Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Dragons & Clowns

The circus is in town! Thanks to some lucrative connections, Jesus & I got tickets for last night's show. If you haven't gone to a circus lately (like me), you really should. The circus-goers were mostly families with little kids, but I've found that an ADD boyfriend is essentially a child...combine that with said boyfriend's love of dragons (this year's circus theme) and acrobatic stunts, plus a pre-show where audience members can mill around the actual circus arena, and you have one crazy mustachioed guy pulling you around the introductory acts trying to find something to play on/do back flips off.

Once we finally got settled in our seats (only twelve rows up), the real show began & I could relax. JUST KIDDING. Don't get me wrong, the show was amazing to watch, but I spent most of it holding my breath & clenching all my muscles. Anytime a performer let go of the trapeze bar, flew into the air, jumped onto a galloping horse from the ground, dove through a flaming/spinning hoop made of swords, rode a motorcycle on a wire, or broke a piece of wood over their head, I momentarily stopped breathing.

What was most fun was deciding which act I would join should I run away with the circus ever. I'm clearly not cut for feats of flexibility or acrobatics, I enjoyed the animal acts, but have no real heart for animal stunts, and I would poo myself if I were to ever end up on a motorbike in a globe/cage of steel. Remember those career tests you take in high school? One of my possible careers was always clown, and I have to agree with that result. I can do goofy stuff all day. I just need to learn how to juggle.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Happy Nannyversary!

Today marks one year of me semi-professionally managing a house of two teenagers and one mom. I survived all the seasons, holidays, school functions, doctor appointments, house projects and upkeep, house emergencies, sleepovers, laundry, meal preparation, grocery shopping, dry cleaning, lawn mowing, painting, bed making, soccer practice, piano lessons, and driving around Chicago that this family does in one year.

Okay, about 87% of the year was laundry.

It's hard to believe just one year ago I was wandering around, funemployed, picking up any shift Mercy would throw at me, going for runs, going on interviews, and rearranging furniture. Now I am wandering around, employed, turning down shifts because "I'm at work that day," going for coffee, commuting...and still rearranging furniture.

The more things change, the more things stay the same, right?

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Car Troubles & Triumphs

I don't own a car. Never have, most likely never will. Here's why:

Car maintenance is confusing/frustrating/expensive.

Also, I manage quite superbly without a car. Between my bike, CTA, and friends with cars, I can always get to where I need to be.

And yet: all of my post-grad jobs have required driving. Luckily, driving itself is not the problem for me. Unluckily, my current position also involves oil changes, filling up with gas, wiper fluid, and coolant, and disconnecting/reconnecting batteries to reprogram a locked radio.

I can't say I'm a savvy car mechanic after accomplishing all that, but I do feel justified in my annoyance at the car dealer who suggested I bring the car in to reset the radio since 'it might be confusing' for me. Whatever that was supposed to mean, I calmly asked that he explain the steps over the phone so I didn't have to waste gas driving all the way to him. Turns out it wasn't all that confusing once I knew what to do, surprise surprise.

I'm still not convinced I'll ever want a car.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Election 2012

Did you vote today? I hope so--as American citizens it's one of the coolest rights we have. I don't particularly care who you voted for; I think it's more important to understand and exercise the right...regardless of if your electoral votes agree with your personal vote.

Take me, for example. My vote in Obama's hometown (whether for or against Obama) technically doesn't matter. Illinois went Obama blue pretty much as soon as polls closed at 7. If I could vote in my home state of Wisconsin, though, my vote (Republican, Democrat, Independent, or Green) would feel a lot more substantial. I still felt it important to get out this morning and join my fellow 13th precinctians. And now, no matter the result, I have the extended right to complain about politics for the next four years. Everyone knows you aren't allowed to complain unless you voted.

Brooke and I are currently watching election coverage. Four years ago, I was pretty sure Obama would win. Tonight, it's not as certain. What I'm most interested in is how they are coloring the ice rink after each state goes red or blue. Happy Election Night!