Starting a New Year

At my very core, I believe myself to be a communicator. I communicate naturally -- in fact I am driven to communicate -- through writing, photography, crafts, designing, cooking. I love the beauty of colors, and design and everyday items through the lens of a camera or the jot of a pen (or, okay, the stroke of a key on a keyboard.) For some reason, the last part of this year, I just shut down. I had grand plans and I accomplished a few things. I made a few of my cookie baskets, somewhat halfheartedly. I made a few photo frames for my brothers and my dad and one for a good friend. I have even slogged my way through decorating a few places in the house, cooking a full Kraft christmas dinner, signing a few cards, and finally finishing Amy's present (smile...she won't get it for a few weeks so it is still a surprise.)
However, the frustrations of everyday life caught up with me. A change of the guard at work. Uncertainty at who I work for and what I do and whether I will still have a job in 2009. Where I want to live..both here and whether I want to make the move back to Texas....or for that matter, anywhere else. My camera -- one of my prized and most helpful possessions not working...just at that time of the year when I treasure it the most. A printer not working. Photoshop templates giving me a hard time. Things just somehow not coming through. Lots of cold and snow. Plans falling apart. Just not being able to get ahead of things.
Then....magically...I had this one day with friends..a couple of hours, really....in a warm restaurant, with TONS of snow falling around us....having a little drinkie poo (and some chocolate and of course wings, and burgers, and fries...) and my friends gave me this magical device...Now see, I have an MP3 player. In fact I just upgraded to a $50 Sansa Suze player (4 G?) where I was really feeling styling. I am not a MAC head, though I should be. First, the color made me laugh and smile. Then, when I finally capitulated and charged it and loaded music onto it, the sound made me sing. And even though the snow has melted and it is cold and icky and my creative mojo is not so good and my house is beyond horrible....I started to smile a little and sing and maybe have some hope. (And I think I discovered the camera issue is just the lens which is SOOO Much easier to fix....hey, I too can buy a new lens....wink, wink!).
No idea what 2009 brings for us. It's a tough time in the world. I have this huge house full of stuff which I need to organize so I can enjoy it. (Okay Wendy Smedley..I signed up for your class so you better come through!). But for now, me and the doggie and my new green ipod are hanging out up here in my office...singing Pat Green....smiling....







I guess just frustration and getting down at this time of

Band Aid 1994

Ya gotta watch this. THe George's are hilarious.....(george michaels and Boy George...) and the music is still great...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jEnTSQStGE&eurl=http://www.cathyzielske.typepad.com/&feature=player_embedded

Five on the Fifth

Woo Hoo! It's December...can you believe it? I love the holidays...the lights..the frosty beauty of the first snow. Well December 1st brought us our first true snow. We had a "frosting" before....more like hail pellets ...but we had "accumulation" as we northerners/midwesterners say. It's beautiful and crazy....the Texas and Florida guys at work are all standing by the window taking pictures with their camera phones...quite funny. (I missed that photo op...) so....the fifth was part of a crazy week....which is likely to get crazier. Photos later today. Here's the list

Five on the Fifth

5. COLD!!! (single digits...)
4. Finally Friday (and not a moment too soon...decks and meetings and changes, oh my!
3. Errands..trying to catch up with christmas chores
2. Oh Christmas Tree!
1. Hanging out in front of the tv, making christmas crafts and having hot cocoa...

Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving 08 - A slice of life

Thanksgiving this year was symbolic of my life over the past year and a half. Try to relax in the morning. Rush like crazy to get ready, get in the car, drive like a crazy person, make it for dinner (lots of drame and surprise around me being there rather than TX), gobble down dinner, rush to get ready and go to the ice hockey game. Hang out at the ice hockey. (The Prairie Thunder lost...badly.) Rush home. Finish reading ads. Plot out Thursday morning. Turn off lights and try to sleep on a couch in a room next to the main drag and not think about everything else. Alarm goes off at 5:30. Brush teeth, wash face, grab list and go to Starbucks where there is a line at 6 a.m. The Target parking lot was full...at 6 a.m. I went to Circuit City and had a few challenges but walked out with 2 mpe 3 players and 2 8 gig photo cards. Leisurely went to Michaels, Lowes, Joanns, Card Outlet, Pier One and Meijer before heafing home. Enough is enough. Got home, ran to bank, ran to Target and came home again. I am so tired I am floating ...one of those feverish floatings. Put up the fresh pine garlands around the door and on the deck. A BEAUTIFUL november day. A little football. A glass of wine and mac and cheese in a cup.

Still thankful, despite the craziness to be with people I love. Happy Thanksgiving.

Five on the Fifth (belated)

1. 7:30 a.m. Happy Birthday Call to Daniel - (I must officially be a cougar...he just turned 40.)
2. Day after the Election...we made history last night! Here in the WIndy City...how awesome!
3. Still 60 degrees in November - this is tricky to dress for....not sweaters and not sleevless
4. Finished the birthday present -- the album took all of my photoshop trickery but it rocks!
5. Packing, laundry, travel craziness - changing routes to fly through Dalls, leaving the house 1t 4:30 am tomorrow....it's a long, wild, tired day.

Planes, Trains and Cars

Anyone remember the movie Planes, Trains and Cars? With Steve Martin? That's how my week went. First, work was crazy. Meetings here, scope docs there, training here.....people coming in for meetings, planning for other meetings....
In the midst of that, I left my house at 4:30 a.m. on Thursday to take a United flight to Dallas. In Dallas, Amy met me at the airport, we went and got coffee and then she took me to Love Airport where I got onto a flight to Houston. In Houston, I rented a car (a shiny new 2009 Jeep Cherokee) and drove to Christina's school to pick her up. Houston, by the way, never changes. Humdity, rain, humidity...
I grab some quick lunch (missing that spicy salad dressing at Salt Grass Steak House), pick up Christina and we go back to Houston Hobby, check in and just make it fast enough through security to walk up to the gate and get onto our flight back to Dallas. Still following me?
In Dallas, Daniel meets us at the airport and we go to Houston's for a belated birthday dinner. Sitting with them at dinner, listening to Christina chatter away and her dad answer her many questions....this ended much better than John Candy and Steve Martin's adventure. The planes, trains and airplanes was crazy....but very much worth it.

Sunday October 5

Sundays rank by far as my favorite day of the week. A good cup of coffee, the newspaper, no need to really go anywhere and interact with the outside world. This Sunday was a bit different. I did indeed drink the coffee and read the paper but at my dad and anne's house (Note to self...must remember to bring real creamer to their house!!) and then we got ready and went to brunch at Shannon's. I actually really enjoy hanging out with them, catching up ...though there must always be some catty comments which completely set me off. To calm myself I tried to go visit Shella who is still desperately depressed off the series of events in her life the past year. So then I took on a project I had been wanting to do..I went to downtown Bloomington and photographed my old downtown. So much has changed...the Illinois House where I hung out with my grandma Dolley and my aunt jo is now an office building. The coffee shop is a wine shop...but the building and the name are still there. The courthouse remains as a historical society. Kresge's is gone (a law firm) as is Roland's but I can stand on the corner and remember it all like it was yesterday. Again, a beautiful fall day so it filled my spirit. I went by my scrapbookng store on the way home....bought a few new thingies and caught up with my favorite scrapping store girl..then I packed up, and stopped in Lexington to drop off a few photos for the family. I arrived home to have Rita all happy and waiting to see me....I think Dorothy was right...there's no place like (MY) home...