Day 212 is tickled pink

These two cool flamingos hang out in our backyard. My mom and I bought them at a yard sale, after deciding they were more cute than tacky. However, they are not cute enough to go in the front yard. Plus they match these pink impatiens. We should probably name them. Any suggestions?

Day 211 is supersized

My friends had a game-night tonight. What goes well with board games? Pizza! A 30 inch pizza to be exact. One slice was the size of my head. It was really good and only slightly obscene. It brought to mind Man vs Food. I'm sure some fool has attempted (and succeeded) in eating the entire thing. Needless to say, I've had my fill of pizza for a while.

Day 210 broke bad, again

On this rainy stormy night, I wanted nothing more than to sit at home and watch TV. Since Breaking Bad just started its fourth season, I thought I'd go back and watch from the beginning. Any fans? Because this show is amazing. Going back to the first season is fun, as I've forgotten a ton from the early episodes, yo.

Day 209 squashed

Here's a little peek at our latest pickings from our vegetable garden. Squash! Vegetables always taste better when they're homegrown. Now, how to prepare it...

Day 208 did it!

Yay, DIY! Here is the final result of my craft project. The frame was discovered behind a pile of random goodies at an antique shop. The cork board was found at Staples (not very exciting). I custom cut a backing for the frame for added stability. Then a few layers of paint onto the cork board, some stapling and nailing and securing to keep everything in place and wa la! This is now what's happening on the wall over my desk. There's more decorating work to be done, but I'm happy with this as a start!

ps. I'll be out of the country with no internet/phone/email/fb/twitter/WORLD access for 6 days. I'm having anxiety thinking about it. I hope you're all looking forward to 6 spectacularly Canadian posts upon my return. Woot!

Day 208 is nutty

Almonds are one of my favorite snacks. I was hungry before going to the gym after work. I wanted to wait to have dinner, so I didn't puke while working out. A handful of almonds were the perfect solution. I typically buy raw or roasted. I'm a nut purist.

(Sidenote: I just noticed Aislinn had a similiar post back on Day 133. Great minds think alike!)

An afternoon gathering for Day 207

I went a few different walking adventures today. Some for errands, others just for fun exploring on this gorgeous day (and maybe a bit of getting lost... oops.) Amidst all this walking, I came upon this scene. I have found where the Lakeview pigeons gather in the afternoon, in case anyone was wondering. Even pigeons gotta rest, y'all.

Day 207, check out these buns

Tonight I indulged in dessert from a delicious local bakery, Fritz's. Their specialty is sticky buns. They come in two varieties, raisin & nuts or cream cheese frosting. As you can see, I had the one with cream cheese frosting. Perfection. Thankfully, the bakery is located just far away enough to be inconvenient. Otherwise my self-control would be seriously tested.

Day 206, DIY

I'm one of those people who's not very crafty or DIY'y, but always wished that I was. But I was completely inspired by a gorgeous vintage frame I found yesterday with Em, so I decided to give it a go. Today I painted this cork board white (then had to google "how to remove paint from skin"... butter is the key). Tomorrow I move on to step 2 of this fun project and I'm just so so excited. You'll all see what it is this is going to turn in to oh so soon. It could be a disaster. It could be miraculous. I'm hoping for the latter. Yay, crafts!

Day 206 gets a new look

I have wanted to buy a leather jacket for quite a while. But, I've also been really picky. There were some specific things I wanted (wide-ish collar, zipper askew, etc.). I finally found it! As soon as I tried it on, I knew this was the one. Today was the first day I was itching for autumn. First cool day - I'll be set.

Day 205 is a little bit vintage

Today Em and I went on a bit of an adventure up to Andersonville to visit some antique shops up there. It was all that I wanted and more! I was just bursting with happiness looking through old mason jars and cigar boxes and lamps from the 80's. It was magical. And I even got a few great finds for the apartment! Happiness. This was a random little horse we spotted during our antiquing adventures. Quirky and fun. We liked it a lot.

ps. Happy happy Birthday to my dearest Em! I love you so!

Day 205, welcome back!

