Celebrity sighting

10:30 am Chicago - Jeffrey Donovan (star of 'Burn Notice' and 'The Changeling') on Michigan Ave in front of the Wrigley Building.  Looks as good in person and is as well dressed as he is on 'Burn Notice'.


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We the people...

I managed to catch half of Joe Biden's speech last night on tv (the first half was heard on NPR).  Which means I missed seeing the video and his son introduce him.  I like Biden.  I admire that he speaks truth to power.  It's a rare quality.  Granted, he can truly say some nutty things but he's not going to be the second coming of Dick Cheney.  I particularly enjoyed his comment that civil servants will no longer hear the 6 most feared words in the English language:  The vice-president is on the phone.  Or something like that.  Anyway, I'm sure I'm supposed to have wanted Hillary to be the VP but I think it's time to move past the Clinton's.  As much as I appreciated and enjoyed both speeches by the Clinton's, I'm ready for something new.

I also realized that when Barack wins (or "if" if you are pessimistic), I am going to cry like a baby.  The fact that he is giving his Democratic nomination acceptance speech on the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech is enough to make me tear up as I sit at my computer.  It will be remarkable.  We have a long tough road ahead of us, no matter who becomes the next President of the United States of America, but I am certain it will be Barack Obama.  If it is not, then my heart will be truly broken and my anger and sorrow will continue.

Shadow's new frend

I call him Red Bull but you could him Devil Cow....

Shopping!

Actually, the title should more correctly read: Shoes!

Yesterday was the annual Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. The past few years I've been taking the day off work and shopping with several girlfriends. We make a day of it and have a nice lunch as well. It's rather extravagant when I think about it, but it makes for a very pleasant shopping experience. The day starts off at 7:00 am in the shoe department. (My personal favorite).

This year's purchases are shown below:








One of these pairs might be going back (the black ones), but I think I'm keeping the rest. ;-) I really only go for the shoes. Honestly.

At any rate, my friends and I have a system all worked out and believe it or not, we usually discourage each other from making poor choices. It's the one time of the year I spend that much money in one place. And what better way to spend it than on some fancy shoes? O.k., I could donate the money to a food bank or a women's shelter but I do that at other times of the year.

New Rule

I'm making a rule that I have to post to my blog once a week from now on.  I've been so caught up in work that I haven't even thought about writing.  Mostly because I'm feeling like I don't have anything interesting to say….

However, I do have a plan to annoy my in-laws.  Obama for President campaign poster right next to the American flag we were given by my in-laws.  That ought to do the trick.  ;-)  I can hardly wait for the conventions.  Should be fabulous.  By the way, I read a blurb in War Room in Salon.com - the constitutional scholar suggested that John McCain might not qualify as a natural born citizen (as is required to be President).  He was born in the Panama Canal Zone while his father was in the service.

Oh, and now that I've gotten started about McCain and military service, here's my two cents on the whole Gen. Clark kerfuffle.  I think it's absolutely fair to ask McCain how his year's spent as a prisoner of war give him experience to be commander in chief.  I do not think that question does anything to impune his patriotism; he served in the Vietnam War.  However, being locked up in a prison doesn't mean you have executive military experience that you can use as President.  If anything, it makes you an expert on torture, and why it's a bad thing.

Catch Up

I have a lot of catching up to do...my standard excuse has been work. I feel like I barely have time to think about anything but work lately. It's not a good excuse but I can't seem to get myself out of it. So, in order to snap myself out of this work induced funk I'm going to institute a schedule. Work out schedule, blogging schedule, spending time with friends schedule. I've turned into a one dimensional machine. Something I have never wanted to be. It's upsetting actually. I would like to think of this as a spring resolution. Get myself back on track in time for summer. Not that we're going to have summer around here. It's been late winter/early spring in terms of temperature. Talk about upsetting.

This is probably enough self pity for the day. Time to go outside and enjoy the day.

Waiting

I'm waiting to get my annual eye exam. I'm down to 1 pair of contact lenses so it's now a necessity.  If I had nothing else going on I wouldn't mind the waiting but there's a load of papers and emails that must be addressed.  I love this new job but I could work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and not get caught up for a while. At least I like my job!!

Atonement

First, let me begin by saying that James McAvoy is dreamy.  I should also say that I adored this novel.  When I finished it, I had to re-read part of it because I was sure that I had misread it in my fervor to find out what happened.  I hadn't misread it and upon that realization, I cried.  Apparently, Ian McEwan's wife did the same thing, which makes me feel a bit better.  Knowing what happens takes away from the movie a bit, because the kicker in the story is rather important.  However, I predicted that I would cry like a baby and I did.  I spent the entire movie with a sense of dread because I knew what was coming and yet I couldn't help but hope for a different outcome.  I'm struggling to determine whether I felt that way because of the quality of the film or the quality of the novel.  A bit of both, I think.  There are times when I think Mr. McEwan writes the perfect sentence.  And there were moments in the movie when I thought the acting was flawless.  A couple of scenes stood out for me.  The library - for the obvious reason that Ms. Knightly and Mr. McAvoy have tremendous chemistry and the coffee shop.  Their interaction and his breakdown was incredibly moving.  It was worth the $10.25 and the red puffy eyes...