i am sitting on the couch drinking sangria, feeling bad for all the evil lonesome looks my cat keeps giving me. but what a weekend i had! well, first of all: sam adams holiday pack. oh! oh oh it is so good, especially the chocolate.
so i went to dominicks thursday because i had to get rent money from the bank there. then i had all this cash on me (finally! my paycheck still hasn't cleared from before thanksgiving). my god, now my cat is resting his head on my hand and his paw on my mouse pad. anyway, i took a picture but i decided to check out the sales in the liquor department, then i decided i wanted beer, then i saw that my favorite was on sale! my favorite holiday pack, that is. so i bought it, and then i was walking home (i forgot my upass that day so i skipped my last french class and walked to the mexican bakery where they have the best coffee [brewed with cinnamon] for $1, then walked to the bank, then store) then i was walking home, i had gotten four blocks, i was having a nice fun walk when suddenly i happened upon some ice and dropped my holiday pack!
i thought maybe it was just one, but it was four. some guy walked by and i said "what should i do?" he said they would probably help me out, and he gave me his plastic bag to put my remaining beers in as he had just been at the store as well. i should have given him a beer as thanks because i walked all the way back there and they gave me a brand new holiday pack even though it was completely my fault. thanks!
later that night a couple friends came over that night and drank some with me.
friday: another holiday pack! i owed my coworker from when he bought me that bottle of whiskey when my card didn't work. so i went there on my lunch break to pick up the goods and also had a jalapeno cheddar bagel with seafood salad for lunch. well, two. mmm!
hung out with another friend later that night, did a bit of painting. played a couple uke songs for him.
saturday, i woke up to a phone call and i usually don't answer unknown numbers but for some reason i did and it was an old friend of mine from out of town who had changed his number for some reason. he asked me what i was doing and i told him i just finished school this week and he was like oh so you have time to hang? and i was like hell yeah! so he bought me a ticket to new york for that night. when i got there all of my dreams came true: i had my first brandy alexander. well, two. they were so tasty!
we didn't go to sleep that night, had a fight actually, but then everything was alright and time was flying and we played music for awhile in his big soho loft. 'twas fun!
the next day he was very hungover so i went about by myself, which i always enjoy. i went to videogames ny because i texted my boss to say i wouldn't be coming in today and he asked me to pick something up for him from there. unfortunately they didn't have it! which sucks because it was a ghostbusters game and i totally woulda played it with him.
so i tried to find my way downtown, but i was stopped by a foodcart guy who offered to take me to lunch and of course i couldn't refuse. i had crab cakes and glenlivet and johnnie walker, and who knew that a shot could ever possibly be $30!? well i had two of them.
later we smoked a blunt, listened to some shitty (but catchy) pop music, and then he dropped me off back by my friends. i didn't make out with him or anything if you were wondering. either of them, actually...
my friend and i spent way too long in whole foods (3 hours?), came back to his place, i did his dishes as "thanks", and then i passed out, only to be awaken mere hours later to catch a cab to the airport, which he gave me $50 for in exchange for cleaning his (smaller) bathroom. slept the whole way back to chicago, then took the blue line straight to work. a fine weekend!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
hunger
well, yesterday after i was done with tutoring (chicagohopes.org) i stopped in jewel to see if they had any mint hersheys kisses. and i was starving! the kids practiced making lists yesterday and the little girl i was helping wanted me to write a christmas list with her, so we switched off every other line. i wrote "chocolate" and "spaghetti with meatballs". she wanted a car and a babydoll. anyway, so i was like maaan i wish jewel had some samples to tide me over! but it's monday, not sample day! so i wandered a bit more, looking for cute boys also, when BAM! a sample table! and what is he sampling? spaghetti sauce. it was awesome. there were four so i tried each one, it's called coupla guys and it's made in chicago and the arrabiata and puttanesca are so good. they do NOT have mint hersheys kisses at jewel, and they probably don't even make them anymore which is dumb because they are so good and i need them for my cookies. the kiss goes inside and its like a buttery truffle, oh my god. then i walked home and made spaghetti with soy meatballs. it was perfect.
and i also did some shopping yesterday. i spent $10 and got: 3 spools of thread, a pack of pins, interfacing, a hanging wall vase thing, a walkman, lace doily, small crocheted purse, green suede pants, glittery purple tulle, furry leopard collar, and a bag full of necklaces. another fine day.
and i also did some shopping yesterday. i spent $10 and got: 3 spools of thread, a pack of pins, interfacing, a hanging wall vase thing, a walkman, lace doily, small crocheted purse, green suede pants, glittery purple tulle, furry leopard collar, and a bag full of necklaces. another fine day.
