21 September 2009
09 September 2009
OMG where have I been?
My life has consisted of mostly babies and two year olds the past few months (which I love)
I'm currently getting over a cold I've had for about 4 days (which I don't love)
Megan & Beth were in town recently to visit. We had breakfast at the Heartland Cafe (totally love).
School starts back up for me next Tuesday (sort of love)
Matt is going to Dusseldorf and Amsterdam in a month. I am trying to figure out a way to join him (which may result in me loving my friend Kevin who works for United. "Love" in a "hey, thanks for working out some sort of deal where I can get a standby ticket for under $400!)
The end.
I'm currently getting over a cold I've had for about 4 days (which I don't love)
Megan & Beth were in town recently to visit. We had breakfast at the Heartland Cafe (totally love).
School starts back up for me next Tuesday (sort of love)
Matt is going to Dusseldorf and Amsterdam in a month. I am trying to figure out a way to join him (which may result in me loving my friend Kevin who works for United. "Love" in a "hey, thanks for working out some sort of deal where I can get a standby ticket for under $400!)
The end.
24 August 2009
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3Day - Day 3
Apologies to my 2 loyal readers for the lapse between updates. A broken laptop and no internet will do that...
On to day 3 of the walk ...
Day 3, we were bussed to Lincolnwood, so we'd be walking mostly in the city. This meant that Matt & Claudia's husband Keith would be meeting us along the walk at one of the cheering stations. I cannot tell you how encouraging that was for me.
Sunday morning Claudia, Jen and I all bussed together (Dawn and Angie took the bus directly to lunch to ensure they'd be able to walk at some point during the day). Knowing that Jen and Claudia walked much faster than me, I anticipated spending a lot of the walk on my own. Because we were in the city, I really had little problem with that.
Turns out, I was able to keep up with them. I'm attributing that to being excited to see Matt at the cheering station along the lake and Addison. Interestingly enough though, it was mid to upper 90s, which meant hydration was key. Previous days I had set rules for myself for drinking (everytime I crossed a street, went under/over a bridge, crossed railroad tracks, made a turn, etc), this day, I made sure to enforce them.
8.5 miles were finally over and I could hear the people at the cheering station. My eyes were darting all over the crowd looking for Matt and Keith. I was a lot more excited than I anticipated, knowing they were there really helped my morning walk on sore and tired feet. I eventually spotted them and headed over to them. Matt offered me a beer (ha!), but I eventually took water. We hung out with them for a while, but not too long, as I didn't want to lose my pace.
We had a mile until lunch, and the walk was directly along the lake, so it was great. We made it to lunch, where we met Dawn and Angie and sat down to eat. This is where I realized I had hit a wall. I wasn't hungry, I started to get the chills, followed by the sweats, and eventually had to lay down with an ice filled bandanna on my face. I was exhausted and a bit nauseous. I tried to hydrate some more, assuming that was the problem, but it wasn't helping.
There was a sweep bus taking people to the next pit stop, which was about 2.5 miles away. I decided to get on it, if anything, to cool off. It wasn't leaving for another 20 minutes, so I figured I could change my mind if I wanted. I ended up staying on the bus and taking it to Navy Pier.
I was now on my own and making my way toward Soldier Field. I made it to the last pit stop before Jen and Claudia, so I texted them and let them know I'd be waiting there for them. This also helped me to cool off and not push myself too much.
We only had 2.5 miles to go, and we made our way. It seemed like it was more like 5 miles, probably due to the long walk and the heat combination, but we eventually made it toward Soldier Field. The last 1/4 of the walk was inside of Soldier Field, so that was sort of cool. I was a bit choked up when crossing the finish line, as on Friday during the rain, I figured there would never be a way that I'd be able to walk across the finish line.
Matt and Keith again met us at the finish line for closing ceremonies. This time Jen and I both happily took beers from Matt. I never really understood people drinking beer after races, but it looked and tasted delicious to me.
Closing ceremonies were quick & less emotional than I expected (opening ceremonies ended up being more emotional, but neither were as emotional as I was expecting). We eventually got into the car and headed home.
I was asleep in my own bed within an hour of being home.
On to day 3 of the walk ...
Day 3, we were bussed to Lincolnwood, so we'd be walking mostly in the city. This meant that Matt & Claudia's husband Keith would be meeting us along the walk at one of the cheering stations. I cannot tell you how encouraging that was for me.
Sunday morning Claudia, Jen and I all bussed together (Dawn and Angie took the bus directly to lunch to ensure they'd be able to walk at some point during the day). Knowing that Jen and Claudia walked much faster than me, I anticipated spending a lot of the walk on my own. Because we were in the city, I really had little problem with that.
Turns out, I was able to keep up with them. I'm attributing that to being excited to see Matt at the cheering station along the lake and Addison. Interestingly enough though, it was mid to upper 90s, which meant hydration was key. Previous days I had set rules for myself for drinking (everytime I crossed a street, went under/over a bridge, crossed railroad tracks, made a turn, etc), this day, I made sure to enforce them.
8.5 miles were finally over and I could hear the people at the cheering station. My eyes were darting all over the crowd looking for Matt and Keith. I was a lot more excited than I anticipated, knowing they were there really helped my morning walk on sore and tired feet. I eventually spotted them and headed over to them. Matt offered me a beer (ha!), but I eventually took water. We hung out with them for a while, but not too long, as I didn't want to lose my pace.
We had a mile until lunch, and the walk was directly along the lake, so it was great. We made it to lunch, where we met Dawn and Angie and sat down to eat. This is where I realized I had hit a wall. I wasn't hungry, I started to get the chills, followed by the sweats, and eventually had to lay down with an ice filled bandanna on my face. I was exhausted and a bit nauseous. I tried to hydrate some more, assuming that was the problem, but it wasn't helping.
There was a sweep bus taking people to the next pit stop, which was about 2.5 miles away. I decided to get on it, if anything, to cool off. It wasn't leaving for another 20 minutes, so I figured I could change my mind if I wanted. I ended up staying on the bus and taking it to Navy Pier.
I was now on my own and making my way toward Soldier Field. I made it to the last pit stop before Jen and Claudia, so I texted them and let them know I'd be waiting there for them. This also helped me to cool off and not push myself too much.
We only had 2.5 miles to go, and we made our way. It seemed like it was more like 5 miles, probably due to the long walk and the heat combination, but we eventually made it toward Soldier Field. The last 1/4 of the walk was inside of Soldier Field, so that was sort of cool. I was a bit choked up when crossing the finish line, as on Friday during the rain, I figured there would never be a way that I'd be able to walk across the finish line.
Matt and Keith again met us at the finish line for closing ceremonies. This time Jen and I both happily took beers from Matt. I never really understood people drinking beer after races, but it looked and tasted delicious to me.
Closing ceremonies were quick & less emotional than I expected (opening ceremonies ended up being more emotional, but neither were as emotional as I was expecting). We eventually got into the car and headed home.
I was asleep in my own bed within an hour of being home.
13 August 2009
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3Day - Day 2
After the awful day I had on Friday, I was looking forward to a better day on Saturday; and then Jen and I turned on the weather channel. Rain until midday expected. It wasn't raining as we left to head toward camp/breakfast, but as soon as we were under the tent with our breakfast, down came the rain. What a downer. If anything, I needed sunshine, or no rain, to be encouraged and energized to get out and walking on my tired, sore feet. I had brought along two of my larger ziplock bags I used to pack my clothing with, and put them over my shoes. I headed to the medical tent and asked for tape (to put around my ankles) - they kept asking me if I wanted sports medics to do the wrapping, and I had to keep explaining I simply needed two small pieces to go around my ankles.
As usual, Jen and Claudia took off in front of the team (they have a faster pace). I stuck back with Dawn and Angie for most of the morning. As I was walking, my right shoe bag wasn't staying as well as I had hoped. Luckily, I brought some extra twine in my fanny pack in case something like this happened. I was able to secure the bag to continue covering the top of my foot. My feet stayed dry.
The rain let up earlier than anticipated (yay!) and the humidity set in. Can't have it both ways, I suppose... and if the previous day is any indication, I'd much rather it be humid and hot than raining.
Saturday was spent walking through Mount Prospect. I don't know if it was due to it being a Saturday or that residents of Mount Prospect are great people (or a combo of both), but we had a LOT of support during our walk. There were many families, boy/girl scouts, cheerleading teams, etc out on the route handing out water, food, candy, and my favorite - popsicles! There were people set up with tents with music, there were people with misters offering to mist people off as they walked by. I never really knew how important having people to cheer you on was. It doesn't even matter that I didn't know them. The fact that they were there was so encouraging and made me want to keep going. The police and fire department were all wearing pink shirts as they helped direct traffic as we crossed busy streets - it was pretty neat!
