Licking, Stuffing, Labeling, Part 2

Wow. It takes a long ass time to write out 25 thank you notes.

Now I am a product of the Selwyn Tribe, and I was raised with a certain set of expectations. Enforced under threat of being cut from a will, or generally disowned. The terms: Standard turn-around time of 3-5 Business days between receipt of gift and postmark. Content: thoughtful, hand-written, completely original, and sincere. Stationary, appropriate and tasteful. I even have guilt if two people who attended the same function receive the same TYPE of card. Now, that is Thank You Note etiquette paranoia.

Now, granted, we are short on cash, so I had a slightly more limited selection of card style available, and I'm imagine that the standards can slip a little when A) not every family has the same stringent regulatory standards as mine, and B) when it's for a wedding event... I mean seriously, if guests have a year to get the gift, we should have at least a few WEEKS to thank you for it.

But no, I held my ground. And here it is, Day 4 post-shower, and I have a hefty stack of neatly addressed and stamped cards, ready for the mailbox. It's a tad bit harder when you have a full wedding shower guest list to thank. But I did it. I, not we, I wrote them all in one sitting. (Zeke pouted to just have to put the dumb stamps on.) Each one was genuine, sincere and personal. No two are even marginally similar. I'm quite proud of myself.

Plus, it feels wonderful to be able to thank everyone for their gifts. I felt so warm and loved at the Zalinski/Lesniak shower. It's a great family, and I'm lucky to be marrying into it.

You'll all receive your notes in due time... we can't say that the US Postal Service is as prompt as I am. But, to those who attended, and who gave such thoughtful and generous gifts, THANK YOU!

Now, the next question that I raise... where are we going to PUT all of this wonderful new stuff.

I couldn't say it better myself.

Fucking Yankees, Reports Nation

BOSTON—Moments after the New York Yankees continued a month-long stretch that has seen them climb from the bottom of the AL East to pull within a once unfathomable four games of the first-place Red Sox by defeating the Baltimore Orioles...

It's only two games. But I'm pissed. I liked it better when they were down by double digits.

Almost-News

I'm on the cusp of some very exciting news. I am trying to keep myself calm until it is confirmed, but I just can't contain myself. If it happens, I'll be the happiest girl in the whole wide world!

I'll provide an update once it's official.

(and no, I'm not pregnant!)

Good-bye, Harry

I just finished the final Harry Potter book. And I'm not going to lie. I'm sorry that the series is finished. I've always been a fan of a series. I like the idea of picking up a book already having met the characters, and continuing from where we left off. My summers growing up, during our annual vacations to the Cape, my mom would take me to the book store, and I would buy an entire series-worth of books to read over the few weeks we vacationed. I would finish one, and crack open the next one immediately. My granny encouraged this binge-reading behavior by cleaning out the Library where she worked, sending me crates of books (Hello, Sweet Valley High!).

In High School and College, it was a bit different. There were so many books that I HAD to read, that I didn't get around to do much reading that I WANTED to do. It took me awhile post-grad, but I'm back into the book binge. I'm in a book club that meets monthly, and I'm still reading another few books a month beyond that. But Harry was bad. I couldn't put it down. I would stay up late. Read while I was walking down the street ('cause that's safe in Chicago). I even accidentally stayed out for a two hour lunch break, because I got so caught up in it that I completely lost track of time. I would get panicky if too many days went by before I was able to read again. Addicted? I guess there are worse things to be hooked on.

Now that it's over, I feel a little bit depressed. Withdrawal, perhaps? How will I fill my spare days, now that Harry is gone? Who will entertain me?

I guess I"ll have to move along. And pick up another series.

Anyone have any suggestions? I'll read anything but Chic Lit. Hate Chic Lit.

It's not all stress

This past weekend was my first wedding shower, hosted by my almost-sister-in-law Carol Ann, and an almost-aunt Mary Ellen.

It was a really special day. We are so lucky to have people who love us, and support us.

Thank you to everyone who attended. We are so glad to have you share this with us.

Still Wet, but Happy

It has been raining for who knows how long. And they haven't been drizzles either. We're talking trees down, basement flooding, no electricity DOWNPOUR. But I love extreme weather. Bring it on, I say! Especially with the thunder and the lightning and the drenching rain.

Today, I have our company outing at Arlington Park. We are slated to have more severe thunderstorms all afternoon. I'm sure none of the clients will end up showing, as half of the schools in the 'burbs were canceled, and all of our clients have kids. But we're still going. Horse races, or not, we will be there.

Last night, Z and I went to our annual Red Sox vs. White Sox game at Comisky. We were invited to go with Groomsman Chad, and his wife Stacy, but she's prego and about to pop! So they gave us their tickets. We invited Cousin Kelly and Husband Tim, who are also Red Sox fans to join us in their place.

