Chi-Bound

Although nothing is official, I am 100% sure I am moving back to Chicago before the summer hits. Just in time to enjoy the lake ....

It is impossible to forecast what my exact moving date will be, as dates are being thrown around between all of the people who have control over my life - Big Boss Daddy # 1 & Big Boss Daddy #2 & Big Boss Momma 1 & 2... seriously, there are that many people in control of my life.

In order to show enthusiasm (uh...) about my return to the Chi... I received this note (via facebook):

Hey, good to hear back from you. Thta's cool that you're
in the CHI. Great time to be here.....What kinda job are you looking to get
here? Tired of the minnie city? It would be nice to have you back in the CHI
even though I'm sure I wouldn't see you. How's BJ* doin? Tiger** is doing
great...he's really grown up and maturing. He'll be in 5th grade next year! :)-K

*BJ is the pooch. my pooch

** Tiger is the cat. HIS cat.

RS09

The Redken Symposium is the industry’s premiere educational event and gathers over 10,000 Redkenites from all across the world!

The REDKEN SYMPOSIUM atmosphere is unconventional and unrivalled by anyone else in our industry. This time, there are no rules to hold you back… no formalities that tie your need to twist tradition and adjust reality. Our talented artists will work without rulebooks to encourage you to entertain your innermost aspirations. Using your mind over attitude, you’ll sharpen your intellect with focus that inspires you, network with individuals who can think on your page, bring creativity from the outside in… and exhibit whatever you feel, whenever you feel it without judgment, attitude or compromise.

Las Vegas, a city which reinvents itself daily- and where color, energy, innovation and nightlife never end - will once again host the Symposium.

Join us at its most eclectic hotel, the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in 2009. redken.com

This is a small visual of what my world will look like as soon as I step off of a plane in Vegas on Friday. The Redken Symposium only happens every 2 years and is probably the largest event I will ever attend. Year after year, the Symposium is voted the #1 Educational Event by hairstylists across the nation.

I am proud to be a part of it.

But what the hell am I going to wear?? I will dress simply and let my personality do the talking. . .

ALSO, I apologize for the lame content of my blog since the turn of the New Year. I'm feeling slightly understimulated and I've been in a funk. The Symposium will drag me out of the funk I have been in and will be sure to load me with content to spill Crista From The Block* style.

Please do not forget to check your reactions at the bottom of the blog.

Peace, love & unicorns. xox

Sweetest Things of 2008 according to Me

2008 represented living the way I want to live without any apologies....

Lifestyle Changes:

• Going Vegetarian/Vegan-ish. I feel good - better than ever. It is certainly an addictive lifestyle.
• Becoming n NWA Worldperks Silver Elite member. Upgrade Me.
• Finding a Dog Sitter. Last year, I struggled with travel due to lack of places to put my dog while I was gone. My dog sitter/good friend has relieved that anxiety and stress.
  

Books:

• Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
• The One Hundred by Nina Garcia
• A New Earth by Ekhart Tolle
• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
  

Movies:

• Slumdog Millionaire best movie ever.
• Sex & The City The Movie
  

Trips Taken:

• Maui, Hawaii
• STVI
  

Hotel Stays:

• W Hotel Chicago, IL & Minneapolis, MN there is no place like home. the W should be my home.
• ::Night Hotel NY ::
• Ritz Carlton Kapalua
• Blackhawk Hotel Cedar Rapids, IA very unique hotel in the middle of nowhere Cedar Rapids. every room is different - you choose your room from a list online

Restaurants:

• Ecopolitan - Minneapolis, MN vegan.
• Mafolie - STVI best grouper ever
• Scalintella - Manhattan, NY
• Japonais - Chicago, IL best sushi ever
• Acadia - Minneapolis, MN black bean buger. mmm
  

Nights:

• @ Hard Rock Cafe Maui w/Marty Dread i remember dancing the night away....
• @ Dakota Jazz Club w/ Amel Larrieux in Minneapolis this accounted for two nights. back-to-back
• in New York on Broadway w/Chicago best show yet.
• My Golden Birthday
• NYE @ The W Hotel Minneapolis *smiles*
  

Purchases:

• Furniture from Room & Board
• the '05 Acura TL
• Marciano Jacket
• the iPhone. the ONLY thing I am not sold on with this phone is the fact that you can not text & drive. I KNOW! Not Safe. BUT with the Blackberry, I could text by feeling the keypad - without using my eyes....
• Shuella. Talk about saving lives... the lives of my Stilettos!
• Big Soft Fuzzy Grey Blanket

Discoveries:

• Lemonade Flavored Toothpaste did I ever mention that anything mint or cinnamon gag me?
• Blogspot
• That I am moving back to Chicago
  






"If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything."