My friends, with whom I stayed, live in Greenpoint. My family lived there, so I used to visit often when I was younger. It was very strange being back in the old neighborhood. Especially seeing plenty of beards, bikes and tattoos. Hipster central. With some heavy-drinking Polish dudes thrown in for good measure.

Day 204 get your gun

Please excuse the late post as I didn't bring my camera cord while frantically packing for New York. Saturday night we went to see our friend star in Annie Get Your Gun. She was wonderful, of course! And it was nice to beat the heat inside this theater near the beach.

Day 204 has a sweet tooth

From this blog I'm learning that I spend a lot of time talking about (and eating) ice cream in the summers while complaining about the heat. But the two really go hand in hand! What fixes a bit of heat suffering like a few scoops of creamy strawberry ice cream? Nothing. Nothing is the answer.

Day 203 is a hidden message

I stumbled upon this artsy little board on the side of a building in my neighborhood. I have zero idea what it is trying to say or if it's trying to say anything at all. I'm not quite convinced it's not just a random grouping of letters. I do still like it though!

Day 203 stays hydrated

It's hot as hell. I didn't drink enough water today. And I'm about to leave for a weekend in New York City. Wish me luck.

Day 202 is still sweating...

I'll stop talking about this oppressive Chicago heat now, I'm sure you'll all tired of hearing about it. But it was another hot one in the city and I was struggling with wanting to take out my camera when I was out. Main priority was staying in AC as often as possible. But I did snap a pic while I was out last night. I don't know how anyone could be out doing construction during the day when the weather is up over 100º. Yikes!

Day 202 screams for ice cream

A local free newspaper featured this article about mom-and-pop ice cream shops around town. I've only been to four of the eight shops mentioned - this needs to change. Today's 100+ temperature would have been the perfect opportunity. Unfortunately today ended up being one of those busy days where nothing much gets accomplished. I bet delicious homemade ice cream would've made everything better.

Day 201 needs to cool off

This summer heat has a sneaky way of causing plans to be cancelled I think. Suddenly not moving while sitting as close as possible to the AC sounds like a much better plan than pizza. Which is crazy, because few things ever really sound like a better plan than pizza, am I right?? Tonight we opted for some chilled wine and brownies over any other plans, and I feel quite happy about it.

Day 201 blasts the AC

I absolutely love driving with the windows down. Frizzy hair be damned, if it's not raining in the summer, my windows will be down. Today was unbearably hot. Even after dark it must have still been in the 90s. It was so hot and humid, in fact, that I put on the air conditioning while driving home. The next few days will be just as hot, if not hotter, so it looks like I'll be putting my AC to good use.

Day 200 can't see a thing

Apparently a pretty intense fog rolled into Chicago today. We missed it in the afternoon, but tonight as we went into downtown we got to see it first hand. The loss of visibility was a bit startling, but picturesque. It was pretty gorgeous and creepy at the same time. I have never seen fog quite like this before and I was totally into it. Chicago is just full of surprises!

Day 200, dawg.

Can you believe it's already Day 200!? This little licorice dog was excited about it - until I ate him.

Day 199 can't take the heat

I'm pretty excited that I survived this wildly hot day without passing out from heat stroke or dehydration. It took many hours after waking up for Em and I to even work up the energy to make breakfast (happened at noon), and then another few hours to start even thinking about getting ready for our day, which ended up including a trip to the post office. The lady who worked there, also suffering from the heat, was moving at a pace that I have just never experienced before. Sluggish is putting it mildly. Heat just makes everything feel like a work out, even the super tough things in life, like standing up. Tomorrow it's gonna be hotter. I think we're hitting 102º. You'll find me in front of my AC for most of the day. :)

Day 199 has new shades

Check out these fun new nail polish shades! I'm currently rocking the minty green color, creatively called "Light Green." With these options, I'm glad it's summer and I can show off different shades on my toes and fingers.

Day 198 is a hot one!

