The vamps of our lives.

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The 366 Project Update

122

I spent wasted part of my lazy Tuesday watching “Due Date”. While I love Robert Downey Jr., I’m finding Zach Galifianakis a little redundant. It would be nice to see him as something other than a bumbling idiot.

123

We went to Michaels and bought a bunch of useless crap we didn’t need, including these note cards. What can I say? I had to have them.

124

The Leaning Tower YMCA in Skokie, IL.

125

I always wondered how they got up there to graffiti this up. (Along the I-55, around Damen Ave., I think.)

126

I missed this day, so you get a picture of a Gnombre.

127

I spent a good chunk of the day reading “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”. Now I can’t wait for the movie to come out.  I really, really hate the vampire trend, but I couldn’t help but love this book. Read it, and you will too. Trust.

128

You know you’re old and sad when the thought of getting a new vacuum cleaner excites you. Especially when you have a cousin who works at Kohl’s who can hook it up on the cheap.

129

After a long day of dealing with the Illinois DMV, I rewarded myself with lunch and gossip with an old girlfriend. I think we see each other once or twice every year. Needless to day, we do a lot of catching up.

130

We’re getting tired of our usual Irish pub, so we tried another. The best fish and chips I’ve ever had probably in my whole life AND HardCore Cider on tap?! Holy hell, I couldn’t ask for more.

131

Maggie had to ride shotgun with me because we were carting my mother-in-law’s Mother’s Day gift over to her house. We sneaked into her house before she got home from work and wrapped ribbon and a bow around it, and she was surprised and absolutely loved it. What can I say? I’m a damn good daughter-in-law. Not to toot my own horn or nothin’. *toot*

132

I don’t know what this is, but I was driving behind it.

133

The Husband and I took his mom to watch “Dark Shadows” for Mother’s Day, since he wouldn’t be able to see her on the actual Mother’s Day due to work. I had never even heard of “Dark Shadows” before I saw the trailer for the movie, but I still was able to enjoy it. I think we all had a good time, especially since we went out for drinks and dinner afterwards.

134

I woke up at 5:30AM to take the Husband to work, and then I came back home and watched TV and took a 20-minute nap and drove off to meet my in-laws for 8AM Mother’s Day breakfast at my favorite diner. Fully sated, I went back home and tried to take a nap. It didn’t really work. I hung out with the family for a while, but I was in bed by 10:30PM. I had to rest up for my first day of work in over a year.

135

The carnation I got at Mother’s Day breakfast, even though I’m not a mother.

136

I have never in my “career” as an “administrative assistant” had an office. Now I’m temping, and I have an office. This is my office. That I spend virtually no time in. I mostly just keep my personal belongings in it. I don’t even have a key for it, I have to ask someone for a key every time I want to get in there. Not that I care about that kinda crap. You know, how everyone sees their office as a status symbol. I think that sort of thing is ridiculous. Unless you have a corner office with a view of Lake Michigan and/or part of the skyline, I really don’t care about your stupid office.

137

Some of the girls I work with invited me to lunch on my official first day and they decided to “power walk” to lunch about a half mile away. I wore ballet flats, and this is what happened. You have to understand that I haven’t worn real shoes (AKA shoes that aren’t flip flops or gym shoes) to work in over five years. That’s mostly due to my clumsiness, which caused a bad ankle sprain and subsequent back problems. Needless to say, I have had a very painful first week back at work.

138

This is how the Husband does gardening. I mostly just watch.

139

A celebratory Chilli’s dinner to commemorate my first week back at work. Mmm. Fake margaritas.

The zombie and the sex symbol.

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The 366 Project Update


111

I think we’re getting better at this making sushi thing.

112

We took my mother-in-law to see the Marilyn Monroe sculpture downtown. The MIL is the biggest Marilyn fan I’ve ever known, so she was very excited to go see her. We went to a bunch of souvenir shops on Michigan Avenue trying to find mini-Marilyns to no avail. Instead, I bought myself a giant Chicago flag mug because I’ve been wanting one for a long while. I did feel a little silly, and a bit like an annoying tourist, but whatever. We had a really fun time walking around Millennium Park and the Chicago Cultural Center after visiting with Marilyn.

113

I went to a thrift store with my mom and found all this stuff for less than $10. If you know me, you’d know that I’m a bit of a vintage Pyrex fiend and will buy Pyrex bowls wherever and whenever I find them. I’m obsessed. I need to stop, though.

114

This sign was outside the Bar Louie/Holiday Inn, neither of which I knew are known for their warm buns.

115

Solo lunch of egg scrambler and a failed attempt at hash browns.

116

Someone was filming a commercial or something at my grocery store.

