So anyway...

dear diary... part 1

2010-10-31T21:17:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, October 14, 10:45pm I was walking home from a friends house, when I was attacked. It was strange.

I was walking toward two young, good looking black kids, we both nodded at the appropriate point before passing each other, and then, as they faded into my periphery, something happened. I got blasted. Hard. Rocked with a fist to the jaw, with what I can only imagine was the full force of someone having the opportunity to prepare a full sucker-punch windup. It knocked me back, my jaw/head/neck area going back and to the side from the rest of my body. It was so fast, but I seemed to be in slow motion. I felt like one of those big inflatable clown things, that you bop in the face, and then they slowly spring back up.

What the hell was that?

I straightened out quickly, my adrenaline kicking in, and I realized a half-second too late from where my confusion and pain originated. It was this fully outstretched fist, connected to a good-looking young black kid, which was a heartbeat from smashing into my face. Again. WTF?

Pow! (emphasis placed on the ow.) This time it was a little further back. The first hit was closer to the point of my chin, but from the side. This one connected fully on the side of the jaw. I saw a flash of white, heard a loud crunch, felt my bottom teeth shift somewhere they definitely did not belong, and tasted blood, and something else I couldn't recognize.

I covered my head, screamed something about not having money, and swung a wild fist in his direction, though at this point he'd turned and started half-shuffle trotting away with his buddy.

What the fuck just happened? Did I get jumped? Am I hurt? Why didn't they try to take my money? Why did they run away? My face doesn't hurt a whole lot at the moment, but I can already tell it's crazy swollen, and my teeth are definitely not where they were a minute ago. Fuck, my jaw hurts. Is it dislocated? It feels dislocated. I move my tongue around searching for the inevitable teeth that I will be spitting out, but nothing comes loose.

I spit on the light gray concrete of the sidewalk in front of the Fireside Bowl, expecting some blood. What comes is a stringy mouthful of brownish red, with darker bits of god knows what. Shit. That's not good. Not at all.

I called 911 as I walked home, looking over my shoulders, and dipping down a side road and through an alley. I mumbled briefly through what happened, the details pretty clear in my mind. My keys make it straight into the lock, and I find myself telling my roommate, a friend, and some foreign girl about what the hell just happened.

I quickly get through the story, and come back to the part where my teeth feel fucked up. Like for real guys, like it's dislocated or something. They assure me that if that were the case, I'd be in a lot more pain, and probably wouldn't be able to tell the story like I was. I consider their input. My cell phone rings. The police are outside.

I go downstairs, where the police are in their truck, and tell them the same story.

"They didn't try to rob you?

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Well, if that's the case..."

So I could ride down to the station and fill out a report, though for just battery. But they're sporting the same logic as my roommate, friend, and newly friended foreign lady. If it was really bad, I'd be in more pain, and probably wouldn't be talking to them so calmly. I got hit in the face twice, so it's sure to be swollen. Take some Ibuprofen and try to relax.

Ok.

We'll take the description, run it, and keep a lookout for anyone matching the description in the area.

Ok.

Honestly, I was pretty exhausted and didn't feel like going down to the station anyway.

I took some Ibuprofen, had a stiff drink, and went to bed.

shift change.

2010-04-12T09:56:00.002-05:00

I've been loving the weather recently, as most have, and I always forget how it affects my mood for the coming season. Not to say that I've felt overwhelmed or sad or anything for the winter, but that my general mood has been getting better and better with the warmer, sunnier days. Obvious though, right?

The warmer days also lend themselves to more socializing, which I think was somewhat lacking this winter. It's nice to get out and see people more often, with less planning. Went over to Nate's house the other day for pork chop sandwiches on the grill and some video games. Riding the bike to work every day, and up to roger's park a bit recently. Rode up to the Heartland Cafe the other day to see Dave Herrero play some blues and have a good time. Also went to see Hot Tub Time Machine, which was hilarious. A pretty solid week.

School's winding down, though it looks like I'll have a lot to do when the class is over, which is ok. I'll intersperse the work with friends, bbqs, and general outside time.

Oh yeah, post title. So Lisa's going to move to her own place at the end of the month, still in the hood, but a bit south. My buddy Devin is going to be moving in here, making it the first time I've had just a guy roommate. I'm expecting it will be buckets of fun. Buckets!

self-five.

2010-04-02T20:24:00.003-05:00

It seems that work and school are kicking my ass lately. I get home and I'm just beat. A few weeks ago one of my coworkers wore a pedometer to work just to get an idea of how much we run around during a shift. He was waiting tables in the "easy" section where you don't have to run as far for everything and still logged over 16, 000 steps. His pedometer wasn't calibrated, but we figured about three feet for a good work-stride for someone about 6 feet tall. That put him around nine miles for the shift. Plus carrying shit. No wonder we're all beat after work.

Came home the other day and was in the mood for this:

Easy-peasy and really good. A little butter and salt, pepper, and lemon. Sometimes even I am in the mood for crunchy green veggie-type things. No bratwurst, but I guess I can't eat them all the time.

I don't have photos from my first bbq of the season, but the next day our tree in the back started budding. Literally overnight. That was pretty cool.

And sort of on a whim I decided to take the month of April off from drinking. No real rhyme or reason, maybe just to give it a try. But I figure the side effects aren't so bad. Lose a few pounds? Maybe save some bucks? I can work with that. I already miss that post work beer, (today was awful) but I think I'll get used to it. And it's only a month, so I'm not going to cry about it.

That's about it for now!

food and stress.

2010-03-24T22:33:00.004-05:00

I did a bunch of errands yesterday, including laundry which always feels like a small accomplishment, and paying bills and things. Went to the bank to deposit some cash, and worked not quite enough on school work. Dinnertime rolled around as it tends to do, and I realized that I was virtually out of food.

I rummaged through the fridge and found a big portabella cap that somehow I forgot to use. There were a couple green onions in there too, and on the island table thing there was a sweet potato and a bunch of garlic. Bam.

I've been making quinoa in different ways recently, but I like it as a sort of grain-salad side. So I made some:

Threw in some toasted almonds and dried cranberries and a little olive oil and it turned out pretty well. While I was making this, I roasted one of those heads of garlic in the oven.

That portabella went in the broiler with a little cheese and the entire head of delicious roasted garlic. Oh, yeah. It was awesome.

Other things:

-School is more difficult than I remember, but probably good for me to catch up and get with it.

-That, finances, and living situation are stressing me the fuck out right now. It's weird, because I feel like I'm usually pretty cool. Right now though, not so much.

-I'm a little obsessed lately with the take away videos here: http://www.blogotheque.net/-Concerts-a-emporter-?lang=en They're really well done, sound fantastic, and are only a few minutes long. Click on a couple. Be wowed.

frosted mini-wheats.

2009-07-16T21:04:00.003-05:00

I had some of these the other night. The box was almost empty, so I ended up with lots of broken pieces and leftovers. It was ok, since I was just sort of shoveling it in anyway.
When I was a kid, I used to pick these when we went to the grocery store. I would make a bowl in the morning or sometimes at night, and since I was the only one who ate them, I knew how much was left in the box.

I'd open up the whole top, reach in, and carefully select the ones with the most frosting on them. Then, I'd layer them in the bowl (frosting up, of course) three or four across, alternating the direction of each layer, like Jenga blocks. I think the bowl was always three layers high, with an extra couple wheats on top, so they'd soak up the leftover milk. I was just as particular eating them, too, eating each one in one bite, and making sure to start at the bottom so they didn't soak too long and get soggy. Talk about priorities.

I was thinking about this while shoveling in the remains of the box the other night, thinking how strange of a habit that was. Though, if I'd had a full box, I'll bet I would've gone through the whole ritual once again.

go higher than high.

2009-07-13T10:22:00.006-05:00

Wicked Awesome got its second official win of the season, and I was glad to have the day off and be able to participate. We all played well and the action was spread around so everyone really contributed. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, and it was nice to hang out in the grass before the game and relax.

The summer has been packed with festivals and barbecues, new music and old friends, and apartment hunting. The big move is next Wednesday, and I'm pretty excited. I'll have a sublettor for the first month and a half before my new roommate, Lisa, moves out from San Francisco.

It will be strange leaving Palmer Hall. It has been my home for two and a half years. And more importantly, it feels like home. It has been great living with good people, creating routines, and being the gathering household for barbecues and birthday parties. I think some of that is going to be missing when we move, but I also think it will help me be more active in getting out to see people.

Someone just started playing bagpipes in the park across the street. It sounds good. And melancholy, but uplifting in that way that bagpipes always do. Pretty neat.

I'm going running in a few minutes. I do that now. Not like a runner runner, but a few miles three or four times a week. It's funny because I always hated it. I still do, every single lumbering step, but I guess it makes me feel like I've done something when it's over. My feet are terrible and flat and unstable, so I've always been looking for shoes or insoles that are more supportive, or better at correcting what's going on. I've tried lots of things, and found a couple that help, but I've been thinking that maybe I'm going about it the wrong way.

They look fun, and weird, and get crazy good reviews. Your stride changes without tons of heel cushion, and you start using all those little stabilizing muscles in your legs and ankles and feet. And either way, they look fun.

a couple strips of bacon to ease my stomach.

2009-05-31T08:03:00.002-05:00

Sunday morning and I was given the day off today at the last minute.

Plan for the day:

-softball at the lakefront
-playing outside
-food on the grill later
-beers on the porch

Let's hang out soon.

2009-05-22T00:18:00.004-05:00

All of this writing sort of happens in my head, and just never makes it here. On the way to the bus stop, while running in the park, or just sitting on the train. Those are the times I always feel like jotting something down. Strange how that works out.

I came home from work tonight, milled around for a bit, and went to the hall closet off the kitchen to get out the ironing board. It set up with a loud metal-on-metal screech, and I plugged in the iron, though not before pouring whatever water was in the iron out onto the board, and floor, and myself.

My suit was already pressed, and I made sure I had my dress shoes, socks, and a decent tie. These things have a habit of getting lost, or stuffed into the corner of my closet, and become unavailable when I actually need them.

I set to ironing my shirt--a standard white dress shirt, nothing fancy--and I quickly fell into a rhythm. Long, straight, smooth passes over each side of the front, redo the pockets, then in between the buttons. Then it's the arms and finally the back.

As I fell into the careful monotony of the task, I thought about the idea of ironing itself. It's a strange thing, taking wrinkles out of clean clothes that will be wrinkled again within minutes of wearing them, but i sort of feel like doing it tonight. It's trivial, but it seems like the small amount of effort and care put into it is sort of a way of showing respect. A token of gratitude. Something like that.

My great aunt Kitty died this week, and I'm getting ready for her funeral. She was always a sweet old lady to me, and had a way about her that was all her own. She laughed a lot, more chuckling to herself, and she had a voice that was completely unique.

Her husband, Ray, died a few years back, and I always got along with him well. He had a woodshop when I grew up, and made all sorts of old-fashioned wooden toys that he sold around. Trains, cars, animals, trucks, and all kinds of pull-toys and things for little kids. I used to love playing with all of them when I was a kid, though, when I got older I grew to admire the work involved in making each of them.

I don't really feel sad about her passing, she was quite old and lived a good and full life. Though, I feel like I should've appreciated more when I was a kid. Stories and histories and family and things.

things.

2009-04-08T16:51:00.003-05:00

Things I did in the past several days:

edited music for an upcoming dance competition. not my own.
watched 30 rock on dvd.
avoided doing laundry. it's getting scary.
went shopping for semi-healthy things.
ate buffalo wings while shopping for semi-healthy things.
applied for school in the fall for a couple refresher classes.
made a fire in our "authentic mexican caldera grill." (firepit.)
went to trivia at the logan grill.
ran outside.
had pizza for breakfast.

winter skin.

2009-03-31T18:29:00.003-05:00

I guess this thing is still here. And so am I. I just haven't felt like writing or sharing or whatever lately, and it seems that's a pretty common thread. The winter has taken its toll on just about everyone and it's like our collective emotional and mental well being is as beat up as the streets around the city. We've all been going about our business, trudging through the winter, and planning for the months ahead.

Personally, I've been holed up watching shows on dvd, and making my way through the selections at vas foremost. Most recently, we're getting Northern Exposure through netflix, and I've found it hard not to power through an entire disc in one sitting. I probably haven't seen the show in fifteen years, but it's still really good. I hear it starts to unravel pretty quickly in the last season or so, but for now it's still fantastic.

This winter feels like it's all been preparation for the spring and summer, moreso than in the past. It seemed more punishing, more relentless, more bent on forcing us inside, and feeding off our frustration and boredom. It's like it has been a forced hibernation, and now the entire city is on the edge of emerging from this. Pacing back and forth, like a big old bear, waiting for the ice and snow to melt from the entrance of his den so he can go out and hunt.

This bear just wants to go out and ride his bike, and play some sports, and barbecue with friends, and ride in a car on the highway with the windows down, singing along to the radio with his hands dancing in the wind.

green hornet.

2009-02-16T13:58:00.003-06:00

Ran lots of errands today, and it was nice to be out driving. Took Simone to work in the am, and I'm still not convinced that actually saves her any time over taking the train, but at least you're riding in a car and not packed on a rush-hour train going downtown.

On the way back I stopped and picked up a couple croissant sandwiches from BK for myself and Colin for breakfast. Also got a medium (read half-gallon) soda. Oh yeah. This is how days off should start.

We went to Target to take back an espresso machine I got for Christmas. I used it once, decided it was cool, then had to clean it. And concluded that it was so not worth the hassle. So I got a new Calphalon frying pan instead, and Colin bought a new Swivel Sweeper. And I saw a grown man buying a Snuggie.

Went to Kohl's next for a return, and I browsed through the kitchen section while Colin scoffed at some of the overpriced cutlery. Colin and Simone surprised me with some knives for my birthday that were rated the highest in Cook's Illustrated, and used in lots of restaurant kitchens, though they're relatively inexpensive . The handles aren't inlaid with pearl, or made from old-growth Brazilian hardwood, but they're sharp as the devil and feel great.

