I'm an aunt!

Everyone, say hello to John James:



My sister had this little guy yesterday at 7:15 a.m. Chris and I went to visit them yesterday at the hospital for a few hours, and he slept almost the whole time we were there. I guess he was pretty sleepy after his big journey.



OK, now all of you leave comments about how cute he is, or I'll send you a poopie diaper in the mail.

The long way up

Yesterday at work our power went out. The outage only lasted about 30 seconds, but for some reason that short outage resulted in the elevators and toilets not working for the rest of the day. I work on the 35th floor.

Unfortunately, I didn’t bring a lunch yesterday because Chris and I planned on meeting for lunch. So at noon I walked down 35 flights of stairs to meet Chris for lunch and then climbed back up those 35 flights afterward. It took me about 10 minutes to get from the ground floor back to my desk, and when I did I was all sweaty and gross. Today, my calves and thighs are sore.

I think I’m going to start taking the stairs everyday.

I am such a girl

I’ve always been proud of the fact that I’m not like most girls. I love baseball. I hate Julia Roberts movies. And when it comes to raunchy jokes, I can usually top even the grossest guys. But being un-girly has its downside too. My whole life I’ve had trouble making female friends. Growing up, my only memory playing with Barbie dolls involves using one to give my best friend her first bloody nose. And when it comes to fashion, hair and make-up, I’m totally clueless.

So it came as a bit of a surprise last night when I bawled after finishing the book “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” And I don’t mean just shed a few tears. I. Totally. Bawled. Chris held me while I sobbed on his shoulder. The book isn’t even that sad. It’s a love story, and more than anything I was crying because it was so beautiful.

Then this morning, while sitting at my desk trying to concentrate on work, I couldn’t stop thinking about my sister who’s due with her first baby next week. I kept daydreaming about what he or she might look like, holding him or her for the first time … and then came the waterworks. I grabbed tissue and pretended to cough and have allergies so no one would think I was one of those girls who cries all the time. You know, the ones that fan at their faces with their hands while trying to hold back tears (what’s up with that?).

So, I guess I’m a girly girl after all. Well, sort of. I don’t foresee any Nicholas Sparks novels or Kelly Clarkson CDs in my immediate future. But what the hell, I love the Indigo Girls and I’ve seen Steel Magnolias more than once. But that’s only because I can’t stop laughing when Julia Roberts goes into diabetic shock. What, you thought I was going to say I cried at the end? Oh please. Barf.

Self Portrait Tuesday

I decided to try to follow the rules for this month's SPT challenge, at least the taking-pictures-every-day part. However, instead of a self portrait, I thought I'd show you all what I look at every day. This is what I see when I look out the window at work. It's a pretty good indication of springtime in Chicago: sometimes it's a beautiful sunny day, sometimes you feel like you're stuck in a cloud, and sometimes there's a dude hanging outside your window.

A few things...

1. Today is the first day of Spring. It's 30 degrees outside. You suck, Spring.

2. I am really, really tired today, and I wish I could stay in bed all day and read my new favorite book, "The Time Traveler's Wife."

3. I think I'm getting sick.

4. I would like to add "window washer" to the list of jobs I would never, ever do. I'll post more on this tomorrow.

5. I miss Barkley.

The Boys of DG

This is Kevin.

And this is Seth.

I used to work with these two jokers in Downers Grove. Earlier this week, I got an e-mail from Kevin complaining I haven’t mentioned him and Seth in my blog yet. Something tells me right now, Kevin’s wishing he hadn’t done that.

Anyway, I was trying to think of a humorous story about the three of us involving crazy shenanigans and wacky high jinks. But I couldn’t think of anything, probably because we’re not the shenanigans/high-jinks types. So instead, here are 10 things about Kevin and Seth that you may or may not know and that may or may not be true:

1. Kevin has been accused of ruining a person’s life on more than one occasion.

2. Seth’s doctor prescribed him a product called Body Mint for his extreme flatulence.

3. When not at work scooping the competition on the latest DuPage County scandal, Kevin and Seth like to go shopping together and buy matching outfits.

4. Kevin and Seth are both laughing right now because I suggested they have “competition.”

5. Kevin once had a 90-year-old lady call him and promise to give him the scoop on a story provided he come over to her apartment so she could tell it in person. Everyone in the newsroom warned Kevin not to go because we thought she was trying to lure him over to be her personal sex slave.

6. We were right.

7. Seth once helped me get out of a burning building. Once safely outside, we walked down the street and got free beer from a man named Big Tuna.

8. I am the reason Kevin doesn’t drink.

9. Kevin is the reason Seth does.

10. If Kevin and Seth were to get in a fight, I’d bet that by the end of it they’d either a) resort to hair pulling or b) kiss.

