Day 293 is a Gozer worshipper

I nearly lost it when I heard Ghostbusters was going to be re-released in theaters this fall. It's playing for three nights only (last Thursday, tonight and next Thursday). I was more than a little excited to see it on the big screen, as it came out in '84, pre-Katie. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, Louis Tully running out of Central Park, "I collect spores, molds and fungus" - what a great movie-going experience!

Day 292 can whistle

One of the upsides to being disorganized is discovering things I forgot I owned. Like this necklace. It's a cheap little number from Forever 21. I love the pattern and length. Plus, I can use the whistle if I'm ever in a jam!

Day 291, boo!

Here's another glimpse at my mom's Halloween decorating prowess. A ceramic ghost with a tealight candle, now hanging from a tree. Boo!

Day 292 knows the best part of waking up

I had the kind of night that demanded the first thing I do this morning was make coffee. Before anything else was done, said, turned on, moved, etc.... coffee was to be had. I'm sure you understand this, fellow coffee drinkers. Also lesson learned that going out on a week night will not, in fact, be less intense than going out on a weekend. I was all wrong in that assumption. Here's a top view of my french press with some fresh beans ready to be freshly... pressed? You get what I mean.

Day 291 can't do that....

I apologize for the poor image quality. (Click the pic to zoom and get a better look). Basically an impromptu game of limbo started at a bar last night. It was all fun and games until they reached the 20 inches off the floor stage of the game. Then everyone in the bar was like "no way". But we were wrong. One lone soul attempted, and conquered. Actual cheers erupted. It was fantastic.

Day 290 buys local

I really, really love the Goose Island brewery beers. They're in all the bars and stores here, and are well loved by the locals. And since I'm trying to be a local, I've totally hopped on the bandwagon. And it was a great decision. The 312 is my absolute favorite. But coming in a close second is their Fall Harvest Ale, which I just tried for the first time the other day. Yum!

Day 290 is a tree pin

I bought this weird little tree pin at a flea market, surprise surprise. I feel like it jazzes up my jacket a bit. Maybe I'll chop down a few branches and make one from scratch!

Day 289 turns into a pumpkin

My good friend Sarah had a surprise birthday party for her mom today - it was a wonderful celebration! She did a great job party planning. Most importantly, her mom was surprised. Also, Sarah baked these pumpkin cakes! I can't even begin to think how to bake something so adorable. She's such a crafty lady!

Day 288 loves foliage

Another thing I love about autumn? FOLIAGE! Bucks County is especially beautiful at this time of year. I loved the way the sun hit this particular tree. So many leaves! It'll be a sad day when they fall.

Day 289 = roomie day!

Even though we live together, I hardly ever get to see my roomie. We decided that Sundays are roomie dinner (if not all day) days. Today was an all day roomie day. Wake up time? Noon. Breakfast? A feast prepared just for me! A bit of napping and video game playing during the middle of the day, and then dinner. FYI kids - I'm quite the chef. I tried a new chicken parm recipe tonight, and it knocked their socks off (we had guests at our roomie dinner!). Just like my chili - lives were changed. Homemade sauce, pan fried chicken, sautéed zucchini. BAM. I'm literally waiting for the Food Network to call me up and offer me my own show. Should be any second now.... waiting.... waiting.... I'll let you know when it happens.

Day 288 does sushi right

Saturday was "get to know your neighborhood" night. Kicked it off with some drinks, then sushi up the road, followed by a nice sampling of some of the bars positioned just a few hundred feet from my front door. Best to get to know these places now before the winter. So back to the sushi. It was sushi because I when am I not eating sushi lately? We ordered all of the things. I mean... all of them. The waitress loved us. We just kept ordering more and more delicious sushi and dessert! Eeek the dessert was just so good! I talk about food a lot, huh?

Day 287 loves love. Ya know?

This is the view from my back porch. During sunset it's all kinds of spectacular. When I snapped this I was on my way to do some rogue photographing of two dear friends engagement. It's exactly what you're imagining. I hid in the bushes/trees in a park across from "the spot". It was dark and there were scary noises coming from the bushes but I persevered in the name of Love, damnit! It all went down smoothly and, phew!, she said "yes". Sigh... Love is wonderful.

