Our Pet Kitties: A Beautiful Poem Written for Cats by AI

 

In the heart of a bustling cityscape,

Where honking horns and sirens wail,

Two feline souls, Katcha and Chai,

Embarked on a journey, a feline tale.

From New York's streets, so bright and grand,

They bid farewell to the lights and sway,

With twitching whiskers and paws in hand,

They headed back to sweet home Chicago way.

In Central Park, where dreams take flight,

Katcha chased pigeons with wild delight,

While Chai lounged on windowsills high,

Gazing at the skyscrapers reaching the sky.

But now they tread on Chicago's ground,

A new adventure, familiar sights surround,

They stroll along the windy shores of the lake,

Marveling at the beauty, their spirits awake.

Katcha pounces on autumn leaves,

Chai dances through the snowflakes,

Their playful antics weave tales of glee,

As they settle in this city, their hearts awake.

The windy city's breeze whispers their names,

As they explore its neighborhoods and lanes,

From Lincoln Park to the Magnificent Mile,

They find comfort and joy with every mile.

In moonlit nights, they roam the streets,

Through alleyways and beneath city lights,

Katcha and Chai, their bond grows strong,

In the heart of Chicago, where they belong.

So here they are, these feline friends,

Katcha and Chai, their story transcends,

A tale of love, of homecoming sweet,

In Chicago's embrace, their souls meet

**

Advice to a College Freshman From One in the Know

So, you're going to college. Here's some things I wished I knew when I was a naïve little freshman. You didn't ask me for any advice, I know, but I'm your big sister, so you're gonna get a list anyway 

1. For the first couple of months, keep your door propped open whenever you're in your room. Seriously. People are going to be walking around a lot, so it's a great way to meet your hall mates and make great friends.

2. Don't be stupid, though. Lock your door when you're not in. People suck sometimes.

3. Don't get too involved in settling down the first couple of days. You can unpack later, it can wait. Run around campus, do all those stupid freshman welcome things, and get to know people. 

4. Do not be the person who burns something in the community microwave. You will forever be known as the dummy that set the fire alarm off at 2 am in the morning on a school day. You will get death threats. Especially don't be the person who sticks a wet baseball in the stove because you want it to be dry when you play catch. Just don't. 

5. Treat ratemyprofessor.com like the Bible when signing up for classes. It will save you a lot of heartache and sleepless nights. 

6. Have a couple rolls of your own toilet paper. You never know when it will become a rare commodity. 

7. Never get into the habit of just smiling and nodding when someone is talking to you. You may end up accidentally agreeing to a date and then have to ninja around campus for months to avoid him because you're too socially awkward to face him again....

8. High GPAs look great on paper, but sometimes it's more important to network and gain relevant experience. Get a job, volunteer, intern, do whatever it takes to gain some experience. Get to know your professors. You don't need to become best friends with all of them, but if you can get close to even a few, they can be great resources and possibly provide letters of recommendation for you in the future. 

9. Before classes start, walk around campus and find all of your class locations. You will avoid being that pathetic looking freshman frantically running around the hallways and barging into class 20 minutes late on the first day. 

10. Remember to have a social life. You're in college, have fun, do dumb stuff, just be safe about it. 

11. If you find you're having trouble staying awake in class, sit in the front. It's harder to doze off when the teacher is glaring at you or, worse, spits a lot. It's gross, but effective. 

Anyway, have fun! These next four years will be amazing for you, I'm sure. Keep in touch!

**

Anthropologie: Good Reviews and Quality Items

(1)  Smells great! A gift from daughter to me. A reed diffuser by Capri Blue in "Volcano".  

Described on the Anthro site thus: 
Volcano: tropical fruits, sugared oranges, lemons and limes, redolent with lightly exotic mountain greens (FRESH).  

Below are Christmas gifts for me and hubby from daughter to complement the diffuser. Capri Blue:  Hand Cream and Jar Candle.  Beautifully packaged (with bells, honest!).  Something about the "Volcano" fragrance elicits ooohs and aaahs from others, apparantly. 

pc: Anthropologie

(2)  Stoneware Pan by Natalie Lete in collaboration with Anthro. Nice-lookin' and seemed of good quality when I got my first pan. That good impression led me to order two more hoping to give them as gifts. Dear youngest daughter loves to use them for baking. Easy to wash; and no chips nor fading.

