Happy New...yeah, whatever.

Well it's that time of year again...you know, when the year ends and whatnot. Meh. I mean, sure it's a time for self-reflection, setting new goals, etc., etc., but I'm not sure if I want to do that. Or really, if it's even an effective method of re-evaluating. I mean, New Year's resolutions are a lot of pressure.

One thing I have done, though, is to reassess my 100/10 list. Just small tweaks that make the list better and more mine. Although, I did have a second party listen to my proposed changes and approve or not. I know, you might be thinking "Cheater!" But really, the list is mine to complete and enjoy (along with you all my dear blog readers). And no changes make the list necessarily harder or easier...just better. I'm super excited! 15 goals complete in 1.5 years - right on schedule, eh? Smooches to anyone that finds the differences.

That's it really, that's all I got. No deep thoughts - rien de moi. So, I leave you with someone who does have serious thoughts and reflections...

So True

The sad thing is - I've done this before. Not play with a fuzzy mouse (I'll leave that to Sugar bear), but rather laid down and put the phone on my face when I'm super tired.

So true.

Some Monday Night Cuteness

Done and Done

Je me chausse

Or literally, I shoe myself en francais. But it really means more of "I wear these shoes." And, oh yes, I do... I love the shoes, although I've gotten rid of several in the past months, and I think I'm down to only about 50 pairs. Sad, I know. And while I wish I could say Je me chausse avec chez Louboutin, it's more like Je me chausse avec chez Payless. Oh well, c'est la vie. However, Payless has had some kickin' shoes lately and I am enamoured of their Alice + Olivia for Payless line. And, since I don't have the paycheck that allows me to buy the real A + O stuff, for now I'll stick with the low-end.

And that's exactly what I've been doing lately - sprucing up my spring/summer wardrobe with some fabulous new shoes. I'm proud to say that all of them have been on sale/clearance/BoGo from a few different stores. And I'm also proud to say that the lowest heal is 4 inches, because however tall I am, I can always be taller. I take true joy in new shoes and the act of buying them is just as fun as wearing them. Although the most fun, admittedly, is seeing the reactions of my friends and family.

So, to share with you my terrific new shoes, I attempted to take a picture. Of course, keep in mind that I have a chubby cat with a lifelong shoe obsession himself.

First try:

Second try:

Third try:

Close enough:

Aren't the shoes fabulous, though?

Sugar and a Blackberry don't mix

Now, before you think that I had some sort of weird kitchen accident, I should clarify...by "Sugar" I mean my cat, and by "Blackberry" I mean my phone. Clear? Yes? Brilliant, let's move on.

This past year I upgraded to a Blackberry and boy has it been completely worth it. Why I have not yet (I hope) reached the "Crack"berry stage (thought I am well on my way there), I have used my phone for all things, both legit and nefarious...mwah ha ha. I used the GPS when I first moved to Chicago when I was lost in a neighborhood with no mass transit in sight. I used it while in Europe with the CSO to deal with donors and tickets. I use it to check my e-mail, phone messages, movie times, etc. In fact my Blackberry served an extremely important purpose just the other day when I was out with some peeps and we needed to be able to get directions to Huck Finn Donuts & Snack Shop...this was vital, my friends. (And to all you people who are currently reading this and thinking how you can do soooo much more with your Iphone - suck it, I don't care.)

But one key party is not a fan of the Blackberry...namely, my cat, Sugar. In fact, I'm pretty sure he has strong kitty hate for this particular electronic. Let's say I'm chillaxing on my couch on the phone and I hang up and put the phone down beside me - Sugar will lay right on top of it. Let's say in the morning, since I use my phone as my alarm, I pick it up to turn the alarm off, he immediately start rubbing against my face/arm/etc., so I can't even see the phone, let alone reach it.

But this morning was by far his most aggressive stance against the Blackberry. I had grabbed the phone to turn off the alarm and Sugar jumped up from the side of the bed and swatted at the Blackberry which knocked it on the floor. He then laid down on my chest, put his head on my shoulder and started purring.

I guess he knows that cuteness always wins over technology...

