Mister & Mister

Spring Awakening | A Stroll Through Rogers Park

2013-05-07T21:35:00.000-05:00

After a day being cooped up in the corner of my living room that I call my home office, I decided to take myself out for a walk around the neighborhood this evening. The Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago can sometimes be very trying - garbage in the gutters, graffiti splashed on anything stationary - but it can also be beautiful. Besides the proximity to The Mister's job, we moved to Rogers Park for its easy lakefront access. Lakefront access that's really affordable, that is.

I didn't grow up around water. The only thing I saw when I was younger was flat farmland. That may explain why I'm so taken by Lake Michigan. To me, it's what defines Chicago. In the winter it punishes us with it bleak grayness and cold winds. And then in summer it comes alive with bright blue waves capped with little boats. I'm looking forward to seeing those boats soon.

Being this close to the lake, we also see a lot of wildlife. Rabbits, mostly. Lots and lots of rabbits. I guess they really are amorous little creatures!

Happy spring, everyone! I hope you're able to get out and enjoy the best that Mother Nature gives you.

Self Portrait: May 2, 2013 | Future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.

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Self Portrait: May 1, 2013 | May Day

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Good hair days should be declared holidays.

Self Portrait: April 25, 2013 | I'm serious.

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Bring it.

Self Portrait: April 24, 2013 | Spring Fever ... Again

2013-04-23T15:55:00.001-05:00

School's Out Forever: How I Bought My School Desk

2013-04-17T19:37:00.000-05:00

Emily Henderson announced a fun little Instagram contest on her blog today in which she asked What piece of furniture would you save from a fire? I don't usually go in for contests but I like this one because it involved supposition and reflection. And the drama queen in me loves imagining a catastrophe!

When I first looked around my apartment I chose the blue velvet wing back chair that I scored through Craigslist last year. But then, thinking about it a little more, the better choice is the school desk pictured above. I bought that old wooden desk when I was living in my first apartment, some 18-plus years ago. Young, broke and with lots of time on my hands, I frequented thrift stores and church sales often. It was at a sale in a Catholic church basement that I came upon this well used school desk, complete with names and hearts and years of student abuse worn into the top. Perhaps it was because I was freshly freed from the constraints of school or maybe because I fancied myself a writer, but I knew I had to have the desk the moment I saw it in that musty church basement. Back then I would sit at it with my typewriter and pound out short stories and bad poetry. It was also where I used to talk on my landline telephone. Ah, the 1990's!

Over the years the desk has been moved around from apartment to apartment and room to room. For the past couple of years, after we moved into a small apartment, it ended up sitting unused in a basement storage unit. When I redecorated our bedroom a few months ago I was excited to bring the desk back into my daily life. I'm not a very sentimental person and over the years I have repeatedly gained and shed most of my possessions. This desk, however, has stayed with me through almost twenty years of home life. For that reason alone, I would grab that desk (and the cat and The Mister) on my way home of our fire filled home. The rest of it can burn but the desk comes along!

Check out all the details of the contest on Emily's blog and then share your own fire item. And, of course, if you're on Instagram, you should also be following yours truly! Find me at: JasonLoper.

Self Portrait: April 16, 2013 - Suit and Tie

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And, yes, that Justin Timberlake song was in my head when I took this photo.

Self Portrait: April 2, 2013

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Green + blue = a Sping-y mood!

Self Portrait: March 24, 2013 | Happy Sunday

2013-03-24T09:16:00.001-05:00

Play with your food. It's fun to make faces.

Self Portrait: March 18, 2013 | Sans Sunshine

2013-03-18T21:15:00.000-05:00

When I went on my afternoon walk today it was 30 degrees. Snow and ice pellets pelted me in the face. Wind whipped around my body and clear through my cotton pants. This is springtime in the upper Midwest. The light bulb is the closest I'll be getting to sunshine any time soon.

Self Portrait: March 13, 2013

2013-03-13T19:34:00.001-05:00

No product in the hair today, just a feathery mess.

Self Portrait: March 7, 2013 | A Cold Thursday Reflection

2013-03-07T21:31:00.001-06:00

I'm a little sore today - from an activity I hope to blog about tomorrow. I quietly worked at home all day but I did take a long walk to stretch out my back muscles. I snapped this portrait in a mirrored window on my way home. It'll have to serve as today's portrait.

Self Portrait: March 6, 2013 | Snow Day

2013-03-06T16:31:00.002-06:00

Snow days are for staying in your pajamas and getting some work done. And that's exactly what I've been doing - lounging in my favorite TopMan long underwear and white v-neck t-shirt and snuggled in my Gap cable knit cardigan. You got nothin' on me, winter!

Listen Up: Petula Clark & Peggy Lee

2013-03-05T18:00:00.000-06:00

I wrote about a new track from Petula Clark a few weeks ago ... and then today while searching for a video of Peggy Lee, I stumbled upon this video of the two of them together. This looks like it comes from a TV special ... late 1960's or early 70's maybe? In it, Peggy and Petula start off doing a rendition of I'm a Woman and then segue into Will You Marry Me Bill. Such a treat!

Sadly, Ms. Lee is no longer with us. She passed away in 2002 at the age of 81. Petula Clark, however, is still creating music at the age of 80.

Self Portrait: March 5, 2013 - What I Wore

2013-03-05T16:18:00.000-06:00

OK, so this photo is actually from March 4th, but there's a snow storm today and I haven't gotten out of my pajamas so it will have to suffice for today's portrait.

