Designs by AimLene

Ooooh so cute! Frank just emailed me these photos that I took with his camera... Amy and I made baby onesies for Wil... we cut out fabric shapes and used the iron for adhering them to the onesies...aren't they the cutest!?




Here's Amy at my old apartment (sniff). She's showing off her ultra fashionable onesie titled "Fresh Farm Eggs."



Can you guess which two onesies I designed? Take a guess!! Yes, I did the kitties! Do you know that baby boy clothes rarely ever feature cats or kittens, apparently felines are for females and dogs for boys... well Camri and Chris only like their two kitties so Wil is a cat baby as well then—and for that he needed a onesie with kitty cats! Meow.

The above photo shows the back of the onesies, while the photo to the right shows the onesies' front sides.

The other one I designed is on the far right, the ice-cream cones. Camri loves ice-cream, so naturally since I'm sure Wil got lots of it la la tummy land, he loves it too!

Aside from Fresh Farm Eggs, Amy also designed the colorful onesie with shapes and circles. We loved them.

Of course the more wine we drank, the cuter they got!

Karma

It's times like this that I am happy I have a blog. A moment when something happens to me that I am quite pleased to share with you fine folks.... so here's my quick, but seriously funny story.. okay wait I hope it's not one of those stories where you "had to be there" Nonetheless, if you use your imagination you will love this story!

(I giggle now as I begin to write.)

This evening on my way home I decide to stop at Treasure Island (note to Minnesotans, this is not a casino, in Chicago Treasure Island is a 'European' grocery store.) So I am making my selections, the regular pathetic single-girl fare, (today it was tortellini/mozzarella salad, one can of soda, one meatball, a baguette, and a bottle of wine.) So I'm looking adorable (I think) wearing a uber cute dress slightly reminiscent of Edie Sedgwick, I have on a pair of killer black tights and my black Kedzie pumps; I'm listening to music, bopping around. Suddenly a favorite song comes on my Ipod, Walking with a Ghost by Tegan and Sarah.

I'm feeling good.

I'm in the back of the store and need to get up front to the wine cellar, but dare I go through the produce section. No, the produce section always makes me depressed. So I whip down the dairy aisle and there's a guy with his Ipod pumping and I think "wow we're both jamming to our tunes and we are happy." So I sashay pass him, showing him how cool I am with my own happy musically inclined mood, not to mention how cute I feel in my pretty dress. I pass him, I'm a super model, I'm strutting it, I'm feeling Tegan and Sarah and suddely a thought goes through my head, but before I can even compute the thought it happens!

My left ankle whips out from under me, my right foot goes for the save, but to no avail and both my legs fail me and the next thing I realize my entire body is lunging forward, hands and head first and my music is pumping in my ears but I know I scream "Oh my God." As I slide across the floor with my basket of goodies and my purse, both lopsided falling next to me, my whole body splatters on the floor. I'm mortified; I'm beet red and, of course I start laughing, half because it's damn funny and half to say "hey look I can laugh at myself!" Within seconds the music man is running toward me and one of the workers is right behind him with a second worker nearly ready to call the paramedics straight behind him. The stranger offers his hand and helps me up and I laugh, catch my breath and then tell them about that sudden thought.

I had almost fallen at work earlier that day as my ankle had gone out on me in the lobby, and that sudden thought was "oh I best slow down or I'm going to fall for real!" I couldn't believe these two men were not laughing. They were gentlemenly and concerned.

If I were them I would have laughed just like I laughed at the girl that fell on the bus yesterday morning. So I guess that's why I fell.....Karma.

My knees are killing me!

Babbling and words

Man, Woman, Cats and Dogs, I promised myself I'd be better at keeping the blog up to date.... and yet I have been busy.... and now, here I sit in front of this blank screen with nothing to really say, except, again I have been busy. I have been busy procrastinating the important things, wasting time, working a lot, and paying immediate attention to emergencies.

