11.26.2005

my favorite family pict


my favorite family pict
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

this isn't "the" end result, but "an" end result of me taking the family photo this morning for the christmas card. the one we're going with is similar but not as fun. seated left to right: me, mike, anne, laur, jenna. there are a whole series of these, but this is my favorite by far.

11.25.2005

ah, THAT TREE


ah, THAT TREE
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

the picture is blurry, unfortunately, because i was trying too hard to get this content expression on jen's face (cousin-in-law sitting at the fireplace) and took the picture before the camera had a chance to focus all the way. anyway, that's our monster tree pre-ornaments, and the back of papa's lovely head in the foreground.

so the day after thanksgiving, in our family, is a hangout day but also the day to decorate the house! so we started with the tree and the famous leftovers meal. then the mass napping, THEN the boxes and boxes of snowmen, santas, nativity scenes, lights, etc etc etc

getting the garland home


getting the garland home
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

we actually tried (and achieved!) tying the, what, eight foot tree? to the top of the JETTA and got laughed at by the guys working the nursery. the garland made it to the back seat with me and my sister anne. we managed it just fine, thank you very much...

soon after i decided that if (when?) i move to minneapolis i'm gettin' me a jeep. with a rack. for to carry the big things.

morning after


Taffy Apple in her natural state
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

Taffy Apple in her natural state. the day after thanksgiving should be the national leftovers napping day. that's all there is to it.

11.21.2005

party on Dakin


party table
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

not sure if that's how you spell it. Dakin street is a block north of sheridan and irving park, a street where a trio of wonderful men live that are the college buddies of my cousins. they all know each other from University of Illinois. if i'm downtown and it's not church-related, chances are i'm with these boys and chances are i'm not getting home until 5am.

so there was a party tonight, a tree trimming party where the attire was declared "business casual" and everyone brought ornaments to decorate the boys' tree.

bobble head collection


bobble head collection
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

of all shapes and sizes, a fireplace mantle to be proud of...

the legend of the kimme brothers


the legend of the kimme brothers
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

they have indeed hit the status of legend.

luke, i mean... the vest...


luke, i mean... the vest...
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

he claims he got it as a gag gift from a party.
we all play along, but we know better.

11.19.2005

tarantino's


tarantino's
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

so, tarantino's, spoken and spelled in the fashion of Quentin of Kill Bill Tarantino, is a fantastic restaurant on Armitage. had a "date" with my dad and a friend in which we met for drinks at the infamous Tiny Lounge and then wandered over to Tarantino's. this is like, one of those places that i take people when i want to show off and thought i'd share the picture.

11.18.2005

goodness, the company


goodness, the food
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

my friends Aimee and Shonda held a Thanksgiving dress rehersal last night and it was fabulous. i haven't done a downtown dinner, like small dinner party with friends, in months. everyone brought food or wine, we had all the thanksgiving treats! eight of us sat down and shared a meal for about three hours.

it was a simple, sweet time. we decided to offer our collective martha stewart-ness to the church to plan the Christmas party, and we decided after two bottles of wine to go to africa together and work in orphanges for a week every year for the rest of our lives. these girls are fantastic. the night was fantastic.

we broke up around ten (it was a school night after all) and i ran over to Horseshoe on Lincoln and Irving Park because, get this: my cousin's--boyfriend's--sister's--ex boyfriend has a bluegrass band that plays there thursday nights. no cover! great music. got home around 12:30. no borders today, so the job hunt is back on.

in other news: possibly news on target soon.

wonderful girls


wonderful girls
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

good wine, good friends, good food

serving up pie


serving up pie
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

shonda, grace, and jenny's arm

11.16.2005

if you say so

okay, okay. comments are back on. sheesh.

