This past week has been a bit of challenge, but I would like to try and take the high road and recall those times that were a "learning opportunity" - in the form of a multiple question test
1) You argue with someone how much better your bus route is than theirs and then without fail the next few days it:
a) is so full that you have to wait for 3 buses to pass in order to get on after waiting an hour
b) never shows up when you have a 7:30am meeting
c) breaks down right before you get on Lakeshore Drive.
d) All of the above
2) You return from Christmas vacation ready to start eating healthier and cooking more to save money, you find out that:
a) the friendly neighborhood grocery store is going out of business the last week of January
b) the friendly neighborhood grocery store closes early due to lack of product and hold New Orleans style funeral to mark the closing
c) the replacement friendly neighborhood grocery store won't open until the end of February, leaving a gap of approximately 5 weeks
d) All of the above
3) You have a conversation with your friend about how great it is that the Chicago winter hasn't been that bad and you haven't even gotten sick lately! A week later:
a) Suddenly it's 2 degrees outside, but it "feels" like -15
b) The new knob on your steam heater doesn't turn so you can't turn your heat on in the living room
c) You get a wicked cold so that you can't breathe and everyone at work gives you those "pitying" looks like leprosy is next
d) All of the above
Bonus Question (Please show your work)
You're crossing the bridge over the river at 9:30pm and have to wait for the light to cross. At the same time your bus turns the corner going the other way to your bus stop. It's snowing out with icy sidewalks, you're talking on your phone, a taxi is waiting to peal out in front of you, and Jupiter is in line with Venus. How fast do you have to run to be in the nick of time to just miss your bus? Bonus points if you calculate the weight, velocity, and annoyance of carrying three bags while wearing heels.
DVD update: Good news! I even entered a Borders and entered the electronics section and wasn't tempted! Much...okay, there were some tears...and gnashing of the teeth...and wearing of the sackcloth.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Anti-Fashionista
I love my sister - don't get me wrong. But sometimes being related to the Goodwill fashionista is hard. She blogs about fashion, reads Vogue cover to cover, used to work at an upscale boutique part-time, and can walk into a store and name the brand of clothing without looking at the tag - all while promoting the value of a bargain. The girl has skills.
That said, we agree on some things:
1) White socks and black shoes are not acceptable
2) Tommy Hilfilger has a "me" complex
3) Too tight clothing looks good on no one
But, I am not a fashionista, not by any shape or form of the word. I personally think I dress well, if not a little funky. And I can bargain shop with the best of them - my high school Homecoming dresses never costed more than $10, and I have a $5 Oscar de la Renta blazer in my closet (thanks Goodwill!). I'll look at Vogue if someone throws it at me and I check out Go Fug Yourself like everybody else.
So why, you ask, is it so difficult to be related to the fashionista? Well, my friends, we do have our differences. To me, wearing sweatpants out in public to multiple venues is perfectly acceptable. I rarely wear all black (no little black dress for this girl), and more often than not it looks like Rainbow Bright exploded in the washer when I'm doing my laundry. I wear tye-died shirts and in my free time often wear multiple layers of clothing that doesn't necessarily match. And you couldn't pry my bright green Crocs from my cold dead hands.
That said, I will confess, in a nod to my fashionista sista, that I do have my brand name weaknesses that my soft heart can't say no to:
1) J brand jeans: I own the wide-leg style that premiered last year. Amazing jeans that are incredibly soft, wash well, and make my derriere look amazing - done and done.
2) Kenneth Cole...anything: Timeless style, boots you can wear for hours, dress coats that keep you warm in the Arctic/Chicago, and classic cuts that makes everyone look good!
3) BCBG dresses: Some of their stuff isn't really up my alley, but my chocolate brown jersey full-length formal dress is a testament to BCBG's ability to create a product that can withstand opening galas, public transportation, and the Kennedy Center Honors
Despite my weakness of the above brands, I continue to like clothing that was popular a few years ago (legwarmers), questionable patterns (polka dots with plaid), and styles that have yet to make it to America and be accepted (dresses over pants). I disdain skirts, am horrified of hose, and will run screaming from the designer section of Nordstom. Or fall asleep in one of the chairs while my sis is shopping...either one, really.
So where does that leave me? Probably in my Target fake Uggs with my sister weeping for me in the background.
That said, we agree on some things:
1) White socks and black shoes are not acceptable
2) Tommy Hilfilger has a "me" complex
3) Too tight clothing looks good on no one
But, I am not a fashionista, not by any shape or form of the word. I personally think I dress well, if not a little funky. And I can bargain shop with the best of them - my high school Homecoming dresses never costed more than $10, and I have a $5 Oscar de la Renta blazer in my closet (thanks Goodwill!). I'll look at Vogue if someone throws it at me and I check out Go Fug Yourself like everybody else.
