Wordless Wednesday - The Rock-a-By Lady (at Lincoln Park Zoo)

Anxiety into color.

Nervous, excited, frustrated, hopeful.

Those feelings as colors mix frantically, wildly, forming into a quiet yet powerful force.....

Pen and ink in Moleskine journal - (NFS)

Could be the start of something new. Could be nothing at all.

Are you confused by all of this? I know I am.

*exhales*

It's too soon to tell but right now I'm anticipating the possibilities.

We shall see.....

Lost and found...and mine!

Sunglasses, books, keys, flash drives, and earphones. Those are the things we get on a weekly basis.

At my university job we have a little lost and found section behind the front desk where we store all the things students leave behind.

Among the forgotten items, some things really stand out.

Look what was turned in several weeks ago.....

What the what?!

It appears to be a toy for a baby...or cat. Not sure but I do know it's colorful, unique-looking, and rattles when you shake it. Cool!

No one's claimed it yet and rather than toss it, I decided to take the toy home and add it to my menagerie of colorful objects.

Yay!!

Now. It's. MINE!

Wordless Wednesday - LOVE(D) (The alley behind Altgeld St. and Wayne Ave.)

Appreciation in bloom!

I was feeling a bit under-the-weather and not looking forward to working this weekend.

But look what was waiting for me in my workspace at the arts-and-crafts store.....

Over two-dozen pink carnations!

They're from the store-manager-in-training who finished up her last day with our store this past Friday (my day off).

She's being sent to other locations in our district to continue training and help out wherever needed.

During the past few months she's adjusted to all of my coworkers' personalities rather quickly, managed to laugh even on stressful days, and was always appreciative of my help.

She may not be a single gay man but it's nice to actually receive flowers for once instead of buying them myself all the time. One of these days, Dean.

I'm sure I'll see her around from time-to-time when she helps out our store again.

But in the meantime...thank you, Teri!!

Golden Chocolate Orgasm

The eyes roll back into my head as it enters my eager mouth.

I can't help but moan at first taste.

Moist, rich, and sweet. My God, it's like going to heaven with every bite.

Mmmmmm.....

One of our department heads at my university job has been out sick for two weeks. A really great guy that's helped all of us at some point and his absence is noticeable.

So the rest of my coworkers and I rallied together and are throwing him a little welcome back celebration in the back office today.

Several of us agreed to make something from home.

My contribution is chocolate cake!

It's a basic pudding cake recipe that I've tweaked.

Chocolate chips were added for texture and crunch. White chocolate chips were finely chopped so they'd melt into the batter as it bakes. And a few shakes of cinnamon add a tiny zing.

But to make this even more special, the homemade chocolate frosting was heavily sprinkled with gold pearl dust!

Glorious!

A shimmering, gilded beauty with deep browns peeking through its delicate cracks.

Best of all, this cake becomes fudgier as it sits so we'll continue to enjoy it as the days go on.

I'm licking my lips right now.

This. Is. Going. To. Be. GOOD!!