Notable:
1. My garden is growing. Newest additions are 2 baby cacti, a mini splash plant, and some pink flower I can't recall the name of. My window sill is beautiful. And on it sits a dangerous cactus.
2. The couple who owns Ben's Noodles now knows me not only by face, but by name. And they know my dish too. When I call and order ginger chicken with extra vegetable, they know that's me. And I do not feel any shame in this.
3. Saw a man wearing a purple plaid shirt and green patterned tie that did not go together whatsoever. This made me smile. Man's clothing combination made no sense, looked completely silly, and yet, I could immediately tell this was the man's chosen style. It made him happy. And so it made me happy.
4. Important lesson learned: meeting a man in a snowstorm does not equal destiny. But it sure does make an interesting story.
5. Spent some time watching "Worst Cooks in America." These are some of the whiniest most emotional cooks I have ever seen in my life. It's a piece of chicken. Pull yourself together. It's gonna be okay.
6. I have a slight obsession with Starbucks Signature Hazelnut Hot Chocolate. It is so comforting in the cold. That's three different types of European chocolate mixed together in one cup of hazelnut goodness. Go.
7. Websites I have found recently that are GREAT:
www.operationbeautiful.com
www.1000awesomethings.com
www.givesmehope.com
8. Engaged in a social experiment at work by wearing Hayli's nametag when I could not find mine. Hayli and I look nothing alike, but people who had talked with me the previous day and remembered my name as Katherine DID NOT recall that I was Katherine. One man even talked ABOUT "Katherine" (me) to "Hayli" (me) saying I never emailed him his confirmation. This floored me. He had spoken with me multiple times, I checked him in, and when he came back to the desk he did not remember that it was me he had spoken to in the first place, he just talked about me behind my back TO me thinking I was someone else just because I was wearing someone else's nametag. This proves that some people do not pay attention at all.
9. The earthquake in Haiti has caused unthinkable hardship and damage. My heart goes out to this nation and makes me reconsider what I have previously believed to hardships in my life. There is no comparison and it puts things into perspective.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
2AM musings....
1. It is more fun to drink a cocktail when there is an umbrella in it. Especially at Chinese restaurants. With a waiter named Ming. I don't know any waiters named Ming. But I bet there is a Chinese waiter named Ming somewhere and I want him to be my waiter. I feel as though I have just offended a whole slew of Chinese people, as well as waiters, as well as people named Ming. I am sorry. And also not sorry. I still want to meet a Chinese waiter named Ming who will serve me a cocktail with an umbrella in it.
2. The scale in my bathroom is 10 lbs lighter than the scale at the gym. I am not sure which one to believe, and so, I will split the difference and go with a 5 lb discrepancy so as to be fair to both.
3. I still want freckles. Desperately.
4. Saddened no one ever bought me a chia pet this past holiday season, I think I will have to buy one for myself.
5. What does one do when faced with the ultimate brunch question 'sweet or savory?' What if you want sweet AND savory? Why must it be one or the other? Either or? It doesn't have to be! Go halfers with a friend and you're set. And always order a breakfast cocktail when you have the option to do so.
Preferable a bellini.
6. Slowly but surely kicking a caffeine habit is not pretty. The early stages are the worst. Incandescent withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited to: headache, shakes, anger, confusion, brain fog. Alternatively, the feeling of being OFF caffeine is one of intrigue as well. Somewhat peaceful in a way.
7. I wonder about bus drivers and if they're happy. Also UPS delivery men. I have always wondered if the UPS men are happy.
8. I have a favorite spoon. I also have a favorite fork. Is it irrational to have favorite utensils?
9. My right foot is slightly larger than my left foot. This makes me very angry.
10. If you see an ugly baby, do you feel bad for thinking it's ugly or do you feel bad because, damn, that's an ugly baby.
Love to the masses.
K.xxx
2. The scale in my bathroom is 10 lbs lighter than the scale at the gym. I am not sure which one to believe, and so, I will split the difference and go with a 5 lb discrepancy so as to be fair to both.
3. I still want freckles. Desperately.
4. Saddened no one ever bought me a chia pet this past holiday season, I think I will have to buy one for myself.
5. What does one do when faced with the ultimate brunch question 'sweet or savory?' What if you want sweet AND savory? Why must it be one or the other? Either or? It doesn't have to be! Go halfers with a friend and you're set. And always order a breakfast cocktail when you have the option to do so.
Preferable a bellini.
6. Slowly but surely kicking a caffeine habit is not pretty. The early stages are the worst. Incandescent withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited to: headache, shakes, anger, confusion, brain fog. Alternatively, the feeling of being OFF caffeine is one of intrigue as well. Somewhat peaceful in a way.
