ChiKat

My neighborhood isn't the wealthiest neighborhood in Chicago. In fact, we probably don't make the top 25. But this holiday season, our neighborhood had tons of apartments decorated with Christmas lights and trees. It was nice to see how many people take the time to spread some of the Christmas cheer, despite the cost of an increased energy bill.

In an effort not to get all touchy-feely, I'll share with you my totally selfish motivation behind my latest voting preference:

ChiHuz: "Hey, you know that guy who is running against the alderman? I think he lives three doors down from us!"
ChiKat: "Really? I'm totally voting for him now!"
CH: "Er…because he lives on our block?"
CK: "Yeah! Our alley will totally get re-paved if he wins the election!"

I've been getting back pain lately, when I sit for more than 30 minutes. It's painful enough to make me squirm, but as soon as I stand up, the pain disappears. The consensus from the doctors about this pain is, "Um, yeah…you're pregnant."

Being in pain when I'm sitting makes writing on my laptop a bit more challenging. I've taken to standing at my kitchen counter while I write, but it's not as comfortable as I would like. I should also admit that I'm in total baby la-la land. My goal was to work until April, have the baby and take three months off, then go back to work part-time from home. I have no idea how I am going to do that when the baby is here if I can't even focus on work now. Every time I sit down to write my (very over-due) assignments, I decide that it is much more important to:

A. Draft a guest list for the baby shower

B. Put my hand on my belly and wait to see if the baby is moving around at all.

a. If baby is moving around, sit there and daydream about nothing at all while feeling the baby move.

b. If baby isn't moving, poke belly to see if I can rouse baby. I'm not a very patient person, but I've discovered I can patiently wait HOURS for the baby to move while not doing any work at all.

C. Talk to the dog about the baby shower. The dog is sick of hearing about the baby shower. The other day, he got up and left the room while I was mid-sentence. The nerve.

Obviously, my poor blog has suffered, too. But I was delighted to find out that readers ranked "tough night for the ents" as one of their favorite entries over at YoChicago. With that bit of encouragement, I'm trying to drag myself back into the blogshere with regular updates. I'll even try not to make them all about the baby.

The other night, I was watching the news. The first story was about the funerals of the three lawyers who were fatally shot by the man who believed one of the lawyers had swindled him out of a patent. The next story was about a man who killed a woman over a dispute about child support payments.

Today, I see that a Taco Bell employee was fatally shot because he refused to hand over the cash register's contents to a robber.

All of these people were killed because of money. We value human life so little these days.

Stolen from Mary Beth.

[ RED ]
1. Closest red thing to you? My couch.
2. Has anyone ever cheated on you in a relationship? I found out someone I was dating was married. I guess that counts, although he wasn't so much cheating on me and using me to cheat on someone else.
3. Last thing to make you angry? My neighbors who leave their trash NEXT to our dumpster rather than putting their trash INSIDE the dumpster. Ugh.
4. Are you a fan of romance? Not if it's sappy.
5. Have you ever been in love? Yes.
6. Do you have a temper? Yes, including stomping my feet and slamming doors. I have also been known to fling myself on the bed in despair.

[ GREEN ]
1. Closest green thing to you? Our Christmas tree.
2. Do you care about the environment? Yes, but I care about animal rights more.
3. Are you jealous of anyone right now? The idle rich.
4. Are you a lucky person? Very.
5. Do you always want what you can't have? I get what I want.
6. Are you Irish? No.

[ PURPLE ]
1. Last purple thing you saw? My Mt. Rainier ornament.
2. Like being treated to expensive things? Not if I think they are over-priced.
3. Do you like mysterious things? I can't think of anything mysterious in my life.
4. Favorite type of chocolate? Dark, white or hot with whip cream.
5. Ever met anyone in royalty? No.
6. Are you creative? Yes, but more so when I am unhappy. I'm not often unhappy.
7. Are you lonely? No.

[ YELLOW ]
1. Closest yellow thing to you? A gold-glitter Christmas decoration.
2. The happiest time(s) of your life? Always.
3. Favorite holiday? All of them – I love having an excuse to celebrate (but I rage against fake holiday's, like "sweetest day").
4. Are you a coward? I don’t think my courage has ever been tested.
5. Do you burn or tan? Tan, easily.
6. Do you want children? Considering my current state, thankfully I can say "yes".
7. What makes you happy? Feeling loved.

[ BLUE ]
1. Closest blue thing to you? My otter ornament from Carmel, CA.
2. Are you good at calming people down? Yes, especially in business situations.
3. Do you like the ocean? Love it.
4. What was the last thing that made you cry? Reading an article in the paper today about a mother who lost her child during an experimental medical treatment. It wasn't just pregnancy hormones – it was a very moving article.
5. Are you a logical thinker? I am logical in my own way.
6. Can you sleep easily? Yes.
7. Do you prefer the beach or the woods? The beach when I only have a day or two. The woods when I have several days.

[ PINK ]
1. Closest pink thing to you? The bow on top the bunny angel's head.
2. Do you like sweet things? Too much.
3. Like play-fighting? No. I quit karate because sparring made me want to vomit.
4. Are you sensitive? No. I'm not observant enough to be sensitive.
5. Do you like punk music? Does Alanis count?
6. What is your favorite flower? One that doesn't die in my garden.
7. Does someone have a crush on you? Hopefully, my husband.

[ ORANGE ]
1. Closest orange thing to you? My "Tournee du Chat Noir" poster that should have been red, but due to the fact that I bought a cheap copy, is actually orange.
2. Do you like to burn things? Only if they can disguise the wet dog smell in here.
3. Dress up for Halloween? I have more fun dressing the dog.
4. Are you usually a warm-hearted person? Yes.
5. Do you prefer the single life or the security of a relationship? Marriage rocks. I'm so glad I'm not dating anymore.
6. What would your super power be? Organization: "I shall kill all of you with this gun! Wait! Where is my gun? ARGH! Organizational Girl must have filed it away somewhere! I'm foiled again by Organizational Girl!"

[ WHITE ]
1. Closest white thing to you? The bunny angel.
2. Would you say you're innocent? Yes.
3. Always try to keep the peace? No. I rage against peace if I think it's really complacency.
4. How do you imagine your wedding? Just like it was, but I skip the stressful bits.
5. Do you like to play in the snow? Depends on the wind chill.
6. Are you afraid of going to the doctors or dentist? No, just lazy.
7. Do you have Attention Deficit Disorder? No.

[ BLACK ]
1. Closest black thing to you? The cocktail table.
2. Ever enjoy hurting people? When I was a kid, I would enjoy shoving my brothers, but I have thankfully grown out of that phase.
3. Are you sophisticated or silly? I'm too clutzy to be sophisticated. I can't tell a joke, so I'm not very silly either. How about sincere?
5. Do you have a lot of secrets? No. I can't keep secrets. I blurt things out a lot.
6. What is your favorite color? Today, I pick red.
7. Does the color you wear affect your mood? My mood affects the color I chose to wear.