the latest fad

i can't decide how i feel about these throwback wedge sneakers.
i'm sure someone out there could pull them off.

but so many will try and fail. so many.

favorite fragrance

don't you love smelling lovely? 

my favorite perfume is bulgari's amethyst... it doesn't hurt that it's my all-time favorite color, either.

you can mix and match any fragrance from their omnia collection.  sometimes i like mixing amethyst with the stronger omnia chrystalline.

they blend nicely. and aren't the bottles pretty? 

a new favorite of mine that smells a little too floral at first (for my taste) but after a while has the NICEST scent ever is from philosophy's grace collection:

  amazing grace.  amazing smell.

someone once gave me a gift of perfume, and it is actually m's favorite that i wear, but it tends to be a little too strong for my sensitive allergies.  i wear it anyway, though because he likes it so much!  what's a woman to do?

(hilfiger tommy freedom)

every time i try to branch out and pick something new i cannot find anything i like as much as these.  

do you have favorites?

 my diet is entirely based on how fat i feel on any given day.

observe: 

means....

while

means

this method is not working very well for me.  

my body doesn't know what to think of all the back and forth, back and forth.

i am resolving to eat better in an effort to improve my energy and mental well-being.

and because i need to know that i can stop eating popcorn at any time.  

i really can.

color theory

 m and i have been trying to agree on a color for our bedroom walls.  remember this?

i had a plan, but i just couldn't get m on board with it.  

so, perhaps green?  said i. no more green, says m.

yellow?  no.

how about taupe?  that's like a gray but with a little more warmth, says i. 

nope.  

my brain operates on color and sound.  in other words, i spend 99 % of my life contemplating beauty in space and sound.  

so i have a habit of always wanting color... everywhere.

but today i had an epiphany.

walls don't have to be the source of color.

so we have decided to go with white. 
i never thought i'd agree to white walls...

but it can be done right.
not that i will necessarily do it right, but i'll certainly try.

here's where i'm pulling my inspiration from:

 these rooms are all from various magazines i've torn apart to save snip-its of things i just love.
pottery barn, crate and barrel, and world market really know how to do color, but i'll probably end up trying to replicate something to save money. 
updates will be sure to follow!

as if you didn't notice, i feel it necessary to mention the new title to my blog, "a songbird's bliss."  i feel it better reflects who i am and the reason i blog in the first place: because when you're happy you want to share it with the world!  i hope you like it.

thank you, mila kunis

for wearing the most beautiful gown ever to the oscars tonight.

i'm so happy you chose purple.

via

Hilarity!!

the dogs are super stressed out because of our impending move.  

i relayed this to a co-worker, and she responded by introducing me to a blog i know i will read and read and read and read and read and then read some more.  

i haven't laughed SO hard since my sister read entries from her childhood diary.  

you must experience it yourself if you have not done so:

hyperbole and a half

it's my new favorite place on the web. 
her latest blog reminds me of my two little dogs-

 one is the "simple dog," one is the "helper dog."

take a look at this picture and see if you can figure out who is who!

oh well, i love my simple dog. and the smart one, too.

Brief Update

Well, as you know, the fall season is well underway, and that means school has started for both me and M.  I have been slowly adjusting to the pace of full time school and work, and as a result, I've not been chronicling the important details of life here.  But I hope that will change soon because this is a very exciting time for both of us.  We are still waiting to hear one way or the other about the offer we made on the house, but we are content where we are for the time being, thanks to Jen!  Jasper and Lola haven't ever been this happy, (except when in MI); they get to run around the yard until they're too tired to run anymore, and it just makes me happy too.  Especially when the smell of fireplace fires is in the air.  I think October is my favorite month.  

Happy October!

The Evolution of Jasper's Ears

Day 1- The very first day we brought him home!

The BATDOG!  (about 4 months old)

Slightly conflicted, about 6-9 months old

(I was in love with this look)

Who loves you?

And finally, settled down...

This is the look Jasper's sportin these days.  

His ears really have gone through an interesting transformation over the past three years, haven't they?

A Worthy Sentiment

Happy The Man

Happy the man, and happy he alone,

He who can call today his own:

He who, secure within, can say,

Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.

Be fair or foul or rain or shine

The joys I have possessed, in spite of fate,

are mine.

Not Heaven itself upon the past has power,

But what has been, has been, and I have had

my hour.

- John Dryden

 

Makeover!!