So why, you ask, is it so difficult to be related to the fashionista? Well, my friends, we do have our differences. To me, wearing sweatpants out in public to multiple venues is perfectly acceptable. I rarely wear all black (no little black dress for this girl), and more often than not it looks like Rainbow Bright exploded in the washer when I'm doing my laundry. I wear tye-died shirts and in my free time often wear multiple layers of clothing that doesn't necessarily match. And you couldn't pry my bright green Crocs from my cold dead hands.
That said, I will confess, in a nod to my fashionista sista, that I do have my brand name weaknesses that my soft heart can't say no to:
1) J brand jeans: I own the wide-leg style that premiered last year. Amazing jeans that are incredibly soft, wash well, and make my derriere look amazing - done and done.
2) Kenneth Cole...anything: Timeless style, boots you can wear for hours, dress coats that keep you warm in the Arctic/Chicago, and classic cuts that makes everyone look good!
3) BCBG dresses: Some of their stuff isn't really up my alley, but my chocolate brown jersey full-length formal dress is a testament to BCBG's ability to create a product that can withstand opening galas, public transportation, and the Kennedy Center Honors
Despite my weakness of the above brands, I continue to like clothing that was popular a few years ago (legwarmers), questionable patterns (polka dots with plaid), and styles that have yet to make it to America and be accepted (dresses over pants). I disdain skirts, am horrified of hose, and will run screaming from the designer section of Nordstom. Or fall asleep in one of the chairs while my sis is shopping...either one, really.
So where does that leave me? Probably in my Target fake Uggs with my sister weeping for me in the background.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Choo-choo
According to my mom, I'm not posting often enough...so here goes.
So, for many of you the reason behind the name of my blog is obvious...for others, perhaps not. I am named after a train. The MKT line that used to run through Missouri, Kansas, and Texas (get it? MKT?) was nicknamed the "Katy." The line no longer exists - it is now part of the Union Pacific.
Now, you might be asking yourself - who names their daughter after a train? Well, if your Dad's a train nut - things like that happen. I however, happen to love the story behind my name, so in honor of my Dad, today I'm going to feature some of his stories. He recently wrote up a summary of his experience both of working on the railroad for a couple of summers, and also his hobby of repairing toy trains, as stories for my young cousins, as my aunt is preserving some family history - great idea, eh? So, below, is an excerpt from what my Dad wrote...enjoy:
"For as long as I can remember I have loved trains – the big trains that we see running down the tracks and the small trains (electric trains) that I received for Christmas and which eventually grew into an avocation. I don’t know why I love trains. Maybe it was because my older brothers before me liked them. Maybe because the first small layout we had on a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood was the first real toy I remember seeing. Even though I’m now 56 years old I really can’t get the enough of them...
...At some point when I was in high school I decided I had to work on a real railroad. I just had to find out what it was all about. The chance came between my senior year in high school and my freshman year in college. A couple friends of mine and I went over to Huntington, Indiana and applied for jobs on the track maintenance gang for the Norfolk and Western railroad.
All three of us were hired so we officially became gandy dancers – the railroad slang for track workers. We spent the summer tamping ballast under ties to level the track, replacing old ties and rails, cutting weeds and brush and replacing road crossings. I learned how to spike a rail to a tie using a spike mall. Not an easy thing to learn based on the number of mall handles I broke.
It was a long summer and a lot of hard work. I decided next summer I wanted to work on the trains instead of under them. So, following my freshman year I went over to Peru, Indiana, a division point on the Norfolk and Western and was hired as a brakeman. Up until 1964, this railroad line had been the Wabash railroad, the route of the Cannonball, one of the most famous passenger trains in the US. They were used to running the trains fast and were still doing that when I worked there...
...Sometimes there was danger, something my mother constantly reminded me of. If a person was the second brakeman (or sixth man) on a crew going west that brakeman would get off in Tilton, Illinois. The state of Illinois did not have a full crew law and since the crew’s pay was based on mileage the sixth man got off at Tilton yard instead of going to Decatur so the railroad didn’t have to pay them as much.
I had to do this a number of times. Once I got off the train I would call a taxi which would take me to the Wolford hotel in nearby Danville, Illinois. I could be there an hour or half a day depending on when a train going east needed a second brakeman. Getting back on the train is where the danger came in. If the train didn’t have to set off any cars at Tilton the second brakeman was required to board the train on the “fly” which meant you boarded the train while it was moving. The engineer was supposed to slow the train down to 15 mph or less which someone figured out what the safe speed for boarding a moving train.
