This morning started out well. I snoozed once more than I should have, but managed to shower and dress fairly quickly. I only put on one outfit, as opposed to putting on pants and a top, deciding the top doesn't work, finding a top I like, but then having to change the pants and then searching for socks and shoes.
I left the house about five minutes later than planned, not bad. I drive to work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays because I have class after work. Class gets out at nine, and I don't really like the idea of waiting for the bus or train to get to the train station to take Metra home that late at night.
Driving to work blows. What should be a 25-30 minute drive takes at least an hour and, if I don't get on the road by 6:45, it takes at least an hour and a half, sometimes more. So, I head out, all happy about being on time and planning to get gas on the way, because my light was on and I was low.
I usually go to the Shell station on Dempster, across the street from Notre Dame High School. They aren't always the cheapest, but usually they are so, even if they're a penny more, I'm okay with that, because they are consistently cheap. This gas station is not close to my house, but it is on the way to 94. As I neared the gas station I realized I didn't have my wallet. I went to bowling Monday night and took my wallet out of my purse. Then this morning, when I was switching purses, the wallet was on the floor, I didn't see it and didn't think about it.
So, I kept driving, muttering to myself, wondering what I should do. If I could get to work, I know one of my work friends would loan my money for gas. But would I get to work? Had it not been morning rush hour, maybe, but it was morning rush hour. Did I really want to risk it?
No.
So, I turned around and drove home. By the time I got home, got my wallet, got gas and got back on the road, it was an hour later than when I started.
If you think traffic stinks at 7am, you should see it at 8am. JEEBUS.
I took surface streets as far as I could without risking getting lost (I get lost easily) and then got on the highway.
I got to work at 9:15.
Ugh.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
I'm a very opinionated person. Thus far, in the decorating of our house, I've had an idea and Mr has accepted it (for the most part - he's made a few suggestions to tweak ideas and he's usually right). I've been pretty good. I was worried about my office, because I picked a pale pale mint color and I was afraid with the new white furniture it would look like a baby's room. But it was good.
The guest room was a flop. I picked what I thought was a lovely shade called "Butter Up!" It was not lovely. It was bad. So, we went back to the paint store and got a lovely blue/grey, which has turned out wonderfully. The nice part about being in school and completely overbooked is that Mr is entirely responsible for fixing up the house. This weekend, while I was reading and researching, he was priming, taping, and painting. Right now he's cleaning up and later we'll load in what furniture we have for the room.
We're also working on the bathroom. I have been completely uninspired. I don't really like anything. We went to a tile store - Mr used to be their accountant - and looked around. We were both getting frustrated. Mr was looking for stone type stuff and it all just looked too boring for me. Then. I saw the glass tiles. I love glass tiles. I just dig the way they look. We found a stone that we both liked and I was asking what decorative trim they have for it. She said there is none, and you can use whatever you want. After a bit of prodding, she made a suggestion and showed us the glass tile.
Mr is unsure. He thinks he'll break it. How you break 1" tiles that are 6 feet up the wall is beyond me, but he thinks they'll break. Really, he's worried that it will look weird. He's never seen glass and stone. I can't find examples, but I just know it will be good.
This is the stuff. We've picked a pretty neutral beige-y stone with traces of red/brown in it. This would run, probably in a row of three tiles, about six feet up, just under the shower head.
I'm thinking we'll paint the walls the light yellow color. I already found a paint at Sherwin Williams called "White Raisin" that looks really good.
The guest room was a flop. I picked what I thought was a lovely shade called "Butter Up!" It was not lovely. It was bad. So, we went back to the paint store and got a lovely blue/grey, which has turned out wonderfully. The nice part about being in school and completely overbooked is that Mr is entirely responsible for fixing up the house. This weekend, while I was reading and researching, he was priming, taping, and painting. Right now he's cleaning up and later we'll load in what furniture we have for the room.
We're also working on the bathroom. I have been completely uninspired. I don't really like anything. We went to a tile store - Mr used to be their accountant - and looked around. We were both getting frustrated. Mr was looking for stone type stuff and it all just looked too boring for me. Then. I saw the glass tiles. I love glass tiles. I just dig the way they look. We found a stone that we both liked and I was asking what decorative trim they have for it. She said there is none, and you can use whatever you want. After a bit of prodding, she made a suggestion and showed us the glass tile.