117

I cooked a delicious spicy potato, garbanzo, pea, and chicken curry.

118

I finally finished “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” cross stitch months after starting it. The moment Lisbeth Salander showed up on screen wearing her FUCK YOU YOU FUCKING FUCK t-shirt, I busted out laughing while the rest of the theater remained dead silent. I knew that was too good not to cross stitch. I think I’m going to try to hang this on my front door. You know, in lieu of a welcome mat.

119

This is Zombie Charlie Chaplin, in case you couldn’t tell. The Husband and I took his mom to Chicago’s 5th Annual Zombie Pub Crawl. He and I had gone once before, but she had never been. They are both big zombie fanatics (like mother, like son; it’s kinda eerie how similar they are sometimes), so it seemed only natural we’d drag her along. I made her pose for photos with a bunch of zombies, which was hilarious. We all had a really good time. Who knows, maybe we’ll make this a tradition.

120

I bought the Battleship board game for my nephew, who’d be celebrating his 7th birthday the next day. I sat and taught him and his brother how to play. They kept thinking the other was cheating so they’d both keep moving their battleships. In the end the birthday boy won, and his brother said that the game was, “pretty awesome, but kinda boring.” Oy. If it’s not a video game, they’re not really impressed.

121

The birthday boy and I holding hands a few days after he was born.

The first kiss.

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The 366 Project Update

107

I went to bed early and fell asleep watching my Golden Girls. I’m sorry, but this show just never gets old for me. And I’m not sorry, actually. Even when the Husband strolls into our bedroom while the show is on and grumbles, “Golden Girls? Again?” My love for them will never die. Get. Over. It.

108

The wall of photos in my family’s house.

109

Saw this on the way to grab some dinner and drinks. Apparently the name of this classy establishment is Crabby Kim’s, and the crabs really want to get into Kim’s pants…? Or something? The Husband told me the place is a bar, but could you tell from the name of the place or this extremely offensive and disgusting painting?

110

 

This song popped up on my iPod while we were cleaning up after dinner (chicken tacos and potato tacos [dorados], homemade guacamole, homemade salsa verde, and rice), and the Husband said, “Do you know I had my first kiss to this song? Years later, that girl tried to run me over with her car.” But, why? “I don’t know. ‘Cause I was a teenager and a dick?” Hmm. Okay.

Husband: Happy Adolf Hilter’s birthday, honey!

TCC: Oh, it’s 4/20 already?

Husband: I love how you know that.

TCC: I only know ’cause of that show “Happy Endings”, when Alex Kerkovich buys a racist parrot from ARyan420@prodigy.net on craigslist.

True story.

The superfluous doppelganger.

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The 366 Project Update

097

My replacement Kindle arrived in a matter of days, much to my surprise and relief. In the meantime, I was able to read my books from the magical Amazon Cloud. What will they think of next? SkyNet? Brain chip implants?

098

We had company over, and I made a huge feast of California rolls and Sweet & Spicy Chicken. One of our guests gave Maggie her first piece of sushi, which had only vegetables and which she quickly gobbled up and enjoyed. We all had a good laugh. This dog will really put anything in her mouth.

099

I dropped off the Husband at work and came back to parishioners taking over all the parking spots in front of our house for a 6AM Easter mass. How in the world anyone could manage to wake up to go to church that early is beyond me. I admittedly started getting a little freaked out when I was walking home from my car and the congregation lined up and started marching around the block and chanting. I was afraid they were following me, like they knew something. I grew up Catholic, and I had never seen Catholics do anything like that. Then again, my family never celebrated Easter and very rarely attended mass. Heathens. But I guess being a heathen is better than being a church-going, holier-than-thou hypocrite. In my opinion, anyway.

100

Here the finished case that I lined with some funky-patterned fabric. I will admit, I got some help from la mami on this one, but I did most of the work.

101

Check out them claws, ese! Maggie looks like a cracked out chola ready to cut a bitch. I asked the Husband for help on Maggie’s chola name, but he played the I’m-too-white-to-participate card on me. La Sad Face, was me. I think we should call Maggie La Whimpers ’cause that bitch cries and cries for no reason.

102

We celebrated seven years of being together. Our first “date”, I guess, happened here at the first apartment I lived in after moving out of my parents’ house. He came over and watched TV with me and I think we drank tea. Or was it whiskey? Or both? I can’t remember. Several months later I was forced to move out due to a fire that was caused, I’d heard, by a cheating tenant or a tenant’s cheating partner with a lit cigarette or a Molotov cocktail. Hell, I can’t remember. That shizz was cray, though. I guess it’s kind of telling of the kind of people that lived there? Or not, since I don’t remember meeting any neighbors.

