Day 334 - Hock-A-Doo!

Taking a chance on an unknown musical paid off. I ended up loving everything about "Memphis". The dance, the songs, the story...all seemed to hit a nerve or spark an energy that made the production more then enjoyable. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you check out the tour dates and check it out!

PS) Is Hock-a-doo a dirty word?
(You can only find out by watching Memphis!)

Day 333 - Fab-a-less!

This hat...



Makes me SO happy!!!

Sometimes, you just have to embrace life and all the accessories it has to offer.

Day 332 - MMOM

1. I really need to clean my _________?
Entire apartment...but I'd settle for a quick clean up of the bathroom.



2. What food makes you think of Christmas?
Peppermint anything.



3. If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be?
Thirty! I loved being 30!



4. What was your first paying job?
I was a "bus boy" at a restaurant. I think I got paid $2.01 an hour, and my evil boss Gladys Hayslip made me earn every penny and then some of that $2.01! I was only 14 at the time, but I remember she could sure crack the whip!



5. Have you read the Twilight series?
No, but I just hosted a weekend movie marathon and watched all 3 "episodes". Despite most of my peers joking and judging, I liked the movies.

Day 331 - Meetup

In my ongoing efforts to do something new and challenge myself, I've signed up for a few "meetup" groups. Meetup.com is a website where you can join groups of people with similar interests in efforts to not only meet new people, but share in and experience new things. Of course, signing up is the easy part, it's the actual participating that will be scary for me.

Getting out and meeting new people can be nerve wracking by itself, but I plan on not only meeting new people, but meeting new people to sign with. Will they judge me on my inability to sign something correctly? Will they judge me in general? All thoughts that I will power through in efforts to expand my learning and friends circle. Wish me luck, I'll be sure to post about my first Deaf Chat meetup!

Day 330 - Extreme Couponing!

Today I was not afraid to use 24 coupons, and (sadly) have the cashier ring up 24 individual sales! Ok, I was a bit intimidated by the idea of 24 individual sales, but as the coupon stated, "One coupon per transaction." I was just following the rules, right? I took comfort in the fact that it wasn't my fault that the cashier would have to do extra work, it was the coupon's fault! The best thing, besides my savings, was that the cashier didn't seem to mind the monotonous transactions, and even seemed to enjoy them. By the end of the ringing, I had saved close to 95% on my items!

Canned dog food: $1.69 each x 24 = $40.56
Coupon = Free Can of Dog Food
Payment = 13 cents sales tax per each can = $3.12
Savings = $37.44

Day 329 - Black Friday

Today I braved it! The coupon clipping, the ad-organzing, the standing in long lines, freezing outdoors before the stores opened, losing sleep, fighting over parking spots, dealing with honking traffic jams, yep, I missed it all and braved the day by staying in bed! Hope all you Black Friday shoppers had fun, and got all the items you dreamt of!

Day 328 - Happy Hats Giving

This is Arthur. He is an aardvark, but more so, he is a giant helium balloon waiting to be blown up for the Chicago McDonald's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Sadly, as he was unpacked, it was discovered he had a large rip in his right, umm, paw? And needed a patch job. Thankfully the Balloon Captains knew how to fix Arthur so he could continue to be inflated, and walked down State Street.

The best thing about the parade this year, was not Arthur, the balloons or the crowd, but rather the kindness of a stranger named Sandy. Having lived in the Chicago area my entire life, I'm not sure how at my age, I can still misjudge the weather and dress inappropriately, but I did. I made the mistake of going "hat less" on a cold, Fall day. Thankfully, after talking to other volunteers and strangers (hopefully a good trait of mine?) I met Sandy. She not only had a hat, but a hood and chose to give up her hat so I could wear it and stay warm. It was neon orange and didn't match a thing I was wearing, but I didn't care. There's a saying that goes something like, "God watches over fools and babies". All I can say is, I'm too old to be a baby, but thankful for His kindness, and that of strangers. Happy Thanksgiving!

