Grouch

I'm kinda just grouchy as of late. Ok, maybe just this weekend? Or maybe just today. But I think lack of sticking to a good diet and lack of sleep has been adding up and making me a not-so-lovely camper. I can't say I'm unhappy. Not at all. But I can definitely tell I'm grouchy. It's amazing that as a teenager staying up too late and eating junk food felt "good" and now, it just makes you (ok, me) feel like crap. Nothing says old like needing a nap and being irritated by the general public. I imagine if this continues much longer, you'll see me standing on my front lawn spraying children down with the garden hose as I yell, "GET OFF MY LAWN!".  *sigh*

Rage

I'm pretty sure I have road rage, or maybe just parking rage? Or just a low tolerance for idiots. All I know is that I can't stand traffic jams that seem to occur for no apparent reason, pedestrians who leisurely stroll through a cross walk just daring you to hit them, and I hate people who double park, take up two spaces, or just can't  park worth a damn at all. And let me tell you, by the time I get to a parking space after sitting in rush hour traffic, I am more than ready to be out of my car! So with that said, here's my asshole story of the week, starring me as the Asshole (yep, Mom would be proud!) 

I arrive to my neighborhood and despite having a garage space for parking, I see that a car parked in front of my building is leaving. I excitedly pull ahead of the car, signal that I will be turning (backing) into the space once it's vacated, and wait for the driver to leave. In the mean time, I've already noticed the jerk-car who is double parked across from the spot I want to get in to. As I am attempting to back into the spot, I realize I can't swing my car wide enough to park, because the jerk-car who is double parked is taking up too much street space. So, without a thought in my head, I roll down my window and to no distinct person yell, "Move your effing car!". Only I didn't say the word "effing", I said the real "F" word. You know, my second favorite "F" word. And it wasn't the word Friday.

Now, don't ask me why I said what I said, or what I hoped to accomplish. I just wanted to effing park and be on my way. Because I intended no direct audience to my comment, I was surprised to hear any kind of retort.

"You could have asked nicely for me to move my car", a voice said. And he was right. I sure could have, and should have. But now, head first into the rabbit hole of parking angst, my logic is out the window and I feel I have to defend my initial comment and play hardball. So I logically reply, "You shouldn't be parked there! You're parked illegally!" which only helps to negatively escalate the conversation.

I hear chatter amongst the jerk-parker and his friend that they shouldn't have to deal with people like me, followed up by a much louder comment of, "You should learn how to park!". Really? They're referring to my parking skills? Now, I'm pissed. Remember, before I was just being stubborn and stupid, but now I'm actually beyond aggravated because I can park perfectly fine when there isn't some Euro-trash dip-shit illegally parked in my way. My reply? "YOU should learn to park, you're the one who is parked illegally!". 

The "conversation" continues, and all I can say is my half does not improve. There was talk of him "letting" me have the space, and me dutifully saying that he didn't "let" me have anything! The much more colorful-than-described here conversation continued and as I finished parking, I assumed my car would be keyed or have flat tires by the time I returned to it.

So yeah. Did you ever just have one of those days, where in an instant you knew you were wrong and just couldn't give up the fight? I knew I should have immediately apologized for the initial dart I threw about the "effing" parking, but something inside of me just wouldn't allow for it. Somehow, somewhere in my head, I had to win this battle. And for what? A moment of pride? A moment of stupidity? A moment of self-endangerment? Thankfully the conversation and actions did not escalate to anything worse than a few tense moments and my car remained damage free. I'm sure if it hasn't already, karma will come back to bite me in the a$$ on this one. Happy weekend my friends.

TBT

My Pug, Remi as a puppy! She'll be 13 in a few months!

Wordless Wednesday

Not Your Average Monday...

Yesterday I was a Cubs fan by day (and yes, they won!!! Way to go Chris Bryant!) and first time Vietnamese eater by night!  Rumchata drinker at the game, and soup slurper by night! Ok, ok, I'll stop with the (not so) witty commentary! 

