Illinois 2015
by Scott Hardie on August 19, 2015
Kelly just wrapped up a weeklong conference in Chicago. I flew in to join her for a few days afterwards to visit family and friends around Illinois.
Trip highlights:
- Adventurous food at the state fair in Springfield: Krispy Kreme donut cheeseburger, deep-fried cheesecake on a stick, Cuban barbecue pork nachos, mmm. I expected it to be pretty bad (and bad for me), but I wound up liking all of it.
- Andy's Jazz Club in Chicago: Great live music, good Cajun food, and good company with Kelly's coworkers relaxing after their last day of the conference. The service was very slow, but that just gave us more time to enjoy the jazz.
- Nobody plays a dirty game of Cards Against Humanity quite like Kelly's family. We made good use of answer cards like "accidentally protesting the wrong Korea," "conjoined twincest," and "Sandy Hook Elementary School."
- Hiking at Starved Rock State Park. I think of Illinois as flat, but it has some decent elevation and views, and you'd better be prepared to climb a lot of stairs in the sun to get there.
Trip lowlights:
- Reminiscent of the honeymoon, Budget left me stranded carless despite my reservation and healthy credit rating. Once again, National rescued us, and the manager went out of his way to get us a comfortable vehicle. I avoided National because of their high rates, but I should have learned my lesson the last time; they're good people and actually want me as a customer.
- The Adler Planetarium in Chicago. I loved it as a child, but now seems overpriced and not terribly stimulating. Perhaps I've been spoiled by Kennedy Space Center and other Florida attractions that raise the bar.
- Being up all night with this shit again before my flight north and aggravation over the rental car. By the time I arrived for drinks and dinner, I hadn't eaten in 30 hours or slept more than a few minutes in two days. A vacation, albeit a rushed one, was just what I needed.
Next summer, Kelly has a conference in New York City. I'm already thinking ahead to the possibilities. :-)
Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »
Pug Life
A friend recently contacted Kelly and me out of the blue to ask if we could take care of her dog for six days while she was on vacation, since the arranged sitter was suddenly unavailable. Neither Kelly nor I have experience taking care of dogs, and we're definitely not dog people. I was attacked by a dog when I was little and I've never been comfortable around them, especially any dog large enough to leap up from the ground and reach my face with its teeth. Go »Free-Fallin'
I enjoy safe hobbies like making websites, but there's something to be said for the dangerous ones: (link) Go »Bill$
Saving up is hard to do. I'm spending every dollar I have after the holidays to move Kelly here next week, then we have to move again in two months to a larger place. And I have more than a grand to pay in taxes. Go »OK Glass
Last weekend, Kelly and I drove up to St. Petersburg with friends to see Ira Glass present a one-man stage show explaining how he makes This American Life on the radio. I had no prior familiarity with his work, having not heard the radio show unlike the fans that I went with, but I think it's long past time that I started listening to the celebrated series online. Go »iMenus
I think we just experienced the future of restaurants. I thought that once before, and it turned out to be true, but in that case the trend was years late coming to Sarasota after large cultural centers like New York and Los Angeles. We might be a few years behind on this new trend as well, but I still see it becoming commonplace. Go »
