i'm bad. chum'on!

I'm a fan of lists. There are to-do lists on the back of my phone (most recent: the directions to the Renegade Craft Fair and Metra train times home), random lists like this and this and I think to-do lists played a part in getting me through the last half of my Senior year of college (thanks yearbook room printer paper!). Planner's just don't work. Post-it's work. Printer paper works. I think the point of to-do lists is to enjoy crossing out tasks and feeling like I'm plowing through the list of crazy that happens to be my life.

Oh, know what else doesn't work? Computer task lists don't work. My Gmail list is WAY behind. way.

This just to say (no I'm not going to quote William Carlos Williams) I'm making a new list: How to Be Friendly. I can post, talk, twitter, facebook update as many times as my little heart beats about how I want a group of close friends that are made for me but that doesn't make any appear out of thin air. Taking instruction from the Bible I need to show myself friendly to get friends. Sow friendliness. Reap good friends.

Here's the thing. This is an empty list. It's a growing, living, breathing list cuz I have no idea what to do. Good AT friendship. Bad at getting, maintaining them. I'm actually out of words. If I go any further it starts to sound like a personals ad and horrible rambling, but I will update the list as I go along...

frustrated.

GUESS.what.

I got THESE

they don't FIT.

they're in the MAIL... :(

ok i just wanted to keep in tune with my other entry about them... but anyway yeah 'member how my feet are horrible? i think i actually wear a size 8... but i have a heel that's two sizes long. no joke. and my instep is as thick as a normal persons... CALF. the combination of having hobbit feet (sans the hair) makes for interesting shoe fitting. so all this to say... i couldn't get the dang shoes on yesterday! i waited... stuck my feet in the air cuz according to my mom 'you've been on your feet all day. wait til the morning.' um. no! i got one joker on... and then the other one... and my feet proceeded to tingle haha. i have room in the toe... room in the heel (my fingers are now bruised from getting the heel to go in - 2 size heel. seriously.) but my instep was so TIGHT and i thought it was gonna cut my feet off. so i'm sending off for the next size up... which is the biggest women size they have. *rolls eyes* bah.

i need a Cash for Clunkers program for my gas guzzlin' low down no good wide feet of mine!

say you'll come in soon

was anyone up and about at 6 am this morning? I was and the rolling fog was beautiful. I didn't have a camera but if I can describe the ride home it was... 3 ft of road, white nothingness and a hazy sun. It was like a white out without the snow. It was awesome... and kinda scary when the cars disappeared into the misty mist. (that made me think of Mr. Misty haha)

I don't know why I've been on a stuff kick lately. this is just a random list of stuff this season I think are cool. I always think it's wrong to ask God for the things you want like... a puppy or a bike but really? He wants those things for you! He knows what you want. This is not a resounding endorsement for, "Take all you want and want all you take!" but I think it's ok to like nice things. God calls the flowers more arrayed than most so why can't I be arrayed splendidly as well? haha it's not that important in reality haha but here it is anyways :0)

top to bottom:

TOMS - I may not ever get enough of these - these are Men's Midnight Blue Leaves. my spending logic will always be justified by the fact that i am actually helping children... which is great for the children... and bad for my newly messed up spending logic and bank account.

A Maltese-Poodle mix - otherwise, more famously, known as a Maltipoo, which I can never say with a straight face (can ya really say anything with poo in the name without laughing? poo.). I can forgive the name because he's JUST SO CUTE. His name is Patches... he is a ham and i want him.

A Burberry Tiered Trench in white - classic. It will never go out of style... it's an investment though. a twelve hundred dollar... INVESTMENT. or sacrificial investment.

Emu "Hip" - They're not Uggs! (commence the rejoicing) plus they're cute and I can get my feet into them! sidenote - boots without zippers (whatever! boots WITH zippers) don't like me

The Townie Original 7D - isn't it pretty? can't you see yourself riding one with a basket of flowers and/or groceries from, say, Whole Foods in the front?? Or for general downtown lakeside leisurely adventures? I know I do. Exercise meets vintage style. meets AWESOME.

there ya have it. abby's list of RANDOM. it might roll back into town one day... it might not... like the parking lot circus... you think you know when it's comin but every year you're WRONG...

guess. WHAT.

i got THESE

they in the MAIL

=)

here's a riddle for you. find the answer.

SOCIAL WEEK. (remember how to say it. always remember.)