If you ever visit my blog, you may have noticed that I've been doing a little remodeling lately.  Typically, when I start changing things it becomes somewhat of an obsession and continues indefinitely.  Beautiful things make me happy, but there is so much beauty out there that I can't seem to stick with anything I change.  Buttons and headers and backgrounds and colors and fonts and pictures- it's all a little overwhelming!  One reason I started a blog was because I had been enjoying so many others' blogs, but mostly because there were so many fun ways to create one!  Now that I've been blogging for a little while, I have come to appreciate having a place to put my memories in writing.  I always liked the idea of keeping a journal but could never be consistent with writing in one.  Thanks to all of the fun options blogging presents, I can enjoy keeping track of the exciting and average events alike that make up life. And if in sharing my enthusiasm for the things that make me happy is enjoyable to those who may read my thoughts, then it's not a complete waste of time!  Happy reading, fellow bloggers!

Polski jest dobry

Boy, is it ever!

My Polish Adventure

Part 1

Have you heard that Chicago has the world's largest population outside of Warsaw?  Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to meet a great number of them when I sang at the Polish Museum here in town.  And you'll never believe how this 'gig' came to be!  Flashback to last Sunday.  M and I were walking with the dogs in a new park when Jasper & Lola met with a funny-looking fat pug.  The pug was there with an old woman who began talking with us, and didn't stop for about an hour!  I stood there in attentive amusement because she was talking so fast, so animated, so charming, yet I could only understand about 30% of what she was saying!  What I did gather is that Hanna had lived in our apartment building on the second floor for 25 years before our landlord kicked her out for refusing to let him work on her apartment.  What a coincidence!  I also gathered that she was a poet and would be reading some special poems she'd written for a Mother's Day concert at the Polish Museum.  She was ranting and raving about how difficult it is to work with musicians and how she wasn't sure her singers would show up because they never call her back, (though, she doesn't have an answering machine, so how would she know if they were calling?)  So then she said, "Maybe you come sing" and I gave her my number thinking, "She won't remember it," and "she won't call."  Surprisingly, she did call and I agreed to come sing the Ave Maria for the concert.  A strange way to get a singing gig, but with my posse out of town I couldn't think of a better thing to do on Mother's Day than singing an ode to the Mother of God. 

My Polish Adventure

Part 2

I know Italians, I am Italian, but I have not one ounce of Polish blood.  Poles are closer to Italians than I ever realized before, as I learned yesterday.  They are both infinitely hospitable.  They will talk to strangers as though they are old friends.  They love to eat- food is a central part of any event.  I also learned that Hanna's sense of time is an Italian sense of time: whenever I'm ready is when we go.  Forget that our ride showed up on time (he must have been German!) at 1:15.  Forget that the event started at 3.  At 2:00 Hanna was still trying to fit into a dress and freaking out because she'd gained weight.  Meanwhile, I was waiting on the street corner thinking, "I may not make it to the Museum today..."  When they finally drove up, Hanna was nearly in tears, repeating "Don't look at me, don't look at me!"  Again, feeling a little belly heavy.  Harry, our elderly driver trying to calm her, "She won't look at you, okay?  Just get in!"  I thought she looked lovely.  Harry got us to the museum and dropped Hanna at the back door so that no one would see her before she got her make up on.  I met with the pianist, but it was still unclear to me how many songs Hanna wanted me to sing; she'd asked me to bring three.  So apparently Poles don't plan very well- just like my Italian family!   Besides the fact that I could pass as a Pole, I felt as though I was in another world- a different country perhaps!  No one was speaking English, and many times in her frantic stress-induced state, Hanna would look me straight in the eye and spout of two or three minutes of pure Polish as though I could understand.  

My Polish Adventure

Part 3

The event began promptly.... at 3:20.... with a good 45 minutes of Polish introductions and recitation of poems.  Then the piano students of my accompanist gave a beautiful performance of Chopin's music... finally a language I understood!  One boy in particular stood out as quite a prodigy and I was mesmerized by his flawless and incredibly musical interpretation of a challenging Chopin piece that I struggle to play well.  He was 14 years old.  When it was time for me to sing, I had to get up and say a few words about myself- in English.... So that felt weird and was received with mixed feelings, but after I sang I instantly gained about 100 friends.  They loved the Ave Maria!  Well, who doesn't?  It's a beautiful piece of music, but there is something about the deep devotion to their faith that made the song so much more meaningful to them.  And after the concert was over, of course, we all partook of an amazing feast of (you guessed it) sausage, cheese, bread, some unidentifiable goodies, and fruit.  One of my favorite moments of the day?  When Hanna grabbed a giant smoked sausage, broke it in half, and handed me a piece.  I kept thinking there may have been hidden cameras somewhere because the entire situation, from the initial meeting to the concert and after party, seemed like a scene from a funny movie.... "My Big Fat Polish Party" maybe?  One thing's for sure.  I'm a fan of the Polish people, now and always.  They are some of the most welcoming, charming, feisty, happy, lovely people I've encountered in a while.  Hanna kept telling people God sent me to her in the park.... perhaps?