Monday, December 6, 2010
what i've been doing with myself
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| this is the scarf i'm working on. it is very wide like a shawl. i like to use huge needle (size 09) because it goes much faster, and you get a cool lacy look |
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| the strap for the purse i'm making. the leather is from a jacket i got years ago and have been cutting up since. the liner fabric is a vintage drapery, and the maroon i got from jo-ann's years ago |
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| the poinsettias i found! i told you my cat would eat em |
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| this is an earring i made. the shells are from a necklace i got at the thrift store for .40, and the gold is from a forever 21 necklace that (of course) fell apart. next to that is a bracelet i made yeeaars ago out of a sweater, some thread and pearly beads. all is set in front of a christmas decoration which i found in the alley a couple months back |
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| the men's shirt i found recently |
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| this is a hair piece. once again, thrift store shells, lace from a beautiful vintage dress that i cut the sleeves from, and other fabric from another vintage dress that simply did not fit well. |
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| another hair piece! reminds me of the little mermaid |
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| found this pic on my camera! its from a year ago. i made that skirt. the waistband fabric is a vintage scrap i've had, and the other stuff was a remnant from jo-anns. it also has a very cute maroon zipper in the back. |
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| my old room! boo hoo. was bright orange and red with purple floors. now it is sea foam green. to the right you can see my black and white picture collaged wall, which i packed in a folder and my ex bfs dumbass lazy stupid shit cat pissed on. i have since started a new one, but there were some beautiful/awesome pictures up there! yeah, i'm totally over it. anyway, i said i like xmas decor so there you go |
Sunday, December 5, 2010
sunday sunday sunday
well well well. i am exhausted! i've been working on making a purse all day, which would most certainly be finished by now if it didn't take me hours to decide on fabrics. i did take a break for a few hours to use my borders rewards card $5 credit which expired today. i was going to get something bargain priced or a moleskine or somethin, but then i was a bit hungry so i got a breakfast sandwich and coffee instead.
i walked all the way home, stopped in some shops, found 12 cents on the ground but there was a homeless man nearby so i left it for him to find, which i highly doubt was his luck. also stopped in a "fro-yo" shop because they had a sign outside advertising hot chocolate, so i went in and sampled them all. of course, the ghirardelli was the best. i used my empty coffee cup so as not to be wasteful. (also i got more sample than in the 1oz cup haHA!)
i found a flamingo swizzle stick wearing a hat at the beginning of my journey (on halsted) and some poinsettias in the alley behind my apartment on my way home! which is good because real poinsettias are no good for cats, and my boo loves to feast on greenery. and i love christmas decorations year round.
so yesterday was fun. i made a beeswax candle which is pretty goddamn fun, you get to walk around in a circle and dip your wick until it's nice and thick. and it smells incredible. this was at the holiday fair, where in addition to the licorice sticks i saw a uke band, during which i thought to myself, as usual, once i get better on mine i will be famous. after that got some groceries with mom. i was going to go to one of two awesome shows last night but got too into my crafting plus it's so cold out.
one last thing, i haven't had a cigarette in over a week. my secret is simple. if you're really trying to quit, find a friend, or, even better, a friend with benefits, who has a very sore throat and cough. hang out and/or make out with friend, get sick, have no desire for a cigarette, and when you start getting better and thinking about that sweet fragrant tobacco chew a piece of nicotine gum instead. voila! having weed around to smoke instead helps a great deal as well. your tip o' the night!
one last last thing, i will post pictures tomorrow of recent creations. not tonight. i know you are all waiting with bated (abated) breath
i walked all the way home, stopped in some shops, found 12 cents on the ground but there was a homeless man nearby so i left it for him to find, which i highly doubt was his luck. also stopped in a "fro-yo" shop because they had a sign outside advertising hot chocolate, so i went in and sampled them all. of course, the ghirardelli was the best. i used my empty coffee cup so as not to be wasteful. (also i got more sample than in the 1oz cup haHA!)
i found a flamingo swizzle stick wearing a hat at the beginning of my journey (on halsted) and some poinsettias in the alley behind my apartment on my way home! which is good because real poinsettias are no good for cats, and my boo loves to feast on greenery. and i love christmas decorations year round.
so yesterday was fun. i made a beeswax candle which is pretty goddamn fun, you get to walk around in a circle and dip your wick until it's nice and thick. and it smells incredible. this was at the holiday fair, where in addition to the licorice sticks i saw a uke band, during which i thought to myself, as usual, once i get better on mine i will be famous. after that got some groceries with mom. i was going to go to one of two awesome shows last night but got too into my crafting plus it's so cold out.
one last thing, i haven't had a cigarette in over a week. my secret is simple. if you're really trying to quit, find a friend, or, even better, a friend with benefits, who has a very sore throat and cough. hang out and/or make out with friend, get sick, have no desire for a cigarette, and when you start getting better and thinking about that sweet fragrant tobacco chew a piece of nicotine gum instead. voila! having weed around to smoke instead helps a great deal as well. your tip o' the night!
