Beachy Keen

I've found myself on the shores of Lake Michigan this summer more times than ever before.  I've been doing a lot of driving and a lot of waiting.  I figured out that parking at the beach is more plentiful and in most cases cheaper than looking for a space on the street.  While waiting yesterday, I headed straight east to the lakefront where the parking was free at this particular beach.  I walked a little, but it was really hot, so I sat on a rock and returned some phone calls.  Little did I know until I really paid attention to the activity on the sand and in the water, that this was a DOG BEACH.  Hmmm...I decided that I'd stay where I was and not venture too close to the water because, well, it's kind of like a giant litter box, right?  What I did do was watch, and I got the biggest kick out of that.  Dogs everywhere!  And so well behaved!  It really was a joy to watch them running all over, in and out of the water, and making friends.  I don't know, but they looked like really happy dogs.

                                                  Any excuse to get my toes in the sand...

One lady walked near me on her way back to her car.  She, in her bikini, had four dogs trailing her.  One Great Dane, one Doberman, and two terriers that resembled pit bulls, but she had other names for them.  They were so well trained that I was almost not nervous.  What nervousness I did have, I hid it well.  The Great Dane seemed very interested in me and he stayed the closest.  At one point she said something in German, and all four dogs stood on the rocks and posed for a picture.  I kid you not.  She commanded them with one word, and all four turned towards the camera.  I had to ask.  How exactly are you doing that?  She explained that she was a dog trainer, and had taken an online course over one year.  Hey, anyone that thinks online coursework is a joke should see this lady in action.  I was recruited to take a few shots of her with the dogs, after which they waited patiently while we talked.  After about five minutes, she spoke again and all four dogs jumped into her open Jeep.  I couldn't resist getting a shot of the five of them driving away.  Cool.

I have always loved to watch children at play but I don't think this will be my last trip to the dog beach.  It was great watching the four-legged kids having a good time.  I might even bring my own dog next time.

Keep it Positive!

My daughter loves the movie and the stage musical "Legally Blonde".  I loved the movie, but I haven't seen the play because when I sprung for two tickets when it came to Chicago, I gave them to my daughter and her friend.  She's very big on soundtracks though, so I've heard it many times.  The one song I remember best is called "Keep it Positive" and I've been singing it for the past two days.  It's kind of stuck in my head.  I told you a few days back that a friend had started a 30 Days of Positive Thinking Challenge and invited me to join in.  I think that song is my way of reminding myself that I signed on and don't want to be a quitter.

I suffered a huge disappointment this week and am trying really hard not to let it bring me down.  I won't say whether I've been successful or not, but today I was.  I attended the Mexican Independence Day celebration in Little Village (Chicago) and had a great time.  We started off with breakfast at the beautiful restaurant, Mi Tierra.  It's bright, happy and colorful.  Like REALLY bright, happy and colorful:

See?  No coffee needed.

We met some new friends and had a lengthy and enjoyable conversation with a (very handsome, not that I was looking) guy from Spain and a couple who came down from Minnesota on the Megabus to visit for the weekend.  They were a completely friendly and engaging group, and the lady sitting next to me told me about her life growing up in Mexico, going to school in France and finally settling down in Minnesota, of all places.  It's been her home for 40 years.  We stayed talking after nearly everyone else was gone.  Then on to the real party...the parade!  Mariachis, dancers, floats, horses, children and clowns--speaking of which, there are clowns...

 And then there is Bozo!!

No shortage of cute kids...

Floats filled with musicians, beauty queens, politicians and regular everyday citizens, enjoying a few minutes of fame on a bright, sunny day. 

And of course, there was the crowd.  I folded myself into the crowd, completely forgetting that I had very little knowledge of what was being said.  At this celebration, there was no real need for words...the music, the smiles and the energy  of the people, myself included, said it all.  Today, I kept it positive.

Perfectly Doable.

I have no idea who, if anyone is going to read this post.  Who will know, besides me, that I've done this 99 times before, over the past few months?  I would love to have tons of readers, but the fact that I don't hasn't stopped me.  I love sitting down to write about whatever is on my mind, or how my day went. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time, and a few months ago I finally made myself sit down and get started.  This is a big deal for me, because I'm not great with follow-through, and I procrastinate a lot, especially when it comes to doing something just for me.

