And that’s how Cold Stone went out of business

Yup.  Another update on this year’s Project 365.  Here we go….


Day 230 (2012-08-17) ~  While out shopping with my hubby, Scope, the Blue Angels flew by and I managed to grab a quick shot of them before they rocketed out of sight.  I used a poster filter on this pic because I loved how it made the icky puke-yellow building in the shot a nice shade of Smurf-blue just like the sky.  (Oh.  And this is a slight cheat because I took this pic on the 18th, not the 17th.  Whoopsie!)





Day 231 (2012-08-18) ~  We had dinner at Pei Wei and I loved the MASSIVE red lights they had hanging over the tables.





Day 232 (2012-08-19) ~  I found grapes growing in the local community garden.  (Sorry.  Another slight cheat on this shot too.  It was taken on the 20th, not the 19th.  My days got a bit jumbled up after the trip to Seattle.  Oy!)





Day 233 (2012-08-20) ~  Cute.  Another find in the community garden at the local elementary school.  I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a sunflower or the sun, but I like it anyway.





Day 234 (2012-08-21) ~   Can you believe that I actually know two people with the first name “Aspen”?  TWO!  Just watch, Aspen will be the new Jennifer one day, you’ll see.  But anyway….  I had to giggle when I saw “Aspen” spray-painted across a bench near my house.





Day 235 (2012-08-22) ~  Hey, looky!  I found a Smurf house!





Day 236 (2012-08-23) ~  Any guesses what it is?





Day 237 (2012-08-24) ~  The view out of my living room window.





Day 238 (2012-08-25) ~  Wednesday and I made waffles to celebrate the happy purchase of some tickets for an upcoming vacation.  Any guesses where we’ll be going?!….   (WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!)





Day 239 (2012-08-26) ~  Just a rainy day.





Day 240 (2012-08-27) ~  Out on a walk, I found this gorgeous clematis climbing all over an iron gate.  (Yeah, oops on this shot too.  It's from the 28th, not the 27th.  *sigh*)





Day 241 (2012-08-28) ~  Just a shot from one of my eBay sales because I ran out of time on the 28th.





Day 242 (2012-08-29) ~  I saw these sunny, happy fellas while walking from the train station.





Day 243 (2012-08-30) ~  So.  Wednesday and I weren’t in Chicago for five weeks.... and our neighborhood Cold Stone closed down.  Coincidence?  I think not.





Day 244 (2012-08-31) ~  Well, it appears that the only picture I took on August 31st was this feeble one of my daughter's SIMS 3 game when the Grim Reaper killed off the character she modeled after herself.  Pitiful, I know.





Day 245 (2012-09-01) ~  Lacking ideas today, I just decided to illuminate a rug with an LED flashlight and be done with it.  Eh.





Day 246 (2012-09-02) ~  So, the remnants of Hurricane Isaac blew through town the first two days in September and it was really not that noticeable, frankly;  a little mist in the air and a slight gust of wind or two.  Eh.  No biggie.  However, there MUST have been a big gust of wind that I missed somewhere along the line, because all of a sudden this pinwheel came out of nowhere and landed on our deck.  Have I mentioned that we live on the third floor?!  Isaac REALLY wanted us to have that pinwheel.  Clearly.





Man, we are just burning through these things this week!  Hopefully we will be all caught up soon.







© Coracabana

Lego Mini Fig Masterpiece Theater Presents: The Job Hunt

Welcome to Lego Mini Fig Masterpiece Theater where today’s tale will be reenacted for you by Lego Mini Figures. Duh.

Playing the role of me will be Hermione. (Of course)….




Playing the role of my hubba hubba hubby, Scope, will be the scantily clad Spartan Dude. (*wolf whistle*)….




And playing the part of our daughter, Gwen, will be the Vampire with the Baywatch Babe’s hair. (Trust me, it would make sense if you knew her)….




Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand now on with our show:



Before I moved to Chicago I worked as a nanny….




….for six whole nose-wiping, Dr. Seuss-reading, Pokémon-watching, play-doh-covered, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious-filled years! But I’ve had a mini-van load of other jobs too, including eBay seller, portrait photographer, payroll administrator, window advertisement painter, and retail slave.

When I announced I was moving, everyone kept asking me what sort of job I would do once I got settled in my new life with Scope 2000 miles away.




I honestly didn’t know. I viewed the whole new job/new city/new life thing as something really freeing, y’know. I was all like, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m sure that absolutely ANYTHING is possible! Wheeeeee!”