One night after a brief stay at the beautiful Wolford (not really) I was back at Tilton waiting for my train which I would be boarding on the fly. As it approached I thought the train was going too fast but in my youthful exuberance decided to board it anyway. Bad decision! As several thousand pounds of moving metal was bearing down on me I grabbed the handrail on the first loco and planted my foot in the corner of the first step as I had done many times before. I instantly knew the train was in fact going too fast. Due to the speed and the momentum of my body I was slammed against the side of the locomotive. For a second, I thought I was a gone for good but gained my composure, slowly pulled myself back around to the steps and climbed up to the cab on the locomotive. It seems the fireman was operating the train that night and the train speed was actually closer to 20 mph. It was a long time before I told my mother about this – several years in fact."
Pretty cool, huh?
**DVD update - I have been a champ - not even tempted even though Borders put all of their single disc DVDS 3 for 2...yes!
**Sugar update - Cats and yoga don't mix. The cobra pose just isn't the same when a cat is rubbing against your arms and purring.
So, for many of you the reason behind the name of my blog is obvious...for others, perhaps not. I am named after a train. The MKT line that used to run through Missouri, Kansas, and Texas (get it? MKT?) was nicknamed the "Katy." The line no longer exists - it is now part of the Union Pacific.
Now, you might be asking yourself - who names their daughter after a train? Well, if your Dad's a train nut - things like that happen. I however, happen to love the story behind my name, so in honor of my Dad, today I'm going to feature some of his stories. He recently wrote up a summary of his experience both of working on the railroad for a couple of summers, and also his hobby of repairing toy trains, as stories for my young cousins, as my aunt is preserving some family history - great idea, eh? So, below, is an excerpt from what my Dad wrote...enjoy:
"For as long as I can remember I have loved trains – the big trains that we see running down the tracks and the small trains (electric trains) that I received for Christmas and which eventually grew into an avocation. I don’t know why I love trains. Maybe it was because my older brothers before me liked them. Maybe because the first small layout we had on a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood was the first real toy I remember seeing. Even though I’m now 56 years old I really can’t get the enough of them...
...At some point when I was in high school I decided I had to work on a real railroad. I just had to find out what it was all about. The chance came between my senior year in high school and my freshman year in college. A couple friends of mine and I went over to Huntington, Indiana and applied for jobs on the track maintenance gang for the Norfolk and Western railroad.
All three of us were hired so we officially became gandy dancers – the railroad slang for track workers. We spent the summer tamping ballast under ties to level the track, replacing old ties and rails, cutting weeds and brush and replacing road crossings. I learned how to spike a rail to a tie using a spike mall. Not an easy thing to learn based on the number of mall handles I broke.
It was a long summer and a lot of hard work. I decided next summer I wanted to work on the trains instead of under them. So, following my freshman year I went over to Peru, Indiana, a division point on the Norfolk and Western and was hired as a brakeman. Up until 1964, this railroad line had been the Wabash railroad, the route of the Cannonball, one of the most famous passenger trains in the US. They were used to running the trains fast and were still doing that when I worked there...
...Sometimes there was danger, something my mother constantly reminded me of. If a person was the second brakeman (or sixth man) on a crew going west that brakeman would get off in Tilton, Illinois. The state of Illinois did not have a full crew law and since the crew’s pay was based on mileage the sixth man got off at Tilton yard instead of going to Decatur so the railroad didn’t have to pay them as much.
I had to do this a number of times. Once I got off the train I would call a taxi which would take me to the Wolford hotel in nearby Danville, Illinois. I could be there an hour or half a day depending on when a train going east needed a second brakeman. Getting back on the train is where the danger came in. If the train didn’t have to set off any cars at Tilton the second brakeman was required to board the train on the “fly” which meant you boarded the train while it was moving. The engineer was supposed to slow the train down to 15 mph or less which someone figured out what the safe speed for boarding a moving train.
One night after a brief stay at the beautiful Wolford (not really) I was back at Tilton waiting for my train which I would be boarding on the fly. As it approached I thought the train was going too fast but in my youthful exuberance decided to board it anyway. Bad decision! As several thousand pounds of moving metal was bearing down on me I grabbed the handrail on the first loco and planted my foot in the corner of the first step as I had done many times before. I instantly knew the train was in fact going too fast. Due to the speed and the momentum of my body I was slammed against the side of the locomotive. For a second, I thought I was a gone for good but gained my composure, slowly pulled myself back around to the steps and climbed up to the cab on the locomotive. It seems the fireman was operating the train that night and the train speed was actually closer to 20 mph. It was a long time before I told my mother about this – several years in fact."
