just shy of pretty

Thursday Afternoon and life is just beautiful…

April 16, 2009 at 6:03 pm (Day to Day, Warrior Dash) (Chicago, Day to Day, Exercise, Merchandise Mart, Music)

It really is.

The temp is 62°. The sun is shining. I ran a quick 4 miles earlier, outside at the Forest Preserve, listening to my Warrior Music List (Warrior Dash training) and just feeling happy. Only people that live in climates that go from cold to hot and back again can really understand the joy you feel when the weather breaks. And lucky for us it happens really often in Springtime in this part of the country! It was 35° steady a week ago. It was rainy and 40 degrees just 2 days ago. Then it was clear and 45 degrees just yesterday. Today, sunny and 60. Tomorrow is supposed to be 70+!! Next week? Who knows? Probably back in the 40’s. Then back in the 70’s. It is a constant rollercoaster of bad/good weather. And you can count yourself extra lucky if you don’t catch pneumonia by summer! That’s when it will be 90 and everyone is begging for the cold again. So unsatisfied we are.

But, back to the happy. I ran, and I’m done for the day, thank goodness. Now I can concentrate on dinner. Still off the strict-diet wagon, but not all that bad. Luckily my scale ran out of batteries and I don’t know what the damage really is. I still fit in my small jeans so I guess that’s ok. Kids are still gone, but they have a good daddy so I know they’re happy. And the weather in Kentucky is mostly nice all the time!

Went to the old job yesterday to see the people before they have to leave the premises. Kind of sad really. Took the train to the city. Chicago. Over an hour–don’t miss that. Walked another 20 minutes to the Merchandise Mart–housing the company–it was a bit chilly and windy as it always is–didn’t really miss that either.

I actually thought I would take some pictures, because I never do. I just slogged off every day back and forth barely even looking around ya know? Just avoiding the homeless and trying not to get in the middle of any altercations they would be having amongst themselves. Funny story once: a man and woman were fighting over a rolled up umbrella. On the corner of a busy street at 8 in the morning. It wasn’t even raining. And there wasn’t anything else around. No other people, none of their stuff…it’s like they were just walking along together when they decided to start fighting over that umbrella. Just both of them holding onto it, pulling it back and forth between them, both shouting, “Call the Po-lice! Call the Po-lice!”  Cross the street, don’t look back.

Anyway, I pull out the camera. It wasn’t really sunny yet, so that’s always better I think for pictures, when, “Crack!” I drop the damn camera right onto the ground. Lens first. Broken. Just like that. Had it for almost 2 years—so that’s pretty good actually. I fiddle around with it on the sidewalk and manage to get the zoom lens things out and back in, although not as easy and neat like BEFORE it was broke. It keeps turning off. I finally get it to come on, open and even take 3 pictures, but now I feel bad and kind of sad that I broke it, so I just put it away. I didn’t even tell the boyfriend until much later, like much later…after 8 pm and vodka…no, he was fine. It was his present and all–just a point and shoot–not anything REALLY fancy, but now I have to get him a new one. I’ll post the picture I took and you can see. It still works. I figure I can use it or the kids can. Now we don’t have to worry about them breaking it. Ha! Thank you, ME.

Anyway, really off track here…all my old friends seem ok. Sad but surviving. Everybody has the summer off so that’s kind of a good thing! And we can all find jobs together! School is an option being thrown around alot. I highly recommend it. Never too late! So I hung out all day, picked up some cd’s and a mini-chattering-teeth wind up toy and called it a day.

I’ll go back with the kids so we can say goodbye proper. I’ve been bringing them since they were in carriers and they’ll want to see the place and the people they know, one more time before everyone scatters. It really is like a second family (19 years put in for me) and I’m not very sentimental. But it felt like a funeral.

After that, I phoned my lawyer friend and walked over to her offices. Swanky. First time in all the time we’ve been downtown together. That’s funny isn’t it? Then we hustled it to the train—Pit-Stop for StarBux(downtown Starbux)–and rode home.

Went to Portillo’s with the BF, picked up 2½ Men/Season 2 and some chocolate cake and made it a night. Got up this morning to the sing-song call of the cardinals, drank coffee, paid bills and did dishes and laundry until it was time to run. You know the rest. Happy.

FYI: My Warrior Music List Part 1 Part 2 really does rock. I highly recommend it. (Check it out in my Music Lists) I used it today–shuffled up–and it worked great!. I could have run for another ½ mile–ha.  I been slacking off on the lists. I’ll get back into it. Got some new music to peruse so we’ll see what I can come up with.

Anyway, wherever you are, enjoy the evening. Hope the weather is fine for whatever you want to do.

It’s almost the weekend! Cheers!

Permalink Leave a Comment