Unlike the afternoon Rumchata, my soup dinner included some odd (to me) items. Ok, item. It was tripe. Which, for a moment I thought was a type of fish. Go ahead, finish laughing. Yes, I had to Google what tripe was only to find out that it was a cow's stomach. Yep, that's a piece of it in the photo below. Oddly enough, I ate the first large piece without hesitation, insistent on tackling the new cuisine, but as my stomach filled, I could no longer stomach more stomach. It was definitely a mental block, but yeah, I just couldn't eat any more!

Despite the oddness of the tripe, it was almost tasteless and therefore blended well with the rest of my Pho'. If I had to order again though, I'd choose something a little less squishy like steak or beef as the main staples of my soup. None the less, I'm glad I tried such a traditional Vietnamese dish for my first time out! It was well paired with side sauces, spices and good company. So yeah, here's to one more adventure tackled! 

What new food have you tried lately?

Friends

I tried oysters for the first time yesterday (yeah, don't eat them plain is my advice to you. Horseradish my friends. Lots of horseradish). Cruised around the lake on a tall ship. Attempted way too many us-ies (see partial photographic evidence below). Snapped some cool pictures of the local and lake scenery. Rode the swings and merry-go-round on Navy Pier like it was nobody's business and closed the night with dinner and drinks at Bubba Gump's. It was a fun-day-Sunday for the books my friends, I can't remember when I had such a great day packed with so much fun! Thanks E for being my partner in crime and seafood consumption.  

~ Best Friends ~

Bowling

Thursday night my significant other, E (that's him on the right side of this post ==>), and I went Bowling for Rhinos, followed by Friday night bowling for the Ken Jarvis Memorial Fundraiser. I bowled the best I ever have on Thursday, and am not sure what happened to that lucky ball mojo by the time Friday night rolled around, but it was gone! I went from scoring a 136 (hey, don't laugh that's actually EXCELLENT for me) to just a 36 in less than 24 hours! At that point, I gave up and spent the rest of Friday night talking to good friends, good people, playing pin ball and eating way too much of the chips and dip provided. Damn kryptonite. 



Speaking of 24 hours, it's amazing what just 24 hours can change, and I'm not just speaking of bowling scores , but rather relationships. In just moments people can show you a side of themselves that you didn't imagine existed, and even if you did imagine it, you'd hope you'd never actually see. Things that could be fixed with a simple sorry, get ignored when brought to the table and are now left to, well, I'd say fester, but there is no festering. I think instead, that the questionable behavior just gets marked down, noted, and left in the past, along with the person who provided it. Per usual, I'm vague-blogging, but there's no need for details or names - then why blog about it you ask? To remind myself that people come and go, and serve different purposes in other's lives. It's allowed. Some people stay for a chapter, some people stay for longer. But when a use has been served, or lessons learned, friendships end. There's no use to be sad for the ending, but as they say, happy that it happened at all. Ok, now that this post just got all serious and Dr. Phil-like... 

Back to bowling... I so appreciated the opportunity and invites to my pre-weekend bowling experiences because I was able to help out some amazing charities that are close to my heart; animals and art, with the person (and people) I love! Life really is about giving back, and if you can have some fun along the way, with your best people surrounding you, then do it. Give back and love one another. (And now this post has just gone Jerry Springer on your a$$) Cheers!

Bye Felicia!

I'm taking a hiatus from Facebook and honestly, I thought I'd miss it more than I have. Of course, take that with a grain of salt since I'm only 4 days in to my "cold turkey" descent but so far, so good. I don't miss the frustration of seeing negative news, lost or missing people, or depressing personal posts from people who refuse to change their circumstances. I don't miss waiting for validation from others (getting "likes" on a post) or trying to figure out why a post wasn't popular. I won't miss receiving questions about my posts and I surely will not miss the ridiculous algorithm that constantly changes my data feed from "Most Recent" to "Top Stories". (First world problems, right?)

