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December 30, 2005
neon shines through smoky eyes tonight
This is by far my favorite time of year at work. Everything is quiet. Most people have taken off the time between Christmas and New Year’s. People aren’t in my way. I like the quiet. And it is welcome, as my return from Arkansas always involves a little melancholy. I wish that I lived closer, that I could be around more, that I could help more. 2006, though, will bring more visits (at least one), so that is nice.
The snow has melted in Chicago, but the coldness is still a shock coming from the 60s of Arkansas. I have my usual new year’s new running shoes (I replace them in July and Jan). It is like running on clouds. I love new running shoes. Because I wear the same style, there is little (if any) break-in period.
I finished History of Love on the plane back. It is quite good. I recommend it. It got be back addicted to reading. Now that I have finished my little knitting project, I’m back to my nose being in a book. Currently I’m reading In Case We are Separated. It is quite wonderful so far.
Posted by christina at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)
December 28, 2005
filled for porch boy, who hates to see this space empty
Posted by christina at 6:23 PM | Comments (0)
December 26, 2005
let it snow (not!)
Merry Christmas! As much as I dislike the commercialism of this holiday, I love being home with my family. I love my puppy, who I have taken a million pictures of as usual. I’ve eaten so much. So. Much. But it is the holidays and it is the only time of the year that I’ll just eat chips, salsa, and cheese dip for dinner…oh! and I can’t forget the cheese ball. We’re a bunch of freaks around here, that it for sure.
I do miss porch boy this morning. I always miss him, especially in the bed times. Mainly I miss my nightly foot rub, which for the life of me cannot convience the sistas to do.
Here’s a tip learned from wedding dress shopping… order early. It is taking 3 months to get my dress. I did the shopping early just because I wanted to do it with my mom and sistas. Thank goodness, though, since it is taking so long. So, that’s my wedding tip – order early.
Posted by christina at 11:25 AM | Comments (0)
December 24, 2005
i can hold you in my soul
what i am totally not missing right now.
the weather is so wonderful in hot springs. it was in the 60s both yesterday and today.
Yesterday, all the girls of the family went to the big L.R. for day one of wedding dress shopping. The eighth dress I tried on I loved. We had planed on going to a huge wedding dress store about 2 hours away on Monday. After a short conference, I decided that i really did love that dress, and when in really love something it is hard to draw me away. Plus, i was not real excited to spend that much time in the car on Monday. So we placed the order. I ended up also really loving the shoes they gave me to try on so from head to toe, i am now outfitted for the wedding day. Check check check off the list. makes me happy.
Today the weather was amazing when i ran. Blue skies, free air, surrounded by trees it was awesome. The hills, not so awesome.
Posted by christina at 7:19 PM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2005
shower him with love while he lay in the hay
smokey, the oldest cat in the family.
Ah! Now that I am not on the plane, I totally have a more story about the girl who sat next to me. I was annoyed that I was sitting next to anyone, as my original seat assignment had been in the lone seat row, but was not when I printed my boarding pass. The girl I sat down next too had all the airs of a plane talker. First she had a pile of stuff on her lap when I got to the row. (I was the window.) She was confused about where to put her bag. She asked the flight attendent what she was suppose to do with her bag. Even if she had never flown, did she notice all the people around her putting their bags in the overhead?
She looked very much from Arkansas. I had noticed her in the boarding area talking to random people about how she hadn’t been home in 4 months. (Which leads to the question, how did she get to Chicago, if it appeared that she’d never been on a plane?) Due to my dislike of talkers, I came prepared with my headphone around my neck when I sat down. Once settled, I immediately put on my headphones and put my nose in my book....all signs of – don’t talk to me. I’m not sure I was plain enough because she tried to talk to me! She asked me if she could take her coat off. I looked at her (after pausing the music and asking her to repeat it) and said why are you asking me? She responded, in case I elbow you. I just wanted to say, don’t elbow me. Stand up! (we were still at the gate, so she could have stood up in the aisle.
So the flight pretty much passed with little talking (save for the spelling hints). We were stuck on the tarmac for about 20 mins waiting for a gate. She did start singing the battle hymn of the republic softly while we waited. I understand Christmas tunes or one is the loneliest number (my favorite song to sing softly), but the battle hymn of the republic!
My new favorite website – bloglines.com
Posted by christina at 10:27 AM | Comments (2)
December 22, 2005
they are night zombies!
