…There would be some casualties around here. As a rule I don’t whinge about my workplace. But I will say this: I am brain-dead. Somebody please come pull the plug. A simple service is fine. No frills. I’m too tired to care. I will be in this space until a major customer meeting takes place in the very near future. Then I will resume massive chardonnay consumption and lackluster self-abuse. Until then here’s a sampling of the process currently raining on my parade:

UPDATED LINK: Speaking of DESIGN work here are my thoughts regarding FREELANCE. Enjoy!

Har! Children are such easy targets. But not when they are on a merry-go-round. I kid. As you know I recently strolled the Lincoln Park Zoo to avoid sticking my head in the oven. Since I’m coming up empty on suitable post topics I’ll just toss my pictures your way. That previous flamingo snap was mine, too, in case you think I stole it from the innernetz.

At the zoo I bought two new throw pillows. As they’re neutrals I’m pretty sure they’ll go with my current and future decor. The big plus is that they’re fade-proof and self-cleaning:

I’m a big fan of mid-century modern; I also found the most divoon area rugs:

Though I’m not quite sure what to do with the boudoir stool they tossed in for paying with cash.

This just in: Michelangelo was fugly and smelly. Go figure. I’d like to think his passion for the never ending papal assignments allowed little time for concerns about hygiene. I mean if my sole job was to climb scaffolding for a ceiling mural for a couple years then I suppose pope-on-a-rope soap would fly out the window. Just saying. I don’t know why but this post reminds me of a joke the EXbf used to tell. I’ve never shared this small detail but my EXbf was the Henny Youngman of our social circle. And they were always groaners.

“…Did you hear about the gay man and lesbian who decided to marry? Yeah, well…it didn’t quite work out. He went back to Sydney and she went back to Florence.” Bada-bing!

I’ve always been oddly fascinated by the limelight cast on the self-made doyenne of New York nightlife, Amanda Lepore. Gawh! A simple “gal” from New Jersey who reinvented her God-given attributes, through elective surgeries, into extreme Hollywood 50’s bombshell glamazon on acid smoothies self. Some would say ‘freak’ while others are on the inside of her limo looking out. Googling Miss Lepore has led me to this dark dirty beats tune on YOUtube. It is decidedly NOT SAFE in THE WORKPLACE or near impressionable children of far-right senators who have a wide stance. So don’t even think about sneaking it.

Also, for all my mighty fine lady friends out there: no offense aimed here. The tune has a butt-shaking/hip thrusting skank ‘ho beat that has found me shimmy-assin’ in my kitchen this evening. God knows what the neighbors think. But that’s what uno, dos…three Coronas will do on a hot Chicago night. Listen to the lyrics: my new phrase du jour is “…you can throw it in the air and call it sunshine.”

We’re not counting our flamingos just yet but this is feel-good local news! I recently visited Lincoln Park Zoo. It was big fun. Animals are always interesting but I couldn’t help but think how the concept of a ‘zoo’ should be revisited. I mean, can a caged panther ever be happy? I suppose it’s three-square meals a day without the hunt but doesn’t that diminish the animal’s natural predator inclination? I’m thinking too much on this topic. Others would suggest that zoos perform a great service in helping to preserve certain animal species by creating ideal breeding circumstances in conjunction to educating the public about the creatures we share the planet with. I don’t know enough on the topic to really suggest pros or cons with regard to zoos. It was an enjoyable stroll but I couldn’t help but think that the birds never really fly.

Which really got me thinking how we sometimes, too, create a ‘cage’ of our own expectations or by just living status quo. Wake up, go to work, eat, sleep; wake up, go to work, eat, sleep…you see where I’m going with this? We become complacent because we’ve learned the routine, met the expectations and fall victim to ‘why bother’ thought processes. At least I do. Just saying.