Let's Travel the Web Again.

Hey ya.

I'm back. Whooie. Yep, done with jury duty.

Lake Michigan

Wow. I had no idea what a rattling event it would be.

Firstly, your attendance is unquestioningly mandatory. They even give you a lil' note for teacher, er, employer.

But after that, you're (or I was) crammed in a rush hour tin can CTA train tighter than a sardine downtown and back, stuck in an uncomfortable chair in a refrigerated windowless room containing testy people, involuntarily compelled to listen acutely for eight hours, told when you can go tinkle, told when you can eat, told who you cannot talk to.....All for seventeen dollars and twenty cents a day. Plus free lunch.

The Richard J. Daley Center. Designed by Jacques Brownson, built of Cor-ten steel, and completed in 1965.

And you cannot do anything else.

Mm, hmph.

Then, in the end, you're tasked with deciding peoples' fate, the course their lives take next that will affect them and others for the rest of their lives, which to me is unsettling.

Making it worse, I was the only solid hold-out, in the end forced to change my vote as one hundred percent agreement is enforced.

In my perspective, the others missed many a finer point, many a larger point too really, a notation here, a comment there; enough for me to "more probably than not" make my decision.

Terrazzo, fluorescent light reflections, and me' shoes.

But so it was. I came home and cried that last day. I did. Likely because I was finally free, I was thoroughly wiped, my brain fried from incessant medical terminology, the game playing, the word games, the manipulations, the endlessness, the stress of the entire thing, having to change my vote....

Of course Mike was picking on me the whole time, "figures they'd choose the one juror who can't make a decision." Mmm. Mean. He was nice enough to drive me to the train every morning though, that was very kind of him.

Anyway, you're not here to hear about my jury duty experience.

So let's take another dance through the web. Yes, I do have oodles of backlogged house stuff to share with you but my head is just not there. And I'm still too pooped to pick up a new project though I must as the weather is starting to change and anything outdoor jumps top of list now.

Although I suspect our master shower is leaking, more than a minor piddle. Mike is refusing any work on that bathroom.

But ok, this'll be good, this web vacay, as I've been stocking up for you.

Per usual, clear your schedule, grab a cup of somethin' yummy, cozy on up, and let's go!

Since we've been on a bathroom kick of late in having finally wrapped up the first floor bathroom here's 7 Common Design Mistakes for Small Bathrooms from Homify. Heh, interesting.

The bathroom was featured on Apartment Therapy (woo hoo!!) and my mom states the comments were uh, rousing. Heh.

Maybe the commenters should peruse HuffPo's 6 Reasons to Use Wallpaper in a Small Bathroom. Ahem. I did not read the comments but I surely know what they all are.

And speaking of my mom, their moving process is at full tilt and as I mentioned before, paring down the stuff is a challenge. Here Martha Stewart provides 25 Reasons to Get Rid of It. Followed then by 25 More Reasons to Get Rid of It. I need to reread and surely heed those.

While there's nothing earth-shattering here, PopSugar's Ingenious Designer Decorating Tips that Won't Break the Bank has one good tip or two. I likely marked it for you because of the black painted kitchen. And the wallpapering tip.

Ah ha, wallpaper....Great topic. Houzz shares 5 Things to Know Before Adding Wallpaper to Your Room. Handy guide indeed. Then Trendir has 2017 Wallpaper Trends You Need in Your Home.

You know I am a trend-avoider and advocate for avoiding trends and I don't see wallpaper as a trend; I see it as a stellar-ly foolproof way to add color, pattern, texture, and shine to any room. Any. Even a closet. Especially a closet, dammit.

Joffrey Ballet's Pi Cow So. Get it? The Picasso.

If you insist upon more good reasons to wallpaper other than lil' ol' me harping on about it, here's Walls Republic with the Top 5 Reasons to Wallpaper Instead of Paint.

And if that still yet does not convince you, Jean-Paul Gaultier Releases His First Couture-Inspired Wallpaper Collection. I mean. Come. On.

A web trip surely is not complete unless I share some Abigail Ahern, correct? 5 Reasons to Go Dark in the Hallway. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah!

And you know I absolutely cannot whip up one a' these posts without mentioning black paint. Because well, I am incapable and black paint is magical.

HGTV says These Rooms Prove Black Paint Can Be Welcoming. Who the heck says it's not?!

Homify's Black is the New Black. Lil' skimpy on the black there but still, black.

Elle Decor has 30 Black Rooms for Polished, Modern Interior Design. Please, there must be more than thirty. Waiting on that follow-up list.

Because variety is the spice of life, How to Stay Calm Under Pressure, According to a Weapons Disposal Leader.

I'm not like a real big quote person, especially quotes on walls though that's just me, but how about 102 of The Greatest Quotes that Alter Your Outlook on Life. Or 50 Pieces of Creative Advice from 50 Creatives. Some of those latter are eh, real clunkers, but some are worth reading. Or wait, these are far better, Abigail Ahern again, 10 Inspirational Quotes. Ok, moving on.

Twenty one floors.

Just some damn freaking cool interiors? Check these out:

Elle Decor's House Tour: Glam Meets Grit Inside This Hinsdale, Illinois Home (meet you at the lottery ticket counter in 3, 2, 1....)

Design Milk's A Grand Stay and Trés Chic Getaway at La Roch Hotel & Spa (meet you next at the airline ticket counter in 3, 2, 1....)

Apartment Therapy's This Untouched 70's Home is the Grooviest Thing You'll See All Year. That's awesome. Hahaha, the 70's were definitely cooler than people think.

I haven't looked into any of these so I cannot vouch but if the interiors above inspired you, 5 Design Apps to Help You Plan Home Renovations.

Oh but speaking of travel, PlansMatter's site, architectural hotel and vacation rentals? Oh, it is oh-so-perfect. Thank you! Yes.

Whew, well that oughta tide you over for a minute or two. Aw yeah, I really loaded up today. Thanks to Pocket, I can save and share all these for you. Very useful.

I had the privilege of being on that roof, the tippy top roof of the Sears Tower. Yes outside, 1450 feet, more than 110 stories up. Outside. It was crazy wild.

Mike did not know I was up there until well after I got back down safely.

I know this wasn't necessarily a Variety Pack post where I include a recipe or few though some a' those posts are definitely down the pike and I know we're oh-so-not-trendy and way behind the game but we've gotten into overnight oats lately.

Try 'em. They sound weird but they're good. I do 1:1:1, oats to yogurt to milk, then chia seeds and flax, then toss in whatever. Peanut butter, honey, and cinnamon is my personal go-to, Mike gets honey, cinnamon, vanilla, blueberries. Works out great. Perfect snack for him at work too.

So in case you're wondering, all the photos were taken by me during my jury duty excursion. Well, sans top of Sears Tower from 2013 and the lake as that was taken the week prior to my civic entrapment.

Mike scheduled vacation time (yay!!) and we went golfing, twice actually. He took a week off and of course it's never ever enough time to spend with him.

Okely dokely, time to get back on track and whip this joint further into shape. Far too much sitting, need to get moving again.

Morning of jury duty day seven. Hopeful light at the end of the tunnel..

In the mean time, please come vote Flipping the Flip in Amara's Interior Blog Awards, the Best DIY & Home Improvement Blog. Voting ends September 15. One vote per email address so sharing the link is key and very much appreciated! Thank you!

See ya soon!