Wednesday, March 30, 2011

...city livin...

Our little apartment has 12 foot high ceilings.

It's awesome. It makes 670 square feet seem so much bigger.

As an added bonus, I don't hit the ceiling when I get excited and jump up and down. And it's also great for P90X-ing, as the program also requires lots of hopping.

Additionally, one entire wall of our apartment has floor to ceiling windows. Pretty cool. Gives us a great view of some offices directly across the street from us. I like to have staredowns with some employees that work at the "chaotic office" as I have coined it. The place looks so unorganized that it makes me cringe, even from afar.




While these windows are really quite pretty, they also provide us with a few challenges. I often forget when I open the shades to let in sunlight (and initiate starting contests), that I'm also opening our apartment up to anyone else who has eyes and happens to glance upwards. Sometimes I have fun peering down at tour groups who come to take pictures of our building, and the one right across the street, the Monadnock. Overall, I don't mind having the window shades open, and have learned pretty quickly that a bathrobe is my new best friend when getting from the bathroom to the bedroom after showers.

Night, however, is an entirely different story. We have window shades for all of our windows, which I typically close at night. Even with everything "covered," we still get a heck of a lot of light in our apartment. Especially our bedroom. For some reason, when the light filters in through the shades, it makes cool strobe like beams of light all across our ceiling and bed.

While the strobes are pretty nifty looking, they make it hard to fall asleep. I'm already battling with the sounds of the El, trucks driving by, random car horns (people LOVE their horns here), and the constant karaoke from the bar located IN our apartment building...so the last thing I really want is beams of light alllllll over.

My first thought is that I need to get an eye-mask. While I've always thought they were vaguely princess-y and pretentious looking, I thought I might be willing to try one out. When I happened across one in the dollar bins at Target, I knew it was destiny.

Also, I think it's important to note that when I was discussing this with Tim, I had the genius idea for Apple to create the imask. This would be a 3d sort of apparatus, made cool in a way that only Apple can. (You heard it here first people) To this Tim replied, Apple should make iglasses! To which I replied, duh, eyeglasses already exists.

Anyway. Last night as I was laying in bed, unable to sleep because of the bright lights, I was contemplating two thoughts.

1. Transform our bedroom into a small, posh nightclub with excessive strobe lights. And obviously make some money on the side.

2. Try out my eye-mask for the first time.

I opted for #2. Even though it felt like something was constricting my face, and I had fears of punching Tim in my sleep because I couldn't see anything, it worked out pretty well. I'm not sure if I'll continue use of the mask, because when I woke up, it was no longer on my face, but on the floor.

Maybe if I had a cool one like this, I would keep it on longer.



Any alternative ideas for blocking out light? Besides the obvious of spending hundreds of dollars on curtains?

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

...d.w.t.s...


DWTS. Dancing With The Stars. Duh.


If you feel bad for not knowing what the acronym stood for...don’t. I just found out on Sunday night when I watched the encore performance of the season 12 premier. Of course I tuned in on Monday night to watch the second episode.


I’m a DWTS first-timer. Well, I guess second-timer seeing as I’ve watched two whole shows now.


Now that I no longer have access to an included cable package with our rent, I’m really starting to get into these abc and nbc shows. (Two words: Biggest Loser) Tim started his classes at Booth last night, leaving me with a three-hour window of free-time. I knew DWTS was scheduled, so really, did I have any other choice but to watch?


To all you naysayers who may think all I do is spend time watching TV, I want you to know that I also read an entire book yesterday. Yes. An ENTIRE book.


I need a job.


BACK TO THE MATTER AT HAND.


d w t s.


After viewing, I have a few observations; so here’s the rub...


There’s a lot of rubbing. I know that dancing is all about getting close to your partner, looking fluid and smooth, and these celebs and dancers are showcasing that to the maximum level. There’s some sparky physical chemistry there for sure.


There is a LOT of kissing happening. This is a bit confusing to me. Maybe it’s all a part of the “dance world,” but as a viewer I just have to say that it looks a bit awkward. I’ve seen multiple cheek kisses, kissing of the biceps muscle, fake make-outs, real make-outs...the judges have even gotten in on the action! Maybe they are just so relieved when their dances are done that they just can’t help but kiss? I’m still hunting down the root of this issue/desire.