Długi Żyć Polska!

Long Live Poland!

Christmas Eve Eve Fiasco

December the 23rd. Typically my favorite day of the year, and the day of the Naimo family Christmas party. So I was thrilled yesterday when Michael called from work to say he'd be getting out earlier than we'd originally thought. I was excited to be able to arrive to the 5pm party on time for dinner. But yesterday the 23rd was one of THOSE days. Here's the short version in incomplete sentences:

No water, no coffee. Sick doggie in the backseat of the car. Freezing rain. Flat tire. Near-death driving incident. Six hour voyage home. Beer explosion on Christmas gifts.

Here's the detailed version:

When I woke up (early, mind you) I discovered that the city had turned the water off to work on the water main on our block. So, no shower, no laundry or cleaning dishes in the sink, and worst of all, NO COFFEE! "No problem," I thought, uncharacteristically upbeat despite my am lack of caffeine, "I'll just get some while I'm out." With my spirits still high I finished all of my errands and unloaded then loaded everything necessary from and into the car (up and down three flights of stairs!) I even had time to pick up some special dog treats and a new toy for the little fuzzy ones. We picked up Mike from work at 12 and headed home despite the bad weather in the forecast. I was prepared with Lola's tendency to get sick in car rides and had laid extra rag towels in the back, which she readily threw up all over, three times before we even got on the highway. UGH. THEN, right before Gary, Indiana I noticed the car pulling awfully strongly to the left. Flat tire. In the freezing rain with cars spraying him with dirty highway water every 30 seconds, Mike managed to change our flat tire, but not after having to remove all of our beautifully-wrapped Christmas gifts exposing them to the elements, soaking them in the process. It took him about 30 minutes, and we made our way around Gary looking for a place to get a new tire. OF COURSE, neither of our phones were working so we couldn't research on our GPS about where to get tires, so we stopped to ask and after driving around in circles for another half hour arrived to the palce to find it closed. BUGGER. We moved on toward Michigan City. Phones working now, I called the place in MI City and spoke with a very nice man about directions. "Exit 40B" he said. So we trekked on in the freezing rain until exit 40A...we made note of it and I thought M would realize 40B would be the next exit. M, however, was completely spaced out and when I pointed out the exit, it was too late to make it. He braked and we started swerving all over the place, almost hitting a semi in the next lane. Very scary moment. We finally found a place just past the Michigan border who swapped our donut for a used tire from a Saturn for only $40. Oh, did I mention that by this time Lola had puked about 10 times in our backseat? Way beyond the realm of the three towels I'd brought to deal with that. Luckily, after Benton Harbor the weather cleared up and we were able to make the rest of the drive in good time, though the entire drive did take six hours. Six hours with a sick dog. BOO. We made it to my grandma's and discovered that the beer jugs M had brought home for his brothers had exploded all over the gifts in the trunk... cue emotional breakdown. Well, it's not really Christmas until someone's had a breakdown anyway. As it turned out, the gifts weren't completely destroyed so the emotional breakdown may have been a *slight* overreaction. So despite how exhausted we were and how utterly antagonistic the events of the day were, we still managed to make it home in one piece for Christmas with the family. Life is good.

A Mugging. A Mouse. A Mess. A Move.

The Mugging

Last night after a lovely dinner with my aunt M and I arrived home late. Since I said "Not it!" first, it was M's duty to take the dogs out before bed. It was about 11:15. He did his job and got back inside around 11:20. Fewer than two minutes later, our dear old neighbor was mugged right outside our window. Thankfully the bastards weren't carrying weapons, but they did knock him on the ground and rough him up a little. I've always felt completely safe in my neighborhood, especially on my own block, which dead ends into a cemetery wall. Despite this, I carry mace on my key chain, though I doubt that after the three glasses of sangria I had with dinner I'd have had aim well enough to fend off any attackers AND keep a hold on the dogs' leashes. And I highly doubt that my two little fluff balls would do well enough on their own to intimidate two thugs.

The Mouse

So this morning, (happy birthday to me), I wandered into my kitchen to discover that not only do we have ANOTHER mouse, but the little bugger had already left his mark(s) all over my kitchen and was making himself quite at home nibbling on something behind the microwave. Seemingly undeterred by my presence in the kitchen, he continued to nibble away while I quietly cleared the counter of all obstacles and placed Jasper on there, figuring he'd hunt the mouse down or at least care that there was an intruder in our midst. Even then, the mouse continued to ignore his imminent doom and didn't stop his nibbling. So I finally moved the microwave away from the wall and the rodent ran out.... frightening Jasper, not inspiring his animal instinct. So, he puts up a good front when we're outside, chasing down birds and squirrels. But I now know what a little chicken he really is.

