I am coming up on the day I moved to this city, 6 years ago...... being the nostalgic girl I am, here is a picture of my very first Chicago apartment...

This is the front obviously, I only had the back half of the second floor, and what you can't see is the deck in the back with the "L" train a mere 15 feet away. I couldn't sleep for 4 months.... then by the time I moved out, I didn't even realize the train was passing by. Grace used to watch it when she was a kitten and climb the window trying to catch it....

Nothing worked correctly, it was two rooms and a bathroom, non of the windows closed or locked properly, it was falling apart, the water pressure was pathetic, our bikes were stolen off the porch, it was 10 houses from Wrigley Field and the parking was a total nightmare.... but it was the best apartment I could ever imagine....

6 years, 5 apartments, 3 jobs, and 2 boyfriends later..... life in the city is beautiful.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I'm back...... sometimes I need a break from my own head or I will spiral downward that I am not already a famous writer. So there I times I will step away from the blog and wallow in self pity until I feel rejuvenated by my own dissatisfactions with parts of my life. And I want to throw out there, that if you have a topic you want me to write about, please feel free to email or post a comment with your ideas. I may not always comply, but it may be a motivation of some sorts.....

Christmas has passed, and now we face that obscure week between the two holidays where everyone is recovering from over eating and preparing for over-drinking...... Americans are funny, we will drink to anything. Oh... Happy Easter.... have a Cosmo... Oh.... President's Day... cheers to JFK..... Oh... Flag Day...have a Betsy Ross-tini..... Never a lull in the libations...

So, as we all think of what our resolutions may be, I tend to be a bit more realistic and take this week to admit to myself I will never really work-out, save money, drink less soda and coffee, or watch less tv..... Its funny how we all spend a week trying to figure out how to change who we are. You can tell a lot about a person from their resolutions. You have the selfish resolution people who are all about health (vanity) and financial gain. Or you have the complete opposite "I will spend the next 6 months learning Braille so I can donate my eyeballs to the blind kids" type people. They scare me a little. Then you have the middle of road guys who say things like "I will be a better friend" or " A better employee". These are the kind of people that have too much guilt in their lives... the kind of people that when you tell them to go to hell, they apologize to you..... we all know someone like that.

So, in our time of reflection and self evaluation, I would like to take a moment to propose an alternate to this tradition of empty resolutions..... instead of picking what you want to change about yourself, focus on what you love about yourself, and let the world see it. Find the beauty in the fabulous flawed human being that you are, and run with it..... There is so much self discontent in our society that I want to poke a fork in my ear so I don't have to hear another size 8 woman bitch that she is so fat and not a size 4.... I am 20 lbs. overweight, and its a fabulous 20 lbs. that I would greatly miss if I were to run 4 miles a day and waste my time and money in a gym to get rid of. That's my hope for the new year. I will do my best to convince everyone I know how amazing they each are in their own particular way. That and I resolve to eat a lot more ethnic food......

So, that being said..... I also promise to write more often. I am so jealous of my friend Tommy's blog.... he is brilliant and hilarious and I know I can keep up if I just put the time in.... so Tommy, thank you for kicking me in the ass long distance without even realizing it..... you're one of the good ones!

Happy New Year to all. You'll be hearing from me soon.

Good times,
Cyn

Hi all... sorry I haven't kept up with the site lately... its been a bit busy and I guess I don't have much to say. I promise to do better in the next few weeks, and make the time to keep in touch through this page. So those of you that do check it often, please don't give up on me....but I may get into a slump from time to time, so your patience is appreciated.

Thanks. Talk to you soon.
Love,
Cyn