Silk dupioni

Such a struggle it has been these past few weeks. Philip and I have finally decided on what drapes we wanted for all three rooms. We successfully bought white sheers (below pictured in stem)

for the Dining Room windows and found a deal of a deal with some Stem colored Silk Dupioni Drapes (pictured in saffron)

for our bedroom, all from West Elm. They now gracefully hang on Bronze colored drapery rods in each room. Sadly we were trying to be budget conscious when we bought these drapes and decided to wait on our living room drapes for another time. So, when we decided to dig deep into our pockets for the most beautiful Saffron colored silk drapes from West Elm, we were excited... however they were out of stock. THEN, like an act of God they appeared to be available again. 4 in stock said the associate on the phone as well as my computer at work... the exact number we needed. We went for it and ordered them and a bunch of rod thingys, but when our order was processed they contacted us, by email, and said the drapes were permanently out of stock. Tears and sadness overcame the Taylor Kendall Household. As we sit in our living room now without those drapes I wonder, What would our lives be like with them?

it's like 90 degrees

As of late the mercury has been on the rise, as is normal for Chicago summertime weather, however even though this is somewhat the norm, I am not taking it with ease. If you ask any of my friends they will tell you that I am not a fan of warm/hot weather. Odd indeed, one may think since I grew up in Belize where during the coolest months of the year the high temperatures often linger in the mid 80's and much warmer in the summer. However, I have adapted to the north Midwestern climate where it is too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. So what's my point here? I'm not sure. I fear that each and every day I spend in our heat haven apartment will be one of discomfort and annoyance. I am trying to convince Phil that an air conditioner, even a small one for our bedroom is a great investment. Oh yeah... and the first day of summer has not even arrived yet.

I Want A Dog

I love animals very much. I love dogs and really want one. I even used to want to be a vet so I could play with animals all day. Right now, I have a cat whom I share with my partner Philip whom we both like very much. I really want to get a puppy... I mean I can't get one right now because supposedly our building doesn't allow it. I say supposedly because on many occasions I have seen the same dog leaving the same apartment in our courtyard and NO, I do not think he is visiting. Nonetheless, I am operating on the idea that we can't have one here. I still want a puppy and as of late, I have been torturing myself with images of the cutest little puppies in the world, or at least the cutest ones I can find on google images. Here are a few of the cutest:


Puggle Puppy


Two young Pugs


French Bulldog Puppy



Puggle Puppy


Puggle Puppy


French Bulldog Puppies



English Bulldog Puppies


French Bulldog Puppy


Pug Puppies

cleaning mania

Tonight phil and I were rushed to do last minute cleaning to prep the apartment for our little party tomorrow night. mopping the kitchen, cleaning the bathroom, hanging last minute photo frames, and vacuuming the rug...3 times. You see, the joy of having a wool shag rug

is balanced out and maybe weighed down by the maintanence. Everytime we vacuum this beautiful rug our little vacuum is worn out and stuffed full of wool time and time again. One good friend of ours suggested collecting all the wool and having it spun into yarn. That was a great idea, however I am not sure that I would be down with wearing a wool/cat hair sweater, so for now that idea is on the back burner. Back to cleaning!

urban bunnies?

As I was walking east on Brompton Avenue today among the grass lined streets I saw the cutest little wild bunny just like this one

hopping through the low lying bushes. And then I began to wonder (in a totally Sex and the City kind of way) where does this cute little creature live and why isn't he/she in one of our beautiful parks. My moment of pondering came to an end as he/she disappeared from my site and I decided I didn't really give. But seriously, I have seen numerous wild rabbits in the city since moving here...big ones, tiny babies, and medium rabbits always hopping in someone's yard or along the sidewalk petrified at human sight. Where do they come from and who suckered them out of migrating to the burbs or Michigan?

free snacks

I arrived at work today at 1:00 pm for the closing shift (not my favorite) and went down to my department to start my shift. Soon after I noticed a plastic shopping bag stuffed into the cabinet space under our register. I leant down to pick it up and throw it away rather annoyed that someone had left their trash for me to deal with. But to my surprise, the bag was not filled with trash but three mini bags of snacks. Two of the bags had animal crackers and the other had mini peanut butter crackers. I was overjoyed and excited that I now had my own stash of treats to get me through the afternoon. All thanks to some young Lincoln Park child now without his or her treat :)

Pink is my new obsession...

