Officially Fall

I love to actively feel the change of season, and this fall has so far delivered. The temperature took a veritable dive these last few days. Not the decisive bite of cold, but the coolness that combined with an on-and-off sunshine makes for the perfect walking weather. About 13 degrees Celsius or so.

I will now wait for the change of the leaf colors, it's on its way, but not quite there yet. I think I would like a nice, long fall before it's really winter. I'm already devising strategies against sub-zero temperatures, snow and sleet, since commuting from work involves walking on sidewalks that not everyone shovels.

Hopefully, there's plenty of time till then.

September and coats

Technically, fall is not icumen in till the Equinox on the 21^st or whereabouts. However, one ought to be prepared for all sorts of weather, as it is the custom of this land, quite in advance. So, while stuck at home this weekend due to work obligations, and in expectance of the first huge rain of the season, I decided to do some investigation into my coat closet. For good measure, I am watching Pirates of the Caribbean and lusting over 18^th century fashions. Coats, hats, boots, frills, buckles. I think I’ll skip the tentacles.

So, back and forth from the closet to the mirror, I have tried on the following.

• Quilted vest that is quite huge, but I can belt and upgrade some over some sweater or other.
• The “hobbit coat”. This is a 100% wool green kneecap-hitting coat with wooden buttons from Benetton. It used to be big, but now it just won’t even stick onto my shoulders. I might try to consign it and see what happens, it is very well preserved and very cozy and warm. Someone ought to enjoy it.
• The “great coat”. Nope, not the Regency era type with the 17 layers made to travel on a carriage and such. This is a coat I purchased at the deep of winter some years ago for 80% off at some department store. It has faux fur trims on the cuffs and neckline and it’s quite like a furnace. Decisively big, but still drapes nice. And I’m sure because it is robe-shape,  it can be utilized in reenactment.
• Leather round coat with button-on hood, beige with black accents.  Hand-me-down from a relative with higher disposable income than myself, it feels expensive and drapes wonderfully. I’ll wear it till I can wear it no more.
• Gray wool hooded zipped cape. It’s fabulous. I might need a pair of red pants to go with it.
• Etam brand long trench coat. Very classic design, still unsure about the fit, it is a bit boxy.
• Zara knee-length trench coat. Decent fit, saved my from all sorts of rainy walks last spring.

From all this I have now deducted that I’m in desperate need of a moto jacket. I’ve already decided that a real leather, and possibly designer brand moto jacket will be my ultimate weight loss reward when I hit my goal. Till then, I might shop around for alternatives to that. We’ll see. If all else fails, I could always use a denim jacket, right?

It has been some time, and spring is no more.

Instead, it's been an insanely schizophrenic summer with temperatures all over the place. I've had to carry a straw fedora (the only one that can actually stay on my head even when super windy, from Kohl's of all places!) and sunscreen to spray myself before I walk from my work to the train station. Madness! Here's some pictures!

These have the habit of stretching towards the sun. 

No idea if these are edible. They're pretty though!

And a duck in a pond. I'd love me some swimming too!

Some visual proof of said early spring

I walk for about 40 minutes from my workplace to the train station every day, five days a week. It's always been a nice walk down a residential street, but these last few days, it's gotten even better. With the important exception of really large wasp-like bugs. I could do without those.

But the blooming is rather majestic.

 I have no idea what the tree on the third picture is, as I'm no horticulturist, but these flowers smell like mushrooms. I get a hobbit-like hunger pang every time I walk by one, and the streets are quite lined with them.

I think tomorrow I'll do a detour to the grocery store and buy some portobellos.

Crazy early spring!

This year's March is quite similar to last year's June. It's insane. Everywhere I went today (downtown, the mall, BD's Mongolian for late lunch), Iwas surrounded by flip flops, fresh pedicures, shorts and mostly green tank tops. I'm expecting the green to be done by tomorrow since it won't be St. Patrick's Day any more.

I must say I've been enjoying the summer like weather quite a lot, and cannot bring myself to check the forecast to see whether it 'll stick around or it'll revert to chilly and rainy. Just in case, I'm not packing my sweaters just yet.

