You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique woman like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

- posted by Megan McKeon @ 7:58 PM 1 comments

 
More gorgeous scenery from Ireland...


A waterfall along our climb on Croagh Patrick.



Can you believe people walk on this barefoot? We did it with sneakers. We should have worn hiking boots!



A view of the mountain as we climbed - wow.
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 9:09 PM 0 comments

 
From my dear friend Andrea (Purdue '01):

Three students, one from Indiana University, one from Purdue University, and one from the University of Notre Dame, are out walking together one day. They come across a lantern and a genie pops out of it.

"I will give you each one wish, that's three wishes total," says the genie.

The student from Indiana says, "I am a farmer, my dad was a farmer, and my son will also farm. I want the land to be forever fertile in Indiana."

With a blink of the genie's eye, Poof, the land in Indiana was forever made fertile for farming.

The Notre Dame student is amazed, so he says, "I want a wall around the University of Notre Dame, so that nobody from out of state can come into our precious school."

Again, with a blink of the genie's eye, Poof, there was a huge wall around the University.

The Purdue student says, "I'm very curious. Please tell me more about this wall."

The genie explains, "Well, it is about 150 feet high, 50 feet thick and completely surrounds the University of Notre Dame. Nothing can get in or out."

The Purdue student says, "Fill it with water."
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 9:38 AM 0 comments

 

The mountain. Croagh Patrick.



The view from the climb.



Our company on the climb.
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 10:49 PM 0 comments

 
I just got back from Ireland, and I have photos to share, but I haven't had a chance to upload them to my laptop. I promise to post some as soon as I do.
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 5:00 PM 1 comments

 
Someone in my area has a fireplace. It smells so good, I love the smell of a real wood fire.

At least, I hope it's a fireplace.
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 10:01 PM 0 comments

 
I just finished watching an awesome movie - "About Last Night...". It's an old movie, from the '80s, but it was so right on. :)

Rent it or catch it on Encore - I enjoyed it.
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 9:53 PM 0 comments

 
P.S. I don't believe in posting on Friday the 13th, so don't expect anything tomorrow!
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 10:07 PM 0 comments

 
I'm a recent convert to the craigslist following, but, man do I enjoy that site. It's got a little bit of everything for everyone. I can't help checking Missed Connections on the hope that I will have caught someone's eye...and that someone will post a romantic missive about not having the courage to come up to me...ah, imagination!
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 4:35 PM 0 comments

 
Congratulations to Pete and Tara! I, for one, am hoping for an October 1 baby - it's a great birthday!
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 8:09 PM 0 comments

 
If you're looking for something to do on Friday, consider attending Erin Shea's book discussion and signing at Borders on State at 12:30 p.m. - her book, Tales from the Scale is a great read for anyone who has ever been on a diet. If you can't make it to the discussion, check out her book!
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 4:48 PM 0 comments

 
My friend Andrea and I went to see Kingdom of Heaven on Saturday. We wanted to see Robots, but it wasn't playing at the time we thought. Kingdom of Heaven was an epic movie...man. But the dialogue sucked. I think that if the movie had been done strictly with the soundtrack and no dialogue, it would have been ten times better. It wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen, but it wasn't the best.
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 10:29 AM 0 comments

 


- posted by Megan McKeon @ 8:05 PM 0 comments

 
Can someone tell me the Sith are revenging?

Yes, revenging is a word.
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 5:44 PM 0 comments

 
Does anyone else find the Zelnorm commercials mildly disturbing? It's not that I mind the writing on the tummies...it's the weird GI tract illustration that throws me. The wavy lines. It's just strange to me.






- posted by Megan McKeon @ 7:20 PM 0 comments

 
Congratulations to my friends Mark and Catherine on the birth of baby Henry. I can't wait to meet him! :)
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 9:12 PM 0 comments

 
I am a big fan of crime/law dramas. Even though they irritate me with the way they screw up the law, I love watching them. I, however, have NEVER been a fan of David Caruso. That makes watching CSI: Miami difficult.

Caruso's delivery of his lines is just so deadpan, without emotion. He reminds me of William Shatner as James T. Kirk in Star Trek.

He does bother me. Oh well. :)
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 10:03 PM 0 comments

 
My dear friend Andrea is doing the Y-Me Race Against Breast Cancer on Mother's Day (May 8). If you'd like to support her, you can visit her Race Center. Anything you give will be helpful (even $1!), and you'll get your name on the fun Honor Roll!

These races are so important. I really wish there was one for Mesothelioma. They could use a race to bring attention and money to the disease.