(3) Georgina Shower Curtain.  Love the fact that this pretty item is washable.  I already have a similar shower curtain from Anthro called Tender Falls  which is a beaut, but Dry Clean only. 

wrinkled, 
still cute
--- >>

"Tender Falls", pc: Anthropologie

Volcano Reed Diffuser

GEORGINA Shower Curtain

Vintage-inspired Pan

Volcano Hand Cream - top rated

Capri Blue Candle - Volcano

14.10.2.18

Otagiri Collectibles

Drink Hot Tea -- it's one good idea on how to stay warm and cozy this Winter.  Daughter is a cat lover, so had to purchase this Christmas-cat teapot cutie for her college apartment. Purchased for less than $4 from my favorite resale shop. May she use and enjoy it in good health, Lord willing.  

Otagiri, I'd never heard of; but Enesco which now owns them is based not too far from our home. Who'd ever forget their partnership of several years with Precious Moments?  

History of Otagiri

Precious Moments Giftware

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Springfield: Old State Capitol Building, Abraham Lincoln, Mr Obama

This beautiful Illinois historic building deserves its very own post.  It's been relegated to housing ceremonial functions and as a Lincoln museum.

Picture Below:  She's in costume as a lady of the 19th century.  IRL, she's a Speech Therapist and a graduate of N I U.

double stairs

President Lincoln's body was viewed by thousands in this room

Governor and Mrs Bruce Rauner of Illinois

Mr Barack Obama was at the Old State Capitol Building to officially kick-off his presidential candidacy in Year 2007. I suppose he wanted the connection with the Great Emancipator, President Lincoln. I wonder why  Mr Obama did not choose Martin Luther King instead?

Mr Abraham Lincoln, in Year 1858,  also announced his candidacy at this building.

Save your pennies! The Lincon penny of Year 2009 features the building.

pc: wikipedia

pc: wikipedia

pc: wikipedia

Old State Capitol State Historic Site

12.8.28.18

List of a Few Memorable Lincoln Laureate Winners

I chose these guys deliberately.
Vandercook College of Music:
Sat next to Daniel's parents & Voice Prof. during the convocation. Daniel is pursuing a Voice and also a Percussion Major. If my son ever wants to change his degree to Music Education, this school may be a good option.

pc: the lincoln academy of illinois

Wheaton College:
I couldn't ignore WC, of course!  Tryphena does not know my WC sophomore son personally, but daughter Jill (who sat next to Tryphena) made sure to mention his name. I showed the picture to son and he does not recognize her, nor the academic representative.  BTW, I was rather surprised that our friend's son, Caleb G, did not win the award for WC. Talk about student involvement!

pc: the lincoln academy of illinois

McMurray College:
I met Professor O'Hearn at the pre-convocation continental breakfast. Friendly and eloquent.  We discussed Politics a little. Did not seem surprised that I am a Conservative. She is a writer.  I want to read her book when it's eventually published.

Aurora College:
We met Tia during the pre-convocation breakfast. She does speeches often -- I admire this ability in anyone.  Her Mom was not at all surprised that she had won. It's rather usual for her to get an award, says she. As young as Tia is and while still in college, she's already married.

pc: the lincoln academy of illinois

Trinity International University:
What a pleasant surprise! Till the day of the convocation, daughter had not known that Margaret was chosen as the Laureate of her Uni. She is my daughter's old friend whom she met while they worked at Lake Geneva Youth Camp. Small world!

Judson University:
Andrew was the winner at my oldest son's Alma Mater.  Yay!

Trinity Christian College:
Son in Law Daniel attended Trinity Christian College during his freshman and sophomore years.   Congrats to Roberto!

SIU-Edwardsville: 
Keelah was the winner at my second-born daughter's Alma Mater. Our daughter got a full-ride at this school.  Good times!

SIU-Carbondale
Dr Goldman, the academic Rep for the winner Kara, was friendly and spent a few minutes talking to me and hubby before the convocation. He had a hand in the decision of who got the  2018 Order of Lincoln Award -- which he rightfully could not yet divulge to us at the time, though we had jokingly asked for the names, LoL.  My daughter's Father-in-Law graduated from this school many years ago... back in the day when it was memorable for being a party school.

Last, but not least, East-West University:
I was looking forward to meeting this particular Student Lincoln Laureate winner.  EWU was my former employer -- back in the day when I was newly married and had only 1 child. During this season in life & while employed there, I made at least two very important decisions that I would change in a heartbeat if it were possible. Whenever Hillary Clinton spoke of glass ceilings, this was what I thought of while there: "And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass..."  (Deut. 28)

The pay was low, and the lack of advancement obvious.   Far more important, priceless things were waiting for me at home. Why didn't I quit sooner? Sigh. Lord, give me beauty for ashes.

Anyhoo, I am grateful for the work experience. Told Laureate-winner Kisha to give the head honchos my regards and a sincere "Hello!"

Sound advice from King Solomon to all the student laureates (and to young Moms):

Lincoln Student Laureate 2017

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