Day 327 - 3:00PM

Today I made a judgement call to send my staff home early. I was nervous and afraid of over stepping my bounds as I'm merely a "Supervisor" versus a Manager, but I'm also of the school of, "act now and apologize later". So, with that thought, I decided my staff earned a well deserved, early start to their holiday weekend. While I was ready to back my decision come Monday, I was happy to hear that another manager "okayed" everyone leaving early, too. Whewww, no explanations needed and tons of family togetherness started early, now that's my kind of day!

Day 326 - Disconnect

I did the thing I thought I couldn't do. It kinda backfired, but hopefully that was just a temporary flare up and my future will remain hassle free.

Day 325 - MMOM

1. I wish I had more time to _________?
Do anything but work! I'd love to travel more, relax more, read more...



2. What is your favorite kind of soup?
Zuppa Tuscana from Olive Garden! I've made it at home a couple of times, but it tastes much better when someone else has to do all the work!



3. Where will you eat Thanksgiving dinner?
At a restaurant! Don't worry though, I'll be cooking for Christmas!

4. What is your favorite time of day?
Although I hate getting out of bed, the morning! I love not so much the getting up, but getting things accomplished before the work day starts.

5. Did you start Christmas shopping yet?
Nope!

Day 324 - Trot

Today I completed the 11th of my 12 monthly events goal.With little sleep, paired with cold weather, I found myself not wanting to even attend. I pushed myself out of bed, got dressed and looked for the Turkey Trot 5K. When I saw the inflatable below, I knew I was in the right place.



The BEST warming station EVER.



Turkeys everywhere!!!



What I was very happy to see!!!

Day 323 - Fun?

This could be fun, right???

Day 322 - Lead

Today I lead the lost. I guess that's not a hard thing to do, but let me tell you about it anyway. Today I got called on by our IT (Information Technology) group to answer their questions. Like, in what world do the geeks (as I affectionately call them) ask me for advice? The best thing about the situation was, that the geeks have a break in the system and while they think they know how to fix it (behind the scenes) they have no idea how to test it! That's where I come in. Not only did I give the IT team instructions, but after realizing they seemed unable to follow them, I decided it was easier if I just stepped up and offerred to run their tests for them. It felt good to be able to "lead the pack" and be confident in the nerd realm. And now, as I proof-read this post, I realize the picture above seems to pertain to me as well.

Day 321 - Cry

Today I showed the ultimate "weakness" in front of my boss (of all people). It was an accident. I was upset and frustrated with work, and took a moment to break down and cry in the privacy of my own cubical and then SHE walked in. SHE never comes to visit, but SHE had perfect timing today to catch me in the middle of the ugly cry. You know THAT cry, the one you don't want anyone to ever see you doing.

I was impressed SHE seemed to care as we typically have little to no daily interaction. SHE made sure to offer support and concern, and followed up with me throughout the day. I think SHE wanted to make sure I wasn't having a nervous breakdown.The best thing about it all? I think SHE took sympathy on me, as not only do I get an extra day off, but I got invited to a work conference in California for early next year. I can use a visit to the sunshine state, work or not!

Day 320 - Hissssss...

Today I held one of these.
It was small, and smooth.
The scariest thing?
Wondering what was being digested in it's bulging stomach.

Day 319 - Tuesdays with Lynnie

You've all heard of the story, "Tuesdays With Morrie" right? It was originally a book, turned "made for TV movie", and eventually turned into an off Broadway play - all of which I have proudly read, viewed and attended multiple times. The story, written by one of my favorite authors Mitch Albom, is a recount of the author's habitual Tuesday visits with one of his favorite college professors, Morrie. As Mitch visits the aging and ailing Morrie, he learns valuable life lessons. I highly recommend reading the book if you haven't already, opposed to reading or following the useless Tuesday lessons I have posted here.

During a sound sleep, if my jaw happens to fall open, my cat will wake me up at 3:07am by sniffing around and trying to climb into my mouth, as if hunting down whatever it was that I last ate.

When requesting, "quite a few" hot sauce packets from Taco Bell despite ordering only one small item, you will receive 15 hot sauce packets (which is about 11 more then one really needs).

Starting laundry at 9:45pm and then staying up to blog about it is not a smart idea. Ever.

