Boom. Traveling.

Matt learned last night he had to go back to Texas City for the loading on Wednesday.  As in tomorrow.  Not excited about the prospect of facing another week plus alone in Evanston, we decided I'll just go with him!  I figure I've got to check Houston out at some point, considering we might choose to live there some day.  (Keep in mind, almost every city in America - with the obvious exception of Dumas, TX - is on our "we might choose to live there" list.)

In other news, I have not yet found a job, and my spirit just might be broken.  Not quite as broken as it was in India, but bending toward a breaking point, nonetheless.  Case in point:  the other day I was walking outside and I saw probably four or five piles of dog poop on the sidewalk, and my immediate reaction was "Oh this is a metaphor for my life."  Boom.  Defeated.  However, I will rise above this.  In the meantime, I will go to Texas.  Everything is better in Texas - isn't that how the saying goes?

Anyway, I don't really know anything about Texas City, except that it's in Texas.
Click here for a map.  Looks to be close to Galveston.  I don't know anything about Galveston either, but it is probably awesome.  Better take my cowboy boots.

That's about all I've got for the day, and probably the month of October.  Maybe I'll have something else to share in the next few days, as I'll be traveling once again!  Even if this job is the worst, at least I'll get to visit my favorite place, O'Hare International Airport, two more times.

Sublime August

I'm turning into a regular Crafty Cathy over here in Amurca these days.  Who knew?  I finally finished my picture wall project that I've been somewhat listlessly working on for the past, eh, three years.  Why did it take so long, you ask?  Well, firstly, I had to take some pictures.  Then, I had to wait to have a wall on which to hang my pictures.  Next, I had to collect all manner of vintage picture frames.  After that, I had to buy Command Strips and hang said pictures in picture frames.  And later, I had to watch as they all fell off the wall and tumbled down up on the mantle, cracking a few frames and shattering lots of glass.  Finally, I had to double the Command Strips and place the frames ever so gently on the ancient and crumbling space above my fireplace.  Now, it is done, and I think you'll agree, the effect is glorious.

 

Boom.  Glorious.  

 

Actually, it didn't turn out at all like I was anticipating, but I've made my peace with it, and it's nice to finally have something to fill that yawning expanse of wall.  

Also, August was Cardinal Month for us here at She's Gone Rogue, and we decided that it was high time we get busy livin' or get busy dyin'.  It was in this spirit that we attended three St. Louis Cardinal games in a three week span.  Here are some highlights:

 

Garland weekend.  

 View from the box.  They call us "Big Deal Streetts".  

 

Second weekend at Wrigley.  Slightly less impressive, but still fun.  

 

Boom. Tony La Russa.  

 

Boom.  Rally caps.  

 

Correnti weekend.  (Notice their complete lack of Cardinal's attire.  Is nothing sacred anymore?)

 

Boom.  Representing.  

 

Our seats were high, but the view wasn't too shabby.  

I wish I could tell you the Cardinal's fought the good fight and won every game.  I wish I could tell you that, but baseball ain't no fairy tale world.  They lost two of the three games I saw, but still.  Sublime August.  Also, Matt's leaving me for Texas City... again.  Visitors?  My door is always open.  Especially because he'll probably leave me again at the end of the month.  

Domestic Goddess

You know you've settled down when you get a membership to Sam's Club.  I don't really need to shop in bulk, but does anyone?  Plus, you've gotta support Arkansas' economy when you can. This is why I didn't go with Costco.  (Also, because Uncle John put me on his business account.  I've got mad connections.)  Also, I not sure there's a greater high than buying 36 double rolls of toilet paper, four sticks of deodorant, two giant bottles of coffee creamer, and double family pack of Honey Bunches of Oats (with Almonds!) at the same time.

In other news, I still don't have a job, nor have I even been seriously considered for one to the best of my knowledge.  On the contrary, I was rejected by a university in Chicago (I decline to name the specific university to protect my reputation - but the initials are U of C) in a record two hours and 45 minutes.  It took me three hours just to fill out the application and write myself up.  Boom.  Humbled.  Some people might be ashamed to admit that, but not me.  I look on the bright side.  I grab life by the horns and wrestle it into submission.  I take nasty, rotten, putrid lemons and turn them into sage-infused vodka lemonade.  On a related note, I am now proficient in both cover letter- and resume-writing, and more than proficient in researching for jobs.   Stick that in your careerbuilder pipe and smoke it.  

