( the new place )

the bedrooms are pretty decently sized, mine is peach. which i hated the thought
of but actually kind of like. a lot. it's kind of girly. no no's is orange. we
are discussing painting the dining room area a neutral to cut the mustard, er
serious yellow-ness of the living/dining room area. i think that would make the
yellow manageable. no no might also paint his room. the orange isn't terrible though.

we were joking today about making two separate living room's and having a living room contest
since we both plan to live alone next year. that way we won't have to figure out what goes where. that said, this kitchen is MADE for dinner parties. so i'm prolly gonna spring for a table.

i got so much unpacking done today and even managed to do some laundry. i washed a ton of dishes because i have a dishwasher. and oh my god it feels so good to have a dishwasher after
two years of handwashing. i remember not having a dishwasher growing up and it not phasing me.
i guess that's because i never cooked. ugh. looking forward to being motivated to do that again.

so, yeah.

i just made a very large investment in my future.

that's right, folks. i purchased a bento box. bento system?
it's not cute, with hello kitty all over it, nor is it shaped
like a rabbit, or a frog. this is a no frills bento box. see?



it would be ambitious to say i will be packing a lunch daily
but that is the end goal. i will probably start by trying
to pack it up around 3x a week. if that proves simple? 4-5!

i believe that i could save a lot of money this way, which needs to happen
quickly, because the new place requires that i start budgeting a little better.
also, i have a fancy new kitchen that i actually look FORWARD to using. i might even buy
a bread machine and a kitchen aid. or sunbeam mixer. and a rice cooking machine.
this is also an excellent health initiative for me. maybe i'll see some movement
on that little scale. because it has not budged in awhile. longer than i'd like.


anyway. i can't stop looking at bento-related lunch packin' cooking sites, and i am excited.

riceballs,
jaime

i put some pictures up on flickr, but there are still quite a few more.
my energy has not returned fully so i have only been doing a little
at a time. this first week back has been slow moving, snails pace.

i notice subtle changes in my behavior and outlook, but i don't
think it is because of the european travel. i think it's because i had
a week to relax, with lots of sleep and no work or connectivity to
the internetz. which was something i think i knew that i needed.

things i enjoyed about germany/austria/bavaria
1. there are pretzels everywhere. really.
2. it is clean. so clean! i would picnic on the subway floors.
3. efficient? you bet. the subway & cable car/bus schedule was scientific. when it said it was going to arrive, it would. chicago can learn a few things.
4. the people. friendly, courteous, and we were not just in the touristy pockets. we often spent nights in the university district and were chatted up by locals. re-freshing.
5. the food. sausages, pig, veal, rabbit, spatezel, dumplings, bread. sugar. there were no packets of splenda on my trip. i didn't gain any weight on this journey. i thought i did, but then got on the scale the day after and was down three pounds. i think i'm done with artificial foodems. i ate exactly how i wanted and did plenty of exercise and came out on top. fuck trying to cut sugary and buttery corners for no reason. i want to taste things. full flavored things. in moderation.
6. the coffee. should probably be linked into number 5 or 1, I mean, I could make a list of the food alone. BUT. the coffee is amazing. and my theory. is that it is liken to the way bagels/pizza are better in nyc. because of the water. i think that the coffee is better there, because of the milk. ultra pasteurized 3.5% milk. i will boil butter into my milk to get that flavor, if i have to. i have not had a good cup since i've bee home.

i am ruined. hopefully i will forget. how the milk tasted.

7. i should have made this list sooner. it was building in my head whilst on the trip, and now it's just fading into a sort of 'i wish i was still there' kind of faint & distant buzz. when before there were words & thoughts, and witty phrases ready to be typed up.
8. everything about these places were old & beautiful, mixed with modern bits. i took so many pictures, but bought nothing. and not just because our dollar is so piddly. just seeing everything made me happy. we'd take after dinner walks that were probably 2 miles long.

it was just good to be there.

so, there are about 36 pictures from my trip that are on flickr
about 300 or so images left to sort through at my leisure.

and now i am back at work, 2 passport stamps richer.
i'd say 'whee' but it would lack feeling. and how.

xo
j

happy new year.

i hope everyone had a lovely ringing in of 2008.
mine was pretty uneventful until around 4am, driving
home, when a guy tried to get INTO my car at a red light.

right by my apartment, too. spooky.

the last time i made a livejournal update
i was planning to make a list of goals. things
i could check off. progress! etcetera.

