Good Things Friday - Mobile Edition

Who knows how this'll come out
I'm on the train
Typing this from my phone
Da's bladder scan was cancer-free again
Now he goes for them every six months instead of quarterly
Quitting cigarettes was the best thing
A lovely drunken dinner at the You Know Who's Saturday night
You know you're good friends when you can talk about anal for nearly an hour
And it wraps up with "Fine. Tonight. Wash."
Speaking of anal, Mr. YKW's deep dive pooper scan was all clear
The jokes on that medical event alone were totally worth the price of admission
So to speak
The Bristol Tap with Judy and Steve Wednesday night
I was super tired from work but thought "we should take every chance we get to be with the people we love"
I am changing the way I think
Tall Ships with the You Know Who's last night
My company's new web site launched early Monday morning
Worked all day Saturday
It felt really really good doing that
The content management system (SilverStripe) is making my life much easier
And fuck .NET Nuke
I'll never use that shit again
I am changing the way I do things
I was never an early bird
Always a late worm
But lately I'm really loving being up and in before everyone else
Less traffic
Fewer people on the train
And I get more done
Also learning that my posture reflects my mood
And simply by pushing my shoulders back and sitting up straight, I feel better
Jim leaves for Sydney Saturday
I love him
But I can't wait for a little quiet alone time
We have a ton of tomatoes from Jim's garden
Unbelievably good BLT's
Or just cut up with a little salt
I am watching people running to catch the train
Glad I'm not them
At Naperville, the train conductor walked over to say hi to two little kids in the back seat of a car dropping off a commuter
The kids grinned and laughed and squirmed in their seats
Something special about trains and little ones
I don't have my laptop this morning because I left it at the office
Knowing it would be a late night and I wouldn't need it
I like not having it
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I am listening to: Train sounds
I am reading: Outlander book 2
And I am: Ready

Good Things Friday - Friday Edition

Had an incredible time with the P's, who returned home Monday
What a blessing those two are
Had an incredible time with Jim in the city last Thursday/Friday
Willis (Sears) Tower SkyDeck
Double decker bus tour
Sea Dog boat ride
Dinner
Air & Water show practice day
An awesome 36-hour vacation in Chicago
Went to the Batavia Fart in Your Eye festival with Mom on Saturday
For about 30 minutes
The heat was suffocating
So we bought some pottery and left
So many of my friends/family donated to The Enterprising Kitchen
Very cool
Dinner with the You Know Who's Wednesday night at the Gazebo in Geneva
A nice place - good food, great outdoor view on the Fox River
Horrible mosquitos
I have mastered potato salad
Date night last night
It was a hot August night 20 years ago
When we went on our first 'date'
'Date' = the co-workers who were supposed to meet us didn't show
Mysteriously
And that night changed my life
So I celebrated with a Long Island Iced Tea
Which was horrible
But the rest of the night was lovely
Heading out to the Sycamore Speedway
For a little Redneck Racing
Can't wait
And finally, I figured out the best response to that infernal "Why don't you have children?" question:
It's none of your fucking business
"Oh, I don't know, why did you HAVE children?"
See?
The folks most interested in why we're not having children
Are the same people who spent little time considering why they should have children

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I am listening to: Train - Drops of Jupiter
I am reading: Outlander - awesome series
And I am: Fabulous

Good Things Friday – Thursday Edition

Jim’s coming to the city today – I leave the office at noon
And then we’re tourists for the next 36 hours
Double decker bus tour
Glass balcony at Willis Tower
Maybe a bike ride
A little bit of Navy Pier
A boat ride on Lake Michigan
An overnight stay
Then tomorrow morning, we’re on the beach watching the practice day for the Chicago Air & Water Show
BIG HUGE GINORMOUS HUGS
Plus heartfelt thanks to all of my friends and family who helped out The Enterprising Kitchen
I always knew I had awesome friends but your support has been overwhelming and I’m beyond grateful
The new iPhone arrived this week
It is zippity-do-da FAST
Still drops calls like a motherfucker
But I don’t talk much on the damn thing anyhow
Multi-tasking is very nice
Had an awesome Sunday with Judy & Steve, my P's and the You Know Who's
Cookout, pool, a little pig and dog basketball and lots of laughs
It's cool because my P's say we're blessed with great friends
And our friends say we're blessed with great P's
Speaking of great P's: Mom & Da are still here!
They've stayed nearly three weeks and like Mom says:
It’s been one of the best vacations EVER
Went to the Bristol Tap with them last night
Followed by Turtle Sundaes at Oberweis
We haven’t spent this much time together since summers during college
It’s been lovely and I will cry (a lot) when they leave
Have a great weekend people, stay cool
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I am listening to: Steal My Sunshine - Len
I am reading: Outlander series
And I am: Excited

Good Things Friday - Lesbian Dinosaur Edition

I just ate a banana
It was fabulous
And not at all sexy
Speaking of sexy, though, Jim 'n me celebrated 12 years of marriage last night
Went to Gibson's, as is our tradition
And ran into Lou Piniella in the bar
He's really a sweetheart
He let us buy him a drink
Grey Goose Martini with regular olives
We did not get autographs/pictures
Just couldn't do it
Because a) we're not true Cubs fans (being geeks and all)
and b) I'm not a huge fan of asking people I don't know for things
Speaking of asking for things
I really need your help
I'm on the board of The Enterprising Kitchen, a fabulous non-profit organization here in Chicago
We hire motivated, low-income women who have had difficulty finding employment to produce soaps, spa products, and gift baskets. Most importantly, we provide job, computer, and life skills training during their 6 months in the program as we strive to place them in permanent jobs elsewhere.
That's their pitch, btw
But here's the key point: Harris Bank has offered to match every donation made in the month of August
So contact me if you'd like to make a donation
And if you don't have my contact info, just leave a comment here and we'll figure it out
What I like most about The Enterprising Kitchen is that it's actually helping improve the lives of real women
Providing education and training so they can find work
And we all know the value of educating women
Plus it's a LOCAL charity - for those of you who complain about how much people need help right here in the United States, this is your chance to help out
Mom 'n Da are here and it's awesome
It's been great, soaking up all this day-to-day stuff I don't get because I live far away
We're going to North Aurora Days tonight for the emergency vehicle parade
Always a hoot
Had a glorious time in Lake Geneva last weekend with the P's and the You Know Who's
My new favorite joke: What do you call a lesbian dinosaur? Lickalottapus
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I am listening to: Sugar Ray - When It's Over
I am reading: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana G.
And I am: Relaxed