Around lunchtime, we stopped at a pitstop for an extended period of time to tend to our blistered feet. Mine were worse than I wanted to admit... but throughout the morning, I refused to take off my bags on my feet, out of fear that they wouldn't go back on and continue to keep my feet dry. I was NOT going to go through what I did the previous day of walking through wet shoes all day. I'd rather be in pain and build blisters, apparently.
We ate lunch and started walking the 3 miles toward the next pitstop. About 2 miles into it, I decided I needed to stop walking. I was in just too much pain. I didn't rewrap my blisters as well as I should have and I couldn't take a step without feeling the pain.
I noticed one of the crew members on the side of the road standing with another walker. I immediately walked toward them and asked if they were waiting for a sweep van (these vans took you to the next pit stop). The van was on it's way, and I had no doubts that I wanted to get on it. My first goal of walking the entire day on Friday had already been realized, I was ok taking a van a couple of miles to tend to my feet. As mentioned in my previous post, this was the best decision I made all walk. Dawn and Angie continued to walk and mentioned that we'd meet up at the pit stop.
I arrived to the medic very quickly. I head over and ask them to take a look at my left foot. I remove my sock and the bandages I had on them and asked what they could do. The medic tending to me was shocked and mentioned that I had the worst blistered foot he'd seen all day. I had one large blister on the inside part of my heel and about 4-5 of them all on top of themselves near the ball of my foot under my big toe. I also had a couple of small blisters forming on the back of my 2 smallest toes.
The medic decided the blister on my heel was too big and needed to be lanced. An audience formed. Someone offered to take a picture of it. He stuck it with something pin-like and fluid came shooting out. It took a couple of gauze pads over the course of about 5 minutes to completely drain the blister. HOW GROSS.
He rewrapped the lanced blister area, decided to leave the 4-5 as is (as he'd have to poke me multiple times and couldn't be sure that he'd get them all, which would end up being more painful). I got up, walked around a bit, and felt immediately better. I was ready to go and walk the remaining 10 miles for the day.
Dawn and Angie returned before I was finished being bandaged up and wanted to take a break. This ended being good for me, because I needed to stretch after being on the medic bed for so long.
Dawn and Angie's families were at the last cheering station that day, so we made our way toward them. By the time we reached them (about 15 miles into the day), Jen and Claudia texted to let us know they were finished (the second day was 19 miles). We ended up hanging out at the cheering station for much longer than I was prepared for (45 minutes!!), so, once again, I got tight.
We took another sweep van to the final pit stop, which was only about 1/2 mile away. Once there, I was ready to walk the final 3.5 miles back to camp. Dawn and Angie were not. I wouldn't have minded walking myself at that point, but I was afraid I'd be the last walker to camp. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but they do this big cheering line and flag raising for the last walker when they walk into camp. I would have been way too embarrassed and didn't want to risk it... so, against my wishes, I boarded the final sweep van back to camp.
(Turns out the last walker arrived well after we had finished dinner, almost 3 hours after I would have gotten back had I walked it on my own).
I rationalized it to myself that I wanted to ensure that I'd be able to walk as much as possible on Sunday, since it'd be the best day of the walk, as we'd be walking along the lake down to Soldier Field. I had also talked to Angie (breast cancer survivor and walk veteran) and she told me there was no shame in taking a sweep van and more people should take advantage of the option.
We (Dawn, Angie and I) ended up hanging out at camp for a while on Saturday night after dinner, while Claudia and Jen went back to the hotel. I sort of wanted to get the feeling for the camaraderie of camp and it was a fun time sticking around...but was happy to get into the cab and head back to the hotel for a hot shower (without lines) and a bed all to myself.
Day 3 was coming, which meant seeing Matt at the first cheering station (8.5 miles in on Sunday) and the finish line looming in the distance...
As usual, Jen and Claudia took off in front of the team (they have a faster pace). I stuck back with Dawn and Angie for most of the morning. As I was walking, my right shoe bag wasn't staying as well as I had hoped. Luckily, I brought some extra twine in my fanny pack in case something like this happened. I was able to secure the bag to continue covering the top of my foot. My feet stayed dry.
The rain let up earlier than anticipated (yay!) and the humidity set in. Can't have it both ways, I suppose... and if the previous day is any indication, I'd much rather it be humid and hot than raining.
Saturday was spent walking through Mount Prospect. I don't know if it was due to it being a Saturday or that residents of Mount Prospect are great people (or a combo of both), but we had a LOT of support during our walk. There were many families, boy/girl scouts, cheerleading teams, etc out on the route handing out water, food, candy, and my favorite - popsicles! There were people set up with tents with music, there were people with misters offering to mist people off as they walked by. I never really knew how important having people to cheer you on was. It doesn't even matter that I didn't know them. The fact that they were there was so encouraging and made me want to keep going. The police and fire department were all wearing pink shirts as they helped direct traffic as we crossed busy streets - it was pretty neat!
Around lunchtime, we stopped at a pitstop for an extended period of time to tend to our blistered feet. Mine were worse than I wanted to admit... but throughout the morning, I refused to take off my bags on my feet, out of fear that they wouldn't go back on and continue to keep my feet dry. I was NOT going to go through what I did the previous day of walking through wet shoes all day. I'd rather be in pain and build blisters, apparently.
We ate lunch and started walking the 3 miles toward the next pitstop. About 2 miles into it, I decided I needed to stop walking. I was in just too much pain. I didn't rewrap my blisters as well as I should have and I couldn't take a step without feeling the pain.
I noticed one of the crew members on the side of the road standing with another walker. I immediately walked toward them and asked if they were waiting for a sweep van (these vans took you to the next pit stop). The van was on it's way, and I had no doubts that I wanted to get on it. My first goal of walking the entire day on Friday had already been realized, I was ok taking a van a couple of miles to tend to my feet. As mentioned in my previous post, this was the best decision I made all walk. Dawn and Angie continued to walk and mentioned that we'd meet up at the pit stop.
I arrived to the medic very quickly. I head over and ask them to take a look at my left foot. I remove my sock and the bandages I had on them and asked what they could do. The medic tending to me was shocked and mentioned that I had the worst blistered foot he'd seen all day. I had one large blister on the inside part of my heel and about 4-5 of them all on top of themselves near the ball of my foot under my big toe. I also had a couple of small blisters forming on the back of my 2 smallest toes.
The medic decided the blister on my heel was too big and needed to be lanced. An audience formed. Someone offered to take a picture of it. He stuck it with something pin-like and fluid came shooting out. It took a couple of gauze pads over the course of about 5 minutes to completely drain the blister. HOW GROSS.
He rewrapped the lanced blister area, decided to leave the 4-5 as is (as he'd have to poke me multiple times and couldn't be sure that he'd get them all, which would end up being more painful). I got up, walked around a bit, and felt immediately better. I was ready to go and walk the remaining 10 miles for the day.
Dawn and Angie returned before I was finished being bandaged up and wanted to take a break. This ended being good for me, because I needed to stretch after being on the medic bed for so long.
Dawn and Angie's families were at the last cheering station that day, so we made our way toward them. By the time we reached them (about 15 miles into the day), Jen and Claudia texted to let us know they were finished (the second day was 19 miles). We ended up hanging out at the cheering station for much longer than I was prepared for (45 minutes!!), so, once again, I got tight.
We took another sweep van to the final pit stop, which was only about 1/2 mile away. Once there, I was ready to walk the final 3.5 miles back to camp. Dawn and Angie were not. I wouldn't have minded walking myself at that point, but I was afraid I'd be the last walker to camp. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but they do this big cheering line and flag raising for the last walker when they walk into camp. I would have been way too embarrassed and didn't want to risk it... so, against my wishes, I boarded the final sweep van back to camp.
(Turns out the last walker arrived well after we had finished dinner, almost 3 hours after I would have gotten back had I walked it on my own).
I rationalized it to myself that I wanted to ensure that I'd be able to walk as much as possible on Sunday, since it'd be the best day of the walk, as we'd be walking along the lake down to Soldier Field. I had also talked to Angie (breast cancer survivor and walk veteran) and she told me there was no shame in taking a sweep van and more people should take advantage of the option.