Pretty cool, huh?
**DVD update - I have been a champ - not even tempted even though Borders put all of their single disc DVDS 3 for 2...yes!
**Sugar update - Cats and yoga don't mix. The cobra pose just isn't the same when a cat is rubbing against your arms and purring.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Runaway
Okay then, I am jumping on the bandwagon of some of my fellow bloggers, and doing that whole iTunes shuffle song list thing. As follows:
Rules:
1. Put your iTunes/ music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT
1. If someone says ‘Is this OK?’ you say?
"The Longest Time" Billy Joel
I don't care what consequence it brings
I have been a fool for lesser things
2. What would best describe your personality?
"Method Acting" Bright Eyes
We need some reception, a higher message, just tell us what to fear Because I don't know what tomorrow brings
It is alive with such possibilities
All I know is I feel better when I sing
Burdens are lifted from me
That's my voice rising
3. What do you like in a guy?
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" Metallica
Um, at one time I liked a guy who was a big fan of Metallica, that counts, right?
4. How do you feel today?
"The End" The Doors
Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need...of some...stranger's hand
In a...desperate land
Don't worry, I'm actually in a good mood today:)
5. What is your life’s purpose?
"Dancing Bear" The Mamas & The Papas
Not sure how I feel about this one
6. What is your motto?
"Milkshake" Kelis
My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,
And their like
It's better than yours,
Damn right it's better than yours,
I can teach you,
But I have to charge
Rules:
1. Put your iTunes/ music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT
1. If someone says ‘Is this OK?’ you say?
"The Longest Time" Billy Joel
I don't care what consequence it brings
I have been a fool for lesser things
2. What would best describe your personality?
"Method Acting" Bright Eyes
We need some reception, a higher message, just tell us what to fear Because I don't know what tomorrow brings
It is alive with such possibilities
All I know is I feel better when I sing
Burdens are lifted from me
That's my voice rising
3. What do you like in a guy?
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" Metallica
Um, at one time I liked a guy who was a big fan of Metallica, that counts, right?
4. How do you feel today?
"The End" The Doors
Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need...of some...stranger's hand
In a...desperate land
Don't worry, I'm actually in a good mood today:)
5. What is your life’s purpose?
"Dancing Bear" The Mamas & The Papas
Not sure how I feel about this one
6. What is your motto?
"Milkshake" Kelis
My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,
And their like
It's better than yours,
Damn right it's better than yours,
I can teach you,
But I have to charge
Hahahahaha...
7. What do your friends think of you?
"The Bar is a Beautiful Place" Ryan Adams
And I know my friends they worry about me
I can see it written on their face
But despite anything I might have said before
The bar is a beautiful place
Yeah, that totally doesn't apply to me, really
8. What do you think of your parents?
"Una macchia e qui tutt'ora" (Macbeth)
I guess I think my mom has blood she can't get off her hands? Wait, what?
9. What do you think about very often?
"Refuge (When it's Cold Outside)" John Legend
When it’s cold outside
There’s no need to worry cuz
I’m so warm inside
10. What is 2+2=
"Air (Flower Song)" (Carmen)
Uh, yeah, sure, why not?
11. What do you think of your best friend?
"By the Sea" (Sweeney Todd)
I can hear us wakin,
The breakers breakin,
The seagulls squawkin
“Hoo, hoo”
I do me bakin
Then I go walkin
With you-hoo
I'm good on the vacation stuff, thanks.
12. What do you think of the person you like?
"Son vergin vezzosa" (I puritani)
That's awesome.
13. What is your life story?
"The Wedding Chorale/Beggars at the Feast" (Les Miserables)
Hopefully, I'll be invited rather than a beggar.
14. What do you want to be when you grow up?
"(Them) Changes" Jimi Hendrix
Well my mind is
Goin' through
Them changes
I think I'm goin'out of my mind
Every time you
See me goin' somewhere
I think I could
15. What do you think when you see the person you like?
"What am I Gonna Do With You" Barry White
Stay right there, right there, don’t you move
You don’t know what I’m going through
16. What do your parents think of you?
"Beautiful Disaster" Kelly Clarkson
Obviously, they have a lot of confidence in me.
