just me

nate's been away on business all week. there's something about your husband being gone. i love to cook, but rarely cook for just myself. i always end up surviving on macaroni and cheese and frozen pizza. i'm usually a pretty clean pick-up-after-myself person, but when nate's gone, our bedroom looks like a disaster. then i hurry and clean up before he comes home. what is with that?

i'm sitting here in the quiet afternoon staring out at the gray cold. really gray and really cold.

i spent the morning reading steinbeck's east of eden. if steinbeck had a song, it would be "let go" by frou frou. he is unbelievably talented at painting beauty in the breakdown with words. i may teach preschool on the south side, but i still crave literature. i do not miss writing analysis papers though.

i was on a mission this afternoon to finish the picture collage in our entry way that i've been working on since we moved in. i've got this in mind for the crowning glory in the middle of the wall. after dealing with the most unfriendly, non-helpful idiot employee at fedex kinko's i decided to give it up and just go for a walk in the city. i re-fall in love with this city all the time.

i love this building and that there is a story behind it. we live in a quiet nook of chicago, but it was eerily quiet in the middle of downtown today. on top of the gray and cold, would you want to leave your cozy apartment if this sign greeted you outside?

yeah, i wouldn't either. but i did. after perusing my favorite spots on state street and walking back in the craziest wind, my whole face needed to be chapsticked.

it's okay, you don't have to tell me how pale i am. i know. one of the genetic perks of hailing from my awesome dad, who's turning the big 3-1 (plus 20 years) tomorrow!

great saturday. the husband returns tonight just in time for the super bowl.