Spoon Me

…with gollllld. I just bought this itty bitty teensy weensy spoon necklace from Garnett Jewelry. I will post photos of me eating ice cream with it when it arrives.

Ironically, I purchased this after reading a good article about accumulating too much “Stuff.“

Not just DPH

Megagood has been around about 4 1/2 months now. It has become a part of my daily ritual, and I love doing it. It clearly doesn’t feel like work to me, or I wouldn’t post every day. But I recently felt a little trapped by my Daily Picture of Happiness format. DPH is here to stay, but I am adding another feature.

This will not be as “Daily” as DPH, but let’s call it the Daily Double anyway…or DD if you like. Because Jeopardy is AWESOME, cleverly catagorized, and full of random questions answers. So do not run away confused by these new random musings, burning questions, and observations that don’t always have a happy photo with them. The following is a fairly long list of nonsense, but I needed to get it out of my head. I think it will be much more condensed from now on. I give to you…

The Daily Double

• It is amazing how many things I start doing in life, that have now become habits that I can’t imagine living without. It makes me wonder what will I not be able to live without next month…next year?
• No, I still haven’t gotten an iPhone. I am sure it will be one of the habits mentioned in the above bullet.
• Legally Blonde..the musical? No.
• I feel bad for the blind man that was trying to pick up his guide dog’s crap off the sidewalk yesterday.
• My view from the office is great. Suicide, fires, and falls into the river are not.
• Why do I get so angry when Justin wears his winter coat on a nice day?
• CAN YOU PLEASE NOT WEAR THE COAT. We have 8 months for that. Quit it. I am dying inside.
• Why is it easier for me to be friends with men more than women?
• Who FAXES dielines to people? And sends mock-ups with Cheeto fingerprints on them? Come on.
• Does anyone else think it is a good idea to mix vanilla gelato with lemon sorbet? I certainly do. And will.
• Am I the only person in the world that has good bosses consistently? Who actually has good bosses?!?! It is crazy lucky. I am not kidding. Candace, Holly, Anne, Pam. Work for them.
• Why don’t I get in shape so I can return to ballet class? I miss it and it hurts.
• Besides the coat thing, I love my husband more than anything. I could write a million posts on this. True story.
• If I didn’t have a loving husband, I would seriously consider dating Nigella Lawson. And Jeff Corwin. And certainly Matthew Fox.
• If one of the cats is sick I CAN’T stand it or think of anything else. How do parents deal when a kid is sick? Scary.
• I just started listening to NPR again. I don’t know why I ever stopped. Glad to have it back.
• I know that I shouldn’t have children yet for many reasons, but I am here to admit I have been thinking about it A LOT lately. Uncontrollable baby fever is in full force. It’s weird.
• Gum and cigarettes are litter, too. You can’t just throw them on the ground willy nilly. Stop it.
• Until a couple years ago, Justin didn’t know how sweet pajamas are. WHAT!?!?..I am glad I could help him out.
• The best ending to a TV series is the last six minutes of Six Feet Under. Shawshank wins for movies. Books is a tough one. What do you think?
• When the bus stops on a bridge I am constantly picturing what would happen it the bridge broke and we all fell in the water. Terrifying. See also: falling down flights of stairs.
• Does anyone remember Square One, the math show?
• Who decided what fruits and veggies would be OK for humans to eat? I used to think there was a man in a room that was the “food tester.” I figured that was his only job. And if he died or got sick from eating something, we would know that berry or fruit was not for humans.
• There is a project I want to do that really needs exploring on paper. I think a new sketchbook will do the trick. Few things are better than the first blank page of a new sketchbook.

Nothing To Do With Swine Flu

Whole wheat pasta is a million times better for you than white pasta. It’s got fiber after all. Who doesn’t need LOVE fiber. OK, sometimes it tastes like:

It is just too rough, stiff, and woodsy. I like oak in my wine, not in my dinner. But when whole-wheat pasta is done right, it is oh so tastey. It’s not merely a vehicle for your sauce, it is really bringing something to the table (heh). It adds a subtle nuttiness and substance to your meal. Whole-wheat pasta can hold up to some abuse if you are doing a baked dish, a scampi, or hoping for leftovers that are more al dente than al mushy.

For the last few months I have been obsessed with Ronzoni Healthy Harvest pasta. Specifically the penne and linguine. The texture is so much better than any other whole-wheat variety that I have tried. It absorbs sauce like white pasta, is lighter than other grainy varieties, and still has 7 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber per serving. If you have another favorite, let me know because I would love to try it.

We had Ronzoni linguine with shrimp scampi with snap peas tonight. A good one-pot dish that was a happy meeting of random ingredients around the kitchen. Garlic, cherry tomatoes, red onion, lemons and olive oil mixed with some seasoning, shrimp, snow peas and pasta for a happy accident dinner for two.

Well aren't you cute.

Snuggling.

Everyone is getting along swimmingly in there.

I know it isn't gorgeous, but it is more for eating than looking.

Free Books?!!

I am quite embarrassed that I just now got a library card. I won’t list all the reasons that I should have had one already, but now that I do, I am giddy. It’s the same feeling I used to get when I was 8, holding a big stack of books. There was always a summer reading camp or festival that was happening at the local library. I am sure my friend Leah is very proud. Schween is also excited because she just read this. Of course, a sane person would refuse Schween a library card, because she would be selling books on the corner in two seconds flat.

I blurred out the numbers on my barcode because GOD FORBID you steal the numbers off my library card...

Yesterday after work I went with friends out to eat massive amounts of hummus, falafel, and dolma at Cousin’s on Clark (now Efe’s) for a ridiculously low price. I just love it. Then we went to see “Hunks for You” at the Latino Film Festival. A word of advice: Do not sit in the front row and try to read subtitles. Also, do not google “Hunks for You” at work and expect to get a synopsis of the movie.