The last stop was Blockbuster, to return Kung Fu Panda and some girl movie about poetry or weddings or something, and we picked up four movies from the some number for some amount of money rack. Pineapple Express, Hancock, Tropic Thunder, and In Bruges.

The rest of the day will be filled with doing laundry, movie watching, beer, and 25 cent wings.

something stupid and confusing:

2009-02-09T19:54:00.006-06:00

Honey is sold by weight, not volume. We have a 16oz bottle of honey in our pantry, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why it would be sold this way. According to the bottle, the serving size is one tablespoon, and there are approximately 22 tablespoons in the bottle. It also says that one cup is about 12oz.

So if I use a half cup for a recipe, I'm using 4oz, but six ounces by weight, leaving 10oz left. But the internet says that there's 2 tablespoons per fluid ounce, meaning there's only 11oz in the bottle to begin with. So there's really 7oz left?

Now I consider myself a fairly smart person. I think I'm pretty good at problem solving, and I was always good at logic problems, spatial relationships, and figuring things out in general.

Though today, I'm standing in the pantry eating a bowl of cereal and looking this label, putting numbers together, and a strange feeling overtakes me. The only thing I can think to compare it to is the reaction your car might have if all the oil had drained from the engine instantly and the entire thing suddenly locked up, lurching the car to an abrupt and skidding halt. While on a nice drive on the interstate.

That's the reaction my brain was having.

Hours later I still can't wrap my head around it.

29

2009-02-03T13:43:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was my 29th birthday. I've now entered the last year of my third decade on this planet. A lot of things have been going through my mind over the past month about life, the universe, and everything.

I came to the conclusion that, for almost a couple years now, I've been in a funk. Not a depressed funk, or a mid-life career funk, or a what-does-it-all-mean funk, but a funk nonetheless. And I think that's over. Neat.

I woke up one day, and felt really good for the first time in a long time. And I might consider myself to be a moody person, so I figured I just woke up on the right side of the bed. And then the next day was the same. And the one after that. And so it continued, that, in the middle of this God-forsaken winter, with record cold temperatures, and near record snowfalls, I've been in a pretty good mood for most of the time. It's interesting.

My preferences for music are changing slightly. I'm more inclined to listen to things with strong bass lines, creative beats, electronic influence, and playful melodies and harmonies. Songs composed predominantly with major chords instead of mostly minor. And I guess the interpretation of different sounds has changed slightly as well. It's a funny thing.

I had a series of interviews recently for a job that sounded interesting and challenging, and it didn't work out, but that's ok. I think I'm at a point where my confidence has boosted, or my insecurities about many things has started to drift away. I've gotten interested in trying out new things, and not being afraid of failing at them. Now I'm trying to figure out what it is I'd like to get involved in. There's a lot out there, I guess.

Yesterday I cut mats for some pictures I got from a friend, and it turned out well. Cool, because the walls in my room are pretty bare. Today I'm going to try to put together a new rechargeable battery pack for our cordless sweeper.

It has been a while since I blogged. I think I should do it more often, but I'm not sure if I will.

coffee and tv.

2008-12-11T17:35:00.002-06:00

I had a really tough time sleeping last night, tossing and turning and waking up every couple hours. It was one of those nights with all these vivid dreams that kept running in circles, slamming into each other, and breaking apart in pieces. There were bits of being inside a building that was under attack, being torn apart by gunfire. There was a glimpse of being at an imaginary apartment surrounded by lots of friends without faces at Christmastime. There was a PG-13 clip with dramatic lighting, rain on windows, and an ex-coworker. There was an old friend's yellow lab drinking water out of an old bucket in the driveway during the summer.

I woke up a little late today, had some coffee, sent a couple emails, and went to take a shower. I had an interview today, and I was pretty nervous. I stumbled across something the other day not really looking, slapped together my resume and a couple sketches and sent it in. It's not industrial design, but it's involved, and sounds interesting.

So I shaved today, fully, for the first time in at least a couple years. It's weird. And cold. And you can feel things touch your face.

I suited up, went out to the interview, and was fairly nervous up until I shook the man's hand when I met him. Once I started talking, I was surprisingly calm, articulate, and confident. We talked about my past experience, and I asked him more about the company and my job in particular.

I felt pretty good when I left, but I'm not really concerned if I don't get the job. I guess that's a good thing. I went down the street for lunch at Taza on Franklin, and stood in line behind a dozen people waiting between rows of tables and the counter. The last time I ate here, I was working at Morningstar as a graphic design intern before I graduated. I instinctively glanced around to see if I recognized anyone from my old job, but the only familiar face was the guy making falafels next to the gyro grill.

I scanned the menu, then heard myself mutter "gyro/falafel combo, please." I had defaulted to what I used to order, and man, it's fantastic. I ate, sitting at the window, watching everyone come and go. The owner wasn't around today, but I remembered talking with him and my boss one day when it wasn't so busy. He talked about moving here and running a restaurant in the loop. We talked at length about food, and in the middle he got up and started to make us some Turkish coffee. We all sat and drank and talked for a little while longer, til we all decided it was probably time to get back to work. That was one of those really nice breaks in an otherwise unmemorable day.

aspirations.

2008-11-20T11:15:00.005-06:00

I think everyone did a good job of documenting the happenings at the wedding, so thanks for that. I was really glad to see everyone, especially those from out of town, Dave and Mendy, Nate and Laura, Martha and Matt, Kevin and Jenny, and Angela. The visit was short lived, but packed with happiness.

I'd never been a groomsman before, though I think the three of us pulled off the stereotype pretty well.

Before the ceremony, the photographer pulled Brian, Colin, Kevin, myself and the two ushers outside to take some creative photos. The guy was probably one of my favorite parts about the whole wedding. He played the part perfectly, and it reminded me of someone like Dane Cook doing a bit about a photographer. Picture that. Then his photo booth shot. Serious, or trying to be funny? I can't tell.

may tomorrow the land be anew.

2008-11-11T08:46:00.005-06:00

This month seems to be flying by.

I've been making some attempts at getting together some work for ID, developing my sketching, and relearning what I actually went to school for. So far it's going alright. I'm more motivated than I have been in almost two years, and I'm feeling pretty good about it.

This weekend is going to be legendary, as our good friend Brian is getting married to Liz, all of the out of town friends will be together, and I'll be donning a tux for the event.

Last week the most exceptional thing in my lifetime happened, and I only had my phone to document it. I know we've all been saturated, but I guess I just don't want the feeling to go away yet. It was great to be there for something so incredible.

What got me is how everyone was so excited to be there, and happy. I got a little lost from our group and meandered closer to the front for a while. I was on the phone trying to find out where the group was when we got Virginia, then moments later when the giant screen showed that Obama won. The roar from the crowd was one of those that was so loud you could feel it from your stomach to your ears. It was like a drowning noise from cicadas, twisting up inside my head, becoming a single tone that almost made me cover my ears.

Next to me, an elderly black woman with whom I'd been chatting grabbed my hand, sort of raising and shaking it, and said, "We did it, baby. We did it!"

I almost lost it right there.

----------------------------------

Halloween was fun, and we carved pumpkins this year. Simone roasted the seeds, and in avoiding the usual GDP, she just salted them and they were great.

With the help of my new lady-friend, Jen, the carving of Walter happened. His look is somewhere between surprised and trying to look innocent, I think. Maybe he's singing. Christmas carols.

----------------------------------

Last night I went to see A.A. Bondy at Schubas. He's kind of a folk-country-rock guy and last night was apparently his first headlining show, though he's been playing for quite some time. It's great music to get you through the winter, soulful and raw. His playing is precise, but not labored, and on several songs he changes the tuning of a couple strings to give a lower, bass-driven sound, smooth alongside his somewhat gritty vocals.

He's no amateur, and although his album American Hearts was recorded in his barn, it sounds great. You should check it out if you like good music.

I got to have a drink with him after the show, and he talked about touring, sleeping in his car, and Obama-Chicago coolness. The coolest thing was that he asked me for my phone number when he was trying to figure out a place to stay for the night. So he almost crashed at Palmer Hall. Would've been neat.

Anyway. I'll try to do this more regularly so things aren't so jumpy-aroundy.

go, go, go. as fast as your legs can take you.

2008-10-29T12:18:00.004-05:00

After a full night's sleep, I spent a good day walking up and down hills, looking at colorful homes, checking out cafés, and walking along the bay. At first I just went up any street that was higher than the one I was currently walking along. I soon noticed how many people had well defined legs.

I hadn't arranged my plans for the next few days, so I did that while resting at the top of a hill in the shade of a large cathedral. Since I was just going to be in San Francisco for the day before heading to Santa Barbara overnight, I had nowhere to store anything, so I was carrying everything I had with me. It was exhausting, but felt good at the same time.

The weather was cool, but sunny, and I had a good time exploring the different neighborhoods that seamlessly butted up against eachother. I like the idea of a city that's so completely walkable, but doesn't feel small. The differences in elevation were crazy to me, giving a constantly changing view of the city.

I walked through Chinatown and North Beach and up through Telegraph Hill, then down toward the pier and watched some teenagers do tricks on bikes that would have left me in a crumpled broken heap on the pavement. I relaxed on the pier until the sun finally crept behind the buildings downtown before making my way to the bus station. I still had a couple hours to kill, but I was cold and exhausted and buried myself in a book until the bus came.

* Dinner with Brian last night "—so this old guy's scooting along the wall like a ninja. We get his gun, and he's got a glock. I mean it's nicer than mine. So I'm wrestling him to the ground, and he puts a voodoo curse on me. So now I'm cursed. And the guy was a Jehova's Witness."

watch this.

2008-10-25T20:57:00.000-05:00

it's really well done.

Obama '08 - Vote For Hope from MC Yogi on Vimeo.

in the middle of the night.

2008-10-20T09:25:00.011-05:00

Stopped for one night in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The train was late getting in, and I didn't have all that much time to look around, but there was plenty of time to meet a weirdo with whom I shared a hostel. Sweet.

The next day was another two day train ride which brought me into Emeryville, California, across from San Francisco. This ride was great, and we went through the Sierras.

I met some great people on this stretch – some musicians, a woman and her daughter visiting family, a guy heading back to school at Berkeley, a Native American named Yellow Horse, and a New Zealander who lived in Ireland and was vacationing in the States.

I spent a lot of time in the observation car talking with people, learning a couple card games, and making my way back and forth through the train cars. This two-day stretch was pretty special, and as we all talked and told stories, we got to know some of the people working on the train. The engineer was L.A. Walker, the conductor's name was D.C. Cannon though he went by Daryl, and the diner car guys nametags said "Curly" and "Johnny Rivers." I swear I couldn't have come up with better names had I written this part into a movie.

Heather and Kendall (the little one) behind me having a good time, and this nervous guy next to me was moving across country to go to school. It was interesting to learn everyone's story, and how they were all very different.

Lots of people just hung out in their regular train car seats, keeping to themselves and watching movies, reading a book, doing crossword puzzles, or just trying to get comfortable while sleeping. I was glad to have hung out in the lounge car instead. The girl in the green shirt was named "Cloud" (Claudia, but called Cloud since she was five,) and was heading home to Berkeley where she had a jewelry and hair wrap stand on Telegraph Ave.

This girl, Lea, was moving from Denver to the west coast. She was a singer/songwriter/guitarist and had a voice that could knock you down flat and pick you right back up again. She was travelling with another guitar player, and they were just sort of enjoying being transient for the moment and deciding where to stay for a while.

I don't remember this little guy's name, but he was a nice sort of fellow, though somewhat reserved.

The guy that was going back to school at Berkeley looked like kind of a jerk at first glance. Collared light pink shirt, strategically tattered jeans, club shoes, and a half frown on his face. Turns out he was exceptionally nice once I started talking with him, and he was in the middle of trying to get Amtrak to utilize a better recycling program. He was an environmental law student and one night after a few drinks it came up that he played accordion pretty well and had one with him.

Turned into a fun late night with him, Lea, and the other musician all trading off playing songs and entertaining about 6 of us on the lounge car. At night, on the train with guitars, and songs, and even one harmonica. It's either cheesy or pretty amazing, and I'm definitely siding with amazing on this one.

Bert, the other musician.

Look at all that country back there. There's just so much of it.

Three-plus days on the train put me into Emeryville five hours late, and I'd missed my transfers by that point. Decided to take a bus into San Francisco with a few others and figure something out, though it was a Friday night, and I soon found that all the hostels were full. Finally found a hotel and a shower, and spent the next day in San Francisco before taking an overnight bus to see Janice.

On the train, there was this girl in one of the back cars who was travelling alone with just a backpack and this oversized panda bear. She never seemed to leave her seat, and when I'd pass by at night, she'd be peacefully resting against his large expressionless head.

After several days on the train we all dragged ourselves onto the bus, a short distance from our final destination. I hadn't slept well since leaving Chicago, and I was exhausted, sore, and delirious. I collapsed into my seat and stared out the window for a while. When I looked up, I saw this silly little grin beaming back at me, and I just started to laugh.

foxtrot.

2008-10-05T11:13:00.008-05:00

Trains are a lot of fun. Taking a train out west may be one of the best ways to see the countryside. At least that's what I've heard, and although I've never driven through, seeing as you can't really sail through and the fact that you don't see much from 35,000 feet, I'd say that a train ride is definitely in the top two ways to see the left half of the country.

I've never been on a real train before, so I was a little anxious and excited when I got to the station, wondering where everyone was going, who they were visiting, and what sorts of things might be coming up.

I saw one young woman struggling with two suitcases, a large bag, a backpack, and a bicycle. In fact, many people had ridiculous amounts of luggage. While waiting in line to board, I heard someone say my name, and it turns out that the girl with the bike was Sonia (David Morley's girlfriend,) and she was heading to California to visit family.

We shared the ride until I got to Glenwood Springs, my first stop, roughly 28 hours later. It was fun sharing the experience with someone I knew, and as it was her first time going out by train as well, we had a lot of fun together and spent a lot of time in the lounge car.