On June 25th the CTA introduces its new Pink Line route which connects the will be former 54th/Cermak branch of the blue line directly into the green line route which feeds into the loop track system. The Pink Line shall be an exciting new addition to Chicago's transit system, yet we are all still waiting for faster service and maybe more rail lines that connect other parts of the city.

Pink Line Route.


CTA 'EL' Train Route Map.

We are excited to see what new things the CTA will produce in the coming years. Possibly new train cars and buses and hopefully more transit routes. I has always felt positive about our public transportation until visiting Berlin this past Spring which has an amazing transit system, far more advanced and reliable than the CTA and yes, Berlin is about the same population as the City of Chicago.

Berlin Train Transit Map.

an inconvenient truth

Philip and I went to see an inconvenient truth yesterday at Landmark Century Cinema on Clark St. and it was so good. So good, infact that it was saddening, depressing, and amazing. It is amazing that something that is so scientifically stated which has been proven over and over again is able to be ignored by so many people, not just people but governments filled with red tape and ulterior motives. Why is it that our country which is one of the most powerful in the world and the one which might be to blame the most for global warming is ignoring the facts and pretending that nothing is happening. In our own generation we are seeing and will continue to see that negative effects of global warming on our earth. Is it that we think that as the intelligent beings on this planet we have the right to live as we see fit, when infact, our intelligence only goes so far.


Go see the movie . It will hopefully inspire you.

an urge

a sudden urge came over me tonight while watching SNL. an idea from Philip's blog conversation earlier in the week. an urge to start anew and refresh everything. blogging david is back, well... i think he is. bedtime is now, but stay tuned.

School's out for a week (to the tune of school's out for the summer) of course!

I turned in my final paper yesterday for my LGBT Politics class making an official end to my last concrete graduate school class. Nevermind, I still have a huge thesis project to do which will probably take until the end of this year, but no more deadlines or class sessions to attend!
Currently I am sitting in my friend's condo at Birchwood and Seeley. Yes, that is in Roger's Park way way way up north, only a block from the Evanston city limits. I must not forget to mention why Philip and I are living here for a week. 2 dogs: 1 crazy, 1 lazy. Lucy the almost 2 yr old chocolate lab who requires constant attention and Missy the 11 yr old overweight beagle mix who just kinda hang around. It's been good so far, except for one event. One night I left the living room for about 10 or less minutes and when I returned, I found my cell phone on the floor and almost devoured by Lucy. Apparently, she was lonely or mad or something and she took it out on my phone. The end result: my screen on the front doesn't work, the inside screen only half works and has cracks, the vibrate function does not work, and there are about 20 holes... deep holes throughout the phone!
Do I still want a dog someday?

What a day

Today was my day off from work and I had this big list of activities to get done. This was my plan:
1. Wake up
2. Eat yummy cereal while watching a little TV
3. Write my paper which is due tonight
4. Watch a little Martha
5. Eat Lunch
6. Work a little on my thesis proposal
7. Shower
8. Get haircut
9. Go to DePaul Library and get journal articles
10. Drop off paper in professor's office

So, what did I do... Well, I am still sitting in my living room in my shorts and a t-shirt. I did work a little on my thesis and write my paper, but instead of being organized and getting tons done, I dilly dallied around and baked, made dinner, watched TV and randomly walked around in search of snacks of which we had none. I think it is time to go grocery shopping. Anyway. Sadly, my day wasted away which seems to happen quite often on my days off. I wonder how I will ever focus enough to write my thesis.

Super Bowl?

