but that's okay I'm prepared.
I've been looking for a chance to renew my expired license and take a bike in for a pre-good weather tune up, so when I set up a phone interview for 9:30 this morning it seemed like a good day to play hooky and get some stuff done.
Got off to a bit of a rocky start when the interviewer called half an hour early but luckily I was already set up and had had a coffee already. Apparently I did okay since they've already emailed about setting up an in-person interview next week. Sounds like I might be juggling a pair of interviews again on Monday, oh boy.
So in the meantime I made some meatballs and tried to get mentally ready to go back to the office for another day. Ugh. I think the whiskey's coming out to meet dinner tonite.
Current beer-scale: 7.6
Showing posts with label days off. Show all posts
Showing posts with label days off. Show all posts
4/10/14
9/16/13
Some day I will teach my son
the art of walking like you know what you're doing and trading up.
Not that it's difficult these days, but at wrigley right now you can buy tickets on the street and start here:
And then end up here before the first inning's even over.
Not that the first seats were bad, but the second were much better. We might not have seen Air & Water show traffic or had 12-15 beers, but it was a fun time.
Current beer-scale: 5.6
Not that it's difficult these days, but at wrigley right now you can buy tickets on the street and start here:
Current beer-scale: 5.6
8/26/13
The glass can be half full or half empty
I was looking forward to a day off today where I could get some cleaning done, patch some bike clothes up, and then take a long ride into Skokie to pick up some 357 at one of the few Binnys claiming to have it in stock. And things were looking good too, one coffee and a few patches in. Then the daycare called.
Sigh.
I feel bad complaining about this, but the kid has some sort of sixth sense when it comes to us taking time off. But I picked him up, and then said screw it, we're driving there instead. So I took him to the liquor store at 10:30 AM, and he had a great time. We ended up having a fun day, I have no idea why he got sent home today, and I'm happily finishing one bottle of whiskey knowing I've got a new one to back it up. Good times.
Current beer-scale: 7.9 and still dumb enough to check work email at home.
6/27/13
comparison shopping
I stayed home yesterday with plans of going to an evening work event in the suburbs, but getting 6 inches of rain dumped on us cancelled those plans. So I had even more time than I expected to spend at Iron Cycles.
One, I noticed a busted spoke on the rush hour so I wanted to get it swapped out soon anyway. Two, hopefully anyone can get that done day of so it gave me some time to talk road bikes while it was on the repair stand.
BTW I don't think the spoke broke last week when I was mildly doored. I think it happened later in the week when I heard a "sproing" noise hitting the crappy pavement at the North Ave beach parking lot. Could be related, but it's a minor issue on a wheel that already got re-shaped once, so I didn't stress about it too much.
B/c there's plenty of stress already going into testing some bikes. Big props to Iron Cycles for actually being able to talk to me about what I was looking for and what they had, I'll probably be back in the shop soon for a test ride. But I'm already starting to worry about how this is all going to fit into our budget. And having finally had one moderately successful stop, it's time to try a few more shops and see what's out there. The whole thing is giving me anxiety.
Current beer-scale: 8.7
One, I noticed a busted spoke on the rush hour so I wanted to get it swapped out soon anyway. Two, hopefully anyone can get that done day of so it gave me some time to talk road bikes while it was on the repair stand.
BTW I don't think the spoke broke last week when I was mildly doored. I think it happened later in the week when I heard a "sproing" noise hitting the crappy pavement at the North Ave beach parking lot. Could be related, but it's a minor issue on a wheel that already got re-shaped once, so I didn't stress about it too much.
B/c there's plenty of stress already going into testing some bikes. Big props to Iron Cycles for actually being able to talk to me about what I was looking for and what they had, I'll probably be back in the shop soon for a test ride. But I'm already starting to worry about how this is all going to fit into our budget. And having finally had one moderately successful stop, it's time to try a few more shops and see what's out there. The whole thing is giving me anxiety.
Current beer-scale: 8.7
3/28/13
Remember this?
