my stripper is amazing. that is all. it took our neighbor 3 years to strip her fireplace. this is how far i am after 4 days. maybe the wood is more difficult. maybe i'll loose my enthusiasm. but look HOW NICE IT LOOKS! i am very proud.
15.7.10
280/365
before allie left, grandma really wanted to show her all the work being done down at the farm. we saw the huge cement circle laid for the new set of bins. we weighed ourselves walking across the truck scale (it was 10 lbs off for me, but that's pretty good considering it usually ways trucks in the tons.) it's so crazy for me all the dryers and bins and stuff my family has- in iowa each small town has like a co-op where all the farmers pool together their money and buy bins and a dryer for the community and they take turns. in PA, you bring your grain to my family, and they'll weigh it and dry it and store it for you. these farmers don't make money milking cows, they do it charging rent.
after seeing this bumper sticker on the office door, i want to go to farmersOnly.com, to see if they're right. i bet i won't get it.
i can't remember if i've posted this on farm pictures before, but when flickr maps it some of them say it's in jefferson township, but this one says "a place with no name" when i say, yes, indeed, it is there, it's labeled "here be dragons."
after seeing this bumper sticker on the office door, i want to go to farmersOnly.com, to see if they're right. i bet i won't get it.
i can't remember if i've posted this on farm pictures before, but when flickr maps it some of them say it's in jefferson township, but this one says "a place with no name" when i say, yes, indeed, it is there, it's labeled "here be dragons."
279/365
wore tie-dye to chuch to yet again invoke my mom. Lisa! hates tie dye, this dress in particular, more than i hate meat, and so wearing it when she's not around is one of the few pleasures i have when i'm missing her. the sermon was all about the freedom we have to worship as we see fit, and allie kept leaning over and saything to me,"i'm not free to stay home! i was forced here by grandma! where's our independence!" when i saw the scripture was from leviticus and galations, i was ready to leave if it got political, but it was unneccessary. it was the passage about the year of jubillee. i was curious how he would make such a liberal passage fit into their conservative mindset, but he glossed right over it, saying "it was probably never followed."
justine and allie and i had a manicure- peticure party that afternoon, as you can see by my blue french manicure- thanks justine! grandpa took us out to the corral where for 5 bucks he bought us all "baby" ice cream cones. the joke is that the baby ones are more than big enough for anyone.
justine and allie and i had a manicure- peticure party that afternoon, as you can see by my blue french manicure- thanks justine! grandpa took us out to the corral where for 5 bucks he bought us all "baby" ice cream cones. the joke is that the baby ones are more than big enough for anyone.
278/365
"together, on our knees, we can win!" says grandma's allied defense fund magnet. "stop the drive for national same-sex 'marriage'." it made me feel not just unwelcome, but really made me miss my mom. she'd help me deface it. i didn't even steal it. it's not that my grandma would even notice, i think she's too blind to even know it's on her fridge, particularly. mom put up with her conservative parents with such grace. apparently my grandma really yelled at my grandpa before we all came. she told him in no uncertain terms he was NOT to bring up any contriversial subjects and was not to argue with the grandchildren. but one day after lunch when we were all sitting around the table, he tried and we all were like, ok, grandpa, bring it on. and what topic did he choose but immigration. i'm like, of all the things. i don't think he even knows any mexicans. meanwhile, i live in chicago, bryce lives in eugene (although wait- i don't think he was there yet) allie in worcester MA, and justine in tallahassee. anyway, the "discussion" or "argument"- depending on how you view such things -wasn't interesting enough to relate here. but thinking about it later, i think i understand why my grandpa did that. i think he missed my mom. he knew how she felt, so strongly, on immigration, and he could count on us to be her voice now that she's gone.
even if it's not true, i really like that version of the strory, and so i'm going to believe in it.
even if it's not true, i really like that version of the strory, and so i'm going to believe in it.
kittens!
these new barn cats are SOOOO CUTE! i would have totally brought one home with me if we didn't already have so many cats. they're adorable even with their gross eye infections and wildness.
4.7.10
kisses
First, can i just say flickr says this photo was taken in "a place with no name." which is hilarious! we went to get ice cream out of aunt deann's and uncle dave's deep freeze and found this guy. when i sent this picture to z's boyfriend, i labeled it "allie is cheating on you already," and he wrote back, "but he's so ugly!"