Speaking of clothes, I'm expecting all the new spring inventory to simply disappear even swifter than normally. I'd like to score a few pieces myself, but I really don't know what I want. I picked up some trouser jeans for the office, but other than that, I barely know what I want other than:

• A pair of 3.5 or 4" dark brown wedge sandals, either cork or espadrille. I have spotted two pairs that I really like and should not buy both. Cause I also want some new flat sandals for walking everywhere in a color other than black.
• A pair of light colored pants just above the ankle.
• A couple of tops, probably silk-like, with either short or 3/4 sleeves. I'm having a thing for a mariner top, polka dots and solid light colors, but I'm not sold into florals just yet.
• A new bathing suit!
• A spring jacket or blazer or something to wear in the evening. I'm tired of cardigans but I'm a bit iffy about "vegan" leathers. 
• and if I can't wear sandals at work, a pair of nude ballerina flats. Still investigating that. The rules book says no, although there is no hazard issues, but I'm gonna keep checking out what other people in the office do.

Why I wrote "barely", I barely know!

Shopping for boots and a Downton Abbey moment or two.

Yesterday I needed to leave the apartment to hubby so that he could work without distractions. Because, in his mind, even if I'm in the other room with my computer, TV, Kindle, magazines and a huge bottle of sparkling water, I might be out of sight but I'm never out of mind. After 7.5 years of marriage, I take that as a compliment. And if he asks me to take a hike to let him work, I graciously do so. And I go shopping, or at least window shopping. He even volunteered to drive me to the mall since it was snowing and I wanted to wear my red shoes.

I got there with a few things in mind. Firstly, we have a wedding to attend in July, and I'll need a dress. It's a family wedding so I'd like something nice but not too elaborate since we're on the groom's side. There's no chance of shopping now, but it's never a bad idea knowing what's out there. And since I already know what I'm wearing for the rehearsal dinner (a Free People layered floral print I bought on sale forever ago and I absolutely love it), there's only one dress to shop for. Preferably something that goes with accessories I already have.

Secondly, I need more work clothes. Last time I worked anywhere I was 4 sizes bigger. And although some stuff I could still wear, fitted shirts and the like are out of the question. So, a couple of tops for really cheap would be really nice.

And thirdly, I've been wanting a good pair of black boots for some time. And now it's the perfect time to shop for them because they all go on clearance with spring items coming into inventory.

So, I started with Banana Republic. I love their dresses. Their waist is always nicely placed, the skirt length is perfect for my height, the quality is decent and the prints are to my taste. I was ready to walk into the store and try some of their printed numbers, but a crochet-like white dress that's part of their Mad Men collection caught my eye and I had to try it on. I did, and it fitted well. I'd not buy it till the summer w'the slimming and all, but I was ready to put it on the top of my mental list, when it downed me that I should probably not wear white at a wedding as it's not done here, even though I'd probably accessorize it with bold color stuff. So, I tried on a polka dot and a print, liked them both, and left.

From there I walked into H&M where I had my Downtown Abby moment. I tried their long pink pleated dress from the pre-fall collection. It's not currently on the website, but a Google search ought to yield result. I could sincerely see myself with a row of pearls, a chin-length hair cut and t-strap heels being an extra on the show. It would probably be a bit too much though, not to mention that the length was a bit odd, so I left it for someone else and I decided I was done with dresses for the day. I should probably wait for the spring collection to hit the stores anyway.

Boots were next. I went to Macys, because Macy's never fails me in regards to shoes. And as expected, they had them for 60 to 75% off.

Now, let me tell you about my calves. No matter what amount of diets I've done in past and present, my calves are the last to get the memo. Their circumference just won't budge. I'll probably need to look into specialized workouts for them. Having said that, I also don't like boots that have elastic panels because they distract from the rest of the boot material. The perfect pair would have to either zip or not.

