Vida

When i opened up my email and saw this... ( via ) I could not have been happier! I LOVE color! My favorite recent find are these Red Keds (no, they're not really Keds, and I am aware that's just a brand name, but everyone knows what I mean when I say that).  $6.50 at Forever21.  They have lots of colors and different styles (with laces, without laces, etc.).  Mine are a bit big (no half sizes), but for $6.50, I'll deal with it.

I have some pretty awesome cube mates  - "pretty"  = I have some AWESOME cube mates. Luckily none of them are like this .  =) But really... I think some changes are coming to my treasured cube.  I am thankful for my cube mates. They make truly awful days bearable. They make me laugh at least once everyday. They go along with my crazy ideas or find a calm way to talk me out of them. We help each other, without expecting anything in return. They make me feel anything's possible. They help me come up with silly things to make the day more interesting. They are good sports when we play little pranks on each other.  They're willing to laugh it off with me. They brainstorm with me beyond expectations. And they listen to all my stories, which can sometimes be quite long with lots of tangents (and they actually look interested).  So they are either some pretty awesome actors or they're just THAT awesome!  And they even allow me to interrupt ...

Check it out ! Chicago has the greenest restaurant in the US. (and it's delicious) The Nation's First Certified Organic Roof Top Farm ( via )  ( via ) ( via )

I am a big fan of placing holds on books I want to read through the library's website.  It's quick and easy.  I request it online.  They send me an email saying a book or movie is waiting for me.  I walk in the door over to the hold shelf, find my name, wait in line, walk out. See... easy. Right now it seems all my books are coming in at the same time.  Which means I have a lot to read and fast . But I haven't updated my books on here in awhile so here you are... the immortal life of henrietta lacks - rebecca skloot this book has all kinds of issues brought up:  race, medical ethics, consent, abuse, etc.  it's a historical fiction book focusing on the cancerous cells that kept on living from henrietta lacks, but many other issues are touched on too.  this would be a great book club read, lots of discussion points. is it just me?  or is it nuts out there? - whoopi goldberg check 3 on the female comedian books (2 to go) ...

the lake can be pretty

My actual birthday (Thursday) just was... I guess. My cubemates were wonderful.  I asked them not to plan anything or make a big deal out of my bday and that's exactly what they did!  Thank you. =)   I got to work after a pretty annoying commute... ugh that bus driver.  Anyway I got there to find two very sweet and hilarious cards and some delicious yogurt covered pretzels. That night was the 21+ event at work (meaning I had to work late and it was a very busy day).  Oh, well.  The theme was Chinese New Year  (p.s. I made-up that cocktail.  Yea me!) so I got to see a pretty awesome dragon dance. It was a crazier than usual event (involved a bit of running... literally). Saturday I took the day off for a "me day." It was a bit of a bust, but at least I wasn't at work. Saturday night I went to a dive bar with a few of my friends.  I took my camera with the intention to get some awesome photos.  I basically failed and took less ...

I'm very thankful for everything involved with my birthday (I'll do a post on that later).  But sometimes something happens that puts life into perspective and it makes you thankful for a lot. i've mentioned jess on here several times  before.  She's been my best friend since 6th grade (we both have an array of embarrassing stories about each other).  Of my friends she knows me the best (besides Karen).  We've been through a lot together. some school lock-in in middle school trick-or-treat for canned goods junior year i won scariest costume.  yes, really. it may have been from sympathy. that's flour on my face.  it rained.  think about it.  it becomes like plaster. on my face. senior year   senior year graduation after high school, I headed to Chicago and she stayed in Missouri for college.  We stuck together through it all.   She was always willing to let me take pictures... =) (thanks jess) ...

I'm officially in the winter biking culture! Here's what I learned: *Lots and lots of layers * Allow time to put on lots of layers. *And time to take them off again. *Bikers acknowledge each other now... not in the summer.  Make eye contact (that's the only part of your body that's exposed) and nod slightly.  No smiling, your mouth is covered too. *Be prepared for the weird feeling of sweating in certain body parts and losing feeling in others. *We all look funny, but that's ok.  We need to stay warm. *And pray.  Oh pray, the wind isn't blowing against you.

If you don't already know (sorry this is so late... work gets in the way)  =)... Wikipedia is having a black out today and Google is showing solidarity with wikipedia SOPA and PIPA bills are currently in Congress and they will drastically change the way we use the internet.   These sites could NOT have made it easier for you to let your representatives know how you feel about the bills.  Google has a petition (click the black box) and when you enter your zip code on Wikipedia it gives you a list of your representatives and links to different ways to contact them. Not having Wikipedia impacted me today (and it was only 24 hours).  I can't imagine what it will be like without Wikipedia at all... ever. Learn about the bills and let your voice be heard!

