Mission Oak Inn

We made it to our destination. It's a relatively new bed and breakfast called Mission Oaks Inn outside of Henry, Illinois. It is surrounded by nothing but farmland and it is connected to larger roadways by a dirt road. It was wonderful to only hear wind and birds when we got out of the car. The picture is the view from our room. The lake is man made with water diverted from a nearby creek. All of the land visible in the picture is owned by the proprietors so I expect that we'll be taking some walks, weather permitting.

A Happy Pre-Thanksgiving

Finally I'm on vacation. They let us go a couple hours early from work today but while I was there we had some fun. Curtis was scoring audio for a new product demo video, so I was able to sit in and play the bass track for it. If it ever shows up on the web somewhere, I'll link it. I know that it's just a small potatoes demo but I'm proud of it anyway. Despite the fact that I'm not much of a bass player, I can hold my own on simpler tracks.

Last weekend, we hosted a pre-Thanksgiving dinner for two couples, Autumn and Claudiu and Todd and Andi, with which we are friends. Amy and I spent most of last weekend either shopping for the food and cleaning the house or preparing the meal. When it comes to the meal, I like to help, but I like it better when Amy is in charge. I don't mind following orders in the kitchen, just don't leave it to me to decide what to do!

As for the meal, we made a pretty traditional feast with the standard foods like turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and some home cooked bread. The stuffing is my new favorite and has been since our first Thanksgiving in Chicago. Amy found the recipe which includes the standard ingredients plus carrots and apples and some other stuff that I'm probably forgetting. The salty/sweet combination of the spices and the apples is delicious and I look forward to it every year now.

After dinner, we forced Todd and Andi into a game of Bang!. From previous conversations with Todd, I know that they're not much for games because that's what I've been told, but I think they had a fun time anyway. As a reward for their graciousness in allowing me to subject them to a game like Bang!, we played a few rounds of Catch Phrase, too. I'm just that kind of guy!

To all that stop by here, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

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Now playing: Bob Dylan - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
via FoxyTunes

Composer/Sound Designer

I can't wait for Thanksgiving. Amy and I are going away that weekend and it will be the first vacation I've had since March. I've had a good amount of time off from work since then, but I wouldn't call any of it vacation proper or even fun for that matter. We're using this built-in paid vacation time to have our last trip alone together for awhile.

Speaking of work, I finally got the title change I've been asking for over the past couple of years so I can officially call myself Composer/Sound Designer on my résumé. Fortunately for me, the title change probably padded the raise that I received above the currently skim offerings that seem to have persisted a bit longer than what I'd heard previously predicted. All things being what they are, though, I'm mostly satisfied where I am despite some of aspects of the place that I don't care for much.

MGC 2007, Milwaukee

Last weekend, Amy had a class in Milwaukee so I went with her. While she was in class on Saturday, I headed out to the Midwest Gaming Classic. I think I had more fun last year, but it probably has to do with the fact that I was by myself this year. It's always more fun to play with someone. Although, I did get a couple of high scores that lasted for a while, one on a fast Ms. Pac-Man machine and the other on a Star Wars cabinet. There weren't as many old arcade games as there were last year and it seemed like there was at least one pinball machine vendor missing as the gaming section of the main hall had a good portion of the inside row empty. All in all, though, I stayed for about five hours and had a good time.

The rest of the weekend was spent just hanging out in downtown Milwaukee, checking out a few restaurants and taking in some of the sites. Sunday morning, we ate breakfast outside in the warm sunshine which was wonderful. I hate being cooped up in a dark office all week, but it's the price I pay for a relatively entertaining job. For now at least, anyway.

Nashville

Amy and I took a trip to Nashville, Tennessee last weekend as a present for my birthday. I had never been there because it's only been in the last five years or so that I've developed a taste for bluegrass music and older country music like Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, and Hank Williams. I still maintain my general distaste for popular country as I think it sounds like bland pop rock with an accent. But, despite my genre quibbling, I can still respect the songwriters and musicians that play the music and it was a treat to go see and hear musicians playing the music live.