I went to a memorial service for a close family friend, a family member by marriage.  He was in his 60's, but never slowed down.  He was living up until the day he died.  Spending time with family, gardening, traveling, teaching...the comments from friends, family and colleagues were all pretty much the same--he was a great guy who loved life, loved family, loved his friends.  He was always willing to lend a helping hand and he never let his status in life go to his head.  He was a humble man, who loved God and lived as exemplary a life as he could.  Love.  Live.  These words must have been repeated 100 times or more, and on the back of the printed program was a picture of him on a ziplining outing, with a huge (if not crazed!) smile on his face.  This was shortly after losing his son and likely in the midst of a devastating illness, even if we weren't all quite aware of how bad it was.  He squeezed as much living into his 60+ years as he possibly could, and while that may seem like a lot of time to us, I doubt if it does when yours is close to ending.  I think maybe when you live that fully, you don't want it to end because you're having so much fun.  Or, like me, if you have spent a lot of your life waiting--then you regret all the things you haven't done, still waiting for the right time to do them.  If you're going to have one of these problems, I'm guessing you wouldn't want to stand on my side of the line.  But, I'm also guessing that a lot of you are.

So here's what we're going to do!  Starting right now, plan something for tomorrow that you've been putting off, afraid to do, not wanting to do by yourself, or waiting for the right time.  Don't go nuts now!  Some things take preparation, but something simple like seeing a movie you didn't want to go to alone (do it anyway, it's dark in there and nobody cares) is perfectly doable, and you can cross that off your list.  That recipe?  Make your list and get to the store!  That phone call or drop-by visit?  Do it!

 Get yourself a hotel room and chill out with room service, a movie, or a late-night swim.  You deserve it!  Color your hair.  Go to an estate sale and buy somebody's old stuff (my personal favorite!)  Drive out to the middle of nowhere, or go to the beach.  Perfectly doable.  Tomorrow.  Today.  Right now.

I started out not knowing what to write about in this, my 100th post.  Now I'm thinking about number 101!  Perfectly doable...

99 Down...1 more to go!

I can't believe I've kept this up for over three months!  I started out vowing not to miss a post, but I have missed one here and there.  That's probably good, because I likely didn't have anything interesting to say.  So consider that I saved you from undue boredom.  Anyway, I'm having a giveaway on my Facebook page tomorrow in honor of my 100th post (this being 99).  I'm still working out the details, but I'm giving away some cool vintage and new items that I just walked around the house and chose.  That's about it--but I think there's something here for almost everyone, so be sure to enter!  14th Street Vintage on Facebook.  

I really shouldn't admit this, but I will...I ran the kitchen sink over tonight.  I ran the kitchen sink over yesterday too.  Explanation:  the water pressure is crazy low.  It takes about 15 minutes to fill the sink.  I can't stand there and watch it, so I always find something else to do while I wait.  Like sweep the floor.  Make the bed.  Get on the computer.  GET...ON...THE...COMPUTER.  'Nuff said.
This has happened more times than I care to admit, but even if I was willing to admit it, it's happened so many times that I've lost count.  My kids keep telling me to just stand there!  Don't move!  Well, they are asleep and don't know that I have towels all over the kitchen floor right now.  They'll wake up and think the sound of dripping water they "thought" they heard was just a beautiful dream about running under a waterfall or something.  Now to hide these wet towels...

I joined a group of friends who have started a "be positive" movement.  For the month of September, we are not too allow any negative thoughts to enter our positive minds.  Well, I guess the point is not too allow them to take over.  Look on the bright side!  This is how I fared today:

I realized something, that with all the sweating I do, I no longer need moisturizer.

After the lady cut me off in traffic and then had the nerve to give me a dirty look, I felt bad about calling her "stupid" and "ugly", but it was too late to take it back.  Besides which she was stupid and ugly.  I'm positive that she was.

Walgreens was out of the $1 aspirin, but they gave me a coupon for $3 off the $3 aspirin.  Now if they'd had the $1 aspirin, I could have used the $3 coupon on something else.  I didn't bother to tell them that I was aware that I was still losing out.  See me being positive??