This morning Miss. Honey was diagnosed with a bladder infection, thus crowning her the world's most expensive cat. Meow! What can you do? You can't ignore the cries of an animal, unless if you're evil and mean. Or if you're super poor and you think that maybe it was just due to a switch in food....and things would clear up....

So last night I started to freak because she demonstrated to me that she was now peeing part blood. My friend Brett is married to an amazing woman, Jill, she is a vet tech and so super smart and good with animals. She suggested I come there where she treated Honey with meds and fluids and got her comfy for the night so I wouldn't have to sell my ovaries to pay for the animal ER.

It was Sunday night and these two people opened their home to Me and Miss. Honey.... you gotta love that! What good people.

Aside from taking care of The Kitty, I have had to work some part-time hours back at the restaurant because A: My current job has low pay; B: I have spent too much on cute clothes, shoes, and cat care that my debt is too much to manage, or C: all of the above. For fun I have been flirting with the opposite sex, but haven't met anyone to spark my fancy. I've always enjoyed my independence, but I tell you as of late I am getting dog-tired trying to stay afloat all on my own.... Can someone please hire my cat?

Aside from the flirting, I have been watching movies....but I haven't seen anything recently that was profoundly wonderful. I did enjoy Year of the Dog with Molly Shannon—her dog Pencil broke my heart in two. When Pencil dies (not a spoiler, it happens in the beginning of the film) I cried as I recalled my life with Miss. Xena. Shannon is so delicate and pitch perfect! The movie kind of went off in a weird track, but all and all it was fairly enjoyable.

Other happenings of my world include graduating from S of SSKCw/oS (that is the School of Successfully and Swiftly Killing a Centipede without Screaming. This just happened last week. The apartments here on Elaine Place are invested! I finally had had enough of the drama of half killing a CPM (Centipede Man-don't ask).... this often involved legs dangling on a wall and a large body squirming away somewhere on my floor. Now I scoop it up like it's a hunk of jelly, fast, quick, without thought! I'm really quite proud of myself. I remember a time when I was about 14, reading around 2:00am and a CPM crawled next to me and I freaked and woke my dad up who groggily killed it for me. Thanks Dad!

So I am getting retardly excited to move out of the hood up to Ravenswood, just on the outskirts of Lincoln Square. My new place is sparkly clean and uber cute! I will be having a sidewalk sale to pay for the movers!!! It will be quite the event!

Aaaah October is a good month, I get to move, my parents will be celebrating their 38th!!! Anniversary and My grandma turns 90! Yowzers, I think October will be my new favorite month, not to forget it's also the fun, spooky month!

On that note.... I must go back to something else productive, such as write correspondence for all the September Birthdays I sadly fell behind on...bad Jolene!

Run Forrest Run

This summer has been so fun, ever since I succumbed to the fact that I hate winter I have fully embraced the summer months. And aside from just loving summer, I have made a point to seek out exciting summer events, such as Ladies Hat Day at Arlington Park Horse Track.

So, just a few weeks ago my dear friend Amy accompanied me on the Metra train to go out to the Arlington race park, just a mere 30 minutes from downtown Chicago—also near Sarah's Grove where our friend Ashley resides!

The three of us donned our finest hats to enjoy the races!

Since we had hats on, and we are ladies... we got in free! And so we enjoyed some bloody marries for breakfast, champagne for lunch and bets all day! As part of Ladies Hat Day the Millinery Arts Alliance held a special event in the Governor's Suite where they sold hats, had free champagne and hot pink frosted cupcakes and the prime view of the horses!
Turns out many others were just as excited about hat Day, including the CUTEST couple in the world (besides my parents) this red hat polka dot duo! Now that is love! And you can't tell from the pic, but she had some hot black fishnets on! Sexy!

There were four couture hat designers at the hat day, and the cheapest hat was probably $275. Later, on the Metra train home Amy noticed this lady had two hat boxes- a guess of a $600 dollar value! Her hubby loves her!