Self Portrait Tuesday

So this month's SPT challenge is supposed to be about time. I was supposed to take a picture of myself everyday this month and then post seven images each Tuesday. But that didn't work out. I forgot about it until March 3, and then I forgot about it again, and well, I suck.

Anyway, I filled out one of those questionnaire things I found on myspace that looks back at the last 10 years of your life and posted it on here. So, I thought for this week's SPT I'd accompany that post with some pics. I think the strangest thing about these pics isn't how different I look but rather how much I haven't changed.

Sleep deprived

This is Barkley (on the left, who we're dog sitting), and Rosie enjoying what used to be my bed. Considering how big they are you wouldn't think a little thunderstorm would scare them. But last night during the storm Barkley managed to jump up and squeeze between Chris and I, quite a feat for a three-legged dog. Meanwhile, Rosie just paced around the apartment all night, half startled by the storm, half annoyed that another dog was sleeping in her bed.

Trip down memory lane

10 years ago...

How old were you?: 16
What Grade were you in?: Sophomore in high school
Where did you go to school: Naperville Central
Where did you work?: I’m not sure if I had a job yet. I started bagging groceries at Jewel when I was 16, I believe
Where did you hang out?: Probably the Riverwalk in downtown Naperville. Yeah, I was a river rat.
What was your hair style?: Long, curly
Did you wear braces?: nope
Did you wear glasses?: nope, contacts though
Who was your best friend?: Alex, Christy, Diane
Who was your boyfriend/girlfriend?: Well, I started dating Brain when I was 16, but technically in March of 1996, I don’t think I had a boyfriend
Who was your celebrity crush?: Anthony Kiedis of the Chili Peppers…soooo hot….
Who was your regular-person crush?: There was this guy in my Spanish class I thought was really cute. He’d be wearing his KMFDM shirt, and I’d be wearing my Ministry shirt, and we’d check each other out, but I could never muster up the courage to talk to him. I don’t remember his name
How many piercings did you have? two
How many tattoos did you have? none
What was your favorite band?: Probably Nine Inch Nails, RHCP, Indigo Girls, They Might be Giants
What was your biggest fear? My parents
Had you smoked a cigarette yet?: yeah, but not consistently
Had you gotten drunk or high yet?: yep
Had you driven yet? yep
Had you had sex yet? nope

5 YEARS AGO -->

How old were you?: 21 (damn I’m old!)
What Grade were you in?: Junior in college
Where did you go to school: University of Missouri-Columbia
Where did you work?: I think the book depository, MU Student News
Where did you live?: 603 S. 5th St
Where did you hang out?: Heidelberg, Shakespeare’s, Country Kitchen, my apartment … A LOT
What was your hair style?: awful. Probably about chin length, three different colors.
Did you wear braces?: nope
Did you wear glasses?: yep, thick-rimmed black ones
Who was your best friend?: Chase
Who was your boyfriend/girlfriend?: Karl
Who was your celebrity crush?: Wes Bentley, Jimmy Kimmel
Who was your regular-person crush?: I don’t remember. Probably no one.
How many piercings did you have? Two or three. I have a second piercing in my left ear, but I think it may have closed up by then.
How many tattoos did you have? none
What was your favorite band?: The Pixies, Screeching Weasel, Indigo Girls, Mr. T. Experience, Voodoo Glow Skulls
What was your biggest fear? Probably that my life would always be like it was then. I was so unhappy at that point in my life.
Had you smoked a cigarette yet?: yep
Had you gotten drunk or high yet?: regularly
Had you driven yet? yep
Had you had sex yet? yep

LAST YEAR -->

How old were you?: 25
What Grade were you in?: n/a
Where did you go to school: I didn’t, but I frequented Syracuse University a lot
Where did you work?: Eagle Newspapers
Where did you live? Syracuse, NY in the Eastwood neighborhood
Where did you hang out?: Coleman’s, Awful Al’s, Chadwicks, Faegan’s, lots of bars with Irish names
What was your hair style?: long, curly. However, I chopped my hair to chin length March or April of last year in LA.
Did you wear braces?: nope
Did you wear glasses?: contacts mostly
Who was your best friend?: Chris, Rosie (yes, my dog. I’m a loser.)
Who was your boyfriend/girlfriend?: Chris
Who was your celebrity crush?: Probably Luke from Gilmore Girls. I was obsessed with that show a year ago.
Who was your regular-person crush?: no one
How many piercings did you have? Four, however, the aforementioned one in my ear had already closed up, and my nose ring was already long gone.
How many tattoos did you have? none
What was your favorite band?: Ryan Adams, The Pixies, Indigo Girls (I sense a pattern here), Bob Dylan
What was your biggest fear? Chris not finding a job
Had you smoked a cigarette yet?: yep
Had you gotten drunk or high yet?: regularly
Had you driven yet? yep
Had you had sex yet? yep