One of the sites we visited was the Ryman Auditorium which was the old home to the Grand Ole Opry before it closed in the early 1970s. Apparently, back in the early days, people would bring their picnic lunches in the concert hall and eat them during the concert. One artist was quoted recalling the aroma of fried chicken permeating the auditorium on Friday nights.



Just a block or so away from our hotel was Cooter's, a gift shop/museum of Dukes of Hazzard memorabilia. We stopped in just to check it out. It was kind of cool to see all of the stuff that a collector would drool over although I'm not that person. However, it was fun to see some of the toys I had as a kid that were marketed with the show.


On our way home, we stopped by a little fun park in Kentucky that Amy had remembered going to in 1982 when her family to the World's Fair. She could vividly recall her frightened trip down an alpine slide, so we stopped by to let her relive the memory. It was a fun ride, but I think the park might need to thing about a re-branding. I mean, I know they're in Kentucky, but other meanings that one could get from the name are perhaps colorful to put it one way.


Speaking of re-branding, there was this just across the road.


It was closed permanently, but their were still remnants of a dilapidated mini golf course with broken fiberglass statues of Jesus and other major biblical figures. I could only assume that they were part of the challenges that at one time lay ahead for any good God fearing mini golfer who liked the idea of getting some good family time and maybe a vanilla ice cream cone at the site of a crucifixion.

Weekend Wrap-up

Amy and I spent most of our relaxing weekend in Union Pier, Michigan. We spent time sitting on the beach, riding our bicycles around the area, and lounging in or outside of our room. We had a balcony, so if we were at the house in the evenings we could sit outside and look at the night sky.

I really did not want to come home on Monday, but come home we did. Once we returned, we spent most of yesterday cleaning the kitchen out in preperation for its demolition tomorrow. Tonight we will cover the living room furniture in plastic to stave off some of the inevitable dust. The electrician will also begin work tomorrow afternoon. If all goes smoothly, the cabinets will all be installed next Tuesday. I'll be taking pictures of the transformation, so hopefully, if you are interested, I can send the collection when the project is done.

Finally, we had the opportunity to see a couple of movies over the weekend, Three Extremes and Dark Days, both of which I can recommend.

All Seven And We'll Watch Them Fall

Today is our seventh wedding anniversary. Amy and I have been officially married longer than we dated, which is probably quite a feat. To celebrate, we left work on Friday and travelled to East Troy, Wisconsin to get away from our normal surroundings for a couple of days. We had reserved a room in a small bed and breakfast and were to be the only guests for the entire weekend. Needless to say, one of us spent most of the weekend in bed.

Now, before that makes you blush or utter "Eewww," I'll tell you that Amy ended up getting the flu on Friday night. When we arrived, she told me how she hadn't been feeling well that day, but that she was trying her best to keep the virus at bay with Coldeez and orange juice for the weekend. It didn't work. We went to sleep early that night and she tossed and turned as her sore thoat kept her awake.

So, after a relatively uncomfortable night, we made the decision to cut the weekend short. We checked out early, apologized to the proprietors, and drove home rather disappointed. Amy spent most of what remained of the weekend in bed whle I did the laundry, made a quick grocery shopping trip, tried my best to spoil her, and played video games. Oh well. We'll probably pick another weekend to go in lieu of this past one, but I sure wish we'd been able to enjoy this one instead.

Regardless, thanks for sharing the past 13 years of my life with me, Amy, especially the last seven we've spent as a married couple. You've been very supportive of me though everything, especially the first few rough years when I never knew what would happen next. I love you.

Best Last Week of 2005 Ever

Happy New Year to the Green! The holiday coma is now over and I can return to living my normal, boring, day-to-day life. Amy was not feeling well over the actual Christams holiday so it was pretty quiet around our house. I spent some time playing the copy of F.E.A.R. that Amy got me for Christmas as well as Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel Without a Pulse that was given to me by her parents. Stubbs is indeed short, but being a huge fan of zombies, I'm having a blast with the game. The fact that it has split-screen co-op mode for the Xbox is an added bonus as I can force Amy to play with me.

