INTOLERANT | JULY 31, 2007

It seems that my body refuses to digest dairy products. Well either that, or it is too efficient (i.e. speedy) at digesting them.

Yes, I think I am lactose intolerant.

This is ridiculous. I never had a problem with dairy products when I was growing up. Well, at least one that I remember. Now, as soon as I eat cheese, drink milk, you get the idea... my body wants it out. I think I remember reading somewhere that more and more people are "becoming" lactose intolerant.

For me, I would rather just avoid it than take some supplement that will make it easier for my body. I drink soy milk and don't eat dairy on a daily basis. But sometimes you can't say no to ice cream and cheese...

(I know, what a dumb thing to write about. I am just thinking about it because I had a dairy treat today for my birthday! Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes!)

APPROVAL | JULY 30, 2007

I was pleasantly surprised with a call from my friend Rixa from Italy tonight. Our conversations are very strained because my hearing is so bad and according to Rixa my english is bad (ha ha).

Anyway, she said "I don't know how you say in english... you pick very well."

I waited for her to explain...

"He look very nice. You must be careful. He look very nice."

Then I realized she was talking about Steven. I must have sent her a picture or something!

WORK ON SUNDAY | JULY 29, 2007

There I was, all excited to ride the train to work on a Sunday, only to discover that the incessant chattering of all the children on the train is as annoying, if not more, than all the inconsiderate a$$holes I ride with on a daily basis.

Damn. I need to work on my patience with children.

It wouldn't be so annoying if it was just one family with children, but when it is the whole car, a constant hum of noise develops.

WHERE'S THE BEEF? | JULY 28, 2007

In case you were wondering...

Sorry, this is a personal joke that only makes sense to a few family members... but I hope they see it and get the humor.

FRIDAY QUESTION #15 | JULY 27, 2007

What's your favorite comic strip?

I ask this because I don't seem to find comics funny/clever anymore. I read them in the daily paper and don't snicker at all. It must be hard to come up with funny, good content each day, but someone must do it! Who?

EARLY | JULY 26, 2007

It's time for someone to fess up.

Who, from Waterloo, sent me this adorable birthday card with only "Love ya! Data" written inside?

Side note: after careful consideration (okay, a large price tag), I have decided to do my own makeup on my wedding day. Scary scary scary!

I have been picking up all the "girlie" magazines that I normally don't buy - InStyle, Vogue, Elle, various wedding magazines - just so that I can read up on all the makeup techniques. I have also been buying various kinds of makeup to experiment.

By far, the neatest thing I have learned is to use a brow pencil to darken and define my eyebrows, and a brow gel to make them stay in place all day. They say that your brows can define your face, and it is definitely easier to "define" when you have these tools!

LOUD TALKER | JULY 24, 2007

The office I work in is so ultra quiet that I often forget I have coworkers - even though our office is set up studio style (no walls, no cubicles) and I can see each and every one of their ten faces.

So I found this yahoo article saying that "loud talkers" is rated as the most annoying office pet peeve a bit ironic. Because even when the people in my office are talking, they are as quiet as mice (or trying to be).

If you know me or have met me, you probably know that I am not quiet. Maybe you are even able to pick up on that from what I write here. Throughout my life I have been told by friend's parents, teachers, coaches, etc. that I am too loud. Sitting in a quiet office all day, with a somber little face, is not my thing.

So chances are, if anyone if the office is the "loud talker," it is me. I laugh a lot, I say "good morning" and "good night" upon arrival/exit (the people in my office don't even do that!), and I try to make small talk when it is appropriate. I'm a serious worker, but I can't be 100% serious all the time. It's not in my nature!

KLUTZ | JULY 23, 2007

Last night, after I finished telling my mother the day's story of how I fell on the asphalt and hurt myself while pushing the Datsun back into the garage, she said to me in a very gentle voice, "Kim, I think you may be a bit klutzy."

Tell me something I don't know!

I quickly explained to her that she could call me a klutz for the rest of my life and I would never take offense to it - because I know that's what I am. Instead of being embarrassed, I embrace it and laugh at myself.