I drove all over downtown Chicago today and didn't get frazzled.  Normally, this would frazzle me.  Pedestrians and cab drivers are particularly frazzling.  Good thing I'm so positive.

The positive vibes are oozing out of me and you probably can't take much more, so I'll just stop there.

Tomorrow's the Big Day!

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

The Good:

I was reminded today of a song and dance I loved when I was about five.  It was called "The Boogaloo".  I did my best rendition of it for my daughter.  It's been a few years--cough--50--cough!  Actually, my memory served me well.  Check it out here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6xINhBkpFI  Alvin Cash and the Registers.  Hilarious.
Apparently there's a hip hop dance called the Boogaloo.  Do not be deceived.  This is not the real boogaloo.  One day when my knees are being cooperative, and I'm under the influence of something other than good sense, I'll show you!

My daughter had two great interviews today!  She came out smiling and feeling on top of the world.

During the first one, I ducked into Savers to kill some time and found an $8 pair of Doc Martens.

At the second interview they told her she was overqualified...Yay!  I'm overqualified!  You're not going to hire me!  Being facetious, sort of.  She wasn't hired, but the hiring manager promised to find another place within the company for her because she was very impressed her with credentials.  She was so stoked in fact, that she left the office gleefully clutching her portfolio.  Too bad she left her purse!  And with that, we'll usher in---

The Bad:

My daughter left her purse there.  Forty-five minutes from home.  I have to go back tomorrow to get it.

She dropped her i-phone in the bathtub. We didn't have any rice.  She used couscous instead.

I find out at the last minute that my son can't practice cross-country today unless he has a physical.

We go to Walgreens Take Care Clinic.  Nice!  No waiting!  This is supposed to be the bad section, so let me add that they don't take insurance.  20 minutes and $39 later, he's a happy camper, but I'm not because I'm out $39 and there's an iphone soaking in a bowl of couscous back at the house.

While I was waiting at the second interview, I lost a dollar in the vending machine.  Security guard did his best to destroy it (I think he wanted an excuse) but that bag of Smart Pop was still wedged in there when I left.  Right up against the glass. Mocking me.

I went to pick my son up from cross country practice since he had his physical and was able to participate.  After an hour of watching every other kid get off the activity bus and climb into their parents' waiting cars, I decided to go into the school to see what the problem was.  The security guard said that the cross country kids had left an hour ago.  What?? (I'm getting wound up now!) Oh wait...is this Tuesday?  Why was this just now hitting me?  Yesterday was a holiday.  Today is Tuesday.  Dad picks him up on Tuesday. Oops.

No sooner do I pull into the driveway than he's calling me.  He's at home, but since I'm out can I stop by the store to get him something?  Me: I'm here!  Him: Oh, okay.  So can you go to the store?

By the way, the couscous didn't work.  And finally--

The Ugly:

My fan broke.  You know the one I keep on my nightstand?  Yeah, that one.  This is ugly, but it's going to get REAL UGLY before the night is over.

Moving Right Along...

...from the bottle painting disaster of yesterday.  I'm not even looking at that hideous thing until I figure out how to undo everything I did.  Eewww!

Instead, let me just say that kids make you work.  Even the nearly grown ones.

My son wears khakis to school everyday--it's part of his uniform.  He looks very handsome in his blue blazer, button down and tie, but it gets boring and I feel for him.  To mix things up, we're always on the lookout for khakis.  He's embraced the "skinny" slacks so that's my new mission, to find skinny khakis or anything cool and NOT so uniform.  Last week I found a really nice, nearly new pair of not so skinnys, but really nice American Eagle slacks for him at Savers.  They were too long, so he tossed them in the "no" pile.  A few days later, he says "These are really nice.  I like these.  Can you do anything about the length?"  Not in the mood to sew through four layers of heavy fabric, and unable to locate the sewing machine (don't ask), I went to my old standby...Stitch Witchery.  I put a very nice, even and flat hem in those pants that he couldn't even tell.  Tonight, I asked him if he needed anything ironed for school tomorrow, and he presented those same pants.  The hem was gone!  I know that these hems can fall out if you don't put enough pressure and heat on them, but even with that, the entire thing doesn't usually come out without some help, not including the washer.  So why was it that after just one washing, the whole thing had come out of both legs?  "Oh, I thought that was fabric softener, so I pulled it off".  Fabric softener...all the way around the hem...on both pant legs...and nowhere else.  I found myself wishing he'd left them in the "no" pile because they would have eventually made it to my "yes" pile that I am saving for when he's older, taller, or just wants something new and is willing to take a second look at his rejects.  Sheepishly he says, "sorry Mom...can it be put back in?"  HooBoy!