Pressure

Season change=pressure change=storms=major headache. I am loving spring, but not the side effects. I stayed home from work and slept a lot today, but I did go for a little walk to get some fresh air. Andersonville is gorgeous right now. I know I have been posting a lot of foliage, but I can’t help it. I am in love.

I found the "Andersonville Gardens" that are all along the Ravenswood tracks. Happy little walking trail. Picture perfect.

Then I slept for a long time…until it was time to make tacos.

Onion skins again...now in purple!

This is the third post featuring onion skins. They are just so dang pretty. For some reason, the I ❤ Garlic post has the most hits of any individual post on Megagood. I don’t really know why that is. Speaking of site stats…people are searching for interesting things and ending up here.

Weird search engine terms that recently lead people here:

• “night with train of stars”
• “green grass baby”
• “charping dishes” –WHAT?
• “how to develop inhuman strength”
• “cat with tiny legs”
• “amber rain”
• “chinchilla cat pics”
• “chinchilla cake”

Wine…Club?

Um…wine club could use a few more wine clubbers. Here’s the thing; Amber started it up with enough people to fill an average Chicago apartment and make enough noise to annoy the neighbors. Three years later, people have moved away, flaked out, have to work or study, get sick, or just have a lot of out-of-town plans over the weekends. This is all very understandable, but I think we need to add some more members so when people can’t make it, it is still a decent sized group. Because it is a LOT of fun and I would hate to see it die. Right now, I am breaking the first rule of wine club, which is don’t talk about wine club (heh).

Regardless of the attendance, Andrea put together a fantastic little party for the night. We still managed to get through all the bottles with just 7 people. And had no trouble with the pizza, Vosges chocolate, and other goodies. Ballet and other dance lessons were given in the dining room, and Justin had to call and check on the wearabouts of his wife around 1 am, so it was clearly a fun time with great company.

Andrea’s apartment is one of my favorites that I have visited in the city. She is always a great host. Here place was lit by candles last night–so the light is low–but I think you will get the idea.

hello

Chalkboard decal by the door. Note that the Fennec Hare drawn there is not real.

Lysiantus...with flash. I had to.

Le Pouf and company.

Three Things

#1: If you ever see Brown Cow yogurt in the store, you may want to try it. After that, you may want to try 20 more. Cherry vanilla is my favorite. I can’t go back to Yoplait. Think yogurt is just for women? Well, Justin is pretty manly and will eat this stuff daily.

The sweetness you will taste is fruit and honey. No aspartame allowed.

#2: If you were just sitting there wondering to yourself, “Hey, I wonder what Schween is up to?” then you are in luck. And you are a weirdo. You are lucky this picture is rated G, because usually “what Schween is up to” is NO GOOD.

#3: GAHHHHhhhhh! I am pissed that the fennec hare is a fake. I am so gullible and I feel cheated. For almost a month I have been loving this new-found little dude. Then I sent the link to my friend Randy, and he noticed the comments under the post. BAH! And it was originally posted on April Fools day. UGH. And Google image search only brings up that one photo. We all know Google image search doesn’t lie. I am a fool. *Sigh*

I wish you were real little dude. 😦

Overload

I didn’t know it was possible to pass out from eating sushi until last night. It was worse than any turkey coma I have experienced. Justin had to wake me lift me up from the couch and I barely made it to the bed…at 8:30 at night. Maybe I was worn out from the day, and I did get a lot of sun. I have over 15 DPHs from yesterday and need to upload at least a few. Let’s get started.

The first visit to Baci of the season. It was VERY crowded.

I spy a lunchtime picnic.

This accurately describes the mood of most everyone that was outside in Chicago yesterday. 80 degrees in April=euphoria.

Dessert

Alright, I never post photos of myself because I am on the other side of the camera and I just don't really love photos of myself. But this outfit really made me happy all day long. And besides the shoes, it was all free. The shirt and skirt as swap items from friends and the jewelry is jade and gold from Grandma Tica. ❤

It is roof deck/patio season.

Sweaty sparkly and billowy sleevy.

This is prity prity good. Justin claims it was his, and that he is using his many degrees for sidewalk-chalk-painting.

Divey Deliciousness

Due to some kind of accident on the tracks of the Northline Metra, I had to take an alternate route home last night. Besides the extra walking and transfers, I didn’t mind it too much. A change in daily scenery makes me feel more human. I was going to make dinner, but as I exited the Damen #50 I knew Lebanese food was the only option.

Taste of Lebanon (also known as Totes Lebs) is not someplace I would notice or venture into on my own, but Alex let me in on the secret of this neighborhood gem. It was recently described as “Deeeeleeeshus,” on Yelp. Agreed. The only complaints seem to be that it is not open 24/7.

If you show up there, please do not be frightened by the appearance. It is charmingly dreadful. But I assure you the food and the prices are unbeatable. Bring cash. Eat Chawarma. Ignore the styrofoam food presentation if you can and take it to go.

Glorious tropical wall mural.

Sink in dining area under the TV for your hand-cleansing pleasure.

Exotic travel photos.

Simply the best lentil soup I have had.

Chawarma.

Who Is Sick Of Foliage Pictures?

Not me. And yesterday was Earth Day after all. Spring is starting to get really pretty in these Andersonville, and my walk home has improved 1000% since a few months ago. This calls for DPH walk-home-foliage-shots. I plan on linking to this post mid-January of next year to remind myself that things do get better. I am so giddy to see all of this after I get off the train and before I enter my front door:

I can't believe these are going to be real leaves in a minute!

Leaves and Sun FTW.