requesting audiences and new perspectives.

Morning chickens!

We’ve been fairly busy over here in our corner of the world, and I hope everyone else is enjoying (or did enjoy) a nice break with friends and family.

My baby sister and her husband were here, which meant, among other things, good food, card games, a resurgence of the Palluzzi children’s obsession with Super Mario, and lots of snuggles with Boo.

Boo seems a bit shell shocked that he’s spending the week with just me, and not in a good way.

He’s come to expect an audience.

Luckily, we’re not quite done celebrating yet, and we head to Michigan on Saturday where he can hang with more of his adoring fans.

Anything to keep T well behaved.

My sister and I also spent some quality time organizing my life, which means that Theo’s room looks more like a baby room and less like a storage center.

It also means that we capsuled my closet, which is now something that I’m pretty much obsessed with.

I threw out or stored almost everything I owned, and it felt amazing.

37 pieces of clothing, a brand new life.

On top of that, I’ve managed to exercise almost every day this break (including running outside FOUR times, which you guys, is hard in winter), and also ponied up my fine at the library, which means I can start reading books and stop reading ridiculous, dramatic Facebook groups.

I’m ready for you 2015. Can’t wait to meet you.

Keep it easy, chickadees!

holiday expectations.

Morning chickens!

I’m running a little bit late today, since Boo and I are working on items such as posing for 10-month-old pictures, banging wooden spoons into the ground, and learning that the Christmas gifts are actually to be opened tomorrow morning, not right.this.second.

That’s a hard lesson even for me.

Up today is one of my favorite days of the year. It involves seven (hundred) fishes, all my family, and lots of fun.

This morning, as JW headed to work (yes, he has to work today: dumb), I noticed a bag of clothes hanging from a stool in our kitchen.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Those? Those are my eating clothes!” he said, with a straight face.

I cracked up immediately, and his response was only “What? You don’t expect me to eat Christmas eve dinner in jeans, do you?”

Excellent point, JW.

And with that, I’m off to wrangle Boo into pants and head off to help my parents fry half the population of the Atlantic ocean’s shellfish.

A very, very merry Christmas to you and your, chickadees. Enjoy this one.

you and i, we’re the same.

Morning, chickens.

And a very merry almost-Christmas to all of you.

I have so many lovely, holiday-lit things to share with you, but first, I feel as though it’s important to address yet another heart wrenching moment in time we witnessed this weekend.

Initially, I thought to myself: don’t be a downer, but then, I thought about someone who reminded me that maybe these two people might not get the attention they deserved, and so I felt like it was important for me to carve out some space in my corner over here.

Listen, chickadees. I don’t believe that tragedy is mutually exclusive. I don’t believe that in order to respect these police officers and their families, who will not have them home at this holiday or any other because of senseless, misdirected violence, I have to sacrifice anything else I see as a tragedy.

I don’t think wanting all police officers to be as good as I believe these two officers were is hypocritical when stacked against the fact that I’m outraged a person thought he could end their lives as some kind of retribution.

Yes, this killing is tangled with politics and dissension and angry people (such angry people, you guys), but you don’t have to choose one. You can choose to be upset, sad, and outraged by things that are connected. Things that may seem on the surface to be in opposition, even.

It’s human nature.

I don’t think we should apologize for being human, chicks.

Let’s not lose sight of that in what seems like our pointed quest to be divided. We’ve got more in common than we think.

P.S. I know this is so, so much more complicated than my 250 words on the subject, but then sometimes I also think, is it?

the more things change

Last night I was at our company holiday party.

I’ve been hitting these parties since I was at the tender age of 22, so they always make me a bit nostalgic for all the years I had a few too many cocktails, hustled to the the after party, and dragged myself into my cube the next day with an Egg McMuffin in hand and some kind of office gossip to share.

Yes, I always made it to work the next day, because I’m a sucker.

Here’s one of the eight million aforementioned parties. They all blend together, but I’m fairly certain I’m like 24 there and about to have three-too-many beers.

Last night, post party, I grabbed a couple cocktails with my pals, put myself into a cab, and was home before 10pm.

Which I was excited about. You can’t really beat an early bedtime around here, at the moment (and the moment is a grumpy, a-bunch-of-my-teeth-are-coming-in moment).

I was asleep before CJ and I could even finish a text conversation about the passage of time.

Because I’m old.

I had clementines for breakfast. Unfortunately, I have no good excuse to cruise through a McDonald’s this morning.

I’ll be at work on time, because I’m still a sucker.

Some things don’t change, no matter how long you’re at it.

Keep it easy on this one, chickadees. I’m headed into my last day of work in 2014, and that is worth being on time for.

notes for the baby book.

Morning, chickadees!

We’re steadily moving toward a nice little break here in Chicago-land, and I’m certainly looking forward to the weekend, when my sister finally, finally gets here and also stays put right in my zip code for over a week.

Merry Christmas to me.

In other news, Boo has officially (unofficially? Who knows.) reached the age at which he is In Everything.

This morning, I mentioned to JW that I wish I had taken a moment to write this in the baby book.

I’m not very good at the baby book, even though Theo’s my first and that’s when you’re supposed to be able to keep track of things.

I’m not really sorry about it.

We’re very busy playing.

Anyway, what I actually said is that I wished I had noted in the baby book when Theo turned into a savage beast.

