Tipsy Tuesday: Things I've Learned in the Past Week

This lip stain actually looks good and stays put for hours.

via Sephora

Giardiniera or muffaletta mix is tasty in meatloaf.

Via google images

I haven't learned yet, but I hope to find out what kind of dog(s) Roobabe is by using a DNA test. 

via Amazon

So, whatever. It's a bit trivial, but we all need some dependability when it comes to our looks, dinners and answering the question "OH! What kind is SHE!?"

What have you guys learned? Anyone else feel like they need a break or a change? I'm feeling burned out, regardless of the amount of vacation/weekending/sleeping-in I do. Anyone have any tips for un-burning out?

Tipsy Tuesday: How to Show Gratitude

I am excellent at sending thank you cards (love mail!), but horrible at the actual in-the-moment "thanks".

I always try to qualify it. Or make it grander than it should be, causing my gratitude to seem fake. Or downplay it like I am undeserving of said gift/compliment. Or worse.

I was a senior in high school and was spending time with a boy who would be my prom date (or already had been... the order of events is fuzzy). He had been on a family vacation and brought me back a gift. We had hung out for several hours before he revealed what the gift was. I was surprised when he unwound a string of shell beads from his wrist to reveal a women's necklace.
When he handed it to me I said, "That's it?"
Becoming embarrassed he said, "Yes. That's it."
Realizing my rude expression I backpedaled, "Oh no, I don't mean 'That's it' like it's not great. I mean 'That's it.' like... You've been wearing it the whole time... and I didn't notice that it was new or different."

Ouch.

This past weekend I made my Mr. proud by simply thanking his mom for a compliment she paid me over the oatmeal I cooked. Oatmeal, folks.

How do you show your thankfulness? Just say, "Thank you."

Tipsy Tuesday: Become an Engineer

Or a nurse. Or an computer programmer. Or an accountant.

I'll stick with engineer because: needles, binary and boring.

In High School I took advanced Science and Math courses, but not English. So, why then, did I choose to go into English (Creative Writing) in college? And tack on Psychology as a minor? Because I wanted to be an advice columnist.

And advice columnist. I'll give you a second to look where you are and realize that this is what's become of my degree.

I gave up my established track in the coveted STEM fields for the Liberal Arts.

Liberal - not bound by authoritarianism
Arts - the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects
Liberal Arts - college or university studies intended to provide chiefly general knowledge and to develop general intellectual capacities as opposed to professional or vocational skills

By definition I shouldn't expect to get a job from the Liberal Arts.
Alternate Title: Social Media is the New Homemaking
AKA. Shit People With Little Education Can Do At Home For No/Low Income*
AKA Twitter = Cross stitch

Did I love taking Pre-Calculus a year early? No. It was hard.

And you bet I got nervous around upperclassmen in Biology II. So much that I stuttered nervously over simple things like genetics diagrams. ("It would have a 25% chance of being a ppppurple ppppeony.")

So what if you got a C in Physics? You know what they call C-grade doctors? Doctors.**

I chose writing and the arts. I stuck to my dreams and now I'm living them. I play Facebook for a day job and consult a thesaurus more than I do my own reasoning. Hopefully I'll get a few years in before my salary caps out or Social Media gives out and I'll have to get to cocoon and rebirth myself as a Creative Director.

Or an Engineer.

--
*Not that you are stupid. Just saying you don't have a to be a genius to do either. And both can trend toward degradation quickly. (LinkedIn is to me what toilets are to June Cleaver.)
**Not endorsing doing substandard work. Just endorsing some practical motivation to do something concrete and maybe hard in your life -  even if you aren't the best at it.

Tipsy Tuesday: Vote Your Conscience. Vote Your District. Don't Surprise Me.

Bottom line: Watch House of Cards on Netflix.

I'm a wuss when it comes to R-rated sex scenes (I couldn't get past the first few episodes of HBO's Girls... the writing was great but the scenes were raunchy and I was so distracted/horrified.), so some of the episodes in HoC were a bit ... adult for me.

But the writing is GREAT. The character building is GREAT. The acting is GREAT. The plot is GREAT.

It's a writer's TV show. It's got excellent foreshadowing, quippy dialogue and layers of storytelling that all come to a head at just. the. right. time.

This one has earned it's Emmy nominations.

via

Tipsy Tuesday: Put Down the Keyboard, Vigilante

I can get bogged down in fruitless work in my professional and personal life.

