executing the good intentions

Hello chickens!

I’ve missed you!

The past couple of days, I’ve been hard at work in my leadership class, discussing books and generally having good conversation with smart people.

Good beers, too.

Also, cruising the city on a riverboat.

 

Now that is a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

After a few hours of watching the Olympics/catching up on some work last night, I headed to bed and set the alarm for five-thirty.

I thought this would the right kind of day to start off with a serious yoga session, complete with lavender towel and peppermint oil while I breathed into Savasana pose and felt decidedly zen-ier.

And serious it was. But I feel stretched out, calmed down, and ready for a well-intentioned, exciting trip to my home state of CT to celebrate the wedding of a friend who I’ve known since I had triangle bangs and a penchant for a horizontally-striped shirt.

You hang on to those people- when they say they love you, they mean it.

I’m hoping to see old friends, lay my eyes on my family (who I know, I’m the worst at informing about my travels- it’s been a crazy few weeks over here and I promise to make it up to you with jokes) and enjoy the general east-coast-iness of my journey.

I love nothing more than hanging by an ocean chickadees, and I’m headed straight toward executing that intention today.

Enjoy the sunshine when you have it, my friends!

 

 

Better than Science Fiction

 

Last night JW and I watched an entire show about jellyfish.

It was called “Invasion of the Giant Jellyfish.”

One of the jellyfish weighed over 220 lbs.

I could have nightmares about that kind of creature.

Anyway, it reminded me of my childhood visits to the beach, where around August, it was jellyfish season.

When Jennie and I were little, we used to capture the jellyfish and bury them in the sand so they couldn’t sting anybody else.

At the time, we thought we were performing a service to beachcombers.

Looking back, I think this was maybe twisted.

Then I remembered that we also used to grab as many “moon jellies” (I’m not sure what their actual name is, but they’re clear and don’t sting) as we could get our grubby paws on, tear them apart, and toss them at each other as we shrieked.

I think, in retrospect, this is more twisted.

In any case, it has come to my attention that a definite plus to living on Lake Michigan is that I don’t even have an opportunity to make any morally questionable decisions about stinging sea creatures.

Let’s all thank God for that.

Just a quick one…

While I gulp down water and try to sit still for a minute.

Six mile run, check.

Let me just say that when this is all over,  I will be more than happy to go back to run only workouts. Six miles running is infinitely easier when I haven’t just biked eight million miles.

Just a thought.

Up today, after intense showering, LE and I are headed to the beach, despite the fact that the clouds are on and off.

It has even occurred to us that this might be nice, for sitting at the beach.

After that, we’re meeting up with Ky and getting ourselves some sushi, because really, what’s better than that?

We’re actually trying a brand new place (brand new for us, not the city) called Hatsu Hana, in East Lakeview.

It’s good to expand your horizon beyond Cozy Noodles, Moody’s, and Fernando’s once in awhile, I’m telling myself.

Plus, it’s BYOB, which is the best idea ever thought up.

All right, chicks, I’m off to take a shower and see about some freezer repair men before I take off.

Freezer repair men, you ask?

There’s a crazy noise coming from within my freezer. It sounds like a gremlin, trying to get out.

Sadly, it’s not a cute little freezer gremlin, so it’s gotta go.

Check you guys later, enjoy the weekend!

Look at all that E. coli in there!

This is a post about our swim last night.

But on a side note, if you’re ever looking to do something to sweat out your pores, might I suggest a 12 mile bike ride, followed by a 4 mile run?

Because that did the trick for me this morning.

Anyway, after stalking the beach report in the morning for news on Lake Michigan’s water condition, the Chicago Park District finally decided to let us know that only a couple of the beaches were on advisory, and that the rest were good to go for swimming.

I told CJ and JK that we could hit the lake, and they accepted this with no enthusiasm.

I understand why. I mean, sewage, in the lake. Gross. But we needed to swim. I was willing to look past it.