Nine months? I guessed, as I tried to gently redirect him from slamming his head into ceramic tiles.

More like eight-and-a-half, JW mused.

He’s the numbers guys.

Boo’s endless energy, extreme curiosity, and still fairly tiny size mean that he’s a perfect candidate for getting into spaces he shouldn’t and doing things he’s not allowed to do.

Like a mouse.

For instance, at this moment, instead of playing with his one million toys on his fuzzy sheepskin rug, he appears to be in his closet, pulling out hidden kitchen trays (hey, we have limited storage) and getting wedged behind the door by his rocking chair.

Don’t let this face fool you chickens, he’s up to no good.

It’s a good thing he’s adorable.

Keep it easy, you guys, and bundle up.

giving it up and getting to the bottom of it.

Time for a not-so-secret confession:

I, the most serious of sports fans, could not watch the Bears game last night.

I just couldn’t do it, and after waking up to this morning’s result, I stand by my decision 100%.

Instead, I decided to concentrate on my newfound love of The Good Wife, and yes, I know I’m five years late to the game.

I also admit that my original intent was to finally, finally, finally start watching The Wire, which I am the last human to get into, but I watched half an episode, had a hard time concentrating, and shopped around for something else instead.

The moral of the story: I need to pay my library fine so I can start reading again and stop being so obsessed with television.

It’s unhealthy.

Thank God I don’t have TLC anymore.

Up the rest of this week: four.more.days until a nice, long holiday break with my family. I wish I could say I thought it would clip by pretty quickly, but I have a feeling this one might drag on for awhile.

And with that, I’m off to scoop Boo up from underneath my desk, where he has managed to wedge himself between the wall and a box of diapers.

Never a dull moment, chickens.

Keep it easy.

Speeding up to take a pause

Morning, chickadees! I just had the longest, shortest, most fun, most exhausting two day end to my week. I covered meetings, parties, organizing, and some fun out of town visitors before settling in with a stack of Christmas cards and a quiet night on my couch.

I think I did more this weekend than I did all last winter.

Except for the part where I grew a human, of course.

I’m feeling laughed out, loved out, and so, so grateful for the 350 or so days behind me.

Anyway, as I head into my final week of work in 2014, I’m feeling accomplished and ready for a long break, complete with my baby sister and her husband heading my way in less than a week.

I’m also pumping the brakes this morning for a minute of reflection. My (not so) tiny baby’s namesake would have celebrated a birthday today and I’m thinking about all the reasons he was (is) the best this morning. Best smile, best attitude, best beard. Boo’s got a lot to live up to, chickens, but it’s an accomplishment worth shooting for.

Keep it easy, chicks, and enjoy the beginning of this week.

the start of the end

Morning, chickadees!

Luckily, I made it through the storm in San Francisco (and by storm, I mean it was raining in California and in Chicago I would have just grabbed an umbrella) and back to my cold hometown and my little family, for at least one night.

Which is good, because it’s back to the races again, with a meeting that’s spilling into this weekend, in addition to several pleasant, holiday activities that have nothing to do with conferences.

What a relief.

When I was rushing around this morning, trying to pull clothes from my unpacked suitcase that might also be useful for work, I turned to JW and said remember when I used to get my nails done before meetings?

He nodded.

Now I’m lucky if I get myself into clean clothes.

I’m hoping no one notices too much.

And I’m glad I don’t care much if they do.

I did, however, pause to attempt to use Ky’s borrowed straightner, although I confess, I’m pretty sure I just burned my hair into a straighter line.

That’s life, chickens.

I’m good with it.

And with that, enjoy the two week stretch that’s just ahead. We could certainly all use it.

five good things: homeward bound edition

Chickadees, we’ve almost hit the end of the week. I’m currently (hopefully, fingers crossed) on a flight in the direction of Chicago, with one more big meeting to take me into Sunday, but I’ve got lots of positive things to say about all of this, so let’s stick with a rose-colored lense. And with that, five good things, because I haven’t done it in awhile.

1. This is the child who I am cruising through the air to this morning. I need not say one more thing about why that’s good.

 

2. While I had to fly five hours across the country on Tuesday, I got to spend it with people who I liked in a place where I didn’t have to wear a coat. In December. Ditto on my Saturday in the office this week- long days, good company. You guys, work should be fun. We have to do it anyway, right?

3. My baby sister got married in September. If you want to check out some of the gorgeous pictures from that amazing day, click here. Also, please only focus on my sister and pay no mind to me, since I’m mostly making this face:

It was one of my favorite days ever, I promise. I just can’t be trusted to be appropriate in any situation.

4. It’s Thursday, which means I get to wake up to a new episode of Serial. Last weekend I was making dinner with Ky and Jen and after too many bottles of wine while massaging kale (it’s a thing, you guys), I randomly shouted, “BUT WHAT ABOUT ASIA MCCLAIN?!” because I cannot stop thinking about this. Because justice, chickadees.

5. It is 100%, without a doubt, Christmas time in the city. And amen to that, because we can all use a little comfort and joy.

And holiday beverages, too.

Keep it easy, chickens.

out with it.

Today I would like to make a confession, which is as follows:

I pretend to be well-rounded, but really, the only thing interesting to me is looking at this kid, like as much as possible.

That’s all I’ve got from sunny California. Back soon chickens. xoxo.