I think the fish is jealous.
I think the fish is jealous.
277/365
In the "powder room." i thought this was nice because the compound bow, orange hat and fur hat and puffy jacket are all lined up. i am wearing my red shirt and blue necklace and blue barrette for the fourth of july.
276/365
More produce from the garden! my mini garden often gives mini produce, but these beans i grew myself from seeds and look at them! i am so proud. i don't want to go to my grandparents farm for the fourth of july. i want to stay here and bring in the harvest.
2.7.10
275/365
i am glad to be unemployed but i miss my coworkers at Souldier! connie is in a band ReDeMeR and this is their tshirt. it is so cool to have a tshirt with someone i know's face on it! i took this picture for lexie so she would be jelous.
274/365
when did they put up these "next train is "signs at belmont? they are awesome! when will they come to loyola? on my way home from a JOB INTERVIEW! it's at the yarn store where my knitting group meets. i think i'm totally qualified, so i really hope i get it. it's hard to know what to wear for a job interview at a yarn store in the SUMMER. sweaters would be awkward. i think my garden party was a good choice.
273/365
i love owning and being able to do home improvement projects. next up- stripping the fireplace! i had such bad luck stripping paint in my place at cornell towers, i was really worried, but committed. well, i just didn't have the right tools before. this stuff is amazing. three coats and 90 years of paint is gone. it's also fun because, from top to bottom, the fireplace was white, white, eggshell, brick red, metallic gold (!), white, peach and salmon. i'm making good progress- our neighbor did hers and it took her three years. i think i'll get done much faster than that. just wait and see if i'm inspired to do all the wood in our whole house.
272/365
more produce pictures! this tomato was so good! i don't think the other ones are going to get this big, but i am very proud of this one.
271/365
not exactly in order, sorry. There was this terrible storm at rush hour, with tornado sirens and pouring rain and night-dark skies. lisa made it home ok without any lightning or tornadoes hitting her. i had made crepes for dinner and after it cleared up the sky was all these crazy colors. there was a HUGE rainbow and everything looked like it was lit by a giant lightbulb outside. lisa and i enjoyed the garden and played backgammon on the deck after dinner. it was kinda perfect.
1.7.10
270/365
two years ago i broke up with deb the week after pride, so i guess this isn't my first pride with a girlfriend, but it is the first pride i went to with someone i'm planning on spending the rest of my life with. last year i was in NY with my mom for old songs. her buddy bob invited me back, but i decided to do pride this year. lisa and i went to south shore for the dyke march the day before, but i forgot to SP. there are cuter ones of us than this one, but this one has the best signs in it. we were right by the haters, but as you can see they were surrounded by police and rainbow flags and other organizations, so i didn't feel like it was directed at me personally, just me generally. but it was a great place to watch, and see what each float's reaction to them, either the finger or making out or mooning. also, isn't this couple next to us adorable? diversey is a great place to watch the parade. sure, by the end they're all out of beads and stickers, but there were no droopy feathers or sequins, everyone's still dancing, and there are no barriers, thinner crowds, and lots of shade. yay to kristy, lynne and dalice! we'll be hanging with you again next year.
269/365
sleeve face! today's housewifely task was switching the recievers. we have lisa's reciever in the living room because it has surround sound speakers. but something about the inputs is fucked up and and it keeps clicking and it's awful. so i switched it out to my reciever, which has only two speakers, but they are really good ones my dad gave me for my birthday. now that we have a radio in the kitchen, we don't need those in the second bedroom. and now that we can hook computers up to the TV, we don't ever watch movies or tv on my computer. i was checking to see that it's all set up right- as you can see, the roku and dvd player both work. i put this on to check out the turn table. it sounds SO GOOD! back at lucile when my turn table was on top of my fridge, i listened to this album every night when making dinner for like a month. i took another one with "touch" that is better, but it looks wierd because it gives me three arms. i'll have to post that one too.
268/365
salad from the garden! that's cilantro, basil, mesculn, scallion, red leaf, and the FIRST TOMATO OF THE SEASON! the mesculn was grown from seed, all the rest came as plants. the beans in the background are doing well, and they are from seed, though! i am proud of my little garden.