We shared snacks and stories, met some fun people, and ate in the diner car. A lot of the time we just spent staring out the windows, watching the scenery go by. We went through Illinois and most of southern Iowa the first night, and slept through most of Nebraska. The scenery wasn't as boring as I expected. It was refreshing to see patches of farmland, old homes and ranches, and small towns that sort of ran themselves.

We went past general stores, and people waved. Some stations looked like they had been there for a hundred years. Some were just slabs of concrete next to the rails. One was completely bare except for an elderly woman and an old yellow lab.

One thing I was drawn to once we were in a rural area was the old telephone poles. They were rickety looking, crooked, and chewed up. The lines were thin, and the crossbars all had the old-style glass insulators on top of them which the wires wrapped around. The insulators were different colors and all seemed to catch the sunlight, spilling out rays of green or red light. I wish I could have gotten a good photo of one of them, but it was tough to catch.

Colorado is incredibly picturesque, and I wish we had slowed down a bit once we got into the mountains along the river. It was more than a little humbling, seeing these massive natural structures jutting out of the ground at dramatic angles, scraping the clouds, with trees and other wildlife barely able to cling to the sides. I just wanted to sit and stare all day.

The town of Glenwood Springs is home to some amazing natural hot springs, and since they're visited by tens of thousands of people each year, periodically they will be closed for maintenance or cleaning. It was one of those days when I was there. At least there was a big red mountain.

this shadow weighs a ton...

2008-09-16T07:01:00.011-05:00

one stopover in San francisco and an overnight bus put me in Santa barbara for a couple days with janice. Back to sf tomorrow night for a couple days, then another train north. This is being pecked away on my iPod, stealing a neighbors internet with hopes that it doesn't crash again, so please forgive gram and typo errors. Janice makes a great hostess, so come visit and she might let you borrow the car while she works.

Drove down the 101 to Ventura today where my parents lived for a while a long time ago. The drive was amazing, and I loved every second of it. I came back through Ojai on a winding stretch of highway 150, passing by ranches and citrus farms, and a picturesque spot called the Coyote River runoff basin.

We cooked fish on the grill last night, and janice told me how one of her friends doesn't even own an indoor table, just a picnic table outside since it never rains. It's beautiful here, but I'm doing my best to back Chicago because, hey, what good is a mild summer if you can never look forward to fall, right?

The mountains and tunnels and countryside coming through Colorado were breathtaking, and I see why people say the california zephyr is the best train in the USA. The observation car was packed and everyone's faces were glued to the windows, oohing and aahing and pointing out the landscape. I was pretty taken aback by the sheer size of the mountains on either side as we went through Glenwood Canyon, and the scenery as it unfolded in the valley below. I can tell you, I haven't had much in the way of religious experiences, but someone got that whole part just right.

I'll try to find a real computer soon, so I can post some photos.

lickity-clack.

2008-09-13T04:18:00.002-05:00

I rode a train.
Colorado is beautiful.
As are the Sierra mountains.
Sonia is fun.
Trains are cold.
Lounge cars are for memories.
Schedules are for suckers.
I'm a sucker.
But I'm alive, in San Fransisco, and have a bed to sleep in.

single cells would swing their fists.

2008-09-06T16:04:00.006-05:00

Andrew Bird stood there, alone, the first time in years. Almost insignificant, he was dwarfed by the stage, hiding behind his mop of hair. Looking out at thousands, he began to play, and all the chattering stopped. A single note pierced through the evening, followed by another, then more.

Layers upon layers were built, swished around, manipulated. Deep bass tones bled into playful higher melodies, lighted colors danced around the stage, and everyone sat, contentedly watching and listening.

We had blankets and sheets, throws, sweatshirts, and a tablecloth. Bottles and bottles and bottles of wine, snacks galore, and the best company you could ask for. Those who couldn't make it missed out, and were missed.

Leading up, the weather was a 30 percent chance of rain. Morning of was 60 percent. Before we left for the show, it was up to 70 percent. But not a single drop of rain fell the entire night, and it was a pretty amazing thing.

I'm looking forward to more nights like this coming up, as fall has made its appearance. Good music, great friends, and an even better atmosphere.

Whale fight.

2008-09-02T09:07:00.002-05:00

I was walking through the hall when I overheard on the television that the United States is ranked 48th in the world in life expectancy. How in the world can that be possible? I understand that our health care system isn't up there in the top 5, but I never would have expected us to come in that far down the list.

It got me thinking about different aspects of our lives, and how much time is spent doing different things. Work, exercise, socializing, family, food, relaxing. Maybe somewhere along the lines we got it all wrong. Maybe our priorities need to be re-evaluated. Or maybe it just requires some simple modifications to the way we already do things.

*
Yesterday, we had a nice bbq at Nate and Kate's place, and damn, I don't know how, but Nate always makes the best pork chops I've ever had. We all sat around the kitchen floor and talked for a while, had a few drinks, and Kate broke out a deep fryer. It was its maiden voyage, and how better to christen a fryer than with curly fries? Oh, I'll tell you how.

Funnel-cake battered, deep fried Snickers.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "I'm completely, utterly repulsed. Yet I can't stop salivating..."

*
Andrew Bird at the Pritzker Pavilion tomorrow. 74 degrees.
Chance of rain: 30%
Chance of awesome: 100%

billish.

2008-08-29T19:32:00.005-05:00

It's Friday evening, another beautiful summer night. I did some reading, watered plants, cleaned up a little, and now I'm relaxing. Watching people come home from work, playing with their dogs in the park, talking on the bench across the street. The air is still, and the rhythmic sounds of the cicadas are loud and sweeping, competing with the bird's lazy songs. I guess it can be nice sometimes to just appreciate what's going on around you.

*sigh*

If something doesn't happen around here soon, I'm gonna go nuts.

Well, Tim, you're not in college anymore...

2008-08-27T00:43:00.002-05:00

Went to see my friend Zach play a show at Uncommon Ground tonight in Lakeview. I'd never been there before, and judging by the people I knew who went there and those who worked there I figured it was sort of a dark, hipster bar, full of bikers, PBRs, indie music, and tight pants. I was a little off.

It's kind of a nice restaurant, split into three parts, with an extensive wine list and expensive meals. They do have lots of local art, and music in the back room.

There was a good but pretentious violinist who played beforehand, and I thought it a little rude when he asked people to be quiet. Zach played next, piano and organ, plus one song that was a duet with a sultry blonde on guitar.

I met up with some old co-workers and we had wine and talked and listened to the music, and it was all generally pretty nice. There was a good mix of lighthearted songs, and heavier ones with really warm melodies.

The temperature was just about perfect tonight, and the bike ride home was cool, and refreshing. Fall is in the air. You can feel it, and smell it, and almost taste it.

making hash browns.

2008-08-22T19:50:00.008-05:00

It's a rather beautiful summer night tonight. The light, a sort of deep, orangish pink, is turning all the greens dark and rich. The cicadas are singing, and there's a cool breeze. The clouds are low, moving swiftly, and people are active in the park.

It's pretty perfect, save for the crazy man who's been yelling in the park for the past hour and a half.
*
So I've decided not to teach the Earth Team this semester. It's been fun and interesting over the past year, and I feel like I've learned so much from so many different students. Teaching (sort of) high-schoolers has been an experience unlike anything I've ever done before, and I've gained a new respect for those who do it full-time. This summer was almost full-time, and I was taken to my limit several times over the course of the program. Granted, the students I worked with over the summer were different than those I would be working with during the school year, and much more difficult to manage.

– Been running a lot this week, and it's a good thing. Even on days I feel like crap, and I don't really get anything done that feels substantial, if I go running I feel like I've got at least one accomplishment for the day.

– Also biking a lot the past couple weeks, just for fun. To the lake, up north, places of the city I haven't been before. It's interesting, and introspective, and fun. I think I might make a hobby of it.

Ok, seriously, this guy sounds like a cross between a man calling his dog (whose name is just a repeating series of vowels) in monotone, and a zombie trying to sound like James Brown screaming.

things I get irrationally annoyed with:

2008-08-18T08:43:00.003-05:00

1) Those stupid dancing avatars that want me to click to check my credit score, compare insurance quotes, and lower my mortgage. What the hell do you have to do with anything? Go away, you tiny animation!

2) This pop-up camper that's parked in front of our place. It's always there! I hate you pop-up camper!

3) Guys who take rec-league softball seriously enough to turn into a big jerk on the field and start yelling at people. I mean, come on. Really.

If a shark and a torpedo mated...

2008-08-11T00:44:00.004-05:00

The offspring would still be slower than the U.S. men's 4x100 meter freestyle relay team.

Five of us, not exactly fans of swimming, stood screaming wildly at the television, shaking our fists, and cheering our heads off. Five countries beat the previous world record, the U.S. smashing it by nearly four seconds. It had to be one of the best moments in sports that I've ever witnessed.

Quote of the night: "The Americans? We're going to smash them. That's what we came here for." – Alain Bernard of the French 4x100 meter freestyle relay team.

racing like a pro.

2008-08-06T17:44:00.004-05:00

The Museum of Science and Industry.

I remember going as a kid and being excited about all the hands-on interactive things one could do. There were buttons galore, levers and handles and ropes, that when pulled activated some sort of mechanism, usually to demonstrate how a certain scientific principle worked. I would get lost in different rooms, watching things light up, learning about energy and physics and how things work.

I spent hours in the space center looking at the capsules that were flown into space and landed on the moon. They looked like they were made with pieces of gold foil, tubes, pie tins, bits of glass, plastic, and light bulbs. I climbed through a giant head, learning how the eardrums interpret sound, and how the eyes transform the information we see into an image relayed to our brains. And I loved watching the mold machines work; the two metal blocks slowly coming together and a still-warm triceratops being scraped into the little bin below.

We took our kids there today for program and instead of making a big project out of it, we decided to just give them a free day. It was fairly relaxing, but those kids are starting to get the best of me.

The museum has a much different effect on me now that I'm older. The sense of wonder and awe is somewhat replaced with a strange longing. I found myself reading the histories of old cars and their development over time. I thought about what it was like to fly a WWII fighter plane, and about all the materials and technology needed to create something like that – a full ten years before the transistor radio was invented.

I spent a while looking at the model railroad, finding different locations in Chicago on a much smaller scale. I watched a miniature train going over Lake street, the bridge yellow and rusted. Little people went about their business and lower Wacker was full of traffic.

This stuff is all interesting, but sometimes I want to have that same feeling of being overwhelmed, overstimulated, and excited. Where do we go for that sort of thing when we get older?

The rest of the day was also out of the ordinary today. The bus ride home was full of the kids misbehaving. We fired one of our students that we should have fired three weeks ago. I yelled at a half-dozen others with the threat of also being fired. It's frustrating because it feels like their behavior is directly related to how well I'm doing my job. If I'm doing the best I can, I should be able to handle these kids, keep them engaged, interested, and entertained. When it goes south I tend to put the blame on myself. I re-evaluate what I should have done differently in certain situations. How could I have reacted better to that scenario? What other tactics could I have used? But sometimes I feel like my best — the best I can possibly do — is just not good enough to handle some situations.

It's a tough realization, but after considering for a while, I think I'm ok with it. I think it just might mean that I'm not totally cut out for teaching inner-city high schoolers. Other people out there are probably better suited for it. Which should mean that I'm probably better suited for something else. Which is cool.

Also:

– If your back wheel gets stolen, for fuck's sake, stay away from Rapid Transit on North ave.

– Tomorrow is my last day of work. woo.

– Vacation for a few days next week with the family.

– Cool evenings are the best.

– Cutoffs. They're everywhere. On cool people.

be careful out there.

2008-07-30T19:48:00.003-05:00

Today I was running near the square, and at the corner of Milwaukee and Logan there was an officer directing traffic. Opposite him was a couple squad cars, a black SUV, a firetruck, and an ambulance. Near the ambulance on the ground was the mangled wreck of a gray bicycle and a yellow backpack. The front wheel, handlebars, and frame were all bent. Nearby, the owner was being loaded onto a stretcher, with bandages and a neck brace already in place. It made me feel pained and sick to my stomach.

The girlfriend, who works at Dunlay's, was trying to get the police to let her take his bike. He had asked her to get it for him, which made me feel better; at least he was conscious.

I thought about how violent the hit must have been for the bike to be that smashed.

There's a lot of people out there on the road. On bikes and in cars. Please pay attention.

there's a reason.

2008-07-21T00:08:00.002-05:00

I got a text message today from a number I didn't recognize. It said, "good seeing you yesterday." I racked my brain, trying to think of who it could be, and who I saw yesterday. It also occurred to me that it could've been sarcastic, and that I forgot I was supposed to hang out with someone, and didn't.

I finally gave in and sent a "who is this?" Later came the reply that it was indeed Daniel. He asked, "how are u?" A couple more messages followed, as I was still trying to remember this person. Maybe it was the guy who got me drinks at the club.

Unfortunately for Daniel, I am not the girl he had a great time with yesterday. But at least the fake number she gave him provided me with some entertainment today.

you complete me.

2008-07-18T04:34:00.002-05:00

Go see The Dark Knight. You won't be disappointed.

Yeah, but for how long...

2008-07-08T18:28:00.004-05:00

Things have been happening. I just haven't written about them. It's not usually what I do. Some people can write pretty freely, for others it can take quite an effort. Some of our kids are that way, at least. I've found that in a classroom situation, providing journal prompts can be helpful in getting kids to write faster. Write about this. Write about that. Instead of thinking about what they should write about, they think about the topic itself. Anyway.

Humboldt Park is beautiful. There's wildflowers, and birds, trees, lagoons, marsh areas, and streams, and footbridges with all kinds of things to look at. It's the kinds of place I could have roamed around and explored for days on end as a kid. Now I'm working there, and I'm trying to get high school kids to enjoy being outside. When it's hot. And uncomfortable. And they're lazy.