11.15.2005

just in the nick of time

this job search thing, it's no fun. no fun at all.
until yesterday.

got a call from Target, THE Target, Target HQ in Minneapolis, and i'm going to find out this week if/when they would like to fly me up north for an interivew :) i had a phone interview last monday with a woman named Rachel who was so nice (as they are all up there. exhibit A: Design Camp). the conversation was so good that it ended with me saying, "I don't want to show you all my cards here, but i'm really excited about this."

so after all the places i've applied for full time (abbreviated list):
VSA Partners
Mobium Creative Group
Wunderman Chicago
Leo Burnett
IA Collaborative
Point B Communications
Mauge Associates
The Morton Arboretum
UR Chicago Magazine
RUSH Medical Center
Smith Design Co.
Tyndale House Publishers
Random House Publishers
Phaidon Press
Alfred Knopf Publishing
MTV
Cartoon Network

and after applying for part time jobs:
(being offered each one, thankfully i had options here)
Paper Source
Crate & Barell
Borders

the winner could finally, possibly be within reach.
this means moving to minneapolis. it means a lot of things. but like always, i'm pretty ready for the impending shift. i got really excited about it today. i was at office depot getting an accordian folder - i have one every year to keep my credit card statements, pay stubs, etc organized - and i was like, this coming year's expenses will be kept in this thing in my hand. i have the year in my hand. let's see what we do this time around. then i got VERY EXCITED

i heard on the radio that it's going to snow tonight after midnight, probably from three to six in the morning. which also has me smiling. i LOVE SNOW and i wish i still lived downtown to watch it streaming out of the sky like God doing an art project with a kindergardener who likes to pile on the glitter.

11.04.2005

you won't even realize it's gone

because of the incessant unsolicited advertising going on in my blog comments, i've decided to remove them. we weren't getting much use out of them anyway. if you're reading this and saying, "what is she talking about?" it's because i try to delete them as soon as i see them. i find these ads repulsive and don't want anyone else to say, "oh, there's a comment! let's see what it says" only to click and see a link to, say, hair growth hormone therapy. and since none of them will give me a break, i will take one.

if anyone really, really wants the comments option back, email me and i'll turn it back on :)

11.03.2005

state radio


state radio
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

my all-time favorite band was in town last night. owen got my sister and i on the guest list (THANK YOU, btw). the set was fantastic. chad actually had a bit of a cold, so his voice was a little more harsh than usual... maybe he doesn't realize that it's not necessarily a bad thing for their music! they played my favorite song in the encore ("keepsake") and i got to hang out with chad and the entourage afterwards - chad is one of the dispatch boys i worked for last summer. it was really great to be able to talk to him without the whole dispatch backdrop, just two people talking on the street. state radio is my favorite because it's more than music, it's a belief system i'm agreeing with. it's about promoting educated decision making and standing up for something, realizing what we have to stand up for, putting into motion the desire to do so.

this totally suits the revolutionary side of my personality.
in case you can't tell.

chad was asking how i've been since coming home from Boston and i told him that things are fine, i love being back in chicago but can't find work and started up at Borders. he suggested that i start building a niche for myself in musician websites, which i agreed would be great but secretly felt so inadequate... i'm not a web designer. that's the bottom line. i just don't know the programs to do it quickly enough to offer anyone something for money. it's like this: i can art direct, i know enough to say "make it look this way, make it do this, etc" i can talk with a programmer very well. but until i can do it, it won't be enough to go out on my own.

pretty sweet, though, to know that someone i admire thinks i'm talented.

end result: i'm starting to look at grad schools.
web, video, motion graphics, here i come.
more on this later.

state radio


state radio
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

another pict from the show.
more available on my flickr site (click on the pict to go there)

zox


zox
Originally uploaded by faithful nomad.

zox was the opening act. they're pretty sweet too. that kid on the left is playing on an electric violin, which sounds like a guitar most of the time until he actually plays it like a concerto and it sings like you're used to a violin singing. either way, it's amazing.

11.01.2005

major major, et al

i just saw the most amazing play. my auntie melissa has been an actress for a few years now and her plays keep getting better and better. tonight was Catch-22 at the Steep Theater. it was shattering, an arresting example of minimalist set design and precision casting. i can honestly say it was one of the best shows i have ever seen, ranked up there with seeing "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in South Africa and "Agnes of God" back at Drake University.

if you can see it, GO SEE IT. Steep Theater is one of those cool places that make a person feel all cultured and in the know, a hole-in-the-wall where the play takes place three feet from the audience in folding chairs. the actors sweep up afterwards. it's like, all about the love of the game and they play the game with brilliance.