We (Dawn, Angie and I) ended up hanging out at camp for a while on Saturday night after dinner, while Claudia and Jen went back to the hotel. I sort of wanted to get the feeling for the camaraderie of camp and it was a fun time sticking around...but was happy to get into the cab and head back to the hotel for a hot shower (without lines) and a bed all to myself.
Day 3 was coming, which meant seeing Matt at the first cheering station (8.5 miles in on Sunday) and the finish line looming in the distance...
10 August 2009
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk
This is going to be a long entry, so grab a soda and something to munch on, because I’m not sure I’ll be able to consolidate this very well.
This past weekend, I completed the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk. Thanks to many generous donors, I was able to raise almost $3200, while our team raised just under $18,000.
Anyway, I’m going to try and best describe my experience. I’m hoping my writing this just over 24 hours after returning home will mean the memories are still fresh in my mind. As it turns out, I will likely focus on one day per entry. Today, you get Day 1.
Day 1
So, the night before was my last class of the quarter at National Louis, and I didn’t pack prior to class. So this meant I’d be packing once I returned home from class around 9 or 9:30PM. I packed up and forced myself to bed around 11PM, setting my alarm for 3:45AM. I had to be to Claudia’s house by 4:30. Being new to my apartment and neighborhood, I wasn’t sure how long it’d take, so I reserved a cab for 4:20 (no, I did not smoke any pot while waiting).
The cab arrived early, but I didn’t head down until I was ready. 12 minutes later, I arrived at Claudia’s house, 15 minutes early. I waited outside, thinking about the weekend I was about to face.
We made our way up north to Northbrook Court Mall. Claudia’s husband Keith was kind enough to get up early and drive 4 of the 5 of us up there. Luckily, he had a vacation day on Friday, so he was able to drive back home and go immediately back to bed.
Driving into the mall, I was expecting chaos. I am happy to report that everything seemed quite organized, which gave me a good impression that most of the event would follow suit (it did, for the most part).
We filed in for opening ceremonies, making sure to stand near the circular satellite stage because our friend and teammate Angie was participating in the Inner Circle of Survivors. She, along with 7 other women, carried in flags to opening ceremonies reading different things (love, joy, commitment, etc). I lost it when the speaker started reading reasons why people were walking, as people walked out carrying flags for who they were walking for (mother, aunt, daughter, partner, best friend, husband, etc). Additionally, while I knew men were a part of this walk, I was still amazed and emotional when I’d see them. Walking with girlfriends, wives, friends, whoever, it was a pretty moving experience for me.
We got started walking around 7AM, everyone energized and enthused. Cars, vans, and trucks saw us walking and would give out an encouraging honk. “This won’t be so hard,” I thought. Having the encouragement of people driving by, or walking by, or living nearby seemed pretty nice.
We walked throughout many of the north suburbs on Friday, seeing many beautiful houses along Sheridan Rd (which butts up against Lake Michigan).
Around 11AM, it began to rain. It didn’t stop raining before we were finished. It continued to rain well into dinner and throughout the night. This led to less people being out, some dreary conditions, and some wet shoes. Sure, we had rain ponchos, but walking in wet shoes was simply awful. Knowing at 11AM that we had probably 15 more miles to go for the day was simply unbearable. I gave myself two goals for the walk – the first was to finish, the second was to make it through day one without being swept. (Sweeping involved walkers stopping and having a van pick them up and take them to the next pit stop or to the end of the day’s route. Pit stops were usually 3 miles apart from one another).
We had a surprise cheerer at the first cheering station, our friend Jill. I hadn’t expected to see anyone we knew until after lunch, so this was a nice surprise. We stopped and chatted for a bit, but kept going, as the rain was on the verge of showing up.
We skipped past the lunch stop to walk to the next cheering station about a mile away. There, Dawn’s family waited for us with lunch made by Dawn’s mom. Dawn’s nieces had made us all signs. It was great to see them, but at this point, it was raining and we were miserable. I was crabby and just wanted to continue moving. We ate quickly and made our way to the second half of our walk for the day.
The afternoon for me was just brutal. I wasn’t looking forward to the 12ish miles, I was sick of walking down Glenview Road, and the last thing I wanted to do that night was camp and worry about my wet shoes drying. As Dawn, Angie and I were walking (Jen and Claudia were simply too fast for me to keep up with), we talked about our alternative to camping – a hotel. I initially was against the idea, mostly because camping with the other walkers was a part of the experience, and a part I didn’t want to miss. But as I was walking in my wet shoes, hearing the water sop out of them with every step, I decided if anything, I could use the hotel hair dryer to dry them. At that point, I was in.
We eventually made it back to camp, where it took some convincing to Jen and Claudia to join us in the hotel. Technically, they didn’t have to, but we wanted to know everyone was invited. Eventually, they both relented, when we realized we had no idea when the rain would let up (as it had been raining for 7 hours already).
Angie’s husband made the reservations and drove us all to the closest hotel. This is probably the second best decision I made the whole trip. The first one will come in the next entry…
05 August 2009
Long time, no posts
Work is busier, Matt and I moved to Rogers Park (perhaps pics once we're unpacked and set up), my last in-class (as opposed to online) class before a month-long break is tomorrow night, and this weekend is the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk (60 miles! WTF?)
This is all for now, despite wanting to write more...
...perhaps, when I have time.
This is all for now, despite wanting to write more...
...perhaps, when I have time.
29 July 2009
Toddlers sure do toddle a lot
So, today I filled in for a vacationing teacher in the toddlers classroom. I was slated to work from 12:30-5:30, and made sure to down a couple of caffeinated beverages at lunch. I arrive to a room full of toddlers laying on their cots (room full = 7). Most were almost asleep. I was then told they sleep until 2:30PM. Um, wtf am I supposed to do for 2 hours? We were told cell phone usage wasn't really acceptable during off/naptime. All of the rooms have cameras in them, and I hadn't had a chance to figure out where the hiding spot in this room was, so I sat quietly while the kids slept.
One little bugger woke up at 1:30 and was all yelling and stuff. He didn't recognize me, so my attempt at soothing and calming him down was F- level performance. Luckily, the assistant director was covering for the adjacent room, and came over to help out. She had a tough time, but eventually got him to calm down.
By 2:30, they were all up and slowly warming up to me. One, in particular, assumed I was her best friend as soon as she opened her eyes. This was a nice reassurance, as I'm never sure how kids will take to me. Eventually, almost all of them decided I was their friend and someone worthy of their attention (err, someone worthy of getting the attention of) :)
The room was a disaster within minutes. I thought it was tough to keep the infant room neat and cleaned up. That said, you can order little tots around to pick things up and put them into their bins and shelves, unlike with the babies.
We eventually went outside, had bubble time, and the kids played on the awesome playground the center installed when they built the center (the playground itself cost about $60,000). I caught the director keeping an eye on me a couple of times throughout the playtime (the same one who was in the infant room with me last Friday). I don't mean to brag, but I find myself to be comfortable around kids, and therefore, I relate to and play with them really well... and, it all seems to come naturally, which is awesome. I feel like I have really great instincts when it comes to kids, which gives me the confidence I need to succeed in this field.
Anyway, as I was leaving, the assistant director pulled me aside and asked how my day went. She then went on to tell me that she, Sarah (director), and Linda (director) all loved me and loved how I am around the kids, and want to get me more hours. Duh, of course I'll take it. It'd be similar to today, but likely (hopefully), with a longer lunch break (or break between switching classes).
It's a really great confidence boost for me, and working with different ages is exactly the experience (and fun) I need. :)
Oh, we're moving in 3 days. I can't think about it because I'll start crying. The sacrifices I'm making for these kids is amazing.
Happy hump day, all.
One little bugger woke up at 1:30 and was all yelling and stuff. He didn't recognize me, so my attempt at soothing and calming him down was F- level performance. Luckily, the assistant director was covering for the adjacent room, and came over to help out. She had a tough time, but eventually got him to calm down.
By 2:30, they were all up and slowly warming up to me. One, in particular, assumed I was her best friend as soon as she opened her eyes. This was a nice reassurance, as I'm never sure how kids will take to me. Eventually, almost all of them decided I was their friend and someone worthy of their attention (err, someone worthy of getting the attention of) :)
The room was a disaster within minutes. I thought it was tough to keep the infant room neat and cleaned up. That said, you can order little tots around to pick things up and put them into their bins and shelves, unlike with the babies.