After the following work week, Amy and I went to Vern and Wendy's last Friday night for an evening of tabletop gaming. It was good to hang out with Vern again. I haven't seen him since he left for LucasArts five years ago and due to life getting in the way, I'd never actually met Wendy before they left. Anyway, we played some games I'd never heard of because I don't usually run in the tabletop gaming circles like Settlers of Catan, Around the World in 80 Days, and Starship Jeff.

Since I couldn't find a link for SJ, I'll try to briefly explain it. Jeff was an interesting card game that involved the construction of a starship based on cards with segments of a starship printed on them. The player that finishes the starship so that no other cards can be played to further expand the ship is the winner. The incentive for greater strategy occurs through the use of a penny poker system of rent paid to other players based on where you play your cards. You pay a penny (or in our case a dime) to each player for every one of their cards that exists between your played card and your nearest card in the starship by travelling the shortest distance. Trust me, it's a lot simpler than it sounds. It's too bad I couldn't find it online or I might have bought a copy. Needless to say, neither or Amy or I won any of the games because we'd never played them before, but we did win a game at the end of the night that required us to use a net to catch as many plastic butterflies that squirted out of an elephants nose as we could before they were all gone. Strategy, shmategy.

The next morning, we picked Rachel and Ian up at the airport and they stayed with us through the new year holidays. We went to Evanston's First Night celebrations, but I found them to be overcrowded in general. The first three of four events that we tried to see were full by the time we got there so we felt like we had essentially paid $14 per person to walk around Evanston, which we could have done for free. When Amy and I had attended the same event in 2004, we were able to walk into any event at any point without an issue, so this year's shutout was a little off-putting. I'm not sure I want to go back now, despite the fact that we were able to see a few things that we wanted to see after our initial efforts to get into some events were turned down. We also took an excursion to the Field Museum on Monday that was interesting. The Field was the only museum to which Amy and I had never been so it was good to finally get a reason to go. I now have a new nickname for Rachel that I learned at the museum. Her new nickname is Luvon, which is short for Luvon Warty Pig, an example of a breed of wild pig that was on display at the museum. Education is an amazing tool.

In other news, Jeff, the ex-pastor of our church, his wife Jen, and their kids finally made their move to Indiana on January 2nd. It will be a strange transition getting accustomed to their absence. They were interesting people and Amy and I enjoyed spending time with them when we could. Jeff and I shared an interest in Commodore stuff and he even showed me how to win Impossible Mission once, although I think I'd be hard-pressed to actually pull it off. Best wishes, Jeff and Jen.

Killer Road Trip

For the four people who read these ramblings, I apologize that November was a slow month for posts. But, I was so busy with other things that posting just kind of went away and hid under a bed for awhile.

After I finished building my new computer, Amy and I packed up our belongings and partied east coast stylee in VA Beach (prounounced "vuh-beech", as Mike Parker always used to say). Adam and Theresa's wedding festivities went well and if you're curious about any of the goings on, please email me. I'd love to document what happened, but despite the lack of huge readership on this blog, I'd feel a little weird about making it all so public. Besides, if you're one of those four people I mentioned before, you probably already know all of the fun, juicy stuff anyway.

The week after wedding was Thanksgiving so Amy and I spent that time with family in PA since we were already over that way. It had been colder than normal in Virginia, but when we got to PA it did nothing but snow. At least, in my memory it did nothing but snow. On Thanksgiving Day proper, while traveling to Amy's grandparents house, we actually had to pull off of the road for about 10-15 minutes due to white-out conditions. I couldn't see anything beyond the hood of our borrowed car. No thanks.