Asking someone in American Sign Language class how to sign the word, "fart" is never a good idea as it is immediately followed by immature giggle fits, followed even more quickly by the teacher telling me (despite my age) to go stand in the corner (again).

The less time I spend on my appearance, including skipping a hair washing, the more compliments I receive. Go figure. Less really is more.

Based on the comment above, and his ability to find the one loose strand of fringe on a blanket, and then proceed to pull on it and destroy half of said blanket, I've come to realize I have the feline version of the monster dog in the novel, "Marley and Me". Good grief.

The distance from parking space to bathroom is directly proportionate to the minuscule size of your bladder.

While you may have learned nothing by these useless lessons, I hope you've at least giggled a bit and have been reminded that sometimes, despite childhood like immaturity, it's good to just be a "kid" again and not take life so seriously. Happy, Morrie-inspired Tuesday!

Morrie Schwartz - Dancing through life, and enjoying every minute of it.

Day 318 - MMOM

1. Does your family/friends know about your blog?
I'm not too sure how many people are aware of it, but there's a link on my Facebook page if anyone pays attention...



2. What is your favorite card game?
I don't really play card games that often, but I'd have to say Poker or Solitaire.



3. What do you wear to bed?
T-shirt and under-roos or shorts, usually.



4. What is your favorite kind of French Fry?
Portillo's.



5. What is your usual bed time?
Somewhere around 10:30pm, I'm soooo not a night owl.

Day 317 - Patience

Sometimes (okay most times) it's hard to have the patience to let something, or someone, come to you, but that's exactly what I did today! Yay me! Of course, it's scary because what if that thing or that person, doesn't contact you or ever reach you? Well, I decided before hunting my "thing" down, that if it didn't come to me then it wasn't meant to be. And while I would have been okay with that, I'm glad "it" found me. Here's to new adventures!

Day 316 - Yogi

It's that time of year again where I spend a day at "Parade School" to learn the ins and outs of balloon handling for the McDonald's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Of course, friends tease me and say I'm going to Clown School, but I don't mind. I spend the morning at the Museum of Science and Industry getting briefed on the balloons that will be in the upcoming parade and get some hands on experience with the volunteer balloon for the day, which this year was Yogi Bear. I won't know my balloon assignment until the day of Thanksgiving, but I do know I play a big role in bringing thousands of smiles to people's faces as I help walk the balloons down State Street on Thanksgiving morning! Look for me on WGN TV Thanksgiving Day morning, and think about all of the volunteers that it takes to put on such a huge parade!

Day 315 - Veterans

Thank you to the Veterans who serve to protect my freedom today, and thank you to all of those who have fallen before you and paid the ultimate price. The pictures below are from a previous post, wherein I volunteered to help decorate our Veteran's graves for Memorial Day. Such a small gesture, to pay back such a huge sacrifice. Be sure to thank a Veteran today.

The ending of World War I, and the initiation of Veterans Day, prompted Woodrow Wilson to say...

"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations."

Day 314 - Sunrise

Sometimes, I don't mind what I see in my rear-view mirror.

Day 313 - Two things...

Two things I learned today...

1) Despite sound advice and numerous cases of solid evidence as to why something should NOT happen, management will approve and implement it anyways. (sigh)

2) Using a squirt gun in efforts to chase a bird down from it's perch is ineffective as birds don't mind rain, and water in general.

Day 312 - Oops!

Tonight my classmate invited me out for a drink (and dinner) before ASL class. I appreciated the invite and thought, "Why not blow off some steam before class, I've put in a hard day's work!". One small margarita, one large glass of water and a cheeseburger and fries later, we arrived at class.

I'm not so sure the drink before class was a good idea as it made me relaxed and tired. I maintain that I was neither buzzed nor in a drunken state, however by the end of class said classmate and I were told to (jokingly I hope) go stand in the corner by the teacher. I'm sure it had nothing to do with our giggling and calling each other dirty names in sign language. (Hey, at least we were signing and not verbally talking!). No more relaxing drinks before class, as a pair of slap happy, overly tired and relaxed Lynns (that's my classmate's name too) get into too much trouble.

Day 311 - MMOM

1. Are you excited for the holidays or are you dreading them?
I don't think I ever dread the holidays. I see them as a time of hope and a time to rekindle a child-like magic that should have never left us in the first place.