Oh well. I feel like having all sorts of family around this weekend for a birthday party will be enough of a stress that when Saturday/Sunday night roll around this will be what I"m reaching for. No shame in that.
Current beer-scale: 7.1 and climbing...
5/20/12
Now that's a day off
1/19/12
Off day
The wife has a Dr's appointment this afternoon as she heads into the start of her third trimester so it was the train for me this morning as we're meeting up so I can go with her. Yah responsible parenthood!
It feels like a good time for a break as last night's commute home drove me crazy. It's wasn't too cold or too wet but I left a few minutes late and the assholes were out in full force. The hardest part about leaving late is all I want to do is rush home, but I have to remember to slow down and let any cars driving like dicks make their dick moves while I'm in the cold waiting for them to finish. Last night was particularly abrasive so the train didn't sound too bad today.
Once I was on the train that changed pretty much immediately, but it will be worth it to ride home with the wife tonite. Especially if it's below zero out like they're forecasting. Sounds like the dog is getting a short walk tonite too.
Current beer-scale: 7.7
It feels like a good time for a break as last night's commute home drove me crazy. It's wasn't too cold or too wet but I left a few minutes late and the assholes were out in full force. The hardest part about leaving late is all I want to do is rush home, but I have to remember to slow down and let any cars driving like dicks make their dick moves while I'm in the cold waiting for them to finish. Last night was particularly abrasive so the train didn't sound too bad today.
Once I was on the train that changed pretty much immediately, but it will be worth it to ride home with the wife tonite. Especially if it's below zero out like they're forecasting. Sounds like the dog is getting a short walk tonite too.
Current beer-scale: 7.7
9/5/11
Cue Mr. Nelson
Give us a long weekend and a car that runs and is fun to drive and we'll think of something to do. Especially after a lousy Notre Dame game.
Actually, it took us a while to figure out what exactly we wanted to do with our Labor Day. We were headed to a forest preserve in the burbs to give the dog somewhere to run around but once we were on the road that changed into a trip to the Indiana Dunes. It ended up being the right thing to do.
The dog was a little restless when we left. I don't think it helped that we were all the way to 294 south when we decided to switch destinations. She was expecting the suburbs, and got two hours in the car instead.
Everything was forgotten once we made it there though. The next time I feel the urge to go to a beach this is where I'm heading. 
It wouldn't be a trip to the dunes if we didn't climb them too. Even the dog was panting by the time we made it to the top, but that's more b/c she was freaking nearly the entire time we were there.
So she was plenty tired for the ride home.
A trip like that fascinates me these days. When I was a kid I didn't like taking trips like that. My parents never ended up anywhere I thought was worth the time in the car. It could have been just growing up in the middle of nowhere, it could have been my parents were idiots. But now that I'm in charge it's a lot more fun, even though it's nearly impossible to feel like you're doing anything remotely spontaneous when you can look up anything on a phone and instantly find GPS to anywhere. Makes me really look forward to driving to Kansas City for a wedding in a few weeks.
Current beer-scale: 8.1
Actually, it took us a while to figure out what exactly we wanted to do with our Labor Day. We were headed to a forest preserve in the burbs to give the dog somewhere to run around but once we were on the road that changed into a trip to the Indiana Dunes. It ended up being the right thing to do.
The dog was a little restless when we left. I don't think it helped that we were all the way to 294 south when we decided to switch destinations. She was expecting the suburbs, and got two hours in the car instead.
Everything was forgotten once we made it there though. The next time I feel the urge to go to a beach this is where I'm heading. 
It wouldn't be a trip to the dunes if we didn't climb them too. Even the dog was panting by the time we made it to the top, but that's more b/c she was freaking nearly the entire time we were there. 
So she was plenty tired for the ride home. 