17. What will you dance to at your wedding?
"I'm Still Standing" Elton John
Once I never could hope to win
You starting down the road leaving me again
The threats you made were meant to cut me down
And if our love was just a circus you’d be a clown by now
This does not bode well for my future
18. What will they play at your funeral?
"In Public" Kelis featuring Nas
I am no way posting these lyrics on a public space, but at my funeral I'll bed dead, so really, this song will work just fine:)
19. What is your hobby/interest?
"Cookie Jar" Jack Johnson
Mmmmmm...cookie
20. What is your biggest secret?
"I Ain't in Checota Anymore" Carrie Underwood
Yep, I"m really from Oklahoma folks - I've been lying all this time.
21. What do you think of your friends?
"Pop Muzik" U2
If you wanna be a gun slinger
Don’t be a rock singer
Eenie meenie miney moe
Anyway you want to go
I try to support my friends in all of their decisions - including being a gun slinger
22. What should you post this as?
"Runaway" Real McCoy
Money, sex in full control, a generation without soul,
Perfect people in a perfect world, behind closed doors all in control,
Life, in a world of luxury, cold cash money mentality,
You gotta keep the faith, you gotta keep the faith,
You better keep the faith and run away
Happy New Year
So, every New Year's Eve, I attempt a resolution. So far, I think I'm at a success rate of 0 out of 15 successfully completed. Something about committing to 365 days of a specific promise just doesn't do it for me. So, this year I decided, inspired by some of my friends, to commit to something for 30 days, one activity for each month - be it taking something away or adding something new to my life. Below are some of my rejected ideas for the month of January:
1) Getting up at 5AM every day to work out before work instead of after: I quickly abandoned this thought when I realized you couldn't pry me from my pillow with the jaws of life anytime before 6:30 - and even that's a struggle.
2) No more celebrity gossip: Please, that was just a stupid idea.
3) Teaching Sugar some tricks: My cat really does his own thing, and I appreciate that - so no changes there.
4) Learning to knit: I have a scarf fetish, so I thought, hey, this would be awesome - but then I realized that I don't have the patience, or easy access to yarn, and knitting needles.
So, given that an ongoing goal for me has been to become more and more fiscally responsible, I decided to make a big sacrifice, nay, and ultimate sacrifice - one where I will truly be held accountable and test my limits of self-sacrifice and control. One where I will struggle everyday and will change my standard of living.
For 30 days I will buy no DVDS.
Now, stop laughing. Okay, seriously - no laughing. I cling to DVDs like a baby to a bottle. Movies feed my soul - the stories, the characters, the emotions - all of it. But, I am now officially bordering on obsession and something has to be done. So, a pox on you Borders and your excellent foreign language selection. Curses to you Amazon and your easy to use checkout process. Stay away from me BarnesandNoble.com - I know your ways.
That said, I'm not cancelling my subscription to Netflix - let's not get crazy. I will now be turning those movies like somehow mailing them back will lead to a cure for cancer. Good thing I can get two at a time.
So now, throughout Janaury, I will keep you updated on my progress of buying no DVDs - the cold sweats, the imsomnia, the withdrawal - I'll let you know.
Until then dear readers, adieu.
1) Getting up at 5AM every day to work out before work instead of after: I quickly abandoned this thought when I realized you couldn't pry me from my pillow with the jaws of life anytime before 6:30 - and even that's a struggle.
2) No more celebrity gossip: Please, that was just a stupid idea.
3) Teaching Sugar some tricks: My cat really does his own thing, and I appreciate that - so no changes there.
4) Learning to knit: I have a scarf fetish, so I thought, hey, this would be awesome - but then I realized that I don't have the patience, or easy access to yarn, and knitting needles.
So, given that an ongoing goal for me has been to become more and more fiscally responsible, I decided to make a big sacrifice, nay, and ultimate sacrifice - one where I will truly be held accountable and test my limits of self-sacrifice and control. One where I will struggle everyday and will change my standard of living.
For 30 days I will buy no DVDS.
Now, stop laughing. Okay, seriously - no laughing. I cling to DVDs like a baby to a bottle. Movies feed my soul - the stories, the characters, the emotions - all of it. But, I am now officially bordering on obsession and something has to be done. So, a pox on you Borders and your excellent foreign language selection. Curses to you Amazon and your easy to use checkout process. Stay away from me BarnesandNoble.com - I know your ways.
That said, I'm not cancelling my subscription to Netflix - let's not get crazy. I will now be turning those movies like somehow mailing them back will lead to a cure for cancer. Good thing I can get two at a time.
So now, throughout Janaury, I will keep you updated on my progress of buying no DVDs - the cold sweats, the imsomnia, the withdrawal - I'll let you know.
Until then dear readers, adieu.
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