Fun New Tights

Skirts and dresses are my favorite things to wear to work, but thanks to the lovely Chicago weather (yes, another post centered around the weather), I would freeze if I didn't have something covering my legs. Enter my fun new tights.

I remember hating to wear tights when I was little and my mom literally forcing me to wear them when I dressed up for volleyball in junior high. They were annoying, and I somehow always managed to get a snag with the first hour of school.

Italy was amazing for many reasons, as I've often written about, but it is also where I grew to truly appreciate tights. Touring around in just jeans could get really cold, but throw on a pair of tights or leggings under those jeans, and I was set to tour all day. Skirts in the spring also had added warmth and functionality with tights or leggings.

Last year at school, I wore them every now and then, but alas, they have made their return to my life on nearly a daily basis. I had brown, multiple grays & maroon but sadly was missing black after realizing I lost my 2 favorite pairs from Italy. Thanks to a trip to Target this week, however, my wardrobe now dawns both black tights and black leggings and another fun pair of patterned gray tights.

Thanks tights for protecting my legs and letting me still wear my skirts & dresses. Glad we could be friends despite our rough early history.

Winter Already?

After a beautiful few weeks of Indian Summer, it has suddenly turned to winter in the Windy City. The dreary day yesterday left me wanting nothing more than to cuddle in blankets and sleep, but instead I worked & did my best to have energy. On my way home, the wind really began to howl & the rain continued.

Anyone who has experienced the wind here or really in most of Illinois knows that sometimes an umbrella is really no help. I have broken my fair share of umbrellas between walking around the U of I campus the past 4 years & Chicago this summer and didn't really feel like breaking another one.

Instead, I broke out my lovely scarf Natalie brought me from India and wore it babushka (aka Russian grandmother) style all the way from the L stop home. I received a few funny glances from others walking home, but I think they were really just jealous because I was warm and dry while they were fighting with their umbrellas.

I think I would make a lovely babushka minus the fact that I'm not Russian...

It's funny because last weekend I was telling Natalie about how it had been too warm to wear the scarf but now I have worn it the past 2 days & will probably wear it again today. Thanks for the scarf Nat! It appears it will be getting lots of use this winter...

Thank You Steve Jobs

I had another topic to write about today, but after hearing the news of Steve Job's death, I felt compelled to write about something else. I don't have a real iPod (I do love my iPod Shuffle for running though) or have an iPhone...yet. I am however, a proud and thankful MacBook owner.

It's sad but true how much of my life I spend on a computer. At work, I spend my time fighting with my old, slow computer and look forward to the simplicity of my MacBook Pro when I return home. Each evening I read my line up of blogs saved on my bookmarks bar, maybe Pin a recipe or two to my Recipes Pinterest board, chat with Natalie & Sara on Gchat and Facbook then put the next episode of Friday Night Lights on Netflix. Usually I fall asleep mid-episode and wake in the morning to find my lap top still open lying next to me.

It's probably not good how often I end up waking up to find my computer still in bed with me, but it's become such a habit that I hardly notice anymore and is just another sign of how much of my life is spent on the computer. Sometimes it freaks me out how much time is spent on the computer, but it's also good to realize all of the good that comes with it.

Thanks to my MacBook I'm able to keep up with my friends and family on Facebook. Receive all my Groupon, Living Social & other random coupon emails. Gchat and communicate more professionally thanks to Gmail. Read the news. Keep up with the latest advertising news. Read blogs. Write this blog. Find workout videos on Exercise TV & yoga podcasts on iTunes. Have access to more music than I could ever afford to buy thanks to Pandora, Grooveshark & my newest favorite, Spotify. Organize my recipes & contribute to planning for Sara's wedding on Pinterest. Organize all my photos. Watch all my favorite tv shows & movies on TV channels' websites & Netflix. Check the weather at a moment's notice so I know how to dress for work or if I need an umbrella before leaving the apartment. Was able to communicate with my family via Skype while abroad. It helped me stay organized during my internship & job search with numerous spreadsheets & cover letter drafts and I even have electronic Post-Its to keep lists just in case the numerous hand written ones just aren't enough that day.

These are all just things I can think of off the top of my head, and I'm sure I could think of many more with a little more thought. I honestly can't imagine how different life would be without a personal computer, which is ultimately a concept thanks to Steve Jobs.

You may not be a Mac user or even like Apple products, but honestly, imagine how different your life would be without your personal computer.

Thanks Steve Jobs. You will be missed.

http://www.apple.com/