It seems there’s a water leak somewhere in my building, resulting in periodic drips from above into my furnace. The building guys are supposedly working on it, but they’ve been doing that for a week.
Ah, the drawbacks of home ownership.
I usually work from home, but as they were talking about putting holes in my walls “to find the leak”, I’m camped out around the corner taking advantage of free wi-fi.
Holiday driving has been complete for a while and I’m just up to writing a blog entry about the whole messy affair. Loot given and loot received was excellent, although some large items still need to be shipped. My dad, always the hardest to shop for, just got a Visa cash card.
I’ve been unable to shake this exhaustion since I finished the holiday road trip. It could be that I have a mountain of work building up and I’m not all that motivated to get it done. On the other hand, it could be all the chemical enhancement that comes along with the holidays.
Either way, I need a nap.
I’m just not getting these commercials. Shame on you, Nike, for trying to confuse me during the holidays.
The weekend before xmas: manic shoppers, packed lines, rushed traffic. I was able to avoid the entire Clybourne & North Ave. mess by heading to Schaumburg on Saturday, where the crowds weren’t bad until the afternoon.
We got to IKEA around 11am where I enforced the no-looking-at-stuff-we-don’t-need-rule like a tyrant. Chair and one annoyed girlfriend later, we were off to Costco. I don’t remember what we bought there, only that it was over $200 and took up a lot of room in my car.
Two stores down, time for some beer. We stopped at a brewpub right by Costco and were very disappointed in the quality of food, which is okay because I only went there to hear xmas songs played at ear-distorting volume. So I lucked out.
Shopping is nearly complete, except for my dad, who is quite possibly the hardest person to shop for. And I just remembered one of my colleagues I need to get something for. Damn.
The holidays really ambushed me this year. I just realized the mountain of stuff I need to complete before the weekend of family misery commences. At the very least, I should get some good blogging material out of it.
You expect some heat when you get arrested. Bail, some lawyer fees, probably a fine. You don’t expect the arresting officer to steal your credit cards and go on a $1600 shopping spree for Christmas gifts. (Requires registration)
Having lived in both Detroit and Chicago, I really don’t know which police force is more corrupt.
I haven’t mentioned it before, but I write software for generally despicable clients. It pays well, and there are times when I enjoy it. There are moments when I’d rather farm bananas in Fiji, but those aren’t often. I’ve been freelance for years, enjoying the freedom of not having to shower until I disgust myself.
However, an opportunity presented itself to go back to working for The Man on the other side of the country. Monday-Friday. Office hours. Less pay. Less stress. Potential for IPO. Heard it before? Thought so.
I’ve hated SF the few times I’ve been there, and I can only imagine how well I’d do in the City of Pricks (thanks Wonkette) for two years or more. On the other hand, it’s a good opportunity to work with some smart people. At least I’m told their smart. They could be babbling fools.
So I’m torn. The only thing making me consider it is the temperature change from Chicago to SF. And the ability to golf year-round.
“What’s that smell?”
“It’s the soup.”
“Smells like cat food. You actually eat this?”
“Yeah, it covers the raw sewage taste of the spring roll.”
“Oh. Why do you eat here?”
Winter has settled on Chicago. And it’s cold. Very, very cold. If you’re addicted to something as absurd as golf, you still want to swing through the bitter temps. And let’s be honest: you could use a few lessons. Here’s a partial list of heated golf domes open all winter.
Buffalo Grove Golf Center Dome, 801 McHenry Rd in Buffalo Grove. M: 9am-5pm; T-TH: 9am-10pm; F: 9am-6pm; S-S: 7am-5pm.
Ditka’s Sports Dome, Rt 53 in Bollingbrook. M: 7-6:30; T-F: 7am-11pm; S: 7am-6:30; S: 7am-11pm.
Green Garden Golf Dome, Manhattan-Monee Rd & Center Rd. S-TH: 7am-9pm; F-S: 7am-11pm.
Hoffman Estates Golf Dome. M-F: 7:30am-9:30pm; S-S: 7:30am-8:30pm.
If these places don’t work for you, I swing at White Pines Golf Dome in White Pines. It’s one of the largest domes in the state. Open 7 days a week, 7am-11pm.
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12 29th, 2005| 