103

I finished reading Veronica Roth’s “Divergent”. I really couldn’t get into it. It felt like the poor man’s Hunger Games trilogy. I spent most of the time really confused and kinda wishing the book would end. There were a lot of big things happening in the book that weren’t explained well or at all, which I guess might be explained in the two books that are supposed to follow, but I’m not sure that I want to waste my time reading them in the chance they may or may not be explained. Also, not that I’m a prude but it seemed a little too erotic for being young adult fiction. I just wish we could have a young adult fiction novel with a strong female lead that didn’t have to fall in love in the end. Or a strong female lead that didn’t spend pages and pages whining or being scared.

104

Lame, but this is the only photo I took that day.

105

I can’t wait for the mural to go up so that some punks can just graffiti all over it. Or the pigeons that hang out in the underpass can poop all over it. Or the homeless can have a nice backdrop for their sleeping bags and shopping carts. Yay, art!

106

A very rainy day and night in Chicago. It could be worse; it could be snowing.

The damned technology.

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The 366 Project Update

**WARNING**

This 366 Project update is really dog-heavy. Sorry, my life’s kinda boring these days.

084

Maggie loves watching “Independence Day” just as much as we do. If it’s on TV, she’s gotta watch it.

085

She’s only pretending to be asleep in this one, I think.

086

She’s keeping me company while I watch “Dancing With the Stars”. Even Maggie’s got standards. Can’t say the same about me. Wah-wah.

087

Here’s Cachi looking almost back to his normal self. His fur is almost completely grown back, and you can barely see his scar.

088

Maggie got a new toy, even though we came home to find she’d escaped the kitchen and tore open her bed. Bad-ass dog. And not even in a good way.

089

The Husband’s nod to “Team America” on our grocery list.

090

It only took three years, but I’ve finally got curtains in the living room. It’s just too bad that my mom’s going to have to re-hem them since apparently I don’t know how to work a tape measure and ended up with curtains a couple of inches too short.

091

We spent all day watching the first season of “Game of Thrones”. Then I was thoroughly depressed. Nobody’s safe, you guys. Really.

092

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people do this to their cars. The only things that could make this worse are flame decals. Or racing stripes. Fucking racing stripes. Or a big Nissan emblem that’s all, “Hey look at me, I’m a Nissan! In case you didn’t already know, and plus I know you care! Look at me!!” P.S. I don’t give a rat’s ass that you have Pioneer speakers in your ride. But the gangbanging thieves down the street might. Dumbass!!

093

Maggie’s sister Daisy.

094

I knitted this in a few hours. The plan is to make a case for my glasses cleaning supplies. We’ll have to wait and see how the plan actually turns out.

095

This liquor store’s parking lot was jumpin’ jumpin’. The Husband picked up some Matilda for the delicious beer braised chicken I made for dinner.

096

My Kindle broke! The horror! I got on Kindle support live chat, and Shivamruth said he’s going to send me a replacement, which should arrive in the next couple of days. I was surprised at how easy (and how calm I remained) it was to fix this problem. My Kindle better hurry up and get here because I just downloaded Veronica Roth’s “Divergent” from the library’s website, and I’d been waiting for weeks for a copy to become available.

The Haymitch games.

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The 366 Project Update

075

The Husband got this from his coworker for his 30th birthday. I thought it was hilarious. And kinda cool. I mean, who doesn’t like sippy cups? Clumsy people like me appreciate them. You can’t take me out to a bar or restaurant without me spilling something on my person. This sippy cup, though, was defective. It friggin’ leaks. Oh well. I guess it’s the thought that counts.

076

I recently got new glasses. I’ve been wearing glasses since I was five years old, so naturally I have a large collection of old frames and glasses cases. So I thought I’d search for some cases. Somehow my glasses case search led me to a reorganization of the drawers in my bathroom cabinets, which led to reorganizing my hair clips/bands/pins, which led to cleaning out my bedside table, which somehow ended with the reorganization of my jewelry box. Funny how that happens, eh? Anyway, I found this charm in my jewelry box; I always forget that I have it. It’s been mine since I was a baby, so it’s pretty friggin’ old. I haven’t worn it since the chain I wore it on broke. I’m not religious in the least, but I’m now on the hunt for a new gold chain. Not to mention, Jesus needs a good cleaning.

077

I never really celebrated St. Patrick’s Day; I never had a good reason to since I’m Mexican, and I’m not down with all those “Irish-For-A-Day” fools. Or any of the Get-Sloppy-Drunk holidays (i.e., Cinco de Mayo, Black Wednesday, etc.). But the Husband’s Italian family has somehow always gotten together for a St. Patrick’s Day feast. I think they just love any reason to get together and eat and have dessert. My MIL prepared corned beef three different ways and boiled lots of potato and cabbage, and I made colcannon, which is basically mashed potatoes with chopped cabbage mixed in. I Americanized it (AKA made it extraordinarily unhealthy) by adding lots of bacon and lots of cheese. For the second year in a row, it was a hit. Thankfully.

