After Much Ado

Here's Murph, yes, he's still with us (although under threat of banishment on a daily basis). He's cut back on the gum chewing and farting but is a retriever who doesn't like swimming??? (doesn't he realize his feet are webbed??)

If I Were a Black Man

It's been awhile I know, I know - I just can't bring myself to open the computer at home in the evenings any more unless it's absolutely necessary for work but I will make a renewed effort, consider it my mid-year resolution. I often write posts in my head but then just never get around to actually putting fingers to keypad.
However, I have had this one particular thought in my head for the past couple of weeks so I thought I'd share, I came to the conclusion that if I were a black man I would be Kanye West. Let's think about it, Kanye and I really are leading parallel lives (minus that whole famous rap star thing he has going). Were roughly the same age, from Chicago (or close enough) we both have a stylish yet preppy aesthetic, nice smiles with good teeth, diva attitudes (I would fully be pitching hissy fits like him if I wasn't winning awards for that music) .
Perhaps he and I will cross paths on Michigan Ave. one day and I can share this with him, I'm pretty sure he'd be pumped to have a white, female doppelganger living in Lakeview.
In the meantime though, "what doesn't kill only makes me stronger........"

A Few Random Musings

So last post I said it looked likely that it was adios for the pooch but alas he's still with us and we are living life as doggie parents. I'm 75% happy that we've kept him, along when he was throwing up for six hours straight last week, including a moment when he got up on the couch just for the express intent of throwing up - that was really what sealed the deal for me, nothing says love like cleaning up another's vomit.

A must visit restaurant for all you Chicagoans is Mercat a la Planxa in the Blackstone hotel on south Michigan, a fabulous take on Catalan tapas, I am considering it my de facto job to spread the word on how delicious this place is. We did the tapas sharing thing and I was not disappointed with one dish, go for the classic croquetas, the squid and angel hair pasta in squid's ink, arroz with crab and quail egg (really just but a quail egg on anything and I'll eat it). The sangria is equal parts refreshing and strong and the decor and layout is modern, interesting and inviting to a night out on the town.

Other random points of the week, why do manicurists always have terrible nails? They never have them done, I realize they use their hands for work but you rarely see a hairstylist with ugly hair - manicurists of the world, give yourselves some love.

You'll also notice the fun new color scheme on the b to the l to the o to the g - I certain reader told me that the black background was burning his retinas so I decided not to force him into early Lasik surgery, consider this my good deed for the quarter.

I Think I'm Unfit

So no pictures of the dog posted yet becuase 1) we are really still struggling on whether or not to keep him - it's really a lot of work and such a strain on the lifestyle that I am really just not cut out for (or at least not cut out for sucking it up an dealing with it) so the next few days or so will decide and 2) I still need to haul all my new digital camera gizmos and learn now to download on the new camera.

I give props to people who have dogs and kids, I really don't like the demands on my time, it needs to be on my schedule and the poor guy is still a puppy so he's just being himself. I am hearing the choruses of "I told you so" from my dad and the S.O. in my head already but who knows maybe he'll surprise me and wake up fully trained tomorrow or I'll wake up tomorrow and no longer be selfish (odds are on the dog people).

Fingers crossed that Tiger can pull off a comeback today!

I Don't Say the TV is Tacky and Why My Dog is Like Elf

So I've been adjusting to life with another living creature in the house (the S.O. I've already gotten used to), there have been a few accidents, few chewings and several "let me out at 3a.m. moments" what's great about those though is that I can put him in the cage afterwards - all my sucker friends with those babies can't - ha ha (imagine Nelson laughing voice here). Murphy is the moniker we have bestowed upon the dog, I'm not entirely sure he's a Murphy or if he even knows his name yet but it's the only one we could settle on. So anyways, when on walks with me (and only me) Murphy's favorite thing to do so is find old pieces of gum on the sidewalk or grass and promptly pop them in his mouth, he manages to find several pieces on each walk, leaving me amazed as to the amount of gum that the good people of Chicago are spitting out on a daily basis. We had this gum chewing routine occur so many times already that now he automatically spits it out when I begin to bend down and reach for this mouth, I think him and the Will Ferrell character in Elf would have got along fabulously.

I had a realization while having dinner with friends the other evening, we were discussing the gorgeous ring a mutual friend of our had received for the birth of her son (a very nice push present!) and the guys both commented that they thought it was too large and a little tacky, while the other woman and myself both of course thought it was beautiful and not at all too large. And the difference in opinion between the ladies and the gents got me thinking that while they would think the jewelry was too big (likely because they'd be the one purchasing it for someone) they would never say such a thing about, say, a TV. TVs in the male mind can never be too big, while I frequently think they are too large and overpower a room but since it makes the S.O. an most other males happy we go with it and therefore I think they should do the same with diamonds or any jewelry of the large and sparkly genre!

He's Not Marley But...........

I've been MIA but for one simple reason, we got a dog this past week and I am adjusting to a schedule of constant walks, jumping when there seems to be the slightest hint of an "accident" but it's great, he's cute and sweet but still very much a puppy!! So I promise somes pictures and stories once we get a bit more of a schedule going on. (Hopefully soon!)

Really? All at the same time ?

I feel compelled to share what I have observed on my daily commute. While I have only come across her a handful of times the walking/smoking/reading lady immediately draws my attention whenever I pass her on the sidewalk My question is - why???? I can understanding walking and smoking (well actually I can't because it's horrible and nasty) but they are two activities that aren't entirely strange when paired together, but reading and walking? Is that really the best time to get a few pages in, when cruising in morning rush hour on the sidewalk with hundreds of others THEN pair all three together, picture her, ciggy in one hand and book in another fully engrossed at 8:30a.m. Is she reading the best book ever? Does she have no other free time than during her morning commute - I just don't see how she is compelled to do all three. I can barely managing walking and talking on the cell phone, you don't see me trying to blow bubbles or fly a kite while on the phone. It's weird, I don't get, I want to know why she does it - maybe one day when I've had enough I'll stop and ask her.

Also, just got back from Miami - after a Jennifer Aniston sighting and the sighting of lots o' fake boobs I am back in Midwestern winter. I didn't expect to really like Miami but I am a fan- it's a little fake and ridiculous but the weather (in March) is fabulous and the hotel lounge/bars are beautifully designed - go to the Setai now for dinner and drinks - classy and sexy without being over the top. Michael's Genuine Food & Drink for a non-South Beach destination that is delicious and unpretentious. I couldn't handle it all the time nor in any season where there's massive humidity but I can now see why Will sings his song.