I am not sure if I can go a full year without Facebook, but between this blog and Instagram and other avenues of life to stay busy with, I'm surely going to give it a run! I just read this article about why Facebook is bad for you and have to admit, a lot of points hit home for me. 

I'm not here to start an anti-Facebook revolution. I won't try and convince you to leave it. I have no problem with people (including myself) being on it. But what I've had problems with is the site becoming addictive and really, a time waste. It also became, for me, a replacement for real news, and in general a place of negative emotions and irrelevant dribble. So yep, see ya in a year or so Facebook? Bye Felicia!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Spotted on my way into work. 

New co-worker, perhaps? 

Headache

Today I woke up with a pounding headache and neck ache. I can pinpoint the exact moment when I knew I was doomed to a morning of pain. It came from the night before when I attempted to move my neck and it popped in its own defiant direction as if to say, "Eff you, Lynn!". It didn't feel good then, and it only got worse by the time I woke. Thankfully though, today was massage Tuesday at work! The onsite masseuse is a miracle worker and knocked out in 30 minutes what 2 doses of Advil and 6 hours of time couldn't. Post massage session I stood up pain free! These are the little things in life, or at least one of them, that I am very thankful for!

According to Mayo...

Benefits of massage

Massage is generally considered part of complementary and alternative medicine. It's increasingly being offered along with standard treatment for a wide range of medical conditions and situations.

Studies of the benefits of massage demonstrate that it is an effective treatment for reducing stress, pain and muscle tension.

While more research is needed to confirm the benefits of massage, some studies have found massage may also be helpful for:

• Anxiety
• Digestive disorders
• Fibromyalgia
• Headaches
• Insomnia related to stress
• Myofascial pain syndrome
• Paresthesias and nerve pain
• Soft tissue strains or injuries
• Sports injuries
• Temporomandibular joint pain

.

Fun!

Summer is in full effect! Nothing says this season like sweating through the Air and Water Show on a 90 degree day! Except maybe a trip to the zoo. Or hanging at the beach (for the first time ever in an actual swimsuit!). Or perhaps attending a concert in Millennium Park with the city as the perfect backdrop... 

This past weekend was awesome and included new venues for breakfast (mini waffles are FANTASTIC!), and ice cream at Shawn and Michelle's that totally rocks! Of course, I can't complain about the company I had either. There was so much fun packed into such a short amount of time, I still can't believe everything we accomplished! It must have been the short version of Monopoly (note to self: children under the age of 15 will not last more than two trips around the game board after a full day of fun and sun) that allowed us to enjoy so many different mini-adventures.

Happy Summer readers, I hope you're enjoying the sun as much as I am! 

Frīġedæġ

The word Friday has many roots and meanings in different languages and beliefs but the one I liked the best was that the day in some cultures is associated with Venus. The goddess, not the planet. And here's why, just maybe, we all are secretly in love with Fridays and the weekends that follow them because...

"Venus embodies sex, love, beauty, enticement, seduction, and persuasive female charm among the community of immortal gods..."

I love weekends full of love and beauty, excitement and seduction and I'm not talking about the sexual nature of those words. Nature. The city. A great meal. Any of those things can hold a Venus-like attribute that makes you never want to return to your Monday routine again, wouldn't you agree? Seduction so great, that you can't wait until the next day of Venus to partake in some freeing of the work-week inhibitions. Yeah, that's my kind of day. Happy Friday readers!

Grump

I have nothing nice to say about my workday today.

At all.

Wordless Wednesday

Exercise

A lot of companies brag about work-life balance, but the facts are that when deadlines are pressing and bottom dollars are spread too thin, your work-life balance goes out the window. I loved reading this article about how one man makes exercise his priority and why, because I constantly get the "look" when I mention that I am taking my lunch break to go to the gym. Yes, I'm taking the break that I am legally entitled to have. And yes, I'm going to go exercise and not do more work!  Read on.

Excerpts from the article...

