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By kilax, November 30, 2007 5:40 am

If snow could fall in any flavor, what flavor would you choose?

I am definitely in a caramel mood today. Even if it was sticky, it would be worth it.

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By kilax, November 29, 2007 5:35 am

Last night I asked my mother if there was anything special she wanted for Christmas this year.

“Well, there is something,” she said shyly, “but it’s a bit expensive.”

“Tell me what it is!” I prodded, thinking she was going to name some expensive perfume, a cashmere sweater, or jewelry item.

“I’d really really like a carpet cleaning machine. Have you ever seen one? They kind of look like vacuum cleaners, but they clean your carpet. I have been watching for them to go on sale…”

Oh mother… sometimes you can be so adorable!

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By kilax, November 28, 2007 5:42 am

I wish every week was only a three-day work week.

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By kilax, November 27, 2007 5:44 am

Remember that movie House of Sand and Fog? In the beginning of the movie, Jennifer Connelly’s character is surprised and outraged to learn she is being evicted from her home. She didn’t know she was being mistakenly charged for unpaid taxes – and therefore evicted – because she never opened her mail.

I’ve only seen the movie once (this is not the type of movie you watch more than twice, unless you want to feel very, very depressed) but that scene with the unopened mail has always stuck in my head!

I dread opening my mail, especially now that I have started paying back my student loans. The student loan companies send you mail almost everyday of the week. One letter tells you how much interest you have collected. The next letter tells you they are capitalizing the interest. The next letter offers you consolidation. The letter after that tells you what your bill will be – but it’s not a bill. And the final letter is the bill – but by that time you are so confused with it all you don’t know what you’re reading anymore.

All of that on top of my normal credit card bill, 4 or 5 credit card offers a week, tons and TONS of catalogs – ahh! I have never seen so much wasted paper in my life! Nor have I felt so confused!

So, I dread opening my mail. My heart rate speeds up and I start to feel all flustered. I have to open it all at once – or none at all. I have to be prepared for it.

Sometimes I am the same way with email – at home and at work. I see an email from a certain person and I think, “Oh no. What do they want? Do I even want to open this?!”

I am lucky Steven takes care of our joint bills and handles our bank account!

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By kilax, November 26, 2007 5:26 am

Remember that desk themed meme from 3 months back? Dave, SJ, Kyra, and many others participated by sharing photos of their desks.

Poor poor me. I couldn’t participate because I didn’t have a desk at home. I did most of my typing using a lapboard on the bed, or the bar in the kitchen.

But now I can finally participate in a somewhat modified version of the meme! Steven and I have “redesigned” our home office and guess what… we are actually using it now! But I am showing you much more than my desk…

The “Before” Photo –

… and the “After” Photo!

Isn’t it kind of weird to see photos of other blogger’s homes?

I use the desk in the center of the photo, and Steven uses the desk on the right side (and Data plays with that little yellow mouse on the floor). There is a filing cabinet behind the folding photo screen, and a map of the world in front of it. The space is large – 11′ x13′ – but still homey. Steven and I are both happy we spent the time and money to redesign the space!

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By kilax, November 25, 2007 5:59 pm

This is a photo of the street I work on downtown. Even though the photo is poorly composed and blurry (hey, we can’t all be bobbi, can we?), I hope you can still make out the trees in the background – beautifully decorated in white holiday lights.

I am no grinch. I love the holidays. I love spending time with friends and family. I love holiday music and movies. I love baking too much food and eating too much food. I love exchanging gift, playing games, staying up too late and laughing too hard.

But this year I haven’t gotten into it. Thanksgiving didn’t feel like Thanksgiving (even though I had a blast). Christmas doesn’t feel like it is a month away. I have made holiday gift lists and purchased holiday cards to send… but I feel like I am going through all the actions without the emotion.

Luckily, I get to see the beautiful holiday lights in downtown Chicago five days a week. Even when I am leaving work at what feels like a too late hour, they still bring a smile to my face.

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By kilax, November 24, 2007 6:39 am

I consider myself a feminist, but I think this is a bit over the top:

(Isn’t the caption under the photo a bit lame? I took this article from the Chicago Sun-Times… I suppose I should just be grateful they included an article about something happening outside of the US!)

Comments (10)

By kilax, November 23, 2007 8:41 am

Are you a “Black Friday” bargain shopper / what is your preferred method for buying gifts?

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and unofficially the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. The day was originally called “Black Friday” because of the heavy traffic in stores, but it also refers to the beginning of the period when retailers are “in the black” (making a profit). Most stores open very early – as early as 5am – and offer “doorbuster” deals to lure people into their store.

I’ll admit that I’ve done this shopping a few times with my mom. When I was in middle school, we would wake up at 4:30 and rush to the stores to buy the “special” deals. Of course, I didn’t actually have any money, so I was just along for the ride – for the crazy, crazy ride of mostly middle-aged women pushing and screaming to get the last Tickle Me Elmo.

When I was in high school I had to work the day after Thanksgiving, so I didn’t do it anymore. Maybe my younger sister and mother still went. I am not sure.

Now, I think it is CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY. One of the malls near our house opened at midnight last night, to have special “doorbuster” deals between midnight and 5am! The last thing I was thinking about last night was shopping, I just wanted to clean my kitchen and go to bed! I started getting electronic ads for today’s sales in the beginning of the week – the ads told me to “create my shopping list early” so I knew what to look for on Friday.

I think I will do most of this year’s shopping in stores, but try to avoid these crazy shopping days. I just don’t have the patience for it!

(Ironically, my mother called me while I was writing this – she was out shopping and wanted to ask me what kind of underwear I like… ha ha ha!)

Comments (10)

By kilax, November 22, 2007 9:08 am

When you are applying whipped cream to your pumpkin pie today, please remember the correct ratio of equal parts whipped cream to equal parts pumpkin pie.

Incorrect Application of Whipped Cream:

Correct Application of Whipped Cream:

Ideally, the whipped cream should be spilling of the pie and onto your plate. In fact, you probably shouldn’t even be able to see the pie under all the whipped cream.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Comments (7)

By kilax, November 21, 2007 5:30 am

Surprise surprise… I am getting tired of hearing/reading about Drew Peterson, his missing wife, his deceased wife, his other two wives, and whether or not he has killed any of them.

In case you are unfamiliar with the story, Drew Peterson is a police sergeant living in a Chicago suburb. His fourth wife – Stacy, younger than him by 30 years – disappeared October 30th and still hasn’t been found. His third wife was found dead in a dry bathtub in 2004. His second wife says he was abusive and told her he could “kill her and make it look like an accident,” but his first wife says “he wasn’t controlling.” He cheated on wives 1-3.

While we were in Aruba I thought about this story and hoped it would be “solved” before we returned, but I only found out that it has gone global. It seems like the media coverage is spinning out of control. It kind of makes me feel sick to read about it everyday.

Everyone seems to have an opinion about it. What’s yours?