078

Here’s a photo I sneaked of my dad with his dog sitting on their front steps. You can sort of see Cachi’s stitches near his tail. He’d made pretty good progress since the last time I’d seen him a week before.

079

The ladies in the Husband’s family have been getting together every Monday to watch “Dancing With the Stars” for the past couple of years, and I’ve always passed, but this year I caved, and so now I’m “one of those people”. Whatever. I’m mostly doing it because I love hanging out with these ladies, and the Husband is encouraging me to “get out of the house already, for crying out loud.”

080

I recently resubscribed to this magazine because I missed it. This was my first (again) issue. I love, love, love Bust.

081

We’ve been having some really strange weather in Chicago. Well, for March. Eighty degree weather in March just isn’t usual. At least, it shouldn’t be. So we’ve been trying to make the most of it and grilled for the first time this year. In March. In March! Good God, y’all. What you see are banana peppers stuffed with queso Chihuhua and grilled onions — treats the Husband has learned to love since we got together. Oh, and the Husband’s cute feet.

082

I coaxed a trip to Ikea out of the Husband. We bought some drinking glasses we didn’t need, and, when we stopped at the end of the parking lot so I could rearrange them in a way that would prevent them from clanking against each other, I snapped a pic of this beauty with my cell phone.

083

I was so excited when I found out “The Hunger Games” would be made into a movie and had been looking forward to it ever since. We went bright and early and caught the first IMAX showing. *sigh* I really hate to say it, but I was pretty disappointed by the movie. I think this is one instance of a book that should have been better left alone. There were just too many characters and too much going on in the lead characters’ heads that just can’t really be made obvious on the screen. The actors who played the lead characters left a lot to be desired, in my opinion. And I couldn’t help but thinking throughout the movie, “I. Want. More. HAYMITCH!” But that’s probably just me being biased because I love Woody Harrelson. And he’s the least whiny and most comical of the characters.

 

The zombie quandaries.

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The 366 Project Update

067

One of the best things in the world is getting a package in the mail from amazon.com. This was my most recent score. Bruce Willis, Madonna, and Archer Mallory Sterling. Can’t get any better than that. Unless you add a little Frida Kahlo in there. Or some Karen O.

068

This is how we always ate popcorn at home growing up. Stovetop popped popcorn with a little plate of Valentina hot sauce on the side. The perfect snack.

069

I made poached eggs for the first time, which was nice because I was able to cook them just the way I wanted — with the yolks cooked all the way through. I just cannot stomach runny yolks, I think it’s one of the grossest things ever. Anyway, here are my ghetto Mexican Huevos Benedictos. I didn’t have English muffins so I toasted some white sandwich bread slices and cut them into circles. I did have Canadian bacon, though. I made a little salsa that my mom makes to accompany all kinds of things. Basically it’s just cooked sliced tomato, onions, and chipotle pepper.  I don’t have the patience and/or guts to try to make Hollandaise sauce just yet. The Husband made the hash browns, which ended up  being way too salty for me to eat. But he gets points for helping me with breakfast (and cleaning up afterwards!!).

070

This is art. It is called “Directing Traffic”. It was made by Victoria Fuller. In 2002.

071

Here’s my parents’ broken dog Cachi. He has sixteen stitches running up his left hip (not pictured), and the poor thing can barely walk unassisted. It’s probably one of the saddest things you’ll see if your life. In my opinion, anyway. Poor defenseless little doggies.

072

Here’s a screen capture from my phone of an email that my mother-in-law sent to me. She’s always sending me hilarious emails like these. And she’s the only person her age I know that has a fascination with zombies. A while back a body went missing from one of the city morgues, and she immediately emailed me with a line that read something like, “It’s beginning.” Of course, the body was simply temporarily misplaced, a fact that she was absolutely relieved to learn. But still, HILARIOUS.

073

We’ve been having some unseasonably warm weather the past few days (highs in the 70s & 80s), so I’ve been trying to take advantage of it as much as possible. I took out Maggie for a nice long walk around the neighborhood, which has been gutted and ruined the past few weeks by the gas company. You can’t really tell in this photo, but everyone’s lawns have been torn up and dug up; it looks horrible.

074

My mom inherited this tortilla press from her next door neighbor (may she rest in peace), but it was rusted up in a lot of places so my dad sandblasted some parts and the Husband has been sanding down the smaller rusted bits and hopefully it will be looking pretty decent soon. I can’t wait to use it.