this is the year!

despite the fact that the aforementioned Kate has told me every year since I've known her that I must buy uggs, I haven't. I've always thought that they'd just make my legs look like tree trunks and because I'm not a skinny person, I'd look like the michelin man when wearing them (truth is that I often look like that without them). well, I woke up the other day, and decided - PEOPLE, I'm going to get me some Uggs.

I suppose they have to loom over something

once upon a time, I used to work with a girl named Kate. she was there when I moved into my very first corporate cubicle, and I was there when she spent nearly one entire work day creating a will ferrell ring tone (chicken pot chicken pot chicken pot pie). she proposed a magical date that we never went on: outlet mall + cici's pizza. that was really more of a John kind of day, but he was invited.

fast forward about a year and a half, I'm on baby number two, and John and I decided to finally take a drive to the outlet mall. this is what we found.

of course we knew there was a nuclear reactor in Limerick, PA, but we didn't really think about it all that much. what we didn't expect was that it would be nestled so close to the shopping area. it took our breath away. make what you will out of that statement.

it's hard to be so big these days. I finally scraped up my self-esteem and went clothes shopping. it does make me feel better to have some outfits that don't make me look like a totally dumpy sad sack, but people, it's hard to keep running in the mornings, when all I want to do is SLEEP. I'm waiting for my infant to grow up, but then I won't have a baby any more...it's a conundrum

mmmm vacation and eating

for those of you who want to disappear into a serious fantasy posthaste, check out this blog. sigh. dreaminess.

moonlighting

I've been totally remiss here because I've been feeling less than sparkly lately. I'm not positive, but it may be due to lack of sleep. not that I'm traumatically under-rested, I'm just not at my usual deep sleep level.

not that I would ever complain about such a squish-able baby! and besides, if I'm being completely honest, I've also been moonlighting on another site. a site that's completely unrelated to most of my life, and I've been in the closet about it. but, I'm ready to cop. it's called previous pod, and it's about super-old Engadget podcasts. how old? so old that not only is the technology out-of-date, but the hosts have all left Engadget for greener pastures. they're currently writing and podcasting from This Is My Next, and will shortly be launching a site called, The Verge.

it's weird.

out of touch much?

this is how far removed from popular culture I am these days...

this morning, I am beseiged by the following thought, "what does it mean that I'm totally obsessed by turntable.fm?"

there are implications here, serious ones, for my IDENTITY. which, by the way is in CRISIS.

short ribs and short men part 2

ok, so it's an unauthorized title extension, but I think you'll see the add-on is apt. perhaps a disclaimer is in order, however:

despite the title to this blog entry, the contents of this post have not been approved by Fitting Into the Windy City and My Clothes. the content expressed herein do not represent the views and/or opininions of FItWC&MC.

I just hope the kerm doesn't mind me riffing on her lyrics. but ANYWAYS...

my family and I raided my brother's house this weekend. going there is like going to your favorite happy place. it doesn't matter who you are, in my brother's house, there exists something just for YOU. something that will take you to your best childhood moments, and it's all wrapped up in that happy, unconditional love package. I'm only exaggerating slightly. when we go to my brother's house, his family has new toys pulled out of storage for Henry every time, a movie selection lined up for us to choose from - to be viewed in is deluxe home theater (snacks included), a pool for our swimming pleasure, babysitting services (my niece and nephew), video games, delicious food - you name it, they're ready to furnish it. suffice it to say that once we get there, it's nearly impossible for us to tear ourselves away. the only problem is that we start to feel really guilty about lounging around in their house, having my brother and sister-in-law cook for us, and clean up after us. yes, we tidy up after ourselves, but my sister-in-law specializes in cleaning up after large meals... this weekend, I brought some Korean-cut short ribs over to marinate and grill. I had in mind a traditional marinade, but it turns out my bro's family dislikes sesame oil. that didn't matter a whit, however, because my brother is a master when it comes to whipping up a tasty 'nade. he threw together brown sugar, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, onion, juice of one orange, juice of one lemon, pepper, and oh, I don't know, probably some other stuff. whatever he did, it was great. this isn't an actual photo, but the grilled ribs looked something like this.

we devoured them with sides of rice and salad. soooo good. I'll be eating this all summer long. just what the grill ordered.

yesterday, I was indulging myself with a bit of 30 Rock re-run viewing (instant-watch Netflix, I love you). and had to explain to henry that this person

was not a "baby." he asked me in a voice that sort of said, are there REALLY toddlers out there that are THAT MATURE? I had to explain to him that no, it wasn't a "big boy," but a man that stopped growing before he got tall. and the mysteries of the world continue to reveal themselves to henry.

I'm most likely a hologram

"There are no random events. Everything is everything else and you are all holograms, save the 500 real people. You know who you are."

Jennifer Bates, 1961-2007