Does that make me gross?

Probably.

We all met after work and changed into our swim suits to start the trek down to the lake.

“I don’t know about this”, they both said to me.

“But we’re in our swim suits already!” I said cheerfully.

Inwardly, I was remembering the time I went to Germany and came down with e. coli, which basically feels like death is knocking at your door.

We got to the lake, noted that it wasn’t that busy, but reluctantly struggled into our wetsuits.

I almost just wrote “slipped,” but that would be entirely untrue.

One does not slip into a wetsuit.

Once we were in our swimsuits, JK looked at us and said,

“I don’t think I want to do this.”

CJ looked like she agreed.

I pushed thoughts of lying on my bathroom floor dehydrated for a week out of my head.

“We’re in our wetsuits! We have to go!“

They both looked at me with raised eyebrows.

I knew this was a lame rationale, but really, it’s not easy getting into a wetsuit. I didn’t want to have wasted the effort.

Then, as I rifled around in my bag for my swim cap, I realized I didn’t have any Vaseline.

Which meant a lot of uncomfortable arm chafing.

Don’t ask–it’s a sleeveless wetsuit thing.

Suddenly, I could see where they were coming from.

But as previously mentioned, we were at the water’s edge.

We were in wetsuits.

We pressed on.

Finally, after a lot of collective hemming and hawing, we got our ankles in the water.

“Look at all that e. coli in there!” JK exclaimed.

I was pretty sure it was seaweed.

But then again, I don’t know what e. coli looks like.

“We’re in the water!” I felt the need to speak out loud every move we made, delivering it the group as progress.

“I am very unhappy right now,” CJ said, matter-of-factly as she flipped onto her back to float.

We all paused, using silence as mutual agreement.

After about five more minutes of treading water sullenly, a minor wetsuit malfunction, and someone suggesting that we play Marco Polo instead of swim, we finally headed out.

We did an entire mile, stopping a couple times to make sure we hadn’t lost anyone (I have a tendency to get pointed in the direction of open water, and CJ came down with a leg cramp that nearly drowned her), struggling to see into the extremely murky water, and trying to avoid gulping in any potentially e. coli infested water.

I’m pretty sure I didn’t succeed at this.

At the end of it all, we pulled ourselves out of the water like drowned rats, toweled off, and walked ourselves and our wetsuits home.

15 hours later, I’m happy to report that no one has any symptoms of bacterial poisoning.

Success.

But tomorrow’s plan is a swim at the Y, and I will say that I’ve never been so excited to hop into an over chlorinated public pool.

See you chicks next time.

Along the Lake.

Happy Friday, kids!

One more day in the office and then two lovely, overheated days off.

You’ll be able to find me huddling by the AC.

This morning I took a 15 mile bike ride along the bike, and the whole time (when I wasn’t praying that someone would ram into my little bike), I kept thinking about what a good opportunity it was to get myself down to Lake Michigan, one of Chicago’s best assets.

This led to a list (in my head) of things that made the ride so pleasant, and I thought I’d share.

Also, I should have taken pictures, but you guys, I’m nowhere near ready to take pictures while I ride. And I was too obsessive compulsive about my training to hop off the bike and snap any.

Plus, I’m nearly certain I would have been run over.

Anyway, here it goes.

1. There is literally nothing better than watching the sun rise over the lake. It’s amazing. Especially with the beautiful Chicago skyline in the distance. And then in my face.

2. This morning there was a storm east of the lake, and while I didn’t get rained on, I had the chance to watch the storm roll through the rest of the city. Sweet.

3. I love watching the swimmers at Ohio Street Beach. They look like otters in their wetsuits, and they look so calm and rhythmic in the water. I have a feeling if I was watching myself, the picture wouldn’t be so tranquil, but it’s nice to think, maybe.

4. Being waved at by friendly people on the path, all united in the cause of getting the blood circulated in the early hours of the day. Also, this morning, a nice old man looking at me and saying “Good job.” Thank you, sir.

