New Mexico, here I come!

I am so excited! this time tomorrow we’ll be heading out to New Mexico to hang out with our awesome friends, Sarah and Adam!!!! I can’t wait to see them, drive to Taos,  relax, and tool around ABQ!!!!

I’ll be back monday. with updates and LOTSA photos!!!!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

Day 147: Still coughing…

Antibiotics, originally uploaded by carissabyers.

So, on Friday, I finally went to see the doctor about my cough– I swear I heard a collective sigh of relief in the office when I told them I made the appointment…

He looked me over, listened to me hack, and agreed that it was time for more serious course of action and gave me antibiotics and heavy duty cough syrup (read:codeine laced cough syrup). I’ve been taking the antibiotics for 5 days now, and I STILL have the cough. Admittedly, it’s waaaay better than it was last week, but I was hoping that it would be over by now. My co-workers are ready to smother me to keep me quiet…

(shhh…it’s my birthday!)

(jeero and adam wished me a happy birthday!)

Thank you to everyone who has sent me birthday wishes!!!!!!! I’m having cake and coffee at my moms house tonite, and I have the day off of both works tomorrow. Hopefully, the weather will be nice enough for me to get to the botanic garden and shoot a little! If not, well, then I will have a nice relaxing day at home and may  even get to sleep in a little and paint! Whatever the weather, I am looking forward to a little “me” time tomorrow!!! Happy Birthday to me!

sometimes, we have a little fun at work (the photoshoot edition)

Upstairs, in our makeshift (ghetto) photo studio, we decided to have a little fun with the shot. This is TOTALLY NOT how we shoot things for work…

Hello Monday or, i can haz bronchitis?

so, i’ve had a rough/scratchy throat (complete with the oh-so-sexy i just smoked 12 packs of cigarettes voice) and have been coughing for a week now.  D mentioned yesterday that it sounds like I have bronchitis (he should know, he gets sidelined from this every year.) I went to my parents house yesterday, and the first thing Dr. Bern (aka, mom) said was “I think you have bronchitis” (again, another who suffers from a bout of bronchitis at least once a year.)

that would explain  why i’ve been coughing like crazy for a week, with no other symptoms usually indicative  of a cold or flu. no sneezing, sore throat, running nose, achy-ness… nope. just coughing. like crazy. So much so that my abs hurt now as if i’ve been doing crunches or something. i just hope that when i finally stop coughing, i will have a rocking six-pack.

According to webmd, here are the symptoms of acute bronchitis:

• A cough, which is the main symptom of acute bronchitis. It may be dry at first and after a few days may bring up mucus from the lungs. The mucus may be clear, yellow, or green.  Sometimes, small streaks of blood may be present.  (check. and it’s clear, thankyouverymuch)
• A mild fever, usually less than 101F. A higher fever may indicate pneumonia. (not sure about the fever. i feel okay and pretty “normal”)
• A general feeling of tiredness. (check)
• A sensation of tightness, burning, or dull pain in the chest under the breastbone that usually is worse when breathing deeply or coughing. (check)
• Whistling noises or wheezing when breathing, especially during physical exertion. (check)
• Hoarseness. (check, although this seems to have gotten a little bit better)

Webmd also says “Most cases of acute bronchitis in otherwise healthy people last only 2 to 3 weeks. But more than 20% of people with acute bronchitis have a cough that lasts more than 4 weeks.”

I’m hoping that whatever I have is on it’s way out soon. *sigh*

here’s what webmd says I should to to treat bronchitis:

• Relieving your cough by drinking fluids, using cough drops, and avoiding lung irritants. You may also use nonprescription cough suppressants, which may help you to stop coughing, and expectorants, which may make coughing easier so you can bring up mucus. Research on cough suppressants and expectorants does not show that they stop a cough, but some people might find them helpful.
• Avoiding caffeine and alcohol, which cause you to lose extra fluid from your body and may lead to dehydration.
• Stopping smoking, if you smoke.
• Getting enough rest so your body has the energy needed to fight the infection. Generally, you feel better sooner if you rest more than usual while you have acute bronchitis.
• Using nonprescription medicine, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin, to relieve fever and body aches.
• Breathing moist air from a humidifier, hot shower, or sink filled with hot water. The heat and moisture can help keep mucus in your airways moist so it can be coughed out easily.

