Just Like Home

Its good to be back in the windy city. Unfortunately, I had to watch the Bucks put on a poor showing against the Bulls tonight. The bucks are 0-2 when I see them live at the United Center. I can't give much thanks for that, but the chance to see the team live doesn't happen too often these days, so I take what I can get. Anywho, it has been a few days to pile on the Leftover Chinese...Thanksgiving style.

- Getting out of bed at 3:45 am to get to the airport is not as fun as you'd think. I'm serious. All that you've heard about going to sleep and waking up to the exact same amount of sunlight outside is overrated. Another thing not as fun as advertised is smelling booze and cigarettes emanating from folks who just left of a 4 am bar. The end of their night was my morning...and that's a morning smell you don't want to take with you for the rest of the day. Another overrated activity is finding out that the train stations are running a Holiday schedule when the press release says otherwise. I don't know who finds that fun...but a day in the park it is not. The unexpected $30 cab ride to the airport...now that's fun.

- Renting a car is fun. You get to borrow someone else's car and if you have insurance...you can do what you want with it. The most fun thing I did with renting a car was forgoing the insurance payment. I rolled the dice and dropped a lie waiver. In non-vacation circumstances, I've never paid car insurance, so when they told me to list my car insurance company, I blanked. It took me about 45 seconds to think of a random car insurance place....thanks Geico.

- Turkey is good. I look forward to this meal every year. Just pile on the gravy, rice and let the stomach go. It made seeing the Packers lose on Thanksgiving day seem like an afterthought. The best part about turkey is that you get to eat it for about three more days. Every meal.

- Running out of light on the golf course sucks. I had not played since July 4th. Before that, I played on Thanksgiving '02. In cases like this, I need nine holes to shake the rust off, and then I come back with a score I'm used to getting. This time around, I was playing the way I should be doing all the time...but only thorough sixteen holes. The sun shouldn't set at 5pm in Florida. Its not the way the Sunshine is supposed to function.

- My parents can be tough to deal with on vacation. Mother's Obsessive Compulsive tendencies always seem to get worse. Everything seems more dirty to her when she's outside Wisconsin. I sat on the floor near the front door of the house and she freshet because my shorts were deemed dirty. Yeah, its like that. Everything becomes a drama as well...Its hard to relax when she's at this state. The scary thing about this scenario is that she was in the new home....how could everything be dirty in a new home?

- Furniture outlet stores have shitty furniture. I mean...really shitty. That is all about that one.

- I taught my cousin's nephew how to throw a football. Oops, it was probably his job....but I did it anyway. The kid is pretty bright for a four year old. He can add and subtract in his head and he can spell "obedience". He's just like his dad was....except this time around, the lil won't throw like a girl. Zing!

- I bought a notebook to write some stuff. Rhymes, songs, ideas for songs. I tired this once before, but that fad didn't last into senior year of high school. However, I've been feeling pretty creative lately. Its like I hit 25 and something got released inside of me...something fun should come up in the next few months.

- New guitar amp and drum machine is on the way. I guess it's my Christmas/birthday present to myself. I always find excuses to buy myself musical equipment. Perhaps I should just accept the fact that I should be serious about music and the screws on my budget won't be turned anytime soon.

- Traveling without check-in baggage is the shit. You're in, you're out, and agonizing waits are kept to a minimum.

- My dreams have been totally vivid lately. I almost achieved lucidity at one point this weekend....but I should stop now...this post is getting way long. Maybe tomorrow.

. . [~] . 0 (Grumble) Grumbles .