This woman's hat was designed by Nicole M. Le Blance. Ms. Le Blance was also the designer of the hat that I wore that day! See, you can see it here as I intently watched my horse.

A note about our betting: Amy and I first bet on the horses that had names that were interesting, this proved to be fruitful for Amy, not me. So I went my separate way. I decided to bet on the third favorite horse, figuring it was his time to shine. This worked once and I won $8 bucks! But then it stopped working and Amy too was not having luck. Finally we realized it was all about the outfit! From then on out we only bet on the horses that donned pretty attire. Amy won $12 on the horse and jockey that had a purple suit with lime green polka dots! Yay! Since fashion seems to mean a lot, I decided to enter the Ladies Hat contest...and guess what!? NO I didn't win, BUT I was a finalist!


See me there. They had us go on the, um, place where the horses walk before they race... and this woman from Chicago NBC announced the finalists on the big screen and everyone snapped our photo. Ms. Amy is my personal photographer. I'm the green blob in a cute hat! All the ladies were HOT in great hats! After we waved and looked pretty, the winner was announced and soon, the pretty NBC lady escorted us all back to the Governor's Suite for free drinks..... Photographer Amy really enjoyed that! Amy's hat designer is Nine West... My Mom knows all about this hat!

Isn't Amy so pretty!?














And this is my friend Loretta, a couture hat designer, she's so talented and fun! That hat she's donning is her own creation, it's gorgeous!


All and all it was just another lovely day at the races!

Hello 1985

Today I went to the local DSW to check out the sales... I left with a pair of jellies. I'm a 33-year-old nerd—but I'm a nerd with bright red shiny jellies! They're pretty cool, even if they make my feet sweaty.

The last time I owned a pair of jellies was in 1985; they were light pink and worn to pieces. The jelly straps turned to strings and my hot-pink polished toes stuck out. Of course those jellies made some pretty cool tracks around Minnesota before they officially died. They hit up the Bel-Air School yard where I argued the counter-points of why, sometimes, Cyndi Lauper was cooler than Madoona...but true to indecision form, those same jellies made it to Madoona's Virgin Tour concert at the St. Paul Civic Center. Now that was a trip. I was 10 and my friends and I were giddy when we overheard the older girls refer to us as 12-year-old Madonna Wanna-Bes. My mom was there too! Madonna certainly did have quite the affect on 80's fashion!

Can you imagine the little 10-year-old girls that were obsessed with Britney Spears during her hey-day? They had so many other POP singers to argue over...Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore....Turns out Christina and Mandy turned out pretty okay, but that Britney-yikes almighty! However, as weirdo as she is (I think she's the next Anna Nicole), was Madonna any less strange? I mean I went to the Virgin Tour concert where Madonna played with her Boom 'Box'. Of course I seriously didn't get any of this until my parents had to explain it all to me, which was then followed by my screams of STOP!

Ah pop-girl moments to ponder... nonetheless, the one very awesome thing about Madonna is that she certainly did create some cute wanna-bes, especially the little tart in the middle... can you see my jelly shoes!?

Baby Cutness!

Welcome little Wil! Born Saturday, 8:56am, at 7 pounds 1 ounce, 20.5 inches long.

Is it weird I think he's so cute that I just want to eat him?

Congratulations Mom and Dad Chris and Camri!

To Minneapolis with Love

Pray for my hometown... Above is my old stomping grounds and of course, below is the bridge... I took this bridge everyday for years... I always said the damn thing shook too much.

Millennium Park

Okay so I know I said that for my Chicago adventures, I'd be going to places I have yet to be, but I can't resist yet another trip to Chicago's Millennium Park! It's too pretty and full of cool architecture!
And just look at my beautiful photos!

The "Bean", as it's known here, is actually titled Cloud Gate. It was designed by British artist Anish Kapoor—it's his first public outdoor work installed in the United States!!

Can you see me in the bean? Look close!!! I'm the cute one with the hips!