So, yeah, I was going to have a great big sale in my shop and a blog giveaway in honor of my birthday this week (shhh…) but I don’t think it’s going to happen. not this week. I don’t want to stress out about it and be up super late getting stuff done.  I might actually listen to D and my mom and rest and relax when i’m home. (i think i just heard some audible gasps!) i know, crazy, right?

The James Downing Theatre Presents: A Majority of One

The James Downing Theatre’s Production of “A Majority of One” opens this weekend!

The James Downing Theatre will present its fall production, “A Majority of One,” opening September 19th, at the John Waldron Arts Center at Edison Park United Methodist Church, 6740 N Oliphant Ave, Chicago, IL 60631.

Evening performances will be at 7:30 pm on Saturdays and matinees will be at 1:30 pm on Sundays, for four weekends, from September 19th through October 11th, 2009.

Tickets are $20 for adults; $15 for senior citizens and students.
Group rates are available at $13 per person, when reserved in advance.

Season subscriptions for 2009-2010, including three shows (“A Majority of One,” “The Fantasticks” in March 2010 and “Catch Me If You Can” in May 2010) and a Dec. 5, 2009 Holiday Cabaret, are available now for $50 per person, $35 for seniors and students, offering flexible dates within the run of each show.

Contact (773) 792-3030, jamesdowningtheatre@gmail.com or go to http://jamesdowningtheatre.typepad.com for reservations and more information.

“A Majority of One” is directed by Floyd A. May. The Edison Park cast stars Sue Mrotek and Marc Rita. The original 1959 Broadway play starred Gertrude Berg and Sir Cedric Hardwicke, and it also was adapted as a popular film starring Rosalind Russell and Alec Guinness.

A classic comedy-drama by Leonard Spiegelgass, the show explores the issues which lead to and can help to overcome intolerance. An American widow and a Japanese businessman develop a warm friendship, but it is not long after the end of World War II, and many still have conflicted emotions about their wartime political enemies. Among those opposing their relationship is her son-in-law, a young diplomat sent to negotiate with a Japanese business delegation. The wiser elders show by example that intolerance – between nations or individuals – comes from a lack of understanding and is not insurmountable.

The title of the play comes from American philosopher Henry David Thoreau: “Any man more right than his neighbors, constitutes a majority of one.” (From “The Duty of Civil Disobedience.”)

Directed By Floyd A. May

Featuring: Thomas J. Akouris, Danelle Baroja, Judiel Bibat, Mark
Bibat, Mark Brewer, Morgan Christiansen, Julie Mitre, Sue Mrotek, Marc Rita & Cary Shoda

Produced & Assistant Directed Joshua Dlouhy
2nd Asst Director & Stage Manager Manny Schenk
Technical Director Steve Kedzierski
Set Design Floyd A. May
Costume Design Linda Waldron & Sue Mrotek
Prop Design Ron Denham

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION SPACE

The James Downing Theatre is part of the John Waldron Arts Center, located at Edison Park United Methodist Church. These programs were established to bring community theatre back to Edison Park, and are in memory of two men who devoted their lives and talents to the performing arts.

The late James Downing, an Edison Park native and long-time Park Ridge resident, worked in the Chicago theater community for more than 40 years, directing shows, and teaching acting at the Peggy Sommers Studio in Edison Park (predecessor of the Studio of Dance and Drama in Norwood Park). Among his students were professional actors Karen Black, Carrie Snodgrass and Howard Platt and future U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The late John Waldron, a teacher at Maine South High School, taught a youth acting class, and was very active as an actor in the northwest suburban community theatre scene. He was also a founding member of the Mount Prospect Theatre Society.

For more info about Edison Park United Methodist Church and its programs, please visit http://edisonparkumc.com.

Weekend Wrap Up

The big highlight this weekend– Renegade Craft Fair!

