Too much of a good thing.

One of the first things my roommate and I noticed about our new apartment was that the entry way smelled like incense. This appealed to us for many reasons, the main one being that we were absolutely sick of the smell of our previous apartment's hallways. The occupants of one of the apartments below us were chain smokers who smoked inside. The smell of their smoke always seemed to collect in our third floor hallways and somehow seep into our apartment. We used candles and various scents that kept the smell out. (We did noticed, when we went back to finish cleaning, that without our candles the apartment was beginning to smell. I am not sure how our previous landlord will fair with getting someone to rent out that place.

Okay, back to the first part of the story. I noticed this evening that the incense from our neighbors was working its way into our apartment. Not that I minded. It was simply a mental observation. However, when I briefly left the apartment to mail a letter, I was bombarded with a very intense smell of incense in the hallways. When my roommate came in, she brought another wave of incense with her from the hallways and now the smell is so strong I am able to taste it. While none of this is an actual complaint, I would just like to point out that I strongly believe that too much of a good thing may not actually be a good thing.

Rare find

The permanence of an object being lost seems to be in direct correlation to its importance in your life. Today was a rare exception.

Yesterday evening I mistakenly left my wallet in the cab as I was returning home from my friend's art show opening. I was unaware of my doing this until this morning when I was packing my purse for work. I have been absentminded about a great many things and have lost a great many things, but I don't believe I have ever lost an entire wallet. Thankfully I only carry around the essentials - credit cards, bank card and driver's licence. The cancellation of these items was an unpleasant alternative to my morning nap.=, but by noon I had come to the accept that my favorite wallet was gone and that I would have to actually get an Illinois licence. Then came the pleasant call from my bank informing me that they had a woman on the other line who had found my wallet. My lovely bank connected us and I was able to stop by my latest hero's apartment after work to pick up my wallet. Apparently she and her brother had found my wallet in the cab and wisely decided that turning it into the driver was not likely the best option. She fortunately lives in the same neighborhood so it was not difficult to stop by after work to reclaim my lost possession.

I feel incredibly grateful for how the events unfolded. Although not only am I thankful for the return of my wallet, but rather the discovery that some people are still honest - that discovery is the more valuable find of the day.

Newest Favorite Cupcake Ever

I know the title really isn't grammatically correct, but it is impossible to describe my latest chocolate love. As a "thank you" for their date night my employers brought me a cupcake from the bakery "A Taste of Heaven" and I think I am in love. I generally appreciate chocolate, but have often found cupcakes to not always be all that they could. My employers, intentionally or not, failed to give me any hint of why my cupcake was so special. Once home I prepared to partake in the treat, knowing in general the these sorts of things are best eaten right away. As I took it out of it's adorable little plastic carrying case, I noticed that when I licked a bit of the frosting off the edge that it tasted like chocolate. Mind you, not chocolate frosting, but like CHOCOLATE. This was interesting and delightful. Then I peeled away the paper wrapping and bit into the cupcake to discover another surprise, under the chocolate hood was a delightful buttery frosting that meshed perfectly with the moist cake and the sweet chocolate lid without ever overwhelming me with too much sweetness. True to their name, this cupcake was "A Taste of Heaven." What a pleasant way to end the day.

Pre-moving moving

This weekend my roommate and I spend much of our time packing and them moving car loads of stuff over to the new place. This is not my favorite thing, however my eagerness to be at the new apartment makes this process bearable. Next weekend is the big move, but we wanted to have all of the books, the breakables and the artwork over.

My roommate has assessed that we moved about a sixth of our apartment. We'll have help with all of the big stuff and then we'll be out of here. It'll be nice. I am ready for the place. Both R and I were talking about how the new apartment feels grown up. Not that our current place is terrible, it's just quaint and we're both done with being quaint.

Also, last night I went to my friend's art show opening and met the owner of the gallery. I hope to submit stuff for one other their shows in the near future.

Biking and Babies (and my upcoming move)

I am biking again. I love it. I currently have a cold so I have been taking the bus these past few days, but will be back at it soon. My new commute from my new apartment is wonderful because it has actual bike lanes. I am very excited about it. Although there is a bridge that has an incline... I have been spoiled with my current flat bus route.

H has been adorable. He is walking like crazy. We went to the library story hour and then to lunch with my nanny friends and their charges. At the restaurant he was great, watching the musician playing the guitar and flirting with the ladies around him. But whereas before when we went out he would pretty much stay attached to my leg, now he is off exploring. He tried to go into the kitchen there, as well as the bathrooms. It was quite adorable, but requires much more diligence than before.

Oh, side note: If you did not get my recent mass email about my new address and want to be updated please email me. I have a ton of email address without names attached so I don't know who they are exactly... I know, it's helpful. Or not. But anyhow, don't take offense, just email me. The big move is set for the 19th. We've cleaned the new place and will start moving small things and breakable items. My roommate's family is migrating up for the weekend and several of our guy friends from school have volunteered to help. The hard part is getting everything ready.

Appricating life.

This week one of my great Aunts died. I am sad to say that I did not know her well, however, I know her death has effected people who are dear to me. It is their loss and the close-to-home realization that life truly is short that has caused me to ponder the worth of what I am doing. I don't mean that my job and activities have no meaning, but that I am suddenly aware that on life's scale of importance, some of my highlights really are not that important. This week I kept opening this window to write about the happenings and everything just seemed less important in writing.

I also caught glimpses of a preview for a Barbara Walter's Special about living until you're 150. This maybe my youth talking, but I am not sure I want to live to be 150. I hope that by the time I am old (not sure what age is "old" as I get older I tend to thing of "old" as older) I will have lived my life fully and be ready to die. God willing I ever reach "old".

So, this week I am going to take pleasure in the little things God has given me. And my heart and prayers goes out to those who are hurting.