2. Do you hit the snooze button or get right up?
At times I have hit the snooze button for over an hour...I'm so bad!



3. Do you still have your tonsils?
Yep! This gal still has all her original parts.



4. What was the last piece of candy that you ate?
Laffy Taffy... I think.




5. Do you shop at thrift stores?
Not as of late, but I have in the past. Have to admit, I'm really too lazy to sort through the racks to find that special treasure!

Day 310 - Daylight Savings

I enjoyed sleeping in an extra hour today, but I did not enjoy the fact that the movie theaters did not update their movie times via their websites, causing me to drive to two different theaters, and pay for unused parking. Despite the cross-town movie chase down, I enjoyed the extra time in the car chatting with my friend. Because she felt bad for the "inconvenience", my friend paid for my movie ticket which was unnecessary, but much appreciated.

I felt blessed this weekend with multiple invites and being treated to 2 movies and an awesome dessert by friends. It seems like Daylight Savings Time equated to Lynn Saving Money weekend as well! I must say, I felt abundantly blessed and appreciative to have these people around me to hang out with, and took the time to thank them and more so, be thankful for them!

Day 309 - Ad-Lib

I spontaneously accepted a dinner invite with people I've never been out with, and only know through a working relationship. I was nervous, but figured "How else do you make new friends?". We went to a small restaurant that they had been raving about, and it did not disappoint! Ad-Lib was amazing! While the space and menu were small, the atmosphere and palette choices were phenomenally crafted. Dinner choices, which are constantly changing, included choices of lobster, steak, and pork chops with seasonal side dishes. I chose the pork chop with a side of cabbage, apples, brussel sprouts and potatoes. The dish was beautiful in it's colorful presentation of browns, purples, greens and yellow and even more delectable. Desert was a lightly, lemon flavored cheesecake.

Following dinner, not quite wanting to go home, we decided on an impromptu movie night to see Tower Heist. I recently declined an invite to see it, so while I went with the popular decision of the group, I was dreading sitting through it. So glad I didn't wimp out and decide to go home, because I loved the movie and now, highly recommend it!

I guess sometimes, like the name of the restaurant, ya just have to Ad-Lib and go with the flow. I had an amazing night out with two new friends, enjoyed a fabulous dinner, a great movie and can't wait to do it again! I found myself thankful for just having said yes to a night out, and more thankful for the opportunity and invite.

What do you sometimes find it hard to say yes to?

Day 308 - CPR

Despite my manager's disapproval, I volunteered at work to be one of my floor's emergency contacts. What that means for me is that I will be CPR trained (or in my case re certified), and will be responsible for "taking care" of the people on my floor in cases of emergencies such as fires and tornadoes. I am not quite sure why there was an aversion for others to volunteer for this role, as I see it as an opportunity to learn something new, and potentially help others. Someone else pointed out that it would be a great addition to my resume, and while that was not a motive in volunteering for the role, I'll be happy to add it!

Day 307 - Talk

Today I did a lot of talking about my problems to the people, well, who pretty much caused them. It wasn't easy, but I pushed past the feeling of vulnerability and did it. I am not one to linger on bad feelings, I want them talked about, dealt with, and moved past. Hopefully I'm on the road to recovery!

Day 306 - Thanks

Check out my newly created page and thanks challenge!

Day 305 - Skydeck

I really love my city. I can't say it enough, but the rich history and beautiful, underappreciated architecture intrigue me on a constant basis. I never take my city or the things it has to offer for granted. Today's sunny weather was a prime invitiation to go visit the Sears Skydeck (okay, it's technically called Willis Tower, but a true city girl would never admit that) and tackle my fear of heights by stepping out on the recently added Skydeck Ledge. The Skydeck Ledge is a series of 4 retractable glass window boxes that hang out over the side of the building. These "window boxes" are clear glass, making the experience quite awe-inspiring.

North-easterly view from the 103rd floor...

Western view through one of the sky-deck ledges.



Northern city view from the ledge...



The first baby step out onto the ledge...



About half an hour later, I finally got both feet out onto the ledge and enjoyed the view.