We eventually went outside, had bubble time, and the kids played on the awesome playground the center installed when they built the center (the playground itself cost about $60,000). I caught the director keeping an eye on me a couple of times throughout the playtime (the same one who was in the infant room with me last Friday). I don't mean to brag, but I find myself to be comfortable around kids, and therefore, I relate to and play with them really well... and, it all seems to come naturally, which is awesome. I feel like I have really great instincts when it comes to kids, which gives me the confidence I need to succeed in this field.
Anyway, as I was leaving, the assistant director pulled me aside and asked how my day went. She then went on to tell me that she, Sarah (director), and Linda (director) all loved me and loved how I am around the kids, and want to get me more hours. Duh, of course I'll take it. It'd be similar to today, but likely (hopefully), with a longer lunch break (or break between switching classes).
It's a really great confidence boost for me, and working with different ages is exactly the experience (and fun) I need. :)
Oh, we're moving in 3 days. I can't think about it because I'll start crying. The sacrifices I'm making for these kids is amazing.
Happy hump day, all.
25 July 2009
Things I love about my apartment
It's close enough to Wrigley to hear the crowd cheering (this will always be near the top of my list)
The following are easily walkable from my front door:
grocery store
CVS
Justins, Messners, Guthries, Schoolyard, Toons, Langes, Newport
FedEx
Dry cleaners
Tango Sur (my favorite restaurant in the city)
D'Agostinos (the place where I decided thin crust pizza was good)
Flattop Grill (my favorite break-up place)
Two different train stops
multiple Zipcars
Music Box Theatre
Julius Meinl Coffee
The post office
Multiple fast food options
A sense of security (there are like 12 doors to get through before getting to our front door)
The woman who cares for the landscaping, whom I look forward to greeting in the morning
The huge storage closet (which currently houses a huge dresser, full sized bed, and about 35 boxes)
The hallway from the living room to the bedroom (makes the place seem bigger)
Gas stove
Back outdoor area
The window in the bathroom
The linen closet
Our huge bedroom (which admittedly, we do not need the amount of space we have)
The main living area (living/dining combined for a bigger space)
Being within a 2 miles from work, which allows me to walk to/from
It's where Matt and I started our lives together. And then we found Steve. This has been Steve's only indoor home.
It seems so silly, it's not like we own the place or anything, or that we've lived here all that long (3 years) - but these walls hold a lot of memories for me. I'm in a place in my life where I've never been happier, and most of those decisions toward a better life happened in this place, with the help of and encouragement from Matt.
I am looking forward to having more memories in our new home, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy leaving this place.
The following are easily walkable from my front door:
grocery store
CVS
Justins, Messners, Guthries, Schoolyard, Toons, Langes, Newport
FedEx
Dry cleaners
Tango Sur (my favorite restaurant in the city)
D'Agostinos (the place where I decided thin crust pizza was good)
Flattop Grill (my favorite break-up place)
Two different train stops
multiple Zipcars
Music Box Theatre
Julius Meinl Coffee
The post office
Multiple fast food options
A sense of security (there are like 12 doors to get through before getting to our front door)
The woman who cares for the landscaping, whom I look forward to greeting in the morning
The huge storage closet (which currently houses a huge dresser, full sized bed, and about 35 boxes)
The hallway from the living room to the bedroom (makes the place seem bigger)
Gas stove
Back outdoor area
The window in the bathroom
The linen closet
Our huge bedroom (which admittedly, we do not need the amount of space we have)
The main living area (living/dining combined for a bigger space)
Being within a 2 miles from work, which allows me to walk to/from
It's where Matt and I started our lives together. And then we found Steve. This has been Steve's only indoor home.
It seems so silly, it's not like we own the place or anything, or that we've lived here all that long (3 years) - but these walls hold a lot of memories for me. I'm in a place in my life where I've never been happier, and most of those decisions toward a better life happened in this place, with the help of and encouragement from Matt.
I am looking forward to having more memories in our new home, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy leaving this place.
24 July 2009
I had a great day at work today
The kids in our classroom are great. There is one who is a little high-maintenance and requires a lot of holding, cuddling, etc to be put to sleep, but for the most part, all of our kids are great sleepers, eaters and players. They interact with one another in a healthy and fun way.
Now onto the other classroom I help out on an as needed basis. The kids in there are not adjusting well at all. One mother insists on staying the entire day with her 11 month-old. We have an open door policy at the center, where parents are welcome to come and go as they please, but when transitioning a child to a center, particularly an older child, is a tough thing to do. Having the parents around really impedes on this transition.
Well, today, the mother decided to leave while her daughter was sleeping! Talk about the worst time to leave. What a frightening thing for her daughter to wake up and wonder where her mother was. She was in an unfamiliar place, all alone, and frightened beyond belief. I'm a strong proponent of parents not doing the "sneak out" when leaving their children. Why in the world would you want to trick your child into not paying attention when you leave? What a horrible fear to put into a child. It's important for children to know that if and when their parents leave, they will eventually return. It's important for children to see their parents leave, deal with it, and move on. Sure, this leads to a lot of upset, crying children initially, but then it becomes my job to comfort them and ensure they feel safe and secure with me, to the point of them waving to their parents, or having no reaction when they leave. This may seem cold toward the parents, but it's healthy for the children.
The teacher in the other classroom seems to struggle a bit with organization and confidence. I have no doubt she can do the job, but it seems she gets flustered quite a bit. I happily came into the room prior to leaving today to do what she needed me to do to help get her room in order. I rocked one child to sleep and played with the other two (as she tended to the child whose mother snuck out on her).
The two kids I played with are quite mobile and love climbing. They both have taken well to me and smile when I play with them. I play simple games (peek-a-boo and "Where's Maggie?" etc) that may seem boring, but they love it. They were having a great time climbing on me, the climbing toys in the room, and hiding from me. I didn't want to leave when my shift was up. This is probably the first time I've felt that way (normally, I'm beat, and normally I don't really like going into that classroom in the afternoons).
The director was also in the room, there in case a hand was needed. She sat back and let us run the room. I felt really good about my time spent in the room, and felt she was impressed with how I was able to interact with all of the children. It was a pretty cool feeling.
Now onto the other classroom I help out on an as needed basis. The kids in there are not adjusting well at all. One mother insists on staying the entire day with her 11 month-old. We have an open door policy at the center, where parents are welcome to come and go as they please, but when transitioning a child to a center, particularly an older child, is a tough thing to do. Having the parents around really impedes on this transition.
Well, today, the mother decided to leave while her daughter was sleeping! Talk about the worst time to leave. What a frightening thing for her daughter to wake up and wonder where her mother was. She was in an unfamiliar place, all alone, and frightened beyond belief. I'm a strong proponent of parents not doing the "sneak out" when leaving their children. Why in the world would you want to trick your child into not paying attention when you leave? What a horrible fear to put into a child. It's important for children to know that if and when their parents leave, they will eventually return. It's important for children to see their parents leave, deal with it, and move on. Sure, this leads to a lot of upset, crying children initially, but then it becomes my job to comfort them and ensure they feel safe and secure with me, to the point of them waving to their parents, or having no reaction when they leave. This may seem cold toward the parents, but it's healthy for the children.
The teacher in the other classroom seems to struggle a bit with organization and confidence. I have no doubt she can do the job, but it seems she gets flustered quite a bit. I happily came into the room prior to leaving today to do what she needed me to do to help get her room in order. I rocked one child to sleep and played with the other two (as she tended to the child whose mother snuck out on her).
The two kids I played with are quite mobile and love climbing. They both have taken well to me and smile when I play with them. I play simple games (peek-a-boo and "Where's Maggie?" etc) that may seem boring, but they love it. They were having a great time climbing on me, the climbing toys in the room, and hiding from me. I didn't want to leave when my shift was up. This is probably the first time I've felt that way (normally, I'm beat, and normally I don't really like going into that classroom in the afternoons).
The director was also in the room, there in case a hand was needed. She sat back and let us run the room. I felt really good about my time spent in the room, and felt she was impressed with how I was able to interact with all of the children. It was a pretty cool feeling.
20 July 2009
Moving day looms....(some language may not be SFW)
I hesitated in writing this entry because I know it'll only cause me to become incredibly sad. Matt and I are moving in 2 weeks. We're moving from the apartment where everything began. We're moving from the first place Steve called home. We're moving from a really great neighborhood that has everything we need within walking distance. We're moving from a place full of so many memories. I can't even begin to think about how it'll feel when we walk out of here for the last time. I'm not sure I'll be able to handle seeing this place empty, completely devoid of our ever living here. Because I'll still work close by here, it'll be pretty surreal to walk or take the bus by this place.
