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Notice anything funny about my shoe in the picture below (not that it is old, dirty and worn out)?

Yes, one of shoelace bows is missing.

Let me tell you a little bit about Data’s shoe fetish.

One time, Steven bought an expensive pair of shoes at the Kenneth Cole store downtown. Over $200 expensive. He only wore them on days he had to look “dressy” at work. I don’t know if they were very comfortable or not, but they sure looked nice on him.

Data didn’t think they looked so nice. He chewed them up during the night. Maybe Data just has expensive taste? That was the end of those shoes, anyway.

Steven learned his lesson - he shouldn’t leave his shoes out overnight. Now, he takes his shoes upstairs every night, to protect them.

Whenever Steven forgets his shoes downstairs, Data is drawn to them. Steven often unties the laces in the morning to find out he now has 2 extra, loose, pieces of shoelace. Or little bit marks around his shoes. Or toys in them. I always leave mine downstairs, because Data seems to leave them alone (probably because they stink so much).

Well, not anymore. After one year of living here, he finally pulled the shoelace trick on me, only this time, he left me with one bow on each shoe, instead of killing both. How nice.

He hasn’t attacked any of our house guests’ shoes yet, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!

I’m starting to think that maybe I am NOT stuck in a slump (mood wise), but am really just a kind of negative person. Because if I was just stuck in a slump, wouldn’t all of those negative thoughts have left my head by now?

At the beginning of each week, I have to repeat little mantras in my head: Smile, Don’t swear so much, Don’t say that out loud, Be nice, DON’T GOSSIP, Don’t judge people… I have to actually, mentally remind myself not to do these things.

And the thing is, I FEEL like I’m a really happy person. I like my work, I love my husband and family, I get to do a lot of fun activities… so, why why why do I have all these sarcastic, mean thoughts in my head?

I’m not sure how to get rid of them, but I am going to TRY not to say them out loud. Because I am embarrassing myself, and probably Steven as well.

And maybe this is just a human characteristic, but it’s one I don’t want.

Whenever I write a seemingly personal post, like yesterday’s, I feel like I should follow up with something more generic. Something true, but something that doesn’t make me feel so exposed.

And I think I am trying to do that with today’s topic, but I really think it makes me sounds like a… jerk. Oh well. Maybe you can relate to the topic.

So, here’s a truth about me: I don’t trust other people’s judgment in movies AT ALL (except Steven - because he knows what I like and don’t like). If someone tells me a movie is good, I really won’t believe them. I’ll ask them questions about WHAT they liked about it, but I won’t believe it is good until I see it for myself.

We all have different tastes. And when someone recommends a movie to you, they are just trying to be nice. I understand that, because I DO IT TOO. I am such a hypocrite. I often find myself telling people, “I watched whatever movie this weekend and I really think you would like it.” I am even guilty of sending people DVDs in the mail because I think they will like them (so dad, what did you think of Idiocracy?).

And I really hate feeling disappointed when I see a movie, and don’t like it. Especially when it is something A LOT of people have told me they liked (and even critics liked), and I was actually starting to look forward to seeing it - like Wanted. I felt bored in the theater, and that a lot of it was predictable. I didn’t find the action that exciting, or the story even that interesting. I did love seeing the scenes in Chicago… but I wouldn’t see it again. Or recommend it to anyone else.

But who cares, right? I’m sure some people would never want to see the movies I am looking forward to this summer. Again, it’s all personal taste. But it’s also something we feel compelled to share with each other for some reason.

Whew. What a weekend. I’m so happy I took tomorrow off as well. I need to rest.

We went to our first Cubs game today…

The nerve wracking 9th inning

The Cubs lost, but we still had fun!

On our way to the ballpark, while we were still in the Loop, a woman stopped me on the street to ask how to get to the Cubs game. Long story short, I told her how we were getting to the game, but that I wasn’t sure if that was the right way to go.

A man shows up at her side and says, “Maybe if you didn’t get your education at Iowa State University, you would know where you’re going.”

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

I look at this guy, and it is my boss from when I worked at ISU for the Environmental Health & Safety Department! His wife saw people wearing Cubs shirts (us) and stopped to ask for directions, even though he didn’t want to. What are the odds of that encounter? He lives in Ames and I haven’t seen him since May ‘07 (we’ve only been in contact through email).

We rode to the game together, and I gave him my business card and asked that we meet again before he leaves town (he’s in for a conference). I hope we get together again!