gone home

Fort Wayne. "Home." not 'home' to me, rather 'home' to my family.
nothing fancy about this place... besides my mothers car and the piano player at Von Maur.

i grew up here. from the age of 6 to the age of 21.

everyone moves so slow. nothing changes. everything stays the same. upon entering the Fort, i am perceived as the same person i was 5-10-15 years ago. a flawed teenager. that could not smoke a cigarette, dropped out of high school for a month, and dated all of the wrong guys. i will also always and forever be labeled as bric's ex-girlfriend.

i see the same people, shopping the same stores, at the same mall- all of the people slightly pudgier than in the past. i take a double glances as if trying to remember what interaction (if any) i had with these familiar-looking people.

i shop with my mother -giving her the opportunity to show off the daughter that she seems so proud of, that she is proud to have be-friended. she trots me in the bank, the nail shop, the coffee shop - these places that she visits frequently. she takes the opportunity to introduce me to the bank teller, the barista, the manicurist, the chinese lady. she receives plenty of compliments - she thrives off compliments.

i am reminded of the distance between my mother and i when her husband refuses to show his face the entire 36 hours i visit their home. he keeps himself locked in the bedroom. my mother takes him a plate full of food... and returns with an empty plate.

pops. he's a good guy. a man of honesty. messy, yet systematic. he appreciates the simpler things in life. he provides highly intellectual conversation during road trips to grandpa's place. content included: Colorado Snow Tire Chains Laws, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar, ”Santa Baby” by Taylor Swift, Sunflowers grown in Colorado, The rice production in Sacramento, & ”a 40 Caliber Glock.

both of my parents homes are still filled with gifts that i have given them in prior years: elephant candles, picture frames, angel ornaments, george foreman grills, and spoon rests. both of their refrigerators are still filled with diet cokes. pops still keeps 24 packs of sams choice water from wal-mart... for me.

Fort Wayne is a dark place, one that i do not associate with positive happenings. the young boys carry guns and weapons... while at work... while at the club... while holding their babies. my brother, being one of these boys has become a product of his environment. he is impossible, stubborn, a heavily-opinionated jesus-worshiping republican.

On Sunday, I will leave Fort Wayne via the "Fort Wayne International Airport." And I will not be back for another year.

there is no place like home... right?

Tis The Season - Part 2

Naturally, when I went to start my car this morning, it would not start. Remember how I just purchased it, AND I park in the garage? No one / no car is immune - not even the Acura.

Whatev.

Instead of working, I was confined to my condo with unpacking, re-packing, and gift wrapping to handle.

I am headed 'home' to Fort Wayne, Indiana tomorrow for the first time in one year. I only go 'home' once a year for various reasons including: airfare, driving time, lack of interest, my busy work schedule, AND I live in the middle of BFE with no outlet to the outside world (not really, but it feels that way sometimes.)

I went back to Fort Wayne last year, and the trip turned in to a complete disaster. Flights were cancelled, luggage was lost, I was trapped in an undesirable location: The Airport (for hours and hours and hours.)

I got a phone call from pops this morning only to find out he has been without power since Friday afternoon- him and 50,000 + other people in Fort Wayne!

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - December 2008 Ice
Storm Update: 3:00 PM, 12/21/2008

Indiana Michigan Power continues to make progress on restoring
power despite hazardous weather conditions.

However, some customers
are experiencing repeated service interruptions today as a result of strong
winds in the area. I&M is advising customers to ensure alternate living
arrangements either through American Red Cross shelters (listed below) or with
family and friends, if they are in need of housing.

Weather forecasts for the remainder of today and
into the evening call for sustained winds of 20 -25 mph with gusts up to 40
mph.

As of 3 p.m. Sunday, about 54,400
I&M customers are awaiting restoration of electric service, primarily in the
Fort Wayne area.

I&M has brought in more
than 1,200 additional personnel to restore power to the Fort Wayne region and is
expecting more assistance to arrive today.

Property owners must make sure that the service entrance attached
to their structure is prepared to be reenergized.

I have spent the last 2 weekends in airports that are notorious for flight delays and cancellations. Out of the 4 flights I had scheduled, only one was cancelled and I was able to hop an earlier flight out that day (not without DRAMA.) My flight tomorrow with mark my 5th & 6th flight out of Minnesota in the dead of winter. Remember: Traveling is not always glamorous.... especially when 50,000 + people are without power in -2 temperatures, and another ice storm is anticipated at your final destination.

So, tomorrow marks the day for Crista's Holiday Adventure 2008.

WoW

W Hotel
+
Voss Water
+
Acura
+
Liquid Metal
+
Puma

+

♫♪ ♫ ★ ♫♪ ♫
=

ME

(seriously. I could swear the W Hotel caters to my EXACT needs and wants)

W Hotel = My Love

Jet Setter

Fact: I travel much more often than the average person.