Oh I love this part of the park! It's these funky sculptures with faces that move! Titled The Crown Fountain, two pillars face one another with images that interact with the ground and offer fun water activities! Designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa.

See, this lady means business!

Renowned architect Frank Gehry, utilized his wacky and revolutionary design sense in the park here with the outdoor concert venue. Wilco is playing here in September!
I love you Jeff Tweedy!

Gehry also designed this uber cool bridge that connects Millennium Park to Daley Bicentennial Plaza... this slopey bridge is 925-foot-long and tempts one to slide off the side! You can see more of the outdoor theatre in the background here as well. PS for more on Gehry rent the documentary Sketches of Frank Gehry, it's really interesting. Some people love his work while others seriously hate it....
oh the beauty of art!

Antiques and Heart

It's nearly Monday and this past weekend, in Jolene's World, has been full of ponderings, walks, bike rides, antiquing, and nachos. Under "The Bean" in Chicago's Millennium Park.

I think I may have started my weekend off on a bad foot. I rented a documentary that was truly unsettling. I'm not going to go into details, or even name the movie, as the disturbing layers are just too much, but I will tell you that the topic was suicide. Hmmm I bet some of you winced.

It's interesting how the subject is so taboo, so wrong, so disturbing. But, while this film truly blew me away, and not in the best way, I better understand the importance of empathy. So this whole weekend, I have been pondering such individuals that were so lost they decided to end their lives. How does one go there? How does one think this is an answer? And, maybe more importantly, instead of "the rest of us" thinking that such individuals couldn't hack life, everyone should understand that the human psyche is truly and incredibly delicate. So really I'm saying, let's all just be a tad bit nicer to one another, and I'm not talking to those in our lives already, but strangers on the train, the homeless on the street, etc. etc. etc!

To lighten things up.....


On Saturday my friend Leigh and I headed to the Chicago Antiques Art Fair. The Antiques Art Fair takes place the last weekends of the month, May-October. Here I am in a "fancy hat" in a favorite girly booth! The fair is often full of shiny objects, blasts from the pasts, and special pooches, such as this handsome fellow here.
His name is Rudy.













With aisles and aisles of antiques, inside and out, Leigh and I strolled throughout many eras and perused all the glittery treasures. We listened to a live band playing the fair, ate fair treats, and even came up with a new slogan "The Chicago Antiques Art Fair, where Tchotckies go to die."
But alas when it was all said and done the only true treasure we found was Mr. Rudy.
Leigh especially liked him, even if he did bark like a girl.

People Are Strange

Yes, I have been very upset over Lilo. The world is upset over Lilo. That poor angel, as my co-worker said to me yesterday "I just wanna take a hold her and give her a truly nice smack-down cocaine experience that will make her feel all better."

So the thing is, people are strange, and fascinating. I just read about this uber-hot, art couple, Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake, that apparently committed a double suicide. Duncan killed herself on July 10 and a week later Blake was seen walking naked into the ocean and was never seen again. The couple apparently had become very paranoid that members of the Church of Scientology were stalking them, well here's the article from the LA Times, it's crazy.

Duncan was a blogger and had a site that was apparently THE blog of blogs, it was titled The Wit of the Staircase. She posted a very interesting quote the day she killed herself...and what's weird is reading her past posts, it seems like everything was okay and she had so many plans...

And what did I learn from all this? It's about the blog's title, as described here from the blog, The Wit of the Staircase:

From the French phrase 'esprit d'escalier,' literally, it means 'the wit of the staircase', and usually refers to the perfect witty response you think up after the conversation or argument is ended. "Esprit d'escalier," she replied. "Esprit d'escalier. The answer you cannot make, the pattern you cannot complete till aterwards it suddenly comes to you when it is too late."

I'm so always thinking of the esprit d'escaliers.

Amy's Rodeo de Mexico

This is my friend Amy.
Two weeks ago Amy went to a Mexican Rodeo right here in Chicago! Amy snapped lots of rodeo photographs. Then she made a funny video gif thingy with her photos. Isn't Amy so creative? I have the coolest friends! I like how fast the rodeo guy looks. It reminds me of an old cartoon.