It was a hot, soupy, humid day in Chicago. Miserably, terribly hot. To add to this joy, the power was out in our apartment for a good chunk of the night so we couldn't use any AC. Ugh!! Thankfully we had a cool place to crash and hang out at until our power went back on. This fantastic (and air conditioned) pad also happened to be the home of my newest best friend. Olive is the sweetest little pup I ever have met and I just love her and want to keep her forever and ever. Isn't she the cutest??

Day 198 is a visionary

As promised, here's a Baltimore photo. We went to the American Visionary Museum. If you've never been, I recommend checking it out. The building is covered in a beautiful mirror mosaic. At the entrance of the museum, is an old school bus, also covered in mirror. It's decked out in weird little items, like this badass rabbit here. I want to recreate this set up in front of my house. Art project!

Day 197 is beautiful

I went to a fantastic little sushi joint right by my apartment for lunch (the sushi was divine), and on our way out I spotted this fancy little mailbox. The sticker just made me so happy. Like a little message of love and happiness injected into your day. How lovely, Chicago.

Day 197 for breakfast

Cinnamon waffle with honey peanut butter and bananas. The perfect quick breakfast before hitting the road. I'm going to Baltimore for the night with my folks. Stay tuned for some travel photos tomorrow! Happy weekend friends!

Day 196 and a view from the top

I took an unexpected ride on the ferris wheel at Navy Pier last night. My fear of heights and general uncomfortableness with being that far up off the ground prevented me from taking more than one pic, but I did manage to take some deep breaths and get this shot. It was actually nice up there when I wasn't focused on being scared out of my mind.

Day 196 and blue skies

It's Friday! Finally! And could this weather be any better? I'm always grateful for blue skies and sun. After a long week, I'm very excited to celebrate a friend's birthday tonight. Drinks, food, laughs? Yes please.

A magical Day 195

I debated between this picture or one of my Gryffindor scarf, which I pretty much started wearing 7 hours before the movie and just never took off. This post is late because I was all wrapped up in HP magic last night and when I finally got to bed at 4am (adrenaline + we found a bug in my room... eeek!) I just didn't have it in me to post. But here you are at last. I hope you all already have plans to see this movie, if not... please make them. Thank you :)

ps. I'm seeing it again tonight in all it's 3D goodness, because that's just the kind of HP fan I am.

Day 195 in a shoe box

I own too much stuff, including shoes. Usually when I get home from work I kick my shoes off near the front door. They tend to pile up. In an effort to be more tidy, I threw them in a box until I find more appropriate storage. In the meantime they will remain in this ridiculous shoe box.

Day 194 is so so so happy!!

My sweet, sweet Emily is here in Chicago! My very first visitor and I couldn't be happier. And look at this fancy bag and jewelry she brought with her. Love. Tomorrow we're throwing on our Dumbledore's Army shirts and rocking the HP midnight showing in total geek fashion, cause we're just that awesome. Yayay!

Day 194 predicts the future

This fortune was in my fortune cookie at dinner tonight. "Your help will be needed in an embarassing situation." I'm just hoping I'm not the one who will be embarassed.

All signs point to Day 193

I went on a bit of a walk tonight for dinner. It seems you have to work to get your Chipotle in this town. (Totally worth it, of course). On the way, I spotted this sign. Which is perfect because I'm pretty sure I had just started complaining that I wished the Chipotle would just deliver to me directly, to matter where I am. That's not a crazy thing to want, right? Right??

Day 193 is not a hoarder

This sweet print is on a paper shopping bag I got the other weekend when I went to the shore. It has been sitting in my room, staring at me ever since. I want to keep it and reuse it for something or other. Part of this instinct probably comes from growing up with an art teacher mother. Obviously this paper bag is an art project waiting to happen! However, I am also an avid watcher of Hoarders. One day I'm saving paper bags, the next I'm finding 36 dead cats in my garage. Who am I kidding, I'm keeping the bag.

Day 192 has a drink

The apartment set up has been slow going. What with all this Harry Potter movie watching I've been doing. But the roomie and I did manage to decide on a cabinet where our booze will live. It's a small collection right now, but we're working on it. Chicago friends, feel free to contribute! :)

Day 192 saw stars

How cute are these ice cubes? They don't really serve any purpose, other than cheering up my beverage. Did I ever mention I won Most Patriotic in 8th grade? I'm still trying to figure that one out. I guess these star ice cubes are just further proof that I love America.