Mr is unsure. He thinks he'll break it. How you break 1" tiles that are 6 feet up the wall is beyond me, but he thinks they'll break. Really, he's worried that it will look weird. He's never seen glass and stone. I can't find examples, but I just know it will be good.
This is the stuff. We've picked a pretty neutral beige-y stone with traces of red/brown in it. This would run, probably in a row of three tiles, about six feet up, just under the shower head.
I'm thinking we'll paint the walls the light yellow color. I already found a paint at Sherwin Williams called "White Raisin" that looks really good.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Wedding Stuff
For some reason, I feel compelled to apologize whenever I talk about my wedding here. I don't know why. I mean, this blog has no express purpose than an outlet for me to discuss what comes to mind and, as a person planning a wedding, wedding stuff comes to mind frequently. Still, I feel bad. Oh well.
This weekend was good for wedding stuff. I took my dress to a wonderful seamstress on Friday who, for $275, will be able to shorten the gown without losing any of the beading. It isn't heavily beaded, but there is a lil' something on the bodice (where the only horizontal seam is) and at the hem. I was worried that they wouldn't be able to shorten it without losing some of the sparkle, which would really change the look of the dress.
$275 seems like a lot, but that includes all the fittings and other alterations that come with a wedding dress. I've heard horror stories of being told it will cost X and then finding out, too close to the wedding to do anything about it, that there's an extra charge for x, y, and z. So, I'm cool with the $275 since it is a flat rate.
The people who are doing it are really nice too. I like them. The woman's mother started a shop and she has taken over and turned it into a boutique - they sell bridesmaid, MOB, MOG and prom dresses there and her sister runs a tux shop next door. They have the only brown tuxedos in Chicagoland. This works out well for me since I was planning on doing very dark brown - like espresso - dresses for the bridesmaids with lavender/light purple bouquets.
I saw the color combo in an issue of Martha Stewart Weddings and loved it. I was so happy when I saw their brown tux, and then the tie selection that they have. They had a lavender striped tie that was just different shades of lavender. "Perfect!" I thought.
I brought home a brochure for Mr so he could see what I was planning. He was ok with the brown tux - it's very dark - but not at all ok with my choice of tie (this lilac one). "You can't make the guys wear purple. You might as well put them in dresses." Ugh. So, I'm not sure what to do. I don't want them in the brown tuxes if they're wearing all brown (ie a brown tie, too). I don't really want to change the color scheme and lose the brown altogether, but since the shade I like and wanted is super-dark brown, I think it would look bad with black tuxes.
So, my mom called me to catch up. I told her about the shop and the tuxes and her reaction was... not what I was looking for. She basically laughed at the idea of brown tuxes, saying that she "always" liked black tuxes because they are classic and won't look "silly" years from now. She said that my brother's wedding had brown and black and it looked fine. Which is true, but the bridesmaid dress I wore in that wedding was a much softer, lighter brown, not an almost-black. They got married in June. I'm getting married in October. I feel like it has to be richer, more saturated colors.
For the past three years I've been working in Marketing. I don't have a design degree, but a lot of what I do is design work. I've developed an appreciation for a well-executed color scheme and I'm a little more sensitive to how things are carried through. When I found this color palette in Martha Stewart, I thought it was great. I want it carried out through the whole wedding - dark brown, with punches of pale purple, accented by white. I don't want the brown too light because it is a fall wedding. I want the dominate color to be a rich, fall, hue. I don't like red or shades of red in weddings. I feel like a) red bridesmaid dresses are a little overwhelming on a large scale b)it's over done.
But I digress. My mom just doesn't get that to have the men in black throws off my color scheme. I mean, I was planning on invitations in dark brown ink, just to keep things unified. I know most people won't notice or comment. That isn't the point. I will notice. I didn't get too into it with her, because I know that she doesn't get it. She's not going to get it. But I wish she did.
So, now I'm wondering what other color combos I can use. I want a fall look, but I'm not crazy about jewel tones. I suppose I could do the chocolate/espresso and blue instead of purple. It would be the same effect, or pale green. But that means that Mr will have to like the brown tuxes and be ok with his guys wearing something other than black tux, white shirt, black vest, back tie - which is apparently what he's worn for every wedding he's been in.
If you got this far into the post, what do you think? Am I crazy with the brown tux?
This weekend was good for wedding stuff. I took my dress to a wonderful seamstress on Friday who, for $275, will be able to shorten the gown without losing any of the beading. It isn't heavily beaded, but there is a lil' something on the bodice (where the only horizontal seam is) and at the hem. I was worried that they wouldn't be able to shorten it without losing some of the sparkle, which would really change the look of the dress.
