Motley Mondays: 34 Days Until Florida

It's pretty insane to me that there are so time left before my husband and I move to Florida. I think I'll dedicate today's post about things in Florida I look forward to most:

5. Year round ice cream weather. You know what rocks more than summer? 8 months of it.

4. Central air. Goes well with those 8 months of summer.

3. Going to tourist attractions casually. Universal Studios? SeaWorld? Disney World? Major beaches? Oh yeah, you mean those things we do on weekends.

2. Lower cost of living. In Chicago, I can find a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment (without central air, without washer and dryer in unit, without parking included) for $1,500. In Florida, I used to live in a 4 bedroom 3 bath apartment (with central air, with washer and dryer in unit, with parking included) for less than $900. Yeah, that's just an example of the savings, not including the exorbitant taxes paid here in Chicago.

1. Friends and Family. Yes, I am moving away from my parents. I am indeed sad about this. Also, I just spent 20 years with them. My sister, her kids, my husbands family, and both our friends are in Florida, and we will live no more than 30 minutes away. That's pretty amazing.

That's why we put on sunscreen, Katniss.

Florida, I'll see you soon.

Cheese With My Whine: Lunch Break, Cable, Weather, and Driving

Welcome to Cheese with My Whine! It's hump day, and in the middle of the week, what else could I want to do more than vent a bit of the weeks frustrations. Let's go down the (granted small) list.

• Guess what? When I'm on my lunch break, just because I stay at my desk, doesn't mean I want to talk about work with you. Or talk at all. If we must converse, anything but work would just be wonderful. Okay?!
• Hey, cable company! What is the point for having HD options on my on demand shows, when half the time the cable box freaks out, turns my screen blue, and I have to exit the On Demand menu. You don't seem to have a real answer for this when I call you...
• Chicago weather. Can we take a minute to collectively curse at Chicago weather for not making up it's freaking mind? I'm going to be blisteringly hot. Oh, just kidding, I'm going to be overcast and cold. By the way, I'm raining. Wait, not anymore. Wait...now I'm raining again. Don't worry, in three minutes I'll be hot again, AND humid.
• Do you drive? Do you claim to be a responsible driver? Well, how about actually following the rules on a regular basis. "This is faster." "There aren't any cops or camera's." "I do this all the time." are not even close to comforting. If I have to be in a car with you, you will abide by road laws. Kill yourself on your time.
• Oh, and by the way, if you're going to be a liar at work, inform the group. Not that I'm going to stick up for your lies, I just want to know at what moment I say something that completely busts you.

Tom Hiddleston, you know my pain.

Tell me that I am not the only one with these issues. Do you relate to any of these complaints? Have anything you want to get off your chest today? Comments are always welcome!

When Did My Body Ever Feel So Sore?

Afternoon everyone! A quick update since I'm still busy with work and my sister being here.

• I went to The Field Museum here in Chicago with my Dad and sister yesterday. It was about 6 hours of walking. I'm used to sitting in a chair at work all day, and only walk to and from a car. My calves and ankles are on strike.

Me and my sis Aleida.

• I found out some promising news concerning Harley Quinn being given a monthly series from artist Amanda Conner and writer Jimmy Palmiotti. Heard they did good things with Power Girl, so we'll see. Fingers Crossed!
• I saw Pacific Rim (IMAX 3D) with my whole family, and can I tell you, I was so happily blown away. I want to see it a couple more times in theaters. My favorite characters? The Kaidanovsky couple who pilot Cherno Alpha. Bad. Asses.

• Just found out the loan for James's and my first house was APPROVED! This weekend James will be going to look at houses. Can you believe it?

So there you have it. Been a busy lady. My sister leaves early Sunday morning. After that I plan on doing laundry and going to do my nails. Hopefully we can talk soon!

When Did I Start Dreading Laundry?