7. I wonder about bus drivers and if they're happy. Also UPS delivery men. I have always wondered if the UPS men are happy.
8. I have a favorite spoon. I also have a favorite fork. Is it irrational to have favorite utensils?
9. My right foot is slightly larger than my left foot. This makes me very angry.
10. If you see an ugly baby, do you feel bad for thinking it's ugly or do you feel bad because, damn, that's an ugly baby.
Love to the masses.
K.xxx
Monday, January 11, 2010
Joy Chronicles
The past few days have brought me immense joy.
In no particular order......
1. Songwriting with an old friend. It is amazing to hear my music take shape and become a reality. Realizing I finally understand the words I wrote 10 years ago. Hearing contours of my voice and lyrics and the guitar. The feeling I have today is somewhat freeing.
2. Pulling the sheet from my blankets at night time and seeing electricity storms in the dark. Little moonbeams of light dancing at midnight.
3. The cook in the Greek restaurant off the Bryn Mawr stop who always knocks on the window whenever he sees me and waves :)
4. Two men who thought I was only 24 years old today.
5. The singers at the redline stop who asked me to dance and come on the road with them.
6. Sweet daisies in the green vase on my window sill.
7. Running into my friend on the train and making funny sign language to him from across the car, only to have the man in front of my friend think I was signing to him and watching him be extraordinarily confused. Priceless.
8. Seeing Ryan Kazsprzak walk into theWit today for his first cast meeting of Billy Elliot and us recognizing each other as I worked at the front desk and he came through the door. He played my son in a high school play of Our Town and now he is a famous dancer.
9. The fact that a portion of a melody running through my head finally took shape today as I was walking down the street, much like songs used to take shape for me years ago.
10. Just knowing that my character, Midge, in my upcoming show gets to wear 'action shorts' and carry a gun in a thigh holster gives me immense happiness. The ridiculousness of this show is delightful.
11. Listening to people try to pronounce the name of the restaurant, Cibo Matto, on the 2nd floor of the building where I work. I love it when people know they are saying it incorrectly but say it anyway and I love the people who believe they are saying it correctly and are actually pronouncing it completely wrong.
*
I like to see signs in graffiti. I have for awhile now. This wasn't really graffiti, because it was really just the CTA marking their construction. But in the same place where I had received other signs in the past few months such as 'DONE,' for which I had contempt, and 'START,' in which I took refuge, today I saw the simple word 'GOOD.'
Indeed. And simply. And yes.
There is goodness and joy in the simplest of things.
K.xxxx
In no particular order......
1. Songwriting with an old friend. It is amazing to hear my music take shape and become a reality. Realizing I finally understand the words I wrote 10 years ago. Hearing contours of my voice and lyrics and the guitar. The feeling I have today is somewhat freeing.
2. Pulling the sheet from my blankets at night time and seeing electricity storms in the dark. Little moonbeams of light dancing at midnight.
3. The cook in the Greek restaurant off the Bryn Mawr stop who always knocks on the window whenever he sees me and waves :)
4. Two men who thought I was only 24 years old today.
5. The singers at the redline stop who asked me to dance and come on the road with them.
6. Sweet daisies in the green vase on my window sill.
7. Running into my friend on the train and making funny sign language to him from across the car, only to have the man in front of my friend think I was signing to him and watching him be extraordinarily confused. Priceless.
8. Seeing Ryan Kazsprzak walk into theWit today for his first cast meeting of Billy Elliot and us recognizing each other as I worked at the front desk and he came through the door. He played my son in a high school play of Our Town and now he is a famous dancer.
9. The fact that a portion of a melody running through my head finally took shape today as I was walking down the street, much like songs used to take shape for me years ago.
10. Just knowing that my character, Midge, in my upcoming show gets to wear 'action shorts' and carry a gun in a thigh holster gives me immense happiness. The ridiculousness of this show is delightful.
11. Listening to people try to pronounce the name of the restaurant, Cibo Matto, on the 2nd floor of the building where I work. I love it when people know they are saying it incorrectly but say it anyway and I love the people who believe they are saying it correctly and are actually pronouncing it completely wrong.
*
I like to see signs in graffiti. I have for awhile now. This wasn't really graffiti, because it was really just the CTA marking their construction. But in the same place where I had received other signs in the past few months such as 'DONE,' for which I had contempt, and 'START,' in which I took refuge, today I saw the simple word 'GOOD.'
Indeed. And simply. And yes.
There is goodness and joy in the simplest of things.