A few klutzy incidents:

- I got so excited while talking to Clare that I hit myself in the face with my hand
- Walking to the bus stop in March, slipping on an icy patch, flying in the air... landing right on my tailbone...
- While working for EH&S, I accidentally stuck a glass tube into my finger when I was trying to put the cap back on
- Everyday at work, I stumble while I am walking inside of my office
- When I still lived at home I dropped a 50+ pound car part on my foot
- While dancing with Steven, I accidentally knocked us over into another couple
- the list could go on and on...

OOPS | JULY 22, 2007

Are you ever talking to someone, and you want to keep the conversation going, so you think about the next thing you are going to say/ask while they are talking? But then you realize that you can't really listen to what they are saying while you are thinking about what to say next?

I hate this about myself. I think I do it because I don't want the person I am talking to to think that I am uninterested or too slow to respond. But in the end it hurts me, especially if the conversation is important.

I'm not doing it to be rude, and I am going to try to stop!

DUE ANNI | JULY 21, 2007

Today is my second-year anniversary of this blog. Yay. Where's the cake?

Lately I have had a few "should I quit blogging?" moments. I know that what I write isn't as good as it used to be, and I have been struggling for things to write about (yeah, I bet you couldn't tell...). But as I look back through my archives, I feel happy that I have documented this last two years in writing. I feel like I can remember moments of my life whenever I want to... aww...

So I am still around for awhile.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about traveling. One of my coworkers traveled to Spain for a week and a half and I was (and still am) so jealous. She went to Barcelona and Sevilla - two of my favorite towns in Spain. Why why why can't I just leave for a holiday? Oh yeah, I am not on hourly pay like her, and I haven't earned any vacation days yet. Life is so sad. I am looking forward to taking a honeymoon... which probably won't be until November, but is still something to look forward to!

Did you know that the US doesn't have any legally mandated paid days off? It seems normal until you compare it with some of the other countries that do (see image below). When I moved back to the States last August from Italy, it was the same time that everyone was taking their month long paid vacation. If I would have stayed any longer, I wouldn't have had any work to do beacuse the office was closed!

FRIDAY QUESTION #14 | JULY 20, 2007

What's your signature scent?

The problem with me asking this is that it continues a viscious cycle I am caught in. I have never had a "signature" scent that I found on my own. I am always trying someone elses. First, it was Pink from the Gap (not to be confused with the Pink from Victoria's Secret). Then it was Ralph Lauren's Blue. Both smelled great on other people... but didn't seem to do it for me, so the cycle continues as I search for new perfumes.

I think my problem is that I am too willing to try new things when it comes to body products. I have a ton of makeup that I have tired once and did not like, and I also have a large collection of body sprays from Bath & Body Works. I wish I could just find something that worked for me and stick with it!

BLEH | JULY 19, 2007

So far, receiving the R.S.V.P.s for the wedding has been a lot more fun than sending out the invitations was. Everyday (except Sunday of course), Steven and I get the mail, then sit down together, and use the letter opener to open the R.S.V.P.s. Sometimes I try to guess who they are from based on where they were postmarked.

This is making us actually look forward to receiving mail again! Before, we just received a pile of bills, a mailer from Comcast (EVERYDAY) and a bunch of crappy ads. Receiving something semi-personal mail is nice.

Of course, you will hear me complaining when August 1st rolls around (the requested R.S.V.P. deadline) and I have to call everyone who did not send theirs. (And yes, we put postage on them!)

STILL OPTIMISTIC | JULY 18, 2007

Despite rising to a 5:15 am alarm each weekday, I haven't started hating my job yet. Yeah, I complain to Steven that I am tired, and I definitely cherish my (free) weekends, but so far, it's been a good ride.

I am excited that things are working out so well, because I had no idea what I was looking for in a job while I was searching. I imagined myself working at some big-name firm downtown, but was afraid I would just turn into a little minion. I (somehow magically?) found the right size firm that specializes in what was (and obviously still is) my favorite part of design - space planning.

