More Vacation, Please!

I almost don't want to blog about this, cause it makes me seem like a whiny person, but I could really use another vacation. Yes, I've been back at work for a week, and I could use some more vacation. Unfortunately, the next "vacation" I have is in August for my cousin's wedding. I think this all ties into my restless nature. It's been out of control lately (well, since I came back) and I'm not sure what to do about it. At least this week won't be so bad. Thank goodness for the 4th of July and my birthday, my two saving graces.

The Revenge of My Retainer

The other night I got my toothbrush stuck in my permanent retailer on the back of my lower teeth. After a bit of a struggle, I realized that I popped the bracket off the end. It really didn't hurt, but now I have a teeny tiny wire sticking up and poking my tongue. It's making talking and eating difficult. And is really annoying. At work I am convinced that people thought I had a speech impediment. It was sort of funny in a David Sedaris sort of way. I oscillated between being embarrassed and wanting to making my faux impediment worse. I know, I know. I'm sick. Anything though, to get me through the day.

Anyways, back to my retainer.. I feel like this is orthodontic payback for accidentally throwing out my non permanent retainer at Mc Donald's and at school when I was little. Grrrr.... Hopefully, I can get it fixed soon.

Two Special White Trash Moments

The other day I was waiting patiently in line at Holiday to pay for my ghetto ice tea, the giant Arizona Green Tea, when I heard the most ignorant and appalling statement I have ever heard in my life. "Man, she's got it made. I needs to gets me one of those. It be so much easier to get around." The woman was talking about a wheelchair. She kept going on and on about how great this would be. Her friend kept trying to get her to quiet down, but she wouldn't. I really wanted to say something, but I was so speechless, I didn't know what to say. I just stood there, dumbfounded. The woman in the wheelchair overheard this nonsense and came over. She told the super rude woman "at least you can use your legs." The Super rude woman didn't get it. And probably never will. I really give the woman in the wheelchair credit for that. Wow.

While driving home from Milwaukee, I stopped at a Mc Donald's in the middle of no where WI for my favorite car trip treat, a cheeseburger Happy Meal. Yum. The second I entered the building, I wanted to run back to my car. There was two woman with six kids between them and the kids were out of control. Not funny ha-ha out of control, but actual, out of control. They looked like a pack of wild dogs. They were jumping up and down, crying over not getting a soda and running all over. It was a spectacle and it was about to get worse. I turned away for a second and when I glanced over, a three year old had grabbed one of the bags and was grabbing cheeseburgers out of the bag. She proceeded to unwrap one of the cheeseburgers on the floor, put the cheeseburger on the floor, and eat it. Ewww... What did mom do? She asked her, "Did you get the one with the pickles?" I was appalled. Her kid had just eaten a cheeseburger that was on the dirty Mc Donald's floor for longer than five seconds. In addition to the pickles,she probably got some Salmonella, West Nile, Hepatitis, and Ringworm from that floor. I know that we have immune systems, but I don't think they protect against the dirtiest of all floors. The mom's concern for her baby having pickles was the classic do nothing parent. If I had done that when I was little, the cheeseburger would've went in the garbage and we would've went home, where I would've been punished. Of course, I knew how to behave in public. I saved my bad behavior for home. The kicker for me, was watching the family walk to their van with one of the kids running around outside without shoes on. Ewww... So Klassy. Klassy with a K, that is.

The Wristlet

It just occurred to me that in my last post, I failed to post a picture of the Marc by Marc Jacobs Wristlet. Silly me. I posted a picture of the Marc by Marc Jacobs bag with the wristlet inside, but unless you had X-ray vision, you couldn't see it. So, here it is:

Isn't it so fun? The inside has tons of room and pockets for things, too. I heart Marc Jacobs.

Back From Vacation

I'm back from my trip to Milwaukee and Chicago. I have to admit it was hard to come back, I had such a good time. I am really not looking forward to going back to work this afternoon. That is going to be a rude awakening. I did have six days in a row off. Which, in my world is unheard of. Anyways, back to the fun. Here's a picture of the roses from my Dad's awesome garden.

I am always so impressed and amazed by my Dad's garden. It takes up a huge portion of his backyard. And requires so much work. The one thing about Milwaukee I will never miss is the lack of quality radio stations. It is seriously the music void of the Midwest. As I was driving into town, I was listening to New Rock 102.1 and they were playing the same stuff I recall from 12 years ago. Not exactly New Rock. More like Old Rock. I heard local Milwaukee fave, the Gufs song "Smile." It was big when I was in high school. And the Offspring. Sigh.

I took the train down to Chicago. It's so affordable. It only cost me $37 round trip. And it only takes an hour and a half. Not, only did I save gas and time, I saved my sanity. I abhor driving in Chicago. I never would've gotten there in an hour and a half. Maybe three and a half hours. My Dad had to leave me with some words of wisdom before dropping me off at the train. "Remember that Chicago isn't like Minneapolis. It's a big city like New York." Oh my gosh! Really? I thought they were the same. I am so not country. And not stupid. I proved my city-savvy by beating out a woman for a cab at the train station. She tried to talk her way into me letting her have my cab because she had been waiting there longer than I. I don't think so.

Anyways, my friend, Steve and I checked out Millennium park, which very cool. And a huge tourist draw, which you can tell by the people surrounding it. I love how modern it is. Yet, it is odd to see something like this in a city.

This is the Bean . Sort of trippy. You can walk underneath it, which is even cooler.

While in Chicago, I did a lot of shopping. The stores there are so much better than here. Even the Old Navy is better. It's bigger and had great displays. It almost didn't look like an Old Navy. Shocking, I know. The highlight, though, had to be the Marc by Marc Jacobs store in Bucktown. I heart Marc Jacobs. His store was really cool. The best part is they carry affordable gifty items that everyone can afford. I bought a rust colored wristlet for only $25. For Marc by Marc Jacobs. This makes up for the fact that I can't afford the super cute dresses that look like Marc designed them with me in mind.