Day 286 does it family style

BAM. This happened. Thursday was part 2 of what we're now calling "family dinner". It's the greatest. I'm a fan. It means I get to eat food with my friends, and pretty much nothing makes me happier than that. I made a chili. It changed lives. VA made these crazy awesome cookie bowls. (See mine sans chocolate chips in the back. Awww yeah.) They baked a little, well.... crazy. But were seriously delicious so it didn't matter. The food and the company was just top notch. Family dinners ftw.

Day 287 likes your 'stache

My friend had a birthday party tonight. Someone brought these wonderful fake moustaches, as it was a costume party. I may or may not have worn one after a few drinks. The one I wore "The Snob" should obviously be called "The Hitler."

Sidenote: The screen on my camera started to act a littly funky shortly after I took this photo. So, apologies in advance if the next day or two of posts are late. That is, later than I've been posting recently...

Day 286 is a chicken (salad)

After having chicken for dinner, I had a ton of leftovers. So, I made chicken salad! With red grapes, celery, mayo and just a tiny bit of cinnamon. No recipe, because they make me nervous.

Day 285 can see the stars

The moon tonight is really really great. I don't think it's a full moon, but it's close. It is gigantic in the sky though. Also tonight I just realized you can see the stars in Chicago. The previous two cities I lived in, that didn't happen! NYC - dirty air, pollution, etc... Seattle - clouds, rain, etc... I feel a little spoiled by this new development!

Day 284 is sticking around

Remember this? It's literally still happening. At this point it's just fascinating and fantastic. Fascinatingly fantastic if you will. It's location has moved ever so slightly in the past few days. But thinking about allllll the people who must walk by it each day, it's still there?? Really?? Kinda cool.

Day 285 sounds exactly like Jackie, that's fantastic!

I may or may not have purposely slowed down at a yellow light on my way home to catch the rest of Jackie Wilson's Higher and Higher. Thank you XM radio! If this song doesn't make you think of the Statue of Liberty, pink slime and Bill Murray, then we can't be friends.

Day 284, game on!

Well friends, I joined a kickball league! Tonight was our first game and it was super fun, even though we lost 10-6. I left my camera in the car, as I didn't know what the field situation was going to be. So an action shot will have to wait until the next game. But in the meantime, here's my team shirt. Philly Sports Network doesn't mess around!

Day 283 is a dancing queen

Seems I've danced my way through another pair of jeans. I didn't notice this until this morning - which makes me slightly nervous as I was wearing these jeans all of yesterday and noticed nothing all day. Was I walking around all day with a giant hole in my jeans? Potentially. Do I want to know if that really happened. Nope. A replacement pair is on the way. Let's see how long until I dance through those!

A perfect Day 282 sunset

This was what we were greeted with upon returning to Chicago on Sunday. A gorgeous sunset, clear sky and warm evening. Pretty divine. I really love that I get to call this place home.

Day 281 says "I do"!!

One of my best friends since HS walked down the aisle this weekend and I was so honored to be there to celebrate with her and her family. She was simply stunning, everything was perfect, and the best part? She didn't stop smiling the entire day. Sigh. Isn't love grand? Love you, manda!!


ps. BONUS ROUND! Us 3 kids all went to HS together. Reunion, what what!

Day 280 is crunchy

Fall colors everywhere! The Chicago sidewalks are covered in orange and red and yellow leaves and it's quite stunning (and crunchy!).

ps. Can you accept my late post apologies?? I just got back from a fun filled weekend in GA and the post-wedding partying recovery has been rough. Working on it!

Day 283 is spacey

I got home from work later than expected tonight. After eating a delicious sandwich, I decided to go to the gym. Despite fighting an oncoming cold, it felt good to work out! I parked under this light and thought it looked a little spaceship-y from my car. Maybe it's the cold meds working?

Day 282 likes fresh flowers

To match this unseasonably warm weather, here's some cute flowers! Zinnias are one of my favorite types of flowers and mums are just autumny. That's all.

