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Archive for the 'general' Category

Oct

Chicago… is MY kind of town… Chicago is

Categories: general
Tags: Chicago, great friends, travel

What a weekend! I feel so fortunate to have quite an amazing friend. My girl Ayelet rocks. If you are a worthy single man, you need to pay attention… this gal is the complete package.

Ayelet paid beaucoup dinero to attend the Women’s Leadership Conference supporting the Democratic Party. I just feel lucky that Ayelet likes me enough to invite me to tag along.

I truly thought that the Cubbies would still be in the playoffs and that I could catch a playoff game at Wrigley, that was what sealed the deal for me. Of course, we all know that did NOT come to fruition but I knew I would have a great time anyways. It was truly an amazing weekend.

While Ayelet was learning and becoming truly inspired about topics like equal pay for women executives, solving the Healthcare situation, generating new jobs in light of the current economic landscape and MORE… I cruised around downtown Chicago checking out the Touristy spots like Millenium Park, The John Hancock Observatory, The Miracle Mile and more.

I got even luckier on Saturday because some women we met Friday night had a friend who had donated an undisclosed amount of money (LOTS!), thus they were able to get me added to the registration list… so I made it for the closing speech by our next President of the United States…. boy was he great!

Here is my Yelp! review of our fun dinner on Saturday night at Carnivale, http://tinyurl.com/68jfcp

Here are some pictures of our experience. Oh, also, I have decided I WILL sign up and complete at least another Marathon in my lifetime. 45k runners participated in the Chicago Marathon, I got inspired watching the start of the race on Sunday morning.

Thanks again, Ayelet!

Aug

How about an attempt to make up for my absence?

By sheilamia Leave a Comment

Categories: general
Tags: giants, Lucy

In case you didn’t notice, I took the day off on Friday. Although I was working in the early am, I could not bring myself to write my usual Friday bullets! Please forgive me, I’ll try to make up for it by entertaining you with fun pictures from the weekend.

What did I do on my day off you ask? It was a perfect way to spend a free day. After I finally logged off my computer, Lucy and I went for a walk around the Lafayette reservoir. It wasn’t too hot at 10am (70 degrees or so) but poor little Lucy had a rough time. This dog could run 10 miles non-stop in cool weather, and it wouldn’t faze her, but the second the sun & heat become a factor, she wilts very quickly. I ended up carrying her the last 1/2 mile. Then we picked up Ayelet and drove into the city for a fabulous lunch at Cafe Claude with Jackie & Anna. Cafe Claude? “Oui Oui” is all I can say (I will write a Yelp review soon). It was very nice in the city but Ayelet and I decided to head back to beautiful Danville. After a quick stop to pick up a costume for Lucy to wear to Dog Days of Summer, we settled into our favorite hangout spot, Sideboard. A couple of glasses of BR Cohn Chardonnay and life is very very good.

Poor Pete had a root canal on Friday so he wasn’t the most pleasant to be around this weekend. Guess I gotta cut him some slack given he’s the big bday boy next weekend.

Saturday was a LONG but fun day. I had planned to go to Dog Days of Summer for months. Had a few last-minute cancellations, but luckily my parents are troopers and I conned them into coming along. We met up at the park and (gotta love ‘em) they had gotten there early enough to score a great spot in line. I dressed Lucy up in her costume and we were ready for the parade. My only complaint – although I do understand why they do this – is that they shuffled us along so quickly that I couldn’t get many good photos of Lucy strutting her stuff at the ballpark. The second I stopped to take a photo, one of the attendants would scream at me, “keep moving!”, irritating. Nevertheless, it was a really fun day. Memorable moments: #1. Bud e. Luv sang the National anthem, #2. Barbara stating very matter-of-factly, “Barry Zito has a nice ass”, #3. Giants win!

This post has gotten long. Otherwise I’d tell you about long, fun day #2 (Sunday).

Watch this space.

Aug

What do dreams really mean?

By sheilamia 2 Comments

Categories: general
Tags: dreams

I have been having vivid and shocking dreams lately. I should really take notes the moment I wake up as the dreams get fuzzy as the day wears on. Except for that this is impossible… given Lucy is practically out the door, leash in mouth, seconds after my alarm clock goes off!

Last night I had a dream I was travelling by train to the East Coast. There was some mix-up in that Pete had to get off at one point to do something with his family. Meanwhile, I continued on the train. On the train, I met an old college pal whose girlfriend was pregnant. At least I think/hope she was pregnant… she could have been chubby and now that I think about it, I seem to recall saying to this gal, “when are you due?” – in that snide horrible way that high school girls do when making fun of a fat person (not at all my style).