Here is my wristlet, hanging out at the bar (in the safety of the bag). I have to admit that I was pretty obnoxious showing off my bag. But, it's not everyday that I buy Marc Jacobs. The other cool thing is shoes stores carry an awesome selection of sneakers. Tons and tons of unique Nikes, Pumas, and Converse. I did use my restraint and didn't buy any shoes. Woo-hoo. It was hard, though. I love fun sneakers, but really need to wear the ones I have.

All in all, it was a good vacation. I got to hang out with my friend Steve and catch up with my relatives that I haven't seen in a couple of years. The one thing I didn't do is go to Dunkin' Donuts. I saw a really big one with a Baskin Robbins in it, but I wasn't hungry for a donut. Sad, I know.

I Gots the Skillz to Pay the Billz

My Dad's latest kick is that I need to have a "career" and not a "job." Actually, he's been on his "Career" vs. a "Job" soapbox for six months now. A "career" is something that provides you with adult-benefits like a 401K, paid vacation days, and the opportunity to stay with the company until the day you die. A "job" might have some of those adult-benefits, but it's just a job. More than likely you can't stay with your "job" until the day you die. Or if you do, you'd be in the same position as you started. I would like to believe that a job can turn into a career and a career can turn into a job. My theory is I am content as long as I can pay my bills and have a little left over for fun. Also, times are different. It's not 1968 where you stay with a company forever. Frankly, I don't think I could handle that. I am way too restless. In these crappy economic times, I am fortunate to have a job. My Dad means well. I just think a little bit differently than he does.

I only have two days of work at my "job" this week! Woo-hoo! I am going to Milwaukee to visit my Dad and to Chicago to see a friend and my rellies. I am so excited. I haven't taken a trip in several years. I really need a break. Thank goodness my "job" has excellent adult benefits like vacay (Ok, I'll put the sarcasm away).

Just Walk Away

In honor of Father's Day, I bring you the best of the best of my Dad's lectures. First, I should share, that I my Dad lives for the lecture. When I was younger he imparted lots of good information, but as I got older I noticed that the lectures got less pertenent and more along the lines of "Are you kidding me? Do I look stupid" variety. I know he means well, but seriously pumpkin carving and fireworks safety? I'm already aware of it.

Anyways, the best lecture my Dad ever gave was during the summer of 02'. My cousin, Andrew and I road tripped from Minneapolis to Milwaukee to help my Dad clean out the basement. We were going to Summerfest (this huge music fest along the lake front in Milwaukee) with my friend, Tiff. Before we left, my Dad gave his standard safety lecture, but about half-way through, it took a weird turn. I didn't have any idea where my Dad was going. I thought he was heading towards the dangers of drugs and alcohol lecture, but he skipped right passed that. We stood clueless for a while waiting for the big message. After he rambled for a while he got to his point: if someone bumps into you or spills beer on you, JUST WALK AWAY. So simple. Wise words from Dad. It makes sense. And it can be use for a variety of situations. It was our big joke at Summerfest. To this day, my cousin and I still joke about it. My Dad's proud that one of his lectures were remembered and put to use on a daily basis.

A Month Until My Birthday!

I'm a month away from saying goodbye to my twenties! So excited! I'm very ready to leave my twenties behind. Over them. Way over them.

Retail Baby

Yesterday my friend came up with a new catch phrase, "retail baby" to describe me. I think this term is quite fitting and I'm also not really sure what it means. I do, however, see this term being popular on the streets. It has huge potential. I could see two catty girls talking about a co-worker: "She is such a retail baby. That's why she got the promotion."

Let me explain... I'm a "retail baby" because I've got retail in my blood. There's no fighting it. On my Dad's side of the family, I'm third generation to have worked retail. My grandpa worked for JCP for 40 years. My two uncles followed in his foot steps and my dad sold shoes and swept floors there in high school. I even had an old mannequin when I was little. My mom worked for Marshall Field's at their State Street location in the bed and bath department. We talk retail at the holidays, too. As for me, I've got 5.5 years of retail fun under my belt. That's six holiday seasons. I still have my sanity, too. Yeah, I'm a retail baby.

Summer Hater

nataliedee.com


Once again, I heart Natalie Dee. This cartoon is so me. I am a Summer Hater. I try to get by without buying summer specific clothing. I like to find clothing that can work for multiple seasons. I don't wear shorts, instead I wear dresses, skirts, capris, or I crazily cuff my jeans. I'll throw on a tee or a tank and away I go. Maybe if I lived in California, where it's warmer most of the year, I might invest in more summer specific clothing, but it really doesn't make sense living in the Midwest, where winter is three-quarters of the year.

The Hazards of Life

I think I am getting Carpal Tunnel. I haven't been to the doctor, but I did my own self-diagnosis on WebMd last night. Today I am going to Target to purchase one of those lovely brace dealies. I've known for twelve years that this is probably inevitable. I am always typing on my computer and a lot of my jobs have been repetition filled. It is also my own fault. I am not always very careful how I carry large piles of clothing around at work. My preferred method is to grab a massively large handful of hangars between my thumb and my index finger. Yeah, I know that's not the best, but it's the fastest. I will have to stop that. It's just super frustrating. It's very hard not to use my left hand. I am a lefty, after all. Although, it does help that I am ambidextrous. It's what happens when you grow up in a right handed world. I can play most sports right or left handed. I was a fierce switch hitter when I played softball. I can use right handed scissors on my left hand (don't ask). Hopefully, I can cure this by resting my left hand and adjusting my routines. Cross your fingers...