Lincoln Park Zoo

Mr. Bex and I went to the zoo for the first time since moving to Chicago 7 years ago..(I know, we're bad people..) It was pretty cool except that the couple of animals I really wanted to see did not bother to make an appearance =(..stupid polar bear and rhino!

It's unnatural for this animal to be pacing back and
forth like that...but neither is being in a zoo, I suppose

Lion chillin' in the mid-day sun

Chillin'

The primate house was awesome

This dude was amazing

Swan lake

Doing it tortoise style

I have no idea what these are..but I bet they're delicious spit-roasted!

This wild dog was eyeing the warthog next door the whole time

My favorite...giraffe! Chillin' with the emu

This black bear was depressed

Suddenly, I'm Okay With Not Being Online All The Time

Been busy with work. Summer is upon us, and there is so much to do that doesn't involve being online all the time. I'm okay with it. Trying to knit these Rodarte-inspired tights
and just got myself a cool pair of cowboy boots. I laughingly tell Mr. Bex that I'm way behind on fashion trends. I'm cool with it. Watched American Hardcore for the first time last night. Got a small insight on Mr. Bex's musical influences. Pretty cool shit, although hardcore punk isn't really my cup of tea. Trying to photograph cool things on my lil' point-and-shoot. Thrifting. Reading a lot. Drinking a hell of a lot of coffee/chocolate syrup. Trying to live life to the fullest. I effing love Sister Wolf! She's my new writing inspiration! Did I say that I got a cool new pair of cowboy boots?

This Sunday Was A Good Sunday In Pictures

Attempt at photography #1

Attempt #2

Awwwww..lovebirds

Reflection from The Bean

(7) And Counting aka, Where Did The Time Go?

Happy Earth Day to my dear earth dwellers!! I'd also like to mention that today my dear Mr. Bex and I are celebrating our 7th anniversary. We'll be spending the day taking photos and generally trying not to annoy each other too much...just kidding...Love you J., and here's to 50 more years! Cheers!

Mr. Bex and I circa 2002

That Gorgeous Chicago Day

I'm not a great photographer, but I couldn't resist taking these photos of Chicago on St. Patrick's Day.....I love my city...

It's Crackalicious And I'm An Addict

This stuff is so good!!! And by this stuff I mean Thai iced tea! So many times Mr. Bex and I have sipped this sweet nectar from the Far East and declared it to be crackalicious...yes, it's good. I have never found out how to make this delicious drink, mostly we just order it when we eat at our favorite Asian restaurant Cozy (...damn that delicious golden noodles...) or Joy Yee Noodles but a couple of days ago one of my bosses at work brought in the special black tea and I got so excited I forgot to do any work. And he gave me the stash that he had with him!! The first time I brewed the tea, it wasn't strong enough and so did not have the usual radioactive orange color so characteristic of Thai iced tea. Next time I will do better!!! Add a dash of evaporated milk and some ice....man, this drink rivals a tall glass of sweet lemonade on a hot summer's day!! Except it's not summer yet and it was like 40 degrees out, but you know what I mean...It's crackalicious!! Everyone should try it at least once!

Just The Right Kind Of Soggy

I have had this hankering for Italian beef for about a week now, and only today did I act on it. Bundled up in my warmest jacket, two hoodies, two pair of gloves, a thick woolen scarf, two pairs of socks, a legwarmer and canvas shoes, I and Mr. Bex (who had wisely put on an aviator-style hat thing) braved the bitter cold on this first day of the new year and headed downtown to Portillo's for a bite. It had been ages since we went there last, sometime early last year perhaps, and I don't think I've had better Italian beef elsewhere. I hear there's a place on Taylor Street that has amazing Italian beef, but we'll get to that some other time, preferably when the weather warms up enough for me to come out of the house and actually visit said establishment to test-drive the Italian beef.

Anyhow, I digress. I was just glad to be inside again, out of the cold and howling wind. The place was crowded, but not crowded enough for me to wait in line to order a regular Italian beef with hot peppers and a small soda. Mr. Bex passed on the Italian beef and instead chose a salad! The last time we ordered the Italian beef sandwiches, we accidentally ordered a couple of HUGE ones, which were 50% bigger than the regular-sized (8 inch?) ones and had to take home doggie bags. Trust me, the regular-sized sandwich is more than enough!