I don’t remember much else about the dream except that at one point, plans changed and I decided (along with my pal and his girlfriend) to stay on the train and go to Italy (!?!?!) – yeah, on the train. Bizarre!

Today I went on and extracted the following interpretation based on being on a train and seeing someone with a (pregnant) belly.

To dream that you are on a train, is symbolic of your life’s journey and suggests that you are on the right track in life and headed for the right direction. Alternatively, you have a tendency to worry needlessly over a situation that will prove to work out in the end.

I’ll take the “non” alternative interpretation!

To see a pregnant belly, represents emotions that are due to come to the surface. They can no longer remain suppressed.

Hmm…. VERY interesting. No comment.

Comment below and share one of your more vivid dreams. Better yet, go to and see what they have to say about your dream.

Jul

Get used to it, people!

By sheilamia Leave a Comment

Categories: general
Tags: clean living, friends

I don’t have to remind anyone that I’ve adopted a “clean-living” lifestyle. It hasn’t been as agonizing as I thought it would be. I’ve gotten used to it… although I SOOO wanted to snatch someone’s glass of chardonnay while dining at Sideboard the other day – I refrained.

Mostly, I don’t miss alcohol. Instead, I’m having a hard time dealing with the reactions I get from others because I’m NOT drinking. My true friends are wonderful. They act completely normal, drinking wine as usual and not making a big deal over the fact that I’m not joining them. I would be really bummed if they felt awkward drinking in my presence.

I don’t understand why others feel the need to bring attention to the fact that I’m not drinking.

At lunch with my family the other day, my mom’s husband Bert brought some wine. The waitress came around to pour me a glass and I declined. A bit later, Bert pointedly asked if I was SURE I didn’t want any wine. Before I had a chance to reply, my mom quickly interjected, “no, she doesn’t want any wine!” OHH-KAY, a bit strange and awkward. She probably doesn’t believe I have the willpower to resist!

Last weekend at a group dinner, I drank virgin cocktails. One of the men in the group learned that I wasn’t drinking alcohol. This was clearly a comedic episode for him as he proceeded to laugh hysterically and make sarcastic and disbelieving comments. Maybe he thought I was joking? – As IF I would not drink for a joke. A moment later, he said, “what a sacrifice!” For some reason this comment bothered me more than anything… so full of assumptions. Maybe I’ve given up alcohol cause I woke up one morning and no longer enjoyed the taste of alcohol? Maybe a doctor told me to stop (thus it wouldn’t be a sacrifice, it would be a requirement)?

I’m sure I am being too sensitive. AND, who am I kidding? This IS a sacrifice (truth hurts, right?) Let’s face it, I made my bed and now I must lay in it. People know me as a drinker. I have never been one to decline a glass of wine – never, ever, ever. So, I’m sure people feel somewhat awkward because the ME they are used to, is not acting like ME.

Jul

Channelling Martha

By sheilamia 2 Comments

Categories: general
Tags: channelling martha

News Flash!

“Sheila DeStefano Bakes Home-grown Blackberry Muffins for Breakfast”

Those who know me well, are aware that my idea of cooking is popping a TV dinner in the microwave, so this was a HUGE event.

Over the weekend, we discovered an overgrown blackberry bush in the yard. Since our landlord fired the gardener, our backyard has been in disarray so we haven’t spent much time back there. What a surprise! There were tons of blackberries that had died from the heat, so I picked the ripe berries and found them to be very sweet.

A quick search on www.cooks.com and 45 minutes later, breakfast for the week!

(and YES, the muffins did taste good, ask Pete!)

Jul

This and that

By sheilamia Leave a Comment

Categories: general
Tags: clean living, fun, weekends

The good news is my Monday is flying by adequately quickly. But it is never a good sign when you get a sales lead from an email address that includes, ”runaway_granny”. Life in sales.

I would classify this past weekend as a perfectly satisfying weekend with all the elements: dinner & great conversation w/ friends, time with family (mom’s bd), activity (biking with Jax & Mark) and time with the hubby (watching the movie 21).

I think my newly adopted “clean living” lifestyle has helped me mentally as well as (hopefully) physically. I will say, my mind seems clearer lately. I’m less absent-minded. Could it be some of the brain cells I’ve killed over there years are growing back? Or do I just have a need to “believe”?