A Beautiful Spring Day May 22, 2006
Posted by Carolyn Tang Kmet in Chicago.add a comment
On Saturday, Dave and I spent our one-year anniversary wandering around Chicago like tourists. First stop, Vosges Chocolates in the Nordstrom mall on Michigan Ave. The naga bar is superb, absolutely smooth milk chocolate spiked with sweet Indian curry powder. The trick is to let a piece of chocolate sit on your tongue for just a bit, so the heat of your mouth warms the chocolate and the flavors fill your mouth. It’s the kind of taste that is very subtle, then after you swallow, pow! It hits you, and days later, you still remember the flavor.
We enhanced the experience by simultaneously browsing the Lego Store. Huge fun. They even had a Lego chef outfit that I’ll have to remember come Halloween. And, a whole buffet of colorful Lego blocks! You can purchase a single piece, or a whole collection! I’m not really sure what you can do with an assortment of random Lego pieces, but just running my fingers over the nubbies, I was brought back to childhood, when you could build things without purpose. I am in serious need of some regression…
We continued walking down Michigan Ave to check out the Urban Garden Show in Grant Park. It was pretty interesting, as different landscapers displayed their interpretations of an urban garden, meaning, very little grass. Instead of grass, we saw moss, wood decks, concrete, dry stone riverbeds, etc. The same feeling prevailed through each exhibit though…tranquil, lounge-y, pseudo-Asian. I guess the idea is to counterbalance the hustle and bustle of the city with quiet minimalism. The best part was how Dave unintentionally got us in the back door, thus bypassing the $12 admission fee. No wonder I love that man.
The next stop on our mini-tour was Navy Pier to hitch a ride on the SeaDog. I was so excited, as I’ve often seen the bright yellow speedboat racing through the waters, spray everywhere! We took the 30-minute Lake Tour, which went south to look at Museum Campus (Sky, Ocean, Land = Adler, Shedd, Field museums); then zip zip zip, up north to look at North Ave. Beach; then zoom, zoom, zoom, out west to look at nothing before heading back into dock. Very fun! Kind of makes you want to go out and buy enough Legos to make your very own speedboat.
Such a nice day. Topped off by a great picnic on the floor at home, with candles. Perfect.
Remodeling: From Condo to Visage May 18, 2006
Posted by Carolyn Tang Kmet in Home Improvement.add a comment
So the past year and a half, part of my brain was dedicated to remodeling. For example, I’m at work focused on setting marketing strategies for five different clients for the next four months. Ideas spin out of my head intended to get the consumer to purchase more, quicker. Offering incentives, creating a sense of urgency, determining seasonal relevancy, all that good stuff. But simultaneously, there’s a part of my brain that’s thinking, “Maple or oak flooring? Should I replace the applicances? Is uba tuba really going to match cherry spice?”
As my remodeling project slowly nears completion (“Are the toekicks going to come in on time? Are the kitchen guys going to install my faucet and re-connect my dishwasher?), my brain begins to let go. Every once in awhile, I notice that I haven’t thought about remodeling for a few minutes. It’s nice! Today for example. During lunch, I popped over to Sephora with the full intention of buying a single lip gloss. (“Orgasm” by Nars. Love it. Lost it. Re-bought it.) The problem is, that in order to get to the Nars section of Sephora, you have to pass aisles of body cremes, hair care, beauty knick-knacks, perfumes…it’s like a gauntlet of cosmetics. Now remember that part of my brain that was dedicated to remodeling? It had been silent for about an hour, but upon walking into Sephora, it yelled, “Hey! Lady! You’re remodeling your home. How about remodeling your face?” It’s not a very sensitive part of my brain, but then again, it needs to deal with countless contractors and building officials. It can’t afford to be sensitive.
Anyway, for whatever reason, remodeling my face suddenly seemed like a great idea. So when I snapped up my lip gloss, I figured I’d check out the eye shadows. Ooooh, that’s a pretty, sparkly purple! *YOINK* Then of course, if I’m buying a new eye shadow, I’d need to buy a new eye pencil to match…and of course, a new set of brushes. (By this point, a black-aproned Sephora pusher hands me a shopping basket, and smiles. Her smile says, “We’ve got you now, weak one.”) Next to the brushes are cute little cosmetic bags just waiting to be filled. The smallest one is so charming, about 3″x5″. I look from the bag to the goodies in my basket and realize that I’ve still got room to spare. So I get a brightening cream. Suddenly, my $20 purchase has multiplied five times.
At the cash register, I feel guilty for a brief, fleeting moment. Then, that part of my brain kicks in again. “Hey! Lady! What about a new perfume?”
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