Like, are people going to even notice if I put those files into a color-coded binder? Or can I just stuff them in manilla and walk away?  I have to ask myself periodically if going the extra mile is worth it.

I can also get bogged down in self-righteousness in the blog community.

Like, some nice bloggers I know seems to contradict themselves in their blog by preaching about God's love one minute and featuring ethically questionable products from Forever 21/H&M/The Gap/Zara/Wal-Mart/Target the next. Does it do anything to write a scathing comment on their post? Would calling them out help anything? Most likely, no. It will just make them mad or expose my self-righteousness.

I can also feel guilty for not recycling in a country where recycling is easy.

Like, when you're at a beach-side barbecue and the host doesn't offer a recycling option, but has bags of Styrofoam plates for disposal. Do you make an ass of yourself by eating a hot dog with no safety net for dripping condiments and hoard soda cans in your purse for the hour's ride back home to recycle them? No.

I, J.Mill, release myself from these self imposed obligations. While I won't lower my work ethic or compassion, I'll also not alienate people over a La Croix can. I'll try to live humbly in this glass house and hope that someone doesn't catch me taking 20 minute showers.

via

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Beverage pairing: Lime and cucumber infused water. We need to detox after back-to-back parties this weekend.

Tipsy Tuesday: You Gotta Be Cotton Me?!

Buh-dum-kish!

Our second wedding anniversary is just weeks away and the traditional gift is... Cotton!

I love the theme (although I didn't follow it last year and gave him a bowl made of glass from our wedding site), so I've compiled some cotton gifts.

Lace shoes

Funky quilt for spare room

Oil on canvas

Natural pillow

Funny tea towel

The non-traditional gift for second anniversaries is china. What do you think? Would you give something completely different?

Tipsy Tuesdays: Journaling

In my teens I made a bet with a friend to journal over the summer every day. We said that if one of us could not keep up with a journal entry a day for the entire summer vacation, the loser would buy the winner a candy bar.

I think we were both diligent kids and both kept our promise to journal.

I have no idea if that girl still journals today, but I know I've sure fallen off of the wagon.

Journaling helped me through quite a bit as a kid. I even wrote my persuasive comm speech on it in college. And for a while I thought that blogging like this was journaling.

Heck, no.

I can't say whatever I want to here, without consequences  So, for the next month I'm going to commit to spending time journaling once a day.

My journal for the next month. No peeking, roommates!

I may write about my day (middle school!), make some lists (boring), draw my feelings (weird, but ok) or just try and decompress or figure things out.

I'll still write here and it will be as compelling as ever (womp, womp), but I want to make sure I'm giving my brain time to breathe and my hand a chance to cramp up (handwriting is hard, yo!).

What do you do for you every day? What helps you unwind? Do you want to commit to doing with me over the next month (til May 15th if you need an end date)? Running daily? Calling someone special every day? Replacing TV with yoga and a Fresca*?

*Downward dog after the Fresca. Trust me. You do not want to be inverted after a can of that sweet, refreshing bubbly.

Tipsy Tuesday: How to Buy a Mazda CX5

Very specific subject, but I suppose anyone could learn from our experience of buying this particular car.

Accidental picture of the car, I'll take it!

Pros: This car gets great gas mileage, is comfortable, has the turning radius of a Jeep which makes it easy to park in tight spaces, rides smooth like a new car should and has all the bells and whistles you expect from a 21 century car.

Cons: There are significant blind spots in the back (although there are monitors that help get around them... you just have to train yourself to use them), the remote start is an expensive joke, and maybe I'm an idiot, but the bluetooth/phone set up does not work for me all of the time. 

The blind spots: I got used to using the monitors - which beep and flash a light on your side-mirror - within the first week. I think that this isn't a real hurdle to buying the car, but that it should be noted. It just takes time to stop looking behind you when you change lanes on the highway. 

The remote start: This car cannot be fitted with a standard, aftermarket automatic start. It has to get the Mazda version make specially for this car. And for that reason, I guess, it's $1,000. Gulp! 

We built it into the cost of our loan, and paid for it before we saw it demonstrated. I don't even think they had a car equipped with it in the showroom. That should have been our first clue.

After having it installed, we were given a bulky, extra key fob to carry around with the regular key fob. It was in addition to, not instead of, like we thought. The start will only work within a very short range and will stop the second you open the door to the car. You can't start the car until you are right up near it... and it will stop when you open the door. So.... whats the point of warming up the car if you are already close to it and it can't keep running while you buckle your seat belt?