In other news: When my sister was packing her car for the drive home, she found a package addressed to me behind the bushes at our home! WTF? It arrived on Wednesday, and I didn’t even know it was there. I wasn’t expecting anything. To my surprise, it was an early birthday present from Gina! A cute little vase (that looks like a milk jar) with two gray kittehs that says “Friends”! I feel so awful that I didn’t know it was there. THANKS GINA!!! I can’t wait to use it. (I don’t mean to look demented in this photo, but like I said, it’s been a long weekend!)

Last weekend, while on the boat with Steven and my family, Steven leaned over to me and said, “If you stick your head out of the boat, and breathe through your nose, that’s kind of what it’s like when you are in free fall when you go skydiving.”

Of course, I lean over to the side of the boat, and my mom says, “Are you thinking about going skydiving?”

“Maybe someday, mom,” I answer.

“Well, I don’t think you should,” she is obviously worried. “Sometimes the parachute doesn’t open.”

Sure mom…

Kyle, Christina, Kim and Steven

Our parachutes opened!

I wasn’t scared/anxious until I was actually kneeling next to the open door in the airplane, ready to jump out. For a split second, I thought “What the hell am I doing all the way up here?!” But then I jumped, and loved it!

It seems like I have been around kids a lot lately. A few of Steven’s high school and college friends have young children. Our neighbors (that we have become friends with, not our immediate neighbors) have a young daughter. Two of my coworkers brought their kids to the bowling party. Beth brought her two daughters to dinner last night.

HRC with Beth + girls and Kevin

I don’t plan on having children anytime soon, but when I meet all of these cute, sweet and well-behaved kids, I think “Maybe someday!”

Maybe.

Anyway, the things kids want to talk about totally cracks me up. They are always straight-forward and unashamed about what interests them. Wouldn’t it be nice if adults could be like that (sometimes) as well?

Some of the amusing questions kids have asked me lately:

1. What was your favorite grade in school?
2. Is it hard living in Chicago?
3. How many cats do you have? (this one seems to be popular)
4. What’s your cat’s name?
5. Do you have any kids?

I don’t know why I think it’s so cute that they ask questions like that. I just do. (And I just love the stories that Tori tells about her kids. Okay, now I really sound like a freak. Enough of that)

What are you supposed to say to a friend when they tell you they are in so much physical pain they understood why some people end their lives?

My friend Rixa (a 71-year old German woman who lives in Italy) called me this weekend. I met her when I lived in Rome, and I still write to her twice a month, and she calls me every 3 or 4 months.

During this call, she told me about a slew of bad things that happened to her last year that I didn’t even know about. She got hit by a car. Burglars broke into her home while she was there. Then she was in so much pain all the time, and couldn’t walk well or go to the bathroom, that she thought about ending her life, but wondered who would take care of her cats (please, no crazy cat lady jokes).

She had an operation near the end of June that she just now came home from, and has to rest for three weeks. She said she already feels better, which she can’t believe - she was in so much pain she thought it would never end.

She’s a very serious woman. It actually took me awhile to find out what made her smile (and laugh!) but after that, we became very close. It makes me feel awful to know she was in so much pain, and I didn’t even know about it. But what could I have done? She is not the type to want help from anyone else.

She was happy to be receiving my letters at least.

I still have nothing nice to say.

I skipped blogging for a whole week, because every thought entering my head that I deemed “blog-worthy” could also have been labeled “negative,” “whiny,” or “bitter.”

Ugh. I’ve just been feeling so on edge, like I have all this built up tension… over what? I don’t know what.

I really looked forward to the three-day weekend, and the mini-vacation with my family. And I had a great time, but don’t feel relaxed like I thought I would. I still feel jumpy. And anxious. And even… hostile?

This is really something I want to get away from. I just don’t know how.

I love seeing the inside of someone else’s house for the first time. I like to see what color their walls are painted, if they have any artwork or plants, what their furniture is like, if they have a library… how organized their house is, and so on…

Is this an “architect-thing” or a human curiosity thing? Do you notice anything in particular when you visit someone else’s house for the first time?

I am totally stealing this from Miss Attitude.

The website howmanyofme.com will tell you how many people in the U.S. have the same name as you.

More than 767,267 in the U.S. are named Kimberly. But I’m the only Kimberly Ilax.

One time I told Steven I didn’t want to change my last name because there was already a Kimberly with his last name. And I wanted to be unique. Yeah, yeah, yeah - I’m whiny.

But that website is estimating there are only 2 Kimberlys with his last name anyway. So maybe I should just shut up and change it already. Really. I just need to go to the Social Security office. I think. Any advice from anyone who HAS changed their last name?

Anyway, how many people share your name?

(By the way, I’m not sure how legit the site is… but it’s fun to look!)