Of course I have been given a few mundane tasks, and struggled with many others, but I have learned a lot, and enjoyed (almost) everyday. The great part is that I work at a small enough firm (13 people) that I am given actual responsibility, and even a little bit of freedom!

Hopefully this feeling doesn't wear off over time...

(Do I even need to explain the pictures below?)

  

TINKLE TINKLE | JULY 17, 2007

Here's what I've been wondering - how do I go to the bathroom when I have my wedding gown on, and the special undergarments? Does the maid-of-honor have to help me? (what an honor!)

I can't even get that dress on on my own, so how the hell am I supposed to get it off?

ME, I'M SO SMART | JULY 16, 2007

So... the commute home is getting a bit boring. I did the unthinkable and ordered a weekly subscription to the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. (The other Chicago newspaper, the Tribune, is indefinitely on Steven's indefinitely long sh*t list). I am counting down my moments of freedom until I am bombarded with mail, e-mail and phone calls from them selling my personal contact information.

Does anyone else feel extreme satisfaction when telling a telemarketer to screw off because they have called your cell phone and it is on the "no-call" list?

Anyway, I hope that reading the newspaper (however biased) will make me a more "informed" person. Now that I have graduated from college, it is time to join the real world again!

WHO'S THAT LADY? | JULY 15, 2007

Don't worry Christina, I won't tell Grandma.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE... AND WHY DO YOU WANT THEM? | JULY 14, 2007

Last Saturday, my 11 year-old cousin excitedly told me that someone gave her $5.

"Wow, cool!" I said. "What are you going to do with the money?"

"Put it in my savings account."

"Great!" (now I am really impressed) "Are you saving for something in particular?"

"Yeah, a corvette with spinners!"

Okay...

FRIDAY QUESTION #13 | JULY 13, 2007

Should Kim have a bachelorette party?

I am voting no. All of my bridesmaids live in Iowa, and one of them is underage. I also doubt any of them would make the trip out here. I am lucky that they are even coming to the wedding! And I don't know my "friends" out here well enough to have a party.

Steven is having a big party and some people are coming all the way from Kansas City. I think that is a little different though. Guys will go at great lengths to go to these parties for some reason. (No, I don't need you to hypothesize why!)

My sister (maid-of-honor) is coming out here in August, so maybe we can have some fun then. Even though her boyfriend and Steven will be around.

Are you sick of my train/commuter stories yet? Let me know, because I have another one to share...

COSMO SUCKS | JULY 12, 2007

In a hurry today, I picked up the August issue of Cosmopolitan to read on the train.

WHAT. A. WASTE. OF. MONEY.

I haven't read Cosmopolitan in maybe over a year, and I think I haven't had a subscription to it for at least five years. But it sure has changed.

I think 75% of the articles were about men or sex. "Why He Just Won't Propose," "7 Boundary-Pushing Moves All Men Secretly Crave," "50 Ways to Be Closer to Him!"

Yes, I expected this from Cosmo, but it was all CRAP. CRAP. CRAP. CRAP.

They were the kind of articles you read a paragraph into and think, 'wow, this author is an idiot." Or, "This author doesn't seem like she knows anything about men, why is she writing about them?"

Every article I read made me feel sad for females who take this sh*t seriously. Am I missing something here?

This magazine is going directly into the recycle bin unless someone else has a better idea for it!

THE HUSBAND STORE | JULY 11, 2007

From an email:

A brand new store has just opened in New York City that sells Husbands.

When women go to choose a husband, they have to follow the instructions at the entrance:- 'You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are 6 floors and the value of the products increase as you ascend the flights. You may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you CANNOT go back down except to exit the building!

So, a woman heads off to the Husband Store to find a husband.

The 1st floor sign on the door reads: Floor 1 - These men have jobs.

The 2nd floor sign reads: Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs and Love Kids.

The 3rd floor sign reads: Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids and are extremely good looking. 'Wow,' she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.  

She goes to the 4th floor and the sign reads: Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help with Housework. 'Oh, mercy me!' she exclaims, 'I can hardly stand it!'  

Still, she goes to the 5th floor and sign reads: Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Gorgeous, help with Housework and Have A Strong Romantic Streak.