My prayers were answered with a pair of  Franco Sarto's Upton in black. They're made of a man-made material that looks like leather, but it's incredibly stretchy. I picked them because they had the perfect little heel, and then I put them on.. and then they zipped all the way up. Both of them. Even the one that it's not tried on day after day. A miracle.

Then, as the universe was conspiring, not only they were extremely comfortable to walk, they were also asininely cheap. What's a girl to do? Pick them up, run to the cashier and shut up already. I had to actively talk myself out of buying them in brown too. And in a way I'm glad I did, because when I browsed the brand back home, I found out that they come in wine red, and that's something I might actually consider. Because I simply cannot have enough red shoes. We've been through that already.

So that is done and I can still hear angel choruses and all but I still need to look into tops. Clearance section, here I come. I just need something lightweight but long sleeve because we actually get spring here for more than one week. I found this purple top from DKNY that has a nice scoop neckline and a gathering detail at one end. It fits well, it's less than 10 bucks - it'll come with me.

And then I saw the perfect "adorned tee". It was a fitted white t-shirt with three rows of large sequins in silver and bronze around its neckline. It screamed "vacations". I could see myself wearing this with the perfect pair of pants and the perfect flat sandals and the perfect straw tote and the perfect scarf during vacationing at my family's summer home where none gives one shit about perfect anything. But I bough it anyway. Because it was cheap, it fitted well, and I could easily live in it even when not in vacations. I hope I won't give it spaghetti sauce first time I'll wear it.

Birthdays and other happenings

Quite possibly, I had the most low-key birthday celebration this year. Between my diet and lack of money, I settled for a cupcake instead of a whole cake, and I'm glad I did. Hubby only wanted some dark chocolate. And somewhere in the middle of getting these things, we forgot the candle and had to improvise.

I have to admit though, that this year I received a good number of birthday cards. Mostly cause some relatives didn't get my address on time to send me Xmas cards. I couldn't possibly complain, I think I got some of the cutest cards in the history of birthday cards this year:

I got enough birthday money to get some little shopping done. I went to the local mall (don't laugh! there's not much to shop from around here without massive commuting!) and tried mostly dresses. I liked a red brocade one and a black ruffle one, but decided that without any occasions in proximity, I should wait a bit longer. After all, my diet still works for me - I have lost 65 pounds total! So, I decided to go look at shoes. Two stores and 12 bucks later, I ended up with those. I love red shoes. I think everyone should have multiple pairs of red shoes. You can wear them with anything.

Here they are worn with my skinny jeans from Old Navy and some blue socks. They have a third strap around the ankle and a zipper in the back as to not fatigue the buckles and straps. And they look almost identical to a pair I was lusting over at Free People, that retail for more than ten times the amount I paid for those. Save vs. Splurge, anyone?

I have a soft spot for certain things.

Such as things on sale. I can go through clearance racks with Jobean patience looking for the one thing that nobody else deemed buyable. It quite often works, especially at department stores.

This time, though, I walked into Charlotte Russe because I felt like I was 28 again. I so am not, by the way, but I like a lot of what they offer, so I might as well go look at nice stuff even though I might not find anything in my size. I was at the mall anyway, and I had one full hour to kill before my optician appointment.

I tried a bunch of sweaters that didn't really do it for me. The one I really like was abysmally short and I'd have to layer it with a type of clothing I don't think I even currently have - some long, oversized tee or other. Pity, it was loosely knit and baggy with a totally not frumpy neckline. Slightly annoyed, I put it back and decide to look at shoes.

Ooo! Studded clogs. Studded mule clogs. With high chunky heels. In tan. For.. 4.99? In an 8? You're so walking out with me it's not even funny. I don't even pretend to be current with fashion, not when I'm sheding a size per trimester anyway, so onward with those! To test the engineering of the shoe (read: the amount of steps I'd make w'out falling and eating carpet), I put them on and browse around the store for another 10 minutes. Without incident, I walk towards the jewelry section where I'm informed that certain jewelry is free with any purchase. Hmm.. I normally don't buy jewelry from clothing boutiques because I'm massively picky, but if I'm getting something for free I'll take another look.