THIS YEAR -->

How old are you?: 26
Where do you go to school: no where
Where do you work?: Mediatec Publishing
Where do you live? Chicago in Boys Town
Where do you hang out?: Joe’s on Broadway, O’Hagans, my apartment .. A LOT
What is your hair style?: in between shoulder and chin length, curly sort of
Do you wear braces?: no
Do you wear glasses?: sometimes
Who is your best friend?: Chris
Who is your boyfriend/girlfriend?: Chris
Who is your celebrity crush?: I don’t really have one
Who is your regular-person crush?: no one. Crushes are for losers!
How many piercings do you have? Four, two closed up
How many tattoos do you have? none
What is your favorite band?: I don’t know, lots. The Pat Smillie Band because they’re playing my wedding! They rock.
What is your biggest fear? Getting caught doing this at work

Take care of yourself and each other

For the past few days my dog, Rosie, has been staying with my mom because my dad has been out of town on business. My parents are empty nesters now, so when my dad’s gone, my mom’s home all alone. They have a security system, but my mom sleeps a little better knowing there’s a 100-pound Rottweiler in the house. Anyway, with Rosie gone, I haven’t had to rush home after work every day to walk her. So last night after work Chris and I went out for a few drinks and appetizers, something we rarely do.

We decided to visit a seafood restaurant near my office and sat in the bar area near the maitre d’. It’s a good spot for people watching, which is what I do when we’re in a bar where Chris is preoccupied by sports on TV. So, while munching on calamari and drinking a martini, I got a front row seat when Jerry Springer walked in the door. Immediately the maitre d’ greeted him saying, “Mr. Springer, it’s good to see you again,” and a staffer swiftly ran in to take away his coat. Within in seconds, Springer and his date were whisked away to their table.

On one hand, I was mildly star-struck to see Springer about a foot away, and I even leaned over and whispered to Chris that Jerry Springer was right behind him. On the other hand, I couldn’t help but think how weird it was that this up-scale restaurant was so accommodating to someone who interviews supposed pimps and prostitutes all day. But then again, celebrities are rare in Chicago. We’ve got Springer, Oprah, John Cusack and occasionally Vince Vaughn. That’s about it. Slim enough that this morning, when I realized I hadn’t blogged in a few days, I thought, “I’ll write about my Springer sighting.” So there you go.

Hitting a line drive into couples therapy

For the past two years, Chris and I have participated in fantasy baseball together. Typically, we share the responsibility of managing one baseball team together. This year -- the very same year we're going to join in holy matrimony -- we've decided to manage separate fantasy baseball teams and compete against each other. This could be bad.

For those of you unfamiliar with fantasy baseball, it's basically an online, season-long competition. Each "league" has about eight to 12 twelve teams, each managed by a different person. These "managers" are responsible for drafting players and choosing who plays every day. Points are assigned to your team for things such as runs, hits, errors, stolen bases, ERA, innings pitched, etc., based on how the real-life players on your team did that day. Then using those points, each team in the league is ranked. We don't play for money, just bragging rights.

For the past two years, the teams Chris and I managed together haven't done very well. Everyone else in the league seemed to accept this because I was the only girl in the league. However, in reality the reason Chris and I didn't do very well was because we were unfamiliar with the fantasy baseball process, There's a whole complex system of scoring that changes based on which type of competition you use. It took us a while to figure out this system and develop a strategy. However, because the draft is before the season, by the time we figured out our strategy, we were pretty much stuck with our team, whether those players fit our strategy or not. (You can trade in fantasy baseball, but it's usually pretty difficult to make trades that will save a sagging team because everyone can see everyone else's stats.)

So here's the problem: I'm pretty competitive. So is Chris. And chances are we're both going to be fueled by our desire to prove our independence. If Chris does better than me this year, he'll be able to say that the reason our past teams sucked was my fault. And I'll be able to say Chris was dragging me down if I end up improving greatly. But I know the whole gender thing could get ugly. Everyone expects Chris to do better because he’s a guy and guys tend to know more about baseball than girls. However, if I do better, I’m pretty sure everyone in the league will give Chris shit because he got beat by his fiancé. And Chris really doesn’t like to lose anything. He can be a bad loser. He can also be a bad winner, so I know if he excels above me, he’ll rub it in my face on a daily basis.

I’m worried that all of this could lead to us bickering our way down the aisle in September. Thankfully, like the Cubs after the all-star break, the fantasy baseball season is pretty much over by the end of July. The ranks tend not to budge much after that point. So hopefully by September, we’ll be able to accept our rankings and proceed to live happily every after ... If we make until then.

Stay tuned….