She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the 6th floor, where the sign reads: Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor.  There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.  Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.  Go home.

(I probably would have been okay on Floor 1!)

WET | JULY 10, 2007

It was bound to happen.

After eight or so weeks of work, with perfect "walking back and forth between Union Station and my office" weather, I knew I would get poured on with rain one day. That day was today.

I left my office because it was getting so dark outside and I wanted to "beat the storm." Instead, the rain hit me at all angles, flipped my umbrella (or as Rihanna would say, um-ber-ella), soaked my clothes and filled my shoes with water. I then sat on the air-conditioned train, shivering for an hour and ten minutes.

What did I learn? I obviously can't read the weather, and just need to stay later at work... or take a taxi!

WAH | JULY 9, 2007

Damn! It feels like everyone has seen the Transformers movie except for me. Gary has seen it. Dave has seen it. Kevin has seen it. Kim has not seen it. Kim is sad and unhappy, and seriously contemplating making a sad face using a colon and a parenthesis.

The good news (besides the 99% chance that Steven and I will see Transformers this week or weekend) is that Steven and I mailed all of our wedding invitations this Saturday! Okay, we mailed almost all of them. I was a bit lazy with getting my colleagues addresses in time. Whoops.

So... because we put the invitations in the mail, I had to publish the wedding website. But it wasn't really ready. It still isn't ready. Half of the pages say "coming soon," and the css style sheets have not been applied. I was too busy this weekend to do it. But it's there if you want to check it out.

7/7/07 | JULY 7, 2007

What percentage of the world do you think is attending/in a wedding today? I thought we were free of the madness until my uncle announced his plans to wed on this day about a month ago. So Steven and I are making another trip to Iowa.

I am actually excited to go to this wedding though. I think my uncle (it's my mom's youngest brother - just turned 40 last August) has been dating his soon-to-be-wife for about 8+ years and we all think she's great.

The only problem is that I was secretly boycotting the cabin - meaning the town where they are having the wedding. My relative who keeps giving me crap about having our wedding so far away lives there, and I just can't take it anymore. I am about to snap. Hopefully, she will be so distracted today that it won't come up.

And should I point out how far we had to drive to go to this wedding today? It is the SAME distance they will have to drive to comes to ours.

FRIDAY QUESTION #12 | JULY 6, 2007

How many hours of sleep do you need to function? How many are you getting each night (on average)?

10 and 5-6, respectively. I am so dead tired. Now I know why people are doing all those studies about the benefits of sleep!

ANNOYING | JULY 5, 2007

Please stop chewing on your cuticles all day long. It drives me nuts.

Thanks.

(What do your coworkers do unconsciously that annoys you?)

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY, YO | JULY 4, 2007

IT'S JULY 3RD | JULY 3, 2007

Amendment to my June 20th post on "Rules for Commuters." Your bag does not need its own seat. When the train is so full that people are standing in the aisles and we are only halfway to Chicago, move your goddamn bag so the sad-looking people standing can sit down. I get on the train early enough that I always have a seat, but it drives me nuts to see people take up a full bench. Be courteous!

Unrelated to my morning frustrations, check out these funny work-related comics from the Glamour website.

YIKES | JULY 2, 2007

Do you ever watch that TLC show What Not to Wear and think, "Damn, that Stacy character seems like a huge byotch"? And "I wonder what they would ever say if they saw my closet!"?

Or worse yet, "I know someone who should be on that show!"? Ha ha ha.

CRYING IN PAIN | JULY 1, 2007

Who knew that putting together wedding invitations could be such a royal pain in the... rear?

For us, making the guest list and getting addresses turned out to be the easy part. We struggled with selecting an invitation and deciding on the wording. Then the company we ordered them from failed to tell us they were on back order, so here we are, in the beginning of July, and we haven't sent invitations for a wedding that is two months away.

And Steven and I have found a million little details to argue about discuss, only regarding the invitations. Needless to say, I will be happy when they are in the mail.

The fun part for me is designing a wedding website, which will take over the wedding link on this site, hopefully by the end of the week!

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