I do feel really bad for the cow/bull character. :(

Summer Time Shopping

A week ago I decided I was going to explore parts of Chicago; To see more of what makes this city so amazing! I have been living here for four years and yet there is still so much I haven't seen! So last week I started with a Trip to the Garfield Conservatory, a wonderful adventure!

So this past weekend the ideas began brewing, maybe I'll venture out to the Botanic Gardens in Glencoe (um that's a loooong bike ride)? Or I could take a trip to a museum I haven't see yet (snooze), or, um I could just do something I so so so love!!!
That's right! Go shopping! And what do you know my favorite place was having a sale! The Edgewater Antique Mall! Seeing this postcard was all it took! And on Sunday I set out for some treasures... and here's what I found!

Favorite finds that I didn't purchase but dearly covet:
—A set of six 1950's glassware featuring pink flowers and blue birds
—A 1950's odd little glass water pitcher a pink base and a pink stripes on the glass.
—A beautiful mirror, circa, yes the 1950's, with a pink wood frame and pink flamingos adoring the actual glass of the mirror
—This funny swivel chair decked out in a turquoise, tweedy fabric.
—A small deer statue, so wittle, so wee, so cute!
—An even cuter ceramic mouse with big mouse ears.
—Okay this one is a little crazy, and I seriously considered purchasing this, a haute couture baby dress. It was velvet black with pink ruffles and SO freaking cute! I want a baby girl so bad so I can decorate her...Dammit I just realized I could have bought this for the cat.
—A strapless blue organza gown that was so amazingly made with gorgeous ruffles and a side sash-thingy, it seriously looked like something I'd wear to the Oscars!
—A pair of 1950's barkcloth window panels in a deep greenish/gray shade with a design reminiscent of an Asian theme with a bright watermelon pink as the focal color. YUM!
—These adorable animal figurines with big rhinestones eyes, two cats, a squirrel, chihuahua and the cutest owl!

What I ended up purchasing...
well let's start with my favorite: This beautiful blouse!!!!! The clerk said it reminded him of the Yves St. Laurent collection from the early 80's. Yes, I thought. "oh yeah I know all about his collections..." now that I think about it, maybe he said Givenchy? Okay I must go get that Vogue book tomorrow.... Oh who cares, the point is, I Love this blouse! It's so beautiful and well made and fits me perfectly. It has a zipper back and pleated sleeves and it only set me back a mere $13.50!
Next was the necklace, shown in the photo, it's gold with white beads. I also got the cutest bangle...And finally I snagged the original photo which was the basis for the store's sale. You may have thought this was Ms. Lucille Ball, which I thought, but it's actually Betty Hutton, a comedic and musical actress of the 1940's and 1950's. Hutton had done numerous roles, but her most notable was playing Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun; she was considered a zany blond bombshell that was goofy and energetic and had this body that didn't stop. In this photo, dated 1944, Hutton's expression is full of so much life and energy. Lucy? Betty? No matter! This lady makes me smile...it's a beautiful woman showing that she can be funny and zany, something an old improv teacher told me once was not possible...I never believed him and often am being proven wrong by such images as Ms. Hutton as well as the knock-out ladies doing improv all around Chicago.

So yes, I may not have gotten uber cultured today, BUT I did learn about a starlet of the past that I was not familiar with until today, so here's to Ms. Betty Hutton!

Stars, They're Just Like Celebrity J

Newly coiffed Celebrity J & uber cute baby Hun pass through the office on their way to the living room. CJ dons an H&M Cornblue pleated dress, circa 2006; Hun wears a vintage blue silk baby gown.

Lady Head Vases

If you’re looking to take on a new hobby of collecting, consider collecting Lady Head Vases from the 1950s and 60s. Originally manufactured by various ceramic companies just prior to World War II, Lady Head Vases were made for the floral industry. While the first vases were made in the U.S. and feature plainer styles, by the 60s styles were coming out of Japan and featured such accouterments as dangling earrings, faux pearl chokers, gloves, hair bows, eyelashes, and more. The above vases are part of my Mom's collection!

