For Anyone Who Cares

This is the piece of pottery I painted (see earlier groupon post).  There you go.

Snoopy Thanksgiving!!

Friends Inconsistencies....

Ok, so I was recently re-watching all the Friends Thanksgiving episodes.

On the fourth season of Friends, Phoebe mentions she needs to call her mom to ask her a left-handed cooking question.  Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but Phoebe's mom is dead and has been the entire series.

I tried to google this issue.  No one seemed to fully address this issue.  There are some blogs out there that seem to have a problem with the inconsistency about whether or not the tv remains on consistently throughout the scene, but no one seems to address the bigger issue.  Does Phoebe mean her step-mom?  Does she have a step-mom that's still around?  Why doesn't she say 'step-mom' then?

Has ANYONE else ever caught this?  Does anyone else have a problem with this?

Guilty Pleasure.

Despite my feelings toward him during American Idol.  Despite everything.  I have to admit....

I like the CD.

Christmas Shopping

So yesterday, one of my best friends was in town.  We painted the town red.   I never know what to do with tourists, except take them to all the places I regularly frequent.

Anyhow.  Saturday, we took on downtown Chicago.  I ended up shopping at a bunch of places I don't normally go.  The result, I must say, was a positive one.  Not what one would expect to hear, but I got a good 75% of my Christmas shopping done.   Needless to say, the gifts cannot be posted here.   Almost everyone on the receiving end of a Jaime Christmas gift is, of course, a reader.  :)

Sushi.

I think Sushi might have some addictive component to it (like coffee or alcohol).  I semi-regularly crave it and if I don't get it, I get cranky.

What are the best sushi places in Chicago?  I have been to quite a few good ones - Sushi Samba Rio, Coast, Friends Sushi, Kanok, Jai Yen, Oh Fusion (formerly Katachi), but I feel there have to be a lot of other good ones lurking around that I'm missing.  Any thoughts or recommendations?

Exercise Girl at the East Bank Club

Ok.  Someone else out there HAS to know who I'm talking about.  It's the woman who, at some time between 9-11 am goes out on the roof of the East Bank Club and really, really breaks it down, 80s dance move style.  On one hand, she seems to have no shame.  On another note - it seems as though she thinks no one can see her.  I wonder what, really, is going through her mind.  Does she think no one can see her?  She's on the roof of a three story building, surrounded by about 12 high-rise buildings.  She is highly, HIGHLY visible, IF she thinks about it.  Well, regardless of all - I enjoy her.  She entertains me.  She makes me wish I could dance, scratch that, LIVE, with such abandon.

Does anyone else know of 'exercise girl'?  My coworkers and I coined the nickname.  I imagine we cannot be the only ones....  She's like a Chicago landmark (well, a moving one).  Anyone out there?  Please don't hold back.

Groupon.

Today was a day I saw coming a mile away.

It was the expiration date of a groupon.  A real race against the clock, if you will.

It was to Glazed Expressions.  In short, one picks a piece of pottery, then paints it.  I had a hard time getting myself to do this one.  It wasn't that I didn't want to do it, but it was hard to come up with an artistic vision.  It's kind of like blogging.  It's hard to do it without a vision.

Anyhow.  I went there.   I picked a piece.  I powered through.  I get it back next week (it'll be on the blog, for sure).  However, at the tail end of said piece, a vision for a really great piece came along.  Sigh.  Of course it works this way.  Isn't this life?

I suppose I will just have to go back there.  Maybe 'Santa' can get me a gift certificate there.  Hmm.

Let's Take it One Holiday at a Time....

On this upcoming Thanksgiving, I am thankful for many things - my family, my friends, my health, everyone's health, my job, my education, my lovely underpriced apartment, my dogs, and, of course, the fact that there are people out there willing to read my completely random opinions on a regular basis.

Please don't, at this moment, second-guess that decision.

Dear Santa...

So 'Santa' has made multiple requests for my Christmas list.

I am struggling.  Most of the things I want cannot be found in a stocking (I know, how profound).

Anyone else find adult Christmas lists to be quite boring?  Dear Santa, I would like the Martha Stewart wire colander.  Ooh, let's throw in rolling pin while we're at it!

Book Review

I can sum up the Millennium series in a couple sentences.

They drink coffee.   All hours of the day.  Sometimes accompanied by sandwiches.  All hours of the day.  Some stuff happened.  They drank more coffee.

Oh, and Blomkvist gets laid.  A lot.

Dear Google Ad....

Is this a hint?  What, exactly, are you trying to say?