one last last thing, i will post pictures tomorrow of recent creations. not tonight. i know you are all waiting with bated (abated) breath
Saturday, December 4, 2010
i am the weatherization master
update! my roommate texted me earlier with some breaking news. our gas bill is...dun dun dun...$85!!! so i got my free weatherization kit open and so far have shrink wrapped two windows (minus the actual hair drier shrinking bit, i'll have to find an extension cord), added a rubber insulator to my door frame, and caulked a gap on the floor next to the door.
would you like some tips to keep your bills low? always keep the thermostat below 68, turn it down more when you go to bed because you'll be under the covers anyway, unplug your chargers! my booklet said that can be the culprit for 10% of your electric bill, turn the water off while brushing your teeth (duh), don't be openin the oven door, checkin out your cake, because each time it lowers the temperature 25 degrees!
and this is my biggest pet peeve so listen up! be aware while washing dishes! you can cut down to the water you use by about 1000% if you just do this little trick that i always do. so, first rinse your dishes a bit, quickly, so they aren't totally gunky. then put soap on your sponge and, leaving the water OFF, wash the dishes. i usually do a bowl then fill it with silverware, stack the plates up, do some glasses, THEN, when you have a nice stack of sudsy dishes, rinse em! you'll use the water for a total of about 1 min, rather than the 5 or 10 worth that some people use when they leave the water running the entire time. yep, a thousand percent...
i forgot to mention one other thing in my last post-all of my alley finds. this week i found a cool bright blue and black fun islandy printed mens shirt which will become a very cute button up dress, a boys athletic tee which i will give to my other roommate, and some floral printed drapes, which may continue to be such because we sure need em. everyone on the block surely knows how much time i spend on this couch in front of these bare windows.
now i will go to sugartown and then off to bed. i have to be up early for a holiday clarinet show with mom. i am excited
would you like some tips to keep your bills low? always keep the thermostat below 68, turn it down more when you go to bed because you'll be under the covers anyway, unplug your chargers! my booklet said that can be the culprit for 10% of your electric bill, turn the water off while brushing your teeth (duh), don't be openin the oven door, checkin out your cake, because each time it lowers the temperature 25 degrees!
and this is my biggest pet peeve so listen up! be aware while washing dishes! you can cut down to the water you use by about 1000% if you just do this little trick that i always do. so, first rinse your dishes a bit, quickly, so they aren't totally gunky. then put soap on your sponge and, leaving the water OFF, wash the dishes. i usually do a bowl then fill it with silverware, stack the plates up, do some glasses, THEN, when you have a nice stack of sudsy dishes, rinse em! you'll use the water for a total of about 1 min, rather than the 5 or 10 worth that some people use when they leave the water running the entire time. yep, a thousand percent...
i forgot to mention one other thing in my last post-all of my alley finds. this week i found a cool bright blue and black fun islandy printed mens shirt which will become a very cute button up dress, a boys athletic tee which i will give to my other roommate, and some floral printed drapes, which may continue to be such because we sure need em. everyone on the block surely knows how much time i spend on this couch in front of these bare windows.
now i will go to sugartown and then off to bed. i have to be up early for a holiday clarinet show with mom. i am excited
my very first time
well! i am the master of all things free. some may call me a witch, i call myself lucky. and resourceful. also, spending money is very stressful so i manage to avoid it at most costs. what have i pulled off this week?
Let's see...sunday i received a weatherization kit for free! if you live in chicago, you can get one also. it comes with the plastic that you shrink wrap in your windows, fluorescent lightbulbs, some foam, caulk, a book, etc! and all in a nice little tote bag.
monday i don't think i acquired anything..but tuesday! i got to class quite early so i decided to traipse around downtown for a bit. wandered into the cultural center (that building is truly fucking incredible) and what is going on but a local designer holiday shopping event! one woman had some very cool leather jewelry which inspired me to make a purse sized leather bound journal for my stepmother for christmas. which, of course, i have not started yet.
so i'm leaving the show and what do i see on the table to my left? boxes of cupcakes! these weren't some nasty ass jewel cupcakes, these were the real deal, from the fairmont hotel. and i also got a card that gives me 20% off at the bar, restaurant, and spa. forever.
so i walked back to class, eating my rich chocolate free cupcake, smiling because it was free and everyone was obviously jealous (i really wanted to tell someone "there are FREE cupcakes at the cultural center!! hurry, they only have 2 boxes!" but no one looked deserving/wanting enough). so yes. then on to french class, then on to the fairmont! to have a bloody mary with pepper vodka( and their delightful bar snacks...wasabi peas, honey roasted peanuts, sesame sticks...the remains of which i saved in a kleenex in my backpack). it was quite busy in there for a tuesday, so i just moseyed on out and didn't have to use my 20% off after all! wednesday i found a coupon for a free starbucks coffee on the ground, and smoked two (!..never a good plan) blunts with my neighbor.
