My Day: A Picu-mentary

I had the idea of documenting my day in pictures and decided that today was the day. It started when Furio woke me at ten minutes to seven this morning. He has taken to meowing at weird hours of the day. I suspect that he's meowing out the window at our neighbor Carlos' cats who are allowed to roam free. He has a little kitty door fixed in his window and they come and go as they please. I've never bothered to get out of bed to check out this theory, however. I usually just wake up long enough to say something like, "Come to bed, Furball."

This morning, though, I said, "Papi (A left over nickname for him from the days when we lived deep in the Puerto Rican area of Chicago), come lay on the bed with me." Apparently "Come lay on the bed with me" sounds a lot like, "Come lay on me" to cats and he hefted his entire bulk onto my stomach and, more notably, my bladder. Great. About 30 seconds of this and I knew we were nearing the red zone...and since I haven't wet the bed in, gee....at least six months, I knew I was going to have to get up. (sigh).

So I rolled out of bed before Mikey-o (Ha! I rule you!). I meandered out to the living room (I'm never in any sort of a hurry that early in the morning) and it was time for breakfast. It was Science Diet Sensitive Stomach for the furry royalty of the house.

And a Twix bar for me. Don't judge me...it was one of those mornings.

After break-y, the kits and I kissed Mike good-bye on his way to help truth and justice...ok, maybe just cleanliness...reign supreme in the restaurants of Chicago. Then, by a show of hands (paws), we took a vote and decided it was time for a nap.

But the knowledge that I was going to one of my favorite places today kept me from napping long. I woke up again about 9:00 a.m. and headed back out to the living room. I flipped on the tv and became engrossed in this new show...it's called Jury Duty. Now, those who know me will attest to the fact that I do loves me some court room shows. My current favorite being The People's Court. I love Judge Milian - she's great. What was I talking about? Oh, yeah - Jury Duty. The idea is that three "celebrities" are called in to act as jurors on the show. They're, like, C list celebrities...no huge names or anything. In fact, I only recognized two of the six people today. The whole thing is presided over by John Gotti's old attorney. I can't remember his name now, though. That kept me busy until 10, when I finally left the house.

I went into the bedroom to get ready to go and thought, "I should make the bed." It seems like a responsible adult thing to do. Mike's mom always makes the bed when we visit. I get up and head out to the kitchen to get a "wake up" drink. After sipping my soda, I'll head back to the bedroom to straighten up and get "ready to face the day" dressed as opposed to "decent to be in the kitchen" dressed. When I arrive, it's like we've had a visit from the bed making fairy! I wish I had a bad making fairy in Chicago. Anyway, I thought about how I should make the bed and somehow, thinking that I should do it fulfilled whatever responsible adult urge might have been lurking within me and I still haven't done it.

I made sure that the local neighborhood watch was protecting the apartment and I left the apartment a few minutes after 10.


I walked the three blocks to the Loyola Red Line El stop. Which I took a picture of but you can't really tell it's back there. It's the tracks that go across the street. Mike will be relieved to know that the beer man was around today to stock the neighborhood with frosty brew. Although his doctor told him to cut back on beer and Mike's become a lemonade drinking machine.

I walked down to the far end of the platform and waited for the train. The escalator wasn't working today and I walked up the stairs with an old man who complained loudly to me, "Nothing ever works around this place! There's always something out of order!" I nodded in what I hoped was a sympathetic way. Not that I didn't feel bad for him having to take the stairs if it was hard on his arthritis or something...but I haven't noticed anything wrong with the equipment there before. Anyway, the train came and as you can see (sort of), it had advertising cars on it. I don't know why, but I always want to ride in the cars that are fully painted as advertisements. It always gives me some sort of thrill to be able to say, "Today I rode the Mentos train" or the "'Visit Texas!' tourist bureau train." Seriously...so far I've seen Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Idaho! I was surprised that there was no potato representation on the Idaho train.

It's a bit of a trek from our house downtown. I always bring a book and my iPod shuffle (aka the scuffle...a Mike-ism, naturally) but I usually find myself gazing out the window rather than entertaining myself with either item. This first picture I took because I always notice the big white sign that is straight up and down in the middle of the picture toward the right side. It's a wig store. I don't know why...but it always catches my eye as we go by.