*le uber-positive-thinking sigh*

Scope and I had a deal….




….that I wouldn’t bother getting a job here until January because I needed to learn my way around the city and feel at home and things like that, so for my first few months here I was jobless for the first time in a long, lonnnnngggggg time. And, I must admit, it was a nice change going from being the only contributing adult in my often stressed out single-parent life to being a non-contributing, stress-free slacker.




Temporarily, of course.

At the beginning of January, as was our agreement, I started my hunt for a new job. I figured it wouldn’t be hard finding something that would work with my daughter’s school schedule here in this huge, sprawling city—pfffft, no sweat, right? I mean, heck, I’ll take a retail job if I have to (at least until something more exciting comes along), I’m not that picky, so job offers will be just popping out of the ground like daisies at my feet.

Clearly.

Yeah.

But….

It’s been two months and the reality of the job hunt has been a little different than I envisioned. Basically, it has looked pretty much like this:




















It’s not that I’m unhirable or a loser or that Chicago hates me or anything like that (I hope!!!!), it’s just that there are NO jobs available. Friends and family and even the school crossing guard keep asking me if I’m working yet and I feel like a lowly stink bug having to confess the ugly truth: nope.


Scope keeps telling me it’s okay….




….but I don’t always feel it’s okay, because it’s NOT okay, okay? Sometimes I feel content and like things will fall in place when the time is right. Other times I feel….














I try to make up for the fact that Chicago is either a jobless wasteland or just doesn’t want me (*sniffle*) by being fanatical about doing the dishes and the laundry while Scope is at work and Gwen is at school. Because clean dishes and clean clothes make everything better, dammit. And those days when providing clean dinner wear and underwear for my beloved, hard-working family just doesn’t feel like enough, I bake cornbread too, because nothing seems to thrill my loved ones more than coming home to fresh baked cornbread.




These are my contributions and my skillz, people. Mm-hmm. And I guess Scope is right, it’s okay. Kinda. For now. However, if I have to admit to ONE more person that I’m STILL unemployed, I’m SOOOOO going to go hide and cry in the closet and never, ever come out! And since it’s dark in that closet and there’s no Cold Stone in there, that’s no good at all. So, I’ve decided enough is enough, I’m taking matters into my own hands: I’m hiring myself.

Uh-huh.

As of right now, I have decided that I am an eBay Seller once again. Yep. And, okay, maybe I don’t have anything to sell yet because I got rid of everything I didn’t want anymore when I moved over the summer and I shouldn’t really call myself a seller if I’m not selling anything because that makes no sense, blah, blah, blah, but those are just little details that will work themselves out sooner or later. Little details. Very small. Microscopic. No big deal.

The point is that the next time someone asks me if I’m working yet, I can hold my head up high and say, “uh-huh” rather than staring at the floor in shame. And while I’ll still be out there looking for a regular kind of job with a regular paycheck, I’ll also be looking for things to sell because, darn it all, I’m an eBay seller, and that’s what I do, so there! Ebay has been very good to me in the past, so I see no reason why it won’t be now. I’m back, baby!

I’M BACK!!

I’m employed. Employed by ME. And that feels pretty good.




Now if I can just scrounge up something to sell…. hmmmmm....

© Coracabana

You Say It’s Your Birthday?

So, today is my daughter’s birthday. Unfortunately, it’s also The Big Bad Ugly Test Day at school too, so—y’know—she’ll be celebrating her arrival on this planet by fretting and sweating over test papers alllllllllllllllllllll daaaaayyyyyy lonnnnngggggggg.

(Poor kiddo.)

(See, this is why when I was a kid I was always relieved my birthday was smack dab in the middle of Summer where the only thing I had to worry about was whether or not I could shovel my cake in my belly before the ice cream melted.)

(Yeeeaaahhhhh!!!!)

However, all is not lost. Tonight Scope and I will be taking her out to dinner at Olive Garden, taking her out for dessert at Cold Stone, and then plying her with a plethora of presents…. even though I kinda think that SHE should be giving ME presents on her birthday since she was over NINE POUNDS at birth and I AM THE ONE WHO DID ALL THE WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*pouting*

But wait! There’s more! Today is also my friend Callista’s birthday too. Funny how that one worked out, huh?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GWEN AND CALLISTA!!

:-)

Now, please excuse me, I need to go walk a million miles on my treadmill so I won’t have to feel too guilty when I’m making a big pig of myself at Cold Stone later on. Bye!