Day 191 is almost there...

Harry Potter week is upon us, friends!! My series re-read has not been going as fast as I'd like, but I still think I'm gonna make it before midnight on Thursday. One of the nice things about not working right now is plenty of reading time.

Day 191 shines a little light

This afternoon my mom and I ate lunch outside on our patio. To keep away the bugs, she lit some citronella candles and put them in these pretty votive holders. It felt like we were at a nice cafe, but cheaper and more convenient!

Day 190 had an oops

In the midst of moving furniture into our apartment, it seems the power went out on a few restaurants on the street next to ours. We all commented that the 5 minutes it took electric crews to arrive was the fastest we had ever seen any city employees work ever in the history of... ya know... the world. Then later on I passed this sign - the victims of the power outage = Potbellys. But at least they were still serving ice cream!

Day 190 digs for treasure

Today my friend and I spent the afternoon at the beach in Belmar. It was absolutely perfect. Though, I did skin my leg nicely while fighting some strong waves. No pictures of that. You're welcome. While sunbathing, my friend and I saw this lady with a metal detector. We were pretty amused. She was really intense. After doing a little unsuccessful digging she disappeared into the horizon. I'm convinced she found a 1978 Cutlass Supreme and drove it home. If you get that reference, I will love you forever.

Day 189 is mesmerized

My new (not yet furnished) Chicago pad is quite close to a train. Sometimes we can hear the train go by, and it's just about my favorite thing ever. I stood under the tracks today to get this picture. The early morning shadows caused some very cool patterns that I was totally digging. ps. I love transit. Can you tell?

Day 189 is back in time

Tonight I went to Nifty Fifty's for dinner. It's exactly what you're picturing - milkshakes, 50s music, greasy food. I suppose it felt authentic. Our waitress' nose ring, however, didn't.

Day 188 the explorer

The Chicago exploring continues today! I've just been doing a lot of unpacking and waiting to hear back about some jobs, so to take a break from such things the only thing to do is go around and get to know my new city. This is a shot from downtown Chicago (you can see the Law School building on the left).

Day 188 loves lamp

I'm having some serious photographers block as of late. A part of me still feels self-conscious taking pictures when I'm out and about - the main reason I'll never be a paparazzi. I hate waiting until the end of the day to take a photo. So for the sake of me getting to bed at a reasonable time, here is a shot of my favorite lampshade. It's from Anthropologie and I love it.

Day 187 heeds this warning

I had to take the train into downtown Chicago today for some meetings and errands and such. It was fantastic. I absolutely fell in love with mass transit in NY and the system they have in Chicago seems to be just as impressive as the MTA. Today I spotted this sign on the train platform. It's fantastic in a quirky "did you really need to remind people of this?" kind of way. I adore it.

Day 187 is a lame tank top

Part of my new gym routine includes figuring out my work-out wardrobe. Typically I wear yoga pants and a tank top. I got this ridiculous little number from Salvation Army a while back for 49 cents. Why would anyone get rid of this Universal Studios Orlando tank top? More importantly, why would anyone buy this Universal Studios Orlando tank top? I feel like this is something Zach Morris or AC Slater would've worn. Maybe that's why I like it.

Day 186 is uncomfortable

Our drive back into Chicago from MI today was full of traffic and weird sitings. This one takes the cake. The logo of this restaurant actually includes a floating Asian baby head. Awkward and hilarious. We laughed for a pretty long time, but then the more we thought about it the more it freaked us out. Michigan... why so strange?

Day 186 needs a hand

My parents are getting a new shed for the backyard, which means cleaning out the old one. Amongst the collection of useless outdoor items were a hula hoop (which I kept and intend to use), more shovels and rakes than any human could need, and these gloves. My dad has them set up on an upside-down stool, for the purpose of drying them after digging in the wet ground. He's a crazy guy. If I saw these as a child I probably would've been terrified of our shed. Floating hands are the stuff nightmares are made of!