murphy is leaving the beautiful bay area today & embarking on a journey like no other: complete with a move to socal, a short trip back to chicago, an incredible trip to SE asia for a couple of months, and the start of an MBA at UC - Irvine. can't wait to come visit you next year - good luck with the big move.
just wanted to give a well deserved plug to the helpful members of you grow girl.
after leaving our plants outside for the better part of last week, during all the nasty cold and rain, my lovely fig tree developed some strange brown spots on some of it's leaves. this is a pretty moody plant and it tends to drop yellow leaves quite often. however, these brown leaves were different and i began to get a bit worried. we obviously blew it bringing the plants out too early - but, hey, the weather sure didn't cooperate with normal springtime in chicago.
i've had this plant for almost 6 years now - it's really something i've grown to love. it's almost as tall as i am, but it was just under a foot tall when i first bought it. maybe i can scan in the picture i found of it while cleaning out some stuff at my parents' house recently. i was shocked to see how far it has come...
anyhow, if you ever need some great, speedy advice about plants, gardening, seeding - head over to the forums at you grow girl - gayla rocked!
Festivals and many of the shows we all love to go to are in danger! THIS IS NO JOKE:
A bill is quietly working its way through Congress garbed as an anti-methamphetamine measure containing a stealth provision that could lead to prison sentences for promoters of events where illegal drug use occurs.
The questionable language of this bill is in section 305, and if passed, would be inserted in section 416 (21 USC 856) of the Controlled Substances Act. The questionable language reads, "Whoever knowingly promotes any rave, dance, music, or other entertainment event, that takes place under circumstances where a promoter knows or reasonably should know that a controlled substance will be used or distributed in violation of federal law or the law of the place where the event is held, shall be fined under Title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned for not more than nine years, or both."
please, follow the instructions to send a message to your local congressperson - this could change the future of live music!
from a personal request - i'm still here & kickin' it! thanks for the push......
it's been another wild ride, and i haven't sat down to document much of my recent events. i went to see chihuly's installation at garfield park again, this time with my mom and her friend. we couldn't believe how crowded it was, so i didn't bother with a camera this time due to the long lines and crowds.
i love seeing so many people visiting the conservatory, as it is located in one of the few locations in the city yet to be touched with the gentrification hitting so many of the neighborhoods in chicago. chihuly himself stated that he was drawn to this location due to the ability to attact such a diverse crowd, and i witness it every time i go visit the installation - the fancy cars coming in from the highway with out of town license plates, families of old and young, and lots of neighborhood kids in groups of two and three. watching them is something in itself - seeing the wide eyes and excited grins when the turtles appear - always gets a smile from me!
only two more episodes left in the 3rd season of the sopranos. this has been much better than the 2nd season, which i felt was kinda weak. wow - i just realized that last night's episode was directed by steve buscemi - no wonder it was so great!
i've been itching for some new music. last week, i ordered the new soulivealbum from blue note records - of course, it's on backorder, but it should arrive soon. while i was there, just after i placed the order, i read some really positive reviews of the norah jonesalbum, so i added it to my ever-expanding post-it note.
then came sunday.
shopping around borders for mothers day, striking out on the few booktitles i was looking for, i headed upstairs to rummage around. things were on sale, i was feeling generous, and soon i'm walking out with the following albums:
as you can see, my selection is all over the place. i tend to listen without prejudice, so you never know what will turn up. and yes, that is craig david up there - a girl with a guilty pleasure, thank you ;-)
eeek - i'm famous. now 3 people, plus the elevator guy, saw me on TV ;p
of course, i'm just having fun with this - i'm no media whore!
yes, this is a pretty neat old building, key word is OLD - it's hot as a MUTHA in this building - ALL THE TIME, no matter what season.....
i'm not really partial either way; if it were to stay, they'd need to do some serious rehabbing to get it up to modern standards. hey, that's actually a good idea:
keep the existing structure and some of the features, such as the elevator doors and all the marble, but essentially rip out the insides & install new heating/cooling, tech upgrades, etc. cuz it don't work anymore!
actually, one of my favorite buildings is the old insurance building, where my grandpa used to work ;) it's now the beautifully rehabbed 175 w. jackson and if you don't recognize that address, you will - it's the upcoming location of the soon-to-be krispy kreme - the only one in the loop!
unfortunately, i didn't get home early enough to see myself on tv, but a few people contacted my roommates asking if that was me - it was! exciting ;-)
i just hope i didn't sound like a big goof, as i'm known to stumble a bit when put on the spot like that......definitely not the wittiest girl around!
i can't wait to go to a white sox game this summer.
most of my friends are cubs fans, and we usually go to a cubs game with work over the summer, so i need to schedule a day at comiskey park. born and raised on the south side of chicago, i will always be true to the white sox! while i do enjoy a good day at wrigley field, i'd love to go down and watch the sox win some games this season. time to put the wheels in motion......
that's pretty interesting! maybe i really should switch from my usual cup of coffee in the morning, to a cup of tea every day. coffee hasn't been treating me right lately - and when you can't quite fully enjoy it, what's the point?
i've been drinking lots & lots of tea lately - i'm going to have to replace jes' stash of korean ginseng tea as it is just so soothing for my throat.
we're having another party this weekend, but not quite to the extent of the last one [yeah, right]; i'm hoping that a chill night tonight & sleeping late tomorrow will push me back into the land of health, but i might have to take it a bit easier than last time ;-) crazy party kids!
May 30, 2002
if the weather holds up, i'll be on my way to opening night of the chicago 
