The kicker

Photographic Evidence

From fire to flood . . .

We never wanted a dishwasher. I mean it. My husband and I are practically Amish in that we eschew the modern technology of dish washing with electricity - notwithstanding the fact that even sinks require electricity if you want hot water. . . I digress . I am a convert to the practice of hand washing dishes. During law school and even growing up, we always had a dishwasher. Needless to say, I have never seen any harm in allowing Cascade to take care of lasagna pans. Anyway, our landlords, whom we adore, offered/encouraged/informed us that we were getting a dishwasher, to be installed last Tuesday. The only catch was that the installer could only come at night. It wasn't really a huge deal until he was 45 minutes late and didn't arrive until nearly 9:15. The dishwasher was delivered earlier in the day but remained conspicuously housed in brown cardboard until Mr. Fix-it arrived. We had finished dinner and were sort of sitting around the way you do when you know company is coming but that there is nothing left to clean. He unwrapped the dishwasher. It was green. Avocado green. 80s bathtub green. Not good. D and I did not discuss this with one another. The afternoon had already been a little crazy, seeing as our street still smelled like an ottoman barbecue. Our favorite neighborhood furniture store - literally around the corner- burned to the ground. The entire neighborhood smelled like a factory fire and the trains, which run along the back side of the store were all stopped/diverted away from our stop. Thus, not only were we grieving the loss of our favorite Saturday afternoon haunt, but we were also bemoaning the addition of an unwelcome swamp-green fixture to our red and white kitchen. Christmas, anyone?! I walked the three miles home from work and was prepared to ignore the installation of Shrek with some Real Housewives and a magazine on the couch. Then, something funny happened. . . It got really quiet and Mr. Fix-It asked for a towel "just in case." I probably would have asked what he meant by that, but he didn't ask ME for the towel. The next thing I hear is a little creak and a big GUSH!!!!!!! Steam was rising to the ceiling and a string of expletives rained along with it - I was sitting out of sight on the couch but I was pretty certain that we didn't have any towels big enough for this situation. However, knowing what it's like to want people to leave you to your business, I left him alone. (D jumped up after the splashing didn't immediately stop.) This was the scene greeting me when I peered over the pass through. Ps: don't the hot pink gloves look like they're screaming for help? There's old green. The back door open, letting smoke in and water out. Anyway, after 2.5 hours, a hole in the downstairs neighbors' ceiling to release a bathtub full of water through a fist-sized hole and a walk around the smoky neighborhood to pay homage to the ruins of the store - really just to cool my jets - we had a dishwasher. Just what we never wanted. (I had one too many glasses of wine this weekend and emptied the contents of our dish cabinet into it, giggling all the while. D = not amused).   The morning after the apocalypse (fires, floods, etc.) I looked at the ugly green dishwasher and literally felt like kicking it. (clearly, first world problems). So, later on I received a text from D who was off for the day. I feel like there is probably a lesson or two in here somewhere . . .

Summer Living Tips

Courtesy of Apartment Therapy . . .

5 Seriously Smart Tips For Summer Living

These 5 cheap basic household products can help you:
• Keep sand out of your car and house after a day at the beach or playground
• Prevent mosquito bites
• Save your smartphone from being ruined by water or sand
• Keep your berries yummy for longer
• De-fog your swim goggles

To find out which product goes with which tip, read on.

Out Damn Sand
To get pesky sand off your skin and feet: sprinkle with baby powder and brush dry with your hands, or a shaving brush or makeup brush.

Mosquitos Really Blow
According to the New York Times, research shows that wind is an effective way to ward off mosquitoes and other airborne pests. Sure, the wind prevents them from circling and landing on you. But a fan also dilutes and disperses the carbon dioxide you exhale, and carbon dioxide is one of the major chemicals that attract mosquitoes. Furthermore, a fan helps keep you cool, which helps keep mosquitos away because those critters love your sweat, lactic acid and body heat.

Phone CPR
IIf your phone or device falls in a puddle by the pool or sea, first remove the battery, then stick the phone in a container with uncooked rice, which will help absorb moisture. If the phone gets covered in sand, use a bulb syringe (like the kind used for kids' medicines) or something similar to blow out any sand particles in the crevices; Do not use compressed air, which can damage your device internally. ViaNBC4.

No More Soggy Moldy Berries
As soon as you get back from the farmer's market or store, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar and ten parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse (just a bit because you won't be able to taste the vinigar anyway) and pop in the fridge. Apparently, the vinegar kills mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit. This little vinegar rinse supposedly helps keep your berries from going soggy and moldy. From Food Lush.

See Underwater
We used to just use a bit of spit, but some people swear that smearing a little toothpaste inside your google lenses will keep them from fogging up! Via Real Simple.

Sources: Clockwise from left: Fab Sugar; Amazon; Green HG; Food Service Direct;Wikipedia.

My Saturday looks like this . . .

My friend Sarah and I have a habit of going to the Green City Market near Lincoln Park every weekend.  I look forward to this starting in February and love the fact that it goes until the end of October.    This nearly always begins with a run to Starbucks for  venti iced coffee, easy ice, with sugar free vanilla flavoring and raw sugar for me (chai tea for her) and a stop at the ATM to get some cash.  Our long walks to the farmers market inevitably result in visits to other desirable locations i.e. Calvin Tran for my (possibly) ill-advised hat purchase - Calvin Tran HIMSELF rang up my purchase.  How can it be wrong? :)  The jury is still out on the hat.  Or two weeks ago, my Lululemon jacket purchase - we went back and forth to the store 4 times that day before deciding that the jacket was a VERY good purchase.  

Mine is black, but you get the idea . . . 

(Also, that jacket appears to be sparkling, despite a lack of bling ANYWHERE on the jacket . . . odd.)

Anyway, so after wandering around the market and LP, we normally decide to eat something . . . sometimes hot dogs, tacos, pastries . . . but then there are days when we decide to eat FANCY brunch - while still wearing yoga clothes (albeit NICE yoga clothes).  

Today, we went to Perennial Virant.  Sarah had the vie bread french toast, peach jam, candied pecans, burton's syrup and I had (deconstructed) biscuits and gravy, gunthorp farm chicken sausage, 2 eggs sunnyside up. Delicious.  We also had blueberry gastrique mimosas.  AAAHHHMAZING.  

Some days, this is true . . .

"Your lawyer in practice spends a considerable part of [her] life doing distasteful things for disagreeable people who must be satisfied, against an impossible time limit and with hourly interruptions, from other disagreeable people who want to derail the train; and for [her] blood, sweat, and tears [she] receives in the end a few unkind words to the effect that it might have been done better, and a protest at the size of the fee." William L. Prosser 

What They Don't Tell You at Graduation - WSJ.com

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304811304577366332400453796.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read