Bulky, expensive, proprietary, low-range, have to restart upon entering car. We aren't pleased.

The Bluetooth: The Mr. doesn't seem to have a problem with his phone (both iPhone 5's), so most likely it's me that's the problem. I should note that more expensive makes that we test drove had even more of a problem with Bluetooth technology. 

Bottom line is that we are happy with the car and wouldn't change that decision. If we could, we'd go back and not get the remote start or research consumer feedback more before we did.

Maybe others won't have problems with the blind spots or the Bluetooth because you've already driven cars with these modern issues/advancements. We were upgrading from a 1998 Honda Accord, so all of this stuff is soooo fancy to me!

I spent a total of 12 hours in the car this weekend and had a pretty good time. It handled hilly, curvy southern-Indiana terrain pretty well and didn't cost me a ton in gas. And I looked pretty cool in it :)

Spring Clean Week - Cleaning Up Your Diet

I asked what our live-in cousin wanted for dinner last night after a long weekend of house/dog sitting (that girl  handled two jobs, two cats, and a dog last weekend and everyone lived!... bravo!) and she said she was craving comfort foods. Fried chicken, greens, corn bread, macaroni and cheese, etc.

I said I could cook about half of that on a whim.

We sent S out to get a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store (I'm not much for fried chicken) and I made some Jiffy corn bread muffins, creamed spinach, roasted potatoes, macaroni and cheese (from a box). It was so good.

But after that meal and a whole weekend of eating out in West Lafayette/Lafayette, I am ready to get back on track.

This spring I am trying to limit meat and dairy in my diet. I have noticed that my digestive system is happier when I take those things in moderation.

I used to have a yogurt every morning and a dinner made with some sort of cheese, cream, meat and/or butter.

Now I've had apples and bananas for breakfast (with peanut butter if I need a few more calories) and a primarily vegan/vegetarian dinner. Lunch is often leftovers from dinner the night before.

I've had chicken since deciding to cut back on meat and I use butter in cooking to add a layer of flavor that I just don't get from oil, but I'm mostly meat/dairy free for now.

I do miss cheese though.

Source: joannagoddard.blogspot.com viaChristine on Pinterest

Have you ever done a cleanse? (Admittedly, mine is not a true cleanse, just some mindful eating.) Did you get sick off of it? I've heard that if you change your diet too drastically, you can weaken your immune system.

Tipsy Tuesday: Travel Tips for the Weak Traveler

Like the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, I'm getting cabin fever.

February is done, but March is being a b*tch lion and we all want to get out of cold-town, no?

Source: baenk.com via Adrienne on Pinterest

Thailand, anyone?

Source: everytrail.com via Lindsay Smith on Pinterest

Oregon (in the summer, please)

Source: 500px.com via Carline on Pinterest

Act like a monkey and get in the hot springs (Japan)

Source: tumblr.com via Kerri on Pinterest

When the Middle East pipes down, I'd love to go to Turkey.

Although I'm a mild-to-moderate traveler, I didn't/still don't always do it well. My next trip will be to Colorado in April (hey, hey, Sarah!) so I thought I'd share some of my tips for traveling.

Don't pack anything too dear. If the TSA confiscates it. If it get stained and you can't rinse it out right away. If if gets broken/lost/stolen you'll regret taking it at all.

Bring along some familiar items for your ... digestive system! Pack some meds in case the local food or options from your host don't agree with you. Bring a granola bar.

Keep your ID, passport, boarding pass, etc. in one folder or pocket of your bag to make them easily accessible. You don't want to be there person sifting for passports in the ID check line. Likewise, wear slip-on shoes or practice taking off your buckle/belted/laced/zipped shoes.

Make it your goal to pack as lightly as possible. If you can't lift your bag onto the conveyor belt, you shouldn't fly with it. Wear jeans 3x. Pack sensible shoes that work for all occasions. Ask your traveling buddies/host if any formal or trek-inspired gear are needed. If not, don't pack 'em!

Do your hair before you leave and bring dry shampoo. Master a good ponytail or messy updo. Leave the flatiron or curling iron at home. Ask if there will be a blow dryer where you'll be staying.

Traveling, like life (stay with me), is about perspective. If you think that the flight is going to be rocky, it will. If you change your attitude to "what an adventure", you'll have one. No, you can't will the crying baby away, but you can use it as an opportunity to test out the in-flight radio or lock yourself in the tiny bathroom and pretend it's a photo booth!

What are some of your travel tips? Do you get overwhelmed/sick/fish-outta-water while traveling? 

