weeks

IMG_7176, originally uploaded by yenna.

awesome:
i saw sloan a week ago. i was hesitant, since i really disliked the last show (which had more to do with people i went to show with and less to do with the band, i think.) this time i forced andy to go (and prepped him for the days prior - put on a song "OKAY WHO IS THIS SINGING?!" "...jay?" "no! but you knew his name, awesome!" but what the fuck, gena. it wasnt like sloan was going to suck. it was awesome! and friends were there! and and and sloan, holy shit so great, i love them.

but you knew that.

also, awesome:
i move tomorrow. will have to expand on this after it actually happens since i'm basically just FREAKING OUT about it at this current time,and for the last weeks i kept having recurring dreams where andy calls me and breaks up with me and i am stranded with this apartment and my heart broken. my mind is so demented. but it doesnt help that he isnt answering his phone right now. what the fuck.

also also awesome:
wall-e. well, shit. i tried to watch it with the cynical edge i am known for but by the end of the movie i was crying for about 30 minutes straight. why? well part of that is personal so no i wont tell you. but the other part? it's just a fantastic achievement. a perfect, beautiful, stunning, funny, smart movie. and you don't see that often or, well, ever. the movie was so good it made me cry due to its beauty. that's fucking hardcore.

sort of awesome:
work. so much work. this week we start a few huge projects for a popular local sports team who may or may not have been in the super bowl a few years back. though i've been working on fairly high profile campaigns, this one totally geeks me out because ill be seeing my efforts all over the city.

not awesome:
cleaning. and packing. so much cleaning. so much packing. and moving. it's hard. and i cleaned so hard and vigorously last night i sprained my wrist, which should make the actual move totally hilariously shitty.

completely unawesome:
my cat right now who, as i typed this entry, jumped THROUGH the screen door and started hanging out outside all badass and is now back inside and crying nonstop.

and, the combination of my horrible luck when it comes to money and finances. i get it, god. you're having a big old laugh. i get it. HILARIOUS.

so, there's an update. must go finish with teh packing as i have to start moving at 630am.

sigh.

sigh., originally uploaded by yenna.

oh, goodness.

i've started packing. it's rough. my credenza was emptied (above, stuff replaced by adorableness), i threw out a large amount of papers and cards and couldn't help but feel a little sad. i save basically everything, and seeing cards from people who i don't speak to for whatever reason, and from times that were less than good... well it makes a person get a little BLAH. but that was over the weekend. i'm better now.

now the cd's and dvd's are packed and i emptied my closet and threw out two bags of old clothes. some shelves are empty, the apartment is the messiest it's ever been and as i look around i realize that i have way too much stuff and living in the same apartment for 2+ years, especially considering i never really left said place for a few months, well. it's overwhelming.

i have no idea how i'll pack everything, but i've started early and have already told myself that a lot of things need to go. this is about a fresh start, so half the apartment is being given away, thrown out or sold. and today i had to fight with my current dumbass management company, which makes packing a little easier and happier.

i know moving is stressful, i know this you guys. and yes, i know management companies fucking suck but these people. these fucking people. are making me pay my rent for this month. AGAIN. and do i have an extra $700? FUCK NO. and if i call them to straighten things out i get transferred to voicemail and not called back. awesome. soooo awesome. i keep telling myself two more weeks. two more weeks. two more weeks. fresh start fresh start. meh, it's jsut so disconcerting because every time i start to get back on my feet, finance wise, something fucking smacks me ove rthe head and sets me back. i was starting to save, starting to be able to pay people back and now... yea. awesome.

maybe the new apartment will have one of those there money trees i hear folks have. but! in awesome news! my boss sat me down monday and we went through my work for the last couple of months and i am now permanent freelancer. which is kind of gay, but also really awesome. and come third quarter (or something, isnt it 3rd quarter now.... i am obviously a moron) they'll most likely hire me as production designer. so, that's all sorts of good. the gig is mine, basically, unless i totally fuck up some direct mail piece and get fired. uh. lets not even talk about that.

mtp

summer hours at work mean i get to work 3 hours less and make $75 less, so i'm not really a huge fan of them. i begrudgingly left early friday afternoon and saw a voicemail from andy. i waited for the lincoln bus and listened and he sounded odd. why he sounded weird, i would soon learn, is because he was calling to tell me that one of my heroes/ favourite people ever had died. i was standing on sedgwick and just was stunned and totally figured he was playing a completely inappropriate joke on me and called him back angrily. "NOT FUNNY" but, as we all know. wasn't a joke at all. i went home and watched all of my favourite newsmen and women cry on air. yea maybe i cried a bit too.

i watched meet the press every sunday, woke up naturally, ate a bagel, had some coffee and tune in. it's so sad and unexpected and i am totally weepy about it at times. especially when i see the above photo (so why not blog it!) luke russert, the fathead legacy is now on you. don't fuck it up.

that put me in a bit of a mood, you could say. i cleaned and packed my first box saturday, but it exhausted me. andy came over, we did stuff, i was stressed out and sad and the large iced coffee, large black eye (iced coffee with two shots of espresso) and sugar free red bull wasn't waking me up or cheering me up. we took a walk around lincoln square, to our new place, got cakes at selmarie it was lovely. i was totally cheered up. cut to 6am and i still couldnt fall asleep. and i was back to CRANKYTOWN.

