Illinois, October 2012
by Scott Hardie on October 30, 2012
Our road trip to see friends and family in Illinois was well worth it.
The drive both ways was pleasant. I indulged in junk food like a man taking a break from six months of dieting (since my post-Atkins diet started in June, I've lost 50 pounds). We tried some Star Trek and Doctor Who audiobooks, but they weren't very good.
First, we spent a weekend with Kelly's old friends in Springfield. I'm used to listening to hours of Amtgard talk at a time, so I didn't mind. At a fabric store's final day in business, Kelly scored $400 worth of fabric for $28, and the car was so happy for her that it nearly burst.
Next up was five days with Kelly's parents in Princeton. I'll keep the family drama private, but there were lots of good times, including hiking in Starved Rock State Park, having a early Christmas, grilling our own steaks at a local restaurant, visiting our hometown, and playing with stray cats at her brother's house. I'm glad that Kelly's parents built another bedroom in the basement where it's much more comfortable to sleep, but I'll be even more glad when they finish the bathroom down there, so I don't have to climb two flights of stairs silently in the middle of the night every time I need to pee.
Finally, we drove to St. Louis for a half-day. We were told that the City Museum was fun for adults, but half of the building was designed for children, and physically accessible only to them in some cases. We did enjoy the circus and the aquarium, smaller than those in Florida but with more than enough personality to make up for it. Dinner at Lotawata Creek with Funeratic members was the perfect conclusion to the week, relaxing and fun and getting my mind back on "regular life."
Now that GooCon is no longer an annual event, I don't know when our next visit up north will be, but I'm already looking forward to it.
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 »
She Can Really Whip a Donkey's Ass with a Belt
I hate the Black-Eyed Peas. You hate the Black-Eyed Peas. But Alanis Morissette really hates the Black-Eyed Peas. Go »Magical Miami
I didn't know until I just visited there that Miami was nicknamed "the Magic City." That seems a little strange when another city in Florida is already associated with one kind of magic and another, but whatever. I just spent the better part of a week in Miami for work travel. Go »Summer of Suck II
Science says that complaining is bad for you, but sometimes it helps me feel better, so I'm going to do it anyway. It's my blog and I can cry if I want to. Summer has arrived and I'm miserable. Go »The Revised Revised Revised Story
Last spring, This Modern World ran a great parody charting the decline of civil liberties in recent years, after the then-shocking revelation that the government was building a database of every call made in the country: (link) I was reminded of that over the weekend as the latest shocking revelation came out, that the FBI has vastly abused its new ability to request confidential information in the interest of national security (link), almost as if it was the next panel in the strip. Except I'm not laughing. Oh, what I'd have given to be the reporter at Alberto Gonzales's press conference this morning. Go »Fuzzy Logic
Headline: Britney Spears goes bald. I'm her publicist. My client has an album coming out soon. Go »