Porch boy’s harassment of the cat continues
All of the local news stations had broadcast vans at the airport today. It seems that the closer the date get to Christmas, the more people at the airport are news. How are they news? Look – someone with a suitcase! How is this really news in a city full of actual problems including people freezing to death in their apartments because heating cost are up this winter. Instead of working on actual issue, Congress spends its time passing more! tax cuts and then cutting spending for programs that help those that end up freezing to death in their apartment because they cannot afford to pay the heating bill.
Transit workers are not like coal miners. When coal miners strike, only the company loses money. When transit workers work, everyone loses money. This disportionately effects the poor who cannot afford car services and taxis. (Note – I wrote this one the plane. The girl next to me, who I’d been trying to ignore, just asked me what I was trying to spell! I totally knew she was reading over my shouldar, but to admit it and ask me if I wanted her to tell me how to spell it was too much! I told her no thanks.) The poor also have jobs that will “understand” why they can’t get to work, and therefore when they don’t get to work, they don’t get paid. I’m glad to hear that the strike is over. I don’t believe that there will be another strike in my lifetime. I have read such negative backlash from “common” New Yorkers. I did amuse me greatly to see pictures of Bloomburg walking across the bridge.
Pete and J still played, despite the strike.
It is a small jet to little rock. Thank goodness it is a jet, as I expected a turboprop. A jet is quite a bit faster, as porch boy and I found out when we went to Yellowstone. It is just an hour and a half between O’Hare and LIT. This is short compared to the other flights I took last fall. You spend 16 hours on a plane (not parked on the tarmac(insert link)), 1.5 hours is quick. I also timed my airport arrival better this year. I only would have sat at the gate for 30 minutes had our plane not been a tad late. I usually like to get to the aiport 1.5 hours before take-off. After the horror stories that came out of O’Hare’s United Terminal Saturday (check-in lines out the door), I should have padded my arrival. I am flying American and it always has been quick quick quick through check-in and security. I love self-check in. American is really good about staffing the taggers, which was my big complaint with United when we flew to Vermont in June. I could see our printed tags on the printer, but no one was there to put them on.
My main complaint about today is that they changed my seat assignment from when I made the reservation and when I checked it this morning. I am quite annoyed. I almost when to ask, but it was real crazy at the gate, so I just vented to porch boy and was okay with it. Usually it wouldn’t really matter, but the plane as the single seat row, which I orgianally had a seat in. Considering the flight was oversold, I shouldn’t be complaining. The flight took off only 20 minutes late. There is no ice in little rock. Life is good.
Oh! And when I return to porch boy, alllllllllllll of the snow will be melted. Today was the first day we were forcasted to reach the freezing mark. It was nice to run this morning without feeling like I am going to die. My knees, for the record, have a BIG problem with the cold. It was cold (0 wind chill) Tuesday morning. My knees ached all day. Today it was 25 (wind chill 15) - very little aching.
Today during my run I did see something amazing. I sewer line has busted and there was a whole part of the street that was a sheet of ice. I don’t think the cars are going to be able to get out. It is a solid layer of ice beneath their tires. The craziest thing was the two cars next to the break were covered with a solid sheet of ice. Those cars aren’t going to be going anywhere real soon.
Posted by christina at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2005
Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
man harassing cat
I think I have finally gotten to that age where Christmas seems like a footnote to my usual routine. Of course, this is the lull between my childhood love of the season (two weeks off from school! Lots of presents!) and when I have kiddies and puppies to make it a big deal again. I think once I stopped being able to take two weeks off for the holidays, I officially grew up…that and our own Christmas tree.
This week, though, has a frosting of Christmas. I’ve started getting yummy gifts (Ben and I cannot wait on things like this, so we exchanged on the evening after he did his Christmas shopping). I baked sugar cookies this past weekend. They are pretty much awesome. I love the brown crisp ones. Ben loves the white, soft ones. It is perfect.
Last night we helped decorate his fam’s tree. Seriously. I laughed so hard last night. They have a pretty tall tree. It has a history of falling over (they got it a couple days ago). To combat the falling, they tied the tree – with rope! – to the window. It is quite funny. And cosmo, so cute sleep in his chair with his head on the armrest, also makes me laugh. I want a dog. (okay, not really, but in that I really do, but know I don’t have the time right now way.)
I also got in the mail a present with no giver. I think I know who sent it to me.
I’m about to submit an application for my next chapter in life. I am a tad crazy and we’ll just leave it at that.