Tipsy Tuesday: Telecommuting

Sorry guys. The car announcement will officially have to wait until tomorrow as the end of working from home is announced at Yahoo.

This whole story hits home for me. I had to investigate and even tune in to the morning shows to watch others talk about it.

Marissa Mayer has announced, through Yahoo HR, that the underdog tech company will discontinue work-from-home options in June of this year.

via

So, if you read the article you see that Yahoo may be in a unique circumstance. They are a creative and collaborative tech company who has a bloated, widespread team that, according to some, abuses telecommuting options.

As I write this I am in my pj's, doing laundry, saving money on parking and a dog walker for the day and working from home*.

I will put in abnormal hours (3 hours here, 1 hour there, 5 hours there), but still get everything done  - and then some. I will have the ability to run errands in the city without the headache of the Saturday or post-5 PM rush. I will let my dog stay out of the crate all day and enjoy breaks where I can do the dishes, cook a healthy meal for dinner, run or exercise (and yes, blog for myself) and STILL GET THE JOB DONE.

I'm all for maximizing our options with technology while making workers happy.

And if that means that you can work from home, God bless it.

And if that means that you cannot be trusted to work from home, then you must report to the office (but why are we hiring people we can't trust, I wonder?).

There are certainly people in my company that may be abusing work from home time. For goodness sake, there was a man who worked in Guam for years and still couldn't come to a tele-meeting prepared.

I think telecommuting should be done with much oversight. Be demanding. Hold people accountable. Don't let their work-from-home options get in the way of good work. And maybe even only allow telecommuting on a case-by-case basis (which is what my company does).

I think it's a good idea to let workers stay home for the cable guy or an out-of-town appointment when necessary (which Mayer says will still be possible at Yahoo), even if they don't get a regular work-from-home day.

So what do you think? Is telecommuting a good idea? Are people misusing that option and giving it a bad name at your company?

*I should note that I have to work from home because some of the sights I have to manage for my job are blocked at work and my company does not like the option of giving me exclusive rights to access them in the office.

Tipsy Tuesday: How to Impress Your Boss

(A.k.a. be a bit of a kiss-a**)

Things I do-do and things I should do:

- If he/she swings by and asks, "Got a second?" Always say, "Yes." Even if you don't.

- Listen to his/her stories about his kids/grand-kids/dog, even if you've heard them a hundred times.

- Offer to help when you do have free time. Just let him/her know you are available.

- Be honest about your abilities, but willing to grow. Example: "Can you do ABC?" "No, but I'll find out how to!"

- If you are going to be late, let him/her know. If you are occasionally late, it's best to just text or email them at least to say you are late and give a time when you will be in. Don't explain yourself. It will only seem like you are giving excuses.

- Treat your department. 'Tis the season of giving, so bring in some doughnuts, offer to run grab lunch or leave some homemade cookies on your desk as an incentive for others to log some face-time with you.

A wise former coworker of mine once reminded me: You get more bees with honey!

So as annoying as you may think being kind, cordial and interested in your boss's life, it may help you work up the corporate ladder!

Do you try to impress your boss?

Tipsy Tuesday: Let Someone Help You

I am miss I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T if you can believe it.

Growing up I threw a fit if I couldn't dress myself. One time I waltzed out of my bedroom, dressed for church, wearing all red (sock, headband, the whole shebang). I was promptly laughed back into my room by my parents.

Source: blogs.babble.com via Renée on Pinterest

(Not me, but I would have done this.)

I should have accepted help.

The holiday season requires even more from us that usual. Travel to orchestrate, family to mediate,  crowded stores to navigate...

So the next time you are:

...texting and driving (don't!), hand the phone to your passenger.
...asked if you need anything from the store, just say "some tic tacs" even if you don't need them.
...offered a ride to the airport, accept it and give them your itinerary and a latte!

I get a real joy out of helping others - especially when its no skin off my back! Some of us wrap gifts better, are better with directions, are more social and willing to talk to Great Aunt Ruth about the depression for the 6th time - let us all specialize for the good of the group!

So if someone offers, let them. Then pay it forward and use your abilities to do something nice for someone else!

Gift Guide: Couples Gifts

This is the first post of my gift guide. It's not broken out by gender or age, but rather, the type of recipient. Let's be real, I just broke them out by the types of gifts I need to buy. Help me, help you, help me. Ya know?

These gifts would be great to give to a couple or individual as a household gift. All are under $25 as that is the stipulation for gifts in my family this year.