We usually start out by walking them toward one of the lagoons, and wind up near a spot where there's plenty of room to spread out, and lots of trees for shade. I like giving them ten or fifteen minutes of time to reflect on things, think about the day, relax, or just zone out. I tell them to listen to the birds. Listen to the sound of the trees in the wind. Feel the grass under their hands. Watch how things move.

Mostly the girls try to sneakily send text messages, while the boys throw sticks at each other.

Then we talk about a few different things involving the ecosystems at the park, interaction between different forms of wildlife, why things are the way they are, etc. Last week we did an experiment that showed them that all the fall colors of a leaf are actually in the leaf year-round. We talked about amphibians, and one of the students told us a story about catching tadpoles. We also played softball one day, and football the next. One of the kids who barely said ten words the whole week came alive after our second play. He called plays, organized our team and positions, called blocks during run plays, and encouraged his teammates. It was kind of inspiring.

Today was rough though. No one was motivated. They were bored, angry, and aggravated. We tried to lighten the mood with some games. We even tried Duck, Duck, Goose, after some discussion on the rules of play. Apparently no one could remember how. That helped ease things up a little.

The rest of the day was filled up with lunch and a scavenger hunt, though everyone's attention was on the fact that two of the kids were supposed to fight after the program. And they're good kids. Well behaved, and smart. Just something over a girl. I tried to talk to them at the end of work today, but I don't think it did any good. And I don't really have any reign when the workday is over, as long as they don't do anything at the park where we work. I told them I didn't want to see either of them busted up in the morning. I hope I don't have to.

Yesterday was pretty great. We had some things planned, but ended up scratching them when the Greater Chicago Food Depository showed up at about the same time we usually start. There were 250 people waiting for a semi-truck full of food that needed to be unloaded, separated, sorted, and distributed, and the truck was an hour late. And they were way short on volunteers. So we helped with that for the day, and it seemed to make everyone feel good.

We unloaded assembly-line style, packed bags and boxes, passed out everything, and helped people to their cars. And no one complained. It was big success, and it felt really good to help out. Anyway, I hope that's the stuff that sticks with these kids. We'll see.

the weather outside is weather

2008-05-13T13:08:00.002-05:00

Simone, Colin and I went to Lilly's last week, a bar north of Fullerton on Lincoln. One of my co-workers from the restaurant tends bar there on Wednesday nights, and I hadn't been there yet, so I roped my roommates into going.

It looks like a regular DePaul bar from the outside, but the inside more closely resembles an old dungeon with some furniture in it. The floor is uneven brick, rounded and smoothed over time and completely loose in several places. Concrete archways are scattered throughout, painted a dark blue, and the lighting is pretty low. There are a few mismatched tables with chairs and stools here and there, in no real arrangement, and seemingly purchased individually from thrift stores or taken from back alleys.

The bar itself is an old, "L" shaped wraparound, with the tap in the corner. The beer coolers consist of three different Rubbermaid tubs, half filled with ice sitting on the floor behind the bar. A selection of imports and domestics float inside, next to a lone bottle of Jaegermeister. A small sign above the register on the back wall reads, "cash only."

There was a band playing a mix of rock, bluegrass, and country on the small, raised wooden platform in the front of the bar, and when they were done playing, the bartender's ipod provided the musical entertainment.

Colin's eyes went all dreamy as Wilco, Modest Mouse, Spoon, and Kevin Drew poured out of the house speakers. There were fun conversations, Simone spoke in Spanish with a guy I work with from Guatemala, and we got a hefty discount when I paid the tab.

I'll be heading back, that's for sure.

how will you meet your end?

2008-05-06T08:45:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a day off, and for all intents and purposes, that's exactly how I treated it. I went to Ann Sathers for breakfast and had some of their amazing cinnamon buns, and eggs with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and avocado. Yum.

Afterward, I rode my bike for a while doing some errands. New toothbrush, mouthwash, stopped to look at some shirts. There's so many toothbrushes out there! I fought the urge to get one with a dinosaur on it and went with a slick new sonic one with a tongue scrubber. Weird, yet cool.

I got back, and walked around our park, checking on the progress of the new running track and tot lot. Construction workers were putting in the base layer of gravel for the track, leveling and smoothing as they went along. I think it's supposed to be an even half-mile, and has a nice winding flow through the trees and bushes. The playground itself is actually going to be a slightly recessed area containing several abstract sculptures for kids to play around, parents to sit on, or more likely, hipsters to gather around and drink PBR.

I went with Colin and Simone to El Cid for dinner and margaritas and eventually everyone on the patio was serenaded by the mariachis. Simone's friend Karyn met up with us, and Colin ordered more margaritas.

I was in kind of a mood yesterday. Quiet, observant, introspective. It was still really nice out when we got home, so I put some music on and we sat on the porch with some wine and just listened. It was a nice evening, and I really liked the mix of everything that was going on. Two girls and a guy in the park, playing ball with their dog. Low, strumming music coming from our front room through the windows. Conversation from upstairs that just blended into the background. The occasional rapid click, click, click, click, click, shuffling of cards coming from the same windows upstairs. And followed shortly by the quiet clinking of chips being bet.

It was nice to just sit outside on the porch, have some wine, and soak it all in.

just put it in the bag.

2008-04-25T00:03:00.002-05:00

-
So, we're driving, and in the street this guy's yelling with this girl and when he sees us, he gets in his car and takes off. So we chase him, but it's like fuckin' OJ, I mean he's obeying the speed limit, and stopping and looking both ways before turning into the alleys and shit. So finally, before the last few blocks, he freaks out and steps on it. Then he takes off the wrong way down a one-way street and we follow. He hits the brakes and bails. So we go after him, following him down about six houses before we catch up to him.

And I've got two accidents on record, so another one gets me two days without pay. So we catch up to the guy, take him down, and I'm hitting him in the head when I hear this *crunch* sound come from behind us. The sonofabitch didn't put his car in park before he bailed, he put it in reverse!

So his car's backed against ours, so I tell my partner to grab the keys before the cars get stolen. And I'm cuffing this guy, and I'm like, "why the fuck would you put your car in reverse?!?"

-
Hey, you finally got some new headgear for kickboxing?

Yeah. I don't think it protects my nose very well, though, because I keep getting punched in it.

If I had a boat, I'd go out on the ocean.

2008-04-16T20:43:00.002-05:00

Man, the last few weeks have been busy. I feel like I've been saying that once a week for the past six months. I'm still enjoying working at the restaurant, though a little less than I have been. At least it gives me a little different perspective on things, and there's lots Wrigleyvillains to make fun of.

I had the day off today, my first since Easter, so I got productive. I went to the bank, went downtown to the DMV to get a new license that I've been putting off for a while, stopped by the Apple store, went to the Gap for some shirts, and had dinner at Dunlay's with Colin. Half of those things went well.

I stopped at the Apple store to possibly get a new ipod, as mine has been toast for several months now. I looked around and played with all the new toys and fantasized about getting a macbook Air. I used some applications, held it in my arms, and imagined running away together; social norms be damned. It was enticing.

In the end, I impulsively bought an ipod touch. I don't treat myself to big purchases very often, so I figured why not.

I found out the "why not" tonight when I got home and plugged it in. Apparently my operating system is too old to support it, and needs to be upgraded. Boo for impulse buys. Although, now I get two new cool things.

The DMV was hilarious. I think they hire the same contractor to do every DMV, and that guy does subdivision pre-fab basements in his spare time. They all have the same crummy drywall, buzzing fluorescent lights, and driving posters tacked with pushpins.

This time, however, there was a man from Saturn there to keep me company. He didn't work for the subsidiary of GM, though, he was actually from the planet Saturn. He told me himself. He also indulged me in the fact that he had not one, but two spaceships. He carried himself quite well, an older, well dressed gentleman, and made small talk with the woman at the counter. He made it known that he was a pimp, that he hadn't had to really work for twenty years, and that Mariah Carey was one of his prostitutes.

He was at the DMV getting his Earth license.

so jealous.

2008-03-20T09:09:00.002-05:00

So we're all moved into the downstairs (read superior) apartment, and there's just some cleaning left to be done. Colin and I moved almost everything on Tuesday, and I really think everything turned out all right.

Our t.v. room is in the middle room of the apartment now, and the dining/reading room is in the front. So right now I'm sitting on a recliner next to the fireplace with built in bookshelves, and sunlight is pouring in through the front windows where I can see our front porch overlooking the park. What's not to like about that, right?

I also bought a new growns-up dresser yesterday. It's a boulevard dresser from Crate & Barrel, but I got it on Craigslist for a fifth of the price. I now have one piece of nice furniture.
-----
Today is officially the first day of spring. I think I'm going to make some vernal equinox resolutions involving being healthier, more tolerant, and more proactive about things. I've been in a bit of a bad mood for a while, but I'm sure it's directly related to the weather and lack of sunlight. And the sun's out today!
-----
Going to Colin's this weekend for the Easter weekend. I'm looking forward to it; I think it will be fun and relaxing, which I'm in need of right now. It will be a little strange not being around my family on the holiday, though. We usually do an Easter brunch, and hang around talking and keeping it fairly low key. Then Kathy brings out approximately one metric ton of chocolate and baked goods from Weber's bakery in Palos Heights.
-----
I'm looking forward to the final weeks of the after-school program this time around. We've got a great group of kids, and we may have bit off more than we can chew with our final project this year, but I think things will turn out alright. I'm looking forward to having a little more time to visit home and spend more time with family and friends.

And now that spring is here, summer is right around the corner!

consolation.

2008-02-26T10:04:00.002-06:00

Saturday was a really long day at work. People were bitter, I was tired, and the day was terribly inefficient. Blah, blah, blah.

Trudging home, I was pissed off and wet from the snow/rain mix. Then I saw a guy riding a tandem bike. By himself.

I laughed and felt sorry for him at the same time.

routine.

2008-02-23T17:45:00.002-06:00

I has one.

Mostly it involves lesson planning and teaching program during the week (supposedly), and working at the Southport on the weekends. And wine at night. We had a few days of sun, which I'm grateful for, but I'm ready for a full on spring to hit us soon. This cold stuff is for the birds.

I feel like I've been really busy and working a lot lately, and I think that's because I'm missing out on sleeping late and having brunch on the weekends. I wish there was someplace I could get real brunch and a bloody mary at noon on a Tuesday. Yeah, you know the feeling.

I rearranged my bedroom the other day, and I like the new setup. It's not a big deal, but after being cooped up for so long, it's nice to do something physical and see results and an improvement. I recommend giving it a try if you're feeling bored and antsy. It's invigorating.

A couple weeks ago we went to see Harriet Jacobs at the Steppenwolf. I'm not usually big on theater but the performance was absolutely amazing. I'd actually probably go see it again. Anyway, I stopped in a nearby Borders beforehand to warm up and look around and realized that it's time I started reading more. This struck me when I realized I had never read Slaughterhouse Five. How did this happen? What else am I missing out on? What are some of the other books that I should have read by now? Chances are there's a lot. At least I can check that one off the list now.

It appears I've thrown in the towel in this unintentional competition of blog non-posting against Martha K. Davis. She gave me quite a run, but in the end I've just got more roommates going, "Hey, jackass! What have you been up to? I can't tell because you haven't posted in forever!" Ah, well.

Also, went out for a drink after work the other day and played Boggle for the first time ever. And Boggle rules.

What's Happening Now?

2008-02-07T07:57:00.000-06:00

January to February lull is taking its toll on everyone at this point, I believe. It's one of those lovely times in Chicago, where it's either raining, sleeting, snowing, or a combination of the three. The sky is perpetually the color of dirty roadside snow. So many people are sick, and the weather reflects that pretty well. We're in the ring, I'm on the mat, and February is slamming me in the face with its People's Elbow.

I've been eating fairly healthy lately, though, doing a decent amount of cooking for the Hall. It's tough to get motivated to run in four inches of slush, so I think it's a decent trade-off. We started program at Norwood Park this week, but due to a computer glitch, I was not able teach the first day. Apparently, they thought I may have had a violent criminal past, but it all worked out fine.

Day two was typical, but on my trek to the El after class I did something I'm not very proud of. It's one of those things that you know is bad when you're doing it, you feel guilty about it, yet you continue anyway.

The Baconator.

Six strips of bacon. Two quarter pound burgers. Two slices of cheese.

One gluttonous smile of satisfaction. I stopped at Wendy's on the way home and figured, "Hey, I'm already here. I might as well get the ~~most horribly unhealthy~~ best and tastiest thing on the menu." Glorious and frightening all at once. I recommend trying one, but only if your heart is up to the challenge.

in dreamy-dreamland I was cruisin.

2008-01-19T18:49:00.001-06:00

I remember when I was growing up I had a recurring dream that always woke me up. It wasn't really a nightmare, but more of a dream I wished I could've controlled.

It always started out the same way: me struggling to reach for the surface in a clear-blue roaring river. I'd pop to the top, breathe in some fresh air, and realize I'm quickly being taken downstream somewhere. As I looked to where the river was heading, I'd see things from an aerial view somewhere behind me and take in the whole scene. There was a ridiculously high and straight waterfall which I was about to head over, and the landscape beyond stretched out in all different shades of green with a river winding through it, mountains in the background, and the sun setting behind it all. Sort of breathtaking.

Then I'd be back in the viewpoint of a half-drowned kid about to go over a waterfall and I'd sort of launch over the edge, just out past the rest of the falling water. I would try to flail about, grab onto something stable, or even look for something to save myself, but all of my muscles had completely stiffened up. I was stuck there, tumbling through the air in front of a waterfall in a half-fetal position, screaming obscenities through a mouth that wouldn't move.

It was really strange, and I would always wake myself violently, bolting upright in bed and gasping for air before I would hit the water.

I haven't had that one since I was a little kid. The ones I've been having lately have been involving guns, and bad guys, and moral dilemmas. I'm either chasing or being chased. Or we're all in war on a hillside, or in the jungle. Sometimes it's just running through the city. Nondescript, just the blur of storefronts and buildings, trees and fences and crossroads, and the periodic checking over the shoulder.