you know what FUCKING SUCKS. when you cannot sleep and your boyfriend sleeps like a log. snoring, taking up the bed and stealing the covers, and you just lay there and damn him to hell. that was me saturday. i just wanted sleep sooo badly. i got about 3hrs of sleep, woke up in time for meet the press (sob) and watched tom brokaw cry on air. then we went to glenn's for a most delicious meal and shoppe din lakeview and went to target. on our way to target andy was cut off, TWICE, by some punk kid and got uber pissed. then it dawned on me (weird timing, whatever) how much i love this dude. how did this happen, seriously. it's glorious.

murphy

look at me, being all impatient. i don't even have the patience to put an img tag in here or find a photo. you are heart broken, i know.

this is the fisrt ever downtime i've had at work, so i am blogging.

i'm just so excited to move. i showed my apartment to lots of nice people, i even ran out of applications. and i am doing so tonight. hopefully someone takes it and i have one less thing to worry about. this week i am all about LISTS and making them. i need to organize myself hardcore for this move, since it is completely different from any other move, as i'll have to live with someone who sort of likes me. so, lists. hopefully i'll start them tonight. yup...

on the subject of things i need to do but probably won't, i have to start running again because i took a huge break and gained a few pounds. DEPRESSING. but it's fine, it'll come off easily. orrr i will just stop eating. good plan.

the weekend was stress filled, but nice. i stayed up all night friday to clean the place, saturday a bunch of folks came over, as did andy. we ended up sitting and drinking beer and then falling asleep. because we are very exciting people. and sunday i showed the place to more people, we got lunch with sat at hamburger mary's and then fell asleep. awesome.

OH! but i did find a new favourite store to go to and then cry because i can't afford anything in it. when we have our housewarming party, feel free to buy us hundreds of dollars worth of goods from: foursided

luckily, this week seems pretty light on work and plans, so i can get home and curl up with the cats and chill out... something i haven't done in MONTHS.

new apartment

new apartment, originally uploaded by yenna.

it's been a big week here at gena headquarters. the most important thing of the week, of the year, of, you know, ever, is that on wednesday evening, andy and i signed our lease. this is our new place (with other peoples stuff in it, obvs. we had looked at a two bedroom in the apartment at first. it was enorrrrrmous (two bedroom with office, living room, dining room, porch, etc) and decorated beyond perfectly. i'd turn a corner and be like "OMG I WANT THAT! oh thats so pretty, i want that too!" it was really incredible, all the new, modern furniture the tenants had, with the little vintage and antique details. THATS MY STYLE.

but, we didn't get our application in on time ( i had to work 12 hours that day and couldn't get in the paperwork until 11pm. doh.) so some very lucky people got that place. the woman at the management company, who is friendly and cute and hilariously nerdy and great (such a surprise since all management company people are total cunts) let us know about this one bedroom in the same building and we went the next day and fell in love once we entered. so, we signed the lease, paid the money, and on july 1st will live here.

now i am stoked and all to live with my boyfriend who i am so crazily in love with blah blah blah whatever, but i am even more stoked to decorate this new place. i'm watching the apartment therapy blog hardcore (do you read it, you should, its wonderful and inspiring) and if i see something cute or that would be helpful to have, i call andy and tell him about it. he doesn't care. he has his 42" plasma tv so he is happy. also, me. but one thing i was excited about getting he bought already. we will put it in our kitchen, above the breakfast bar (we have a breakfast bar!!)



it's in the rockwell crossing hood of chicago, which is so beautiful and quiet and cute and man, i love it. one of the main draws of my place is that its next door to beans and bagels aka the greatest place ever! WELL GUESS WHAT. the new apartment is next to the larger beans and bagels so i fucking win. I WIN, JERKS. i'm taking this opportunity to star fresh so i am starting the process of letting go of a lot of my things and bad habits and such. it's hard, and i will likely complain about it here, but whatever. it's about time things go right. here's another photo...

scheer + mcbrayer

scheer + mcbrayer, originally uploaded by yenna.

scheer and mcbrayer opened up the improv fest this year and since every time we watch 30 rock i mention them to andy, i figured i'd get us tickets to see it. and i made it a seeeecret. not that it was any spectacular thing, but i wanted to do something nice for the boy. so, we got some chipotle (it's so good but so awful) and stood in line (line!). andy said he was totally suprised but i don't really believe him, i am sure he did his research because like half a second after the theatre was in view he was all " PAUL SCHEER AND JACK MCBRAYER?!?!!?"

some awful all female musical improv group opened and the a/c was out and it was a fairly miserable first hour but so worth it. i only took two photos because i was too involved in not PASSING OUT FROM INTENSE HEAT. but whatever. it was abuot seeing hte show and laughing rather than sitting behind a lens for two hours.

also, i remembered that, like, i hate going to improv shows. and hearing about some douchebags 5b class and then hear him theorize how soandso is a comedic genius and why. sorry improv people, i love some of you, but 95% of your kind are just absolutely ridiculous people who i wish wouldn't breathe my air.

jokes!
but really. that dude behind us was an asshat. and i kept seeing people who i didn't really care to ever see again. but i am doing pretty okay in not reveling in my past mistakes with past people, and am quite ecstatic about how life has changed and grown. i feel really, well, wonderful y'all. and it's just going to get better. i know it. i mean, i am sitting here watching obama give his victory speech. HE WINS. and WE WIN.

speaking of winning, do you know anyone who is in the market for a slightly crappy studio apartment?