And this second building I just noticed today. I love the windows in the middle - all different colors. Just sort of a little splash of color against the urban landscape.

The ride's not all beautiful, of course. I don't know if the city has plans for this abandoned lot or what it'll be if they do.


They're working on the red and brown line tracks. It's a long and ongoing project. Workers like these on the tracks slow the train progress and it takes us a lot longer to get downtown than it normally would. They tell us it'll be worth it when we see the improvements, though. We'll see, I guess.

Every day I go to work I pass by Wrigley Field. I was on the wrong side of the train to get a good picture of it today, but I thought that this Cubs trash bin was somehow exceptionally appropriate - given their performance against Arizona in the play-offs.

I took this picture as the Red Line tranformed from elevated train to subway as it neared downtown. It's one of my favorite parts of the trip as the landscape seems to suddenly begin to grow and all of the world fades away.

At last I arrived downtown at the Jackson stop! YaY! We prepare to re-emerge into the sunlight. My second favorite part of the trip...riding the escalator into the daylight.

And here you can see my destination! That red brick building with the green roof with all of the gargoyle-y looking things. The Harold Washington Library Center! YaY! The largest public library in the world. Now Chicago has tons and tons of public library branches - but if you want any sort of a shot to get the newer releases, your best bet is to head downtown to the main branch, where they buy multiple copies of all of the new stuff. The outer branches all get one...maybe two copies and they're impossible to lay your hands on for the first year or so.

Oh, look! The popcorn store! I almost stopped here and bought popcorn to buy for Handsome Alex and Big Boy JO-ey...but then I remembered that I haven't heard from Bob and Andrea (ahem!) as to what kind of popcorn they want! (ahem! ahem! I know you're a reader here, Bob...I'm waiting for an e-mail!) :D Actually, anybody who wants popcorn, give me a buzz - I'll definitely be back in this vicinity very, very soon. AND I'll be in Detroit in a week and a half, I'll be happy to make that delivery in person. I also ship...I'm an excellent mailer. Did I just sound a little like Rain Man there?

And what's up with the guy in the striped shirt here? He's so pinched and moody looking. I wish I'd have noticed before I got home and saw the picture. I like to wish unhappy-looking people like this a "good day" - well, when I'm feeling cheerful, as I was today. (Other times I am that guy). Sometimes a social nicety or friendly word is all it takes to break them out of their bad mood. Of course, sometimes they sneer at you as if you're some sort of hippie, crazy person.

Then I got inside the library and all was right in the world. I love this place. Floor after floor after floor of knowledge I do not yet have.

First stop - The popular library. Basically the newest of the new...I think. I have no idea exactly what the criteria is for a book to be in the popular library section rather than just the literature/fiction section upstairs. I always stop in here to see what's available but it's where most everybody goes to look, so it's often pretty picked through already.

Next, it's up to the 7th floor - Literature and Language. Below you will see part of the Fiction M-S section of the library. Yeah. It's a beauty to behold for a bibliophile such as myself. The library takes up a whole city block and this floor is almost all fiction. The building has 10 floors plus a lower level, plus some sort of a penthouse for something or other. I read that there is something like 71 miles of shelving inside.

I read all the way home (hence no pictures....sorry). But when I arrived home, I found that one of our neighbors had placed this little puppet on the lamp in the courtyard.

Doesn't he look like one of the puppets from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood...in the style of King Friday or, my personal favorite, Daniel Striped Tiger?

A New Conversation

Cindi: I need a haircut.

Mike: Ok.

Cindi: (glancing at Mike out of the corner of her eye) I think I'll cut all my hair off.

Mike: (disbelievingly) No, you don't.

Cindi: Maybe. I've been thinking about it. I look really cute with short hair.

Mike: All of your hair?

Cindi: Well, I'm not going to shave my head bald. But really short.

Mike: (silence)

Cindi: What do you think about that?

Mike: (sigh) Why do you ask me questions you already know the answer to?

Cindi: (giggle) Because it gives you the illusion of control.