Though, the other day I had one where I was at a large house in the suburbs with a stone horseshoe driveway. John Cusack came over, (we had plans to go for lunch) but instead of driving he arrived in his new personal helicopter. I was excited. He was excited. He really liked flying his new helicopter.

We took off for lunch, staying above the main roads and obeying all traffic laws. We stopped at stop signs, and waited for a red light to turn green before continuing. Apparently, it was only a private residential helicopter, not a commercial one. According to the FAA, I guess he had to adhere to the rules of the road while flying within city limits. I didn't get to fly it, but it was still fun. We got some sandwiches and had good conversation. John Cusack is a pretty cool guy.

there's been an accident.

2008-01-10T15:44:00.000-06:00

I look down to see a swath across my middle, fluid pouring out like heavy cream onto the stainless steel table below. It spills over the table's edge, down the legs, and gathers in a pool on the tile floor. I watch for a moment, then collect myself, get cleaned up, and go back to the floor.

I started working at a restaurant about a month ago, and I've gotten fairly comfortable there, although I'm definitely still "the New Guy." The people I work with are pretty friendly and it's nice to have some extra cash. The clientèle can be a bit pretentious, but then again, I guess the menu is also.

There is nothing done just straight up. Everything is preceded by several adjectives, and is either infused with or accompanied by something. Fresh mozzarella and pesto, topped with a red onion, tomato, balsamic mix. Toasted crostini layered with smoked chicken sausage, queso fresco, arugula, roasted red pepper, and a lemon pepper cream cheese. Or the challah bread french toast, stuffed with apple cream-cheese streusel, and topped with pralines and organic maple-pecan syrup.

The espresso machine just got a tune up, so now I can make that half-caff, low-foam, skim chai latte that I so dearly love. I bring one (or something similar) to a woman's table as she parks her double-wide, climate controlled, stroller SUV and unleashes two demons. I find some crayons for the kids, take the order, and fetch some kid-safe cups.

It's a slower day than usual, and things are running pretty smoothly. This woman turns out to be less trouble than I expect and the rest of the afternoon is fairly uneventful. I take a break after lunch and go back to the kitchen to make a half sandwich. Fresh baked wheat bread with turkey, provolone, tomatoes, romaine, and pesto mayo, plus a cup of chicken minestrone.

Afterward, I restock some glass bottles of Sprite and Coke, and put together some garnishes for bloody marys. I've still got an hour left, but to my surprise, I get sent home early. I took a different route to work this morning, and I now backtrack—walking down the road to catch the bus.

It's gotten chilly all of a sudden, and waiting for the bus I notice a man shiver and draw his coat tighter. Another guy adjusts his scarf and buries his hands in his pockets. Across the street, a young man pumping gas zips his jacket, throws up his oversized hood, and crosses his arms, sort of hugging himself.

I half smile, realizing that I'm doing the same thing. The wind has picked up, and as I look down the street through the glass of the bus stop, I see that it has just started sprinkling again.

january thunderstorm.

2008-01-07T23:57:00.000-06:00

It's midnight. The rain is patting on the windows and windowsills and everything else outside. There's rolling thunder accompanied by occasional lightning. It's early January, and it was 64 degrees today.

I was told that it's best to sit down and write when I'm in the mood to write something specific. Unfortunately that's never the case for me. Most of the writing that I do gets jotted down in the steno of my brain while walking to the el, riding the bus, listening to music, or some other passive activity that allows me to just think for a while. Unfortunately, I don't seem to hang onto many of these thoughts for very long, or at least they don't pop back to the forefront when I sit down in front of the computer.

It's been a busy, somewhat chaotic past month for just about everyone, I'm guessing. The holidays are always difficult because there's so much going on that we seem to lose track of the other things in our life that still need attention. Whether it's chores, personal time, work, or just relaxing a bit, it has probably been put on hold for a while.

The holidays were amazing. It was great to see everyone, and it reminded me how much I miss you all, and how I really like spending time with everyone.

As the excitement from the holidays has settled down, I've found myself falling into a bit of a strange mood lately. Sort of introspective, a little bit angry, maybe a little reclusive. I'm ok with it though. I feel like I'm still getting things done. It's tough, though, to stay motivated when the weather is so gloomy. The sun came out this afternoon for a bit and caught me completely by surprise. It feels like it has been quite a long time since we had the last full sunny day.

Slowly going the way of the buffalo.

2007-12-04T11:35:00.000-06:00

Today is the last day of the fall program at Norwood Park. I remember hating high school more than I could have ever thought. The majority of it was spent wandering the halls, daydreaming, and being angry. It just wasn't for me.

The kids I teach seem to have some of the same feelings, but not exactly. They seem to be fairly happy overall, although there's been a lot of deaths in families lately. It's been an experience I'll definitely carry with me, working with the different kids. I think teaching in the future might be something I would like to do.

Yesterday we got outside for awhile, and when the workday was done, Simone, Colin and I continued the outdoor adventures running errands on foot, and playing in the snow. We had a snowball fight, and Simone made snow angels.

It was one of those snowfalls that only happens maybe two or three times a year. It wasn't really cold, and the thick layer of heavy snow blanketed everything, quieting the night to just a hush of a few slowly passing cars. It was crunchy underfoot, heavy packing snow that clung to the tree branches and fences and windows of parked cars. I was content to just be outside walking and looking, although I couldn't resist making snowballs and throwing them every few minutes.

Right now, Colin is doing his morning/afternoon run. I'm waiting for cupcakes to finish baking for our pizza party at work today. I've just watered the Christmas tree, and it's snowing outside again.

I'm not opposed to this winter at all.

What's going on?

2007-11-27T09:55:00.001-06:00

Rather than making up for lost time by trying to write about everything that's been going on, I'm just going to ignore most things and hit on the important ones.

Thanksgiving was fun. It was really good to be home and see family that I haven't seen in what feels like a long, long time. Wednesday night I went out in Joliet with my brother for the first time in years. The two of us met up with K. O., Tia, and Al, among others at a classy joint called Senor Tequila's. I had a margarita the size of my head, and had some laughs with my brother. We decided it would have been a $40 drink in Chicago.

Afterward, we went to a huge overly-lit bar where they have drink specials for a buck and serve things in plastic. Not my choice, and I'd like to clarify that, technically, this place was not in Joliet. Here, I ran into a few people from high school, and it got bizarre. That awkwardness of both parties realizing that you used to be friends, and you used to have things in common, but now the only thing you share is the location you chose to drink that night.

The rest of Thanksgiving went well. Half of my cousins are Italian, so in addition to the traditional turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, etc., my uncle cooked Italian sausages, meatballs, marinara, mosteccioli, and antipasto. Everyone ate, and talked, and laughed, and ate some more. Then we loosened our belts and sleepily watched football.

The Palmer Hall potluck was great. Everyone contributed food and expertise, drinks and stories. Hopefully it will be a yearly event.

Orange-cranberry muffins.

Simone working her magic on the pumpkin pie.

Sweet-potato home fries, and Kate making some amazing gravy.

Ladies, try to contain your excitement.

The buffet really makes the place shine. It even has sconces.

I don't remember what was being said here, but it seems like the perfect opportunity for people to invent their own captions.

After everyone was full of food and alcohol, we decided to cut Nate's hair. This should also become part of an annual tradition.

Whats

2007-11-27T09:53:00.000-06:00

slices.

2007-11-10T13:35:00.000-06:00

Simone's car, the Dodge Colt Vista, lovingly referred to as the DCV, has two glove compartments. I found this fascinating. And I think there are gloves in there.

Fall and the el.

Marty stayed with us for a couple days. We fell back into the hangout routine almost without skipping a beat.

I like to make breakfast. Broiled tomatoes, cottage cheese, toast and coffee.

Last Saturday, I went on a date to Cafe Iberico. It was pretty cool. What?
Oh, thanks. The blazer is pretty sweet.

Here at Casa del Awesome, when we're bored we tend to bake things late at night. And drink cheap wine. Usually something good happens.

Sometimes, something great happens. Superbad roomies.

Colin, manning his usual evening post.

Me, fulfilling my roommate duties as well.

An obviously very serious conversation between Colin and Colyn, which Cassie finds amusing.

Caleb, after shouting "You want a piece of me?" and just before smashing a folding chair across someone's forehead.

All in all, the past few weeks have been going pretty well. I let Colin keep me updated on all the current events, i.e. politics and celebrity gossip, and we go back and forth about how our programs are going. We've been throwing around the old pigskin in preparation for Ice Bowl 2007, and our slant routes and option plays are looking pretty wicked. Peyton Manning, eat your heart out.

And my latest Netflix dvd, which I've yet to watch, is entitled, "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension." Here's the synopsis:

Peter Weller stars as the titular hero, who makes his living as a physicist, neurosurgeon, secret agent and rock star traveling through a comic-book universe with his band of assistants and background musicians. Buckaroo's interdimensional experiments with his new invention, the Operation Overthruster, throw Earth into an alien war, and he finds himself with scant hours to save the world in director W.D. Richter's offbeat film.

It also stars Jeff Goldblum, John Lithgow, and Christopher Lloyd. I'm speechless.

Dopplegänger.

2007-11-07T13:35:00.000-06:00

When I was in Australia I met a guy named Jonathan, from Canada. We worked together on one of the strawberry farms, joking back and forth, trudging through the mud, trying to get the others to sing ridiculous songs.

Whenever we all went out, people thought Jon and I were brothers. I didn't think we really looked all that similar, but I guess I was wrong. Course, I think he's got a few pounds on me here, but still.

Halloween was fun.

2007-11-02T09:59:00.000-05:00

Instead of our normal program of nature, debates, and science, our Earth Team helped run the show at Norwood Park for all the neighborhood little kids. We did a haunted maze, set up from gym mats, props, and a smoke machine. The students did a good job of being surprising but not too scary. At first the little kids started crying, so we had to tone it down a notch.

There were all kinds of bean bag games, ring toss, and Bozo buckets that the kids were in charge of, plus face painting, activity tables, and we even had full-on Winnie the Pooh and Tigger costumes. I'll get those pictures up soon. Cuz they're that good, but Jeannette has them.

That night Colin, Susan, Colyn, Steph, me, and Jeanette all went to the Burlington for fun. My brother also came, and we met up with Alison and Eric too.

Apparently Colin just put some of these up too. Deal with it.

I have three favorites. This is one of them.

two.

Colin being all, "Oh snap."

My broham and Jeannette singing Fugazi.

Lots of people named Colin.

Three.

selective attention.

2007-10-24T12:32:00.000-05:00

It's been a semi-busy, but not really past couple of weeks. We've been hanging with the Bearski for the past week, and he's made his temporary home on our couches and my bed.

Last Wednesday night's work duo trio became sort of a non-work game night and we played Apples to Apples and Celebrities. I think Celebrities won. Jeannette brought some friends who look less than thrilled here, but were really just overwhelmed by the awesomeness of the whole experience. Kimber started to come into her own, and threw down during apples to apples. Steph and I could only muster looks of shame and confusion.

The Horny Buck Hunting Party was fun, and the props were pretty amazing. Hunting rifles and shotguns, ducks, rabbits, and deer all cut from cardboard and mounted. Yeah, I did.
Most everyone got into the hunting theme, and Jess and Becca went all out, donning vests, hats, camouflage adult size onesies, and boots that clearly used to have a pulse. Cletus would've been proud. And Nate assumed the Nate position.

The next day I went thrift store shopping with Rachel, and one of our friends, Sara. We had hopes of finding costume ideas for Halloween, or some fun clothes at least. I did find a blazer, which is fun, but Sara beat us all when she found the customer service vest from when the Yeti worked at Natural Wonders in the mall.

And Wicked Awesome had a nameworthy turnout on Sunday. We played three games, secured our first win of the season (through forfeit,) and lost one to the Gianormous D-Bags. But it was a great day to be outside, nonetheless.

The rest of the week has been pretty standard. ly. awesome.

leafs.

2007-10-11T09:50:00.000-05:00

Last night's hang here was great with the Super Team and other friends. There was a cupcake cake with candles courtesy of Simone, and we all sang happy birthday to Colin. Then Alison and Simone smashed cupcakes on his face. It was hilarious. A dance party ensued, and I was thoroughly impressed by Alison's dancing/domestic skills. As Jeannette's camera has become the go-to recorder of events, I'm going to have to get ahold of it to post photos soon.

This week has felt a lot like the anticipation leading up to something great. Fall is officially here, and it seems like it has been a long time coming. I love the crisp in the air, the sound of the leaves on the ground, and the constant breeze washing through everything.

I woke up this morning to the sound of the trees swaying in the wind mixed with the quiet roar of the el going by in the background. Somewhere in there, I felt like I was waking up on the beach with the ocean in the background steadily crumbling on the shore. It's a good thing to wake up to. Much better than the freakin dog next door.

Another thing about fall is that it's just perfect for impromptu walks.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

2007-09-29T12:55:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about this question off and on for the past few weeks. I haven't started a career yet, but I've got a cool job for now. I'm not in a relationship with a long-time girlfriend, so there isn't any "we" planning. I guess there's long term goals that everyone has to think about at some point, but is that something that we've already started? The cliche is that life is what happens while you're busy making other plans. So what are those other plans?

I want to travel more. I've never been west of the Mississippi. It would be fun to see some of those landmark U.S. vacation spots. And the weird little places you stop off at while on a road trip. Maybe do some camping. It's more fun than I thought it would be. I'd like to go to Europe for a while someday, cuz why not, right?

Supposedly, fall is on its way, but summer giving its last reluctant fight this week. Small yellow leaves are already falling off the trees in the park in front. Some people are wearing scarves in the evening, and I found myself throwing on a sweatshirt a few times this week. In the short term, my goals are going to include running and biking more, grilling outside with friends and roommates, being an awesome teacher, reading a few books, and stopping to imagine what the roses smell like.