Posted by christina at 2:17 PM | Comments (1)
December 19, 2005
i'd cheat destiny just to be near you
liz with her knitting projects - one in progress, and the finished on on the table.
Today, I forgot my lunch in my car. My car in by the gym because it was way too cold to run outside this morning. The cold also deterred me from walking outside to get my lunch. Instead I ate the emergency lunch - a tuna salad kit. It was okay. I love tuna, but the mayo they put in there is not good! The most amusing thing about it was the mint. I guess to starkist wants you to combat tuna breath with the mint. Funny, funny.
Posted by christina at 2:28 PM | Comments (0)
December 16, 2005
love love love
congrats to hunk o' man today, as it is his last as a student teacher. He is now considered to be an actual grown up, if advanced degrees can make you grow up. Too bad they don't. tee hee hee.
Anyways, he has a master's now, and a job for the next semester (how grown up is that!). I'll toil away on this little project, as he'll be much more useful to society as he teaches 5 and 6th graders at a private school in these parts that specializes in learning disabilities (his degree).
this week has gone by fast, but has seemed like forever.
i have expensive tastes in chocolate.
Posted by christina at 3:52 PM | Comments (0)
December 14, 2005
this i know
i saw froggy petting kitty cat.
no mistletoe, though.
God does love me, by evidence of the forecasted 2-4 inches of snow today being now "up to one inch of slush".
The lab has been real quite lately, especially the past two days. Today everyone has appeared and the constant people is kinda driving me insane.
Here's my thought of the day. I believe that women would be much more likely to stay in science, if we, as a gender, did not have the characteristic of taking everything so personally. I could revise this and say, I would be much more likely to stay in science if I did not take everything so personally...for example today i caught a mistake in one of our papers that is in proof stage. From the back and forth between macs and pc a mu got lost and changed to m. and therefore a drop that is reall 10-100 microliters was now stated as 10 mL. 10 mL is a WHOLE LOT OF water and i don't think would stay in a whole drop on any surface. So anyone who would think about it would know that 10 mL is wrong. Anyways, i hope that it will get corrected. But it is such a detail that it isn't that big of a deal, but i still feel silly for not catching it before.
Posted by christina at 4:29 PM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2005
chicago is so two years ago
This is our Christmas tree. We got it last Wednesday before all the snow came and covered the earth. I think getting and decorating a Christmas tree is one of the most adult things I do. (Really, at 26, shouldn’t I just accept that I am an adult and do adult things?)
The tree is always fun to decorate. The kitty is always quite interested in the tree we dragged inside.
Wait! Wait! Don’t tell me, was the show we saw taped Thursday (day o’ major snow). It was quite funny. It was interesting to listen to it on the radio Saturday morning as we laid around in bed. My favorite bit was when the host (peter sagel) commented on the “rights” outrage of “taking Christ out of Christmas” that, yes, Jesus was the first person who decided to cut down a tree, drag it in doors, and decorate it. (I’m sure I didn’t repeat that verbatim, so you should check out the show.)
I spent, as usual, the whole weekend in the kitchen. I am crazy. Saturday I made two loaves of bread for our neighbors downstairs. They are the ones with the awesome bulldog. They also have two very young, very cute kids. We found out last week that her cancer has returned. It is quite sad, so I bake, because that’s what I do.
Sunday I made another set of loaves for us and Tom. I also made chicken and dumplings (which Ben had never had). From scratch. Yes. Starting with Fred, the whole chicken. There was stock making, and fat removal, and deboning. Craziness. It turned out quite well, but was SO MUCH work. It was so good though. And there was so much leftover, despite me looking a good third of the stock to a baggie accident. Stupid baggie.
Because of the wrath of God (snow), I had left my car at school since it started snowing on Thursday. Friday night, Tom and I brushed it off so I would not be a big block of ice on Monday. Sunday I brushed it off again (we came up for the gym). Monday morning, Ben dropped me off at it so I could drive it to my dermatologist’s appointment. The remote entry didn’t work. This was the first clue something was amiss. Just inserting the keys in the wheel with the door still opened clued me in that starting the car was not in my future.
It was not. The battery appeared to be dead dead dead.
Ben dropped me off at the doctor and went to student teach. I took the el back (I love the el). When we was done we jumped it. (oh glourious sound of the remote lock working.) I found I had left the map light on. I’ve done it before, but overnight is not enough to run the battery down. Over 3 days, this is enough. (12 volt battery! Why does my car only have a 12 volt battery?)
