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 »
February 10-16
I don't really blog much about my day-to-day existence because it feels too mundane. But life is made up of those little days, and we don't get an accurate picture of each other's lives if we only discuss the big events. Here's a snapshot of my life last week. Go »R.I.P. Pat
Kelly's mother passed away last week. The event had been anticipated for decades: Pat was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child, suffered kidney failure in 1995 and survived on her brother's donated kidney, and had five strokes and five heart attacks and countless operations, including emergency brain surgery in 2007 that changed her personality. She obviously possessed quite an inner resiliency even if she seemed petite and frail on the outside, but it was inevitable that she would someday lose the fight with her own body. Go »Andy Dick Killed Phil Hartman?
How is it I'm only discovering this celebrity scandal ten years later? (link) Go »Mile-High Hypocrisy
The homeowners' association in a Denver suburb is furious that one of its residents has dared to put up a Christmas wreath in the shape of the peace symbol. (link) Yeah. Keep reading till the end. Go »Warp Zone
President Bush has a new advisor: (link) Go »