The dancing is actually impressive! (in most cases) As someone who doesn’t necessarily have ballroom ease and talent, I am truly impressed by how fluid these dances look. Good work celebies! Of course, I haven’t ruled out the possibility that all the girls wear shiny, sequencey, and skimpy outfits to distract the viewer from the actual talent on the dance floor...


Speaking of the ladies, it’s hard to take your eyes off of them! I intentionally tried to watch the guys and the girls on the floor because some of the celebrities are men, and they are actually the people the viewer is supposed to be focused on during the dance. But I can’t focus on anything but the fanciness and flow of the ladies’ outfits. It could also be that I typically don’t go for a man dressed in a sequence tux, so I subconsciously ignore them. Sorry guys.


Am I hooked yet?


Not sure.


I guess they vote dancers off on Tuesday night? I’m not sure how the whole system works.


Any other dwts watchers out there?


If you prefer to watch in secret, I can respect that.

Monday, March 28, 2011

...tufts...

I'm couchless.

Without couch. Sans couch.

Couch count = 0.


And I'm in a pickle. The Hubs and I have vastly different decorating styles. I like to think I have them...and so does he. But there is little to absolutely no coinciding of said "styles."

So what's a girl to do when it's time to purchase a new couch, most likely going to cost a pretty penny? This is no hypothetical, I want suggestions. I've worn myself looking online, and I'm not sure what to do next. Without easy access to the burbs, going to basic furniture stores isn't out best option; but should we buy a couch online? (I'm loving that overstock.com has free shipping....)

If money grew on trees, and I had a money tree in my apartment, these are the types of couches I would be allllll over.









You might notice a trend of tufting. My new favorite.

For the hubs?

All leather. A big, leather, man-couch. A big, leather, expensive man-couch.

Compromise?

Friday, March 25, 2011

...the royal wedding...

It's happening. Prince William and commoner Kate Middleton are getting married on April 29, 2011. Juuuuust around the corner; and I hear time goes by even faster when you have royal blood in your veins. Just kidding. I made that up. But it woooooould be a nifty little trick to have flowing through your bloodstream say during boring meetings, tedious workouts, and time spent watching the SPEED channel on TV*.

It seems as the date approaches, more and more, and then just when you think it can't get any worse, even MORE ridiculous memorabilia pops out of the woodwork. All for the sole purpose of celebrating the event of the "royal wedding." I don't get it. Maybe it's because I live in the United States and the whole idea of royalty is a bit distant for me (except for everything to do with the movie Princess Diaries, because I'm pretty sure I've watched that about a million times), but I just can't wrap my mind around the importance being placed on this wedding date. Whatever. It's providing me with some great fodder because TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THIS MEMORABILIA!

Hot off the kiln, we have Prince William and Kate China!



Because who doesn't like to eat off of other people's faces? I think it's dishwasher safe, but I say why risk it?

The William and Kate T-Shirt!


My favorite part: the facial expressions and realistic farm-like setting where the wedding will take place.

The phone apps!


Attention smart-phone users, there are literally hundreds of countdown applications you can download so you're always up to date on the exact countdown to the day of nuptials. I liked the swans in this one. Very classy.

Mittens.
Coins.

Jealousy.


And my all time favorite. The Will and Kate Fridge.


You can bet that if our apartment hadn't come stocked with a normal and boring black fridge, I'd be in line to get one of these babies!


My advice to you Kate, hang in there. We all recognize that this is absurd and ridiculous.

*Disclaimer: when I'm watching the SPEED channel with Tim, it's ok.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

...the windy city...

If you know anything about Chicago (which I apparently didn't, as I was told this information by a friend), St. Patrick's day is one of the most celebrated in this city. We're talking about dying an entire river green....and this is no small river. Mental image: loud celebrations, thousands of green beer drinking folks, waaaaay too much clothing in every shade green known to man, and leprechauns running rampant. A general joviality comes over the city, which is fun...but probably not the best day to pick for a move-in located in the heart of downtown.


In any case, let's just say that move-in day was a bit of an overwhelming experience. But not quite as overwhelming as driving a HUGE moving truck throughout downtown on one of the biggest holiday's of the year. Maybe I can get Tim to GUEST BLOG about how he was such a baller behind the wheel.

Before I reveal too much about our epic move and road-trip; it needs to be known that Tim and I BEAT THE ODDS and the twists of fate that were trying to prevent us from moving to CHI-town. A few weeks ago, we visited Chicago to look at apartments and sign a lease. You know, so we actually had a destination when we took off from Colorado with all of our belongings being towed behind us in a questionably sturdy Budget moving van. If I believed in the fates, which I do not, it would have seemed that Chicago gave us a big middle finger upon finding out we were moving there. We took the middle finger, flipped back deuces, and went on our way. But our apartment search was not without a few glitches.