Our new place (*fingers crossed*) is in Roger's Park. We're still waiting to hear back from the landlord whether our application has been approved, but I'm optimistically hoping it will be. For those outside of Chicago, Roger's Park is pretty far north. It's actually the northernmost neighborhood before reaching the suburbs. Downtown Evanston is going to be closer to me than downtown Chicago.
It's going to be a big change, and please forgive me for any upcoming sad posts on my part.
I'm in an incredibly happy and exciting part of my life, so I need to keep my mind and heart focused on that.
I will miss Westview: A Gated Community.
First/Housewarming Party at Lunt's Cunt/Wooly Cunt - Mizzou/IL game in September. (The new apartment name is still under consideration)
Our new place (*fingers crossed*) is in Roger's Park. We're still waiting to hear back from the landlord whether our application has been approved, but I'm optimistically hoping it will be. For those outside of Chicago, Roger's Park is pretty far north. It's actually the northernmost neighborhood before reaching the suburbs. Downtown Evanston is going to be closer to me than downtown Chicago.
It's going to be a big change, and please forgive me for any upcoming sad posts on my part.
I'm in an incredibly happy and exciting part of my life, so I need to keep my mind and heart focused on that.
I will miss Westview: A Gated Community.
First/Housewarming Party at Lunt's Cunt/Wooly Cunt - Mizzou/IL game in September. (The new apartment name is still under consideration)
15 July 2009
Babies are hard work, water is wet and cats meow
I know saying that working with babies is hard work isn't ground-breaking or anything, but the fact that I'm beat tired at 9:20 on a Wednesday night speaks to something. Babies are hard work. I've never worked so hard at a job than I do at this one.
Unrelated, Matt and I are moving at the end of the month and have yet to secure an apartment. Starting to get a little stressed.
The 3-Day walk is also in 3 weeks and my training has been about as good as someone training to walk around the block. I can't wait until August 10th.
Going to my first Chicago Fire game this weekend. There's a pub in Chicago that has a round-trip shuttle service with booze. The tickets for the soccer game are free, in the Chicago Sun Times luxury box, and includes free booze and food. That should help with the stress.
Unrelated, Matt and I are moving at the end of the month and have yet to secure an apartment. Starting to get a little stressed.
The 3-Day walk is also in 3 weeks and my training has been about as good as someone training to walk around the block. I can't wait until August 10th.
Going to my first Chicago Fire game this weekend. There's a pub in Chicago that has a round-trip shuttle service with booze. The tickets for the soccer game are free, in the Chicago Sun Times luxury box, and includes free booze and food. That should help with the stress.
13 July 2009
I have a baby voice
I tried to fight it, I really did, but kids love the weird baby voice. Now, I don't use it all of the time (most), but it can be quite effective in evoking emotions out of the little tots.
I started working at Kids Work Chicago last Wednesday. I'm currently working part-time, so my day begins at 7:30 and ends around 1:00 (depending on where the kids are and what they need). I have to say, it's pretty great to have afternoons off in the summer. I've been working a bit on training for the 3-Day wak, but most of my time has been spent looking for an apartment and homework... but this post is about the babies...
So, I am currently working in a classroom with 4 infants, ranging in ages from 5ish months to 12 months. I am working with a really great lead teacher, who being only 26 years old, has a heck of a lot of experience, and someone I look to for guidance and help when working with the kids. She's great with knowing who needs what when, and I think we work well together. I'm also helping out in the classroom next door as needed - that room has an older lead teacher, and includes 3 infants.
I went into this new career with mixed expectations. I am quite excited about the change & love children; but I didn't want to get my hopes up for some magical reactions and feelings I'd experience.
Each day has been difficult. Each day has been great. Each day has had at least one small moment where I sit back and think, "this is exactly why I want to do this." And each of these moments are small and likely insignificant to many. For example, the first day, there was a moment where two of the boys were on one of the play mats, looking at each other, and suddenly one of them made the other one laugh. That's it. Kids are such interesting creatures. I love watching them interact with one another without talking. Well, without talking in a language anyone understands, at least. :)
The second day, the moment was when I was able to successfully put little Lauren to sleep. She's a tough one to deal with, and likely has been treated differently at home or with a nanny (in that, someone will hold her for the entirety of her nap, or pick her up as soon as she fusses in her crib). Unrelated, I've been trying to call her LP or Lo, simply as a tribute to Laguna Beach. I don't think she gets it.
Friday (the third day), Erika (my lead teacher) started to implement a schedule with the kids, in an attempt to get them at least eating at the same time each day. Kids are allowed to eat, sleep, play, poop, etc on their own schedule, nothing is forced. I think this is great. I also find some ease in getting the kids to eat breakfast or lunch at the same time. Friday, everyone ate together, slept together, and played together (for the most part). It was a really great day. It was a tough day leaving, because the new guy Max (12 months) seems to have a negative reaction anytime I leave the room. He reached out to hug me before I left. I almost lost it.
Today (Monday) was tough. Little Lo projectile vomited all over me, herself, the carpet and the tile. To boot, she giggled the entire time I changed her. That little punk!
The job is rewarding and tiring, and I am learning a heck of a lot on a daily basis. It's awesome.
I started working at Kids Work Chicago last Wednesday. I'm currently working part-time, so my day begins at 7:30 and ends around 1:00 (depending on where the kids are and what they need). I have to say, it's pretty great to have afternoons off in the summer. I've been working a bit on training for the 3-Day wak, but most of my time has been spent looking for an apartment and homework... but this post is about the babies...
So, I am currently working in a classroom with 4 infants, ranging in ages from 5ish months to 12 months. I am working with a really great lead teacher, who being only 26 years old, has a heck of a lot of experience, and someone I look to for guidance and help when working with the kids. She's great with knowing who needs what when, and I think we work well together. I'm also helping out in the classroom next door as needed - that room has an older lead teacher, and includes 3 infants.
I went into this new career with mixed expectations. I am quite excited about the change & love children; but I didn't want to get my hopes up for some magical reactions and feelings I'd experience.
Each day has been difficult. Each day has been great. Each day has had at least one small moment where I sit back and think, "this is exactly why I want to do this." And each of these moments are small and likely insignificant to many. For example, the first day, there was a moment where two of the boys were on one of the play mats, looking at each other, and suddenly one of them made the other one laugh. That's it. Kids are such interesting creatures. I love watching them interact with one another without talking. Well, without talking in a language anyone understands, at least. :)
The second day, the moment was when I was able to successfully put little Lauren to sleep. She's a tough one to deal with, and likely has been treated differently at home or with a nanny (in that, someone will hold her for the entirety of her nap, or pick her up as soon as she fusses in her crib). Unrelated, I've been trying to call her LP or Lo, simply as a tribute to Laguna Beach. I don't think she gets it.
Friday (the third day), Erika (my lead teacher) started to implement a schedule with the kids, in an attempt to get them at least eating at the same time each day. Kids are allowed to eat, sleep, play, poop, etc on their own schedule, nothing is forced. I think this is great. I also find some ease in getting the kids to eat breakfast or lunch at the same time. Friday, everyone ate together, slept together, and played together (for the most part). It was a really great day. It was a tough day leaving, because the new guy Max (12 months) seems to have a negative reaction anytime I leave the room. He reached out to hug me before I left. I almost lost it.
Today (Monday) was tough. Little Lo projectile vomited all over me, herself, the carpet and the tile. To boot, she giggled the entire time I changed her. That little punk!
The job is rewarding and tiring, and I am learning a heck of a lot on a daily basis. It's awesome.
08 July 2009
1000 miles to see Wilco
I've recently returned from my trip out west. Matt, Jen, Jen's brother Kevin, Dan and I drove out to Boulder, Colorado to see Wilco perform at Red Rocks on July 3rd. We ended up heading out at the beginning of the week, and made a little vacation out of it.
Matt and I wanted to camp, the other three sissies wanted to sleep inside. Jen was able to find a campground/mountain lodge combo where we ended up staying.
We left Chicago around 5PM on Monday night, headed to Granville, IL to pick up Kevin. We went for taco night at the local cheap bar before departing for Boulder. We made the trip over night, in one shot. Luckily, with 5 drivers and a minivan, it wasn't too tough, and was quite a bit more comfortable than I anticipated.