The massive ring with the scarab-like blue stone totally sold me.  I really liked it, as opposed to "oh, well, it's free, so might as well" and then never see the light of the outside of my rings box ever.

So I paid 4.99 plus tax for a ring and a pair of shoes that actually look damn well together. That's victory. I'm already thinking of the clothes I already have with which they'll look good.

And then I walked into H&M and bought some mittens cause I lost my handmade pair in the supermarket of all places and no one ever returned them to me. So, I'm not gonna stay with sentimentally cold hands - it's frozen here and it'll only get worse.

Breakfast for lunch

This recipe was born like most of mine: By having to improvise with what is available. In this particular case, I had:

• 1 tsp canola or grapeseed oil
• 1 apple, cored, peeled if preferred (I like the peel) and thinly sliced 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 2 Weetabix biscuits
• 3 Tbs of sugar or sweetener equivalent
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oil in medium-high fire (in a pan, obviously) while prepping the apple. Dump apple in pan, dust with cinnamon and ginger, toss around and cook to desired limpness. My preference is as soft as it gets.

Meanwhile, crumble the Weetabix in your serving bowl, add the sugar and vanilla and combine.

When the apple slices are cooked, drop into the Weetabix mix, toss and serve immediately. Makes one serving for a quite hungry person or two for moderately hungry ones. Since this was my lunch, I ate the whole thing. Glad I don't need seconds!

Now that I'm thinking of it, I wish I had toasted walnuts or almonds to top it with.

..and it's fall all over again

What I love about Chicagoland is the abundance of sunlight year-round. There can be days with really low temperatures during the fall and winter, but there's always the chance that it'll be served with a side of sunshine, just enough to lure me outside of the cozy confines of my apartment.

These last few days the weather has been decisively declining. I wasn't completely opposed to that as I was quite eager to get back to my sweaters, leggings and similar things with my new and improved physique - I have dropped almost 50 pounds since last spring, and there is a lot of older clothing I am reclaiming. Like this pair of pants, paired with my new and totally favorite boots:

Pants from Banana Republic from forever ago, boots are Rebel

They have even more buckles on the side.

I have a favorite walk path - it goes along a small pond and some rows of trees, leading to a hotel. I am almost certain that the path is actually hotel property, though all types of walkers, joggers and pet owners use it without any problem and there are no signs warning for trespassing. So, I take advantage of it. Not that humans are the only ones to do so.





If I keep walking, I can cross a side street (with traffic) and get to a strip mall with a grocery store, a department store and a music store among other things. Today, I decided I needed a new black handbag (not pictured), so between the strolling and the shopping I spent about two hours on my feet. Not bad at all!

Soup with what's available

I haven't blogged for a while but usually I end up wanting to do so when some mediocre idea turns into massive win - this soup somehow worked, though it was one of those cases of "there's barely anything in the fridge and pantry"

It all started by having an opened carton of vegetable broth that I wanted to use before it went bad. I looked around and realised that I had a bag of flounder fillets. So, naturally, I thought "soup"

I hoped the baby carrots were still okay. Upon inspecting bag, yay, they're still edible. Then I found out that there was a jar of peeled garlic and a bag of mostly-ok shallots looking whiningly at me, complaining why I hadn't used them all this time.

Fine, I said, soup it is. I heated the broth while peeling and cutting the shallots. Dumped everything (fish fillets, carrots, shallots, garlic) in the pot. Let it simmer till the fish was done. Removed the fish. Let it simmer some more till the carrots were tender yet a bit al dente.

Then added a bag of Vegetable Medley flavor Ready Rice and let it heat and eat up some of the liquid. Served with crushed lime tortilla chips on top.

Oh my god. I'm gonna end this post and go for seconds.

In motion, for real.

I've been travelling lately, some family obligation had us spend 2 weeks away from home which was rather refreshing as well as an opportunity for taking pics. Here's one of my favorites, taken on the way back from brunch with my parents:


Sadly, we had already left the restaurant, else we'd feed him!

