Friday, June 29, 2007

moving time again

We signed on a new apartment last week. It's 2bedrooms plus office over 1,200 square feet. And while it's a little hacked-up, there are some charms like original woodwork and hutch. The place is much, much better than our current place - and the same price. It does mean that we have to move neighborhoods, however, from bucktown to logan square about 1.5 miles northwest. We're pretty excited about it but I can't get myself to start on the terrible ordeal that is the moving process.

I've been waking up absurdly early lately. For the last couple of weeks I've been getting up anytime between 5:30 and 7 and sitting on the couch staring at the ten-minute morning news loop until I can convince myself to eat something, shower and hit the library. It's a strange feeling, getting up that early and not doing anything. I feel like I'm there while everyone else gets up, in intervals people all over the city wake, ready themselves, and go to work. And I'm there - in one way at least. Like I'm watching all this happen without ever seeing a soul. I think this has been happening because xtina has me on these homeopathic mood-altering pills. I tell her, "homeopathic? That means it doesn't work, right?" She decided I should try them after I became so depressed I couldn't make decisions on my own anymore - I would freak out just tying to decide what to have for dinner. I feel like they're doing something to me emotionally, but whether or not they're 'working' has yet to be determined.

Doing something about it is probably the best move as I was unable to even apply for jobs or deal with temp agencies anymore. But can you blame me; a year of unemployment, four temp agencies and 75+ mostly entry level jobs applied to at several different sites. I haven't worked a full week all year. I've worked eight part-time weeks in '07. I'm closing-in on getting a job with whole foods - it isn't how I want to spend my calvin education and I'll miss my nights, weekends and holidays, but I'm looking forward to working for a paycheck and getting my life back. I'm so tired of looking for work, I can't go to craigslist without cringing and I'm still dreaming of that awful job experience almost every night.

We don't have any plans to come back to GR at the moment. I suppose if it were up to me I'd already be there. We'll probably make a move like last time and show up unannounced and bum around town for a couple of days. Now that we're moving in to a bigger place and can put people up, we'd like to have people come down and visit more often. Anytime you need a place to stay in chicago, just give me a call.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Zoo Adventure 2K7

Yesterday, Xtina had the day off so we decided to go to Lincoln Park Zoo for the afternoon. We were hoping to see the rare baby wolf bred into captivity but we couldn't find it.

First we walked through the entrance and I begged xtina to let me rent a paddleboat shaped like a swan - she said no:



The tiger was sleeping:



I scared off the lion with my cat-like ferociousness:



After being kicked out of the zoo, Xtina took some pictures of flowers in the conservatory before the battery died:





Now I'm at my local public library watching a mashup of 'do the right thing' and 'sesame street' in ten second increments to keep myself from laughing.