We arrived around noon to beautiful weather in Boulder. As soon as Matt and I finished setting up the tent, Jen and I put our suits on, grabbed a couple of cold beers, and headed to the pool. Our first night, we met a couple of Kevin and Jen's local pals out on Pearl Street in downtown Boulder for drinks and dinner.
The first night, there was a bit of a storm. At this point, we also realized the zipper to our tent door no longer worked. Matt fashioned a new type of closure, which seemed to work for the entirety of the day.
Day 2 was spent in Fort Collins, CO touring breweries. We ended up stopping at: Coopersmith, New Belgium, ODells, Ft Collins, & Left Hand Brewery. This was fun, but also seemed like quite a bit of different beers that I didn't necessarily care for. Thankfully, the tour at New Belgium was free and the beer tastings were no more than $4/person at each place.
The evening of day 2, we spent our time around the campsite drinking and playing cards. Until the storm hit. Then, Matt and I cleared out the tent & ended up sleeping in the van for the night.
Day 3 - Jen, Dan and Kevin drove to Rocky Mountain National Park while Matt and I walked the 2.5 miles into Boulder to find some tarps for the tent. Luckily, Boulder is beautiful and they have some great walking paths, so the walk wasn't too bad. We ended up finding an Army-Navy Surplus Store and found everything we needed. We headed back to the campsite to fix our campsite. Thank goodness for Matt, I wouldn't have had any idea what I was doing otherwise. Tent fixed and the evening of day 3 was spent at Matt & Nikki's house in Longmont. It was a nice, low-key night, with delicious burgers and brats on the grill.
Day 4 was the day of the Wilco show. We all did our own things during the day, most of which I spent doing homework for school. My online class had begun, and luckily (and surprisingly) the campsite had free WI-FI (and free breakfast!). Matt and Nikki met us around 2, so we could head down toward Red Rocks early.
We stopped at a sweet bar on the side of the 2-lane highway - Rocky Flats Lounge - where the bartender was both tending bar and cooked. You could also buy du-rags at this particular bar for $12. It was a Packers bar, and we only stopped there with hopes of seeing the Cubs/Brewers game (we didn't).
We made our way to Red Rocks, were able to park just as a hail/rain storm broke out, leaving everyone in their cars (drinking). Apparently, in Colorado, rain comes and goes in the matter of minutes.... so, luckily, we only were stuck inside the car for about 15 minutes. We drank, we lined up, we ended up in the 10th row for the show. It was an absolutely stunning setting and a rocking concert. I know everyone doesn't get Wilco (in the sense of why they're popular), but if any of those people had attended this show, I would be willing to bet they'd change their tune.
Day 5 - Matt and I went to Chautauqua Park to "hike." I use quotes because I don't hike. Unless it's flat or close to flat terrain. We lasted there about 30 minutes before deciding we'd head up to Nederland. Jen and Kevin joined us for this trip - we stopped at a brewery in Nederland for some drinks and headed back to camp. We had planned on staying until Sunday (Day 6) - but everyone was tired & ready to head home. So, we decided to leave sometime later that evening.
Breaking down camp was sad :(
We ended up back in Chicago by noon the following Sunday, which gave everyone some time to relax before heading back to work the following day.
Overall, a very enjoyable time. The drive wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting - if anything, I suggest anyone who plans on driving that far in one shot, do it over night, and have multiple drivers.
All pics will slowly be added to Facebook...
A following post will focus on my first day at Kid's Work Chicago (which was today!)
Matt and I wanted to camp, the other three sissies wanted to sleep inside. Jen was able to find a campground/mountain lodge combo where we ended up staying.
We left Chicago around 5PM on Monday night, headed to Granville, IL to pick up Kevin. We went for taco night at the local cheap bar before departing for Boulder. We made the trip over night, in one shot. Luckily, with 5 drivers and a minivan, it wasn't too tough, and was quite a bit more comfortable than I anticipated.
We arrived around noon to beautiful weather in Boulder. As soon as Matt and I finished setting up the tent, Jen and I put our suits on, grabbed a couple of cold beers, and headed to the pool. Our first night, we met a couple of Kevin and Jen's local pals out on Pearl Street in downtown Boulder for drinks and dinner.
The first night, there was a bit of a storm. At this point, we also realized the zipper to our tent door no longer worked. Matt fashioned a new type of closure, which seemed to work for the entirety of the day.
Day 2 was spent in Fort Collins, CO touring breweries. We ended up stopping at: Coopersmith, New Belgium, ODells, Ft Collins, & Left Hand Brewery. This was fun, but also seemed like quite a bit of different beers that I didn't necessarily care for. Thankfully, the tour at New Belgium was free and the beer tastings were no more than $4/person at each place.
The evening of day 2, we spent our time around the campsite drinking and playing cards. Until the storm hit. Then, Matt and I cleared out the tent & ended up sleeping in the van for the night.
Day 3 - Jen, Dan and Kevin drove to Rocky Mountain National Park while Matt and I walked the 2.5 miles into Boulder to find some tarps for the tent. Luckily, Boulder is beautiful and they have some great walking paths, so the walk wasn't too bad. We ended up finding an Army-Navy Surplus Store and found everything we needed. We headed back to the campsite to fix our campsite. Thank goodness for Matt, I wouldn't have had any idea what I was doing otherwise. Tent fixed and the evening of day 3 was spent at Matt & Nikki's house in Longmont. It was a nice, low-key night, with delicious burgers and brats on the grill.
Day 4 was the day of the Wilco show. We all did our own things during the day, most of which I spent doing homework for school. My online class had begun, and luckily (and surprisingly) the campsite had free WI-FI (and free breakfast!). Matt and Nikki met us around 2, so we could head down toward Red Rocks early.
We stopped at a sweet bar on the side of the 2-lane highway - Rocky Flats Lounge - where the bartender was both tending bar and cooked. You could also buy du-rags at this particular bar for $12. It was a Packers bar, and we only stopped there with hopes of seeing the Cubs/Brewers game (we didn't).
We made our way to Red Rocks, were able to park just as a hail/rain storm broke out, leaving everyone in their cars (drinking). Apparently, in Colorado, rain comes and goes in the matter of minutes.... so, luckily, we only were stuck inside the car for about 15 minutes. We drank, we lined up, we ended up in the 10th row for the show. It was an absolutely stunning setting and a rocking concert. I know everyone doesn't get Wilco (in the sense of why they're popular), but if any of those people had attended this show, I would be willing to bet they'd change their tune.
Day 5 - Matt and I went to Chautauqua Park to "hike." I use quotes because I don't hike. Unless it's flat or close to flat terrain. We lasted there about 30 minutes before deciding we'd head up to Nederland. Jen and Kevin joined us for this trip - we stopped at a brewery in Nederland for some drinks and headed back to camp. We had planned on staying until Sunday (Day 6) - but everyone was tired & ready to head home. So, we decided to leave sometime later that evening.
Breaking down camp was sad :(
We ended up back in Chicago by noon the following Sunday, which gave everyone some time to relax before heading back to work the following day.
Overall, a very enjoyable time. The drive wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting - if anything, I suggest anyone who plans on driving that far in one shot, do it over night, and have multiple drivers.
All pics will slowly be added to Facebook...
A following post will focus on my first day at Kid's Work Chicago (which was today!)
22 June 2009
2 week between jobs - First weekend
So, my last day at CSG was Thursday, June 18th. I had a happy hour with some coworkers, which ended up sort of weird, in that, much fewer people showed than I expected. Not that I expected everyone in the office to show up, but if someone I expected to show didn't stop by and tell me they couldn't make it, I assumed they'd be there. Either way, I should focus on those who did come, and be thankful for having their friendships... so, here's to them!
Friday, I went to the Cubs/Indians game. This was Kerry Wood and Mark DeRosa's first game back at Wrigley. DeRosa batted second in the game and received a resounding standing ovation. It was pretty neat. Wood came into the game in the 9th, and unfortunately (well, fortunately for us Cub fans, I guess) gave up a game-tying homerun to D Lee in the bottom of the 9th. Wood did receive a similar standing ovation when he was announced as he was coming into the ballgame.
Saturday, I again had Cubs tickets, this time in the bleachers. My friend Jen joined me, as I treated her for her birthday (which was back in March, but whatever). It was the first nice day of the season, of which I received a slight sunburn despite wearing sunblock. She and I had a couple of frozen drinks, but ended up chugging water for the majority of the game. We were a little affected by the heat & even had to take breaks to be in the shade.