One: We arrived at O'Hare around 1:30. Ante Meridian. Our hotel shuttle was M.I.A. for about an hour, and were were graciously/finally picked up around 2:30.

Two: The next morning, we had an appointment with a company in Chicago that helps people who are moving in from out of town find an apartment. We went to the wrong address. Apparently they have multiple locations... We went to a location all the way through town and out to the psuedo-burbs. Promptly told we were at the wrong place, we did an about-face, and got back on the El heading toward downtown. We then exited for an address at 719 North State Street. Turns out we needed to be at 719 South State Street, which was only about FOUR miles away. Enter taxi ride.

Three: We show up to our appointment about an hour and a half late. Don't worry, we were in constant communication with our apartment finder, who I'm sure thought we were the most annoying people in the world. We left right away to look at apartments, as the day was already about half gone. After apartment viewing numero uno, I reach for my phone, which is no longer on my person. GONE-ZO! As a person who misplaces her phone nearly by the hour, I was originally unconcerned. However, this time it was serious. My theory for the untimely end of my cellular device: I dropped it in a puddle of water, and then it was run over by a car. BLASTED TO SMITHEREENS!!

Four: After seeing about 10 apartments, we FINALLY decided on the one we thought was best. We were at the leasing office of the apartment complex the second the doors opened to find out that the apartment had been leased seconds before through a PHONE CALL. Poo on whoever did that. Poo on you.

It goes without saying that also during this time, the weather was crappy-pants. Raining and snowing the whole time. Thanks for that Chicago.

We DID finally sign off on an apartment, which so far has been great. I promise for pictures and updates proving the fact that we really did drive 1100 miles in a moving truck, towing Blanche behind, through the midwest.

Welcome to Chicago.



Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Hang on Dolly-Lou!!!

Last night, a major breakthrough took place.

Location: Castle Rock
Sub-location: Rockyard Brewery
Event: Cousin get-together
Attendee's: Laura, Danny, David, Andrea, Abbey, Josh, Stephen, Sarah, Tim, Annie, Brandon
Result: Successful

Because Tim and I are moving to the windy city, we wanted to have an "older cousin" hang out sesh one last time. We're pretty lucky to have almost everyone in the same state...so we really had no excuse for not seeing each other.

This particular event was a breakthrough on several fronts. One: No "adult" supervision--and by adult supervision I mean no parents, aunts, uncles, or wayward guests that seem to appear out of thin air. Two: Location change. Our first meeting as a group, EVER, that hasn't been at a family members home. (barring the barrage of weddings that have been happening the past couple of years) Three: Enlightenment. Now that the ice has been broken, we cousins just might do this again sometime.

Thanks so much to everyone for coming! It meant a lot to Tim and I, and we really had a great time. Come visit in Chicago!

Look how happy we are!

Oh and P.S. cousins...I was serious about the camping trip. Let's make it happen.


Thursday, March 03, 2011

From Detroit To Chicago


So it's official. We are moving to Chicago. BOOM! Chicago. We officially signed a lease on a new apartment last weekend (more on THAT in another post). We're hitting the road next weekend, in a moving van, driven by ourselves. Yes. I will document in pictures. Prayers for a NON-breakdown during the 1100 mile drive would be awesome!

On February 28th, after a couple weeks of intense packing, we said goodbye to our first apartment in Denver. (By the way, bit shoutouts to Abbey and Josh Davis for their integral packing help!! I couldn't have done it without them!!) After living in Detroit Motor City for exactly six months, it was kind of sad to say goodbye.

Tim and I got lucky and chose an AMAZING apartment. All 515 square feet were amazing. Yes. ALL 515 SQUARE FEET. It was cozy. But seriously, we loved living on the cross-streets of Detroit and Colfax (and if that doesn't sound sketchy, I don't know what does.)

Unfortunately, I have yet to take photographic evidence of the giant metal sculptures of various tools that are mounted on the walls of the apartment complex, AND our huge silver door with our apartment's name, DeVille, prominently placed on the front. I plan to sneak back before we go to Chicago. I did, however, get some pictures of the inside before the packing carnage ensued. Please enjoy.



The Kitchen

The Family Room

The Bedroom

View from the entrance