DIY

Matt left me earlier this week to go to Houston for work.  Certain that I would fall apart without his  benevolent presence to guide me through the days, he worried his way through his meetings, anxious to get home and coddle me into a peaceful state once more.  Little did he know, I had bigger and better plans in the form of my very own DIY project.  Because now I'm domesticated, and I can buy things and make them into better things.

Saturday, before Matt left, we traipsed over to my new favorite haunt, the Village Treasure House, where we found a used nightstand for $25.  Only $25!  Do you know how much those things cost these days?  Upwards of $100, at least!  No way I'm spending that much on a little dinky cabinet to hold my mouthguard (I now have a teeth clenching problem, courtesy of India) and glass of water.  I would much rather stick my water and guard on something we already have... like the small safe Nick and Jen got us for our wedding.  (So many uses for a safe!)

Anyway, this nightstand needed a little coddling of its own, so we sanded it down (by hand, which I don't recommend), and then I lovingly and painstakingly painted it, a task which kept me busy for most of the 48 hours Matt was away.  Seriously, these things take time.  We had decided we wanted something chic and exciting, a la this little number from Crate & Barrel:

FYI, if anyone feels that I should have this exact cabinet in my home, I agree with you, and I'd gladly accept it as a gift and token of your love and affection.  It costs $900.  A steal!  

So we went to Lowe's and bought a paint and primer combo called "Enchanted Navy".  So chic.  So exciting.  I didn't have a paintbrush, so we bought one of those, too.  And sandpaper, for the sanding.  We spent about $30.  Then I had to go buy new drawer knobs for it.  $5.  New nightstand total:  $60.  Hmm.  I'm new at this DIY stuff, but I'm not sure your refurbishing supplies should exceed the cost of the actual product.  Unless it was free.  Ah, well, such is life.  

Many, many hours and four very thin coats of paint later, the deed was done.  Add in what Matt should pay me for my backbreaking labor (roughly $40/hour), and the final total came up to:  $1660.  Not quite a bargain, per se, but still better than something you might buy at, ahem, Macy's.  

Before  (But after the sanding.  I forgot to take a true before picture):

 

And After!

 

Ehhhh.  

And the finished product:  

 

I am fully aware that it looks like a face with book teeth, and I'm okay with that.  

Soooo, it isn't quite the chic and exciting finished product I was envisioning, but it isn't terrible.  Somehow the color came out much lighter and brighter and more primary-color-wheel-esque than I had anticipated.  That's okay.  I am consoling myself with the fact that after we have kids, we can stick this little guy in the kid's room and the bright and cheerful blue color will brighten his/her days forever.  Hell, I might even stencil some trains on it.  Or teddy bears.  Or creepy old-fashioned dolls with glass eyes. Eventually.  (I'm not pregnant, I promise.  I'm just thinking ahead. Waaay ahead.)  

Anyway, Matt came home and was just about as impressed as I was.  Which isn't saying much.  However, we are both pleased to have a new nightstand for our sundries.  Plus, now I have a whole can of bright, primary blue paint to do with as I please.  Stay tuned for my next DIY project:  Blue Dresser, followed by Blue Mantle, Blue Mirror, and probably Blue Faux Leather Chairs.  

Oh, also, in light of recent DIY events, Matt has elected to skip his Seoul trip in August to babysit me.  Any and all who were invited to visit are still invited, but things might be a touch more unpleasant with him around.  I joke, I joke.  

Oh My Lady Gaga!

I am rushing to write this, as it looks like it's about to Apocalypse (can you use that as a verb?  Boom.  Just did it.) outside my window.  We have now had two major storms here in Chicagoland, both of which knocked our power out at our new apartment.  I feel certain this will be the third.  The power is flickering as my fingers dance across the keys, but I will not be deterred.  Every light in my apartment is on, along with both the bathroom vent and the air conditioner.  If I'm going to lose power for the third time in a month, I'm going to soak in every last drop of electricity possible.