Saturday night, my friend Sean flew in from Phoenix, for a few days of vacation in Chicago prior to heading to Detroit for our friend Chris's's's's wedding. We ended up at a street fest around Southport and Fullerton. Luckily, we are liars and cheaters, and we snuck in our own beers (beers were somewhat reasonable at $5, but still). After having to pay $10 (suggested donation, which was being collected by people at the gate.... and didn't seem so suggested, as they asked everyone for it). We only stuck around for a few hours, as the band (Mike & Joe) wasn't really our style.
Sunday was spent in the beer garden at Justin's. One of my favorite places in the city during the summer. Cheap $12 pitchers of 312, surrounded by friends, sitting outside = good times.
Today, Sean and I went to Hot Doug's for lunch. I had never been, and apparently this place is the best hotdog/encased meats place in Chicago. The line is typically out the door and can take anywhere from 2o minutes (non-high traffic time middle of the week) to 3 hours (weekend, lunchtime). We ended up waiting about 40 minutes in line (which was out the door). I tried and enjoyed the bacon cheeseburger pork sausage.
I've got the rest of the week to start going through things in the apartment, to get laundry done, to find a sweater top for my dress for Chris's's's's wedding, and just do a general cleanup of our apartment (as they're likely going to start showing it to potential clients).
Sean is currently out on a mandate and Matt is at Moody Bible to watch some Illinois recruits play basketball. I will celebrate this small time alone by making a drink.
Cheers.
Friday, I went to the Cubs/Indians game. This was Kerry Wood and Mark DeRosa's first game back at Wrigley. DeRosa batted second in the game and received a resounding standing ovation. It was pretty neat. Wood came into the game in the 9th, and unfortunately (well, fortunately for us Cub fans, I guess) gave up a game-tying homerun to D Lee in the bottom of the 9th. Wood did receive a similar standing ovation when he was announced as he was coming into the ballgame.
Saturday, I again had Cubs tickets, this time in the bleachers. My friend Jen joined me, as I treated her for her birthday (which was back in March, but whatever). It was the first nice day of the season, of which I received a slight sunburn despite wearing sunblock. She and I had a couple of frozen drinks, but ended up chugging water for the majority of the game. We were a little affected by the heat & even had to take breaks to be in the shade.
Saturday night, my friend Sean flew in from Phoenix, for a few days of vacation in Chicago prior to heading to Detroit for our friend Chris's's's's wedding. We ended up at a street fest around Southport and Fullerton. Luckily, we are liars and cheaters, and we snuck in our own beers (beers were somewhat reasonable at $5, but still). After having to pay $10 (suggested donation, which was being collected by people at the gate.... and didn't seem so suggested, as they asked everyone for it). We only stuck around for a few hours, as the band (Mike & Joe) wasn't really our style.
Sunday was spent in the beer garden at Justin's. One of my favorite places in the city during the summer. Cheap $12 pitchers of 312, surrounded by friends, sitting outside = good times.
Today, Sean and I went to Hot Doug's for lunch. I had never been, and apparently this place is the best hotdog/encased meats place in Chicago. The line is typically out the door and can take anywhere from 2o minutes (non-high traffic time middle of the week) to 3 hours (weekend, lunchtime). We ended up waiting about 40 minutes in line (which was out the door). I tried and enjoyed the bacon cheeseburger pork sausage.
I've got the rest of the week to start going through things in the apartment, to get laundry done, to find a sweater top for my dress for Chris's's's's wedding, and just do a general cleanup of our apartment (as they're likely going to start showing it to potential clients).
Sean is currently out on a mandate and Matt is at Moody Bible to watch some Illinois recruits play basketball. I will celebrate this small time alone by making a drink.
Cheers.
17 June 2009
I don't care if Chicagoans are considered mean
Last night, I was a mean Chicagoan.
NeoCon was at the Merchandise Mart. NeoCon is a huge office furniture/technology convention that brings folks in by the droves. It's a really cool show, but crowds the city of Chicago with know-nothings.
The Merchandise Mart has a spot on their second floor where you can board a train across the river and into the Loop.
The entrance area directly in front of all of the turnstiles was mobbed with people, seemingly those who had never ridden public transportation before.
There were people crowded around, making little to no attempt to form a line in front of the two ticket machines.
Those who tried to board via the turnstiles were either trying to use money, tapping their card incorrectly, or fiddling with their card, not knowing which direction it goes into the slot (despite a very descriptive picture directly next to the slot).
Once I was able to push my way through one of the turnstiles, after many passive aggressive sighs, I was once again confronted by the idiots.
There are 2 revolving doors leading to the train platform.
I could hear a train coming as I was going through the turnstile, and was in a bit of a rush to board because I was on my way to class.
People stopped directly in front of both revolving doors.
I'm talking stopped.
One person actually stepped into one of the doors and stopped there.
Are you effing kidding me?!
I ended up pushing past more idiots, racing toward the quickly-closing doors on the train. I almost missed the train.
I can understand being new to the city and not understanding how the public transportation works. I don't expect people from out of town to be expert transit riders. I do expect them to at least take a bit of time to educate themselves on the trains prior to arriving at the train. Would people just start driving toward an unfamiliar destination without at least looking at a map? I'd find that hard to believe. The other thing that annoyed me was everyone's complete lack of understanding that they were creating an issue for other people. It was complete obliviousness. This maddens me any time it happens.
I have since calmed down.
NeoCon was at the Merchandise Mart. NeoCon is a huge office furniture/technology convention that brings folks in by the droves. It's a really cool show, but crowds the city of Chicago with know-nothings.
The Merchandise Mart has a spot on their second floor where you can board a train across the river and into the Loop.
The entrance area directly in front of all of the turnstiles was mobbed with people, seemingly those who had never ridden public transportation before.
There were people crowded around, making little to no attempt to form a line in front of the two ticket machines.
Those who tried to board via the turnstiles were either trying to use money, tapping their card incorrectly, or fiddling with their card, not knowing which direction it goes into the slot (despite a very descriptive picture directly next to the slot).
Once I was able to push my way through one of the turnstiles, after many passive aggressive sighs, I was once again confronted by the idiots.
There are 2 revolving doors leading to the train platform.
I could hear a train coming as I was going through the turnstile, and was in a bit of a rush to board because I was on my way to class.
People stopped directly in front of both revolving doors.
I'm talking stopped.
One person actually stepped into one of the doors and stopped there.
Are you effing kidding me?!
I ended up pushing past more idiots, racing toward the quickly-closing doors on the train. I almost missed the train.
I can understand being new to the city and not understanding how the public transportation works. I don't expect people from out of town to be expert transit riders. I do expect them to at least take a bit of time to educate themselves on the trains prior to arriving at the train. Would people just start driving toward an unfamiliar destination without at least looking at a map? I'd find that hard to believe. The other thing that annoyed me was everyone's complete lack of understanding that they were creating an issue for other people. It was complete obliviousness. This maddens me any time it happens.
I have since calmed down.
12 June 2009
I eat alone
Now, I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing, but I eat lunch alone. I can count on my hand the number of times I've been invited to eat lunch with someone at my office (well, this isn't true. Teri and I used to go to lunch. Additionally, the IT guy and I usually go out and grab lunch, but usually bring it back and eat it at our respective desks).
In any case, I usually eat lunch at my desk, or outside during the summer. I actually prefer to be alone at times like lunch and riding the train to and from work. It's my time to relax and be away from the folks at work. Not that I mind them, I just like being alone I guess.
That said, it still bothers me that people didn't invite me to lunch more often. Even though my likely answer would have been "no," I would have liked to have been asked. Being that it's my last week at my current company, I'd assume it *might* happen now. So far, it hasn't.
I don't even know why I felt the need to write this post, other than running into people from my office at Millennium Park. I put forth effort to avoid them at all costs, even though I find them to be generally nice people. I just didn't want to see them, or for them to see me, and then think, "how sad, Amber's eating alone."
Today is also my last Friday in this office. Odd.
In any case, I usually eat lunch at my desk, or outside during the summer. I actually prefer to be alone at times like lunch and riding the train to and from work. It's my time to relax and be away from the folks at work. Not that I mind them, I just like being alone I guess.
That said, it still bothers me that people didn't invite me to lunch more often. Even though my likely answer would have been "no," I would have liked to have been asked. Being that it's my last week at my current company, I'd assume it *might* happen now. So far, it hasn't.
