a day off..

so i took the day off today. i don't get any time around Christmas/New Years, so i've been taking random days here and there to give myself 'vacation'. this weekend was kinda crazy so to have a few extra hours of relaxing is just what i needed. somehow things continue to surprise me, things get complicated, and fun and strange all at the same time. no complaints...just time needed for reflection and decisions on where to go from here. relationships/religion/morality/ethics/the overall meaning of life...it all gets bundled up together. vague enough?? haha...i thought so:)

a few weeks ago i was talking to a friend about the Chicago International Film festival that was going on that the time. i was mentioning a few of the movies i went to last year and the ones i went to this year. Last year i saw 3 films, one was a documentary of an Iraqi film student during the war, another was Lars and the Real girl..about the struggles of dealing with feelings that often overwhelm, and another movie was in subtitles about the Israeli war in the 80s. this year i saw Boy in the Stripped pajamas, a film about a German boy during WWII, and another film was about a woman in Sweden who struggled in a marriage with an alcoholic trying to support her 5 children. this friend of mine stated the obvious that all of the films i mentioned were really dark and heavy, not the feel good comedy fun type. it's true. they are kind of intense, and i guess i have the tendency to be pretty intense as well...not that i don't like having fun...a few pics below will show i'm up for a good time...but it's tru, i enjoy movies/discussions that are related to real life experiences and real life is intense at times. i seem to stay with my own thoughts about life that are pretty intense as well...

but in an attempt to Not be so intense...

yes, i went and got a spray tan...just for fun. a friend of mine works at a tanning salon and kept bugging me to come in and take advantage of any deal he could give me. as i don't like laying a frying in a tanning bed, i figured i'd give the spray tan a shot. now, he did it personally, it wasn't a machine like on Friends when Ross keeps getting sprayed on the same side...it was done pretty well, except my hands were pretty dark and blotchy...fun for the costume though. everyone i work with got a huge kick out of it!!! something i tried but won't do again probably! the halloween party was a blast though...it's so easy to talk to people...the costumes are great conversation starters!!