Mr. Bex ordering a salad.

Normally I dislike soggy sandwiches, as they are hard to eat and fall apart in your hands and are messy, but my Italian beef had just the perfect level of sogginess to it, the giardiniera peppers were hot but not overwhelmingly so, and the beef itself was sliced so paper-thin that you can almost see through it...and like I said, it was piled on. Great sandwich!

It looks scary, but it's awesome!!!!!

Hmmmm...Italian beef......

I'm afraid I made a pig of myself, haha.

Mr. Bex is stronger than me, he got a Pecan Chicken Salad and garlic bread instead of all that red meat and hot peppers.

I made short work of the sandwich, and it was good. But next time I'll order it with cheese!

Provence Comes To Life

One of my favorite food/travel writers is Peter Mayle, who's lived in Provence for years. I was introduced to his South of France in his book A Year In Provence and I immediately fell in love with the area. David Lebovitz's post on picking olives in Provence brings to life Mayle's stories for me, it's brilliant!! Check out David's post here.

Peter Mayle's house

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

Ah, a year older, but none the wiser? Maybe, maybe not. Here are a few people who share my birthday:

65 BC : Horace, Roman philosopher
1542 : Mary, Queen of Scots, beheaded at 40(?)
1574 : Maria Anna of Bavaria, Queen Consort of the Holy Roman Empire
1886 : Diego Rivera, Mexican muralist
1922 : Lucian Freud, English painter
1925 : Sammy Davis, Jr., duh
1941 : Sir Geoff Hurst, English footballer and World Cup winner (my personal favorite)
1943 : Jim Morrison, rock icon
1951 : Bill Bryson, American author and travel writer
1966 : Sinead O'Connor, Irish singer
1976 : Dominic Monaghan, Hobbit and (almost) survivor of Oceanic flight 815

December 8th is also:

National Brownie Day
Winter Flowers Day, and most bizzarely,
National Take It In The Ear Day. Hm, sounds kinky!

And while we're talking about me, let me share with you a few tidbits:

• I'm a bit obssessed with the Plantagenets and the Tudors
• I like to stand in the shower until the water runs cold (which poses a problem for Mr. Bex in the winter time, since he always jumps in the shower after I do)
• I love cupcakes
• Mr Bex and I celebrate our anniversary on Earth Day
• My ideal home is England
• If I was stranded on a desert island, the top three things I'd like to have with me are: books, laptop with endless battery life (ha!) and Pepsi
  
• My ideal pet is a fat gray cat (Mr Bex's too) but I don't mind a hedgehog
• I'd like to get more tattoos
• If we had kids their names would be Seven (boy) and Ocean Raine (girl)

Edit: Thanks for all the kind wishes! I had not one but two spirited happy birthday wishes from co-workers...feels good to be liked!

Mr & Mrs Bex At The Park!!

Mr. Bex found this photo of us which I thought had been lost forever in the bowels of our old hard drive..yay!! Our dear friend Erin snapped it this past summer near the Bean aka "Cloud Gate". My hair (which is ewwww here) is now shorter and Mr. Bex's dreads longer!!! Mr. Bex wore his beloved Lacoste sports jacket and Elvis t-shirt while I had on an old Gap blazer, random hoodie and thrifted silk scarf!

Have A Great Thanksgiving!!

This Bagel Is Toast

Look at my breakfast. And that was the last bagel, too!! Methinks we need a new toaster.

The Cutest Dimples!!

We got to see the fam this weekend. Also Mr. Bex's niece whom we haven't seen in aaaages!!!

Mr. Bex's niece.

Awwww...what a cute chumbly!!

Toni with her great-grandma Georgette..

Cat On A Leash

Walking home from work tonight I saw a girl talking to her friends. Nothing out of the ordinary about that except that she had her cat with her, on a leash!! Sooo cute!

That reminded me of the brief period of time that Mr. Bex and I had our first pet together, a red mackerel tabby named Mr. Peabody. We were trying to leash train him so that we could take him for walks around the block like a little puppy. Only he wasn't having it, I suppose he deemed it undignified for a cat to be led around on a leash like, ahem, a dog.