Speaking of traveling mishaps, I've never felt safer on a plane than when I was in the cab on our return trip home from the airport. As we were pulling away from the terminal, navigating the tangled S-curves that lead traffic away from the airport, the driver's phone rang. He was looking for it but couldn't find it. Amy spotted the phone and tried to hand it to him, thrusting his arm well in front of his field of vision so that he could easily see it without looking around. However, as Amy exclaimed that she had his phone, he turned his entire torso toward the back seat. At that point the cab promptly careened into another cab in the adjacent lane. It was just a small dent and some paint so after a few minutes and exchanged insurance information we were on our way home again. The rest of the trip was only mildly harrowing, but it was not without a race against some falling railroad crossing gates. If I hadn't been so tired, I might have kissed the asphalt of our driveway when we pulled up to the house.

So, now that we've been home for just over a week, the Christmas tree is up and the lights are on the bushes outside or front window, complete with a frosty covering of fresh snow. I'm bored. When's my next vacation?

Labor Day Weekend 2005

I can now add water skiing to the list of athletic activities at which I am terrible. One might argue that I've only tried once; however, while that is very true, it is still hard for me to accept that I have little to no ability to be dragged through the water by a boat. Honestly, once I passed the age of 25 without having tried water skiing, I thought I would never get the opportunity. But, Marilyn, one of Amy's past coworkers invited us to her and her husband Dennis' home this Labor Day weekend and assured us that we would be trying on our first set of skis.

Not long after our arrival, Dennis took us on a quick tour around part of the lake. Not many other boats were out at that time, but we got a very nice view of the surrounding area. The evening was cool and the breeze on the lake was pleasant. I haven't felt that relaxed in quite some time. My state of relaxation ended abruptly, however, once the ladies crushed Dennis and I 3-0 in a small bout of 8-ball billiards. It was really 1-2 in our favor, though. One's opponents scratching on the eight ball shot isn't really a win.

The next day after a good bicycle ride around the lake, we were out on the water. Dennis drove the boat to a relatively unpopulated end of the lake and Amy volunteered to take the first run. She began to have second thoughts, or so it seemed, as she lowered herself into the water, although from the expression on her face, I doubt her hesitation had much to do with any fear of water skiing. Her reluctance to get in was soon forgotten, however, as she attempted a successful ski run.

Her first couple of tries were as anyone might expect. She was getting used to feeling of being dragged by the boat and trying to determine the optimal positioning for her body weight in order to avoid further dives into the water. As you can see in the adjacent picture, she almost made it up. She was so very close that time. I really thought she was going to make it up. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that that was her best attempt. Suffice to say, though, that's about as far as each of us made it on any attempt. I also tried as well as I could, but I quickly determined where my true skills lie:


So, despite our first few unsuccessful attempts at an amateur water skiing career, we had a fantastic time visiting with Dennis and Marilyn. It will be difficult to go back to work tomorrow, but thanks to this picture of Fuji the dog, it won't be quite as difficult. If Marilyn and Dennis will have us back, we can't wait to try skiing again next time. As long as our forearms aren't still aching and I can once again open a soda can or snap my fingers without flinching, I'll be ready to go. Thanks again to Marilyn and Dennis for having us as guests!

Money Well Spent

As I stated last time, Amy's uncle and his family were in the Chicagoland area last weekend, which made for a packed 48 hours of visiting some of the local tourist attractions as well as the Museum of Science and Industry. They checked out the view of Chicago from the top of the Sears Tower and took in the Lincoln Park Zoo as well. They had been more interested in seeing the view of the city from the John Hancock Observatory, but that location was booked with some event that closed it to general public. Of course, there was no obvious notification of that fact in any particularly visible place, so we ended up paying a total of $22 to park in their garage for 20 minutes while we tried to get that amount refunded to us after discovering that the Observatory was closed. We did not, in fact, get any money refunded to us immediately, but we're sending a letter to some individual that could do so (or so we've been told). I refuse to hold my breath until the check arrives. The real twist lies in the fact that I couldn't care less if I ever go up in one of those two big buildings ever again as I've been up to the top of each of them twice.

I have a three day weekend coming up after tomorrow to which I am looking forward with great anticipation. The short vacation is of my own design and not part of my company's standard vacation allotment. I haven't actually taken a full day off to do something other than travel to Pennsylvania since I started working in February so perhaps lethargy will indeed be on the menu!

