a ridiculous cycle of depression since I was working for Oracle Consulting and we were going through some massive lay-offs.  I was especially worried because I was unassigned and had been for a record 11 weeks - thinking about it now makes my stomach turn.

The morning of September 11th started off the same as any that summer and it was all about me.  Me wondering if I was going to get a call from someone asking me to turn in my lap top; wondering if I was going to have to file for unemployment (unthinkable); worried that I would have to go back to finance/accounting and wondering if there would be room for me.  Seriously, it was all about me until Diane Sawyer gasped in horror.

In the hours that followed, there was such a hush in the busy neighborhood in Chicago that I lived in.  I traveled that following Sunday and was anxious.  The airport had this solemnity that I cannot describe and people eyeballed people of Indian or Pakistani descent suspiciously.  In the days that followed, it seemed that people we actually nicer to each other - especially in traffic and in long lines.  It was nice.

It's been 6 years since that terrible day and I still get a lump in my throat when I think about it.  In the 6 years since, I think people have (sadly) returned to a state of normalcy meaning people aren't as nice to each other as they used to be.  Although I think that if there were terrorist attacks on an airplane today people would be more apt to work together to thwart it, people really are less understanding about extra security measures that have been put in place.  There was that whole thing about breast milk on airplanes - remember?   I don't mind being delayed for a security reason.  I don't care so much if I have to wait to get to where I'm going - even if it means I have to wait to get HOME - I do care if I get there in one piece and safely. 

And then there's the war in Iraq.  I don't want to talk about whether I agree or disagree with what we're doing over there.  Whatever the opinion one holds, I think it's important to support the people who are serving there or supporting the effort at home.  Without these people we would not be able to enjoy the freedom that we do.  They are fighting for a belief and whether or not you agree with how the United States chooses to defend that belief, we owe the troops a big "Thank You".

Some things are better than they were 6 years ago and some things are worse, but one thing is for sure.  The belief that we are "safe" in the United States, in the suburbs, or anywhere is just not true.  In the end, we need to look out for each other because we're all in the same boat.

Sending Out Some Love to DC

Go here and see what moms in D.C. are up to.  Congrats to the contributors at the DC Metro Moms Blog.  I've loved contributing to Chicago Moms Blog and I'm sure the contributors at the new site will feel the same.

Seriously, go - shoo - get off my page and go see the DC Moms Blog.

Lots O' Traffic

Today I took a look at stats for my site and was shocked to see that I had over 200 page views yesterday.  I would love to think that the up-tick in page views was because people found my page so entertaining, but I know that probably isn't true.  What seems to be driving the increased traffic is because I write for the Chicago Moms Blog and my site is listed under my biography.

It's very cool for me to be included on a site such as Chicago Moms Blog and it sounds corny, but with being a contributor comes a lot of responsibility.  Responsibility in that I need to think twice about what it is I write.  I don't censor what I say; in fact, I just write what I think with the realization that someone may not agree with me and that's okay.  I cannot expect everyone to agree with what I think or what I write.  I also cannot expect everyone to like me because usually I write non-thoughtful, non-controversial and some people probably think I'm a ambivalent twit.  I know this because someone once told me this when I posted a comment on a photo community site about a photo that was posted as "Photo of the Week."

When I first read the comment that was written about my comment, I was a little insulted and sad.  It felt like being back in high school when some "popular" person made an off-handed dismissive comment.  But, then I realized that I really didn't care.  It's my opinion and I'm entitled to it.  I'm not worried that people may not agree with me or that they think I'm a twit.  After all, if people are going to think that they know me based on an article or opinion that I write on a website then they're the ones with issues - not me.

Jury Duty is NOT So Bad!

Yesterday was the second day of jury duty and it really isn't so bad.  I don't have to be at the court house until 10:00 am and for the most part, we haven't stayed past 4:30 pm.  We get a little over an hour for lunch which is more than I take at work on a regular day.  I get to sit in a relatively comfortable chair and my only job is to listen.

If it weren't for the teeny check that we get for serving each day, I think I'd love to do jury duty for a living.  Luckily I still get my regular salary while I'm on jury duty.  I guess it would be hard for a company to not pay you when really you HAVE to serve on the jury if you are selected.

This is the first time that I've served as a juror and before that, the only real impression of jury duty I had was of the movie, "Twelve Angry Men" - if you haven't seen it, you really should.  But, jury duty is nothing like that.  There doesn't seem to be anyone in the jury who doesn't want to be there.  Once we all settled in, it seemed as though everyone was pretty interested in the case.

I got to know some of the people on the jury yesterday.  One woman got married very recently.  She's 35, works as a receptionist, rides a motorcycle, and she is HILarious!  There's another woman who is also in her mid to late 30s who has a 6 year old daughter and is waiting for a call about a baby that she and her husband are adopting from China.  There's a student from Columbia College who's so quiet that you'd never know he was there.

So far the experience hasn't been bad at all.  For me, it's been kind of like a vacation.