Myth: I live a secret life while away from home.

Most people get very excited when it comes to taking a trip far away from home.

An airplane ride is a big deal, and is booked several months in advance. A 6 hour road trip is thoroughly planned. Days and days are spent laying out the items being considered for packing. Money for the big trip is saved for months and months. Numerous thoughts & images of the mysterious destination flood the mind. The trip's itinereary is carefully thought through, only after reading numerous online reviews.

My traveling experience is slightly different. MOST of the time, I am on the road for some type of work event, being a Hair Show, Meeting, or simply to visit salons in markets outside of the Twin Cities. My boss lives in a different state than myself, I have a home office, and am only accompanied by one other co-worker in the Twin Cities. The only way to connect with my co-workers is through travel. Pack the bags, hop a plane, meet up with them in a new city. We have become so accustomed to traveling, we have learned to navigate through any city, and make whatever city we are in 'our life' for that period of time.

When I am on the road, the activities I involve myself are similar to those of the average working-class american: Shower, Iron, Makeup. Breakfast. Coffee. Text friends. Meeting. Work. Lunch. Text. Happy Hour. More Work. Dinner. Text more friends. Hit the streets. OR lay in bed, remote in hand, blogging. There is a slight chance, that I may have FREE TIME in the evening after work to meet up with a friend or two local to the city I am visiting. A slight chance.

Often times, I share a room with a co-worker of mine, have no privacy, no alone time, and am caught up in the presence of people that I do not see often. Catching up on the 411 is an obligation. Did I mention that I rarely see the outside of the hotel?

Being away from home for 10+ days, booking a flight less than 3 days in advance, blowing off a flight, navigating large airports, losing my luggage for 2+ days, being caught alone in cities overnight due to bad weather, hopping in random cabs, making friends with cabbies, staying the night in hotels ranging from boutique to Marriot to Days Inn, hopping a flight to New York, or catching a plane jumper from the islands to San Juan are all daily activities for me.

People often associate my traveling with this sort of 'mysterious life' I live. It is hard for them to visualize exactly what it is that I am doing while I am off in what seems like some luxurious place where I have tons of free time to explore the city, meet people, and add names to the list of people I have screwed.

I can remember back to the very first vacation I took with friends-no parents involved. We stayed in a condo on Treasure Island, and spent our evenings running the streets of Ybor City. As we were preparing for our trip, people kept saying to just be careful. "Be careful.... just.. be safe..." was said in the most solemn of voices. People assumed we were going to Tampa to meet guys and get laid. I was taken aback by these ridiculous assumptions. We were headed to Tampa simply because we were offered a condo at an amazing price. Our agenda was sun-bathing, wave crashing, and drinking at the bar. We had no idea Ybor City even existed. We found it though... and this pretty much sums up our time spent there:

We never did shack up with any guys... and that was never our intention.

Fact: I am able to travel more often for leisure due to Miles earned while flying across the country for my job.

Fact: I DO get to see some cool ish and I DO visit some beautiful places.

Fact: I do NOT enjoy living out of a bag.

Fact: Clothing gets lost, shoes get damaged, and luggage gets torn while en route.

Fact: I am in and out of a buttload of Public Restrooms

Fact: Hotel Food disgusts me. (i would much prefer a home cooked vegan meal)

Fact: Staying home is a small luxury. (as far as I'm concerned)

Fly, Birdie, Fly

Driving home from work tonight I could feel my body tense... uncomfortable. The snow is thick, the roads are slick, and traffic is slow. I felt unsafe. I could not get home soon enough. Due to my recent car accident, I trust no one. Not even myself.

Although the snow is dangerous to drive in, and causes life to slow down, it IS beautiful. Tonight, even as I stare out my window now, the snow is still falling.

As I was walking the dog this evening, up above, I noticed a flock of Black Birds all gathered in the naked, snow-tipped trees. There were hundreds of them. Every few moments, they would all at once fly out of the trees causing a commotion and find a new tree to gather in. As I looked above to watch the birds, the snowflakes were dropping right in to my eyes wide open. As I blinked them off, it was hard to keep my eyes open to watch the activity of the birds. I had a camera ready to take pictures of these black birds that had become an instant fascination. Unfortunately, I could only capture the white snowflakes. The blackness of the birds blended in with the dark sky up above.

The dog was oblivious to the swarming birds and the commotion they were causing. He was busy creating the first footprints in the snow and pushing his face through the fluffy snow. When he finally lifted his head out of the snow, it was completely covered in the white fluffy mess. Was pretty cute.