So much research still needs to be done on so many of these diseases - and it all costs a lot of money. We need to support this important science any way we can.
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 10:58 AM 0 comments

 
As part of my New May's Resolution (New Year's didn't quite work...so I'm trying again), I plan to write in here everyday.

I'm having all sorts of fun working a block away from my house. I thought I lived close to work before, but no. I can't tell you how awesome it is to walk out of the door to my building, spend two minutes outside, and be inside my office. Wow. It's amazing.

The office I work in is one of those new "open" designs. I must admit that I'm not a big fan. It's a great idea in principle - an open design, allowing for more natural light to flow around the office, open communication, etc. The problem is that, in practice, it's not very effective. I can overhear every conversation within a 200-foot radius, since there's no wall to block anything out. There's no privacy, not even for the higher-ranked folks; they still have to have their potentially confidential telephone conversations out in the open. Again, not a big fan.
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 11:32 PM 0 comments

 
No way.

I passed the Illinois bar exam.

That means I'm a real lawyer.

No way.
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 7:00 AM 1 comments

 
Woo! I graduated law school on January 16! Yippee!

Now comes the bar exam - February 22-23.

- posted by Megan McKeon @ 6:26 PM 0 comments

 
3M Corporation is building the World's Largest Pink Ribbon in Times Square for breast cancer awareness month in October. For every person who clicks on this link and signs up, Post-It will donate $1 to breast cancer research and place a Post-It in their name on the billboard. Please sign up and pass along! http://www.3m.com/us/office/postit/research/largest_pink_ribbon.jhtml

- posted by Megan McKeon @ 3:32 PM 0 comments

 
MSN Encarta - Quiz - Could You Pass 8th-Grade Math?
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 12:18 PM 0 comments

 
I watched Soundstage last night.

I was really impressed with Alanis Morissette's performance. She's got an amazing voice, and it's even better live, if you ask me.

- posted by Megan McKeon @ 12:31 PM 0 comments

 
I've started my new job - I just love it. It couldn't be better. Unfortunately, it keeps me really busy so I don't have as much time to update!

We had a lovely graduation party for my younger brother on Monday. It was so nice to see all of my family - some cousins I rarely get to see were there, and it was great to talk to them.

What's new by you?
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 10:09 AM 0 comments

 
I didn't get a chance to publish this yesterday, so here goes:

Mattie Stepanek, child poet, dies at 13.

I've read quite a bit of Mattie's poetry, and he really was quite good. Just thought more people should know about him...

One of his best works is available on Amazon.
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 8:39 PM 0 comments

 
New photo from the weekend.
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 7:15 PM 0 comments

 
Just got back from a great weekend in Wisconsin Dells. I had such a great time with my family. We stayed at the Wilderness Resort, did tons of shopping, saw some sites - mostly out of our window, and spent plenty of time in the whirlpool and at the water parks! Such an awesome time! I have some fun photos so I will post them as soon as I can. :)

Apologies for delay in getting back to everyone - give me a day or two and I'll be caught up! :)
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 6:59 PM 0 comments

 
I'm thinking of doing Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating. I'm really running out of time to do so many things, and one of them is eating healthy. Though I am working out a lot in training for the triathlon, but I'm really not eating as healthily as I should. I think that having meals made for me (nutritious meals, at that) would really help me "feel" better!

My one concern, though, is the cost of the program; it's about $100 a week - that's $400 a month. Though, I guess by the time you figure how much I spend on takeout and buying groceries, it's about the same. And this way, I'm guaranteed to eat well, provided I don't add anything to the plan. It's food for thought (ha ha ha!).


- posted by Megan McKeon @ 6:59 PM 0 comments

 
Just had dinner with my "cousin" Mary (see post from Sunday). She's such a cool lady, and a really great cook. I'm so full right now. Food was so yummy.

I also went to get a haircut today. I go to Becca at Maxine - she's awesome. Such a fun girl to go see, too, because she always is fun to talk to. And my hair always smells so good when I'm done there! I don't know what they do. But it's good.

Also went window shopping on Michigan Avenue, too. That was fun, nice to see some new lines come out for the summer. I wish I had gotten to Tiffany before they were closed...I love that place. I mean, really, a more accurate phrase is ADORE.