So apparently, this is Super Bowl week. The week leading up to many many football fans most important day of the year: The super Bowl. I am so excited and thrilled to have the day off from work when it is one of the most requested off days of the new year. My manager called me and made a comment about requesting Super Bowl Sunday off and I was like, "Oh, I didn't know it was the super bowl..blah blah blah blah blah" and she made it sound like it would be hard to get off. At one point I asked her, jokingly who was more important, and she said "people who would enjoy the super bowl" Well geez louise pete and grandma. I kinda laughed, but was then kind of annoyed. I get the day off regardless, so all is well. Apparently we (non super bowl fanatics) are supposed to work on days like that so we can have Pride day off. Pa pa pa lease.
Now don't get me wrong. I don't hate the SuperBowl, I just kind of hate football. I mean it is simply an organization that is built on male power, masculinity, and testosterone, and overpaid players and those things never lead to anything good. I do however enjoy watching the commercials, solely because everyone talks about them and I feel the need to be up on the latest hype, so here we go marching into super bowl Sunday, and I really couldn't give an umpph.

Long overdue

It's been forever since my last post. I have been busy working at the barn and with my class schedule. I have begun working on my Thesis proposal, and by begun I mean that I've only come up with the title and started doing a little research. I keep emailing my program advisor to find out exactly what I need to do to choose my panel and so on, but yet am waiting for his reply. I may soon have to take matters into my own hand. Things are same at work. Working lots and being tired a lot. Thursdays are the worst when I work all day then go to class till 9 pm. My class is also filled with 99% undergraduate students. Normally for a gender studies class that works out well, because they are talkative and have tons of knowledge to share. My class is full of many still under 21 :( and many who are political science majors. Nonetheless the class is not all I thought it was going to be. However, it's my last class before my thesis and the information is useful, so I'll ride it out. Everyone is friendly, but we are so far from each other in many ways. Such is life. Philip and I are having fun planning for our ceremony. Last night we registered at Target in the South Loop and today we registered at Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn. Oh what fun those scanners are! Ok.. off to other things.

HOT gifts

When the Holiday Season comes near the end of the year, so too come various gifts. Have you been good all year, cause if you haven't you may get a crappy gift. WELL, I must have been a very good boy cause I got 'wunderbar' gifts. As I have not the time to talk about all my great gifts in detail I will highlight some of the exciting ones. I got a TIVO from Phil, creme brulee cups from Greta, Good ole cash from my parents, a paper shredder from my sister and family, and a cool manicure kit from my lil brother.
But out of all the gifts, I wanted to share Ross' gift with everyone. Ross gave out themed gifts and my themed gift was HOT. I got hot sauce, hot popcorn, hot salsa, hot peanuts, and cool pasta. All are pictured below:

but also, something that I've wanted for a long time...a microwave egg poacher!!!


Now, most importantly you must notice the names of the hot sauces. HOT STUFF!

Gingerich Reunion, Country Style

Today, I had brunch with the lovely Gingerich sisters, Emily and Hannah. My lack of wheels allowed me to be entirely dependent on them. I wonder if this is what life will be like when I am older and cannot drive or walk. Back to the matter at hand... So Emily and Hannah arrived in their cute little Honda right here in Kidron to pick me up at approximately 10:30 am and we departed on our way to Wooster, OH on the NEW US ROUTE 30, which was the much anticipated ride. However, as this route is fairly new and uncharted by both sisters, we had to get on and off several times to end up at the correct destination. No worries, it was a fun little trip. After a quick gas stop, we arrived at Bob Evans, a hometown favorite, to have our lunch. I decided to go all the way and get their big Homestead Breakfast which came with 2 eggs, 2 sausage patties, home fries, two biscuits, and sausage gravy. Yummy delicious! It took a while to finish as you can see below:

I thought it necessary to show off Emily's amazing new hair style. Look at the bounce in that wave. She loves her wavy auburn hair :)

After brunch they drove me home and dropped me off with the fam with whom I am sitting now, with not much to do.

Christmas Bells are ringing, Christmas Bells are singing, on TV @ Saks.

Christmas with the TAYLOR CLAN. A joyous, loud, stressful fun annual tradition. I flew to Ohio on the last AA flight from ORD to Cleveland on Christmas Eve night and arrived in Kidron, Ohio (population 1000, maybe) at around 1:30 am Christmas morning. After rushing off to bed I was rudely awakened by my cell phone alarm, which was an unfamiliar chant to me as I had never used it before. I mustered the strength to get ready for Church and failed to have breakfast:(. We went to Sonnenburg Mennonite, My aunt and uncle's church and suprisingly everyone from our extended Taylor family in the area was there. We took up two large Church pews, in the back of course. The service was interesting. We sang hymns, but not many good ones, and they were all accompanied by musical aid, so sadly there was no awesome 4 part harmony. After Church, my immediate family gathered to have lunch and open presents. Lunch was amazing! We had Belizean rice and beans, white rice, stewed beans, ham, turkey, stuffing, and gravy. It was great. Check out the food photo here:

So we continued on to open gifts. The joyous tradition of ripping off nicely wrapped paper to uncover something that you have been eagerly awaiting. Ahh.. the commercialization of Christmas. oops.. I mean the Holiday Season. Here I am thrilled over something holidayish!


