Write a six word memoir!

I've always wanted to write a memoir, and now I have. In six words. (It took me about 10 minutes). I found this fun link to an online magazine where you can submit your six-word memoir. Here are some examples:

"Gloves off. Rings off. Marriage over."
"Sixties hippie chick finally grows up."
"I am more than six words."

I tried it and here are four six-word memoirs I wrote.

"A Baptist girl finally blossoms late."
"Questions never answered, but peace found."
"Hesitant observer finally joins the game."
"Never stops hoping for good hair."


Which one should I submit?
Let me read your six-word memoirs!

I knew there was a good reason I like Obama

Ever taken the Meyers-Briggs personality test? I'm an INFP, for anyone who's wondering. I'm an "Idealist".

Turns out Barack Obama is, too. He's an ENFP. Read about the personality types of all of the candidates in Emily Yoffe's fun article in Slate.com today. It explains a lot...

Learning to love the EL...again.

When I first moved to Chicago several years ago, I loved riding the "El". It made me feel urban, young, chic, streetwise, and cool. I didn't even mind when it was crowded. I reveled in being part of the masses of humanity taking the train "to the Loop" to work. It was gritty, loud, crowded, and fun. I liked seeing the tops of two flats and the back porches of condo buildings whizzing as I rode to work.

But somewhere along the line I became disillusioned. The crowds started annoying me. I noticed I no longer liked strangers bumping up against me or pushing me aside as they tried to squeeze into a too-full train car. Then I had a job in the NBC Tower, which was several blocks from the El station. It was a difficult time in my life. I was in the process of trying to transition from working in the Christian publishing ghetto to something different -- I wasn't sure what -- and I was taking fiction writing classes. I was temping for a company in the NBC building, which turned into a full time job. But a job I hated. It was a job where my skills weren't being used, where I didn't fit in, and where I felt like I was spinning my wheels. In the winter, the walk from the El station to the NBC building was, well, hellish. The NBC building is near the lake, and to get from the El to the building I had to walk through a large open plaza that during the winter was like walking through Antarctica. I would arrive a work windblown, frozen, with watering eyes and a red nose. And all that to get to a job that I despised.

That experience soured my love for the El. It no longer held any romance for me. Now it was like a mean ex-boyfriend.

I was relieved when I left that job to work as a freelancer. My main client was in a northern suburb, and I got to drive to work, where there was a huge black-topped parking lot. FREE Parking! I couldn't believe my good fortune. I suddenly loved the large expanses of green grass in the burbs and the huge yellow-lined parking lot. I loved listening to NPR in the car and the 10 Starbucks on the way to work. The "El" I had had broken up and I had a new lover: My car.

My new job is a half-block from the El station. At first I tried to deny this. The first couple of weeks on the job I drove to work, "To make my transition easier," I told David. But parking is scarce, and if I couldn't find a free spot, I'd end up parking in a lot where I paid $13. After a few weeks I had to be honest with myself: We couldn't afford to spend that much. So I knew I had to make up with the "El" and learn to love it again.

I really have it quite easy now. David often drives me to the El station near our house. I'm near the "top of the line" so I usually get a seat. It's only a 30 minute ride to work, and I only have to walk a half-block from the El station to the door of my office building. Plus, there's a Starbucks right around the corner.

But I still have "El" baggage. I loathe waiting. Standing on the El platform waiting for the train is a test of my patience, especially in the cold. But I'm learning to enjoy the ride. Today I sat on the side of the train and felt the sun on my face. I noticed all of the church steeples on the way downtown. I like "people-watching" and find it interesting that you can tell what stop we're at by the type of people who get on -- the former frat boys and sorority girls at the Fullerton Station. The more diverse crowd at the Howard Station. When I take the train to Logan Square for Nordic Choir practice on Monday nights, I'm riding the El with hipsters and artsy types.

I'm trying to see my morning commute as meditative. Being quiet and contemplative in the midst of the chaos of humanity. To see each face that gets on the train and wonder who they are, what they're thinking, what they're struggling with. Or sometimes I just sleep (or try to).

Maybe one day you'll see my photo here.

This website was created by the sister of my good friend Mrs. Metaphor.

Migraines "R" Us

I woke up today with a migraine. This is my fourth migraine in the past week. Just when I was feeling hopeful that maybe, just maybe, the daily Beta-blocker I take to prevent migraines was finally kicking in and getting my headaches under control. I hadn't taken my other medication, Relpax, for a few months, so I was hopeful. (I take Relpax when I actually have a migraine.)

My error is thinking that I can actually control what goes on in the veins in my head. And believe me, I try. I stay away from "triggers" that set off the headaches. These (for me) include red wine, aspartame, getting too hungry, getting too tired, getting too stressed, and strong cheese. It's a delicate balance. There are other things I can't control -- like changes in weather (the barometric pressure sets them off), and cold wind, and hormones.

Every time I get a migraine, it's a guessing game as to what set it off. The cold front that came through yesterday? My lack of sleep? Too much caffeine? Stress at work?

Last week my headaches were triggered (I think) by the following:

Wednesday: I took a walk at lunch. It was sunny out, which fooled me into thinking that it was actually WARM outside. So I didn't wear a hat. It was really only around 18 degrees outside, and I think the cold wind on my head and the bright sunlight set off my headache.

