halloween...very belated

My apologies for not posting these pics sooner, but I've been busy/lazy/absent-minded since the average temperature has dropped WELL below 50 degrees (Yay, Winter! ...feh...).

Anyhow, here are pictures from Halloween Weekend 2008...and yes, I had two costumes. Why? Well, I worked my ass off on the first one:

The Hunter Becomes The Prey
(Moose takes Sarah Palin. Win!!!!!1111)








Now, keep in mind that the costume was well over 8ft. tall, and the antlers were about 3 ft. wide, so my decision to change the costume for the next night weighed partly on this fact.

The other part was that not a lot of people got it at FIRST glance...upon second look they realized what I was, though, and laughter ensued..yadda yadda yadda.

But I took the costume rigging, and the next day went shopping with Jeff to create the second costume:

Off with Her Head!











It took about an hour because the hardest part (the rigging) was already done, and I think it came out well. It was also a lot easier to get around in...and, yes, I did tilt my head to the side ALL NIGHT.

Jeff went as a ShamWow, which was incredibly brilliant.







Again, it was hard for him to get around, but he did an awesome job and he got a lot of great response. And he was just plain hilarious!

And finally, there was Max's costume.

Max the Mummy






I think he's pretty lucky to have two really creative parents. Last year I made his Nutcracker costume by hand, and this year his Dad did the honors creating an awesome (and creepy) mummy costume.

He got so many compliments---even some extra candy! The funny thing? It consisted of a $3 second-hand sheet, some fake blood, black grease paint, and dirt. I'm telling you, it's amazing what a little thriftiness and ingenuity can create!

will power

So, I'm pretty proud of myself at this very moment.

You see, I have always wanted to take improv classes. It's not that I think I'll ever be famous or make a career out of it (although the latter would definitely be awesome...).

I guess it's that I honestly believe it will help me come out of my safety zone so to speak. And, hopefully, keep my wit sharp and quick...which is important for a writer. Actually, I think it's important for anyone.

But I'm digressing. See, I decided that I wanted to take classes starting in January (which is the next session), but to do it, I needed to really tighten the purse strings and follow a strict budget. And no lie, the budget I've set is pretty tight.

Basically, for the next two or three months, I'm not allowing myself any more than $25 per week "fun money." This means any going out, lunches, make-up, clothing, etc. that I want, must cost less than $25 per week in total. It's crazy. (And, as a smoker, I have also set aside a cigarette budget...which may prove to hasten the quitting process as the stipend is only $30 every TWO weeks...meaning that I either need to smoke less or smoke cheap...both of which are good things because they will eventually start to ween me off completely. So yay for that.)

This is the first week of the new budget, and so far, I still have $12 left until Monday for fun money. Not a whole lot, but I decided to take the Skyway twice, and Max lost a tooth, so there went about 10 bucks at the beginning of the week.

So why will power? Well, first of all, I haven't gone out to lunch all week, and today my budget-strength was truly tested. A large group of my coworkers were heading out to lunch.

Last week, pre-budget, I would have said, "Screw it...what's $20.00?"

But today? Today I looked at the menu online...to check to see if there were any low-priced appetizers, soups, or salads. And when there weren't? I politely declined the offer.

I think about how much I want three very important things that this new budget will provide:
1.) The improv classes.
2.) A good Christmas for Max and everyone else that I care about.
and
3.) Financial freedom and responsibility for the first time in my life. If I can learn to not have to live paycheck to paycheck, it will only help me. Especially in this economy. The more I save, and the more I learn to live off of less, the better I will be in the future. The better my family will be as well.

So, there will be no going out to lunch for me today. And that's okay. I brought some clam chowder to work anyways.

as natural a delivery as possible...

Saw an ad for this on a Chicago bus the other day...

I guess gas delivery doesn't really get anymore natural, now does it?

Well, unless you count the times I consume those football size burritos from the Hidden Cove...those within a 4 mile radius can arrest to the unnaturalness of my gas delivery...

accepting our oddities

I want to just put something completely random out there. (I mean, this blog is called Daily Randonimity...)

So, I've been thinking...every one of us has some sort of weird habit or routine or whatnot, that, more often than not, we keep to ourselves---only to be exposed to those who are extremely close to us. (And even then, it usually comes up by accident...)

Since turning 28, I've felt like really taking an inventory of my life---and owning up to every thing about myself: the good, the bad, and the downright odd. I think that's because I've discovered that I have a lot to well, discover about myself still. But the first step is to really look at the whole picture. I mean, sometimes I can absolutely loathe myself (typically about 3-5 days in a row, per month...) and other times I embrace myself. Not physically embrace, but you know, I think about what makes me like and unlike others and I try to appreciate it all.

But for the most part, I fall somewhere in the middle...one day I'm loving the way my butt looks in my favorite pair of jeans, or the way I took something overwhelming and turned it into something pretty darn good...while at the same time I'm hating my oily forehead and its never-ending crop of new pimples, or the way I stutter and trip over my words when I talk (which is, oddly enough, one of the reasons I adore the written word so very much).

But I'm digressing.

So, I've realized (and perhaps some of you have too...) I have this...well...I have a slight vocal tick. No really. It's like a little hum or vocal sigh that I don't typically notice. It's actually pretty funny (especially when I catch myself doing it).

Jeff calls it "beeping" which is a pretty good description of the sound. But it's something I can't really control. It just happens.

For the most part, nobody ever brings it up. I'm pretty sure it's because they don't want to hurt my feelings or have no idea how to approach it. But really? It's not a big deal. It's just a part of who I am---and it's involuntary...so there isn't much I could do about it anyway.

But anyways, after 28 years, I've decided to stop feeling self conscious about it, and instead I'm just going to accept it as a quirky Tiff-ism. Inner-randonimity if you will.

And I'll tell you what...it's pretty darn freeing...

*Beep*

i know, i know...

I haven't posted in a while...a long while. Busy times around here. But there are many pictures and some stories to post soon. Don't give up on the Randonimity...

...it'll be back in full effect soon enough. :)