For those of you wanting to leash train your cat, here are a few helpful tips:

1. Buy a soft buckle collar or harness made specifically for felines. Buy a separate lightweight leash approximately 6' long, with a loop handle. Placing the loop over your wrist will help to prevent the dropping of the leash.

2. Trim your cat's toenails.

3. Begin training before your cat's regular meal time, when they're most receptive. If you feed your cat "free choice", take up its food for several hours prior to the training session, so she is hungry.

4. Allow the cat to smell the collar/harness.

5. Start in one safe, small room, with delicious tasty treats your cat loves. Put the collar or harness on the cat. (A small area will prevent a panicking cat from becoming lost in the house wearing its collar or harness for the first time.) The cat will probably do one of two things: sit very still, crouching low to the floor, or squirm in a frantic panic. Immediately give your cat his regular meal. Stay calm and don't interfere unless the cat seems like it will hurt itself. Repeat this several times a day so that it associates the sensation of the collar/harness with good things.

6. Allow the cat to walk (and lounge) freely in the harness for a time when you can supervise the cat, then take it off.

7. Repeat this process for however long it takes for your cat to feel comfortable.

8. Set a path through your home to walk after your cat gets used to the harness. This is essential if your cat has never been outside and you want to train it to walk with you before exposing it to the outdoors.

9. Clip on the leash. If you are using a harness, this is also a good time to watch and make sure the cat can't squeeze out of its harness -- they can be incredible contortionists. A well fitted collar is safer than a harness, as a cat cannot back out of a collar.

10. Let you cat walk around your home, following your cat as you hold the leash. Frequently reward your cat with delicious treats.

11. If you plan to walk your cat off your property, choose a route on which to walk the cat outside, and walk it solo for the first few times to see if it's also a route used by dog walkers. Being confronted with a dog may cause your cat to panic and escape, so it's important to try to prevent this. You can also prepare a cat carrier to bring on your walks and so that you can secure the cat in it if you see a dog coming your way. A pillow case also makes a great emergency cat carrier. Carry human breath spray with you. Dogs and other cats hate this safe but strong smelling spray.

12. Leave the front door open and start making your walks gradually further in that direction. Guide your cat, (don't pull), to the door.

13. Take your cat outside for 5 minute increments, 3-5 times a day, gradually increasing the amount of time outside. Call the cat as you walk it and be consistent in where you walk the cat each time. Eventually the cat will become familiar with the process, but you must be patient.

14. Give the cat treats during your walk and as soon as you get home, and eventually your cat will love going for a walk.


Source: Wikihow.com

First Day Of Fall!

...although it doesn't feel like it yet!!! I look forward to scarves and tights and leggings!

We Like Stuff On The Walls..And Other Places

Our first apartment when we moved to Chicago about six years ago was dreadfully small and we didn't quite like the layout. A couple of years later we scored a bigger apartment in the same building, with a better layout, plenty of windows and a lot more sunlight, which overlooks the roof of the next apartment building, which suits me just fine, as I hate the thought of the neighbors looking out their windows and seeing me walk around the flat in just my skivvies. Although I would love a balcony, a fire escape isn't too bad and substitutes as a tiny balcony (I'd have put potted plants on it to brighten the damn thing if they weren't deemed a safety violation..pah).

Over the years Jay and I accumulated "stuff" which can only be described as either "collectible" - toy collection etc., "antique" - e.g. vintage typewriter, vintage gumball machine, "art" - work of various admired artists, "literature" - duh, and "junk" - pretty much, eh, 40% of everything else. We suffer from what is described as "organized mess" but we pretty much know exactly where almost everything is. I love our flat; as they say, home is where the heart is. Too true. No matter what Jay and I do or where we go, at the end of the day, we're always glad to come home to our flat in Pilsen.

As usual, click photo to enlarge.

Our north-facing wall is decorated with various posters and artwork.

These antlers guard the entrance to the kitchen.

Skateboard art.

We need another bookcase! Yet more artwork.

Wall Of Fam..geddit? Family photos..hahha man, I'm good.

Jay found this Tonka truck, our vintage gumball machine (it still takes pennies and works perfectly!), picnic baskets.

Pretty little birdhouse attracts not birds, but a rat, an echidna, a frog and a tortoise.