It was super awesome!!! TONS of great folks came out to sell their awesome creations, and TONS more people came out to support them and shop!!!!

Here are some of my favorite shops that we saw:

1. Handcrafted curiosities by Lori Brown
2. Felt wonders and other clever crafts from abbeychristine
3. Fernworks
4. Cakespy.com

To see a list of all the other fabulous shops that attended in the Renegade Craft Fair this year, please check out this links page (warning: be prepared to browse for hours…)
Renegade Craft Fair Artists

The rest of the weekend was spent working on a LARGE stained glass door. I took it home from the theater last weeks and had plans to just clean it up a bit and re-lead the glass. Well, cleaning led to removing all of the lead which lead to a “blank canvas” sort of situation– so I created a new pattern and painted it in. (It looks awesome! Photos to come later!) I also worked on a Japanese scroll for the upcoming show. I can’t show you that– you’ll have to see the show to see it!!!!

Renegade Craft Fair- This weekend!!

Chicago Renegade Craft Fair September 2009

You should go.
Find out more info here.

hello wednesday!

'sup?

jeero, babo, and ox– straight chillin’ at my desk.

what's this button do?

hello Friday and some updates!

I’ve been totally MIA these last two weeks. I’ve had a bit of what you would call… car drama– I took my car in because my check engine light came on. That worried me a bit. Well, the diagnosis from my mechanic wasn’t good. He said, “I think it’s time for a new car.” No kidding. He estimated the repairs to be over $3,000.

I had no engine mounts, the check engine light was attributed to something wrong with the catalytic converter and misfiring in the engine, and there was something wrong with my axles, my right side rims were really bent (thank you Chicago potholes)…the brakes I needed were the least (and cheapest!) of my repairs!!! I *just* plunked down over 1K for her last year. She had a good life– she was a 2001 Hyundai elantra with over 137,000 miles. She was a fabulous car. I couldn’t justify spending more than 3K on repairs. (seriously, every time I’ve gone in for repairs, they’ve been costing more and more!)

So…. I decided I would take the plunge and went shopping for a new car (a Hyundai, of course!) My wonderful friend john and I went to a Hyundai dealership in Glenview, and it was not a pleasant experience (I don’t know, should I call them out?) They did every car salesman trick in the book! They were really trying to pressure me into buying a car that evening (“the cars are flying off the lot!”) Worse yet, I told them the monthly payment I was looking for, and the salesman LAUGHED at me. Sure, I low-balled it. I could have afforded a little more, but they were not willing to make me a better deal. “The numbers are the numbers, and the numbers don’t lie” (this was brought up because John kept thinking that something was fishy about the “numbers.”) Needless to say, I did not buy a car from them. And I would NOT recommend them.

ever.

John called Rosen Hyundai in Algonquin and talked to the manager (he did some name dropping and worked his negotiation mojo) and told him what I was looking for in terms of car and price. wouldn’t you know it– they were able to give me a price that was really could to what I could afford! So we went out there on Wednesday, and I bought my car–a GORGEOUS 2009 elantra!!! (we had to go back and pick up Thursday!) I would DEFINITELY recommend them to someone who is looking to buy a car.

They were fabulous. They totally could have screwed with the price since the man who john spoke with wasn’t there the night we went in, and the car he put aside for me wasn’t there anymore. All they had was a sheet of paper with some numbers scribbled on it, and they totally honored it.

(this is the car I bought!!!)

It’s sooo nice to not have to worry about the check engine light, or about the axles that could break at any moment, or have my steering wheel shake like crazy… This car is beautiful, and rides like a dream. (I am so in love with it!)

Friday I was able to take mom out to the Scrapbook expo in st. Charles. While I was disappointed with the size of the expo (really, it seemed…smaller…this year) Mom and I had a fabulous time!!! It was really really awesome to get to go out with her!

The weekend was spent TAKING PICTURES. Saturday- a date with some pirates and dinosaurs at the field museum. Sunday was a mini road trip to the boerner botanical gardens. Total highlight of the trip was seeing (and trying to photograph!) a hummingbird, and some ultra cute frogs (you can see both in my flickr photostream!)