© Coracabana

What warms my heart right up like a big ol’ cup of hot chocolate

[….and the Corascope Chronicles continue….]

Friday, while my poor, darling daughter was slaving away in school, Scope and got some much-needed wedding tasks done before venturing down the hill to Lake Washington to have lunch at Ivar’s.

*warm and happy sentimental glow*

Anyone remember why Ivar’s is special to Scope and me? Hmm?…. Anyone?…. Anyone?…. Because Ivar’s is where Scope and I had our first meal together the day we met.

*misty-eyed sniffle*

After lunch, we walked around a little, discussing all that’s happened to the two of us in the last year (WOWZA, for sure!!!!) and took pictures of a sign that Scope will have the pleasure of posting for you soon.

Then we picked Gwen up from school and the three of us made our way to Best Buy to take a look at some things we might like to have once we’ve all moved in together this summer. Things like a webcam and a Wii, for starters. Then we ran over to Cold Stone for some ice cream (or a smoothie, if you’re Scope) before having to drop the kiddo off with her dad for the weekend.

*sad sigh*

She didn’t want to go with her dad. AGAIN. There was all kinds of drama, but I'm legally not supposed to blog about any of that. Soo.... instead I will just tell you how much Scope and my daughter remind me of each other. A LOT. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is that makes those two just so quirkily and awesomely similar ~ perhaps it’s their sense of humor; or their wisdom; or the way their eyes both twinkle with playfulness; or their patient tolerance of me….

Or maybe it’s the way they both ignore the shoe basket and line their shoes up in the dang doorway instead….


*snicker*

And don’t think that picture up there doesn’t warm my heart right up like a big ol’ cup of hot chocolate, because it absolutely does!!!!

MY GOD, I LOVE THOSE TWO!!!! WE’RE GOING TO MAKE ONE UBERFANTASTIC FAMILY, I CAN JUST TELL!!!!

And.

I.

Can.

Not.

Wait.

:-)

[….to be continued….]

© Love Letters By Cora

Seeing red

[….and the Corascope Chronicles continue….]

Saturday, Scope, Gwen (my daughter), and I cuddled up together again on my couch to finish watching the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy which we’d started the night before.

(ARRRRRGH!)

Apparently, I’d forgotten how much of “At World’s End” I had—well—forgotten. There are some good parts, true, but overall, it pales pitifully in confusing comparison to the sheer, giggle-inducing awesomeness that is “Curse of the Black Pearl” that I never really watch Pirates 3. Ahh well. It doesn’t stop me from thirsting for Pirates 4 in any respect though!

Bring. It. On. Johnny.

Anyway….

After Pirates I made lunch.

Yes, lun—HEY!!!! STOP THAT!!!!

DON’T GIVE ME THAT LOOK!!!!

AND NO GASPING IN HORROR EITHER!!!!

PUNK!!!!

I KNOW, ALRIGHT?! I, TOO, FULLY REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED TO POOR, POOR SCOPE THE LAST TIME I COOKED FOR HIM, OKAY?! THAT WAS A FLUKE! A FLUKE!! AND HE CLEARLY SURVIVED, SO LET IT GO, PEOPLE!! JEEZ!!

This time Scope did not opt to let me make him some scrambled eggs. Go figure. Instead he bravely ate a Boca Burger. And then he had seconds. And he liked it. Yes, really. And he did not go running for the bathroom in terrified, sweaty panic either.

So, see? I CAN TOO COOK.

Or microwave.

Whatever.

After our very yummy, delicious, nutritious, fresh, non-poisonous lunch we ventured off to All About Weddings to browse the wedding invitation samples.

Most of them were gaudy, I won’t lie.

*gag*

Most of them brought to mind frightening visions of frilly, pastel-clad, cheek-pinching Grannies - or, worse, tantrum-throwing, perfection-mining, uber snooty Bridezillas.

*eek*

But we did find one we really liked….


Yes. It’s red. Well spotted.

Now, I can’t say for sure this will end up being what our wedding invitations look like. Who knows? Maybe we’ll find something else we like even better. But right now this puppy is soooooooo the leader of the pack! :-)

For dinner, we met up with my mom and daughter at Olive Garden. I had the tilapia, which I absolutely recommend. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Then for dessert, the four of us went over to Cold Stone.







**For legal reasons, I had to delete a huge portion of this post, which is why some of the following comments now make no sense. Sorry about that.**


[....to be continued....]

© Love Letters By Cora