Month: February 2019

What’s In Your Bag?

I got the idea for this post while listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Hurry Slowly. The episode was exploring the ways in which smart phones have changed our lives, including the things we carry with us on a day to day basis. It mentioned that years ago there was a trend on Flickr where people posted pictures of the things they carried in their bags.

Naturally, I hightailed it over to Flickr to check it out and indeed, there are a lot of pictures of peoples stuff. These photos got me thinking about the beginning of one of my favorite books, The Things They Carried, and how the author detailed the important items his fellow soldiers carried with them during the Vietnam War. I liked looking at what books these strangers were reading. I wondered what kinds of things they were writing in their notebooks, what pictures were on their cameras and why did they own so much Hello Kitty stuff?! And then I wondered what would be in their bag now? Would they still carry a camera or day planner or a book? Or would their phone now carry these items?

A few years back (2014 to be exact), in a fit of pique, I dumped the contents of my bag on my bed, took a picture of it and posted it to Instagram. I was annoyed with the fashion bloggers who would post ridiculous pictures of macaroons and a billion lipsticks (that just happened to match the macaroons) spilling out of their bags.

Here’s the picture and original caption:

Fashion bloggers would have you believe that they nothing but macaroons and pretty lipsticks in their bags. This is closer to the truth. Two weeks worth of mail, shoes, multiple sets of ear phones……and a cat. #thisiswhyicantfindmykeys #ormycoatcheckclaimticket #wtfisinmybag #chicagogirl #ineedabiggerbag #orasmallerone

What that picture really says about my life at the time:

  • Two weeks worth of mail – I worked a lot and spent next to no time at home. I would remember to pick up my mail on my way to work in the mornings, but never took it out of my bag at night.
  • The heels were in my bag because I wore trainers to work and then put my heels on when I got to the office. Walking to and from public transportation added up to about 2 miles each day so the trainers were far more practical. Also, it was rare that I would get a seat on the bus or train so add in another 30 minutes of just standing.
  • The Blackberry was how I stayed in contact with work outside the office. I carried it in addition to my phone.
  • The earphones were so I could listen to music during my commute.
  • The two bags of makeup were in my bag because I would shower quickly in the mornings and run out the door with wet hair and sans makeup. I took my makeup with me to do either at work or before I would go to whatever event I had in the evening (like the ballet, hence the Swan Lake playbill).

This is what I carry with me now:

  • Journal
  • Writer’s Notebook
  • Planner
  • Keys to my condo
  • Makeup remover
  • Earphones
  • iPhone
  • Wallet

My life has clearly slowed down considerably since 2014. I spend a lot more time writing. I put my makeup on BEFORE I go to work, which requires the makeup remover since it’s usually smeared under my eyes by 10:00 AM. I still take public transportation to work and walk several miles a day, but I’ve learned to leave the heels at the office instead of carting them with me each day.

What do you carry with you and why? Post a picture of what’s in your bag in the comments.

Weekly Wrap-up #6 and a Confession

I have a confession: I’m surprised that I haven’t quit this project yet. Especially since I spent January getting ready to close on a condo and now most of February decluttering, cleaning and packing. I’ve still managed to find time every day to take a photo. Some days are harder than others and I’ve missed a couple of days, but for the most part, I’ve stuck with it. This project tests my patience, creativity and time management skills.

I don’t know if it’s making me a better photographer, but I am learning to let go of my perfectionist tendencies. I have days when I hate the pictures I’ve taken and I’m tempted to keep trying until I’m happy, but then I think that may never happen and I’m tired (or cold or hungry or frustrated or bored) and I just want to move on. So I do, hoping that tomorrow will be better.

Day 35/365: Packing up my beloved books.

Day 36/365: I was feeling very uninspired, so I took a picture of my cats’ food rather than my dinner.

Day 37/365: Silverware in the dishwasher. I hate putting away silverware almost as much as I hate doing laundry.

Day 38/365: Jewelry. Each piece was purchased on vacation somewhere. The necklace and earrings are from a shop on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy. The gold ring is from Costa Rica and the silver ring I bought while on a hiking trip in Minnesota. The jewelry box was a Christmas gift from my parents well over 20 years ago.

Day 39/365: Rose making her herself comfortable while I’m trying to write.

Day 40/365: My friend and her son.

Day 41/365: A quick snap of my new neighborhood on a snowy afternoon.

New Condo

I officially closed on the condo last Friday. To celebrate, I had some friends over that same night to drink champagne from plastic cups and eat pizza on the floor of my empty condo. It was so much fun to share the milestone with them.

Maria, Rhiannon and their dog, Hazel. They live at the end of the block so I’m super excited that I’ll be close to friends.

Randy and Hazel. While I’m sad that I’ll be moving further away from Randy, the upside is there is always plenty of parking in my new neighborhood and when we go out to dinner, it’s usually in Andersonville anyway so it’s not like I won’t see him just as often.

Teresa – always hamming it up for the camera.
The only items in my new fridge – left over pizza and champagne.

Here’s a link to an article in the Chicago Sun-Times about Andersonville. I’m so excited to explore my new neighborhood in depth. It has a lot of character which translates to some great photo opportunities!

Weekly Wrap-up #5 and a Polar Vortex

Last week’s polar vortex wasn’t the first one we’ve dealt with in Chicago. We survived one in 2014, though it wasn’t as cold as the one that blew through last week. I remember having to walk in the extreme cold to the train, wait for said train and then walk from the train to the office because the firm I worked for at the time didn’t think the cold was dangerous enough to warrant closing the office.

This year my firm took pity on its employees and ordered us to work from home on both Wednesday and Thursday. Though this polar vortex was colder and more dangerous, it didn’t seem as bad. Probably because I didn’t have to go outside this time. Plus I got to sleep in because my commute was all of 30 seconds (my bed to my couch) and I never got out of my pajamas. As an added bonus I actually got to snap a couple of pictures using natural light since I wasn’t stuck in a windowless office.

Anything Goes: Rose was mesmerized by the falling snow.

Food: Roasted vegetables.

Indoors: My windows face the east so I was able to get a cool shot of the light coming in through my bedroom windows.

Personal: More books. I absolutely love true crime. I’ve read countless books on crime and the criminal justice system. My phone is full of podcasts like My Favorite Murder, Stranglers, Serial, and Dirty John. You’ll see shows like Homicide Hunter, Forensic Files, and Making of a Murderer in my Netflix queue. I’m fairly certain that I’m the only person who actually wants to be called for jury duty and is frustrated that I’ve never been called.

Instead of a picture of the cats, I thought I’d switch it up this week and post a picture of my friends’ adorable dog, Hazel. She’s the absolute sweetest.

Portrait: My friends, Maria and Rhiannon, and their dog Hazel. Does this picture seem out of focus or is just me?

Urban landscape: A favorite brunch spot in my neighborhood. It’s hilarious to us that it’s a pancake house and a bar, but the pancakes are really good.

There were a couple of interesting articles about the polar vortex in Chicago. We had what they were calling frost quakes, which I hadn’t experienced before. You can read about them here. I never felt any rumbling, but I did hear the loud booms. I have to wonder if the frost quakes will have any effect on our roads come spring.

The CTA also set the train tracks on fire to keep switching mechanisms from freezing. If only this would also solve the rest of the mechanical problems that the CTA faces daily.