5. Checking out sleepy people who are just relaxing by the lake early, or, in one case this morning, a biker napping on a patch of green grass by Monroe Harbor.

There are eight million other reasons that I love taking a ride by the lake, but those were top of mind this morning. Anyone else take themselves out to that area for their workouts? Please tell me you love it as much as I do.

Now, off to start the day. Have a good weekend, chicks.

Good morning, Monday.

Last night, I was feeling a little stir crazy in my air conditioned apartment, since I’d spent hours perched on my new loveseat, finishing Cider House Rules, which I had never read (or seen, in movie form, so it’s on the Netflix queue), but which I really liked, even though I suspect John Irving himself to be a giant snob.

But we don’t have to be friends for me to like his books, right?

Anyway, after a dinner of grilled chicken, couscous, and broccoli on the deck, I asked JW to take me to the beach.

Even though it was after seven on a Sunday.

And we’d have to drive through the remnants of the Gay Pride parade, which meant lots of buzzed, happy, noisy people.

We took a ride up to the Roger’s Park beach, which I love because it’s both less crowded and because it’s my old Loyola stomping grounds.

We drove by campus, which is what looks to be a giant construction scene at the moment, and I once again lamented to JW how much I wish we’d had newfangled conveniences like a CVS and a Five Guys restaurant when I had gone to school.

We’d just had an abandoned parking lot sprinkled with broken glass and a hippie living in the basement.

That’s another story for another day.

Then we found a parking spot and strolled down the beach for awhile.

Lovely lake.

That's a serious skyline.

A few Loyola buildings.

Squinting into the sunset.

We walked on the wet sand for awhile, and then took off, finishing off the night at Dairy Queen, eating blizzards and wondering what happened to the weekend.

This morning, I’ve been up since sunrise, taking a long bike ride into the wind, which once again, ended in relative success.

I say relative because I’m still not really sure how to shift my gears successfully.

And my toe cage keeps dragging on the ground.

But big picture, things are going okay.

Enjoy the sunshine, chickadees, and I’ll catch you later!

Home Again, Home Again…

Chicks, that was an intense four days. It was filled with sun, food, family, the loveliest wedding, more food, a road race with LE, a trip to the book barn, and then topped off with ice cream cones and a ride to the airport. I think it’s going to take a couple of days to get all my words around the past couple of days, so here are some pictures, to start it off.

We started the trip with fried clams and Sam's Summer...how else?

Waiting for the bride!

Wedding time!

Five seconds at the beach.

More to come, since Jeff took 802093 pictures, each of which I am grateful for, but I don’t have my paws on them yet.

Now I’m off to work, if I can remember how to get there.

Have a good one, chickadees!

Back at it.

I woke up early, completed my swim with minimal coughing/breathing issues, and it’s gonna be 70 degrees today.

It’s also Thursday, which is very nearly as good as Friday.

Close enough for me at this point.

Also, the Cubs have been winning.

That is all I have to say about that.

I am glad to be off the Dayquil and feeling less like a zombie, and more like myself.

For some of you, this might not be good news.

Okay, enough of my affirmations. I just needed to share my progress with all of you.

Thanks for listening.

And now, some other things on my mind:

1. I’m finally getting a haircut tonight. My crazy hair has become mane-like, and I could barely shove it all in my bathing cap this morning. I just did my best and hoped that the lifeguard didn’t notice the near-ponytail coming out the bottom of my cap.

2. This morning, I asked JW if he could please have dinner on the table when I got home, because I have to scoot to my aforementioned hair appointment. I tried to say it like a stern husband from the 1960s, but I couldn’t keep a straight face. He looked at me like I was crazy, sighed, and said yes anyway.

It’s good that someone understands me.

3. I’m now on official lookout for beach weather. Please keep me posted if you notice it before I do. I’ve got some nice, trashy books on hold at the library just for the occasion.