266/365
if i'm leaving for turkey in october i need to get on this passport thing. i've been trying to get pictures for months. it took me like an hour of waiting around walgreens to get them. i'm too paie to be photographed against a white background. it kept going grey so they had to bump up the color on me and it made me yellow. they were stupid and i was really annoyed by the end. and now i've got to get to the post office to mail them off. ugh. so much paperwork.
265/365
the GARDEN! it's growing so well this year. plus i feel like i can have Perennials, things have PLACES. her's my garden gnome, which my mom lugged to chicago in her suitcase, and i painted. i need to wash off his bird crap tear. and the zucchini. this is my last year for growing zucchini. i plant it every year and it never ever fruits. i get all these gorgeous flowers which just fall off, they never really open big. and no fruit. so this is it. next year i am sticking to things i CAN Grow, like lettuce and tomatoes and beans and cauilflower and broccoli and herbs and greens.
264/365
one of the last days waiting at this stupid bus stop. i had good hair. it's getting long so i have to style it, but i think i'm going to grow out my bags. it's been a while since i've had long hair, and the constant cutting my bangs is getting old.
263/365
ok, so not a self portrait. i can't run that fast. lisa! had misplaced her battery charger, and she only got one photo before her camera died. but this is from my last circus school class. i was performing the silk knot routine. we could invite spectators to come watch and lisa! and she said she was very impressed. i hope to get a new job so i can retake the aerial arts class again in the fall.
262/365
Getting ready to go to Lisa's Aunt Susan's wedding. since i was specifially invited by name on the invitation, it seemed like fun to go, and it wasn't that far away, and it's lisa's birthday weekend. there are other pictures of me that are much better views of my garden party shawl which i wore there, and of course ones where i'm much better looking but this is a good picture of the un-photogenic lisa!, and a rare chance to get her on the blog, so i'm using this one.
24.6.10
working on it.
i know, being home all the time i should have lots of pictures for you. i have some, not as many as you'd like, but some. i'll get them captioned and up tomorrow or this weekend. check back soon!
11.6.10
261/365
finally sorta had the dream i was hoping for. there was this big christmas party at our old house on church street. mom had someone's truck and it was filled with all our stuff- like, me and meike and my fellow ennumerators for the census. Meike and amy and jon had been out all day, but it was night, and everyone was crowding into the living room for the christmas party. it was full of christmas lights and people- all over the couch, sitting behind the couch on the radiator in the big front window, by the stereo, on the steps upstairs, everywhere. Nancy Mitchell, mom's roommate from college was there and a guy in a gorilla suit, but now that i'm thinking about it i don't remember where allie was sitting. i was standing next to mom and i told her i was going to miss her so much and then i started to cry like i never did in real life with her, because she said she had enough to deal with without trying to take care of everyone else too. and she started to cry too and we just curled up in a lttle ball on the floor holding each other and crying for a while. and i was thinking how it sucks we only have a few more days together, and tomorrow i'm going to have to take time to talk to her. then i started to wake up and remember that this is always something i put off in dreams. so i told her that i love her and was going to miss her so so much, and i asked her really quick if she had any advice for my future without her, and she started talking but i couldnt hear what she was saying. so i leaned closer and then she said that though she can see the future she can't talk about it. but she would be proud of me no matter what my future looked like. then i woke the rest of the way up. i never figured out how she knew the guy in the gorilla suit.
260/365
oh, look, it's another day, another wait for the bus home from work. it's summer. there are green trees and bare shoulders. right before christmas when mom told me about her bad scans, i was sitting at this very sewing machine thinking about how mom wasn't going to live to see spring, that winter that seemed neverending for me really was the end for her. it's so wierd how the leaves die in the fall and come back in the spring and mom just stays dead. i have 4 more days left of work before i become one of the masses of underemployed. i'm worried about finding a new job, because the initial response has not been good. but i'm not worried about how i'm going to make it work without one, becaue lisa! has been amazingly kind and generous. she assures me it will all work out fine, and i choose to believe her.