While they initially were sold for just a couple dollars, today such vases are worth anywhere from $75 to well into the thousands. To seek out vases start perusing your local antique shops and flea markets. Also be sure to note the difference between authentic vases and fakes. An article from American Antiques gives you a good start on the history of the Lady Head Vases as well as clues on authenticity.

If you love the look of the vases, but don't have the dough for the pricey items? You can still enjoy head vases with head vase wrapping paper from PopInk. Frame it for a fun wall decor piece.
The paper is appropriately titled Glazed and Confused.

Look at me! I'm at a ballgame!

Last Friday my friend Jennifer and her moosh had an extra ticket to the Cubs Game at Wrigley.
Jen invited me to the game, my third Cubbies game ever! So I took the day off with Jen and we enjoyed the beautiful weather at the park. The game was amazing. I first guzzled an Ice-cold Bud light, yum! Then we basked in the sun as we checked the peeps, and adjacent bleachers atop area apartment buildings. By the third or fourth inning Jen and I, along with Sarah (another Jen friend) meandered down to the concessions. Here we gorged ourselves on tiny hot dogs, labeled "Jumbo Dogs", and sought out more treats...Mai tais for Sarah, Bud Lights for Jolene, and Jen gathered treats for Andy (the Moosh).
Soon we were back in the stands, pondering important points like "what Chicago neighborhoods are fun to live in?" and "was the movie Waitress as wonderful as I thought it was?"
Finally it was time for the party! The seventh Inning stretch! Here we rose to sing along to the famed baller song "Take Me Out to The Ballgame." After it was done I reveled in thought of keeping the karaoke party going with songs from Evita and Dreamgirls... Everyone had a gay old time and we each also had a favorite treat of our own. A malt cup for Jen, soft serve cone for Sarah, peanuts for Andy, and nachos for me! Nummy!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the Cubbies won!

Joey in the Garden

Saturday I rode my bike to the Garfield Conservatory. After, 15 miles of pedaling against the wind, I was rewarded with the retreat of seeing Niki in the Garden! The Conservatory is hosting a special exhibit of 30+ gigantically beautiful and mesmerizing sculptures by artist Niki de Saint Phalle. My favorites included the dancing women with proportions only a big-hipped girl like myself could thoroughly enjoy. The sculptures were adorning the many greenhouses and gardens of the Conservatory, as well as the outdoor gardens. This all of which made me feel as if I were in a magical wonderland! So many of these pieces were intricately designed and fun to look, there were snakes, cats, lions, and, another favorite, the skull. So fun...so pretty.

Little Edie, Big Edie

"Of course I'm mad about animals but raccoons and cats become a little bit boring."—Little Edie Beale Edith Bouvier Beale (background) and her daughter Little Edie Beale (forefront) are true East Coast legends, not to mention the "secret" relatives of the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Having been cast from society, this seriously nutty, loving, and oh so intriguing mother and daughter duo, along with a handful of cats and some raccoons, lived in Grey Gardens, a dilapidated East Hampton mansion.

Having finally been exposed to the cult classic documentary on the Edies, Grey Gardens, filmed in 1975 by the Maysles brothers, Big Edie and Little Edie are today's fashion and balls-to-the-wall inspiration!

There are probably a handful of you that are thinking "snooze, where have you been? The Edies have been everywhere!" And that is certainly true, often designers have used Little Edie's bizarre fashion sense as inspirations in their own lines and the film has been a cult favorite since the 80s, and, of course there is the 2007 Tony-Award winning Broadway musical, Grey Gardens, starring Christine Ebersole. But while I was familiar with them, I just now watched this film and what a treat!