Currently listening to: R.E.M., The Apologist

//I can't help but comment on that particular review which seems to echo the general consensus on this particular R.E.M. album. The focus of this album is apparently on the production rather than songcraft. Maybe this is just my perspective as someone who views the studio as an instrument speaking, but I don't understand why that makes it a lesser album in the R.E.M. catalog. This album is dripping with a muddled, melancholy attitude that still maintains R.E.M.'s signature voice both lyrically and musically. It is not the strongest album in R.E.M's repertoire (I personally feel that title belongs to 'Reveal', which oddly received a warmer critical welcome), but I will always defend this album's ranking among the naysayers. Like any new flavor, it needs to be given a few chances before the palette can truly judge the taste. There's more in it than that which is first apparent.

Long Tall Weekend

Our July 4th weekend was a whirlwind of working, if you can believe that. I left work at 12:30pm on Friday and Amy and I went to Loyola Beach for a picnic. We sat on a blanket under one of the trees in the park by the beach while we ate lunch and then moved to the sand to get warm for a while. It was a beautiful day and very relaxing. Then on Saturday we began the packing process in preparation for our move. We packed and cleaned almost all day. We also sent some flowers home for my parents because they had to put their dog Sally to sleep. Her health had been declining rapidly and with other injuries encroaching, her quality of life was no longer acceptable. Bye bye, Sal. We'll miss you.

On Sunday I led the church in music as I have done for the past year. It has been been my part time job since last July. After church Amy and I went down to the Taste of Chicago, ate some lunch, and caught a free concert from They Might Be Giants. Then on Monday it was back to packing. We packed 35 boxes this weekend and I was able to get most of our second bedroom into various boxes. That might not seem like a lot, but our second bedroom has been the storage closet for the apartment and as such has held the majority of our stuff for the past few years.

Aside from the 4th of July weekend, I have neglected to mention that Chadd Portwine had my name included in the in-game credits for Liesure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude for the audio work I did on the project. I'm elated. Make sure you rent the game if possible (Xbox/PS2/PC) and check out the credits.

Currently listening to: .tape., Sea-Scaping Monthly

Weekend Getaway (Slowly)

Amy and I went home for Rachel's wedding shower and Ian's bachelor party respectively. Joel and I took Ian to Dave and Buster's at the Waterfront in Homestead, blew a wad of cash, and had a great time in the process. There were only three of us, which was a bit of a disappointment. However, those that could not attend weren't simply no-shows. In fact, two out of the missing four were at another wedding. Both Ron and Ben were attending Ben's brother Chris' wedding. Adam couldn't make it due to his schedule and Jason was sick. They missed out on a good time, but nothing too wild. Our bachelor parties tend to be on the tame side as not all of this particular circle of friends imbibe, not to mention that we've never been the locker room bragging types, so the thought of a mostly naked stranger thrusting herself at us is not the kind of entertainment we need.

Regardless of how many attended or our lack of stereotypical vices, we had a good time getting together again. I know that some high school friends stay in touch, but I continue to find it amazing that all of us still manage to visit each other and even take group vacations together. It's been eleven years and we still make time for each other despite how slim that time gets. I usually wonder how many other groups of 5-6 high school friends remain that close even when they move across multiple states. I am sure we are not alone.

The drive to Pennsylvania was horrendous this time. Due to some nasty construction traffic, it took 10.5 hours to make a trip that will usually take us 8-8.5 hours. We sat for 2 hours in a virtual parking lot. However, we took a longer detour around the construction on the return trip but later discovered from one of Amy's coworkers who was also traveling west on I-80 to Chicago at approximately the same time that the traffic was merely slow. *sigh*

Now we have been back in Chicago for a few days and all is normal again. The house closing is approaching quickly with just over a month remaining until our move. Also, I have about 5 more weeks of leading the music at our church until I take an extended vacation which will be greatly appreciated. Looking forward...

Currently listening to: Miles Davis, All Blues