Some unique art. 

Wouldn't this look good in a kitchen? Its easy on the eyes, has a bit of tension but is still gender neutral. 

Something for the home that is seasonal is nice too.

This pepper wreath is traditional and funky at the same time.

This is a dollar over the price point, but it's such a good idea.

Couples mitten!

If they have pets, getting something for the dog or cat could be a way to give something for the household!

And it may seem like a cop-out, but I always like getting and giving gift cards. People can then shop themselves and get exactly what they want. And you still get to show them that you know their favorite 

Brand of coffee

Home improvement store

Local Italian resto

Homegoods

That way, they can have part of their next date, java or home improvement project on you!

How about you? What would you like for your household?

Tipsy Tuesday: I Like to Name-it, Name-it

Our local wine club is holding a naming contest for it's next Rosé wine. All I can think about are pink-related names.

I'm considering submitting them anonymously because I am:

a) not trying to get black listed from future events for my weirdness
b) the last few times I gave creative input to someone they ditched my ideas and came up with their own, so what's the point?

Because I'm 49% proud of myself, 49% shameless and 2% milk, here are my suggestions:

Inspector Jacques Chambroucin

William Holden Me Back

Shave Your Legs

Good Pink Wenceslaus

The Blushing Bastard

Bohemian Rose City

Penny Marshall Lang

**Update**

Maybe the makers of this wine would like some of my cheeky names!

Seen here first, from here.

Tipsy Tuesday: When You're Tired, Just Sleep Less (A cautionary tale)

Le sigh.

The Mr. had a minor set-back in his healing (from deviated septum surgery) that has left me tired and nursey-no-likey-the-patient.
I had to stay home with him yesterday and its thrown my whole week off.

In order to be prepared to give a presentation to the owner of our company tomorrow (basically proving to him that I do my job, NBD) and make up for time I missed yesterday, I came in early today.

Like, before even the early birds.

Like, before the parking lot I use started charging full price. ($6 parking - holla!)

Like, before my building is even unlocked or has the lights on.

So. Early.

I was trucking though. I got everything done. I answered 3 obscure questions non-related-to-my-department, several that were related, had one conference call to discuss the downfall of my biggest project/catastrophe, and finished my presentation in time to decide to change directions and then rework and finish it again!

PleaseIgnoreTheAboveIfItDoesn'tMakeSense.

AND yesterday, while the Mr. was getting his day-time rest (daytime rest for me you ask? no... haha... no...), I got ahead on some work I could do while at home unexpectedly AND made some damn pumpkin muffins.

I used this recipe but of course said 'to heck'/'be gone' to strict ingredients.

No yogurt.
Add Banana.
Regular sized muffin tin.
Bake longer.
Measuring is for sissies!

And without reading the above, I'll trust that you get a feeling of angst and dread at me being awake any longer. Just me then?

I give. Maybe MORE sleep is better.

Here. Have this picture as an apology.

From Peter Pan, here.

Tipsy Tuesday: Smelling Smells

Title has double meaning, so I probably get double points. High five (clap).

I'm seeing all over Pinterest that there are homemade home fragrances for every taste: sweet, earthy or punchy. Smells can be punchy. Let me show you (clap).

I was thinking it was getting a bit ridiculous with all of the scenty-ness. I mean, does everyone's house smell so bad? Apparently.

Probably because you made your own potato chips per Cup of Jo. I know I did. I know my house smelled like I had beer-battered my cupboards, too.

But before we treat the smelly symptom, why don't we go to the source.

Tip #1: Clean

If your house is smelly, maybe you need to take out the trash. Or clean the garbage disposal. Or snake the drain. 'Tit happens people. Get your hands on that pipe rat and yank.

Tip #2 Disinfect

Sometimes things look clean, but the germs are just sparkling with scrubbed faces. Use some bleach, baking soda or even some herbal oils to disinfect and deodorize.

Which brings me to tip #3.

Take a bath with eucalyptus oil. It's kinda hot 'cause of the bath and kind cool because of the eucalyptus oil and the oil is a disinfectant. It will stink up your whole bathroom in a good way. And you get a bath out of it.

Tip #4

Open the windows. Put on some socks to keep your feet warm in the fall breeze, but get some fresh air in your home.

Tip #5

Anthropologie makes great candles. Bite the bullet and buy a candle before you boil a pot of pine needles dry and have to try and erase the smell of your botched home-scent attempt.

Hot, burned pine needles = scent of dead bodies in the woods.