In which I discover that I lack creativity

I'm in the middle of full-fledged writer's block. I haven't posted much lately as I feel like I have nothing to say and no creative way in which to share. My chubby cat isn't helping much either as every time I turn to him for inspiration, he's passed out belly up on his favorite green chair. Perhaps I'm channeling my energies elsewhere since I have a series of fantastic French classes where I actually feel like I'm at the level of fluency I should be. Thankfully I have some very exciting events coming up in my life which will hopefully spur the creative juices and I can once again impress the world with my wit and candor. But until then, below is a list of things that, like my creativity, I wish currently had in my possession:

1) The ability to create beautiful music
2) Cameo jewelry
3) Adaptability to any climate (especially the cold!)
4) Fun summer dresses
5) A new episode

Rewind (my life in bulletpoints)

Since Thanksgiving I've...

• had three close friends become engaged in one weekend (add those to the two that were engaged in the few weeks before - yes, that totals 5!)
• made one trip to the Chicago Emergency Veterinary Services (but Sugar's all better now)
• seen one performance of The Nutcracker with me Dad (keeping the tradition alive)
• read 8 great books (which means I haven't been getting much sleep)
• burned through 23 tealight candles (mmm...apple cinnamon for the holidays)
• decorated one apartment for Christmas (my tree changes colors)
• signed over 60 Christmas cards (not all have been mailed)
• written one essay in French (know how to say "gold fever" en francais? I do.)
• seen the the temperature dip to 9 degrees more than 3 times
• spent one hour sitting on the Megabus on the Indiana Toll Road (after waiting for it for an hour when it was late)
• downloaded two albums on iTunes (and rediscovered my love of Enya)
• thought about blogging every day (but just now got around to it)

Bisoux

~K

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Ah, yes, winter in Chicago, I believe, has officially started after a couple false starts. This means lots of things to this Chicago transplant: an overactive steam heater, wild crowds at the movie theater (inside activities only from November to March), lots of warm scarfs, fabulous winter boots, and a wicked cold. Malheursement, the cold came early this year.

I have years of memories from my long ago school days in Indy of copious amounts of tissues and coughing my way through standardized testing. Fortunately, I also had a mother who would remember to give me medicine, make hot tea, and always had tissues on hand.

When I went off to college and then grad school, my treatment of said colds went downhill. Instead of a mother's care, I only had myself...not a promising situation. I remember my freshman year when I had the flu during my winter finals. I also remember using toilet paper as a substitute for tissues, using dayquil as a substitute for antibiotics, and fighting fatigue - not with sleep - but with concentrated Mountain Dew and ginseng and pizza and running around the classroom building in my socks to stay awake. Oh, and I'm pretty sure I listened to DMX as a soundtrack for my studies. Not my finest moment.

Now, as a working "adult," things are slightly better. I usually have tissues, I remember to take the cold medicine on time and even pop Vitamin C every once in a while. The downside? I can no longer make myself feel just good enough for a two-hour class, but rather an eight-hour work day. I can't run across the quad and use my student points for supplies, but have to hoove it down to my friendly area Walgreen. I also have a 17 pound cat (he lost a pound!!!) that prefers to sleep on my chest at the exact moment that I can no longer breathe through my nose.

By I like to look on the brightside of having a cold: constant sneezing gets me my own seat on my morning commute, not breathing well=shorter workouts, chai tea makes everything better, and I now have the strength to resist the siren song of Mountain Dew...well, most of the time.

Some Friday Night Cuteness

Pictpuuuurrr #12

So, I wasn't going to post another Sugar picture right away, but he kept trying to sniff the camera while I was messing with it, and this is actually the best picture I got tonight - isn't he photogenic?

Pictpuuuurrr #11

Sugar loves him some Birkenstocks.

Pictpuuuurrrr #5

Yep, I only lasted 4 days before posting a Sugar picture. Here he is "bonding" with a stuffed tiger I received after making a donation to the World Wildlife Fund....not sure how he feels about it:)

Some Super Tuesday Cuteness

Awesome picture of Sugar thanks to this guy