Weekend, 10.17.09

Ahh, the weekend. Now that I'm working again, it actually MEANS something to me. Saturday is a day for laying around the house and catching up on the DVR and possibly doing some errands, instead of doing that sort of stuff all week. While not everything got done (groceries? Not so much), I was able to both get some stuff accomplished and also watch some bad TV. Not everything was accomplished, however. There are some serious hairballs floating around the place. I've got to stalk those suckers and take them out this week.


Along with finally getting back to what a weekend actually feels like, I have pretty easily gotten back into the swing of things with a work week. Getting up in the morning has been fine (it helps that I always got up at 7am, even when I was off of work) and sitting at a desk all day is pretty normal. The best part is probably being able to talk to people again and feel like I'm using my brain. Things are getting more clear and I'm starting to feel more confident in my ability to do my job. It's a nice feeling.


So this weekend. Let's see. I caught up on my DVR'd shows (aka shows that Bob won't watch so I have to watch them when he's not around, eg. Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Project Runway), took a 4 hour nap (!!!!) and then walked up to the 7-11 to get a slurpee. Total lazy day. I probably SHOULD have cleaned the apartment or done something more productive, but now that I only have 2 days a week to be lazy, I had to use one of them.


Sunday was a full day. Liz (hi Liz!) and I went shopping for about 6 hours on Sunday. Target (love/hate) and TJ Maxx and other stores like that. While totally fun, I was EXHAUSTED when I got home. Hard-core shopping like that can take a lot out of you! :) I didn't get too much, considering, but did get some work clothes, which is always fun. Or fun for people that just started a new job and need to have clothes that fit that aren't jeans and t-shirt like they have been wearing for the last 8 months.


Once I got home I watched a neflix movie, "Every Little Step", which is a documentary about the creation of "A Chorus Line" and the casting of the revival in...2006? I think? While I was never a musical theater actor or dancer, I've always loved musicals and really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes aspect of the movie. Seeing what these performers went through to get the jobs was surprising (8 months from first audition to final? then another 8 months until curtain? wow) and you were able to become invested in some of characters. I enjoyed it a lot and it totally made me want to see "A Chorus Line" again.


And then the Bears played. But I'm not going to discuss that. Harrumph.

Movie Night

Liz and I saw Sex and the City last night.

And it was good.

New Feature!

So I've added a new feature to my blog--a listing of movies that I've seen in 2008. I can't quite figure out how to hide it behind a link but until it gets to be overwhelming, I'll leave it as is.

I have...let's say eclectic taste so it'll be an interesting list. :)

Oh, and I totally stole this idea from a blog I ran into by trolling the internet. Unfortunately I can't remember whose it was so...thank you random blog person with the list of movies idea!

Harry Potter #5

So I finally saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night. It was...good. I guess. There were moments where I was really excited to see what happened next and truly enjoyed the scene, but there were also a few things that I really missed. I guess that comes from reading the book. I know they can't put everything in the book in the movie, but I think the director/screenwriter missed some potentially poignant scenes. And they didn't use the amazing cast to their best abilities.

I love me some Snape in these movies--Alan Rickman was terrifically cast and every time he comes on screen, I enjoy every minute of it. There was much more of him in the book and I wish that had played out in the movie. And the climax of the movie just kind of...happened. It didn't showcase each of the kid's talents and show how they all fought the DeathEaters smartly and bravely.

I give it 3 stars out of 5. Good movie. But if you know the book, you'll see more of what was missing than what was there.

Oh, and Harry Potter is getting hot. And that's TOTALLY freaking me out. Ew.

Weekend Update--Memorial Day Edition

I had both a lazy and productive weekend. Very nice.

I finally finished unpacking (although I have one box left of stuff I don't know what to do with--empty picture frames and other random stuff) and I actually hung stuff on the walls. I never did this in my old apartment, so this place is SO much more "finished" than the last one. It looks pretty good actually! The family room is still blah, but since I don't hang out there that much I don't care too much. :)

On Saturday I went to the grocery store for the first time since March. Between moving and going on vacation, it never made much sense to me to go to the store. I had such a good time! I was up early (thanks Sadie) and after an hour walk with the pup, I left for the store. I got a coffee and shopped for a good hour. Tons of produce, some seafood, and other natural, healthy stuff and I was out the door, $135 lighter. The total was a bit of a shock, but I reasoned it away with "well, I did get olive oil" and "it's healthy food!!" And the best thing? I wasn't embarrassed by anything in my cart. Ever since the time I bought ice cream, mac & cheese, peanut butter, and a snickers bar behind the guy with organic vegetables and tofu I've been really conscious of what I buy. This was the first time that I was proud of my purchases! Veggies, fruit, chicken, and no processed, crappy food. Yay me!

Now comes the fight against time so that my produce doesn't spoil before I eat it! Chicken and leeks with a salad last night for dinner, shrimp and chickpeas for dinner the night before. Tonight? Um...leftovers, probably. With a salad. For some reason the lettuce gets bad on me first.

And I brought cherries and an apple to work today. Yay cherries! (They're better with Nutella though)

I also wandered over to the 7-11 that is near my apartment. It's so close! That's trouble since I love me some slurpees. I had two this weekend. I try not to think about how much sugar is in one of those things.

In between all of my unpacking, grocery shopping and slurpee drinking, I saw a few movies: The Departed (awesome), Just My Luck (horrible, ugh), and Happy Feet (eh, fine). Plus 4 hours of Veronica Mars. I'm so sad that show is off the air.

My apartment is also part of Chicago's new recycling program so my roommate and I are recycling maniacs. We've filled our recycle-can three times already. Go green!

Kick Some Ice

Oh, Blades of Glory. I shouldn't have laughed. But I did.

I even clapped with glee once. That was embarrassing.

Duffy's, Dogs, & Laundry

(I wrote this up already once but accidentally deleted it. Grr.)

After work on Friday, I headed out to Duffy's for a friend's birthday celebration. I've gotta say, I think I'm getting too old for bars like those. There's nothing inherently wrong with them, but once it got all crowded and loud I just got restless. the good thing, though, is that there is some good people-watching. While we were there, a REALLY drunk guy was trying to steal our beers. And not subtly. So I took a picture and am going to post it here. So if you're going to be really drunk and try to steal my beer in the future, you may get your picture online.

Oh, and this picture falls under my theory that sometimes you can photograph better drunk than sober. Something about how relaxed you are.

On Saturday, L and I took Sadie up to Montrose Harbor for Bark in the Park. Wee! It didn't rain the way it was supposed to (thank goodness) so we were able to complete the 5K without being totally miserable. We passed the dog beach during the route and stopped off to see if Sadie would take a swim. Yeah, she's not much of a water dog, apparently--not even a toe went near the water.Once we finished the walk, we stopped by the booths, Sadie did a paw painting (so cute) and we drove home. After watching Casino Royale (hell-o Mr. Craig!) we crashed out on the couch. Sadie was so tired that she started snoring. Hee.

Sunday was pretty quiet but I did venture out to the laundromat for the first time since college. L went with me and it was totally fun! Laundry is NEVER fun, so I'm not sure what got into me, but I had a good time. It just felt very satisfying to get ALL of my laundry done. And no quarters needed!! And since there are multiple washers and dryers I can finally wash those thing that get put off--like my down blanket. And my bathroom rug. Yay!

I was totally going to take pictures but L made fun of me so I chickened out. If I ever do laundry at 3 in the morning, though, I'm taking pictures.

Oh, and I also saw Marie Antionette. Pretty movie. Boring movie. I imagine it was better in the theater.