And One For Tomorrow

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Maya Angelou

A Poem for Today

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

ee cummings

Some Mike Cuteness to Improve Your Day

Well, it'll work for Sandy, anyways. :D

Birdies Beware!

The building of the roof next door is a perfect roost for the local bird life. Every morning, this entire ledge is lined with winged creatures. They tweet and chortle and talk amongst themselves light-heartedly (or so I imagine)...never knowing that their very lives are in mortal danger...

...if Meme can ever figure out a way to get through the screen on the window.



This is our morning ritual now - or has been until the weather prompted us to have to close the windows. She still watches them but you can't hear them tweeting anymore. Mike speculates that perhaps she will become an Ornithologist when she grows up instead of an astronaut (his previous prediction...don't ask...I don't know). I, though, suspect she merely wants to become a carnivore.

The Sasquatch in Our Bathroom

Ok - so remember how I was talking about how immaculate my bathroom at the old place was when I left and hoping, hoping, hoping that Andrew was going to clean up the bathroom before he left. Hoping that Andrew was a clean freak like Mike. Andrew is not a clean freak. In fact, the words that come to mind are "big fat slob." Ugh. Plus he wouldn't let the landlord send people in to work on the place - which meant that they'd have to work around us. We didn't care. There were two days in between Andrew moving most of his stuff out and us taking possession, so they had most of the painting done ahead of time. The one area they hadn't touched yet? The bathroom. I walked in and was like, "Oh, no no no. This is not acceptable." Leo, the super, kept saying, "No, no...is no finish." He's Romanian and has a great accent.

Now, Mike and I knew there were some..."issues." They were going to repaint the whole thing, put in a new vanity and whatnot. But this is what it looked like when we moved in.

This was really gross to me...but, you know what, I knew they were going to fix this...they refinished the tub and brought in a tool to chisel between the tiles and then they reapplied the goopy stuff...whatever it's called.

They also had to apply stuff to kill the mold on the walls and ceiling before they could repaint. Again, they fixed it.

But this is what really grossed me out. Do you see the humongous ball of hair that Andrew left in the corner?! There was a layer of hair coating the entire floor. Not as bad as this hairball but bad. In fact, I nearly gagged just now thinking about it. Look at all that hair! Do you think it's possible that Andrew is, in fact, a Sasquatch....or a Yeti?

Now, they're going to be replacing this medicine cabinet for us. It's old and has some rusty spots on it which drive Mike insane. He called our landlord who sent a guy the next day to measure for a new one. We're waiting for it to come in at Home Depot. But look at the toothpaste and junk that he didn't clean off. It's called Windex! And it's not that expensive!

Anyway, here are some "almost" after pictures. We're still waiting for the cabinet to come in. Mike was definitely not thrilled about the pink, so I got as much blue in there as I could. I bought new towels to go with it. Is it weird that I love new towels? Because it seems weird to me for some reason. It's not beautiful - but it'll do. No mold, no more hairballs...I'll take it. (By the way, I didn't have to clean it myself - the super's wife Suzie came in and supercleaned it after Leo had painted).

The worst part of the deal? We had to go three days without being able to use our shower because they had scraped and refinished the tub and the stuff couldn't get wet for 72 hours. I wasn't sure Mike was going to last the whole time. It was close.

Just a Picture

Just a cool picture I found when I was looking through my photo files. I took this at the Taste of Chicago this summer while I was at The Black Crowes concert.

For Aunt Linda (mostly)

Aunt Linda asked in the comments where I was going to put my Dr. Seuss plaque, which she gave me as a housewarming present.

Well, I have a couple of thoughts on this subject. I thought I might put it here. That way, it would be sort of the centerpiece of my living room.

But I also thought it would go nicely here. Then it would be the first thing that people would see when they walked through our front door.

But I also thought about hanging it with this picture. My sister-in-law painted this picture of my mom...

From this picture of her in 1968, when she was 19 years old.


I have plenty of blank wall space to do this...but I'm just not sure where I feel that it would fit best, yet.

I also need to find a place to hang these, which I found in a frame with my baptismal certificate, of all things. The certificate had slid off center in the frame and when I went in to fix it, I came across these 10 x 13 (or 14...whatever) pictures of Jeff and I back in the pre-Matt days. So I bought them their own frames and plan to hang them up somewhere - our bedroom probably.

