On a positive note...

I've had to remind myself a lot this week that I can't control people's actions, but I can control my reactions. Life is too short to be negative and bogged down by less than pleasant people or occurrences. Oh, but it sure isn’t easy to apply such positive logic…. Though, I’m trying.

Because, what I do is SOooooo interesting.

This weekend was eventful and oh, so productive. Friday night we went to a punk rock gig at The Beat Kitchen. We saw Direct Hit!, MaskedIntruder and Brendan Kelly and The Wandering Birds.  It was a great show and all bands did a stellar job.  Of course, I had to check out the merch table. We scored these:

 

The Copyrights record is fantastic, as I expected it to be.  However, I’m disappointed with the Direct Hit! record. It’s a split they did with Hold Tight. I put the record on and out came hardcore screaming… ummm, no, thank you! Epic -fail- purchase. Oh well. Still gooooood times were had. So that was Friday.

Saturday was spent, cleaning, napping, eating and going to see a movie. We headed down to The Davis to see Identity Thief. It was SO FUNNY!  Then around 11:30 pm I hopped on-line and signed up for a 3-month fitness club membership at our local park district. I’ve been meaning to get one, but just delayed it. No more.

Sunday contained the following:

• We both did laundry
• I checked out the new gym
• I brunched with my lovely friend Kate
• Made a dinner plan for the week
• we grocery shopped
• I caught up on reading
• I cleand windows
• .....and the stove
• Listened to The American Life (please, check this out.. it's a great show)
• I made something out of the rotting bananas (Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread)

Oh, and in 7-10 business days I will no longer legally have my maiden name.  Not on Sunday, but on Valentine’s Day, the Mr. and I paid a visit to the local social security office. He needed to apply for a social security card, as it’s the last piece of American documentation needed for him. And, I’d been waiting until he received his green card to change my last name. So, we figured we’d go together and get ‘er done.  It’s all so exciting and really makes us both reflect on just how far we’ve come since meeting in Dublin, Ireland on a January night back in 2006.

I’m going to go marvel in that memory. Happy Monday!

All you need is love, a beat and passion...

So – I just finished this:

…And, in timing with Valentine’s Day.

The canvas was a present from Bryan given to me on the day we got married. I’ve painted since I can remember. It’s more than a passion it's an extension of me. I digress;  the plan is this canvas will always hang in our bedroom. I may at any time paint over it to create something new. However, for now what I’ve started with tells our story.  A bit of background, “yellow bird” is a reference in one of many, many Bright Eyes songs, which is a favorite band of ours. More so, the front man Conor Oberst... love him dearly.  A few songs to highlight that reference "yellow bird" are:

 

We Are Nowhere and It's Now: "By now you probably should have learned. Did you forget that yellow bird? But how could you forget your yellow bird?"

Poison Oak: “And I never thought this life was possible. You’re the yellow bird that I've been waiting for”

Also – upon googling “yellow bird” this definition comes up:

“A person's true love; the one person they are both externally and internally, both consciously and subconsciously attached to with the realization that those feelings will never die; the one person that they know they can't live without.”

Given most of our relationship has been transatlantic and we are both a bit prone to being poetic and music is the beat that keeps us both going - we adopted “yellow bird.” It even made an appearance in our wedding vows.

Love is almost unexplainable. Relationships are difficult, rewarding, priceless and above all personal. Embrace each moment and person, for you never know what corner of the earth you may find them in!  xoxo

Hey, It's Saturday!

I love Saturday mornings.
Lingering in bed, savoring cups of coffee, a leisure breakfast mmmm… just knowing I’m not racing against the clock makes the weekends, in general, great. This particular Saturday is much like the above – I woke up at 8am, but after taking a quick look through my phone (checking e-mail, Facebook, Instagram and  make my moves in Words with Friends) I allow myself to fall back asleep for another hour or so.  Then,  the Mr. and I are up and out and about making tea/coffee – he finds a stream on the internet to get the soccer matches going (soccer to Europeans is what football is to Americans) I make us pancakes and turkey bacon and turn on NPR. Another thing I love about Saturday mornings is NPR Saturday morning programs. Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, This American Life, Sound Opinions – just love them all.  We eat breakfast at the kitchen table and listen to the radio. We giggle – we chew – we smile. I love my husband. He finishes first and starts at the dishes. After all is cleaned up, we kick the soccer ball around the apartment for a bit. Then he goes back to watching the soccer matches and I come to the laptop to type this blog.  And, it all feels so perfect

I was attacked… by a bug…

Here he is (yes, I gave him a gender, but not a name.. he's too evil for a name)

I met him a week ago - he's a mean, dirty bug that turned me into a coughing, sneezing, stuffy, but running nose -  achy mess  - sucking almost all the energy out of me.  What little energy I fought to keep I used for work – which of course has and still is busy! It seems (to me) sickness comes at the most inconvenient times.  Ah, Murphy’s Law and whatnot.  And, used for the super fun plans I had for the weekend. These were made prior to his visit and I rallied like a rock star to keep them.    

They were: 
The Menzingers/Hot Water Music gig at The Metro  - anyone who knows me knows how much I (and Bryan) LOVE The Menzingers. After all, we drove almost 2,000 miles round trip to see them and called it our honeymoon!  We have been lucky enough to bump into these guys after almost every gig and exchange drunken "hey great show, we love you guys" banter.  They are just such cool guys. I doubt they feel the same about us…..note to self: be more cool!

Also – had a great girl’s night with some lovely ladies at a wine bar in Roscoe Village called Volo. It was outstanding – I think. Unfortunately, this evil bug had the best of not only me, but my taste buds. I ate and drank – but relied on my company’s “oh’s and ah’s” for confirmation that all was as good as I suspected.  

                                 (We all pretty much have demon eyes.. muahhhahaaa)

Not a highlight – but worth a mention:  Bryan watched his first Super bowl (he is from Ireland) and made an insightful point – in Europe soccer is called “football” – makes sense.. the ball is kicked by the foot constantly… but US football would make more sense if it was called “hand ball” – since they rarely use their feet to come into contact with the ball.  Feel free to ponder and discuss. J  

Other than those weekend events – I was snuggled in bed or on the couch reading, sleeping, watching movies with the appropriate provisions of tea, OJ, Kleenex, an army of cold medicines and throat drops and a very loving husband.   And, honestly, this week is kicking off much like the previous:  work – cold medicine – couch – movie – LOTS OF SLEEP.

Here’s to hoping I’m back to 100% ASAP.