Day 281 celebrates Fallsington

Today marked one of my favorite autumn days in Bucks County - Fallsington Day. It's a celebration of historic Fallsington. It features flea markets, crafts, autumn treats and more! The weather was beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed buying things I didn't need and eating funnel cake. It was a great day. Only 364 days until the next Fallsington Day!

Day 280 did not get slimed

My friends and I made a quick stop at the grocery store. My eyes went straight to this toy crane machine with a stuffed Slimer doll. I know, I know - it doesn't really look like Slimer. But the Ghostbusters tag on his little arm assured me that it was. If you know me, you know I love Ghostbusters. Love it. My one friend, who admittedly is a bit of a gambler, tried her luck at the machine. We each threw in some money, as she got really close to winning Slimer for me. No such luck! But it was fun to give it a try. You win this round, Slimer.

Day 279 is a good witch

And the Halloween/autumn decorating continues... Just a little ceramic witch's shoe to spice up this tree!

Day 279 was in great company!

I was treated to a simply incredible dinner tonight, courtesy of my Uncle Greg who happened to be in Chicago this weekend on business. Somehow I knocked it out of the park with restaurant choice. Everything was perfect, including the funny little coincidence of my Uncle having grown up in the same small Italian town where the Chef was from. This translated into food showing up at our table "gift from the chef!". Sweet jesus, I didn't realize that happened in real life! Our final treats were these two desserts. One of them was a deconstructed carrot cake that certainly made a carrot cake lover out of me. The second was some kind of apple fritter/bacon/ice cream situation. Oh yeah, I said bacon. Going forward I'm going to require all my desserts to have bacon. Cause why not?

Day 278 is lost and not yet found

This book has been on the ground for 3 days now. I finally decided to take a picture of this poor forgotten thing. I'm kind of hoping the owner walks by it by chance in a week and finds their book. But I hope no one pees on it or something in the meantime. Those thoughts have kept me from touching or moving the book. My roomie and I have been texting each other every day that it's still there. A simple "Snow Crash!" and I know the book hasn't moved. I guess that is kind of weird...

Day 278 in print

I really dig the print of my new shirt. It's sheer, so I wore it with a black camisole. A perfect choice for the not-quite-autumn-yet weather we had today.

Day 277 is a fake apple

Have you ever had one of these, Caramel Apple Pops, from the same company that makes Tootsie rolls? If you haven't (you're missing out), they are green apple candy covered with chewy caramel. Not as good as an actual caramel apple, like the one from Day 263, but a pretty good substitute!

Day 277 and the leaves are fallin

Fall indeed! I love crunchy leaves on the sidewalk. I love the colors and the feeling and the coziness that Fall brings. I've been warned that Chicago doesn't have much of a fall. Apparently the weather here likes to do a smooth side right into winter, so I'm enjoying this scene while it's here. Woot.

Day 276 work work work.

Look familiar? Well 1) my favorite mug made it with my from Seattle to Chicago. And 2) I'm back in the thick of things working like a crazy person. Deadlines like to come at you all at once, huh? It's certainly a conspiracy. Not that I don't mind a few days of nothingness. It's when those days are sandwiched between two weeks of absolute insanity that I kind of wish it all could have been planned better. So anyway, this has been my morning (and afternoon) view for the past few days. I don't quite see an end in sight just yet. I'll keep you all posted.

Day 276 is brown-bagging it, sorta

I try, often unsuccessfully, to bring lunch to work. It usually doesn't happen, unless I get it ready the night before. Hence, the "often unsuccessful" part. The lunches I pack tend to be healthier and obviously cheaper. This week I'm trying to manage my time well and get things done. And I'm starting with lunch. How can I not want to pack a lunch when it's in my adorable lunch bag?

Day 275 is delectable

Look at this. This. Magic. Chocolatey, gooey, perfection. We had roomie (+1!) dinner tonight and it was simply wonderful. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of the incredible entree I made, it was on the plate and gone within seconds... so I guess it was good? :) But my awesome roomie made this lava sensation for dessert. It was incredible. I could eat 5 more. But I won't. Maybe. No promises.