I spent my day at the Housewares Show yesterday so it was my big opportunity to bust out a fun and colorful outfit. One of my biggest complaints about working from home is not having a reason to get dressed. And if there's one thing you should know about me it's that I LOVE to get dressed. Putting together a day's outfit is often my favorite part of the day.

Yesterday's outfit consisted of yellow Gap jeans, a green and blue check J.Crew shirt, a plaid wool bow tie that I picked up at Urban Outfitters (of all places!) and a navy H&M blazer. You can't really see them but on my feet are some cute and comfortable brown wingtips by Kenneth Cole.

My original plan was the pair the shirt/jacket/tie combo with a maroon skinny corduroy pants but at the last minute I opted for the yellow jeans. I think the yellow/green/blue combo feels much more spring-like. Because, despite the fact that it's cold and snowing in Chicago, I still want to recognize spring. Dammit.

Self Portrait: March 2, 2013

2013-03-02T18:27:00.001-06:00

Shaved off the beard and starting fresh. Bring on March!

Elaine Hanelock's It Girl

2013-03-01T17:12:00.004-06:00

I'm still in love with this old movie poster that we picked up at a flea market in Wisconsin a few years ago. Elaine Hanelock's pop art interpretation of Clara Bow makes me smile every time I see it. If you look closely you'll see that her dress is made of the word IT over and over again. Brilliant, right? We also have a Charlie Chaplin but our small apartment only fits one oversize poster at a time.

I have no idea where these posters originated. And apparently neither does anyone else. A Google search of her name brings up a lot of mentions of these posters but little other information. I like to imagine that the posters I have came out of some suburban rumpus room lined with shag carpeting and clouded with cigarette smoke. Today it hangs above the radiator in our den, a pink highlight on a blue wall.

Self Portrait: March 1, 2013

2013-03-01T17:07:00.002-06:00

It's still cold and slushy today but at least we're one step closer to spring. Plus, my hair is growing out so I'm able to achieve that Morrissey-esque pompadour. Oh, and it's Friday. Woot for the weekend!

Self Portrait: February 28, 2013

2013-02-28T17:48:00.001-06:00

Goodbye, February! I'm seeing off this slushy, windy winter day by pretending it's summer. Cheap white sunglasses and a live-in white v-neck, kicking back like it's 78 degrees instead of 28. This is how we survive the winters in Chicago.

Self Portrait: February 27, 2013

2013-02-27T22:47:00.001-06:00

Feeling a bit antsy last night after being housebound all day, I pulled an impromptu photo shoot with an old Halloween mask. And so I give you masked realness!

We picked this mask up the day before Halloween a few years ago. We came up with last minute Halloween plans that year and so, finding ourselves without costumes, we made a mad dash to the pop-up costume store in a former Borders. I grabbed a couple of masks - this one and a monkey face that I can't seem to find.

This was my first time actually putting the mask on. Normally it sits on top of a mannequin that's placed above eye level so I mostly forget all about it. And then, pacing around last night looking for a prop for the photo shoot, I finally made use of the mask.

Self Portrait: February 26, 2013

2013-02-27T07:57:00.000-06:00

It looks like I've fallen behind on my 365 project. I was on top of it throughout the month of January but once February hit I lost my way. So it looks like this will be slightly less than a 365 project - more like a 265 probably.

That said, I have been taking photos, and lots of them are self portraits. They may not make their way to the blog but you can always see them by following me on Instagram.

And I Am Telling You ... Whitney Can Sing!

2013-02-25T13:48:00.001-06:00

Jennifer Hudson popped up on the Oscars last night, performing the song that helped earn her an Academy Award. While Hudson's version of And I Am Telling You, from Dreamgirls, is one hell of a performance, it was interesting to see it performed by a slimmed down version of herself. You'll probably remember that Hudson was a wee bit heavier in the film version of Dreamgirls. Still, lady brought down the house!

And that reminded me of another diva bringing down the house - Whitney Houston! The video above is medley of classics performed at the 1994 American Music Awards.

Hubba Hubba: Alexander Hamilton

2013-02-23T09:21:00.001-06:00

If the $10 bill is to be believed, Alexander Hamilton had some serious smoldering eyes. Hubba hubba!

A New Bow Tie to Cure the Winter Blues

2013-02-21T20:41:00.001-06:00

Woof! We're in Love with Banana Joe!

2013-02-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

The Mister and I have been talking about adopting a dog for a few years now. We both know we want a dog but we're not completely sure we can handle dog ownership. And then I wake up this morning and see the Westminster Dog Show winner's photo and my little heart starts aching for a puppers of my very own. I mean, just look at Banana Joe, the affenpinscher who was crowned top dog. He's so cute! And according to his trainer, Mieke Cooijmans, "He speaks German, Dutch, Spanish and English." Cute and smart! Kinda like me!

So what's holding us back from adopting a dog? Actually, it's this:

Little miss Zola Jones has been our cat for the past 12 years. And in that 12 years she has been our only pet. We've had a couple of test runs with dog via pet sitting and having friends over, and Zola was not pleased. If we could just convince her that dogs and cats can indeed be friends (I mean, c'mon it's 2013 - can't we all just get along!?) we would definitely make the leap. Until then, I'll dream of Banana Joe and all his other friends.

Check out full coverage of the Westminster Dog Show at Huffington Post. Warning: be prepared to fall in love with each and every dog you see.