Thursday: I had a big meeting with one of our clients -- a client who used to be my employer. I was nervous about the meeting, and about seeing former colleagues. Bingo. I had a splitting migraine after the meeting.

Saturday: I went out for drinks with friends. I avoided red wine, which is known to trigger migraines. Instead, I had a martini. A splitting headache followed. Apparently I can't consume any alcohol anymore.

Monday/Tuesday: Last night I felt a migraine coming on at about 8:00. I couldn't think of what would trigger it, except that I waited a little too long to eat dinner, and a cold front was coming through Chicago. I guess that's what did it. Since I had taken Relpax three times last week, I didn't want to take it yet again...The stuff is expensive and the side effects make me nervous. So I went to bed last night without drugs, hoping I could sleep off the pain. Nope. I woke up at 5:00 this morning with a splitting headache. Knowing that I needed to go to work in a few hours, I took a Relpax and went back to bed.

This is my life with migraines. A constant balancing act, trying to make sure I don't consume the wrong thing, don't take walks when it's too cold, don't get too stressed, or too hungry or too tired.

At least now I have drugs to take. The Relpax usually works well. But I hate taking it. If I don't take it, the headache could last three days.

I get depressed, sometimes, thinking about how I have to deal with this pain on a regular basis. I wonder "why me?" and I envy people who don't get headaches. What is that like, I wonder? During times why I'm suffering from a series of migraines, I measure my days by my head. Yesterday my head was "foggy" and my forehead felt "stuffy." I felt down and discouraged all day, like I would have to live the rest of my life with the pain. ON bad days I feel frail and sickly, and walk around looking pale with dark circles under my eyes.

But today is a good day (after the Relpax kicked in). My head feels clear and pain free. I feel more hopeful. I'm hoping this feeling will last for a while.

Oh, if you want to read more about migraines, check out the Migraine Blog on the New York Times web site.

Today's entry is about the hallucinations or "auras" that some people get before their migraine starts. Sounds kindof cool. I don't get auras. Just the pain. bummer....

Why become a Vegetarian?

Greg Boyd, who I've mentioned before in this blog and who wrote "The Myth of a Christian Nation," recently wrote two posts in his blog about why he's a vegetarian. Good stuff, I say. This guys is a kindred spirit in many ways....

Cuteness, Valentine's day, Lent

I have a new online acquaintance, Kristin, who just got a referral for a three year old little girl from Ethiopia. Check out her blog to see photos. (scroll down.) How cute is she?! Since we're hoping to adopt a little girl around this same age, I get really excited seeing photos like this. Kristin said they only waiting 5 months for a referral, which is encouraging. They're traveling soon to get her.

I also got excited when a friend recently sent me a picture to hang in our child's room. It was such a thoughtful gift. David put it on top of the bookshelf, where we can see it and be reminded of what's to come. I can't wait to decorate the room.

****

I'm usually not one for Hallmark-created holiday's like Valentine's Day. But it was very nice to come home last night to a clean house and flowers on the table. My husband's the best.

****

I was going to give up sugar for Lent, but that lasted about a day and yesterday I ate two cupcakes and three pieces of Valentine's chocolate. So now I'm a failure at both Lent and Weight Watchers. Lord have mercy.

So instead of giving up chocolate for Lent, I'm taking the advice of Scot McNight and saying the Jesus Creed every morning and evening until Easter:

Hear O Israel! The Lord our God, The Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no commandment greater than these.

Interesting Factoid

Tom Skilling, our revered weatherman, says we've only had 11 minutes of sun so far in February.

That's ELEVEN MINUTES! And I was probably sitting in the office during that whole sun-shiney event and missed it.

Finding Redemption in Film

Here's Christianity Today's list of "The ten most redeeming films of 2007." I've seen about half of these, and with 12 inches of snow on the ground, I may go out and rent the other half this weekend!

Apologies

Hello dear readers. I apologize for my long absence. I started a new job on January 7--a 9-5 fulltime job. No more freelancing for me, no-sir-ee. And I'm actually quite happy about that. After spending five years in the corporate world DREAMING, SALIVATING, WAITING for the day that I could freelance again....I finally had the opportunity to freelance again in June of 2006 and realized, "Um, oops, I'm not happy with this arrangement after all."

I missed having colleagues. I missed getting up every morning and having somewhere to go. I felt lost and bored during the times when I only had a trickle of work. And I got tired of having anxiety attacks wondering if the work would pick up again.

The final straw was when David decided to go back to school to get a degree in counseling. Good decision. He's happy and working toward something that he's thought about for a long time. But that left us with no steady income, and that had to change. So the combination of all of these factors made me start contemplating a fulltime gig again.

Thankfully, around this time one of my freelance clients approached me. Good timing. Maybe divine? Who knows. But it's an agency where I've wanted to work for a long time. I love the work they do. The people are cool but not ego-driven. And I get to wear jeans to work everyday. You can read more about the agency here.

Check out the book they designed for the Dior exhibit at the Chicago Historical museum. Very cool. And they do work for the Morris Foundation -- which is all about animal rights. Right up my alley.

So I'm getting used to the commute (only 30 minutes on the train). I like having co-workers. I feel creatively challenged. And they pay me a lot. So it's all good.

And hopefully now we'll FINALLY get our adoption started! We're chomping at the bit, but felt like we needed to get ourselves into a more financially stable position before we got going full tilt.

So here we are. Now that I'm more settled into my new schedule and life, I hope to post more.