The sun will come out on Day 274

It's been a rainy, Seattle-esque mess in Chicago for the past week. It actually wasn't terrible since it gave me the chance to wear in my new Fall/Winter boots, but I was pretty excited to see the sunshine return this weekend. This upcoming week will be warmer in Chicago. But you know where it's much warmer? Georgia. Where I'll be next weekend to see one of my dearest friends say "I do". A week away, but I'm already SO FREAKING EXCITED!!

Day 273, Go Blackhawks!

On Friday I got lucky enough to get one of the "hottest tickets in town", the Chicago Blackhawks. It was so fun! I was learning about hockey as I was watching (apparently watching a lot of Mighty Ducks doesn't mean you know much about hockey. Who knew?!) The game was awesome, the drinks were plenty, and the company was great. Thanks again, VA!

Day 275 enjoys cider

Today I went to a local orchard, Styer's. While there I had some hot apple cider, which was so delicious that I needed to buy a container to take home. So good! Another favorite autumn treat.

Day 274 with chai

Dreary, chilly day and all I feel like doing is cozying up with some tea and a good book or movie. Party animal.

Day 273, or Day 270 redux

Does this look familiar? After getting dinner with some friends I, once again, was stopped in my tracks by a praying mantis. Twice in one week! Though, in different parts of town, so not likely the same bug. However, this time my praying mantis friend did not stare me down. He was taking a little nap! Adorable!

Day 272, the U!

This is the year of Philly firsts for me. A few weeks ago, my first Phillies game. Tonight, my first Union game! It was a blast! My friends and I were in the section with the serious fans, Sons of Ben. The night included singing, scarves, Union chants, obsenities galore, flipping off visiting DC United fans and finally a 3-2 win! While I've never been a big soccer fan, I was thoroughly converted after the Union game. We're already planning a trip to the next game. Come on the U!

Day 272 is here already?

I was walking down a quiet little street today, not really noticing anything around me until I looked up and saw pumpkins. And the next house... pumpkins. And then suddenly I notice I'm on a pumpkin lined street. It's some kind of Fall pumpkin conspiracy. Or there was a pumpkin festival that I just missed. But whoa. Whoa. I know it's been mid 50ºs and autumn-ish here for about two weeks, but whoa. Saying goodbye to summer never really gets easy, I guess. In the meantime, bring on the pumpkins?

Day 271 is addicted

No, not to this flower, silly. This is  soy sauce and a flower on the tables at the sushi restaurant I've been frequenting lately. Addicted to Sushi. We've heard this story before, right? I know, I know. But you guys. It's so good. I've had it 3 times this week. That's kind of crazy I guess. I think my record was 5 days in one week when I was in Seattle. See, I'm controlling myself. Except, I can't promise I wont be having it tomorrow as well. I AM SO WEAK.

Day 271 dresses accordingly

This is my favorite new autumn-colored shirt. Isn't it a great print? I bought it about two weeks ago at Forever 21 and have already been overwearing it. Plus, it's perfect for the indian summer (is that politically incorrect??) weather we've been having recently!

Day 270 wishes you a happy birthday!

Have you all already met Irving? He's a star. A traveling mouse that has found his way into much of Europe, most of the US, bridal showers, weddings, road-trips - you name it! Today is his birthday. At least it is according to facebook. We made a birthday hat for him at breakfast. Adorbs, right?

Day 269 sitting on the Lake

One half of my visiting party left on Monday morning. Twas quite sad. The rest of the day was spent down in the city, walking along the lake, talking to seagulls and watching the sailboats. Pretty splendid. The blue clouds even came out for a minute or two here and there. We managed to avoid the predicted rain for the entire day, which was perfect since umbrellas were forgotten at home. Oops! Worked out well for us though!

Day 270, are you looking at me?

Today I was quite literally stopped in my tracks while running an errand. I was walking down the sidewalk, minding my own business when I saw this little guy in my path. I fumbled for my camera in my purse, then slowly creeped in to take a picture. It wasn't until I got very close that I realized my praying mantis friend had turned its head, staring at me. Yikes! After I got this shot I backed off and we went our separate ways. Whew!

Day 269 is tasty

Mondays are so much more manageable with Tastykakes. The only thing making their Juniors Halloweenie is putting the word "Jack-o-Lantern" in front. Whatever - I'll take it.