As the pooch was taking care of his business, I heard a noise. ::PLOP:: I looked up and realized that I was standing directly underneathe a bare tree filled with birds. I looked down, closely at the mess that had plopped down on to the wet groud and realized that it was bird poo. Close call - as I was only standing a few inches from where the poo had plopped.

Right then, I knew it was time to get back inside where we are safe. From the slickness of the snow. The bitter coldness against my face. And the plopping of bird poo up and down the street.

Although the air was bitter cold... it was refreshing. And, I have yet to de-cipher my fascination with birds....

the best things in life are found on Craigslist

Determined to find a decently priced apartment to look at in December when I visit, I am now spending a good portion on my time browsing ads on Craigslist. I have not announced it to the world yet, but I plan on moving back to Chicago in Spring of '09.

I couldn't NOT share this ad that I came across while browsing through the Apt/Housing category.

$30 / 3br - -------------House Wife
Wanted....All Expenses Paid.....SAVE $$ (Just South of Wicker Park)

You Provide: Laundry and house chores.

I Provide: All Housing Expense Paid......You Live For Free....And a chance to get ahead in life by living for free.......

Me: 28 M White, Attractive, Business Owner, Wicker Park

--I am Looking for a house wife

--You wash my laundry/ cook/ clean....I pay all of the bills....

-- I work 90- 100 hours a week, and am sick of spending my small amount
of spare time doing house chores......

--Be my house wife and I'll pay
all of the rent/ utility / tv / phone / internet / food / drinks / parking
expenses you are currently paying!! You can save up $$ and get a jump start on
life !!

--Please include your picture and #.....I'll call to answer any
questions you may have.

-- And yes, this is a real ad, and no this is
not too good to be true. I would just rather not spend my only day off washing
clothes (10 loads per week of work clothes) / cleaning up the house and my
office....

dogs are OK - wooof
Location: Just South of Wicker
Park

Tempting. I think I am the right person for the job. (If not, Phil, I will find out if he would be open to a "house husband.")

Lipstick & the City

I decided to venture out of the house today and treat the pooch to a nice afternoon at the dog park. Although it is cold outside, it was not unbearable... and the pooch has been slightly anxious to get out of the house ( I know this because he whines at me CONSTANTLY.)

Little did I know, the pooch (who was wearing the cutest little black jacket) would become the center of attention at the dog park.

When we visit the dog park (frequently in the spring/summer) we typically go to the park for big dogs, not small dogs ALTHOUGH my dog is only 11 lbs. He enjoys the big dogs, and gets himself in to less trouble. He gets waaaay too excited around the other small dogs.

Today, after roaming around by himself for quite some time, he found a gorgeous lassie-looking dog (50-75 lbs) to focus all of his attention on. Lassie was laying down chewing on a stick, when my pooch decided to take the opportunity to get behind Lassie and mount her. Lassie didn't even notice, but EVERYONE ELSE in the dog park did. There was one point in time that 3-4 people had their camera phones out not just taking pictures - but recording the dominatrix (a.k.a my pooch) in hump-mode. It WAS quite the site. Quite embarassing. The pooch has a reputation of being "romantic" but has also been referred to as Duece Bigalow.....

Eventually, I had to pull my dog off of Lassie and carry him out of the park. He is currently sprawled out on the couch with all 4 legs in the air. Relaxing after his big super-star day at the dog park.

On the lighter side of dog talk I got an e-mail from my grandparents and read this: "...We took Hunter (their dog) to the Mall yesterday in his stroller. He really enjoys that...."

wow.

(((change of subject)))

In less than 24 hours, my dreams of celebrating Hannukah this year have been shattered.

I was not aware that Hannukah is one of the best known holidays simply because of it's proximity to Christmas, It has become part of "The Holidays." Hannukah is often referred to as the "Jewish Christmas" and has adopted many of the Christmas traditions such as gift giving and elaborate decorating - although this is not traditional for the jews. Basic tradition is the lighting of the candles, spinning a dreidle, and eating fried food. Not much for celebrating.

SO I am back to celebrating the Holidays just like the Christians do, just like I did growing up. Santa Clause, Reindeer, and GIFTS... oh... and baby jesus!

To begin my holiday celebration I am going to create a Christmas list. (don't make me get out the JCPenny catalog)

My Official 2008 Christmas List:

• a remote car starter
• The Little Mermaid II
• A new mobile phone (anything but a blackberry. must have GPS)
• a gift certificate to MAC
• a new bed frame
• a blingin watch (I am ALWAYS looking for a watch that outblings my current one)
• a filing cabinet from West Elm
• book shelves from West Elm
• for my (new) car to be fixed because someone backed in to it last night!! GC to the auto body shop?
• OR a vacation home in Bora Bora ((drool))

xox bird