thursday was the i-go holiday parhhty. i signed up for i-go months ago because my boo boo needed a good tooth cleanin n pullin, and the cheap vet is in a faraway land called "chicago ridge". it was about 400 bucks cheaper to go here than a regular vet. so i invited a couple friends to the party at the merchandise mart, which unfortunately had drink tickets (one drink!?) but the food (salad, pasta, jambalaya, cheesecake, cookies...) was delicious. also got a reusable bag filled with about a dozen bags of chips and a pen. i think i have already eaten all the chips...but they are less fat than regular potato chips sooo it's fine
today i found a flier on the ground for a midget sex show, and smoked this legal "herbal smoking blend" with my "bandmates". that will get you quite, quite high.
And of course (here comes your tip o the mornin'), i never pay more than 55 cents for my large ("venti") starbucks coffee. simply keep the cup! forever! i like to put a lot of sugar, chocolate powder, nutmeg and half n half in mine, it is just perfect. i used to go to cosi where they have FREE refills, but they decided to be assholes about it one day so fuck them, i will not be going back there until my plan is in action, which i will detail another day.
so, i guess thats my week in free shit. i'd say i've done pretty well for myself considering my bank account has had -$60 since before thanksgiving. i suppose this is a bit long for a first blog-who's gonna want to read this shit?? and there is still so much i didn't mention! hopefully i will get my digi-cam up and running shortly so i can post pictures to pique your interest. until then, music!
Let's see...sunday i received a weatherization kit for free! if you live in chicago, you can get one also. it comes with the plastic that you shrink wrap in your windows, fluorescent lightbulbs, some foam, caulk, a book, etc! and all in a nice little tote bag.
monday i don't think i acquired anything..but tuesday! i got to class quite early so i decided to traipse around downtown for a bit. wandered into the cultural center (that building is truly fucking incredible) and what is going on but a local designer holiday shopping event! one woman had some very cool leather jewelry which inspired me to make a purse sized leather bound journal for my stepmother for christmas. which, of course, i have not started yet.
so i'm leaving the show and what do i see on the table to my left? boxes of cupcakes! these weren't some nasty ass jewel cupcakes, these were the real deal, from the fairmont hotel. and i also got a card that gives me 20% off at the bar, restaurant, and spa. forever.
so i walked back to class, eating my rich chocolate free cupcake, smiling because it was free and everyone was obviously jealous (i really wanted to tell someone "there are FREE cupcakes at the cultural center!! hurry, they only have 2 boxes!" but no one looked deserving/wanting enough). so yes. then on to french class, then on to the fairmont! to have a bloody mary with pepper vodka( and their delightful bar snacks...wasabi peas, honey roasted peanuts, sesame sticks...the remains of which i saved in a kleenex in my backpack). it was quite busy in there for a tuesday, so i just moseyed on out and didn't have to use my 20% off after all! wednesday i found a coupon for a free starbucks coffee on the ground, and smoked two (!..never a good plan) blunts with my neighbor.
thursday was the i-go holiday parhhty. i signed up for i-go months ago because my boo boo needed a good tooth cleanin n pullin, and the cheap vet is in a faraway land called "chicago ridge". it was about 400 bucks cheaper to go here than a regular vet. so i invited a couple friends to the party at the merchandise mart, which unfortunately had drink tickets (one drink!?) but the food (salad, pasta, jambalaya, cheesecake, cookies...) was delicious. also got a reusable bag filled with about a dozen bags of chips and a pen. i think i have already eaten all the chips...but they are less fat than regular potato chips sooo it's fine
today i found a flier on the ground for a midget sex show, and smoked this legal "herbal smoking blend" with my "bandmates". that will get you quite, quite high.
And of course (here comes your tip o the mornin'), i never pay more than 55 cents for my large ("venti") starbucks coffee. simply keep the cup! forever! i like to put a lot of sugar, chocolate powder, nutmeg and half n half in mine, it is just perfect. i used to go to cosi where they have FREE refills, but they decided to be assholes about it one day so fuck them, i will not be going back there until my plan is in action, which i will detail another day.
so, i guess thats my week in free shit. i'd say i've done pretty well for myself considering my bank account has had -$60 since before thanksgiving. i suppose this is a bit long for a first blog-who's gonna want to read this shit?? and there is still so much i didn't mention! hopefully i will get my digi-cam up and running shortly so i can post pictures to pique your interest. until then, music!
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