The Mess

Not long after the mouse incident, I was looking forward to sweetening my morning cup of coffee with some awesome hazelnut creamer that I'd just bought and hadn't yet opened. So I took the lid off to open it and gave it a good, vigorous shake.... well, what I didn't know is that M had already taken the seal off, so when I shook it, it splattered ALL OVER the kitchen counters, floor, walls, fridge... and all over me. I was so utterly disgusted by being covered in cream that I ran to the shower and couldn't stop the dogs from licking up the cream all over the floor. Hope it doesn't make them sick. So much for fending off further rodents....

The Move

This weekend we are moving (again) to a new apartment in Lincoln Square. It is slightly more spacious and has a washer/dryer in the unit! Better yet, I've been assured it is both insect and rodent free... so I'm not too worried by our current pest problem. I'll post pictures when we're all settled in.

Dentist

This morning I woke up with a seriously inconvenient toothache. The dull, throbbing kind of toothache that sends the willies all the way down your legs and makes your feet feel weird. I'm trying not to be a baby about it, but I'm kind of being a baby about it. I guess it's time to see a dentist.... but in the meantime....

Pet Peeve

I had really wanted to keep this blog upbeat and positive... but I cannot remain silent about one of my most bothersome pet peeves. When walking home from my car tonight (which of course had to be parked four blocks from home) I was struggling to manage my many different bags... one of books from my voice lesson earlier, one from teaching at Old Town, some fabric I picked up on the way home, and library books I also grabbed on the way home. Like I said, it was obvious that I wasn't enjoying a leisurely stroll down the block. When I noticed an oncoming pedestrian on the same side of the sidewalk as I (who looked quite leisurely,) not carrying an armload of baggage and all, I promptly moved to the other side to avoid being in his way. Not fewer than 10 seconds after I moved over for him HE, too, MOVED... to the same side of the sidewalk I now was on. So I had to move again. He totally cramped my style. I was on a mission to get home and he slowed me down. Why does this bother me so much? Most likely it's because I feel like people who do that are intentionally trying to annoy me.

Boredom

So, life has been pretty boring... too boring to write about. But we've had quite an eventful week: Spending time in Grand Rapids with family on what was supposed to have been a camping vacation. Turns out we were just too lazy to go camping; and we didn't have a reservation. We decided to just do whatever we want with no agenda, and that happens to be a remarkably better way of relaxing than being confined to a campground with a bunch of strangers and nothing but a hole in the ground as a restroom. (I do love camping, but it does get old after about four days.) It has been nice to just sit around, see family for more than a whirlwind weekend, and we actually bought a couple of tennis rackets and have been playing tennis every day- even through the pain of playing tennis every day. Michael is a natural tennis player. Having never played before, he is amazingly consistent and actually hits the ball over the net nearly every time! I, on the other hand, who played tennis all four years of high school, try to strategize and smash the ball and end up doing a lousy job of keeping a volley going. Nonetheless, we seem to be evenly matched and have tied each match we've played. Tomorrow we have a tie breaker planned. I'll keep you posted.

I'm kind of like a spy

Last night I locked myself out- not of my apartment, but out of the gate that leads to my apartment. I'd taken Jasper outside and hadn't bothered to bring my keys; I just propped the gate door open. Then my neighbor closed it on his way out apparently. Now, Michael was home, and awake, but he wasn't answering the buzzer! So I thought maybe it was broken and resorted to throwing pebbles at our bedroom window in a feeble attempt to get his attention. Nothing. I now knew that he was listening to music on his headphones so I realized there would be nothing to do to get his attention and decided to take matters into my own hands. Since none of my other neighbors were coming around to help (this was around 10pm) I started trying to get into the gate doors. Impossible? Not for me! At first I sized up the door, the pointy spikes on top looked to be my biggest challenge. I couldn't reach the top of the door, so I tried climbing, but there was nothing to help me get a grip on the door. Then I remembered shimmying up walls as a kid and realized the doorway was narrow enough. So I put one set of hands and feet on one side of the brick doorway, one set on the other side, and began climbing up to the top! Luckily my legs were skinny enough to fit between the pointy spikes so I didn't get impaled. All the while Jasper is barking at me like I'm offending him with my most amazing ever display of creative problem solving.

I'm a blogger now!

So... I'm starting this blog because it sounds fun and I've enjoyed reading others, (thanks, Angie!) Plus, I think my husband would appreciate if I logged all the mundane details of my life in a, uh... quieter way? And I'm pretty thrilled to have a new preoccupation, at least for this week. So, thank you, wonderful worldwide web... and thank you, Al Gore, for inventing it all by yourself.