Laundry isn't a lot of fun, I think we can all agree on that. I used to gripe all the time about doing it when I lived in Florida, but I had no idea what I was talking about. Now I live in Chicago, and I know what really hating laundry feels like.

ORLANDO:

1. Separate laundry.
2. Walk 20 steps to Laundry Room by your kitchen.
3. Throw in a load and sit in the living room watching TV.
4. Throw load into dryer. Sit in living room again.
5. Take clean cloths 20 steps back to bedroom.
6. Repeat.

CHICAGO:

1. Separate laundry. Stuff into 3 or 4 laundry bags.
2. Struggle to take 3 or 4 laundry bags down 3 flights of stairs.
3. Load everything into the car, and drive to laundromat.
4. Fight for limited parking at laundromat.
5. Fight for limited washers/dryers in laundromat.
6. Fight for EXTREMELY limited washers/dryers in laundromat.
7. During the whole ordeal, sit in a hot building with 10 loud kids running around.
8. Pack clean cloths into laundry bags.
9. Drive home.
10. Take laundry up 3 flights of stairs.

You can imagine my IMMENSE joy having to do this every 2 weeks now that James is in Florida. I'm not ashamed my husband does the laundry while I work, I think it's fair. So now I have to go with my parents to do it, and that is a new layer of suck...

I miss in-unit laundry almost as much as my husband.

When Did I Rejoice For Fridays?

Fridays are not the end of my work week, Saturdays are. So usually there lacks the "TGIF" quality. However, yesterday was a bit of an oddity as I actually had FUN things to do on a Friday, and I even stayed out til **drumroll** 10:30 PM! I'm a rebel.

Ordered my Pineapple Coconut pancakes at work!

The Babycakes Inspired Gourmet Pancakes Truck came to work, and in my opinion, I ate the best pancakes of my life. They had some cool flavors like Cinnamon Bun, and some odd ones like Shrimp & Crab. The owner was very nice, and I hope to eat at this food truck again.

Ruth, Michelle, and Me at a Hibachi Grill.

After work, Michelle and I met up with our co-worker Ruth. We went to a Hibachi Grill and got dinner AND a show. To be honest, we were enough of a show to begin with but the cook was cool too. I caught a broccoli he tossed at me with my "twins". I'm classy.

BAKERS SQUARE PEACH PIE!

Ah, the simple comforts of after dinner pie. Bakers Square is the go to restaurant for this, and peach is always my go to slice. Would've ordered it warm, but I totally forgot.

When Did I Need A New Game Plan?

So here is the skinny on what the new "Game Plan" is.

1. Since the Navy denied James, he got a job with his fathers networking company. Meaning he's moving to Florida as of Saturday.
2. I will stay up here in Chicago while working and saving money like he will be down in Florida.
3. James will apartment hunt while down there.
4. I will work on obtaining my National Apartment Leasing Professional (NALP) Certification through The National Apartment Association. Makes me more employable.
5. Hopefully by September, funds and appointments are made to move into our own place. Also I'd hopefully have a job lined up.

It's a simple 5 Step plan when it comes down to it, and Step 1 begins this Saturday.Of course, I am a little down in this situation considering we spent 1 whole year trying to get into the Navy. It really is their loss, since James is so smart and dedicated. I'm also a bit sad since our 1 year wedding anniversary is on the 18th of May, and we won't be together.

But I'm still very optimistic! James has secured a job in his desired career field, which is what we wanted all along. I'll still be moving to Florida like I wanted, and better yet to Orlando where I have family and friends. So all the goals we had set for September are still on track.

I want to thank all you readers out there who have been going along for this crazy ride I call my life. Knowing you all care what happens in my day to day means a lot to me.

Yumiko and I enjoying the spring weather.

When Did I Get To 50?

Yes, that is a picture of my car from Friday with snow on it. Snow. In mid April to boot.

This week has been hard. James has been in Florida, and I don't feel any closer to the proverbial finish line than when we started a year ago. I hate that, my parents hate that, and I'm sure James feels the worst of us all. I just don't have more optimistic things to say about the whole thing, so I'm just waiting for this to get sorted out so we can move on.