259/365
I guess the reason i haven't been taking pictures is i feel i haven't been doing anything of note. i know i only go to souldier 3 days a week, but 1.5 hrs each way (and let's be realistic, i've never gotten home before 6:30) works out to 9 hours on the bus every week. lisa! lives just as far north as i do and doesn't ride that much. and she works full time! i want to write them a long bitter email about all their terrible policies and bad managment choices, to tell them what it feels like to be one of their employees. but it just seems like whining and too much work and they wouldn't listen anyway. the commute is just eaiser for everyone to grasp.
258/365
sometimes your life in the city is like the el and the the tall shiny buildings downtown all lit up by the lake. and sometimes it's like the decaying rat on the sidewalk by the bus stop. i'm going to quit my job. i've been whining about it for too long. i know i can find something else that isn't so far away and that likes it's employees better. i produce quality work and i deserve for that to be acknowleged. blech.
257/365
I know i did a lot of things wrong with my party, but i couldn't help it. i thought the guitar strap place was going to send me to a festival, so i thought i'd have another way to honor mom that weekend. my scrabble party only had one guest. and don't get me wrong, she was a GREAT guest. if i was only gonna have one guest, she's the one to pick. but still. it kinda brought me down. luckily the knitters came over on tuesday and helped eat some of my snack food.
256/365
only a week later. no, i didn't take a single picture in michigan or the week after. knit night again and another picture of the library. no earphone cord in the way this time. i like my knitters a lot. a bunch of them came over on tuesday (again, no picture, i'm warning you this week hasn't been much better) and it was very nice to have them in my house, and give them a chance to meet lisa!. friends are good.
255/365
traveling to lisa's parent's lake house for memorial day weekend in my mom's old car. i know it's 15 years old, but when the car dies too it will be like my last connection to my mom is gone. i really like riding around with lisa in that car. and it's nice to get out of the city. i've been so busy with bags and the census and everything i've been feeling overwhelmed and not very interested in taking pictures. ever since mother's day i've been down.
254/365
i'm not sure what this picture was supposed to be of, but my hand holding my rice bag purse is much more interesting than whatever it was. it's so long ago i can't remember. this bag isn't even a purse anymore, it's a laptop case for lisa's computer. i lined it with faux bunny fur and foam.
253/365
leaving knit night so late and there's still a little bit of light out! i hate this intersection though. crossing congress is always awful. on my way to ch's rock band party. because i am a two-party-on-a-friday-night kinda girl.
252/365
SO HOT! I dressed for AC in the willis tower, not for outside. but CH and i decided to go to the turkish festival after work. i guess it would have been more fun if there had been whirling dirvishes or something, but mostly it was just a couple of vendors selling evil eyes and inlaid backgammon boards. Still, CH and i had fun, and I'm glad i went cause it was advertised everywhere and if Lisa! and i are going to istambul this fall i thought at least one of us should make it there.
23.5.10
251/365
the lilac is out and it smells amazing. most of the lilac in my neighborhood is this butterfly lilac instead of the oldfashioned ones. the blooming trees were beautiful, but now i know spring is really happening. there are robins everywhere, and the bulbs are all done. the roses are getting buds and it makes me miss my mom, the roses almost always bloom for her birthday. i love my little patio garden, but someday i would like to have dirt that's not in containers and be able to grow bushes like raspberies, roses and lilacs. lisa and i have a plan for this. because we like to live up high but it would also be nice to have a house and a yard, it's impossible to get both. but there's a highrise on sheridan road that has a penthouse on the roof that's like a single family home. so we could have a house and a yard all 30 stories up! wouldn't that be so cool? someday, when we're rich.
249/365
I worked in the suburbs today! United airlines is moving their world headquarters to the willis tower, and they threw a fair to get their employees excited about working in the city and they invited the flowershop to have a table so mary and i went and handed out lots of coupons and flyers! hopefully it will be really good for buisness. the flowershop is having a tough time, but i think a lot of that has to do with building occupancy.
the metropolitan club was also there, and they handed out little chocolate willis towers. cool, right?
the metropolitan club was also there, and they handed out little chocolate willis towers. cool, right?
248/365
waiting for the bus again. i really hate the way we get punished for being late to work but we're never allowed to make up the time. we're sent home early or told to take days off or offered overtime totally randomly, with no notice, at the boss's whim. i've never seen anyone manage a small business so poorly. they treat their employees like shit and i don't want to be one of them much longer.