$275 seems like a lot, but that includes all the fittings and other alterations that come with a wedding dress. I've heard horror stories of being told it will cost X and then finding out, too close to the wedding to do anything about it, that there's an extra charge for x, y, and z. So, I'm cool with the $275 since it is a flat rate.
The people who are doing it are really nice too. I like them. The woman's mother started a shop and she has taken over and turned it into a boutique - they sell bridesmaid, MOB, MOG and prom dresses there and her sister runs a tux shop next door. They have the only brown tuxedos in Chicagoland. This works out well for me since I was planning on doing very dark brown - like espresso - dresses for the bridesmaids with lavender/light purple bouquets.
I saw the color combo in an issue of Martha Stewart Weddings and loved it. I was so happy when I saw their brown tux, and then the tie selection that they have. They had a lavender striped tie that was just different shades of lavender. "Perfect!" I thought.
I brought home a brochure for Mr so he could see what I was planning. He was ok with the brown tux - it's very dark - but not at all ok with my choice of tie (this lilac one). "You can't make the guys wear purple. You might as well put them in dresses." Ugh. So, I'm not sure what to do. I don't want them in the brown tuxes if they're wearing all brown (ie a brown tie, too). I don't really want to change the color scheme and lose the brown altogether, but since the shade I like and wanted is super-dark brown, I think it would look bad with black tuxes.
So, my mom called me to catch up. I told her about the shop and the tuxes and her reaction was... not what I was looking for. She basically laughed at the idea of brown tuxes, saying that she "always" liked black tuxes because they are classic and won't look "silly" years from now. She said that my brother's wedding had brown and black and it looked fine. Which is true, but the bridesmaid dress I wore in that wedding was a much softer, lighter brown, not an almost-black. They got married in June. I'm getting married in October. I feel like it has to be richer, more saturated colors.
For the past three years I've been working in Marketing. I don't have a design degree, but a lot of what I do is design work. I've developed an appreciation for a well-executed color scheme and I'm a little more sensitive to how things are carried through. When I found this color palette in Martha Stewart, I thought it was great. I want it carried out through the whole wedding - dark brown, with punches of pale purple, accented by white. I don't want the brown too light because it is a fall wedding. I want the dominate color to be a rich, fall, hue. I don't like red or shades of red in weddings. I feel like a) red bridesmaid dresses are a little overwhelming on a large scale b)it's over done.
But I digress. My mom just doesn't get that to have the men in black throws off my color scheme. I mean, I was planning on invitations in dark brown ink, just to keep things unified. I know most people won't notice or comment. That isn't the point. I will notice. I didn't get too into it with her, because I know that she doesn't get it. She's not going to get it. But I wish she did.
So, now I'm wondering what other color combos I can use. I want a fall look, but I'm not crazy about jewel tones. I suppose I could do the chocolate/espresso and blue instead of purple. It would be the same effect, or pale green. But that means that Mr will have to like the brown tuxes and be ok with his guys wearing something other than black tux, white shirt, black vest, back tie - which is apparently what he's worn for every wedding he's been in.
If you got this far into the post, what do you think? Am I crazy with the brown tux?
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Way Back Wednesday
Actually, I stole this from a "Tuesday" meme, but I didn't like the Wednesday site I was sent to so... whatever.
I felt like doing a meme this morning, possibly because I particularly spas-tastic this morning and don't want to focus on work. Also note that it is almost noon and I'm talking about "this morning."
Anyway. Here it is:
What songs remind you of your first "real" boyfriend/girlfriend? My first boyfriend loved the song "La Bamba" because he saw that movie about Richie Valens starring Lou Diamond Phillips. I distinctly remember him telling me this when we were on a "date" - we went to Pizza Hut with his family.
Did you ever have a song that was considered "your song" when you were part of a couple or now? I don't think so. Even now, I have a favorite song, which I must dance to whenever I hear it, but it's more my thing and Mr humors me. Sometimes a random song will come on the radio and he'll call it our song - but it is always something that is very much not a "couple-y" song like "The Immigrant Song" by Led Zepplin. Not that I don't love that song - if I were a major league ball player, the intro would totally be my at-bat music.