Anyways, I have been up way too long so I think I am going to hit the hay.
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 10:43 PM 0 comments

 
I was lucky enough to go to this great place: Venice Cafe for lunch today. It was super-tasty and quite nice. I went with a prospective student for John Marshall. I think I have him turned to the dark side! :)
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 6:25 PM 0 comments

 
I'm in class right now. Estates and Trusts. It's actually a pretty interesting class. I must say, though, I'm pretty bored right now. We had all of 30 pages to read for tonight and we have spent 2 and 1/2 hours on 15 of these pages. It's amazing, really. It's quite interesting but I really don't need the "in depth" method that she's going into right now. I really get it. I really, really do! Then I'm surprised by some question by a fellow classmate who obviously hasn't grasped the concept. I think that's how my classes actually get to be three hours long. People ask questions. If we just had to go over the materials and weren't allowed to ask questions, our classes would be about half the length. I don't know how much I'd get out of a class like that, though.

On a (not quite) unrelated issue, CONGRATULATIONS to ANDREA! I didn't realize graduation was yesterday, but she graduated Magna Cum Laude from The John Marshall Law School. I'm so proud to call her one of my friends. :) Way to go!!
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 8:31 PM 0 comments

 
My brother's graduation was yesterday. It was so different from my gradaution but still so beautiful. I was so proud to see him walk up on stage and get his diploma (case) and shake hands with everyone. It was a good feeling. :) He graduated out of the Civic Opera - beautiful facility. They had a mini-reception out on 2 South Riverside afterwards, and that was nice, too. Very sunny. I think my dad was feeling a little peaked but he was a trooper and stuck it out. He seemed to get a second wind when we went to Local Option for a celebratory lunch.

On a side note, what is with my family and choosing bars for a celebration? When I graduated from SMC, we celebrated with lunch at CJ's. I mean, you couldn't pick a more hole-in-the wall place than that! Darn good food, though. Anyways, I just find it odd that my family celebrates "big" occassions in bars. Back to our regularly scheduled program.

So anyways, my Aunt Marianne and Uncle Fred came out with us too. It was so nice to see them. My Aunt Marianne is actually not my aunt - she's my mom's best friend - they worked together at Rheem as receptionists long before I was even around - and she's my brother's Godmother. Same deal with my Uncle Bill and Auntie Eileen - Uncle Bill is my dad's best friend (and my Godfather) from when they were together as Andy Frain ushers - man, let me tell you, those guys make lifelong friends - there's Uncle Bill, the McMahon's, Thomas's, Murray's, Fuesz's, and the list keeps going on and on and on. To sit down with them and hear all their stories...wow. And no matter how many times you hear the stories, they're always better than the last. Nice to see. It also makes me wonder, though if I'll have any friends like that to share with my children.

There was Katy, but we don't seem to talk anymore - I think we just grew apart. Then there's Melissa and Colleen. I really have go get back in touch with them. Colleen's number has been stuck on my fridge for the longest time, I just don't know what to say! And then there's Shannon and company from SMC. Those guys are great friends, but it seems like I only talk to Shannon anymore. Well, that's enough for me though because she is a great person. Of course, I can never see losing any of my close friends now - Jody, Andrea, et.al. And Mary. Well, I can never lose her! She's my "cousin". Same with Autumn. Glad I got to know them as adults (finally!). I was always the youngest out of all of them so I think it might have taken awhile for everyone to realize I'm grown-up now! :)

Anyways, back to my brother. His graduation was lovely. It was also so awesome to see his girlfriend Sarah again. She's such a sweetheart. I'm so excited for her to start at Saint Mary's. Okay. I am EXTREMELY excited for her to start work there. She's going to be in the same hall I was an RA - HOW COOL! :)

Well, here's to Mike. Congratulations, Kid.


- posted by Megan McKeon @ 4:55 PM 0 comments

 
My little brother graduates from college on Saturday. I'm so proud of him. He's graduating with a bachelors degree in Secondary Education from DePaul University.

I'm also excited for Saturday, not just because of Mike's graduation, but also because he's graduating out of the Lyric Opera building! What a beautiful place to have your graduation!

I'm bummed, though, because when I was at Jody's over the weekend, I completely forgot to pick up my platter - I saw it - it looks great - but I didn't remember to take it with me. :( So, no pictures yet, but I will post them as soon as I get them! Jody's plate looked beautiful too - she has a real talent at painting...my painting doesn't so much qualify as talent as it does "glopping". I made up a word there, but I think it's an accurate description.

Well, so this weekend should be busy. Mike's graduation on Saturday will be fun, and Friday night I'm going with him and his girlfriend to his honors convocation, so that will be lovely as well. Speaking of his girlfriend, I really like her. I'm so proud of the fact that she got a job at my alma mater, Saint Mary's. She's actually going to be hall director at the same hall where I was an Resident Advisor for two years - Go Monkeys! :)
- posted by Megan McKeon @ 6:18 PM 0 comments