247/365
the first harvest! lettuce and collard greens. the lettuces are coming up really well this year. instead of just planting 8 seeds i sprinkled them all over and now i have a lettuce patch instead of heads- or gangly leaves as i did last year. i'll do the spinach this way next year. or maybe in the fall!
i bought a bunch of things from the garden center, but the mint and the mesclun mix has APHIDS!! booo for pests in my garden! i still need to get tomatoes, basil, and replacement mint, but there will be plenty of time for that when the lettuce goes to seed. lisa started some tomatoes from seed, so we'll see how they do.
i bought a bunch of things from the garden center, but the mint and the mesclun mix has APHIDS!! booo for pests in my garden! i still need to get tomatoes, basil, and replacement mint, but there will be plenty of time for that when the lettuce goes to seed. lisa started some tomatoes from seed, so we'll see how they do.
246/365
i was taking a picture of me at the hyde park bank building because i love the metalwork above the door. this is where my dentist is, and i'd come to the appointment a few minutes early so i thought i'd take a SP. i was a little uncomfortable obviously posing for a SP in such a high traffic area, but really what do i care, i thought, it's not like i know anyone in hyde park. well, the receptionist for the dentist was out front talking on her phone and she caught me taking my SP- this is where i look up when she says "caitlin!" i was still a little embarrased.
16.5.10
244/365
i'm sorry i haven't been posting, I've been really busy lately. the census job was fun when i was just training, but now that i have to do all my other jobs too, it takes up a lot of evenings. then with aerial arts class, therapy, and knit night i only am turning on my computer about once a week. lisa jr chewed through lisa!'s ipod cord and so she steals mine to sync and i need to disasemble my charger every time i want to update.
my emails are piling up. i owe so many people emails, and they weigh on my soul. and while mother's day was no harder than expected, ever since then i've been in the doldrums. blech. i'll try and keep up better with the photos and the posting.
my emails are piling up. i owe so many people emails, and they weigh on my soul. and while mother's day was no harder than expected, ever since then i've been in the doldrums. blech. i'll try and keep up better with the photos and the posting.
243/365
here is mitzi's haircut! she made out well at the hairdressers. I think she is resigned to her fate. Lisa Jr, on the other hand, isn't sure what hit her. she is worried about her new smell and is sort of off balance i think.
242/365
census data is protected under Title 13 of US code. i took an oath of office to protect PII (personally identifiable information) from getting into the hands of evil- only other census workers with a need to know can get at it. not the IRS, not immigration, no one can look at my PII. and LIsa Jr helps me guard it. See how she protects my questionaires from prying eyes? this is also the "before" picture for her haircut this weekend...
241/365
thought i might get some enumerating done, but i had to go to skokie and get re-fingerprinted. hopefully they'll come out this time. i was really bitter about having to go to the suburbs and wait for the stupid busses. but then they told me i was paid for the hours it took to get there and go home too- and suddenly 18.25 an hour to sit on the bus sounded pretty good! plus it was sunny. and i have buster, so i know when it's coming. yay!
27.4.10
240/365
I took my oath of office this morning- i am an offical census employee! you can't get any Personally Identifiable Information from me! I keep your data safe with Title 13 confidentiatlity!
239/365
so maybe she pukes sometimes, and she's the cat most likely to pee in inappropriate places... but ellie, the cat who likes being a pillow, is my favorite. purrrrrr.
238/365
I've been knitting this shawl a long time. mom gave me the pattern from her boss barbara when we were in boston in october. it's something i've put away and gotten back out a lot the past few months, the edging in particular was hard for me to finish. (look at all those leaves! but i am so happy with how it blocked! i want to wear it to lisa's aunt's wedding in 10 days. i just need the right dress.
237/365
SPROUTS! as you can see the aerogarden is all dried up due to a nasty fall while i was away. but the rest of the garden is started! we have lettuces and scallions and chinese broccoli and collards and lots of other things i'm sprouting from seeds. these are zucchini. this is my last year for them. every year i grow nice zucchini leaves and lovely zucchini flowers and never ever have i gotten a zucchini. this year, i am moving on.
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