K.xxxx
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
the broken fence
embers ran free like wildfire
igniting
willow trees that slept sweetly
unaware
though
hot coals
burned
at midnight,
clouds masked the
sun
that was
not
a sunrise
supposed
pool of
fire
emerging at dawn
sharp with reds and hues of passion
you were a
...beautiful mirage...
of
pale
dull
grey
dreams
give
back
the
sight
take
back
your
vision.
kick down
the dying fence
that was
never fixed
mended
fences
splinter
slowly
the fire
extinguished before
they awoke.
igniting
willow trees that slept sweetly
unaware
though
hot coals
burned
at midnight,
clouds masked the
sun
that was
not
a sunrise
supposed
pool of
fire
emerging at dawn
sharp with reds and hues of passion
you were a
...beautiful mirage...
of
pale
dull
grey
dreams
give
back
the
sight
take
back
your
vision.
kick down
the dying fence
that was
never fixed
mended
fences
splinter
slowly
the fire
extinguished before
they awoke.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
SKETCH LIST 1.3.10
The 10 Newest SKETCH Offenders of the New Year
...to celebrate the year '10.
...in no particular order.
1. The dead pigeon I saw on the train tracks on my birthday. It was the same one from last week.
2. The fact that I still have no CHIA PET to my name from any of you slackers!
3. The ridiculously cold lobby at work and the fact that I am expected to work in arctic conditions.
4. The one who'd best hope she never finds herself alone in a room with me.
5. The movie, Funny People, for not being funny at all.
6. The movie, Nine, for having 7 too many dumb women in it.
7. Our landlord, Mohammed, for not giving us a key to our circuit breaker and then yelling at us after we shorted out the circuits.
8. The "happy birthday" never wished.
9. My body's new intolerance for coffee and caffeine. I do not know how to move forward from this crushing blow.
10. The act of writing out 2010. And saying it. Feels weird in my mouth and feels weird on paper. I keep writing '01 instead of '10. This is making my mild dyslexia worse.
...to celebrate the year '10.
...in no particular order.
1. The dead pigeon I saw on the train tracks on my birthday. It was the same one from last week.
2. The fact that I still have no CHIA PET to my name from any of you slackers!
3. The ridiculously cold lobby at work and the fact that I am expected to work in arctic conditions.
4. The one who'd best hope she never finds herself alone in a room with me.
5. The movie, Funny People, for not being funny at all.
6. The movie, Nine, for having 7 too many dumb women in it.
7. Our landlord, Mohammed, for not giving us a key to our circuit breaker and then yelling at us after we shorted out the circuits.
8. The "happy birthday" never wished.
9. My body's new intolerance for coffee and caffeine. I do not know how to move forward from this crushing blow.
10. The act of writing out 2010. And saying it. Feels weird in my mouth and feels weird on paper. I keep writing '01 instead of '10. This is making my mild dyslexia worse.
Ghosts
It is so very hard to see a ghost run down the street to catch a train at 11:40 something on a Saturday night.
You've just gotten off the train yourself, and for some reason, exited the station on the side of the street you never exit from. It is for this mere chance reason that you've only by seconds avoided a street collision with your ghost who is running at full pace to catch the red line north or south or somewhere.
You observe for just a moment, unseen, and when it becomes safe to cross to the side of the street you meant to be on in the first place, you quietly continue your walk home, wondering what would have happened if a collision had occurred and why the ghost was running at all...and to where and to whom.
It is hard to walk the same streets as your ghosts. Especially when it is you the ghosts can't see.
You've just gotten off the train yourself, and for some reason, exited the station on the side of the street you never exit from. It is for this mere chance reason that you've only by seconds avoided a street collision with your ghost who is running at full pace to catch the red line north or south or somewhere.
You observe for just a moment, unseen, and when it becomes safe to cross to the side of the street you meant to be on in the first place, you quietly continue your walk home, wondering what would have happened if a collision had occurred and why the ghost was running at all...and to where and to whom.
It is hard to walk the same streets as your ghosts. Especially when it is you the ghosts can't see.
Friday, January 1, 2010
HEROES
Heroes from the past 24 hours:
1. The boy.
2. Hilary, for making me my "It's my Birthday" name-tag.
3. Betsy, for everything and for the past 19 years of friendship.
4. The same boy for going well out of his way to get my missing phone back to me.
5. The man who tipped me $10 when I thought he hated me.
6. The bus driver who wished everyone a happy new year.
1. The boy.
2. Hilary, for making me my "It's my Birthday" name-tag.
3. Betsy, for everything and for the past 19 years of friendship.
4. The same boy for going well out of his way to get my missing phone back to me.
5. The man who tipped me $10 when I thought he hated me.
6. The bus driver who wished everyone a happy new year.
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