A trip like that fascinates me these days. When I was a kid I didn't like taking trips like that. My parents never ended up anywhere I thought was worth the time in the car. It could have been just growing up in the middle of nowhere, it could have been my parents were idiots. But now that I'm in charge it's a lot more fun, even though it's nearly impossible to feel like you're doing anything remotely spontaneous when you can look up anything on a phone and instantly find GPS to anywhere. Makes me really look forward to driving to Kansas City for a wedding in a few weeks.Current beer-scale: 8.1
3/30/11
screw it, I'm taking a sick day
I all but collapsed as soon as I got home last night, to the point where I wasn't even up to sampling the latest bottle of rye that the wife brought home for me. So rather than going into work and feeling like shit all day I decided to stay home and recouperate before I got worse.
We had a good time this morning, even though I just realized I still have to go out to pick up more dog food later. Shit.
In the meantime, I'll have a bit up about the whiskey as soon as I try it. The more whiskey in the house the better.
That doesn't mean I shouldn't take the dog out first to get her tired though, so out we went after driving the wife to work.
We had a good time this morning, even though I just realized I still have to go out to pick up more dog food later. Shit. In the meantime, I'll have a bit up about the whiskey as soon as I try it. The more whiskey in the house the better. Current beer-scale: 1.3
2/21/11
Home for a day
I hit the point at work last month were I can finally take vacation, so I'm spending an extra day home this weekend. Good timing too, since there's a Supernatural marathon on, I have some bike maintenance to do, and we're going out with the realtor tonite.
Going out tonite meant getting the dog good and tired. Like any good day off that meant heading to the beach in the morning. It was completely hellish, or at least it was for me. Windy, wet, cloudy, still icy but loud as the waves tried to wash it away. She had a blast and is now sleeping like a log on the couch.
Thankfully I ordered the bike part for the maintenance I want to do early enough that it got here before today since there's no mail service. But I wanted to add a cheap chain tensioner so hopefully frankenbike makes it through the rest of the crappy weather. A new chain and better gear ratio would go a long way towards long way towards a longer-term solution but would also cost more than $20 and require a lot more work. A tensioner means screwing something on and putting the chain on. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
As one last shot, here's the dog during dinner last night. Yes that is a drool bubble she's blowing. Nice.
Going out tonite meant getting the dog good and tired. Like any good day off that meant heading to the beach in the morning. It was completely hellish, or at least it was for me. Windy, wet, cloudy, still icy but loud as the waves tried to wash it away. She had a blast and is now sleeping like a log on the couch.Thankfully I ordered the bike part for the maintenance I want to do early enough that it got here before today since there's no mail service. But I wanted to add a cheap chain tensioner so hopefully frankenbike makes it through the rest of the crappy weather. A new chain and better gear ratio would go a long way towards long way towards a longer-term solution but would also cost more than $20 and require a lot more work. A tensioner means screwing something on and putting the chain on. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
As one last shot, here's the dog during dinner last night. Yes that is a drool bubble she's blowing. Nice.
Current beer-scale: 4.2 and lazy
2/7/11
So don’t tell the wife, but I had a bit of a run in w/a cab on the way home tonite. And by run in, I mean getting rubbed into a parked car as the cabbie tried to turn Clybourn into a two-lane street w/his eyes closed. Thanks to all the snow on the street my braking became a skid, and I ended up jammed against the parked car and the cab. There was actually more damage to the parked suv than me; frankenbike took the brunt of the collision as it got wedged between the two cars. Somehow none of me got wedged between the bike or either car. I was so surprised I wasn't hurt I barely managed to tell the cabbie to be more careful in the future. Whew! With more snow in the forecast and below zero temps coming, I think this might be a good time to take a break from the bike commute for a couple of days.
Current beer-scale: a shaken 8.9
Current beer-scale: a shaken 8.9
12/10/10
Taking a day off
From the bike at least. With the wife having a day off and a stack of presents under my desk to bring home today was as good a day as any to leave the bike in the basement. I hate the lazy feeling that comes over me when I don't ride, but that's just the OCD in me. Some routines are easy to stick to and biking is one of mine.
The worst part is getting a ride to work on a morning where it would have been just as easy to ride. If anything, I have an easier time riding a bike than in a car as a passenger. The only positive going for the car is it's easier to stop at starbucks for a coffee But even then you get stuck behind some Michigan fan mouth-breathing in line, so it's more of a wash.