Tomorrow I'm turning 25!  For real!  I'm actually pretty excited =) I'm trying to embrace my birthday this year.  (Contrary to the usual trying to pretend it's not happening.) Last weekend my family came in to celebrate and we had some good times. * Stanleys .  I don't know how I never went there before.  It's awesome!  And very inexpensive.  Fruits + Veggies + Inexpensive = Very Happy Lisa * Mana .  Delicious! *Karen threw me a surprise dinner with all the trimmings. I think this is one of those posts where I'll let pictures tell the story. Every time someone picks me up from work... pictures happen Yum... Mana Mom went for Ann Sather's French Toast Delight (recommended by Rachel Ray ) flowers from Karen Mom coincidentally had brunch at Blue Owl on her way to Chicago and got the pie !!! How many apples do you think they use in one pie? Thanks Karen =) surprise dinner via Karen and my ...

i was never pressured into politics.   which you may find surprising considering my dad is a lawyer (and interested in politics).  he obviously has his political beliefs, but he never pushed them on my siblings and I (and actually we turned out with quite different ones).  besides encouraging us to vote, there was no pressure. during the last presidential race (i know politics is more than every four years... give me a second) everybody was all riled up (as they should be, especially considering we were in college).   i was excited on voting day, but leading up to it, not so much.  politics wasn't my "thing".  I would listen to my friends who were into politics, and listen respectfully, but when i couldn't contribute to the conversation it quickly faded.  (how much fun is it to just spill all your beliefs and get no feedback?  ok, sometimes maybe it is.  but not always.)  i'm becoming more and more involved in pol...

I came to the point that I did not enjoy snow.  I guess this feeling developed from living in Chicago because I feel like I enjoyed snow growing up. This week we got about 5 inches of snow between Thursday night and Friday morning. I'm really trying to embrace my winter orange ideas and find some joy in the snow. Here's what I found in the last couple days: *Play During lunch time Tuesday & Wednesday, my cube mates-Kyle & Rubina-and I went for walks because it was so nice outside (like 50). Thursday as the snow was starting to accumulate during lunch we decided we should walk from the cafe to the staff entrance (a very short distance).  Tuesday & Wednesday we planned this walk and brought our coats and we were prepared.  Thursday it was definitely not planned.  In fact, I think all three of us thought we were joking, until we did it. =) I tried to get a snowball fight going.  I threw a few at Kyle, but it never really got going.   It w...

I mentioned around New Year's Day that I cleaned my apartment from top to bottom.  I swear, when I do this I always feel like my apartment is huge! I've also been cooking up a storm... not really.  But I have a few cooking adventures to share with you... I love pretzels.  Like to an unhealthy amount.  For Christmas Mom & Dad gave me pretzel mix that I could make. I was curious to see how difficult/involved it would be. It wasn't bad at all. A couple notes: -H ey you, yeast, I'm not afraid of you anymore!  (think of our friend in Home Alone) -Thanks for teaching me how to knead, grandma.  i don't kneed often.  I don't have a lot of counter space.  (don't worry, i recognize this is a poor excuse.) my beautifully kneaded dough yum Sunday night some girls had a tea party I went to and took some cookies.  I took probably the easiest cookies you can make... cake box cookies. You take any cake box...

Saturday night there was a beautiful full moon.  (Not sure if it was actually the full moon or if it was actually Sunday night.  I like to pretend there is a full moon for several days, rather than the one official night.) I was riding my bike home in the beautiful, warm night in my fleece and warm vest.  The weather's been amazing.  I mean, I can hardly believe it's January.  50º!  I'm not complaining! Although, my wise cube mate, Rubina, reminds me it's probably not all that great when you think about the plants and animals it's throwing off... This is true, but I do still appreciate the warmth. Anyway though... I was on my bike ride home from work on Saturday and decided to stop and swing full moon =) swinging my bike patiently waited for me while i had my fun I loved it. When I told Karen about it she said, "you're so random."  As I told her, I don't see anything random about it.  It was nice and warmish, there weren'...

randomly people ask me when and why I started running.   This is actually a story I remember (mostly... some of the details are vague, you'll see). In sixth grade I wanted a pair of running shoes.  Athletic shoes.  I was in middle school now and all the 7th and 8th graders had athletic shoes they wore in gym class (not quite sure why I actually wanted the shoes, but that sounds plausible).   I told my mom I needed a pair of running shoes. She saw right past that and asked me if I would use them.  Of course I will!  (My one hour of gym everyday.) She said if I proved I would use the running shoes, she would buy me a pair.  Sure, Mom, of course. (If you don't know this about me, if you tell me I can't do something or put me up to a challenge, I will most likely do it.) This was the deal: I had to take a piece of paper where I wrote out the agreement. I had to run everyday after school (it may have been 4 times a week, but we'll say 5 for obvi...

a few weeks ago i was talking with my cube-mate, rubina, trying to learn more about her youth.  (she grew up in india.) we got on the topic of yoga.  as you know i'm a pretty big fan of yoga.  she mentioned she doesn't especially like how it's become so commercialized because the foundation of yoga goes against that.  i can definitely see where she's coming from, but I do think it made it possible for yoga to spread and more to enjoy it's benefits. during this conversation she told me namaste means hello, but that's not all it means.  it means the divine in me recognizes and salutes the divine in you.  you're supposed to have your hands together in front of you (which i would call prayer position), maintain eye contact, & bow your head politely as a sign of respect.   i generally say namaste once in every yoga class i take and I didn't know that.  That's bad.  I really appreciated her telling me this so I can be a bit more knowledgeab...