Source: morganmoore.typepad.com via Elissa on Pinterest

Beverage pairing: A gimlet. Because gin tastes like pine needles to some people. (Picture above is rosemary... I guess you could put that in your gimlet...)

Tipsy Tuesday: Waiting for Home Delivery

Waiting for something to be delivered can be a pain. It's as convenient as waiting for the cable guy or a plumber. They give you a 4 hour window and then show up 20 minutes after the 4 hour window closes. OR if you are there for the majority of the time, they will show up during the 5 minutes you were in the shower or out back or, in my case, taking a jog around the block. 

Murphy wrote a loophole-less law, right there. 

So I've compiled a list of things to do at home while you are imprisoned by in-home delivery/service. 

1. Dust the baseboards. If you have pets, this is something that should be done regularly.
2. Prepare and cook an elaborate meal for dinner (something like this).
3. Do some laundry.
4. Scold the pets for things they probably do every day but you aren't around to see them do it. (Pet shaming, anyone?)
5. Hand mop the bedroom floor in preparation for placement of a fancy-schmancy rug.
6. Do not attempt to place the rug yourself because it's a 9x12 rug wooly beast that will crush you.
7. Run a short run. But run hard to compensate for your limited time. Then come home and do your very first pushup... ever.
8. Feel proud of yourself. And then ashamed that it was your first pushup ever. #ProudAshamed
9. Dance around to T.I. Wonder if he's still in prison. Wonder if the neighbors can see you dancing around to T.I. Move further from the windows.
10. Shower a quick shower for fear that you'll miss the delivery guy. 
11. Continually look out of the peephole without prompt. 

Through the peephole.

A preview of our bedroom. iPhone photos don't do the blue justice!

Ok, ok. This is just a list of what I've done today. Oh, and I worked a bit too. 

Beverage pairing: Water after the run/dance party. Wine with the braised pork.

Song Suggestion: What You Know About That by T.I.

Tipsy Tuesday: Unsolicited Compliments

When the project you've been working on for nearly a year takes a nose dive,
when the others in the tower at mission control point fingers at you
and the onlookers on the ground gasp and take to Twitter in speculation,
when you've lost faith in you and no one can give you a good reason to seek it out again:

take heart.

Some coked-up, rambling colleague may send you a nonsensical email with qualifying dribblings unrelated to even the subject of such email but end it with:

"One last thing.  I want you to know that I relish the contributions you make and believe you do a top-notch, extremely professional job on [company newsletter].  Your skills shine through the work you do and it’s a pleasure to work for a company that embraces sharing work with one another and encouraging all of us to get to know one another through our work.  Bravo to [our company] for seeing you in the current light – your work shines through beautifully!"

Like being hit-on by a hobo or piss-on by a rapper, I feel honored, akin, and creeped-out all at the same time.

visit the site to see more hilarious signs

Beverage pairing: a large Evian bottle under which to shower. Just make sure you get the clear kind from the 7-eleven and not the yellow kind from the gutter outside of the 7-eleven.

I would walk 500 miles

via

Fantasy Map: Chicago El Overlaid On New York CityA bit of whimsy for you today from Reddit, brought to my attention by Twitter user@GordonWerner. The El has been flipped both horizontally and vertically, then rotated to fit Manhattan’s street grid, but the scaling is totally accurate. It looks like The Loop is placed in the area directly below Central Park. A few things from this: it’s actually kind of scary how well this fits; and it’s astounding just how dense the New York subway’s lines really are (shown here in white).(Source: Reddit)

I WILL walk 500 miles. Over 500 miles (624, to be exact) per year now, just walking to and from the train.

I used to live off of the orange squiggle above (in Chicago), but now will live off of one of the blue squiggles. My walking distance is 2 minutes on the home-side and 5 minutes on the work-side now. It will increase on both ends to 15 minutes on the home-side and 9 minutes on the work-side.

I may not need to run as much now. And I might be able to return to talking on the phone on my way home from work as I will spend more time in fresh, open air instead of cramped on a train.

Be prepared for more 12 minute phone calls, friends and family!

Sometimes I miss the luxury of driving to work.

Listening to the radio.
Putting your heels in the backseat and wearing something comfortable.
Being able to schlep and unlimited amount of bags (gym, lunch, purse, etc.) and not look crazy or take up too many train seats.
Not having to smell other people on the train.
And having private phone conversations.

At least I can talk on the phone now if I need to and I wont feel like a jerk disrupting the peace of the train car.

How do you commute? What do you do on your commutes?