( yeah, scratch that. )

it's official: i am going to Germany
for work from March 10-15, approximately.
it appears i have accumulated some
personal time and have just been
granted permission to take the following
week off after the conference to explore.

i do not have many words.
most of them involve the phrase:
i cannot fucking believe it.

i have been listening to
Berlitz German mp3's.
they mostly put me to sleep
on the train in the morning.

MC might meet me in Munich, and
we might take a Swiss detour.
assuming he can get the time off.
if it's just me? i will probably
make an amended plan that suits
my personal solotraveling needs.

i need to price out a week's worth of good times
and start saving. on the double. but still. wow.

doesn't feel real.

you better jump on this one, livejournal.

in unrelated news, i scored 5 lbs of pork for 98 cents a pound.
guess who has thursby's slow cooked pork recipe
sitting in a tupperware container, ready to eat for lunnnch?

that's right.

jesus. i might eat it on the train.

run, do not walk to your nearest whole foods.
and get thee some humboldt fog

and some kind of baguette or cracker.
and then put it in your face.

isn't that better?

love,
jaime

pee ess: it just started snowing for the first time!
okay, so it snowed while i was in NYC for thanksgiving.

but that doesn't count.

i first saw the name Ron Paul in austin
whilst attending xgray and quixotic's wedding.
yes. that was the first time. i don't
watch the news or read the paper.

yeah yeah.

he has started coming up again
somehow you can avoid current events
all you want but things still filter in.

this time i heard his name separately
from any kind of presidential news.

and i thought. Ron Paul. Fishsticks.

Mr. Paul, if you don't become our
next president. i strongly encourage
you to sell fishsticks. and maybe
pair up with kraft dinner. because
macaroni and cheese is really good
with fishsticks. tis my one ghetto
food pleasure that is not so secret.

in other news, whenever the heat
comes on in my home [which is sporadic
and shitty, considering it's not
getting any less wintery] the radiator
leaks all over the fucking floor, and
the heat makes the ceiling all condensationy.

and this bothers me more now. because
i finally purchased some grownup bedding.

so, fuck you stanproperties.com. and your negligent staff.
and be sure to prepare for some serious rent withholding.

love,
jaime

oh man.

i pushed my body this week. hard.
i mean, i know i was gung ho
about finally incorporating
some exercise back into the mix.

but dang. i mean. dannnnng.

friday was the inaugural personal trainer meeting.
he was alright. nothing stellar. i don't know if i'm going
to learn as much as i'd hoped. apparently trainers these days
do a lot of things that (surprise!) would require you
keeping them on for trainerly types of work.
i really want to only require him for three sessions,
but i have a feeling with this oncoming cold, i'm going
to need a really strong motivator/obligation to get me
to the gym. and while the reward of getting to my goal
is pretty fucking fantastic? so is sleeping in.

and um. being warm. but! i'm down another 3 lbs. so that's good.

and now? i would like to tell you all
about my new favorite yoga facility.
i'd only been to one yoga joint here,
om on the range, primarily bikrim.

this place? all kinds of yoga. and lovely!

the facility was amazing, i know a few of you will appreciate it.
you walk in and it's got that lovely musky-we've-had-classes-allday-smell.
the counter has a jar full of rubber bands, in case you forgot yours.
there are a bunch of cubbies for your belongings and a changing area.
a bookshelf in the corner had a bunch of interesting books/magazines.
on top of the shelf, a little tray with muffins quartered for snacking
and a tea dispenser with little teacups. and benches to relax before class.

so fucking cute.

twas 15 dollars for a fantastic (and challenging) hatha class.
free yoga mat rental, and they have pay what you wish weeknight classes.

it was the perfect way to begin my day.
but as the day progressed i got a little down.
i like my job but i don't want to work tomorrow.

i hate that feeling.

i am thinking of taking my birthday off.
personal day. i have three that have to
last me until march. not sure it's worth it.

on one hand. birthay off.
on the other. i might want to save
that personal day for when it's snowwy as
shit and i can't move from my bed.

in conclusion, my mother gave me a bunch of xanex
and i just took one. so, i think i'm going to read
until i pass out. i finally bought Mr. Coupland's newest
work of fiction, the Gumshoe Thief, and i am
hoping and praying that it gets better. really soon.


love,
jaime

i just spent 200 dollars on boots.



oops.