Today was a pretty boring Labor Day, which I guess isn't so bad.  The idea is not to do any labor, right?  I made plans to attend an art fair, thinking that the weather was going to be cool and breezy.  I don't know what the temperature actually reached, but I know that I was HOT.  Uh, no outside activities for me today.  Instead, I watched a "Minute to Win It" marathon at my mom's house.  Old sitcoms, religious programming and the news are standard fare, along with game shows.  If the Game Show Network is on when I arrive, I am absolutely not interested--until I sit down.  Four episodes in and I realize two hours have passed and I am yelling at the television.  What has my life come to?  Art fair vs. game show and the game show wins?  Oh my, it's worse than I thought.

It's pretty quiet here on 14th Street tonight, except for the incredibly annoying din of the downstairs neighbor's video game with surround sound.  Really?  Is this necessary?  You live in an apartment!  As much as I love being back here, I hope to move again soon.  Maybe I'll return in a few years...when I'm an empty nester, when they install an elevator in this building, and when the video game downstairs is obsolete.  It could happen!

Good Project, Gone Bad...

So I had this perfectly good, useful, and beautiful leather decanter.  When I bought it I thought it would make a great decor item, gift or sale.  When I got around to research pricing, I learned that they are pretty plentiful on the internet.  My great find wasn't such a big deal after all.  That being the case, I felt it was a perfect candidate for painting.  It was smooth, evenly colored and couldn't possibly look anything but great.  Right?  It's about 11" tall and has a great gold medallion decal.  Love it!

I decided to clean it up, not that it looked dirty, but if I was going to paint it, I wanted anything slippery to be removed.  No alcohol?  No problem!  Sea Breeze is just great smelling alcohol anyway.  

The chocolate is to keep me energized---!  BTW, have you ever had these things?  They're delicious, I'm just saying.

Don't face the sun when you're taking a picture.  I knew that. 

Shortly into the project, I realized that my "Jamaican Joy" paint and my leather bottle weren't getting along very well.  I decided to chuck the whole idea and just wash the paint off.  

Not so fast!  This side, which was a little worn anyway, wasn't letting go of that paint.  Soap and water did nothing to get rid of this, so I am at this point, committed to the Jamaican Joy. 

I started over:

Three coats in and I'm not happy!  Why didn't I use a primer?  The leather is devouring this paint.  What to do?  I know!  Leave it alone, go do laundry, and it will miraculously repair itself while I'm gone.  It worked for the shoes, didn't it?

Three hours later...

It is looking better, but the brush strokes just won't go away, and the finish is so DULL.  This is about six coats in.  What have I done?  

Unfortunately, that's all I can show you tonight.  I need more coats of paint and the lighting stinks.  I can restore the luster with some clear acrylic, which I need to use anyway, but this surface is just too porous for this project.  I will forge ahead anyway.  

On another note, I attended my nephew's play yesterday.  He didn't ham it up as much as expected.  I guess he's becoming a serious actor.  It was cute, he was cute, and for ten bucks, it wasn't a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  

\

He played an angel.  I won't expose that myth today. 

And last, but not least, I am totally disappointed that I couldn't find orange fabric yesterday even though all the Halloween stuff is out.  Nothing suitable for clothing...not for an adult, anyway.  So the orange skirt didn't happen.  I even went to Salvation Army, looking for an orange skirt, dress or shirt that I could transform but to no avail.  What I did find were these great orange glass tumblers. 

And I did sneak in those white shoes, right before Labor Day.  Goodbye until next summer!

Have a great day tomorrow!