Bring it.

2007-09-24T23:42:00.000-05:00

Ethan Embry and Jennifer Love Hewitt make me want to be a hopeless romantic.

Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

2007-09-19T23:50:00.000-05:00

Sitting in the kitchen with the roomies after several mugs of boxed "chillable red wine" and a heaping helping of stir-fried yellow curry that was awesome. It was my first-ever experience enjoying curry, and I have to say I'm a huge fan. It's a spicy sweet that doesn't linger too much, but is packed with flavor. Awesome.

Recruiting was good today. Lots of good kids signed up for interviews today, and some of them even showed up for the interview. Most of them just stayed after school and hung out for the interview. One of the last kids came in after we were about to go home. He went home to change into his navy pants, dress shirt and shoes, and a tie. He was a freshman, and the cuteness made Jeanette giddy.

I'm excited about teaching. It's a level of responsibility that I haven't had to handle before, and the kids actually seem interested in the program, even enthusiastic. I was never in clubs or extracurriculars of any kind in high school, so this will be a fun look into what those might have been like. Oh, and the Improv Group's flyers were full of grammatical and punctuational errors. Pshh.

I should take some pictures. I like adding photos to blogs. It's more fun.

I haven't taken any recently, so I googled "photo," and this was the first one that came up. You see, dogs and babies are cute.

Red Ribbons.

2007-09-14T12:35:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't already noticed, we're running into the end of the most gorgeous week ever. The weather has been amazing, and the events of the week have been great. Hung out with people at the Burlington, got a job with the FOTP Cronies, got to see Martha for a while, and Colin and I invented a new drink.

While it's no Thankstini, the Red Ribbon is quite good.

1 part V8 (or bloody mary mix)
2 parts PBR
1 wedge of lime
garnish as you see fit

I'm hoping to turn the week of amazing into a weekend of awesomeness.

There are no judgements here, just pizza.

2007-09-10T23:12:00.001-05:00

Busy weekend. Went out with some school friends on Saturday night, in Forest Park. It was really nice to see some of these people I hadn't seen in a while, and we had a pretty good time. There's lots of people in Forest Park who are like the decently-dressed, hillbilly/jock townies that I've successfully avoided since high school. It was ok, since they're not much on talking, and the trade off for being in that specific suburb was $3 draft Stellas and Guinness.

Sunday was a sweet softball victory of the moral variety. I made some boneheaded plays which provided comic relief, but made a couple good ones as well. We stuck around to loan some Wicked Awesomers to another team, and afterwards we went to Bar Louie for some amazing grub.

Later that afternoon I got to hang out with the roomies, and Brian and Liz. I'd like to harness whatever it is that makes their dog, Bear, live like he's been guzzling Energizer batteries. He's 7, and acts like a four-month old.

It was great to hang out with them, and Brian is officially going to be known as "The Grillmaster." Kabobs and burgers with corn on the cob, and vanilla bean ice cream with farmers market peaches for desert. Yep. I love food.

Hey look, a segue.

Tonight, we made some more stellar BALTs and in addition to homemade soups, pot roasts, and grilled foods, they are going to become a staple of this autumn's awesome dinners. It rained today, but it was quite possibly the best weather day of the year. It should be beautiful all week, so get out there. For true though.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

2007-09-08T11:20:00.000-05:00

There was a fire in the neighborhood last night. Nate had just left, called us and said it was just up the street on Milwaukee. We strolled over, and the Discount Mega Mall was enveloped in smoke and flames. There was about 20 firetrucks and tons of other fire/police vehicles. They had blocked off about four square blocks to access the different areas of the building, and shut down the El line that went right nearby.

Apparently the building had ridiculous amounts of city violations, and should have been closed.

This is crappy video, and you can't really see the amount of smoke that was pouring out of the roof, but there's the story and good video here:

www.abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=5646735

Support the memory of your local indoor mexican flea market!

Watching you through my rear-view mirror.

2007-09-04T01:19:00.000-05:00

I went home to hang out with my mom this weekend, after recovering a bit Saturday afternoon. She got a new dog, Gracie, a couple months ago and this was the first time I got to see it. And now you get to, because everyone loves pictures of dogs.

I'm not a huge fan of tiny dogs, but she's pretty darn cute and she doesn't bark or yip. That little blur behind the side of her head is her wagging tail. How friggin adorable.

I heart Chicago.

2007-09-02T15:13:00.000-05:00

Thursday night Simone and I were bored. After consulting the internets we decided to bake blueberry muffins from scratch. We took an Igo car to the store to pick up baking soda, vanilla, a basting brush, and some wine. We had fresh blueberries and everything else already.

They're awesome. Fresh blueberry muffins with streusel topping.

Saturday Nate moved into the Texas Ballroom on Archer. Apparently after waiting two-and-a-half hours in the morning to get his truck, they told him it was reserved for another day. Meltdown ensues including multiple profanities and kicking a can in frustration. They finally find another truck.

After we get everything packed up and ready to go around lunchtime, Cassie, Caleb, and Brian (Nate's brother) had to leave. I got to drive Nate's car down to the Ballroom because he was driving the truck.

It was the first time I drove on Lake Shore Drive in a long time. I'd almost forgotten how gorgeous this city is. Traffic was moving slow and it was fun to soak it all in again. The different views of the skyline, hundreds of sailboats on the lake taking advantage of the beautiful day, the lakefront path, and just the mass of the city itself. Nice.

Moving into the Texas Ballroom was not nice.
Three flights of stairs. Me, Nate, and his dad. Everything Nate owned and whatever Tyler left behind. It was almost 8pm when we got finished, and we weren't slacking. Feeling it today.

Had a blast at Libby and Kate's afterwards for their pizza and champagne housewarming/Libby's birthday party. It was mostly theatre people we didn't know, but they were all really friendly and we had a great time. Then I hid Nate's shoe in the fridge.

I need to get a phone.

Functional Alcoholics.

2007-08-30T01:26:00.000-05:00

At 27 years old, I would think that I've grown past teen dramas. Damn you, Megan and Marty, and Dave and Mendy. And anyone else who's fallen under their influence.

I've stumbled into the end of the first season of Felicity, and I sit here wondering why, and how, the trials and tribulations of a television college freshman girl can still apply to a 27 year-old guy. Damn you Londoners. Or ites. Whichever you prefer.

But at least I've got the next few weeks of my nights planned out.

Revision.

2007-08-28T01:06:00.000-05:00

Due to popular demand, I am revising the photo of my morning routine. Apparently, it is not entirely historically accurate. I have been told that some details have been misrepresented, especially in the striking looks of my roomates.

The following photo is how they usually look in the rough and just-awoken morning. Enjoy.

Home again.

2007-08-26T10:05:00.000-05:00

It's been a few days of falling back into routine. Morning coffee, walks in the neighborhood, lots of beer at night, and seeing friendly faces.

Had a great night with Colin, Brian, and Liz the other night, and Brian rehashed memories of his own trip to Australia. Brian and Liz cooked a fantastic dinner, and I visited their new apartment for the first time. It's really nice, and Liz did a good job disguising the fact that Brian lives there.

Yesterday I went to the zoo with Simone, and later at the apartment we hosted a small birthday party on the back patio for Jess. I manned the grill, desperately trying to fill Ryan's shoes, and pulled off cooking various meats fairly well.

Going home today for a short visit, and I have to figure out what's going on for the rest of the week. Ratatouille, Bourne Ultimatum, and Transformers are all playing at the Logan, so I think that's on the list.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go.

2007-08-20T05:52:00.000-05:00

So I leave Australia tomorrow for home. It's strange, I think I'm more nervous coming back than I was leaving. I actually can't wait to get home. It's strange, I leave here at 10:20am and fly to L.A. 13 1/2 hours later I arrive the same day at 6:30am. I have a 6 hour layover and get back to Chicago at 6:15pm. Sweet.

The last couple days I've been sick. It's a little frustrating since it's my last night here. I went to bed at 5pm yesterday and got up at 3pm today. And the hot water heater broke today.

On the plus side, Manly is really beautiful. The coastline is full of high cliffs with small villas nested away in them. They're all different colors, so it looks really cool.

Heading back to bed. I'll see you all soon!

2007-08-18T05:11:00.000-05:00

I'm at an internet cafe in Cairns. Flying back to Sydney at 5:30 in the am, and spending the last couple days there. Things are winding down, and this morning I parted ways with the two German girls I was travelling with. We were running late getting to the bus, and I just caught it as it was pulling out. Grabbed my bags and left.

It wasn't til I got a message 3 hours later that I realized I had left my shoes and my jacket in the car. Crap.

I feel like I've been posting much more than I actually have. I'm really looking forward to coming home, seeing friends, and getting things straightened out. Been feeling really disconnected lately, and a little cloudy. I've had a good time here, and it's been a great experience, but I'm looking forward to being able to actually work toward something when I get back. Also looking forward to:

-My big bed
-Chicago style hot dogs
-Knowing where the next shower is
-More consistent temperatures (half the time it was just below freezing in the morning and 78 during the day.)
-No more metric or Celcius.
-A nice kitchen!

These are some more photos that I liked.

Australia dollars are way cooler than U.S. dollars. And they're plastic.

The remains of a campfire at the hostel Cool Bananas in 1770.

I was the only American, so the guy gave me this chopper to ride. Way fun.

The view from the small plane with the side window open!

Me looking pretty rough on the last day of sailing.

Snorkelling at Maureen's Cove off the Whitsundays.

Intoxicating with adventure.

2007-08-14T20:18:00.000-05:00

No pictures right now, because the internets are crummy.

In Airlie Beach right now, leaving for a sailing trip in a couple hours. Going snorkeling in the Whitsundays! The past couple days were spent in Agnes Water and the Town of 1770. It's really cheap to do lots of things there, and the towns are pretty nice. And tiny.

1770 is named after Captain Cook's discovery of Queensland in the year 1770. There's 110 houses and 80 full time residents. Agnes Water has about 2000 residents, but the place is fairly up to date, although my cell carrier had no reception there either.

I rode a small-engine chopper for an afternoon, which was really fun! We stayed at a place called Cool Bananas that had a fire pit, hammocks, and a sweet kitchen. The next day I got surf lessons in the morning, and in the afternoon went up in a 4-seater plane for the afternoon! We did some rollercoaster-style tricks and corkscrews, and I even got to fly for about twenty minutes. It's actually pretty easy. It was really cool, and then we landed on a beach and shucked some oysters to eat because it was low tide. Crazy!

Two days jam packed full of exclamation points. Wow!

4 minute post

2007-08-07T03:19:00.000-05:00

I'm in Gayndah. It's small. They have a grocery store, a petrol station, one school, two bars, and a bottle shop. And maybe a thousand residents. And lots of farms.

Picking mandarins is better than picking strawberries, and I can say that I haven't forgotten how to climb trees. We have big ladders, and one huge ladder for the tallest trees. Worked a long day the other day, and watched the sun set over the orchard from the top of one of the tall trees. That was kind of cool. I also get to drive the tractor and feed the cows some mandarins when we're done for the day.

There's no cell phone reception within 100 miles of here. Weird.

Lots of stuff!

2007-07-31T03:04:00.000-05:00

Lots of new things in the past week or so. And not much computer time.

Went canoeing in the Noosa Everglades which wasn't as cool as I thought it would be. But there is a huge patch of sand in the middle of a raised forest that feels like a desert. That was strange. Canoeing isn't that fun when there's nothing to look at, though.

Also went ocean kayaking at Rainbow Beach and saw a sea turtle and loads of dolphins. It was a short time, but lots of fun. We drove up to Hervey Bay that night, so I didn't get a chance to see much in Rainbow Beach.

Hervey bay is full of old people, and along the beach there's exercise equipment that looks exactly like the blue and orange playground equipment. It also has a ferry to Fraser Island where we went 4x4 driving and stayed for three days. There were three groups of eight people in the trucks, and it was really amazing.

It's the largest sand island in the world, full of small lakes and things to go see. And there were lots of dingos so we had to keep all the trash and food in the car. Tons of fun, and Lake Mackensie looks like the lagoon from the movie, "The Beach."

Heading to Bundaberg tomorrow, and I'll be there a little while. Keep the bbq warm for me, I'll be home soon.

Inside the truck.

I'm on the left. The weird guy in our group was off somewhere.

Indian heads.

Camping on the beach at night, trucks lighting dinner.

Kingfisher Bay. See the two dingos?

Lake Wabby on the right. There's someone right in the middle of this photo.

Lake Mackensie. Unreal.

Cool sand in Maroochydore.

moving on.

2007-07-21T19:15:00.000-05:00

Leaving Maroochydore today. Heading back up toward Noosa, and it's pretty open after that. It will be nice travelling by car, because you can get to a lot of places that the bus system won't go.

It's been fun here, working and hanging out with several people doing the same thing. I'll keep everyone updated.

Walking on the backs of dinosaurs, drinking from the fountain of youth.

2007-07-16T02:59:00.000-05:00

A lot of work lately, but going out and having fun with people from work and the hostel. Doing some fishing, and I made some mean pan-fried brim the other day that I caught. And surprisingly, it was good.

I've been on a strange food kick lately, craving tomatoes like they were potato chips. Three or four a day. It's weird. Those, and navel oranges. They're like 50 cents a pound here. Also been drinking lots of tea, and it's been about a month since I've had any pop. I don't know how I'm coping, but it's working out ok.

Climbing in the Glass House mountains on Wednesday, and kayaking after work tomorrow. Maroochydore is a fairly small town, but there seems to be plenty to do. Leaving here at the end of the week to go north.

I've been trying to keep a tally of everything I've had stolen. (most because I was careless_

-2 beach towels

-2 bottles of body wash (aggravating!)

-2 cups

-1 spoon

-1 sweatshirt

-1 jar of Dick's peanut butter

I hope to post more often, with photos of me in them rather than just things I'm looking at.

Had to, because he's so damn cute.

A small crab was making these, clearing sand for his home.