The Tag Game

Tinsie recently posted a tagged entry and left it up to the rest to get self-tag, so I might as well go for it, since I haven't posted anything for a while.

So, here we go:

1. Why did you start blogging?
I had started blogging on and off in other media since 2001 but I'd always post one thing and then forget the blog url, my username, and password. This particular blog started because a couple of real-life friend of mine had started blogging too, so, might as well!

2. If you could travel anywhere in the world with no restriction of costs, where would it be and why?
I'd tour Scandinavia. I'm intrigued with a lot of thing about the region - geography, folklore, music, especially of Denmark and Sweden. And then I'd jump over to Finland because people are just weird (the good weird) there.

3. Did you have a teacher in school that had a great influ­ence on your life? If so, what?
Not school exactly, but one of my professors at the Conservatory where I studied music from 1980 till 2000. He showed me that performing music is not the act of sitting down in front of a book and play what it says, and I'm ever appreciating for it.

4. If you could spend the day with a famous person, who would it be, and what would you do?
Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull. He appears to be an arrogant SOB but one of the greatest musicians that I'm aware of.

5. Toilet paper — over or under?
Over, all the way. I even switch it when I visit other people's houses.

6. Name one thing in your life that you would do over if possible.
I might have learned the violin instead of piano.

7. Tell about your pets — if any.
I never had a pet. I had a goldfish for about a year. His name was Leonidas, Leo for short. We 'd take him to vacations with us, in a shaker for frappe.

8. Do you live in a small town or a large town?
I live in a suburb, only a train away from the big city. For the most part, best of both worlds!

Americana candy

I've been wanting to write this post for a while, but kept forgetting dumping the pictures from the smartphone to the computer. I finally got to a general digital clean-up, and without further ado I present you a variety of old school American candy as shot at the front room of the Cracker Barrel restaurant.







Cracker Barrel is a joint that prides itself in serving Southern food - Fried chicken and stake, okra, biscuits, gravy, corn muffins etc, as well as breakfast items. For a long time, no vegetarians could eat there as everything in the menu contained animal fat.

On the day that I took this picture we went there for breakfast, so I restrained myself and only bought a triple flavor coconut bar. It was rather tasty.

Traditional Easter Lunch

Since I moved to the States some 6 years ago almost (wow, time flies!), I never had the chance to have a traditional Easter meal. Easter is pretty huge in Greece, quite more important than Christmas, as the nice spring weather makes for people to leave the city, visit their villages or summer homes and indulge in gratuitous eating and drinking while becoming one with Nature by the sacrificial offer of a lamb or goat on a spit.

Now, living in a two - bedroom apartment with a tiny balcony mostly cluttered with the satellite dish and a small electric grill, there's no way I'd fit either a spit or a lamb, let alone both. However, we have upgraded from living in a city with a minimal Greek population (Pittsburgh) to an area with a substantial Greek population (Chicagoland) which offered the opportunity to get some traditional fare at a restaurant instead.

I had been to Greektown in downtown Chicago a couple of times and there are a lot of restaurants there, next to each other as a matter of fact. However, one of them had an additional location closer to where we live, so we preferred it. We went to Greek Islands in Lombard. They offered a full Easter special menu.

They started with the traditional bread basket and the obligatory red dyed eggs that looked like they were dyed that morning (tsk tsk tsk, everyone knows they ought to have done so on Good Thursday, but something tells me they ran out of those and had to repeat the procedure:



Then there was Mageiritsa soup (lamb entrails and lettuce with herbs and egg-lemon sauce) which was very nicely done. They also brought a salad that I can't call Greek with good conscience as it lacked cucumber and was loaded with roughly chopped lettuce.



Then came the lamb. I ordered the oven roasted lamb with potatoes which was very nice and tender.



Hubby got a lamb kabob with a side of rice which was also very good.



And as if that wasn't enough, we ordered dessert (half of which was boxed and taken home). I got galactoboureko, which is a baked citrus flavored custard topped with soaked phyllo, and hubby got a slice of chocolate mousse cake. I also had a cup of Greek coffee that I hadn't had for quite a while!