Why Exercising Is a Higher Priority Than My Career

"There’s a prevalent attitude among entrepreneurs that the business, whatever that business is, comes first. It is the high priority that trumps everything else, including family, friends and especially health...  I schedule my workouts during the workday and prioritize exercise over all my work activities. There is some flexibility, but if there is a conflict between a trail run I need to get in, and a meeting with a client, I’ll reschedule the client meeting first. I do this because I and my business can survive the consequences of rescheduling a client meeting, even if it means losing that client. But as soon as I start pushing workouts off, I’ll start missing workouts, and once I start missing workouts, I’m close to stopping workouts altogether...  

Exercise must come first, or it’s unlikely to happen at all. If exercise stops, then my health goes downhill. With the loss of physical health my productivity at work goes down. I become depressed. I lose motivation to do the things that makes my business successful. I’ve learned firsthand that excellence in one area of my life promotes excellence in all other areas of my life. Exercise is the easiest area of my life to control. It’s easy to measure. Either I get it in, or I don’t. When I do, it lifts up all other areas of my life, including my business.  

For example, when I exercise, that makes me better in every role I have, whether it’s as a husband, father, friend or entrepreneur. If I were to stop exercising because I felt that being a good business owner was a higher priority, then ironically I would end up a worse business owner than I was when it when it was a lower priority. Putting exercise first creates a win-win..."

PS) The formatting in the post is driving me bonkers!

Hot Dog Fest

Yep, I went. And loved every bite of it! And not once did I put ketchup on my hot-dog! There was alligator sausage topped with gourmet mustard, hot-dogs covered in potato salad and bacon, and even a bacon and pineapple hot-dog, but no ketchup. While this was a relatively small festival, I loved the attention to detail, primarily the dog dollar currency. Each bill had a well known pup on it, including FDR's beloved Fala (yes I'm partial to FDR). I should also add that the people in hot-dog costumes getting barked at by real dogs (the canine kind, not the food kind) was pretty funny, in an ironic kind of way. The weather could have been cooler, but the day itself was a lot of fun. Nothing allows your hot-dogs to settle better than walking off the calories and enjoying all that nature has to offer in the neighboring zoo and nature walk! 

Sushi

It's never a good thing when one buys the "All You Can Eat" option in a restaurant because you think, "Hey - this will be cheaper" when in reality what you really pay for is a bloated tummy and the need for a nap! Sushi = 1, Lynn = 0.

Stick

Ok, I take selfies. I love selfies. I love us-ies (more than one person in your selfie) too. But I think the invention of the selfie stick is ridiculous! And, seriously, is the stick itself supposed to be in the photo you're taking? Because above all the problems I have with the use of a selfie stick I think that's the biggest pet peeve! Like oh, here I am with my stick. Here I am on vacation with my stick. Here I am in a bar with my stick. Just give your stick a name already!!! My point is, and it's just my opinion, but you look obnoxious and ridiculous using your selfie stick. 

Wordless Wednesday

142

...days until vacation! Can't wait to mark visiting New Orleans, Jamaica and swimming with dolphins off my bucket list! 

QOTM

The Question of the Month is hosted by Michael G D'Agostino from the blog A Life Examined. The first Monday of each month I'll be answering a question posed by Michael. Here is this month's question:

If your parent or child committed a major crime, would you turn them in?

This should be a simple "yes or no" question, but the first thing that comes to mind is, "What crime did they commit?". Of course, I don't have children to reflect upon in this pondering, but I think I would lean towards turning my child in with hopes of teaching them a lesson, while being a bit more lenient on my parent depending on the crime committed. 

With that said, I can assume that I'd fail as a public servant with judgement like this, but seriously? Are we talking about jay-walking, or are they asking me to help hide the body? Was it intentional or an accident? I've learned the hard way to never judge a situation or the people in them unless I've been there myself. So, as long as I am not a Supreme Court Justice with black and white guidelines, mine will remain blurred!