My car was schedule for an oil change this week anyways, so we just ran it up so they could charge the battery (one should always get a shop to charge the battery when you run it all the way down) and change the oil. And they had it done by 5. It was awesome. I totally did not expect it to be down until today.
The best thing about the el is that when you are carless because of god’s wrath(snow) or dead batteries, you can always get where you are going. This is totally not the case in most places.
Posted by christina at 1:50 PM | Comments (1)
December 12, 2005
riding through the snow
the snow. it has finally defeated me.
Posted by christina at 12:15 PM | Comments (0)
December 9, 2005
twinkle, twinkle
so.
so. much.
so. much. snow.
so. much. snow. on my poor car.
so. much. snow. makes parking my poor car quite difficult.
so. much. snow. drives me to take the train.
so. much. snow. makes me love love love the train.
so. much. snow. can't leave it on my car for fear that it freezes into a big block of ice. must go brush off
so. much. snow. even though i'm leaving it in evanston for the weekend. until you live with
so. much. snow. you can't even imagine living amoung piles and piles of
so. much. snow. that seems more like sand than frozen water. they pile
so. much. snow. in big mounds like dunes on the beach.
Posted by christina at 5:18 PM | Comments (0)
December 8, 2005
all you need is love
mmm, warm,
The Pump and I
Stupid pump, why won’t you pump down?
Change oil.
No good.
Change filter.
No good.
Clean and reset all o-rings.
No help.
Check exhaust line.
Uck, oil redisual everywhere, beside that looks okay.
No help.
Find manual.
Check cap.
No good.
Replace chamber – intake line.
No good.
Curse at pump.
No good.
Read manual.
Decide that I really don’t want to take apart this oil pump if I can help it.
Remember, oh, there is an orphan pump in a random room with the Chung name on it.
Confirm existence.
Loose tea mug.
Get cart.
Bring pump back to lab (it is heavy, hence need for cart).
Change oil.
Oil is clean. How nice.
Change filter.
Filter is clean. How nice.
Connect to chamber.
Turn on.
It is so quiet.
And works.
Yay! I have fixed my problem while avoiding taking apart the oily pump.
Still, due to all the changing, have tracked oil all over the lab.
A day in the life of a research engineer.
Hunk o’ man is taking me out to this tonight
it is suppose to snow 3-6 inches by 5, so we'll see if we don't die first.
Posted by christina at 2:29 PM | Comments (0)
December 7, 2005
Oh hush hush, darling, she might overhear
rock. warm rock. rock on volcano.
This morning was I was driving to the gym the NPR station reported that the temperature was zero (ZERO!!!) with a wind chill of -13. (THAT IS 13 BELOW ZERO).
Of course this is why I was driving to the gym this morning. It was too damn cold to run outside. Even when I am use to running in the cold, this was be my limit (I’ll run as long as the temperature is not below zero). Because this weather just came, I am not use to running in the cold. Usually I get eased into it. I get use to running in the 20s, then the 10s, and then below. This is crazy. Though I did suspect we were going to pay pay pay for the warm fall.
I am kinda on a gym kick right now. I like going backwards on the elliptical. I like reading the entire Time magazine during my workout. My hip does not like not getting iced. So it goes hip. It always hurt more when it get cold anyways. So it goes.
I seems that I should have attributed yesterday’s post. I was writing an e-mail to a high school that I’ve recently become reacquainted with, and though of that poem. It is by William Carlos Williams. I love it. It is so simple, yet rings so true. So much does depend on one simple detail.
I am currently on a big tirade about participating in the legal act of marriage in this country. I am having angst about participating an event that we are only allow to (legally) participate in because we happened to fall in love with people of the opposite sex? It does make me uncomfortable to participate in event in which two people of our wedding party couldn’t do with their significant others. I want people to remember, as they celebrate in our love, those that are unable to do the same. Jewish weddings remember those in their happiness who are not happy. I just want a simple statement somewhere that says something along the lines of “we remember today those that are unable to participate in the legal act of marriage with those they love”. I don’t want to make people uncomfortable, but really, would it? or should I care? It is our wedding and if we believe it, I don't understand why it would people uncomfortable. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable to remember the suffering of the Jewish people. I truly believe that we are treating members of our country as second-class citizens. I cannot stand by and calmly support it (by participating in it) without standing up for other’s rights. It reminds me of a quotation:
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.