Strangely textured rocks near the beach.

Bare feet and sea cucumbers. They're not really exciting.

A sea slug. Way cooler than the cucumbers.

Me, recreating a pose. The Guiness is pretty good.

Farmer tan. For true though.

2007-07-03T17:03:00.000-05:00

Been working in Maroochydore for the past week, and I'll be here for the next as well. It's warmer here, hot days and cool nights. Picking strawberries is pretty back-breaking, but there's a group of us so it's not awful.

The place I'm staying is fun, and has a pool and hammocks. I may have to install one in the aparment when I get back.

Hope Chicago is going well. I miss softball and barbecues. Happy 4th!

The farm, and some of the people I work with.

It's nice to wake up like this after a weekend nap.

Noosa.

2007-06-26T19:35:00.000-05:00

It's not raining today and it feels great. Stayed in Noosa Heads for a few days, but mostly got lots of rain. Went to one of the national parks the other day, and had a really good time. Saw some huge trees being strangled by smaller ones, crazy birds that sound like baboons, and a python!

I'm heading to Maroochydore today to work picking strawberries for a couple weeks. Rad.

Beaches.

2007-06-23T03:23:00.000-05:00

From Port Macquarie, I took a bus to Byron Bay. It's amazing, and I should have stayed there an extra couple days. Met a couple Swiss kids that spoke French and hitched a ride with them up to Surfer's Paradise. We went through Nimbin on the way, which is a small sort of hippie commune. Stayed in Surfer's for a few days, and moving on tomorrow. Gotta wash my clothes tonight.

Almost stepped on this little guy near the beach.

Crazy weather on the ride up to Byron.

Amazing lookout in Byron Bay next to the lighthouse.

The lighthouse and me.

The Swiss siblings. They were so '80's it's not even funny.

Weather sucks.

2007-06-17T04:07:00.000-05:00

It's been raining for days. I'm in Port Macquarie now, a nice town that is the unofficial koala capital. There's lots of beaches, and a lighthouse a couple hours walk. There was a break in the weather today and I went to the koala hospital about 20 minutes walk away. Started pouring after two blocks!

Koala's are ridiculously cute. Ridiculous. And they have an uncanny ability to curl into a ball and sleep on a branch sitting up. They only fall out of the tree sometimes. Unfortunately I forgot my camera. Some are only about 8-9 lbs, and some get up to about 35 lbs. Neat.

Heading to Byron Bay tomorrow. Woo!

How ya goin', mate?

2007-06-12T00:25:00.000-05:00

More photos. Not much as far as inland areas go, it's pretty much all coast and beach here. Lots of pelicans, they hang out like kids by the guys cleaning fish.

That dolphin was swimming between the rocks just below me. Kind of cool.

A rough 9-8 loss for Wicked Awesome, you'll get them next time!

Tea and Scrumpets.

2007-06-07T21:39:00.000-05:00

Just a few pictures because the internet is so slow here.

Been rockin' the breakfast every morning, and I think I'm bringing a suitcase full of crumpets home with me.

The scenery here is crazy, so I've been walking a lot. There's three beaches right nearby, and one is nine miles long. I walked half way up it and back the other day. Saw lots of dolphin playing and fishing, and lots of Lorakee(?) parrots that are green, with blue, red, orange, and yellow markings. On the way back, a couple dingos came nearby. They were looking for food. Bigger than I thought they would be.

And I made pasta sauce from scratch last night. Peeled the tomatoes and everything. A good way to kill 2 1/2 hours.

Email me your addresses so I can send postcards!

Yum.

This guy wasn't sure about me.

"Good news, everyone!"

2007-06-05T00:33:00.000-05:00

I got my work visa granted.

Been in Forster-Tuncurry for the past week, trying to relax a bit. The coastline is unreal here, straight out of some retirement fund commercial. I'm working at a hostel here in the mornings for a couple hours in exchange for accomodation. It's pretty nice, even though the sun feels like it's setting all day, and is down by about 4:30.

I'm at the library right now, because there's free internet. The other options are $8 an hour down the street at a computer store, or $6 an hour at the hostel. On a machine from 1982. With no mouse.

Been hanging out with this Italian guy named Marco who's also working at the hostel. It's fun and I'm learning how to cook. Last night I did Nile Perch with potatoes, onions, and peppers on the BBQ. Yes, yes it was awesome.

I'll probably be here for a few more days, and then head north.

Looks like Wicked Awesome is off to a great start, and I hope the rest of the season will be well documented as well. Miss all you guys lots and lots.

I'll post pictures hopefully tomorrow, I forgot my camera today. And it's a 40 minute walk to the library.

another quick one.

2007-05-28T18:50:00.000-05:00

I tried this the other day for about 45 minutes and at the end of it, the computer I was working on crashed. So here's a brief synopsis:

Sydney is fun. I'm going a little ways north to either A) work at a hostel on the beach, B) wwoof for some organic hippie types, or C) (cross your fingers) work for a guy on a 38 foot sailboat near Byron Bay.

There's some crazy cars here, my favorite being a thing that looks like a new, sweet El Camino.

I was surprised to find out that the population is roughly 65% Asian to 35% Caucasian, with a few percent being Indian. And four black people.

These are some pictures of Darling Harbor which was really nice to walk around in. The bridge is really big, and that's over by the Opera House.

The last one is at a bar I went to yesterday next to where I'm staying. They have crab races every Monday night! Number 18 won, I did not. But this girl won a 3 day 2 night sailing trip at Whitsunday Island. Good job little crab!

word.

2007-05-26T05:08:00.000-05:00

Sydney is fun. It's a lot like Chicago, but there's more independent shops and things in addition to the chains. I'll probably be leaving here in the next couple days, as the visa/phone/work-travel membership things are still getting worked out. Going to Wwoof north of here, which should be fun and save me some money until I can work.

Walked around a lot since I've got time to kill. Took the mandatory pictures of the Opera House, bridge and harbor. I'll post soon. The weather has been gorgeous, 65ish and sunny since I've been here, but it's weird. It's "winter" so the sun starts to go down around 4:30 or 5. Anyway, I'll keep y'all updated soon.

quickly

2007-05-18T12:34:00.000-05:00

Getting all the visa stuff straightened out has been way more of a hassle than I thought it would. You can get a passport in a couple days, or even the same day, but it takes all kinds of jumping through hoops and clearing red tape for the visa.

School's done, and graduation was actually pretty cool. It took too long, but it was nice, and the party afterwards turned out to be a great time. Thanks to Caleb and Liz for various whiskeys, and Matuska for the Chinese surprise gift. Butterfly clips rock.

Spent another day-and-a-half visiting my parents, which always feels a little bit like the twilight zone. Time seems to pass differently than normal, and I feel like I'm always just waiting to get home.

Scanning books and sites about packing and what to bring/what should be left. I leave for the airport in 44 hours.

My 'morrows always seemed just fine.

2007-05-03T23:33:00.000-05:00

Been a while.

School is almost done. Busy weekend ahead. I'm going to have an empty house to force me to get work done, and it seems pretty much everyone is out of town, so I'll have no distractions. Just a few more days.

It was one of those weeks where the nights turned into mornings, basic things like laundry and food took a backseat to getting shit done, and Johnny Walker became a nighttime companion.

One of my classes involves myself, and 5 others from from Engineering, Design, and an MBA student. Tuesday we had to give a final presentation to the vice president of product development for Motorola. I was running on 1 hour of sleep. Our MBA student was late. And consequently, we finished our presentation with her dictating the last 4 slides to another group member in the car on the way to Motorola. It was neat.

Worked out in the end, and our group actually "won" for the most innovative concept and product ecosystem. Anyway, we got some recognition, and supposedly they're going to give us each a new phone for winning. woo.

I have a busy couple weeks ahead as well. Graduation next Saturday, and I'm going to have to stick a party in somewhere. Leave for Australia a week from the following Monday. I have to get home to see my family a little before I leave, too.

I took this photo because it made me smile the other day. Granted I'd been awake for about 30 hours, but I still think it's funny.

2007-04-23T21:42:00.000-05:00

We've started making good use of our back porch recently. The other night, we were sitting back there talking, listening to music, and enjoying the weather. Because it's staying light later, everything was cast in a sort of blue glow from the twilight. It reminded me of how the snow-covered ground in the winter starts to look blue after a few minutes.

Colin told me about different places in San Francisco. I've never been west of the Mississippi, so I've got to work on that. Apparently their China-Town is far superior to our own, here in Chicago. There's lots of open-air fish markets, the entire population is actually Chinese, and there's different menus for tourists. Also, most meals have some sort of cold fish and rice, regardless whether it's breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I was advised to read the Joy Luck Club.

Other places of note were the Golden Gate Park, wine country (in general), and Sausalito. I don't know what any of these are but maybe I'll get to San Francisco someday.

Brian talked more about Australia and seeing the road trains on the west coast. One way of transporting goods across the continent is by truck and trailer. Apparently, they've got semi trucks that drag along a series of trailers up to five or six, winding uncontrollably down the road. I've heard the best thing to do in a situation when one of these is headed your way, is to just pull off the road as far as you safely can.

Liz spoke of a guy named Giovanni from a small hotel in Rome. He was very nice, and he and his brother were concierges at the hotel where Liz stayed. Giovanni had his own restaurant, which turned out to be a few tables off an alley somewhere near his home. He cooked Liz and her friend an amazing meal with many different courses, and accompanied by a variety of wines. If I ever end up going to Italy, it seems like the kind of place I'd like to visit.

I still have a couple weeks of school left. It's weird to think if I'm never going to see most of these people again, or if we're going to stay in touch. Or where everyone will go when we part ways. Weird. But I guess it's all part of moving onto another chapter.

Elaboration.

2007-04-15T01:20:00.001-05:00

Thursday I bought a ticket to Australia. I've never been there, and it's somewhere I can go fairly cheaply, support myself, and speak the language. It's pretty much the best time I could think of to do this sort of thing since I'm kind of lacking career employment for the moment. And in the long run, what's an extra couple grand on top of the loans I'm already going to be paying off? An extra ten dollars a month?

The ticket says I'll be gone from May 21st to August 21st. I'm going to end up missing softball, which sucks, but maybe I'll learn to play rugby or throw a boomerang instead.

I've never really traveled for any length of time, so it should be a pretty good experience.

Huge big news for the sharing on the blog.

2007-04-14T14:18:00.000-05:00

Graduating (finally) on May 12th. Going to Australia May 21st.

I know, right?

Chocolate rivers and Gobstoppers.

2007-04-13T03:31:00.000-05:00

Today sucked. I ran around this morning before work, got everything together, and waited for the train forever. The conductor was lacking the concept of anything in between go and stop, so I was sufficiently nauseous by the time I got off for work. The entire day was like a war of attrition, boring, seemingly endless, and an uphill battle I felt I couldn't win. On top of that, it was just one of those days when your psyche takes over, emotions and imagination start to run rampant because of the lack of stimulation at work, and you just feel like crap by the end of it.

The rest of the night went surprisingly well, and by the end of it, I felt pretty good. Hung out with Colin and also Brian, who wound up having the night off from work by guessing the number 32. It was close enough to 37, so he came home at about 8pm.

We all started rehashing things somehow, and dragged out old pictures, making fun of our younger selves and pointing out people from our collective pasts. It was kind of fun, and kind of sad. My hair and clothes were AWFUL.

Anyway, great roommates are fun to have. You all should invest in a good pair, on my recommendation.

Learning is good.

2007-04-10T22:43:00.000-05:00

We're coming down to the end of the semester, and there's been lots of presentations and papers. In one of my classes, the professor was talking about citing sources when you present data to a class. Without it, there's no way to verify that what you're presenting is credible information.

Of course, if that source you're citing happens to be The Onion, you're probably going to need some help regardless. Yes it actually happened.

No, it wasn't me.

one of the guys.

2007-04-07T09:49:00.000-05:00

Bear, Liz's dog, is staying with us for a few days. He's a big happy mutt, who just wants to be around people and play fetch. Right now, he's hunched up against me with his nose resting at the edge of the keyboard. I took him for good walks the past couple mornings, and today we played fetch with one of those longer throwy sticks that lets you launch the ball. Bear was good, and he's ok to be off the leash in the park without running away.

Last night was pretty nice. I picked up my bike from Boulevard Bikes and it rides better than it ever has before. New tires, brakes, bar tape, and everything tuned up and ready for spring. I'm excited.

Brian and Colin spent most of the day cooking red beans and rice, cornbread, big pots of gumbo, and picking up necessities for today's Taylor Family Easter Extravaganza. I helped Colin in taste-testing the cornbread recipe, and consulted the Cast-Iron Skillet Cookbook for some suggestions. We're going to pick up a rice cooker today, because apparently it will increase the quality tenfold. Yeah, rice cookers. What's up.

We went out with our new roommate, Simone, and her sister Helder. I tried the crab cakes from Dunlay's because it was a special and sounded great. They were pretty good, but when she brought the check and I found out they were 22 bucks, I was all, wtf? Anyway, I guess I'll stick to the burgers or something.

Then we all went to the whirlaway for a couple more drinks, and Colin narrowly avoided having to talk to some crazy friend of a girl he met the other night. Simone was immediately impressed with the whirlaway, with all the half-hipster dudes, layers of cigarette smoke, and coolest spanish lady barmaid you can find.

Heading home today to spend some time with the family over the holiday, and get some work done. I've decided that the best part about Easter is the Reeses peanut butter Eggs. Go ahead, try to come up with something better. You can't. I've tried.

Soccer

2007-03-30T13:16:00.000-05:00

I played on the Mantis/Manatee team yesterday and it was really fun. We lost 2-0 but the other team probably thought that they should have scored more. So it was a moral victory. A few of their guys were really good, and the girls all used to play on Division one college teams.

I haven't really played soccer since junior high, so it was interesting to say the least.

I mostly felt like the one on the left.

