contemplation over hot chocolate

I like being outdoors. Like, in 70 degree weather. Not the muggy weather that makes me feel like I am still living in Florida. Ick. Not the weather that makes me want to stay in the freezing cold dungeon that is my edit suite and makes me shiver to the point where i am drinking hot tea. Not this muggy, dense, icky, yucky air that makes me want to hide. This weather is making me miserable, but something today made me even more miserable than the humidity. My allergies. I blame the tuckpointing happening outside my door that makes its way into the souls of my shoes and the soul of my home. I blame the city sidewalks that are littered with, well, litter, and I blame the gnats that are flying around, mixing pollen or whatever it is to make my head feel like a helium balloon. But I definitely DO NOT blame myself for not taking my nightly allergy medicine…

And another thing…why do dog owners in the city allow their dogs to poop on the sidewalks and then NOT PICK IT UP?! I mean, HELLO!! It bothers me to no end that people do this. They do this in the backyard here at my condo, and that is just not something you want to see when you’re grilling steak. Ick. I get it in the winter. It’s cold, you don’t want to be outside, your dog doesn’t want to be outside, the wind is howling, and you ran out of a bag. So you throw snow over it, and no one’s the wiser, well, until the thaw comes along. But during a 90 degree day, when I’m responsibly walking my dog on the sidewalk and see him literally jump over a pile of poop in the way!? COME ON, people. You forget a bag, fine, find the nearest dog owner and ask for a bag. And god forbid you do that in front of me…I will call you out on it and shove a bag in your face. Hey, it’s nicer than shoving your nose in your dog’s you know what…

And finally, is anyone else getting eaten alive?! I stood outside my friend’s condo for about, oh, say, 30 seconds, and was eaten by what seems like 20 mosquito. Seriously. I have what a co-worker called “True Blood” bites on my neck. Now, I’m no “fang-banger”, but damn, these things are big, and ugly and ITCHY! At last count, there are: 2 on my neck, 2 on my face, 5 on my right leg, 2 on the inside of my left knee and 3 on my left foot. I know I’m full of sweetness, but come on…give a girl a break.

And, rant over.

So, I know I complain a lot, especially when I have a category named, “Daily Rant”. So I thought I’d add versatility and start the “Daily Yay!” category, celebrating all those things that make me happy during the day.

So here’s to hoping that there’s more Yay than Rants!

Here are some pictures of the retirement party from The Company. It’s sad to see them go, because these are the people who lived through the hayday of the Golden Age of Broadcasting, and I’ve learned a lot from them. These are the ones that take everything in stride, because they all know that this too shall pass and life is better spent just rolling your eyes…these were the ones that told me I had talent and to just keep plugging away…and I will miss them.

I know retirement is either something you really really want, or something that is usually forced, but I wish all of them the best on their new life adventures, and can only hope that I too will get to retire someday…I only have about 55 more years to go!

So to all of them, HAPPY RETIREMENT!

(from L-R) Tim, Gordon, Phil, Fonz, Ralf, John, Carlos, Jack, Mike, Bob, Cynthia, Rich, and Kim

(Click picture to make bigger)

See more pictures here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2524637&id=3426416&l=dbfc21db06

So I had some, let’s just say, “motivation”, to write today…and instead of taking the pen to paper, I actually picked up the pick and started strumming. It’s been a while…let’s just say the guitars that hang on my wall are a little dusty. But my finger pads are sore, and I have yet another song to add to the overwhelming list of lyrics. I’m either going to write a musical, or a really crappy folk album.

I forgot how much I love writing, and it was hilarious to go back to the other songs and look at what I wrote. I keep one legal pad full of quotes, rhyming words, snips of concepts that don’t make any sense, but rhyme. And I actually came across a book where I started writing all these phrases and random ideas in a blank journal. All these little quips that I so love…like “No sense of self – it’s motivated by the headlines of the day” or my favorite that was written 2008 (oh how nothing has changed) “The what-ifs haunt my doubts of self-consciousness, dredging up old insecurities in the mud of adversity”. Now, if I could write a song around that phrase, I think it would be a hit!

But the funniest thing was coming across this “song” that I wrote, when I lost all my iPod music because iTunes is the devil and erased everything in an instant. So here it is. It’s a little violent, a little hostel, but I remember the time exactly, where you thought all your tunes were safe and sound, contained in a little box…and with one false click of the “ok to erase” button, your world was shattered….so to all the people who have ever lost their entire iPod playlists, this one’s for you:

An Ode to My iPod (7/30/08)

Why won’t you just DIE DIE DIE
You stupid little thing

Why do I RELY LIE LIE
On every little thing you do

I totally hate you.
You stupid music player thing.

Why won’t you DIE DIE DIE
You stupid little box.

All you do is LIE LIE LIE
about your magic powers.

I hate you…but I love you…and therein lies the rub.

Just DIE you stupid iPod scum!

Today I was in a foul mood. Just not happy. No real reason, except the petty life stuff that always seems to creep into my life…the hormonal imbalances that intensify on 95 degree plus days, and the general crappiness of returning from a vacation I actually wanted to stay at. So, me not so happy. What turned it around? The following (courtesy of The Lincoln Square Farmers Market):

Fresh blueberries that cost $3 / pint!!!!!!! (take that, icky Jewel fruit!)

a bunch of sunflowers that just make me happy

-giving my parking stub that had 45 minutes left on it (I forgot how little the farmers market is, and how little my fridge is!) to complete strangers, who, it turns out, was celebrating a birthday and told me this was a great gift. (yes, me karma es good!)

but the best was finding a hot hot hot Ollie laying on the floor in front of a fan:

How can you be moody with that face?!

So long story short, when life gets moody, it’s best to remember the little things. We may never have enough money, be the skinniest, or the most successful, but as long as their is still fresh blueberries, sunflowers, and pets to make us laugh, life is a-ok.