Posted by christina at 10:30 AM | Comments (1)
December 6, 2005
hush hush / keep it down now / voices carry
so much depends upon. a red wheel barrow. glazed with rain water. beside the white chickens.
Posted by christina at 2:44 PM | Comments (4)
December 5, 2005
are you telling your friends that you can't live without him?
Yesterday, I really wish I had tom's camera (which has been living with me for many many many months now). We had ben and julie up with their bulldog-boxer mix for football and play time.
The Bears were playing the Packers. The Bears are good this year; the packers are not. The boys watched the game. I participated in my new hobby, which I seem to be getting better at. Julie did the crossword. I love all the papers that come to Cosmo's house. Mostly I have the sunday times..and the coupons. i have this insane desire to cut coupons, which i rarely use. Sigh, I want to use them, but suck on the follow through.
Posted by christina at 3:52 PM | Comments (0)
December 3, 2005
Well I should have told you I sold my soul to an angel
This morning I looked out the window and thought it had snowed when it had not. This is due to the whitish hue the sidewalks get this time of year due to the salt dusting.
We are cosmo sitting this weekend, and man is that dog cute. It is quite convenient as here I am at work. I needed to work today anyways because of all my random mishaps this week. Ah, working with vacuum chamber can be a pain. It is awesome how close cosmo lives to work. It makes it A LOT easier to come in when the drive is 5 minutes.
The whole snow debate this morning centered on me running outside or going upstairs and doing the elliptical. One cannot beat that convenience either. If it had snowed and with my Wilmette route being all sidewalks (and slippery unlike the running trail down in the city), I was planning on going upstairs. But it hadn’t snowed and so I went on my run.
The early arrival of the permanent layer of snow puts me more in the “Christmas sprit” than usual. Though I had the commercialization of Christmas, and therefore it does pain me every year, I am looking forward to getting a tree and decorating the apartment.
Posted by christina at 1:15 PM | Comments (0)
December 1, 2005
do you believe / in what you say
I am a strange, strange person.
Having just put a letter in the mailbox, I lose myself in imaging the letter off on a journey, and how amazing it is that I can put a letter in that box and it can get anywhere (mostly).
10 pm last night:
Him – it is suppose to snow tonight.
Me- nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Him – yes
Me- we are MOVING (winter has officially started with my nightly conversations about other, much better, places we can live where it is not so cold and snowy).
Me – why, oh why, does it have to snow? Why can’t it wait until my day off of running? where’s my pink bag!
Him – oooo does this mean you are going to the gym in the morning (instead of running outside)? I’ll find your bag. (he is anti me falling during running, therefore pro gym where the elliptical comes with handles.)
Me – urmp. (more pondering on better places to live)
This morning:
6:30 am – I look out the back window think…ooooooo, they were wrong, it didn’t snow, i can stay and run down here! Climb back into be for 15 more minutes of warm sleepy sleepy.
6:45 am – get up, dress, and go to the kitchen for some pre-run food. Look outside. It becomes obvious that I was smoking the delusional weed at 6:30. There is about 0.5-1 inches of snow. Decide it is okay to run, I can run on top of that, and at least it isn’t snowing!
6:55 am – put on shoes, look outside again, realize I had been smoking crack all morning, as it was still snowing a fair amount.
Already having committed, and really preferring to run instead of go to the gym I went along my way. It is nice that there are a couple other people also braving the weather for their run. We all kind of look at each other like we are crazy. It is a much harder run, though. Something about the way I run so to decrease the chance of slipping makes it much harder on my legs than a normal run. And of course the snow blowing in eyes didn't help.
It was 60 (60!!) degrees Monday. It snowed last night, and the sista asks me if it is cold!
Sigh. I am so tired. And weird things are happening to my large chamber. I keep blowing electrical outlets. This set-up as been running as is(well, was) for many many years and today it blows 2 outlets. I redistributed the plugs in hopes to avoid it happening again. Probably a good thing, but I wasted another day on silly things.
It is box central at the izzy household as things order off the internet arrive. It was a big internet shopping weekend for me. (Free shipping!) Though, of course, I ended up buying some stuff for myself as i found a bunch of running pants at tar-get.com half price. i couldn't resist $10 running pants, which i really need anyways. and then the yarn. I've finally jumped on that bandwagon. i needed a new hobby to relax me that is NOT cooking. Cooking is relaxing, but not good for the waistline.
Posted by christina at 5:37 PM | Comments (1)