Writer's Block No More!

For the first time in months, I've actually had the urge to write. I don't know what triggered this, but I am going with it. I've got ideas for several articles and might finish my screenplay by the end of the year. Today I actually set down to write on my top secret project. I am not done with, but I've got a good, solid rough draft and some direction. It feels awesome.

I'm Alive!

I know I haven't blogged in a super, super long time. I don't have the interwebs at home (yet), so I have to haul ass to the local Starbucks, which is only three blocks from my house. The thing is when I do go to Starbucks to do Internet stuff, I've got so much to do that I forget about my poor neglected blog. Anyways, no excuses...


Things are going really well. I am enjoying my job again for the first time in six months. It makes a huge difference. My neighborhood is great and I love that I can walk to practically everything. I have only had to fill my car up with gas once since moving here. I have never, ever done that in all my years of driving.


My roommate and I found two of the Unique Thrift Stores in Chicago. They are just as good, if not better than the ones in Minnesota. I was a bit concerned about the lack of quality thrift stores in Chicago. After all, Minnesota does have some of the best in the country. We both found a ton of good stuff. I found a winter coat, a brown clutch, three necklaces, and winter boots all for $25. That made me happy, I was really missing my Unique Thrift store. Steve found coats, flannels, ties, scarves and shoes galour.


There's a Dunkin' Donuts on practically every corner. Sadly, I haven't felt the urge to visit them. I was pretty shocked by that. I thought for sure I'd go Dunkin' Donuts crazy. Maybe my urge was satisfied by visiting the uber ghetto one in Branson this summer.

Anyways, life in Chicago is good. I promise more blogging and pictures of my new 'hood.

I made it!

I finally made it to Chicago today. Woo-hoo! It still feels sorta of surreal to not be in Minneapolis. I never want to pack a box or haul crap around again. Last night told my dad that I would be ok with never seeing any of my clothing ever again. Yes, that's how tired of moving I was. Today that feeling quickly faded. I am excited to get settled in.

Last Post from Minneapolis

I've got two days left in Minneapolis before my move to Chicago. I am very excited, yet sort of sad at the same time. I'll miss Minneapolis and my friends, but I can wait for the newness of Chicago. I'm in the process of packing up my apartment and cleaning. Ugh. That's the part I hate. Here's some random pictures of my last day at work and moving.

My co-worker, Katie, made these cakes on my last day. They were so good.

Hello Kitty rings from the cupcakes at work. 'Cause I heart Hello Kitty.



Lastly, my Dad's Explorer, jam-packed with all of my crap.

This is probably the last post from the 612. Wow. I don't have Internet at home anymore and moving eats up most of my time.

Overwhelmed

nataliedee.com

Today it finally hit me that I'm moving relatively soon. A week from this Friday, to be exact. That doesn't give me much time to pack my stuff and clean my apartment. Today it was really overwhelming me. I felt like the peanut in the Natalie Dee comic above. I know that I'm in pretty good shape, but there just seems to be a ton to do. I am way better organized than my last move, but today I would've rather packed stuff than gone to work. At least I have Wednesday off. I will do nothing but pack and clean. Grrr... I will stay calm. I will not freak out.

Microwave and Rudeness

I forgot to mention that I sold my microwave the other day. It's sort of hard to adjust to life without a microwave. I'm not totally dependent on my microwave, but it really helps cut down on time spent cooking. I'm not one of those people that only cooks with their micro. I mainly use it for heating up leftovers or making frozen dinners. I've been taking things to work that I need to heat up and eating sandwiches at home. It works. I still have a stove.

The Furniture Liquidation is going well, but I have noticed a lack of manners by people responding to my ads. This has happened several times. I get really excited that someone has responded and really seems interested in my stuff. I respond back to set up a time to come take a look at it. The person on the other end NEVER RESPONDS! How rude! Is it really that hard to reply and say you don't want it? Since encountering this, I've been using a different strategy. I respond to everyone and the person who actually follows through gets the item. That strategy works best.

Branson and Moving

I'm back from my mini-vacation to Branson, MO for my cousin's wedding. I had such a good time. It was great to actually be able to spend more than a day with the relatives and I really was in need of a vacation. And we went to Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast one morning. I pigged out on donuts, of course. The coffee, unfortunately, was boiled and horrible. At least the donuts were good. Branson is a weird mix of the Wisconsin Dells and Vegas. Of course, lots of white trash tourists, too. It's almost like I never left the MOA. We made the mistake of going to the outlet mall on a Saturday--it was awful. White Trash Fest '08. Ugh.

Back in the 612, the reality of moving has hit me. It's weird how I went from thinking it was a long ways away to it's happening in less than a month. I think that the cleaning out of my apartment has really helped. This week, I sold my guitar and my crappy IKEA bookshelf. I only have nine days left at work. I still am super excited, but I'm also kind of sad. I will miss many of my co-workers. I will miss my local hangouts. But, at the same time, I am looking forward to starting over. This is a huge change. The last time I made a change that was even close to this was going to college. And that doesn't really count. College is such a controlled environment and this is, well, the real world. It'll be nice to step outside of my comfort zone. Find a new coffee shop and favorite pizza place. I cannot wait. More importantly, locate my creativity. It's in there somewhere. It has to be.