Wednesday and Thursday I stayed downtown at Anisha's super swank downtown apartment. OK i'm embelleshing a little because it's more south SOUTH Michigan but to me it's still super SWANK. we went to Food Life, Argo, H&M and Filene's by default. it were raining. it was next door to H&M.

we also saw 500 Days of Summer. lurved it. lurved the music. sang along. i'm slowly becoming my mother... don't mock. I enjoyed spending time with her... I really don't talk much! she kept asking what was going thru my head at THAT EXACT MOMENT. usually it's a song but usually it's some irrelevant thought like, "I wonder what other people see when they look in the mirror." or i'm off somewhere dreaming of super swank apartments that i may own one day.

it was a nice social week. friday i had lunch with a friend at a restaurant below my apartment, where they have the best New Orleans pasta evers. haha according to her, "It has the perfect amount of kick. not too hot." and according to me, "well... for black people..." haha

I've decided not to do anymore extraneous spending. like 1 per payday. i have to save for car stuffs? and i can't DO that if i keep... spending all my money haha. this time it's TOMS shoes. I'm hoping the Poe's last til friday otherwise I'm getting the Heller/peace ones. and next time it's Immi & Ingrid (really good names for the cutest puppies ever or cats) and then... nothing haha til Christmas which i'll be MAKING - SLAM!

move me if you want to

ADVENTUUUURE! currently i'm writing this to the tune of "Mountain and the Sea" by good ol' INGRID.

If you are keeping up with me by Faceybook, Twitterbug or wHatnot (and i'm certain you are not because I'm not so interesting.) I keep calling this Social Week. Yeah, well, that's cuz everything social has happened this week. Monday was IKEA and Cheesecake Factory, Tuesday was NOTHIN' - I worked for 8 hours haha. Wednesday/Thursday was my downtown adventure with my bestest Anisha and today was lunch with a friend. so in a series of posts mostly labeled, "ADVENTUUURE!" from Flapjack, who i love in a cartoonish platonic kind of way, you'll hear about:

SOCIAL WEEK. (which is to be said like you'd say, "SLAAAM!" or "some o' yo' momma's BISCUITS.")

Monday: IKEA! Can I just say how awesome of a store IKEA is? I know that it's slowly dismantling everything unique and antique BUT somehow these designers make things that serve more than one purpose. Lamp shades that are artwork, tea-light holders that turn upside down to hold taper candles. A chair that brings happiness because it was only 99 BUCKS. And even the food is good! A meatball is a meatball is a ball. of MEAT. but theirs are SO GOOD! and the dang sparkling pomegranate-apple juice is so awesome some slow lady thought it was sparkling wine. haaaa.

The store itself is specially made NOT to give you a headache after 4 hours of hardcore shop time. It's like ergonomically designed to be light and airy at all times. My mom and I shopped for like 6 years and had three - count them THREE - carts and made it out alive! I go in K-Mart and come out with a massive headache. I hate big stores cuz they seriously put a cramp in my back. Love IKEA. Love it. I got shelves, a pretty lamp (currently adorning this desk), um OH a basket to hold my growing plethora of yarn, a duvet cover (that I secretly wish I got a different color of... WHY did I stick with traditional? oh boob.) and a blanket. OH and a new pillow... for tummy sleepers - that's me!

We even got a chair in my mom's tiny car and after it went in i yelled YAAAAAAAAY! and people stared. OK but seriously? people were trying to STEAL the chair! It was super cheap and really comfy and no joke people were mean muggin! OK, foreign couple at the end of the hallway I SEE YOU. DON'T PLAY LIKE I CAN'T SEE YOU. You better -- stop it! Step away from -- THAT'S NOT EVEN YOUR CART.

vultures.

Then we ate at the Cheesecake Factory to which I've never been. I've only been to Grand Lux and it was really nice! my mom got the most amazing meal and I got the worst.

Note to everyone: don't get a crab cake sandwich when you're expecting something amazing. you'll be super underwhelmed.

Desert made up for it. Get ready. Red. Velvet. Cheesecake. *dies* I KNOW RIGHT?! ugghhhhh. layers of really GOOD red velvet cake and cheesecake. red velvet. cheesecake. it was beautiful. You know how some red velvet cakes are pretty much just... red chocolate cakes? Oh no. not this one. It was real red velvet and the best cake out of cheese ever. i should keep that in mind for a wedding cake. people would kiss each other in excitement.

It was a REALLY good day! oddly relaxing for a Monday. It was like a no-day. You know how days feel like other days? "Today doesn't feel like a Friday it feels like a Tuesday." It didn't feel like ANYday. It was like an un-day. The antithesis of a day of the week. 'Twas awesome.

downtown adventures come soon. a precursor though... I think I'd wanna live downtown if I had a roommate. that way we could get a SWEET place and not have to worry about being mugged ya know? just thoughts...