Getting Political.

Eric:  learn more about sarah palin every day

she ran a 3:59 marathon in 2005

 me:  do you like her better now?

 Eric:  no

but i think it's a good incentive for people i know that run slower than that to pick up the pace

Tire(d).

So, I know this has been discussed before - but my car has a little 'history' behind it.  

He was on such a good streak....  I really thought we'd turned the proverbial corner.

However, in the past week and a half, it was hit back whilst being parked on the street.  There is damage.  Naturally, the damage occurred right next to pre-existing damage from a prior hit and run - good thing I never got that fixed.  I guess sometimes, we must be grateful for the little things.  

My friends Laura and Rachel both have had car issues in the past week.   I take comfort in the fact that these things happen in 3s....so we must be done.

Now comes the question - should I fix my car?  The small problem is he will just be set back out on the street.  Could this easily happen to him again?   Is it worth it to fix him?  Is this the same concept as loving again after being hurt?  Or cleaning up, when things just get dirty again?  

What should I do?  Your thoughts?  

Back to this Mayhem.

Back to School?

So a good amount of 20 somethings I know, at varying degrees of financial success, are thinking about going back to school.  Reason being, for the most part, they don't find their current careers to be exactly fulfilling.

Random observation - most people I know in the 35+ bracket find this to be an amusing '20 something thing' - it's a job, it doesn't have to be perfect or have meaning, it just needs to pay the bills.  The early 20 somethings are being almost hopelessly romantic about their careers; there will never be one to meet their expectations.

Anyhow.

A friend of mine mentioned that one shouldn't go back to school, it's not necessarily the key to getting a good job.  I find this to be an interesting and somewhat accurate point.  Some people end up in lines of work that have nothing to do with their degree/major.  Some lines of work require a very specific background, obviously, but other lines of work provide training specific to the industry that can only be learned through experience, rather than in a classroom.  That then lends itself to the age old question of 'how do I get experience if no one will give me a chance?'  I guess my question is - if there's a 20 something, or anyone, for that matter, who wants to change career paths - what is the best way to go about this?   Is it going back to school?  What are the other viable options?

Your thoughts?

Dilemma!!!!!!

So I have a mediocre verizon phone, and a contract that lasts into mid-July.  As an oh-so-kind gesture, my company issued me a blackberry, with its own assigned number.  I am not sure I want to make the switch.  So yes, that's right - as of right now, I am sporting two phones.

Well, my primary Verizon - the battery is low.  So now I am faced with a choice - do I buy a new battery?  Do I make the 'jump' to the work blackberry?  I would, if I could change the number, but I can't.

Although, a third attractive option comes to mind.  I have, for a long time, wanted an iphone.  Again, there would be the issue of having to either do some weird termination fee, or get a completely new number and then have 3 phones to my name.  Is three phones too much for one girl?  Is the iphone worth it?  Your thoughts?

My All-Time Favorite Sex and the City Quote

“Uh huh. Most women aren't angry, irrational psychos. We just want an ending to a relationship that... That is thoughtful and decent and honors what we had together. So my point, Billy, is this; There is a good way to break-up with someone, And it doesn't include a post-it!”- Carrie

There's definite truth to this.  Not just the post-it part.  That, and I know, firsthand, that I have been the angry, irrational psycho.  I think it's a sign of truly caring.  

A Response to Honesty....

So my good friend, Matt, being the always opinionated and also very honest individual that he is, made some interesting points in the comments section of 'honesty':

When someone asks, "What do you think of my boyfriend, honestly?" are they really asking your opinion, or are they asking you to reinforce their choice?


Option B.  100%.  It's like 'does this dress make me look fat'.  There's only one answer to the question that involves not getting punched.  Regardless, every friend I have will still, quite regularly, ask me the aforementioned question.  


...if you are not open to people evaluating your own situations, then it’s probably going to be very hard to expect to have clout in other people’s situations. 


Ok, Matt, you got me.  I am the queen of dishing it out/not being able to take it.  Actually, that's not fully true. I like to think that when I don't want someone's opinion, I don't ask, because I accept that it might not be good and I'm choosing to do what I'm choosing to do, regardless of his/her opinion.  And I try not to give my opinion unless I'm asked, or I try my best to be tactful when doing so, and only do it out of concern.  Should people be more honest with me?  What are some things others think about me that they don't say?  Do I actually want to hear the answer to this?  Hmm.  

Today's Question

Is someone still 'penciled in' if all calendars are kept electronically?

I know, the deep mysteries we all must ponder.