I don't actually have much news, but I do, however, have a proclivity for dramatics.  Firstly, I'd like to say that Matt took me to a Cubs versus Phillies game Tuesday night.  Our first game of the season (I'd only ever been to one at Wrigley before, about four years ago... in case you hadn't heard, I've been out of town for a while), it did not disappoint.  As I remembered from my previous game, there were lots of drunks running around in Cubs gear, but there were also a fair number of Phillies fans.  I don't know where they came from, but it sure as hell wasn't Philadelphia.  I thought (hoped) we might see a fight between drunken Cubbies and stone-faced Phanatics, but we did not.  I, forever the rebel, tried to incite tensions by wearing both red and blue. I've been told that if you can't wear Cardinal's gear, you cannot in good conscience fully support another team.

 

This is..... BASEBALL!

I thought I was being quite magnanimous and humorous in my wardrobe selection, but many others did not think it was so.  I had two old guys on the train comment in it, and they were not impressed by my rehearsed "I'm a walking contradiction" accompanied by a winning smile. Apparently you don't mess around with baseball.  I can't tell you the particulars of the game because I wasn't paying that much attention, but I can tell you the Phillies won.  Yay.  I was actually pretty star struck with the Phillies, as this is the only team my husband will watch or talk about.  Ever.  

 

Cliff Lee.  I'm allowed to root for him because he's from Arkansas.  

 

Shane Victorino - he of the crazy eyes.  I'm pretty sure he's a meth addict, therefore, he is my favorite.

 

See?  I stole this from Google to underscore my claim. (Because everyone knows pointing at your head means you're psychotic.)  

 

Boom.  Ryan Howard.  

 

Boom.  Seth Huber posing like an Asian.  

And that's about all I have to say about that.  The power is still on, and the storm seems to have subsided.  Wow.  This is a first.  As for my blog post title, I guess a bit of explanation is in order.  I just read an article in The New Yorker (I truly am that pretentious), and the writer mentions a Chinese youth who uses the phrase, "Oh my Lady Gaga!" to express surprise.  This seems such a very good depiction of Chinese youth today that I giggled over it for a good 20 minutes.  I can just picture one of my little Chinese students, 8-year-old Jerry, exclaiming "Oh my Lady Gaga," instead of the "Oh my God", of which he was so fond.  Ahh, China.  How I miss you.  

Also, I realized in my last post I forgot to mention that Matt is leaving me.  

For two weeks in August to to go Korea.  (See how I did that?  I told you I have drama in my blood.)  Someone should come visit me, because we all know I probably won't have a job by then, and while I will have a car, I won't have any company in my fancy new apartment.  Think about it.  

Success!

We've done it!  We finally have a sofa!  The lovely people from Crate and Barrel called on Saturday to set up a delivery appointment for Sunday, and then (and this is the really amazing part, guys), they actually showed up!  With the sofa!  Unbelievable.  I wasn't here when it happened (I was busy doing some important work at the lake), but apparently they had to take the door off to wrangle the beast in the apartment.  They left without putting the door back on, but that is beside the point.  My handy husband put it back in in a jiffy (or an hour).

 

How d'ya like them apples?  We have since rearranged and our living room doesn't look like this anymore, but I am too lazy to take a new picture.  

God bless that's a pretty looking couch.  Don't deny it.  Later, the woman who sold us the couch from Crate and Barrel called to make sure we were happy with our purchase and that it had arrived in a timely manner.  Can you believe that?  Customer service at its finest.  Take notes, Macy's.  

That is about all that is noteworthy in my life at the moment.  Our Fourth was pretty uneventful, although we did go floating on the Fox River that Sunday.  Then we "watched" fireworks at the lake on Monday (I use the term loosely because we couldn't really see many from where we were).  Oh, and we went to the Evanston parade.  I thought it would be a bigger deal seeing how everyone from the county showed up, but it wasn't.  

Still better than China's parade from 2009:  

 

Admittedly, this wasn't actually on the 4th of July, but somewhere near then.  They started marching like this at least once a day, every day, after the Urumqi riots.  Ahh, China.  How I miss you.