Ingrid Michaelson - Everybody - Aug 25 - Get the Widget!

always the first star that i find

I'm looking for the perfect blog name. A name that will take me into the future (ya know... not til 80 but... 24 lol). I'm wondering how people come up with their awesome blog names. Blog Con Queso. Snippet & Ink. Oh Happy Day. Halfmama. A Room Somewhere.

Some people (namely, katherine) can come up with awesome names on the spot while I am a ruminator. THE ruminator. The indecisive ruminationator. I think what makes a name stick is the confidence behind it. I'm sure when Presto Bingo started people were like... 'ummm...' but they just stuck with it... backed it up with a good design or something.

So I'm running through the rolodex in my mind to find my favorite quote from anything. My family quotes movies. It's what we do... it's how we communicate most times.
My conversation is made up of
40% The Grinch (the new 2000 one)
20% You've Got Mail
20% a mixture of african american movies - coming to america, brown sugar, two can play that game, most of the madea movies... YES.
5% Scrubs (not a movie but... once a musical episode!)
5% Moonstruck
5% Bolt (a seriously funny movie!)
4% She's the Man (oh. my. gosh. <3)
1% Wall-E (mainly, 'ta-da!')

As you can see I'm a special case and I think this works for me! So alls I gotta DO is find something that people... don't necessarily have to relate to but it fits! ya know?! I don't know if I'll ask for help (though it is TOTALLY welcome) because you helped with the shoe decision - TOMS! just got wait for them to be in STOCK. they're popular! and they almost sound cooler than Chucks.
"Those YOUR TOMS?" *looks down in admiration* "oh yeah... AND i helped... THE WORLD."
i mean you're virtually Brangelina.

The Adventurous Me. wasn't workin. so the title of the blog may change a few times in my search. as my mom says, "I gotta live with it for a while." the current one is from You've Got Mail:
Joe Fox - "Sorry... It wasn't personal..."
Kathleen Kelly - "I know it wasn't... but what is so WRONG with being personal??? I mean if anything it oughtta beGIN by being personal."
it's the part where she has a cold and when she says 'personal' it sounds like 'persidal'. I thought about Being Persidal haha... which I like, if I do say so myself. If Darly Bird can do it... why can't I?

one for one

I've been thinking about getting a pair of TOMS shoes. I've also been thinking about getting a pair of Chucks. They're about equal in price... so help me DECIDE.

IN THIS CORNER... WE HAAVE CONVERSE "CHUCK TAYLOR" ALL STARS SPECIALTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYLO TOP!

and iiin THIS CORNER WE HAVE TOMS SHOES MADE BY A GUY NOT NAMMMMMMMED TOM! (shoes by blake.)

one shoe is world renowned for getting you the reputation that you are a semi-rockstar. 'mmm. are those your Chucks?' *looks down non-chalantly* 'mmm. them's MY Chucks.' rock staaaaar!

the other shoe is known for delivering shoes all over the world to children in need. buy their shoes, they give a pair to a child. the more people buy the more they can give. plus they have a giant TOMS SHOES label on the back. no one even has to ask.

These styles are the two I'm potentially looking at. I love the weirdo grafitti AWESOME of the one and the second is called Emily Dickens. right? enough said!

both are oddly comfortable, to be broken in by loving feet and NOT to be worn in the rain but you will anyway. because of the love.

I'm leaning towards TOMS shoes just cuz they seriously look great... not that chucks aren't but you get a pair of shoes AND ya help people.

decision time!

now it's time to listen to women complain about paying too much for hair care. if it's not one thing it's their mother.

blind mary marry me

Havin' fun listening to Gnarls Barkley's Odd Couple before I work on this logo.

I bought 21 Sharpies today for 8 bucks! 8! that's... FREE for Sharpieworld!

I promptly color coded them and my mom said I looked like a 1st grader. It's possible... my hair is curly today... kinda sticks out in places. My tongue also sticks out when I'm concentrating. Old habits die hard man... I put them in my Sharpie Pot I jankily made in ceramics to "mirror" my Pen Pot... professionally made haha. Oh, and it holds my remote for easy access to the sleep button.

I went into the city with my mom today. I don't know what it is about Chicago that gives me a little thrill inside every time we drive towards the skyline and past the grand museums. Makes me sit up straighter and soak everything in even though I'm there a lot. I can't get enough of the tall, tall, sparkling buildings next to the sparkling lake and miles of flowers and foliage in the middle. How is that not awe inspiring?

Had an awesome conversation earlier today with an older lady in the library about Adriana Trigiani. We both turned in our summer reading lists - clearly we're awesome - and her favorite starred book was Very Valentine. Mine was On Rue Tatin. Instant friends. She smelled like Mrs. Smith, who used to live next to me and give me DumDums every day. I also have an embarrassing story about her front yard but I'm gonna cut off this stream of consciousness for now.