But damn is it quiet in the office today. All the more reason to leave early I guess. I've got whiskey to drink back at home.
Current beer-scale: 4.1
The worst part is getting a ride to work on a morning where it would have been just as easy to ride. If anything, I have an easier time riding a bike than in a car as a passenger. The only positive going for the car is it's easier to stop at starbucks for a coffee But even then you get stuck behind some Michigan fan mouth-breathing in line, so it's more of a wash.
But damn is it quiet in the office today. All the more reason to leave early I guess. I've got whiskey to drink back at home.
Current beer-scale: 4.1
4/30/10
sands in the hour glass
No one should want to "kill" time. No matter how you spend it, time should be a resource to squeeze every drop out of, a finite space that there to fill to the best of your ability.
That being said, getting laid off gives you a lot more time than you might be used to, and occasionally you have to get creative to fill those empty spots.
One thing I really regret about my old job is having to cut off a bracelet I bought on my honeymoon. B/c I was usually handling several large reptiles and amphibians that would cling to loose articles or jewelry with claws or tails, the conch shell bracelet had to go. I had been wearting it for over two years as a reminder of how much fun we had, but also to give me something sunny to think of in December and January. Bummer. And when I got laid off, one positive I took away was the idea of picking up something similar to signify moving on in life when I found a new job.
Forward to six months later, and I don't think it would hurt to spoil myself and pick something up even though I'm still looking. But to buy something, when I don't have a paycheck? Questionable at best. So let's recycle.
Cycle being key here. I think it would be cool to pick up a bike chain bracelet. But do I want to buy something?
No. That wouldn't really make sense with all the parts I've got around. So cleaning a bit of chain would be a good way to make use of the morning.
Cleaned, and with a bit of innertube tied into something that I could hopefully take off in one piece if I ever line up another interview. Fantastic. Now to savor the rest of my beautiful Friday.
Current beer-scale: 7.1 and about to get lower! Downtown drinking!
That being said, getting laid off gives you a lot more time than you might be used to, and occasionally you have to get creative to fill those empty spots.
One thing I really regret about my old job is having to cut off a bracelet I bought on my honeymoon. B/c I was usually handling several large reptiles and amphibians that would cling to loose articles or jewelry with claws or tails, the conch shell bracelet had to go. I had been wearting it for over two years as a reminder of how much fun we had, but also to give me something sunny to think of in December and January. Bummer. And when I got laid off, one positive I took away was the idea of picking up something similar to signify moving on in life when I found a new job.
Forward to six months later, and I don't think it would hurt to spoil myself and pick something up even though I'm still looking. But to buy something, when I don't have a paycheck? Questionable at best. So let's recycle.
Cycle being key here. I think it would be cool to pick up a bike chain bracelet. But do I want to buy something?
No. That wouldn't really make sense with all the parts I've got around. So cleaning a bit of chain would be a good way to make use of the morning.
Cleaned, and with a bit of innertube tied into something that I could hopefully take off in one piece if I ever line up another interview. Fantastic. Now to savor the rest of my beautiful Friday.
Current beer-scale: 7.1 and about to get lower! Downtown drinking!
10/12/09
When it comes to days off, 4 is better than 3
Now that was a nice long weekend. Even without any ND or Bears to watch, four days away from the office did me good.
Oh well. Thinking of this made me smile on a cold ride in this morning. Now if I can just gut out the next 3 & 1/2 days, I'll be all set.
Current beer-scale: 5.1
Anytime I'm off for a significant length of time, the dog really enjoys it at first. Trips to the dog beach, long walks in the middle of the day...she's happy all the time. Eventually though it wears her down to the point where I'm asking if she wants to go out and she looks at me like I can't head back to the office soon enough. Hence this look from her comfortable spot in the sun during yesterday's early game. 
Would you just be quiet and watch some awful football please?
Oh well. Thinking of this made me smile on a cold ride in this morning. Now if I can just gut out the next 3 & 1/2 days, I'll be all set.
Current beer-scale: 5.1
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