We got to the game early enough to see some of the Red Sox warm-up. At Comisky, you can get right up next to the warning track, at the level of the field, so players are RIGHT next to you. I kept on spotting people, and pointing them out (Gagne, who is shorter and chubbier in person. Shilling, who is bigger and older in person. Papelbon, who is cuter and more thuggish in person. Varitek, who's butt is even more outstanding in person... etc).

We noticed that people were gathering around a few feet down from us. I saw a tidbit of the players face and I knew it was Papelbon. Zeke grabbed my hat, which he already got signed by my fav V-Tek last year, and headed over. As he set off, my theme song, Donnie Iris' "Ah! Leah!" started playing over the stadium loud speakers... I knew it was fate. In a few moments, Z disappeared into the frantic fans, clamoring for an autograph.

After signing a few, Pap walked away, issuing apologies about running late. As he walked past, I looked over at Z, who was wearing a triumphant smile. He got it. Right next to Tek's. The man is 2 for 2! And no bench players either... REAL LIFE RED SOX! And you wonder why I'm marrying the man...

See below for photographic evidence.

Now, once the excitement settled, we realized that an auspicious green/grey cloud mass was working it's way towards the field. We knew the weather was going to be rough, but we had Stadium Club (aka Pimp-daddy, VIP) tickets, which allowed us into the enclosed, air-conditioned, private, fine-dining/bar/viewing area, so we weren't worried. We headed up, grabbed a table, and enjoyed eachother's company until the game got called. We had a great view of the field through the floor to ceiling windows, and it was quite fun watching the storm roll through.

All and all, a fun night.

Unfortunately, our basement flooded and Kelly/Tim's condo building got an uninvited visit from an uprooted tree, but everyone is safe, and the property damage is minimal.

Gotta Love Mother Nature. Hope everyone is safe and sound. It's hurricane season. Oh wait, I'm in the midwest, it's Tornado season.

Wet

It has been raining. all. weekend. long. And the end is not yet in sight. I hope our basement doesn't flood...

BIG news

I have a major announcement.

We are now registered at Home Depot. And please, someone needs to get us the circular saw. It will be worth the price of admission just to see Zeke covered in sawdust.

I love him dearly. With all of my heart. But my wonderful man is not the handiest man in the world. But when I asked him what on earth we needed a circular saw for, he replied that he'd like to be able "To put up a fence".

We've been together for over 2 years. And in that time I have never seen him yield a tool.

Granted, as a contractors kid, I was raised amidst table saws and grout, so my opinion on the standard of handiness may be biased. And I must admire the fact that he is so dedicated to providing for our Z-family-to-be, that he wants to be able to put up a fence, should we ever need one immediately. And in that case, he deserves to have the tools at his disposal.

But don't we need a yard before we have to worry about a fence. We have a patch of grass, and it belongs to the City of Chicago.

So let's start small. Fix a drippy faucet, or replace a light fixture. Then we can move on to fences, and then maybe decks! (I'd love to have a deck. On which we could enjoy fresh margaritas from our newly acquired glass pitcher.)

That all being said, he does deserve to receive a few new things in the house that don't go in the kitchen.

War Zone?

The Chicago Air & Water show is in town this weekend... And all morning, the fighter jets have been zooming around the downtown airspace practicing for the events this weekend. It's one-half exciting and one-half annoying. It's a bit hard to conduct business via phone when it sounds like we are moments away from a bomb siren.

While I do generally enjoy the show, I can't help but wonder how much it's costing our lovely government to do a fly-by with the Stealth bomber. Seriously, is it really all that stealth anyway? It's gone to more baseball games this year than I have! And 5 fighter jets? Just give me a few of those cute little acrobat bi-planes, and I'll be happy.

Anywho, I will now step off my soap box. And return to work.

No more Licker Terrace

Good Bye Ricker Terrace

Today marks the end of my childhood. Well, the end of my childhood home at least.

Mom moves out of 21 Ricker Terrace today. And moves in to a wonderful new loftspace in Watertown. I am so happy for her, and so excited to see how the new place looks once she's had some time to put her design touches into it. It's in a great location, right on the Charles, (and mere blocks away from Haley, once her condo is ready).

True, I will miss the house I grew up in. The garden in front. The big deck in back. Memories of all of those summer-time keg parties... but since I haven't lived there for a decade (literally), I guess it hasn't been my home for a while already. I'm just having a hard time with the realization that the phone number my fingers have in their muscle memory will no longer Phone Home.

Take a look at some of the promo shots from the building. These aren't from Mom's apartment, but I'm sure they aren't too far off. Pretty amazing, right?