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.

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

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.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

So, as I venture home this weekend, I would like to reflect back on the weekend before and my adventures in Washington, DC. Now, it was a weekend filled with seeing my sister, throwing a party, attending a party, messing with cats, shopping for things I don't need, having lunch with busboys and poets, seeing old friends, watching movies, reading gossip magazines, rolling in the Goodwill van, and finding out that I don't really miss the city aside from the occasional visit.

But what will make me remember this trip a year from now, was the massive effort it took to get from O'Hare airport to my apartment the Sunday I arrived back in Chicago. Let me preface this tale of woe with the fact that it took longer for me to get from the northside of Chicago to the southside, than it did for me to travel from DC back to Chicago in the first place.

Let's start with the ill-begotten notion, when talking to my Dad, that it wouldn't take more than a little over an hour, maybe 1.5 hours to get home from the airport. I hop on the blue line ready to zone out until we hit the loop when suddenly, post-departure, someone from the CTA announces that the blue line is under repair and everyone has to get off at Cumberland (about 2 stops from the airport), board a shuttle bus that will stop at Harlem and then drop us off at Jefferson park (2 stops down) to reboard the train. Fine, whatever - I only had carry-ons with me and was traveling light. Too bad the princess in front of me decided that she had needed two huge suitcases, and a bag, and decided to throw a fit all they way to the bus, on the bus, and during the entire bus ride, and again afterwards. She can't handle all of her crap and halfway back the bus announces that she can't go any farther. She kept going, though. I'm not sure why, maybe in the spirit of goodwill, maybe due to the fact that one should always head towards the back of the bus, maybe because I was right behind her glaring like I was a serial killer - not sure, really.

Anyway, 30 minutes later, we're back at the train station and 20 minutes after that the train actually arrives. I get downtown, go above ground and race towards my bus stop - yes, so close to home, and warmth!

Except for the fact that as I was rounding the corner, my bus flew by and I had to wait another 20 minutes for the next one to come. By this time I was tired and had salt all over my jeans from the various transfers in the snow.

Anyway, my ambitious plans of flying in, making some dinner, cleaning, and doing laundry turned into a $2 slice of pizza, messing with my cat, and going to bed early. I know, you're jealous, right?

In the end it only took my almost 2.5 hours to get home - that's not bad right.

Oh, and to the princess on the bus - one word for you - taxi.

Things Remembered

So, Christmas always makes me nostalgic. Not necessarily for past Christmases, but for growing up in Indy. Knock Indiana if you like (and many moviemakers/songwriters/TV writers do), but it's truly good times. So in honor of my nostalgia, and of Christmas, here is my Top 10 things I miss from growing up (not necessarily in order).
10) Shooting hoops with my Dad in the evenings - and him waiting 30 minutes until I could make a hook shot.
9) Coming inside the house to the air-conditioning after a long tennis match.
8) Christmas bazaars at my church and the high school with my Mom and Sis when I was younger
7) 4-H County Fair - mmmm....elephant ear with extra butter
6) The smell of the grass right after it was cut
5) Breadsticks and cheese at the Noble Romans with friends
4) Thursday night marching band practice in the fall
3) High school basketball games in the winter
2) Getting up on 5am on Saturdays to go to speech contests (bonus points for Mom getting up with me to clear the ice from the car)
1) Laying in the bench swing as the sun sets on my Grandparents' farm

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

So, yesterday, bright and early, I packed for the day including gym clothes for when my work day was over. I had gone the day before and was determined to overcome my overwhelming hatred of everything gym-like and actually make use of my year membership. I'm not sure what it is about the gym that I dislike so much - I've tried for years to adjust. Maybe it's the mass of people on quasi-torture like machines stuffed in spandex looking like they're in pain or having birth. Maybe it's knowing that I have to wait in line to actually become that person myself. Maybe it's just aesthetically crappy.

Either way, by the end of the day yesterday, I had completely talked myself out of going to the gym. The weather was crappy and I was tired. Yet as I hopped on the #6 bus, the guilt began to gather. I had promised myself that I would really try to keep going, and here I was on Wednesday skipping out. So as soon as I got to my apartment I changed into workout clothes, and spent 1/2 hour doing lunges, situps, medicine ball work, and pushups. Yet, at the end, the guilt was even worse - saturating my comfortable apartment and forcing me into my warmest clothes to go for a run/walk outside in 3 inches of snow. As I grabbed my Ipod, I looked over to my chubby kitty. He was on his back, tummy in the air, licking his favorite green fur toy - oblivious to my need to exercise.

It started, really, as an exercise in futility. Snow and ice everywhere. But stubborness prevailed, and I managed a workout of about 40 minutes - I decided when two cars slid on the ice and collided about 5 feet from me, that I'd had enough.

I also had a minor, if significant, epiphany. A major reason that I detest the gym so much is because of the monotony. You run, but you don't go anywhere. You don't talk to anyone really, but there are people everywhere. Last night, I had good tunes, a beautiful night sky, and great scenery - I enjoy seeing the people out and getting to know my neighborhood. I like running and actually going somewhere. Granted, those preferences will probably play second fiddle when the snow reaches over a foot and the temperature dips into the negatives numbers. Then, off to the gym. Maybe I'll get used to it, or then again, maybe I'll just whine about it until the spring..haha.

Tiny Dancers

The Nutcracker - who's excited? This girl right here.

Went home to Indy for the aforementioned Christmas tradition of seeing Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker with my dad. I took the Megabus home on Friday (don't knock it 'til you've tried it). Saturday during the day I just goofed around with my mom - hit up Target, checked out a great new dollar store, saw my grandmother - good times. Laid around on the recliner for a good two hours reading a John Grisham book and discovered that I really like his stuff - The Broker is the first one of his that I've read.

Finally, time for the show. My dad and I set out for Butler University where we were seeing the ballet. Luck would have it that there was a Butler basketball game the same night at the Fieldhouse which is about four blocks away from the theater - eek! Yet, I have to give huge props to BU for making the wickedly brilliant decision to not allow anyone without ballet tickets to park in the lots around the performance hall - we got to park close:)

The performance itself was great - wonderful choreography, orchestra was brilliant, and the costumes had been updated a little bit, but looked great! One little angel (she had to be about 4 or 5) unfortunately wiped out at the beginning of the 2nd act, but she popped back up like a champ and kept dancing.

Post-The Nutcracker, we hit up a White Castle (I know, you wish you were classy like me) for hamburgers and mozzarella sticks - tasted so good!

I have to say, the best part is, though, knowing that my dad and I have this great tradition together and that it's is definitely something to look forward to each year.

Favorite Nutcracker memory # 2: The year that the Nutcracker's head popped off after he was supposed to be fixed, the Nutcracker dropped the Sugar Plum Fairy, a snow angel almost popped out of her costume, and at least 3 other dancers wiped out. Note to self - no more opening nights:)