Are We There Yet?

You want to know what the worst thing about Chicago winter is? It isn't the slush, the frigid temps or the gray skies. It is the fact that everywhere you drive within a 5 hour radius has the same damn weather! There is no escape. Flights are often delayed due to inclement conditions, making travel a stressful bust. Road conditions are treacherous from layers of ice, snow and salt making the drive somewhat comparable to navigating a fishing boat on the Bering Sea. The solution? I can be all optimistic here and make a point about how snow is rather lovely and who doesn't love warm sweaters. But I won't. All you can really do is wait it out, and dream of warm weather to come.

So what am I dreaming of, you ask? Let me show you...

Picnics at Ravinia Music Festival. (And yes, bug spray)

Walking around Rome wearing a Panama hat to shield my eyes from the hot July sun.

Flying Lufthansa because saying Lufthansa is just as much fun as getting a warm towel upon boarding the plane.

Camping at Apple River Canyon in northwest Illinois.

Watermelon dripping down your chin

Being creeps and walking through old, beautiful, spooky cemeteries.

Eating a cheeseburger about three times a week with mayo and extra pickles. And Bacon.

Drinking a delicious Salty Dog minus the salt.

Gold Sperry Topsiders. Cuz I like a little flash on my feet.

Camping at Rock Island, WI (for further info pls review the power point I sent out to everyone)

4th Anniversary in Eagle River! Because nothing says love like a Blue Gill fry and some
Spotted Cow.

Reading on the beach. I will finish you, Wind Up Bird Chronicles. I will.

Alaska in June. Though I have never been, I am anticipating our trip will be a lot like this bear you see here.

Gelato while combing the streets of Rome, in my Panama hat, trying to get lost but realizing I know it all too well.

Hot Dogs. With like a million toppings and cooked on the grill.

The Cinque Terre. 'Nuff said.

My beautiful Roma. I will see you soon bb.

Oh yeah, and riding bikes with sharks. Duh.

A Little Diddy About Jen and Diane

Here are two ladies I have been particularly fond of lately. To be honest, I have been fond of Jennifer Aniston for some time now. I know she gets scoffed at for being "boring" and consistently wearing black to awards shows, but hey, the girl knows what works. She dresses smart. She doesn't get caught up in of-the-moment trends. She seems to focus mostly on the fit of the dress. And why shouldn't she? Her body is killer, she works a flawless tan, and her hair is a walking Pantene commercial. She wears the dress, the dress does not wear her. Clean, simple, but always a statement.

It drives me crazy when beautiful women cover themselves with crap. More specifically, ill-fitting crap. Menswear is one thing, and belts can only solve so many problems. Wear clothes that fit! Wear QUALITY fabrics (read: not Forever 21)! Stand up straight and walk out the door owning your look.

Ok that rant is over. I have much more to say on the topic but I will only get myself in trouble. Style and fashion is, to many, a matter of personal preference and opinion. So if one wants to dress in the aforementioned NO's...they have the right to do so. My opinion, however, is that a five year old can fall into a dress up bin and come out looking like a cross between Annie Hall and Lady Gaga. Sloppiness is something we hopefully evolve from as we get older.

Ok, first we have Diane Kruger. Acting skills: TBD (though I personally am a fan of National Treasure.) Boyfriend skills: Maximum high (Pacey wins above all others in the man department.) Style skills: Fierce. The girls can dress. The girl can wear a dress. She is edgy and exciting, yet clean and refined. Her clothes are tailorded to within and inch of her life, and she chooses colors that are both exciting and flattering.

Please enjoy the following photos. Creds at the end.
















Moving on to Jennifer Aniston. Like I said before, she knows what works for her. She doesn't take major risks, but will occassionally get wild with some Alaia's on her feet or a red Valentino or two. She too, looks clean but not overly polished. She wears a pair of shoes more than once. And she looks like she likes to eat buffalo chicken and drink beer. Though she probably doesn't. Or maybe she does because supposedly she works out for about 4 hours every day.

Photo stream. Enjoy.














Photo creds: People.com, GoFugYourself.com and other places.

Dem's Typin' Words

I am constantly thinking of the things I will do to my home once I own a place. Living in a rental is all fine and good, but I teeter back and forth on how much effort/money to put into the place. For instance, I currently live in a small loft space. My bedroom is elevated, and there is room for a small office and dining area under the loft. Before I moved in I had the walls under and above the loft painted in a dark navy blue. At the time, my mother suggested I paint them in black chalkboard paint, but of course I wouldn't hear of it. Now, 8 months later, I am DYING to cover my blue walls in chalkboard bliss. To paint, or not to paint?

Part of my desire to change them comes from some new additions to my place. I recently found a very interesting dining room fixture at Vintage Pine. The artist used tree roots (not sure what kind of tree) and soaked them in water to loosen them up. She then twisted them into unusual shapes and sprayed them orange and yellow. I picked a large orange one, with the intention of spray painting it silver. I think the silver will look better with my white dining room table and gray couch and zinc topped kitchen island.

Pre-silver light fixture:

My dining room table is white, round, and has a nice column base. I have 4 matching chairs, but I am going to switch out 2 of them with 2 Ghost Chairs.

The other new addition is an ottoman/coffee table from Anthropologie. I have been in love with this piece for a while now, and it finally went on sale. It is a little folksy, but the colors are nice and muted, and they really tie the couch with the Barcelona Chair and the dining room fixture together. I also think it will be a nice contrast with the mirrored chest (that is now covered with a TV. Boo. But I still love them both).

Two final things (for right now) that I am in the process of looking for/purchasing are a massive floor length mirror (hopefuly about 70" tall) and a tray for the ottoman. Something simple, not too antique-ish, not too modern. I haven't found a tray that I am crazy about, but I did find a mirror on Craig's List that is berry berry tall, and has a nice thick fram I can gold leaf.

With that being said, below are some images that I send to Justin a couple of times a week.

I am OBSESSED with this alarm clock. It is by Jonas Damon. Alarms clocks are usually one of those items I despise purchasing. Right up there with bras, razor blades and Swiffer refills. But this one is so sleek and refined, that it quenches my noetic thirst - as far as alarm clocks go.


The black and white stripes are painted on the wall, not wallpaper. I also love the brass - yet again.

Lots of words for the 2 people I send my blog to. So here's to Kate who is going to get inked. And Jim who is forced to read this. And for good measure, Little J, because I think I force him to read it too.