I don't even know why I felt the need to write this post, other than running into people from my office at Millennium Park. I put forth effort to avoid them at all costs, even though I find them to be generally nice people. I just didn't want to see them, or for them to see me, and then think, "how sad, Amber's eating alone."
Today is also my last Friday in this office. Odd.
07 June 2009
9 Days
I have 9 days left at CSG Systems. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't freaking out a little bit. My focus over the course of my decision-making was mostly on how beneficial the change will be for me. I haven't forgotten about that, but I'm starting to face reality. My new job does not provide health insurance. I'm meeting with our HR department sometime this week to discuss my options. I'm hoping COBRA will be financially feasible, as I can't afford to not have insurance. I may also look into getting individual coverage from a place like Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
I will be starting off working part-time, which will be excellent in the summer. It'll also help me better balance school with work. I'm going to give it a couple weeks before I make a decision on picking up a second part-time job. I think it'd be fun to work in a beer garden or restaurant, but I don't know how well that'll fit in with my school schedule.
Back to the topic of this post though, I'm almost finished at CSG. A place I've been going every day (for the most part) for the past 5 years. We moved buildings in February of 2008, but this new building lends as much memories as the old one. I'm going to miss the people I like. I'm going to miss the flexibility of the job. I'm going to miss the outings. I'm not going to miss being treated the way I was. I never felt like many of the people gave me the opportunity to show them who I was, and that I'm not some dumb girl who answers the phone. My job was so much more than that, and my skill set is so much more than I was ever able to use.
After listing the things above, I'm most going to miss being downtown. The ability to grab some food and eat outside shouldn't be taken for granted. I'll miss eating with Matt by the river. I'll miss eating at many places within Millennium Park. I'll miss being able to quickly head out and shop (and I'm not even much of a shopper). I know once I'm in the new position, I'll have other things that I didn't even know I'd miss.
Nine days.
I will be starting off working part-time, which will be excellent in the summer. It'll also help me better balance school with work. I'm going to give it a couple weeks before I make a decision on picking up a second part-time job. I think it'd be fun to work in a beer garden or restaurant, but I don't know how well that'll fit in with my school schedule.
Back to the topic of this post though, I'm almost finished at CSG. A place I've been going every day (for the most part) for the past 5 years. We moved buildings in February of 2008, but this new building lends as much memories as the old one. I'm going to miss the people I like. I'm going to miss the flexibility of the job. I'm going to miss the outings. I'm not going to miss being treated the way I was. I never felt like many of the people gave me the opportunity to show them who I was, and that I'm not some dumb girl who answers the phone. My job was so much more than that, and my skill set is so much more than I was ever able to use.
After listing the things above, I'm most going to miss being downtown. The ability to grab some food and eat outside shouldn't be taken for granted. I'll miss eating with Matt by the river. I'll miss eating at many places within Millennium Park. I'll miss being able to quickly head out and shop (and I'm not even much of a shopper). I know once I'm in the new position, I'll have other things that I didn't even know I'd miss.
Nine days.
02 June 2009
Well, that was weird
After a forgotten resignation letter, a rewritten resignation letter & some nerves, I resigned from CSG yesterday, effective June 18th.
When I finally worked up the nerve to call my manager (she's in our Denver office), I was shaking and a little bit sweaty. It was really odd. When I called, she didn't answer, so I had to figure out how to leave a casual voice mail without sounding like I was resigning. She immediately called back, which was probably good for my nerves.
I explained why I was making the decision (school/career change), and it seemed to be ok from there. My manager told me that she thought I was overqualified for the position and that I was definitely under utilizing my skill set.
I've only told 2 people here so far - one who will be greatly affected by my departure, and one who I consider my closest friend here. If it were up to me, I wouldn't tell anyone until 4PM the day I left. I dislike enough people here (as a result of their treatment of me) that I'd like to see them run this place without me. That said, I lack the actual ability to leave people SOL. So, over the course of the next few weeks, I will work with my manager to create a transition plan, in hopes of making my departure as seamless as possible. (But it will be nice to hear if the slightest thing goes wrong, it'll at least show me that I meant something here).
Anyway, I've got about 12 1/2 days left here. Wow.
When I finally worked up the nerve to call my manager (she's in our Denver office), I was shaking and a little bit sweaty. It was really odd. When I called, she didn't answer, so I had to figure out how to leave a casual voice mail without sounding like I was resigning. She immediately called back, which was probably good for my nerves.
I explained why I was making the decision (school/career change), and it seemed to be ok from there. My manager told me that she thought I was overqualified for the position and that I was definitely under utilizing my skill set.
I've only told 2 people here so far - one who will be greatly affected by my departure, and one who I consider my closest friend here. If it were up to me, I wouldn't tell anyone until 4PM the day I left. I dislike enough people here (as a result of their treatment of me) that I'd like to see them run this place without me. That said, I lack the actual ability to leave people SOL. So, over the course of the next few weeks, I will work with my manager to create a transition plan, in hopes of making my departure as seamless as possible. (But it will be nice to hear if the slightest thing goes wrong, it'll at least show me that I meant something here).
Anyway, I've got about 12 1/2 days left here. Wow.
29 May 2009
Friday night in Chicago
I spent the night in tonight. Matt is in Wisconsin with his dad, and I had homework to do. I decided I would also do a load of laundry while doing homework (mostly as a part of my procrastination - after fixing and rehanging a mirror and trying on different dresses for an upcoming wedding), but I digress.
As I walked through the alley to get to the laundry room door of my building (yes, I have to go outside) I noticed someone laying behind a couple of garbage cans. He moved a little and woke up when I walked by, looking a bit startled.
I decided to walk back into the apartment using the front door. Not because I was afraid of the guy, but because I wanted him to not feel threatened by someone walking by.
As I returned to homework, I sit at a desk in front of a window. The window faces the alley. I stood up and tried to see if I could see him from where I was sitting. I couldn't. But I also couldn't stop thinking about him. I decided when I walked back down to change my laundry over to the dryer I'd bring him something to eat and drink.
I found a Lean Cuisine chicken sandwich in the freezer, so I decided that'd be quick to make, even if it didn't taste the best. I made it, wrapped it in aluminum foil, grabbed a can of Old Style, and headed down through the alley.
The man was no longer there. I left the sandwich and the beer where he was, though, in case he came back. Or in case anyone came by needing a meal or a beer.
It really sucks that people have to sleep in alleys. It sucks that they don't feel safe, even if others are more afraid of them. I need to do something to help, more than just leaving a sandwich or buying a stranger with a sign a meal.
As I walked through the alley to get to the laundry room door of my building (yes, I have to go outside) I noticed someone laying behind a couple of garbage cans. He moved a little and woke up when I walked by, looking a bit startled.
I decided to walk back into the apartment using the front door. Not because I was afraid of the guy, but because I wanted him to not feel threatened by someone walking by.
As I returned to homework, I sit at a desk in front of a window. The window faces the alley. I stood up and tried to see if I could see him from where I was sitting. I couldn't. But I also couldn't stop thinking about him. I decided when I walked back down to change my laundry over to the dryer I'd bring him something to eat and drink.
I found a Lean Cuisine chicken sandwich in the freezer, so I decided that'd be quick to make, even if it didn't taste the best. I made it, wrapped it in aluminum foil, grabbed a can of Old Style, and headed down through the alley.
The man was no longer there. I left the sandwich and the beer where he was, though, in case he came back. Or in case anyone came by needing a meal or a beer.
It really sucks that people have to sleep in alleys. It sucks that they don't feel safe, even if others are more afraid of them. I need to do something to help, more than just leaving a sandwich or buying a stranger with a sign a meal.
27 May 2009
Well, I guess I should stop trying
So, I had been thinking about home and how my mom was doing, since I never heard back about the Mother's Day card that I sent. I went to AOL and wrote her an email, putting in both email addresses that I have for her. When I clicked send, this happened:
So, that was like a punch to the gut. But I didn't give up, I just went to my gmail account, copy and pasted the email, and sent it from there. No more than 30 seconds later, I received 2 bounce-back emails, stating the same error message about not accepting email from that account.
Well, I hope she's doing ok. I'm probably kidding myself in thinking that someone else put the blocks up, but you never know. Sort of sad, really.
So, that was like a punch to the gut. But I didn't give up, I just went to my gmail account, copy and pasted the email, and sent it from there. No more than 30 seconds later, I received 2 bounce-back emails, stating the same error message about not accepting email from that account.Well, I hope she's doing ok. I'm probably kidding myself in thinking that someone else put the blocks up, but you never know. Sort of sad, really.
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