Something Beautiful Every Day

Although I usually don't like those 365 projects, I thought it might be fun (uplifting!) to find something beautiful every day, and write about it, post a little picture.

Today, I found something truly fantastic -- there's a peach tree behind our warehouse!  The peaches are either not ripe yet, or just born kind of... small and flavorless...  But that's not the point.  There's a tree, and it's full of peaches, and that's difficult not to smile about.  :)

Considering this is my first post, why not post two beautiful things?

My computer has a feather!

Crazy Town!

I feel like I'm living (working) in crazy town -- all the more inspiration to make necklaces my business. ;)

Occupied.

Right now, I'm completely absorbed in my job, and I'm sorry I haven't been able to update as much as usual, or nearly as much as I thought I would at least try to.  Sigh...  This place has my heart, and it also has me 9-5 Mon-Fri.  Tomorrow at least I will get to share that feeling of hopefulness and excitement when you walk through the gate for the first time of the season with nearly 40,000 other people.

Opening Day - April 5 2012

After work, I'll be hocking my pendants out on Waveland and Kenmore (North of the bleachers), so if you're in the area, stop by to say "Hi"!  :)

Walking Home...

Another long week is over.  I've got a lot of things to work on this weekend, including possibly some Day of the Dead pendants -- fun, right?  :)

So here's my walk home, in pictures.

Back to Reality

Today wasn't a long day, but it felt like one.  Back to work means having to separate from my sweet little pups, while he watches me leave, wide-eyed.  It means I don't get to have a cigarette whenever I want one (this is probably a good thing).  It means I have to plan ahead my lunch, and as I learned the hard way this morning, it's going to mean eating a better breakfast than just coffee.  It means I can't sleep until 10am (or 11am, or 12 noon).  It's going to take some getting used to, again, but honestly, I need the structure.  I hope I'll still be able to update here regularly, but if I'm slacking a little, please be patient with me.

On that note, I'm exhausted, and I need to go eat some cheese or something.  ;)

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What's Goin' On

CTA Pendant

Union Station Pendant

South Loop Pendant

Neon Orange Tiger Stripe Pendant

I finally, finally, got the last of my pendants listed on Etsy.  You know what that means?  Heh... that I need to make more.  I'm trying to build up a stock, in the event that I get accepted into the Renegade Craft Fair this year in Wicker Park.

Dave and I need to work on more of our baseball pendants, too -- he thinks that a friend in San Francisco might be interested in a bunch of them, and they are way more labor intensive than the other pendants.

Once the Cubs are playing at home again, I'll be selling the Wrigley Field pendants outside of the park (or Dave will, while I'm working in the park), on Waveland Avenue, so if you're in town, stop by to see us and say hello!  There's a kid that sells lemonade once in a while, too, so it will be well worth your time to stop by.

Phew!  So, that's what I'm up to, this glorious last Friday before I join the workin' stiffs again at the office.

You can always visit my Etsy shop here: the Big City Bumpkin on Etsy

The Best Thing I Ate This Week

Keep it simple.

Vanilla yoghurt with fresh blackberries

So I got through my orientation for work.  It wasn't too bad...  It was supposed to last four hours (until 10pm!), but we actually got out by 7:45-ish.

I had a little giggle with a co-worker when we were going over the kitchen safety multiple choice questions, one of which was something like "Which of these is the least likely to cause an allergic reaction".  The answer was: The most simply prepared food with the least ingredients.

She nudged me and said, "Isn't that what people should be eating, anyway?"

Right!?

I'm glad to have been raised in a (mostly) food conscious family, with a healthy love for yoghurt, among other things.  Sometimes I fear coming off as a food snob, but then I think... of all the things to be a snob about, that ain't bad.

What I'm Doing... I Can't Figure That Out!

Lately I would describe my life, myself, as being "busy"... the funny thing is, I can't figure out what I'm so busy doing!

I wake up early enough in the morning to give myself time to "relax" before work (that means make coffee, usually read my favorite blogs, and smoke a cigarette or two), around 7am.  I don't think, though, that I've opened my computer in at least the last few days, definitely not the last few mornings.  I made coffee once... the only thing I can really guarantee I'm doing is the cigarette-smoking.

Then I work Monday-Friday, from 9am-5pm.  Okay, I can tell you that I have been busy at work.  I get a little time to answer personal emails, but sometimes I have to leave mid-email-conversation to do something in another part of the office, and forget to come back to it...  Obviously, a day like today is uncommon, but the only reason I can relax today is because I worked my butt off all week to finish everything.

Then I come home... usually I bike, sometimes I walk... I get home around 5-5:30pm, and this is what I'm confused about... other than making, and eating, dinner, WHAT in the world am I doing that takes me to my 10:30-11pm bedtime?  It might be tidying up, but it certainly isn't thorough cleaning... it isn't doing laundry, my 'fella does that (love him!).  It isn't buying groceries, because I don't think I've strayed from pasta or sandwiches for dinner once this week.  I take baths, but they're quick, no more than 20 minutes...

What in the world am I doing that leaves me feeling like I have no time to call or hang out with friends, register for Summer classes (oops!), update this blog, visit a farmer's market, clean the bathroom floor, paint the bedroom walls, or finish one of my dozens of "projects" around the house!?  Why is my apron hook project still in a pile on the chair, why have I still not completely properly unclogged the sink, why have I not made that police report for my bike that was stolen weeks ago!?  I would really like to know what is sucking up all of my time, so I could give it a swift kick and get back to gettin' sh!# done!!