4. Speaking of books, I just finished Stranger in a Strange Land, which was about a man from Mars and religion and sex and communes. I think. And also, I think I liked it, despite the fact that it was incredibly biased against women and I was a women studies minor and these two things just do not jive. I tried to just keep remembering it was written in the 60s, and eventually, it was okay.

Who knew I was a sucker for an alien?

All right chickadees, I’ve got some pre-work things to accomplish.

5:30 wake up call…

is what I was treated to this morning. Except strangely, my body has become used to the twice a week early rising so I can go throw myself in a lap pool. Like, so used to it that I wake up earlier than the alarm, and just get up because I’m ready for swimming.

This is suspicious to me.

Also suspicious to me at this point in time is that it is April in Chicago, and it’s been warm for nearly a whole week.

What is that?

I’m crossing my fingers that my thermostat’s seen its last days for awhile.

In other news, it appears that the Cubs have decided to win a couple of games this week, which puts me in an infinitely better mood than if they had not.

I hope they’re paying attention.

To my mood.

It’s Thursday, finally, which means I’m mere seconds (hey, I’m using hyperbole) from the weekend, and that’s keeping me moving at this point. Eyes on the prize, my friends.

For me, the weekend holds kettlebells, Scooter’s if it stays nice, and trying to take myself for a walk down by the lake.

I’ve decided that it’s ridiculous that most instances of spying Lake Michigan occur from my building. It’s one of my favorite aspects of the city, and I’m looking at it from a conference room? Oh Nikki, how lame that is.

And how distracting.

Hope everyone’s weather is as good as mine, and that you’ve got the weekend on the brain!

Oh, and P.S.: This recipe was delicious. Except maybe cayenne pepper is not a suitable substitute for paprika, when you’ve already chopped up three jalapenos and thrown them in. Things to remember for next time!

Spin Class Revelation

So my favorite night of the week is Spin Night. My instructor Rachel is awesome (I think this is mostly because she reminds me of my cousin Michele, who is also awesome) and the music is always a sweet combination of jams from the 80s and teetering-on-the-edge of hipster music. I love it.

In addition, her class is really intense. When I finally leave at seven-thirty, I’m all sweaty, red-faced, and sore. But I feel so accomplished. And for some reason, spinning is always when I do my most focused thinking.

Tonight was no exception. I was thankful that it was Spin Night, as work today had been particularly stressful, and I knew that this was probably going to be my best shot at unwinding. So I saddled up and started thinking while I peddled my feet up and down imaginary hills. I started to read this book today called Barefoot, and it’s basically centering around this woman who has cancer and who’s come to Nantucket with her sister and best friend to try and live a more relaxed, centered life.

If you’ve met me, you know why this appeals to me.

In any case, Vicki, the cancer patient, is obsessed with lists, except that her doctor has told her that her obsessive compulsive ways are most likely adverse to her health, so she has to stop. The only list she has left is one she refers to as “Things that don’t matter anymore.” This is where all mundane, unpleasant items go.

I like this idea a lot. I think that I personally have a tendency to spend all my time on things that, in all honesty, would probably make the aforementioned list if I was really thinking about my life as a whole experience. I’d like to integrate this idea into my life in the next few months.

However, in an attempt to not completely copy this novel’s premise, I’m taking it in a slightly different direction. I’d like to focus specifically on calling out the things that do matter. So I think every day, I’m going to focus on accomplishing one thing that I really love. It doesn’t have to be major, and hopefully, some days it will be multiple items, but I don’t want it to be zero. And yes, it sounds eccentric for someone who’s generally on the snarky side, but I think it might be a stress reliever.

So today, I went to Spin Class. In addition, I found a much sought after boom box, which will now bring the joy of cordless FM radio and CD playing to the rest of my outlet free excursions this summer. And I ate frozen custard. Three things I love today.

Not as hard as you’d think.