One of the highlight gifts this year was a Furby that my 3 year old niece received from her parents or possibly Santa. "Me Furby, you friend" "aaahhhhhhhhhh" (in a friendly mechanical voice)

A few hours after our immediate family gathering, the entire clan got together in the garage (the only space large enough to hold all of us) to have a delicious dinner and exchange gifts as well as get gifts from Grandma and Grandpa. This year for the gift exchange we had to buy a gift for someone of the same gender as ourselves that begins with the letter of our name. I bought a daily calendar with quotes from the "Duh Awards". My lucky cousin Scott was the one who received it. I happened to receive another gift that began with a "D"... a devotional...yay! The gift from my Grandparents was pretty cool. A old fashioned desk clock that chimes. I am actually quite excited about this one and can't wait to try it out. They also gave me the batteries to use it. JACKPOT. Check it out below.

Merry Christmakwanzikah and a happy...

How we gonna pay, how we gonna pay, how we gonna pay...last yeaaaaars rent? rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent rent... and so on. On a more serious holiday note, the big day has come and gone with no major problems or stressful situations. Gifts were fairly decent and exciting.. That's all!

"Love is a Force of Nature"

Today, Philip and I went to see Brokeback Mountain at one of the two cinemas showing it in Chicago. This weekend is the opening in Chicago and many other cities, but the film will not be released everywhere until sometime in January. With its limited release in 75 theaters it still was # 8 for the entire weekend and had the highest number of visitors per cinema, averaging 34,000 which was the highest for any movie in 2005. The film was a cinematic masterpiece. The film portrayed the cowboys as cowboys from the rugged sheep herding to their lives and struggles at home. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal played out their parts amazingly as did Michelle Williams. The film was happy, exciting, and sad. I definitely recommend that everyone who loves movies should see it. Not only is the message beautiful, but the acting and film are as well. Go watch it now.

Suggestions...

My Taylor side of the family gets together every Christmas in the small town of Kidron, OH. Our family now around 27 strong has a fun little gift exchange. This year we are to buy a gift that starts with the first letter of our name for someone of our gender. So I need to buy a cheap gift for a guy that starts with D and is under ten dollars. I have been struggling to come up with an idea for a gift. Any Ideas?

Baby Jesus WAS in the house tonight...

Tonight Philip, Greta, Vanny, and I went to Ross' Church, Broadway United Methodist Church, for "The 2005 Broadway Christmas Celebration" of which Ross was singing in the choir. We arrived 15 minutes early to an almost packed house of church attenders and friends of the performers. The church body is quite interesting and special as it is made up of a diverse group of people reflecting the neighborhood where it is located, East Lakeview. The prelude holiday music led us into the entrance of the choir, all decked out in Christmas Red tops and Black pants and there was Ross, right in the middle with his brand new Merino Wool Red Sweater with Argyle down the sleeves. He may have been one of the trendier dressers in the crowd. The music begins with Alleluliahs and Alleluliahs. The choir was really into it singing as loud as they could. One woman on the side closest to us could barely control herself as she sang and moved to the rhythm. The crowd got into it more and more with louder applauds after each song and some standing ovations. There was even a readers theatrical performance (interesting!) and a good liturgical dance, however their blue outfits clashed somewhat with the excellent red of the choir. Nevermind, their performance was good. The only real negative aspect was that the church was quite warm, and we all know that I don't really love the heat. Afterwards we chatted and snacked with Jordan and Marco and Marco's mom and then Phil, Ross, Vanny, Greta and I walked home and stopped at Starbucks on the way to keep ourselves warm. Such a good holiday evening!