Seems like the only thing right now that makes me forget how crazy fucked up my situation is right now is my friend Michelle. I didn't expect to make a friend like her at my current company, but I'm really glad I did. I was feeling down Saturday and behold she asked if I wanted to go out with her. Nothing fancy, just ran some errands with her after a nice lunch, then went out for ice cream. It was the most fun I'd had all week, and I'm less insane for it. I don't know if she gets how happy she makes me, and how sad I'll be if I leave Chicago.

So for now I'm just trying hard to keep it together. I work tomorrow even though it's my usual day off to make up for C2E2 next weekend. I don't feel like I've had any rest in the past week, so I'm going to keep trucking on through and smiling until something else happens. Thanks for sticking with me here on my 50th post on my blog. I hope I haven't bored you.

When Did I Start Missing Florida?

You may not know this, but I despise heat and humidity. I get miserably cranky in that weather. I also lived in it for 8 years. So you can imagine I spent a little of that time whining and complaining anytime I was pulled away from Central Cooling Systems.

Right now I'm living in Illinois, and it's snowing like a MO FO. We're expecting 7-10 inches today.

I think after 4 years of living in Chicago, I've built an appreciation for Florida, and here's why:

1. No Snow Storms of any kind. A freak flurry, maybe, but anything but inches of snow.
2. No frozen pipes. Just this morning I was without any kind of water for more than an hour.
3. Never without A/C. Here in Chicago, where every building is about 50 years or over, we don't have Central Cooling Systems. We have these dinky little window A/C units that aren't worth a damn. In the magical land of Florida, most buildings are new and have Central Cooling, most importantly, apartments.
4. No crazy city traffic. I have a slight phobia of being in a car, so traffic drives me nuts. I used to think Florida was bad. NEVER. AGAIN.
5. Real beaches. Chicago says they have a "beach". It's a rocky sand strip in front of a devastatingly polluted lake. PEOPLE REALLY SWIM THERE! It's so gross...
6. Close to family and friends. I didn't appreciate that it took me less than an hour drive to visit any friend I wanted. Took me 15 minutes to go see my sister and her kids. Now I'm lucky if I see them once a year.

I could probably go on, but I digress. I simply was NOT built for these temperatures. I was also not build to accept being miles away from loved ones. So, hopefully, once this Navy business is sorted out with my husband, I can move to Pensacola, FL soon after my husband does for his A school.

When Did I Buy C2E2 Tickets?

The answer is last Friday. What? You don't know what C2E2 is? Let me take you on a journey. A journey of Nerds, Geeks, Otaku, Collectors, Gamers, TV show enthusiasts, Book Lovers, and general kids at heart. Once a year they converge onto McCormick Place in Downtown Chicago to do what they love most; be themselves. C2E2 stands for Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo. It's a young convention, it's only been around since 2010. I've attended every year so far, and I really love what it has to offer.

Why do I go to C2E2?

1. I like comics. My husband has a nice little collection, and I just enjoy the story telling.
2. The Entertainment Guests. This year I'm looking forward to getting Adam West, Felicia Day, and R.L. Stine's autographs.
3. The discovery. Every time you turn a corner, you're gonna see something new. Some of this stuff you're gonna end up loving and wondering how you didn't find it sooner.
4. The outfits. Commenplace at these conventions is dressing up like your favorite character. Whether the outfit was handmade, cost $50, has electronics, or looks straight up bad ass, you can feel the love from the fans here, and that's what makes it feel welcoming.
5. Churros. No lie, there is a stand in the convention center that has the best churros ever.

This year I hope to be among those who dress up. Here is a picture of me in 2010 and 2011 with my favorite Cosplayer. Also, The Joker is among my Top 5 comic book characters <3

C2E2's first year in 2010.

C2E2's second year in 2011.