Lunch Break Design Time

As I've noted before, I'm trying to figure out the right path of life and get to the work that is meaningful, spiritual and vibrant. I've been in touch with some old friends and am marveling at their creativity and chutzpah to get down and dirty and do something they love. Admittedly, it makes me a little jealous, but the really interesting and salient feeling is inspiration and excitement that people I know, friends of mine, are accomplishing great exciting things. A little list of some of those projects is below; they range from architecture and furniture design to landscape design and photography. I've also added these links to the others on my sidebar. Enjoy and please share good design with me when you come upon it.

Made Studio
Detershin
Alison Coffey Fine Art Photography
Little Green Landscapes

Summertime

Time to get back in the blog-groove. Summer is in full swing and I am trying to get out there and enjoy it. This weekend was the kick off of the Taste of Chicago. My ladyfriend and I headed downtown to pick up some good eats. Not to be missed: coconut shrimp at Chicago Joe's booth. I also suggest walking through Millenium Park after it gets dark (or before dark too!). Check out the photo from our stroll through the park. It's so amazing to see public space used in such an exciting way. It tugs at my heartstrings (if I actually had them).

Today...

I'm bored.

I'm Behind

I'm a little behind on all of my posts. One excuse is that I was just in Las Vegas for a conference for six days (which is five days tooooo long) and I'm planning to do a little post on my trip. BUT, here's a hint why I haven't done it yet. That and because there are yummy danishes in the kitchen which I've been eating all day. hmmm, maybe that's why hazeldove told me I got "booty" when I saw her in October.

A Down Coat in Summer

Yesterday was a beautiful 70 degree day in the windy city - and boy was it windy! As I was on my way to and from work in my sexy grandma car, I realized one of the best ways to describe my daily work life and attitude...

Working at my current job makes me feel like I'm wearing a down, hooded coat with a broken zipper in 85 degree weather. I can't get out of it and it is so stiffling I think that I will die if I don't get out of it.

Can I make it through this summer working here? The bigger question is, where do I go from here? I've got six months to figure that one out. Wish me luck!

Don't Count Your Chickens Just Yet Ms. Hag

I apparently have been remiss is not following up on my ADD post where I referenced by world-record procrastination project. Hazeldove called me out on it.

I'd love to give y'all the full low down on my paper and the fate that awaits me, but I'll abbreviate it by just saying that I DID FINISH MY PAPER!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah me!

It was a long week of writing and procrastinating on other projects and I'm not quite 100% satisfied with it, but that doesn't matter. The important part is that it's done. Now I've got to wait for the academic gods to review it and tell me my fate. But I'm cautiously optimistic that all will be right in this world and I can close this god-awfully long and expensive chapter in my life. And then get the hell out of dodge.

Generation Gap

I consider myself to be fairly tech-savy. While I can't program a computer, I am pretty crafty with desktop publishing and photo editing. I know how to do some serious google stalking (as many can attest) and look up shit on wikipedia; I play crosswords online and bank online. However, I still have a love for the paper page and all of its tactile and hidden wonders. For example, there is something fascinating about using the dictionary to look up one word and find a treasure trove of other words that you you've never seen or always wanted to know how to spell. It's kind of like the precursor to websurfing where one page or bit of information takes you through a slalom course of other bits. Right? Or am I the only book nerd out there?

All this is to say how annoying it was when the intern came into my office and saw me using the dictionary (Gasp!) and made fun of me. WTF? This kid can't even use Outlook and Excel without some assistance. Seriously - he didn't know how to type an email address into the "To:" box. Grrrrr.