We played at Montrose, right near the lake. The field was artificial, but nice and a little spongy. I'd never played on an artificial field before, and it was a pretty cool experience. I was anxious when we got there because it seemed overwhelmingly huge, and I felt really unprepared.

I've come to the conclusion that I need to run more, and practice.

And do something fun this weekend.

Also, we should have our new roommate chosen by tomorrow. So there's that.

strange.

2007-03-27T21:31:00.000-05:00

"Maybe I shouldn't have stabbed that guy so many times."

Local punk singer arrested in murder

March 27, 2007
LOS ANGELES -- The former lead singer of suburban Chicago punk rock band Mest was arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing a 25-year-old man during an argument, police said.

Anthony Lovato, 26, was being held on $1 million bail pending an investigation of criminal homicide, said Officer Mike Lopez of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Lovato and another man were arguing early Sunday in the parking structure of an apartment building when the man punched Lovato, Lopez said.

Lovato pulled out a pocket knife and stabbed the unidentified man many times, authorities said.

When police arrived, they found the wounded victim on the ground. He died later at a hospital.

Lt. Andrew Neiman said Lovato was calm and cooperative when police arrived.

"He did in fact call the police, call 911, after the incident and remained on the scene [to] surrender himself," he said.

Authorities said Lovato and the victim had been involved with the same woman at different times, and police had been called to her apartment Saturday night when the two men fought, but no one was arrested at that time.

Lovato helped form Mest in 1995 in Blue Island, and recorded several albums on Madonna's Maverick label and performed on the Warped Tour, a touring music and extreme sports festival, in 2003.

The band broke up last year.

It's strange because we played shows together. They partied with us and crashed at our drummer's house. Weird.

Nice.

2007-03-26T00:17:00.000-05:00

This past weekend has been pretty great. Friday, I got out of class early and hung out with Cassie for a while, bought some new running shoes and had Chipotle (it's amazing, everyone else is wrong) which I haven't had in almost a year, and did some earthy stuff.

Saturday, I did some productive things around the house that I should have done a while ago, like laundry and cleaning, and watched the rest of "Undeclared," which I've never seen, but have since put in my top ten of something somewhere. Ben Gorski and his two roommates Joe and Judd came up to stay for an impromptu visit, and we went out for KO's birthday to Nick's beer garden. It was also Judd's birthday, so we went out a little early beforehand, and bought him drinks the whole night.

KO was in rare form Saturday night, so if you couldn't make it, just tell him it was awesome. I don't think he'll remember either way.

Colin, Ben, Joe, Judd, and I spent part of the night being bored, but then surprisingly, the bulk of the night was spent chatting up the table next to us and the four attractive women sitting at it. We stayed out entirely too late, but had the coolest cabbie ever to drive us home. He was an older black man, and was dishing out words of pertinent wisdom left and right. Then he said I was acting like a bitch. It was hilarious.

Although we didn't get to bed til around 5, we were all up and ready for brunch at Dunlay's by 10:30. Far and away the best bloody mary you can get for five bucks-made with a shot of guiness, a skewered pile of sopressatta, olive, pepper, and onion, and comes with a beer chaser.

Today was so beautiful outside that it needs to be redundantly blogged about. I drove around in Brian's car with Colin to pick up some records before everyone came over to grill out on Nate's sweet Weber (he and Katie brought most of the food too.) But driving around was amazing. People were outside and energized. Walking dogs, lauging, shopping, eating and drinking. Music was playing, the sun was shining and it was like all the neighborhoods in the city just shrugged of the layers of winter malaise and enjoyed what it had to offer. Driving around in the midst of all of it going on was really fun today, and one of the things I miss about having a car.

I had a good time with everyone tonight, sitting out on the back patio grilling, and having a good time. Definitely what I picture when I think of good times in the summer, and I hope it was just a preview of what is to come.

I can't sleep!

2007-03-23T03:42:00.000-05:00

Got home from work tonight at 10pm and hung out with Brian for a while. He used one of my suits to go for an interview today for a different position. TRU, the Tactical Response Unit, means that he wouldn't have to wait for something to happen to see some action. Something goes down, and he would get the call to go kick some ass. Seems to suit him pretty well. Cross your fingers.

Starting tomorrow I'm going to be on spring break. And it's supposed to rain all next week, but I'll be damned if I can't invoke some of the spirit of Miami and Cancun. I'll have to pick up some of those little umbrellas. And some drunk teenage girls.

The new roommate search is in full swing, and even though it sucks that Brian is moving out, it should be interesting to say the least. Who is this new person going to be? Will they have hipster hair and a scarf collection? Be a bookworm? A Video gamer? An english major-turned department store makeup specialist?

Who knows?

throwing in the towel.

2007-03-18T01:27:00.000-05:00

Been a long couple of days, but pretty good overall. Still dogsitting until tomorrow sometime, but it's been kind of nice. It's a great area to walk around in, especially since I don't know it very well. So the mandatory walks have been good for me, and it's fun having a dog around the house.

aida.

Unfortunately, the apartment is pretty sparse in the way of things I like. There is no comfy couch, or chair to relax in, and there is no television. There are also no books to speak of, besides those involving business planning and methods, investment banking, and how to keep a razor-sharp collar.

Last night I went to see 300, with Caleb and Cassie. I thought it was great, and not just because all the action was done really well. Do yourself a favor and go see it. Tonight was fun too, being St. Patricks day. I walked over to Janice's house, danced a jig, and ate some corned beef and cabbage. Melissa, Janice's roommate made a fantastic spread, and was a general whiz in the kitchen.

From there, six of us took a cab over to Morley's house for his birthday kegger. It was legendary. Everyone had a good time, and it turns out I didn't actually put the moves on someone named Ashley a couple weeks ago as was rumored.

Everyone took their shoes off, which I've found to be a Terrible Idea at a kegger, as I first soaked my socks in beer, and then helped clean up with paper towel "beer skates". This happened three times. And yes, I felt really, really old.

There was beer pong, an iced keg in a bathtub, and one guy lost half his pants. It was awesome.

Something to laugh about

2007-03-16T01:53:00.000-05:00

I'm staying at a classmates house for the weekend, dogsitting. It's a very nice smallish apartment, right near damen and armitage. The dog is a husky, and she's really sweet. I've found that in order to pick up people, men or women, all you have to do is walk a pretty dog.

Tuesday we had a presentation to motorola for class, which I was working on with my classmates until 6am that morning. And most of the weekend. They have a suprisingly really good buffet at the west campus, complete with fresh fruit, giant strawberries, parfaits, pastas, and anything from the grill. It actually worked out fairly well, just not much sleep.

Hey, awesome. Somehow I deleted everything else on my camera's card while trying to move the photos to my computer. But the strawbrerries were good.

actual size!

So that's been most of the past week, I guess.

Saturday is St. Patricks day, which apparently isn't really celebrated by Irish outside of Chicago. And in case you were going to Ireland soon, you'll be hard-pressed to find any corned-beef and cabbage. That's the word on the street.

But keeping in tradition of the non-Irish folk drinking a lot, I've heard something's going down. Go ahead, ask around. I think our Italian friend is doing something. Hope to see everyone soon. It's been a long winter.

Embrace the suck.

2007-03-06T23:33:00.000-06:00

It's March. In fact, it's almost a full week into March. We're supposed to be basking in the teasing warmth of the upper 40's and creeping into the occasional 50ish. Yeah, maybe I'm just overzealous, but I'm tired of the cold. It's snowing out. Again. I mean, come on. Come on!

On a positive note, some congrats are in order. Colin had his first crazy Momma incident today, and apparently it went well. He didn't get hit with a shoe or anything, and no one went to jail. So that's good.
Also, Caleb got his Master's degree/diploma in the mail which is awesome and still impressive. I read almost a paragraph of his thesis before my eyes started to shrivel up. I was somewhere near 1/1000th of the way through it.
And lastly, kudos to me. I'm a hero and I've got a sticker to prove it. I gave blood today to the worst manurse to ever stab a pointy pipe into someone's arm. There were four ladies who knew what they were doing, and I get jerky lab tech with the compassion of a refrigerator. But it's cool. I got some apple juice, so that's rad.

I am, however, getting tired of being in school and working. And this weather, man it's still snowing. (I left for a while.) There's still lots to do for everything. I guess it seems like everyone gets a raw deal during the winter months, though. I'm jealous of Ali getting out of here for a while. Soak up some sun for me!

I guess that's what we do though. Good things happen, regular things happen, and sometimes you just get slapped around for a while. As long as you keep getting up, even if you'll probably get smacked again, you're doing ok. Something like, "you never fail until you stop trying." Something like that.

Peace out, hombres!

Joliet, via the Rock Island District.

2007-03-03T00:34:00.000-06:00

Feels like it's been a while.

I spent a couple hours tonight trying to figure out what was going on with our internet, and it turns out that the modem decided to reset itself and change the WEP password without telling our computers. Or so says Jessica from Comcast. Neat.

Anyway, my computer is apparently still unhappy with the whole setup, so I've gone back to my Mac for the time being. It's nice, I guess. Like trying on an old baseball mitt you haven't used for a while. Different and new, yet comfortable and familiar.

Anyway.

I was planning on going home tonight or tomorrow. Turns out my great uncle died last night and his funeral is tomorrow. Unfortunately, there's no way for me to get there before the service starts, so I'm going to miss it.

Ray was an intersesting guy. He was probably around 5 foot 9 or so, but one of his legs was quite a bit shorter than the other. So his stance switched between around 4 foot 6 and 5 foot nine. He was always a really nice guy, and as long as I knew him, he made old fashioned wooden toys in his garage workshop. My brother and I would go over to his house, visit with my Aunt Kitty, and Uncle Ray, and hang out at their house while the family caught up. He would usually have something new or different crafted, whether it was a train, car, caterpillar, or some other handheld toy designed for little kids. They were crafted well beyond anything I've seen since, and I knew he always had a good time making them.

I always feel bad about knowing my grandparents less than I would have liked to. They lived through times that I'll never experience, and faced hardships that I can only imagine. It's too bad that it works out that way sometimes. Maybe it's because of the dispersal of the extended family, or the stronger push for a more successful and wealthy youth. Maybe it's just because our generation feels the need to get as far away from our parents as possible. Weird.

I remember a quote somewhere that went something like this, "At 18, I couldn't believe how stupid my parents were, and at 22, I couldn't believe how much they learned in 4 years,"

Anyway, I suppose this is one of those introspective, what does it all mean/what's important kind of posts.

Regardless, I've been feeling much better about things lately. Spring is here, and summer is not far behind. Smile.

potential energy, lying in wait.

2007-02-28T11:27:00.000-06:00

At first our internet was working sporadically. The modem is crap, and it would tend to just turn off sometimes and need to be reset. Most likely this would happen in the middle of writing an email, or checking something important. Like something funny on youtube.

Last week, the modem decided to stop working wirelessly altogether. Now the extent of internet use is limited to the dining room table, tethered by a cable to the modem. It's strange, and it reminds me of being back at home. There was only one computer in the house and it was just off the kitchen on one of those rolling computer desks.

It's still there, although the computer has been upgraded. When I go back to visit my parents now, I can usually find my dad on there at some point playing Civilizations 3. It's kind of funny to watch an old guy play video games in the same addictive patterns that I used to exhibit when I was younger. 5 more minutes, one more move.

So this lack of internet in the rest of our apartment has had the side effect of limiting my online time to quick blog checks and email. It's easy to lose hours surfing youtube, myspace, blogs, news, whatever. Anyway, I'll try to come up with something coherent at least every couple days.

Today is the last day of February. Finally. In my book, spring starts tomorrow. It's time to wake up out of the winter lull. Shake loose the weights of seasonal mental clutter, and look forward to what the new season will bring. Going to have to get some new springy music, and clothes. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Males are little flying sperm missiles.

2007-02-25T12:23:00.000-06:00

Ants are pretty crazy. Check it.

http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060508_mm_ants_rule.html

No, really, check it out.

I remember the sound of your November downtown

2007-02-22T23:02:00.000-06:00

Some people wake up in the morning, roll out of bed, brush their teeth and head out the door. Others have morning rituals. Shuffle to the kitchen in pajamas. Scoop, scoop, scoop. Wait for the coffee to slowly fill up the pot. Make breakfast. Cereal, juice, toast. Maybe eggs. Maybe yogurt. Finish eating, take shower, change clothes, read the paper.

I don't have a morning ritual, except for hitting the snooze. Anything after that strictly depends on when I have to get where I'm going. Sometimes I make breakfast. The other day I made an omelette with cheese, onions, peppers, and smoked sausage, and made a pound of bacon. (I didn't eat a pound of bacon.)

Today I showered, skipped breakfast and went to work. Every day I walk the same way to the train, and I always wonder if I'm going to just miss it. What's left of the ice was dirty, crunching under my feet, and Pancho's had traditional Mexican music pouring outside the doors as usual. I like it. It's upbeat and fun, and not so out of place. I picture people hanging out on that corner when the weather warms up.

I like the el stop, too. There is a nice, but far off view of downtown. One of the steps near the top is a little slanted and catches me every time. The platform itself is old, creaky, and rattles and shakes when the train comes. The wood slats are worn and splitting, and smoothed from so many years of people coming and going. I like to find a spot in the sun and wait. I often think it would be fun to just ride the train to a bunch of places I haven't been yet. I've only really ridden the blue and red lines, and the brown a little. I think when it warms up a little more, I'll start trying to see what else this city has to offer. Maybe just pick a stop and get off there, just to see if I find something I like.

It's been a really busy week, and I've had more than a few nights where I didn't get home from school til after 10. I've felt like writing more often, and I've developed a strange obsession with crossword puzzles. Weird.

It's been over a week since my last post, and I find that totally unacceptable. Be prepared for some major posting action in the upcoming days. I promise nothing, but what I may lack in quality, I will more than make up for in quantity.

Barnacle out.

What's cuter? Nothin'.

2007-02-13T12:40:00.000-06:00

It's already been said, I just wanted to show a couple good ones I took of the monster.

I love the expressions here.