We're just too, too cute not to hang. I'm going to have to go through some boxes the next time I'm home to see if I can find a big one of Matt or of the three of us to go with it. I'm also working on a collage project to go over our bed...two of them actually. One is a family picture and the other is just our wedding day shots. We'll see how that turns out and how long it takes me to get done. I am my dad's kid after all. And he did buy my mom a new countertop for Christmas one year...which got installed two years later. Yeah. Could be awhile before I finish up.

To quote Caleb, I can't help it if I'm a Harris. :D

Just boring

Mike and I haven't been up to much...but we've been doing a lot. Does that make sense? We've been unpacking and trying to explore the new neighborhood - get to know our neighbors and working. Today we took a day off and went swimming. Sort of.

There were lots of doggies on the beach...including two wiener dogs! One short haired...

and one long haired!


Anyway, Mike and I were going to go swimming but the waters in Lake Michigan, always cold, were so frigid that we would only go in up to our waist and neither one of us would get completely wet. So we entertained ourselves by splashing around a little bit, collecting shells and watching the families (and their dogs) on the beach.

Don't tell Big Boy JO-ey...but we have a $5 pizza place just a few blocks away! And two of Mike's favorite restaurants. Giordano's and Leona's...Chicago style pizza and an Italian restaurant. We live at the nexus of the universe according to Mike.

Anyway, we're still alive...just a little swamped right now. And not doing anything exciting, of course. We're ok...just boring. :D

Wednesday Night Videos

So - high speed internet. Yeah, it rocks. Seriously. I haven't been able to upload anything at any sort of reasonable speed and now that I'm able to do so, I'm a little giddy with it. My digital camera has video capabilities but I haven't been using it because I couldn't do anything with it. So, today I decided to try it out. I've been following Mike around trying to get him doing something funny but as soon as he realizes that I have the camera, he stops.

Finally, I managed to get him to lip sync along. I don't think he wanted to - but he was unable to resist following along with one of his favorite Tom Petty songs. It's hard to tell that he's singing along, but he is.



Finally, he played along with me. The video is horrible because I'm laughing at him but I like it because he starting singing really low again after I sang a line. Cute. He's cute.

Me and the Mayor

Here you will see me with Her Honor, the Mayor of Rome, Iowa...aka my Aunt Linda. I always knew that one day I would know people in positions of power.

Pics of the New Digs

Initially, we had some cat issues. They spent the first several hours tucked away in one of the bedroom closets, tensing whenever anybody made any noise.

Gradually, they eased their way out and slunk around, looking for any suspicious activity.

Now they feel pretty well at home. All of our stuff has arrived and is in the process of being unboxed and put away. There are still a lot of new things to explore and discover - lots of people in and out right now...but they're adapting.

And here are a few pictures of the new place. Very few things, if any, are in their final place, of course. We have just begun to unpack - so forgive the mess.

The front entryway. Our living room. Dining room - which is going to be the computer room, as we don't really have a dining room set right now.

The hallway. The closed door is our linen closet. To the left is our bedroom, stright through the open door is the guest room and to the right is the bathroom.
The guest bedroom. It's bigger than it looks, there are several feet in either direction that I can't get to show when I'm taking a picture from the doorway.
Our bedroom - again, a lot bigger than it looks from the doorway.

The view from our bedroom window. That's the only window I can get to easily right now.

Our street.

The view (to the south) from our beach.

The view (to the north) from our beach.

A view of our street/beach from the fishing jetty.

Mike - loving his new home.

Anybody Home?

Why, yes. Yes we are! And we're in love - with our our new apartment, with our new neighbors, with our new neighborhood and especially with the high speed internet that was just installed ten minutes ago. Oh. Yeah. That picture up there? Uploaded in 1.5 seconds. Oh, yeah. It's fast. I nearly hugged the computer screen. No more waiting 20 minutes for a picture to upload with stinky AOL. In fact, I believe I will uninstall all of our AOL files in celebration of this wonderous new internet.

Back soon with more pictures.