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 »

Difficult Should Be a Walk in the Park

They say that a bone marrow biopsy is the most painful kind of biopsy that you can get, but I found one that's worse: Starting a bone marrow biopsy, stopping partway through because the power went out, lying there for thirty minutes until the lights come back on, then resetting and starting all over again from the beginning. Zero stars, would not recommend. I'm hobbling around today. Go »

Maybe It's Warwick Davis

(link) Go »

Parting Thought

I read in the news today that a British businessman will get to visit space in 2009 on his frequent-flyer miles alone. (link) I bet this gives David Phillips a damn good idea. (link) Go »

Trekkers Will Understand

The Netflix summary of Deep Space Nine (Season Two): "Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) heads the crew of Deep Space Nine -- including Odo (Rene Auberjonois), Worf (Michael Dom), Dax (Terry Farrell) and others -- as it travels through space, trying to keep both the ship and the areas it travels safe, secure and free. One of the first (and greatest) challenges the intrepid voyagers face is the violence of the Dominion, a group composed partially of the shape-shifting Changelings." Gee, I wonder why fans call this the most misunderstood of all Star Trek series. Go »

Unexpected Easter

This has been an unusual few days. Kelly's father had a stroke on Thursday, so we left town suddenly to see him, ultimately choosing to drive since we can't afford plane tickets on no notice. He's going to be fine; his vision was affected at first but he seems recovered now, pending another examination. Go »

R.I.P. Mom

You were so still in your bed when I could finally sit down beside you, a few hours after the facility notified me that you had died. I hadn't seen you be that peaceful in years, your eyes not scanning the room for clues, your hands not turning over each object in front of you for endlessly repeated examination. I whispered to you the most urgent and most precious things I had to say, the secrets and atonements and wishes foremost on my mind. Go »