alright alright

[ekundayo]

So I haven't updated in a long time. I'll admit it: it's been pure laziness. Just haven't done it - its not like I'm busy or anything. Yesterday was a good example of what a typical, relaxing day has been like for me in the past 2 months: I got up at 8 am after a nice long 4 1/2 hours of sleep. The previous night I had stayed up for a while to talk with two out of maybe 6 of my good friends who are leaving town with little or no warning, for places like L.A., N.Y.C., Ghana. But when 3:30 rolled around, I called it a night. So I rose with the construction fumes and rain, taking a short time for my morning routine, then headed out into some light trafic. I arrived for work at my father's office in Evanston at 11:00 am or so, switched keys and vehicles with my sister, and drove to the north suburbs of Milwaukee (only about a two hour trip one way - the traffic wasn't bad that day) to pick up some printed programs for this weekend's Greenlake Bahai Conference from a tiny print shop in a shady part of town. Then I turned around and drove to the south side of Milwaukee to pick up a van load of tools and display materials for another client from a shipping warehouse. Then it was straight back to Evanston to stuff down some lunch, then run over to World Market with a business check to pick up some back - ordered bookshelves we've been waiting for to finish the last few workspaces in the office. I waited as their under-staffed team push the boxes around and finally got around to telling me they didn't accept business checks, so I left, made another stop at Office Max for some other materials, then stopped by a client's office to pick up a check directly so we might have a chance of paying down some bills. I returned to the office, where my father had been having an equally relaxing day, discovering that various clients wanted various things changed at the last minute and that, for example, a printer who was supposed to begin a job the next day had realized that it was their policy not to do jobs without a credit application. They must have forgotten to tell us! My father decided to come with me in the van, head to the bank, turn the check for the shelves into cash, hope that nobody mugged us in between the bank and world market, and just head over and drop the cash on those shelves. We did that, then returned to Office Max because we had forgotten to get enough of the previous item that I had gotten on my first trip. Fortunately, since it was by then late enough that the place was full of back to school shoppers, so I had some time to collect my thoughts in the check out line. Relaxing! Then, since my mom and sister where out for the evening at the Field Museum, we went out to get some dinner before settling in to fold and stuff the printed programs that I had picked up earlier. There where only about 1200 of them, and with my sister, a friend that I bullied into stopping by, the other designer who works at the office, and her exhausted husband, it only took us till about 10:00 pm to get most of them finished. The rest would have to wait until tomorrow, sometime before the noon deadline for that project. Then myself and the bullied friend rushed off to join a going away get together for another close friend who had told us on tuesday that he was leaving for 6 months on Sat. It was a low key evening. At one point the friend who was leaving broke a small guitar on another of my friend's butt, which produced a delightful sound. We watched the "lost episodes" of the Chappelle show and tried to have a bit of discussion on the issues raised by it, though it was interrupted by various outrageous things that where said and done at various times throughout the night, including a tangerine and raisinette fight, as well as other assorted verbal and physical attacks, and a good deal of un-aimed screaming. As 2:00 am rolled around, I headed out, taking satisfaction that only a short 20 minute drive and packing for a weekend long trip stood between me and much deserved rest.

So I apologize, Dear Reader, for my long absence. Surely, looking back on the day above, I could have found some time to create an intricate, obtuse design of some kind, or wax critical about some cultural phenomenon. I resolve to turn over a new leaf! Here's to many happy posts in the future!

Regards,
Shannon Ekundayo Reddy