If you could dedicate one song to someone you love, what song would it be? I don't know. My very favorite Elvis song is what we'll be dancing to at our wedding, and it makes me think of him now. Mostly because once, on valentine's day, he surprised me by having a Vermont Teddy Bear (this one, actually) sent to my office. The card was unsigned, but had some lines from the song in it. So, I guess I'd dedicate that song to him. That was a good Valentine's Day.
In your opinion, who writes the best love songs. This is subjective. Hhhmmmm... I don't know. Maybe Journey?
I felt like doing a meme this morning, possibly because I particularly spas-tastic this morning and don't want to focus on work. Also note that it is almost noon and I'm talking about "this morning."
Anyway. Here it is:
What songs remind you of your first "real" boyfriend/girlfriend? My first boyfriend loved the song "La Bamba" because he saw that movie about Richie Valens starring Lou Diamond Phillips. I distinctly remember him telling me this when we were on a "date" - we went to Pizza Hut with his family.
Did you ever have a song that was considered "your song" when you were part of a couple or now? I don't think so. Even now, I have a favorite song, which I must dance to whenever I hear it, but it's more my thing and Mr humors me. Sometimes a random song will come on the radio and he'll call it our song - but it is always something that is very much not a "couple-y" song like "The Immigrant Song" by Led Zepplin. Not that I don't love that song - if I were a major league ball player, the intro would totally be my at-bat music.
If you could dedicate one song to someone you love, what song would it be? I don't know. My very favorite Elvis song is what we'll be dancing to at our wedding, and it makes me think of him now. Mostly because once, on valentine's day, he surprised me by having a Vermont Teddy Bear (this one, actually) sent to my office. The card was unsigned, but had some lines from the song in it. So, I guess I'd dedicate that song to him. That was a good Valentine's Day.
In your opinion, who writes the best love songs. This is subjective. Hhhmmmm... I don't know. Maybe Journey?
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Mission: Bubble Bath - Not Complete
So, I was so excited on Friday when my tub was "fixed" that I just posted right away. After the plumber left, I started to follow his instructions - to pour two cups of bleach down the drain to clear out any grease (also, I was supposed to let my husband know he should caulk the seal on the faucet [another thing not done by the moron who put in our tub]. He also left the panel off so that my husband could see what he had replaced. I think there was something else I was supposed to tell my husband, but I don't know, maybe I forgot because I'm just a stupid girl. I HATE it when people assume I can't do stuff because I don't have a penis.). Anyway. Where was I?
Bleach. Right. So, while the bleach was clearing things out I posted my joy and did some internet research on the best way to clean tub jets. Then, after some time had passed, I started cleaning the jets. Turns out, the waste/overflow system wasn't the only thing the douchebag who redid the bathroom didn't do properly. We once again had water in the living room, though not as much as before. We just noticed it because the big hole in the ceiling made the water really obvious.
The jets, or the pipes that connect to the jets are leaking. They are, naturally, the jets closest to the wall. And, since we installed a fancy-schmancy closet system that I don't want to take down and I also don't want to cut a hole in the closet and then repair the wall and repair the closet system, I have decided to get a new tub. Yes, the old tub works, and it is just the jets that don't work. However. Without being able to turn on the jets, I am unable to clean the jets. If I can't clean the jets I can't take a bath. In which case we are stuck with an awkward, ugly stupid shower.
So. We're completely remodeling the bathroom - new tub, tile, fixtures, vanity, toilet, etc. Totally new.
Do you realize how expensive bathrooms are? Sheez. I guess I know what I'm doing with my tax refund.
Bleach. Right. So, while the bleach was clearing things out I posted my joy and did some internet research on the best way to clean tub jets. Then, after some time had passed, I started cleaning the jets. Turns out, the waste/overflow system wasn't the only thing the douchebag who redid the bathroom didn't do properly. We once again had water in the living room, though not as much as before. We just noticed it because the big hole in the ceiling made the water really obvious.
The jets, or the pipes that connect to the jets are leaking. They are, naturally, the jets closest to the wall. And, since we installed a fancy-schmancy closet system that I don't want to take down and I also don't want to cut a hole in the closet and then repair the wall and repair the closet system, I have decided to get a new tub. Yes, the old tub works, and it is just the jets that don't work. However. Without being able to turn on the jets, I am unable to clean the jets. If I can't clean the jets I can't take a bath. In which case we are stuck with an awkward, ugly stupid shower.
So. We're completely remodeling the bathroom - new tub, tile, fixtures, vanity, toilet, etc. Totally new.
Do you realize how expensive bathrooms are? Sheez. I guess I know what I'm doing with my tax refund.
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