What I Ate... Fourth Week of April

I did manage to make one good meal at home this week.  Last Sunday was spaghetti and meatballs, much to the delight of my 'fella (who always asks "Is there meat?" when I tell him what I'm making for dinner).

We also had garlic bread with fresh garlic and parsley, which was pungent, but very good.

A co-worker was selling cupcakes to raise money for breast cancer, so I did indulge in a few of those...

Another co-worker brought biscotti and Italian wedding cookies back (from Spiaggia?), which was an absolute delight with my morning coffee.

On Friday I indulged in a very expensive -- (for me... $9!?) cobb salad, but the thing was HUGE, and so so yummy -- from Pauly's Pizzeria.

Seriously, look at the height on this salad!

I have sort-of plans to get some groceries tonight, and possibly actually make dinner, but I also have a hankering for salt and pepper tofu or shrimp, so I might only get as far as calling for Chinese take-out.  Sigh... laziness, I know.  :)

What I Ate... Second Week of April

Nothing much to see here, because almost every day, my lunch is either a sandwich (yummy, but yawn), or these irresistible, extremely addictive goodies from Wrigleyville Dogs:

Wrigleyville Dogs, Chicago IL

I can NOT stop... obsessed with fries...

I'm also pretty hooked on the tortilla soup from Azteca de Oro, but it's too expensive for me to eat every day (okay, it's awesome, but $7 for a little cup of soup!?).

I want to make a real effort to bring in better, more healthful, and home made lunches, but wanting to is very different from actually doing...  When the Cubs are at home, we get to eat in the park, which could go either way for me -- chicken tenders? or fruit cups and salads?  Hmm...

Thursday night I made a pretty good egg drop soup:

vanessauttaro.com

I'm still working on getting the eggs to be so perfectly smooth, like Chinese takeout, but I just don't know what I could do differently.  My version tastes better, anyway, but sometimes I just want that complete and total familiarity.

Today on a shopping trip to Unique I found little crocks that are perfect for French onion soup, and on a cloudy, cold, windy and rainy day like today, that sounds like the best idea.  So... off to cook!

What I'm Eating... More Ballpark Food

I've got to tell you, this is by no means fabulous haute cuisine, but when you've been working for hours straight, days straight, the luxury of sitting down to eat anything is pretty incredible.  That aside... I have pretty cheap taste, sometimes, and I think a hot dog or a grilled cheese sandwich is sometimes the greatest thing on earth.  Okay, so another roundup of hastily consumed meals...

First things first, we now have D'Agostino's Pizza at Wrigley Field.  A HUGE improvement over Connie's from previous seasons, this pizza is so surprisingly good and cheesy.  If you're at the park, I promise it's worth the $6.50!

The fruit cup is new, and pretty good, I think it's going to be a huge hit in the Summer.  Also, chicken tenders never fail to disappoint.  :)

A co-worker grabbed this mac & cheese from Sheffield's (in the park, just east of the home plate gift shops), and it was awesome!  It had artichoke hearts in it!

The one night I actually managed to make a suitable dinner -- Polish with tomatoes, onions, and green peppers.

So... have you ever had grilled cheese with pickles on it?  I promise you will love it (as long as you love pickles, that is).  Bernie's hooked me up with this mega-lunch -- grilled cheese w/ pickles, tomatoes, and bacon, and fries -- for only $4.  Seriously.  And, there were more pickles on the side.  Yup.

Thursday morning, I was so thrilled that a whole bag of cotton candy was waiting for me at my desk.  Winning!  (Another healthy breakfast, I'm sure.)

Okay, so it's my first day off in... eleven days?  So far I've spent it luxuriously smoking cigarettes in my luxurious bath, drinking coffee with cream & sugar (stepping it up!), talking to my friends and my sister on the phone in the bathtub (many things can be accomplished from the bathtub, apparently), and now I'm working on deviled eggs with horseradish...  It's so nice to be home!

What I'm Doing... Still Working!

Yikes, what a week... or two weeks?  Time flies by me now, even though sometimes at work it really seems to drag.  For the most part I've been really busy, especially the last few days, but what I'm really trying to adjust to is the limited amount of free time I have now.

I get home a little after five, and most of my dinner concoctions have been either not very creative, non-existant (like last night, when I just forgot to cook dinner, and feasted on cashew nuts and white wine, instead), or -- shame of all shames -- frozen.

If I continue at this rate, "What I'm Eating" will soon become "What I Ate", in the recent past tense.  I hope I'll get it together, and start updating either at night (after dinner) or in the morning (before work).

What I'm Doing... Working

In case you wondered where I went... I went to that 9-5 pie in the sky.  :)  Look forward to pictures of lunches that don't have to be microwaved (eww) and occasional mid-afternoon furniture and design daydreams.

What I Want... Non-Ugly Slip-Resistant Shoes

At work, at least while I'm in the park, I'm supposed to wear slip-resistant shoes.  This is a problem, because slip-resistant shoes are UGLY!

Examples of horrible slip-resistant shoes:

The plastic uni-shoe

The boring black clog

The one that is always described as "stylish and functional"

I think not.  I'm no fashion queen, but I know funky shoes when I see them.

But, after more searching, I think I hit the jackpot.  First of all, I learned that Dr. Marten boots are slip-resistant, and the old punk in me was more than a little tempted to wear knee-high lace-up black boots to work.

But then, I found these:

Yes, they are John Deere boots... but they're also awesome!  I win, work; I am the champion of you.