Rant of the Day

Can we just - as a nation - stop obsessing over Britain's Got Talent! Puh-leez?!

I don't care about Susan Boyle - her voice, the fact that she's never been kissed or her makeover! I would be just fine if I never heard a thing from the boy with the great voice - because quite frankly, his attitude just bugs, he's getting an ego.

And now this 10-year old girl?

Come on! While I love you Matt, Meredith, Ann and Al - this has no business in the first hour of Today.

So just stop with the coverage.

K, thanks.

P.S. Our water is fixed and our water pressure is better than it was before! Yay, blessing in disguise!

City Livin'

Dear City of Chicago,

Please fix our water. Clearly there's a problem. And it's one you are already aware of. Your workers were all over my dog on Monday, petting her and loving her. I even let you into our yard for access to the manhole. I thought you had my back.

That was four days ago.

I knew you were on it - you even blocked parking in front of our house. I had hope.

But that was four days ago.

It sure is messy. But the patient part of me can look past the mess. But the problem is now inside too. We don't have any water pressure. In fact, we can't even turn on our showers. And brushing our teeth is difficult too. Luckily we can take a bath - but the water comes out slower than molasses so it isn't very fun.

We'd sure appreciate getting this taken care of. Soon! I need a shower!

Great Morning

I had a pretty good morning today. By no means am I a morning person. My parents got the brunt of it growing up - I was one cranky kid and even worse, a cranky, snotty teenager. But really, who isn't at that age?!

When I grew up and got into the working world I developed a routine that worked for me. That routine included coffee, number one, and the Today show. Over the years, my love of Today has deepened. I love the NBC family, and it truly kickstarts my day.

When we moved to Chicago, my morning routine changed and I don't have as close proximity to the television from the bathroom so I don't always get to watch/hear Today. It's sad.

Don't even get me started on how we haven't seen the Nightly News with Brian Williams ONCE since we moved - the downside of central time, if you were wondering if there was one.
But part of my good morning today was because I got my ML/MV viewing time! How else am I supposed to keep up with the news - the real behind the scenes stuff, the human interest angle.

I am completely amazed by the Craigslist killer stuff. That's insane, scary stuff. Today was able to get an interview with a former roommate - but it was for the most part filler and just who they were able to get. I'm pulling for the fiancee tomorrow - because she sounds completely clueless. I have sympathy, I do - her fiancee is a lunatic and she didn't even know it.

I'm off to get more coffee - sadly, I didn't even make any at home this morning. Too enthralled with the television.

Please Mr. Postman

I've done my share of looking at all the awesome stuff on Etsy, and now I actually can say I finally purchased something! A Necklush, as seen above. I'm super excited to get it.

I ordered about a week and half ago - so hopefully the UPS man pays me a visit soon.

Working 9 to 5...

Hello, Make Me Flawless!

If you read my previous post, you'll know that it is completely still "winter" for all intents and purposes. Meaning I still slather body cream on day and night because my skin is constantly parched and I don't have to worry about the humidity taking off my makeup the instant I step outside.

Nonetheless, I'm still scouting products for my summer "face!"

I love trying new stuff - especially highlighters, foundations, powders, blush, illuminators - basically anything that will give me a glow and make my skin look better. I have some favorites already but I'm always on the lookout for something that can perform magic on my dull skin.

So when I heard about a new Benefit product, Hello Flawless, I knew I had to give it a try. It's a lightweight, multi-purpose powder foundation that purportedly melts into your skin. Honestly, it sounds a lot like Clinique Almost Powder (which I like very much!) - but I needed to judge for myself. Plus - Benefit products are so much fun!

I hightailed it to the Benefit counter at Macy's on State after work on Friday to check it out. I played around with a few shades, got a feel for the consistency of the product and took the plunge with the shade "petal."

Huge fan already! It's so pigmented, but lightweight and when sponged on it does melt into your skin (in a positive way).

And, *bonus*, Benefit was offering a gift-with-$50 purchase that included Hello Flawless, so -- no brainer there!

I've never heard of a Benefit gift-with-purchase, but they should do it more often! It's fantastic - check it out. All full-size products and an adorable bag too.

I think that gifts-with-purchase might just be my favorite thing in the world.

And I'm excited to give Hello Flawless the humidity test - but seeing as I'm not in DC anymore, I have a feeling I won't have as many of those disgusting days. At least not anytime soon.

In need of Spring

When we made the decision to move to Chicago in February, I joked about how my winter just got two months longer. I even warded off the teasing from former coworkers about moving to a colder climate in a playful manner. "I can handle this people," I would say, "I'm from Wisconsin."

But in the five years I was away from this area, I got seriously wussy. It's like I started to truly believe that March and April were spring months. I somehow conned myself into thinking that it wouldn't really be all that different here. 

So wrong!

We've had some decent days here, don't get me wrong, but they are totally deceiving. The weekend before St. Patrick's Day was sunny and balmy and I tried to wear flats out. Ohmygosh, the ground was still frozen and so were my tootsies. And yesterday looked beautiful (emphasis on the looked) so I threw on a light wool wrap for the afternoon and ventured off. It was all good until I missed the bus and had to stand there soaking up the sun and accompanying wind and bitter chill. 

I've learned my lesson. And I think I'm starting to get it. Memories of many cold Easters have started flooding back and I will not make the mistake anymore. I'll overdress if need be. The Uggs aren't going anywhere just yet. 

So while I'm bundled up, I'll be dreaming of springy blouses and summery dresses.