These women given insight to a powerful relationship... they bicker constantly and rehash their lives of their past..Big Edie was a recorded singer, Little Edie an aspiring dancer and debutante. In her late 50's, much to her chagrin, Little Edie moved into Grey Gardens to take care of her mother. The relationship is beautiful and truthful and so intriguing and bizarre and funny. Having never been married, Little Edie is the absolute main character, so melodramatic and full of opinions and so strong-willed. She also acts like a 10 year-old as she wistfully dances and sings throughout the mansion....I wonder if, when I am 57 that will be me and my mother....? Of course my mother is way more low-key than Big Edie.

Rent this movie if you have yet to see Grey Gardens!
Thanks to you Tube here's a little peek into the movie.

Pretty Pretty

Finally! After six months and 12 days I have encountered purses from my Purse of the Day calendar that make me cheery! Now I want you to enjoy as well! Happy July 12. Plastic Beaded Handbags. Maison de Bonneterie and Elizabeth Arden, 1950s

The face powder dust

Two years ago I was in a play here in Chicago, can you believe it?? I performed with this lovely girl, Kelly*... a great actress and a truly sweet person. She is funny and kind and seriously so magnetic as a performer- she's that type of person you instantly wanted to be friends with....

As an equally cool woman myself, naturally Kelly and I became fast friends.

Now I have been in plays where you make friends and then once the show is over- poof these people are out of your life, but you can tell which friendships will last and which won't... I was fairly certain Kelly and I would remain friends long after the play ended. But, turns out, as soon as the show was over we lost instant contact.. It saddened me a bit, but I knew that is the nature of the theater beast, you become really close with people in a short period of time, and then you move on...

Anyway I always thought it a little strange that Kelly and I didn't even really try to remain friends because we did genuinely get along, but whatever, these things happen...

So now fast forward and I have worked again with this theatre group and Kelly is heavily involved with them..I see her and we catch up a little and I continue to receive emails from the studio, and now Kelly as she's pushing various fundraisers for the company... well low and behold today I received the email that confirmed why Kelly and I naturally went our separate ways....

"This Saturday join me for Cool Theater's stage make-up workshop! Be a model and receive a free gift from me!" -Kelly, Mary Kay Independent Consultant.

And rip, another good girl bites the face powder dust.

* Name of theater friend was changed to cover my own ass.

Raccoon Maze

In a walk this past Saturday Frank and I discovered the "Raccoon Maze."
A few blocks from my apartment, just a brisk 15 minute walk, or a 7 minute bike ride, is Raccoon Maze. That is my name for it...not the city of Chicago's. It is a joke between Frank and I, a spin off of the movie Grizzly Man. In that movie they speak of Grizzly Maze, a scary, real place in Alaska where Grizzly Bears dominate and a human is not the superior beast.

Actually the above isn't Raccoon Maze, it's the Raccoon park adjacent from Raccoon Maze. Okay so Raccoon Maze is labeled a bird sancutaury, one Frank and I were eager to walk... the funny thing we couldn't see any birds, but we began to walk the perimeter, mind you it's steps from the lake — you can see the lake behind the trees above — so we begin and suddenly Frank squeals, sort of like a girl but not really, and he points, and there's a raccoon. Then it's me that, not squeals rather screams like the girl I am and run the opposite way.
The guy above was my first coon shot of the day... kind of cute in a creepy giant rat like kind of way...... I don't like Raccoons, they are small beastily animals and they are mean.

Soon we are running into one, two, three, four, ten, 12 raccoons! UGH!

They feed off the chips placed in area trash cans from picnic goers. The bird sanctuary is fenced in, and the coons, I believe have their homes in here.
However that doesn't stop the Raccoons from jumping those fences and running about...


Notice below, the fence is in the background, this was one of many coons charging about.....


So today after a bike ride timing myself from home to downtown Chicago, I headed back to Raccoon Maze to snap the shots appearing in this blog. I was Timothy Treadmill, but I did not want to be one with the coons as he did with the Grizzlies....YUK!


Coons scare me, but not as much as Ferrets.