Last week I helped throw a baby shower for Angela, head roadwife of UOP, for her second child.  I hope she had a good time, even though I kept winning at the "Don't Say 'Baby'" game.  

 

Angela, her gifts, and Aunt Bit's "shower umbrella".  She is 8.5 months pregnant, by the way - not that you can tell.  

Oh yes, and Monday morning we had a storm, again, and lost our power, again.  It's starting to feel a little like Dumai, Indonesia, where we had rolling blackouts daily.  Luckily, we had it back by that afternoon, unlike most of the rest of the 700,000 homes who were reportedly without on Monday.  The stop lights were out as well, which caused Matt to have to work from home on Tuesday.  Boy, did he hate that.  The lights are still out today, but he went in anyway, because he couldn't stand to be away from the office for one more minute.  

Anyway, thus ends the Saga of the Couch.  Fear not, old friends, for next week I will probably have some new drama to tell you about.  My prediction is a "Saga of the Car", or "Saga of the Ceiling Fan".  This living in America and owning stuff ain't for sissies.   

The Curious Incident of the Missing Couch from the Furniture Store

The following account is a true story.  No names, dates, locations or times were changed to protect anyone's identity.

I.
About three months ago (May 7th, 2011, 11:26 a.m., to be overly precise), we ordered a sofa, chair and ottoman from our dear friends at Macy's Furniture.  At the time, we were told this couch was not available just yet at the warehouse, and it would probably be available to us by mid-June.  We asked if we could buy the floor models and were told they were not for sale at this particular time.  Bummer, but everyone knows that we travelers are extremely laid-back and easygoing by nature (as a rule, we continually ooze nonchalance from our every pore), so we decided this would not be a problem. (Also, we were going on vacation and would be in glorious Spain for two of those four weeks.)  Done deal.


II.
Upon our return from Spain, we received an email from Macy's stating that our delivery date would be pushed back to late June.  Damn!  We decided to resume our search for a replacement sofa, but didn't want to cancel the other until we found a new one.  Bought a new ottoman instead.  Canceled old ottoman.

III.
Received another email from Macy's in which the date was pushed back again, this time to July 2nd.  Found out the floor models were finally on sale!  Called Odette, our saleswoman (I use the term very loosely at this point, as she seemed to be doing everything she could to lose our business), to ask if we could buy the floor models.  No, she'd already sold the floor couch to someone else.  Thanks for the heads up, Odette.

IV. 
Received another email.  Date pushed back until July 9th.  Bought the aforementioned new chairs.  Called three times to cancel old chair.  Got no response.

V.
Received yet another email.  Date was pushed back to August 19th.  Apparently Macy's not only did not have the sofa in stock, but they had to first grow the cotton, pick it, spin it into thread, make the fabric, dye it, and ultimately assemble and ship the entire couch before we would receive it.  Called and canceled the couch.  Went shopping in a last-ditch effort to find a new couch that we could have immediately.  Got depressed.  Went in one last time to Crate and Barrel, where we stumbled upon their End of Season Floor Model Sale.  Found a new sofa, which is even cheaper (therefore better) than the other one!  It will be here on Sunday.  Finally caught a break.  Boom.

VI.  (I know this is getting tiresome.  Imagine how bad it was to live through it.)  Our old friend Odette called to ask if we were sure we wanted to cancel.  Yes, Odette.  Yes.  "Well, we've had your sofa in the warehouse for weeks now, and we were just waiting on the chair.  If you like, I can sell you the floor model chair, and get you the whole set ASAP!"  Wow.  That information would have been useful to me yesterday.  Or "weeks" ago when the couch got to the warehouse.  Thanks, woman.  You have easily secured your place in history as the worst salesperson of all time.  Needless to say, we stuck to our decision to cancel the order.

Moral of the story:  Don't buy furniture from Macy's.  Ever.  Even if it's on sale.  Even if it's "de best" deal.  Even if it is a piece of Martha Stewart finery which only Macy's carries!  Just say no.

Secondary moral:  Don't buy furniture at all.  Buy lawn chairs.  Preferably from a yard sale.

I miss my hotel.